Tips for Hosting a Last Minute Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyPizzaCombo #CollectiveBias

During football season we are constantly having last-minute visitors to our home to host for various football games. Ryan gets to chatting with friends, and next thing I know we are having a little party at our house...with no preparation on my end! I have a few tips and a "plan of attack" for getting your house and yourself ready at a speedy pace! 

Fix yourself up

For some reason every time we have last minute guests, I have my hair in a ratty top knot and haven't worn make-up for days. My favorite go-to hairstyle is a messy pony with sea salt spray then scrunching it up for texture. Then I fill in my eyebrows with pencil and slap on some colored lip balm to give my face some definition. Then I feel a whole lot better about hosting a party and entertaining guests because I know I won't look like a zombie! 

Put in your order at Sam's Club

Before you start the craziness of picking up the house, pick up your phone and put in an order for the $13.98 Coca-Cola & Pizza Combo deal at Sam's Club Cafe. You get a bundle of goodies, such as a 16-Inch Pizza, Cheesy Breadsticks, Cookies, and one 2L of Coca-Cola. You want to make sure it is all cooked and ready for pick up by the time you're done pulling the house together! 

Tidy up the living room 

This is the first impression for guests walking through the door, and where they will be spending most of their time when at our home. I fold all the blankets and put them in our blanket basket, put the pillows back in place, put remotes into drawers and move on to the next task! 

Dust main surfaces

I have a little dust wand that I glide over all the main surfaces that my guests will be seeing. Which typically includes: side table, television, TV stand, decorative shelving, and window sills. Quick way to make it look like you took time to clean the house! 

Hide 'yo kids hide yo' stuff ;)

Let's be real. No one is going to be searching every nook and cranny in your home for personal belongings. When I'm crunched on time, all the extras go into closets or into our bedroom upstairs where guests won't see it. 

Wipe down kitchen, dining room & guest bathroom countertops 

I may be personally pick about this, but I like clearing off main surfaces to give the appearance of a clean house. I especially focus on the bathroom, because I don't want guests to feel uncomfortable using a "lived in" restroom. I always have cleaning supplies in each bathroom to make tidy-ing up that much easier. 

Pick up the Family Meal Deal at Sam's Club

We got to feed our guests! Since I called ahead to my local Sam's Club Cafe and ordered the New Family Meal Deal, it was ready in less than 20 minutes and now is ready for pick-up. I send Ryan to go pick it up while I'm finishing up on the house. Not only is it convenient and delicious, but it's also $13.98 for the whole pack! That is one CRAZY awesome deal! 

It is the perfect solution for a quick dinner and another perk is that I didn't have to cook a thing! I always have football themed napkins and cups on hand, so I pull those out to fit the theme of our last-minute football party. 

Hopefully these tips helped you with a "plan of attack" when it comes to preparing for a last-minute party! Make sure to check out if your Sam's Club is participating in this Coca-Cola & Pizza Combo because it is seriously such a killer deal! 

Function of Beauty

My hair is insanely flat and lifeless. How's that for a starting line? haha

My scalp gets greasy so fast, meaning my hair turns into a pancake super quick. I was sent this customized Function of Beauty shampoo/conditioner set, where I got to choose exactly what I wanted out of a haircare product. 

I want it to be voluminous! Shiny! Bouncy! And to smell like cucumber mint! I love that Function of Beauty gives me the option to choose what I want out and that it's created with all natural products, 100% vegan, and free from parabens and sulfates. I've been using this duo for the past 2 weeks and have been looooving it. Check it out for yourself!

Shampoo & Conditioner c/o Function of Beauty

Get Your Kitchen Fall-Ready

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScotchBriteSponges #CollectiveBias

I can't believe that fall is right around the corner! I love this season because it means birthdays, holidays, and the perfect weather for fashion. This is our first fall season in this house, and I'm excited to get it all decorated and ready for the cozy season. 

I know that deep cleaning is usually reserved for springtime, but why can't we do that the beginning of every season? :) I picked up Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty and Non-Scratch scrub pads as well as the Heavy Duty Soap Dispensing Dishwand to get my kitchen spick-and-span. Save now on Scotch-Brite® Scrub Sponges at Target with this Cartwheel offer!

