game day appetizer recipes {best dips ever}

It's game night. And this game night is one we Utahns wait for all year. The so-called "Holy War" between the University of Utah and BYU. You might remember my family bleeds red (16 years and probably around $80,000 at the "U" between my husband and me make us true believers). But whatever team you side with in your team's rivalry game, you are going to want to have these amazing football game appetizers at your next game day party. Trust me. Best. Dips. Ever.

This first recipe is a new discovery for me, but a fast favorite in our extended family. I'd even venture to call it a new football game staple (or summer BBQ staple, or New Year's Eve staple--really the must-have dip at any get-together you have planned). It comes from my friend Danielle, so I often refer to it as Danielle's Famous Pickle Dip. But if you don't know Danielle you can just call it Game Day Pickle Dip. Either way it's outrageously delicious. I usually double this recipe for larger crowds.

DIY Halloween Costumes {and a contest!}

Have you started thinking about your Halloween costumes for this year? I always get a little overwhelmed by how much it can cost to buy everyone in my family a costume. Luckily, I can pass them down through my three boys each year. There are also so many great ideas out there for DIY Halloween costumes. We have featured several ideas on our blog in the last few years that you can check out and I also wanted to share a few fun and clever ideas with you.

My brother and sister-in-law are Halloween costume pros! Every year they come up with some really fun idea for costumes and they make them or find pieces to put together themselves.

 

One year they were Mickey and the broom from Fantasia. They found a few components and then put the rest together themselves and it was so fun and creative!

easy weeknight meals with help from pillsbury {and a free recipe booklet}

With school well under way, my schedule fills up so quickly each night. There are school activities, homework, scouts, church events and more! It can be really hard to get motivated to make dinner with so much else to worry about and it can also be hard to find the time! Mealtime is really important to me and I like to sit down with my family and have some time to talk about our day and spend time together. That means I cannot spend a lot of time cooking dinner on nights that we have to rush off to activities. Enter Pillsbury.

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits provide a variety of family favorite recipes, ready in under 30 minutes, that are delicious and have a little twist to help keep dinner fun, not boring. I love using these biscuits for all sorts of meals. You can really get creative with them and they save me a lot of time!

This week I made the Easy Grands! Chicken Pot Pie. My family loved it and it was so easy to make. Plus we had leftovers so it saved me another night of cooking!

carved faux pumpkin {and michaels great pumpkin event}

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Michaels. All opinions are my own.

I cannot believe we are half-way through September! Fall is right around the corner and I am already getting my holiday crafting on! Michaels has a wonderful selection of craft pumpkins for all sorts of decor ideas as well as Fall craft projects.

I let my kids help me design and carve a pumpkin that we could keep out all month! I love that you can come up with decor ideas that will last for all of Fall. Typically we do real pumpkins and they rot pretty quickly! Michaels also has a fabulous hot tool that can carve these faux pumpkins easily! 

free crochet headband and cuff {pattern}

The first week of September and it's still in the 90s here, so it's not necessarily crocheted accessory weather yet. But it is the time to start crocheting accessories because those cool fall temps will be here SOON. So I have two exciting things for you. First, it's a big sale in my pattern shops! Buy 3 get 1 free pattern in my Etsy and Ravelry shops through the end of the summer (September 21, 2013)! That's 4 patterns for only $12. And both Etsy and Ravelry offer instant download now, so you can start working on your projects, like now!

I also have a new FREE crochet pattern to share: the Criss-Cross Cuff & Headband pattern. It's a quick and easy way project to get ready for fall and winter. Perfect for last minute Christmas gifts, too. (How awesome would it be to get a few of those done before December? Hey, I can dream, right?)