I'm not ready to break out all the fall decor just yet, but I wanted to get the kitchen prepared for when all the family parties start happening and I just don't have time to decorate or clean! You can check out this site for more ideas on how to get your kitchen crazy clean with Scotch-Brite™, but here's a few tips on how to get your kitchen fall-ready to get you started :) 

Scrub down tough spots on the stovetop with Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge

This scrub sponge is EVERYTHING! I've been using these in my home for ages, and there is nothing better to get all the gunk off of my stovetop. It cleans up tough stains 50% faster, especially those baked-on messes that I usually find on the stove! I always remember that the Heavy Duty is green while Non-Scratch is blue, so I don't use the sponges on the wrong surface! Throw on some soap, a little water, and put that sponge to work. 

Organize flower arrangements with a fall color scheme 

Fresh flowers always put me in a great mood, especially when they are a festive coloring that matches the season. I found these perfect neutral flowers and arranged them into a couple of different vases to spread around the kitchen. It livens up the kitchen and brings in that cozy fall feel! 

Create a s'mores basket to be ready at a moment's notice

We have a fire pit in our backyard, and I'm SO stoked to have those chilly night bonfires with friends and family! Until the weather cools down, I like to have this small basket with s'mores essentials on hand so I can make a quick one in the microwave ;) 

Decorate with fun fall decor

I got pumpkin kitchen towels, a cinnamon vanilla candle, and an adorable moose on the fridge to start off my festive decor! Decorations are sooo much fun for seasons and holidays, can't wait to crack out more of my goodies once the weather cools down. In the meantime, a few reminders that fall is on its way is fun to have around :) 

Use Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Soap Dispensing Dishwand on tough pans

This dishwand is a total lifesaver. I love that I can control how much soap is dispensed, and that the Heavy Duty scrub sponge gets those difficult pans nice and clean. When I have the time, I scrub down those tough-to-clean pans so that they're ready for when family is in town and we're all baking dinner together. That way, I'm not embarrassed by my pans when they get pulled out!  

Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponges are perfect for pots & pans

Our pans get ravaged by scrambled eggs in the morning and burgers for dinner! The Non-Scratch scrub sponges keep the pans in good condition, it cleans non-stick cookware without scratching. In just a few scrub-a-dub-dubs I was able to get all the mess off. Good as new! 

Organize and streamline

Finally, organize all the paper you've got in the kitchen! Our kitchen serves as a home-base for bills, letters, wedding invites, family calendar, and more. I went through and trashed everything that we didn't need, pinned up the new wedding invites on our bulletin board, and filed away all the paperwork we needed to keep. The only items we have on our fridge are of immediate importance, which puts it on the forefront of our mind. 

Those are all my tips and tricks to get your kitchen ready for the new season! What are your go-to tasks to get your kitchen in shape?

Which Scotch-Brite™ Brand product would you use the most in your kitchen? A great excuse to visit your local Target and save money when using the Cartwheel coupon for any Scotch-Brite™scrub sponge! 

My Experience with Microblading // Layers n' Lashes

I am naturally blonde which means I have no eyebrows. Not kidding, they are so blonde look non-existent! Ever since the full "brow trend" came around a few years ago I started filling them in with a pencil and started off too dark (yikes!), then I was shaping them wrong. The brows were a hot mess. 

Once I heard about microblading I texted my lash girl and asked when she was getting certified cause I needed brows stat! Microblading is using a small blade to semi-permanently tattoo little strokes to simulate eyebrow hairs. My first appointment took a little over an hour long and my girl Nicole was extremely meticulous about the shape and color. She numbed my brow area then started microblading the tiny hair strokes in. A few days after the appointment my eyebrow area started to scab and flake off. It wasn't the prettiest, but that was what is supposed to happen so the color could reveal itself underneath. 

During that process my skin rejected the color because my skin likes to be weird :/ It was a huge bummer, but Nicole has my back ;) She brought me in for another appointment, we decided to go for more of a brown shade with the coloring and she did my brows again. The color stuck and now they are gorgeous! I love leaving them alone when I'm in a morning rush, and when I do a full face of makeup I touch them up with a little bit of pencil and voila! They are supposed to fade over the next year then I'll get them touched up, perfectly low-key and fabulous :) 

Contact Nicole at Layers n' Lashes to schedule a lash or microblading appointment, she's the only person I trust with my lashes and brows! 

Organize Your Home Office for Optimal Studying & Focus

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CreateWithHP #CollectiveBias

We've been in our new place for almost a year (crazy!) and Ryan has loved having his own office. He has decked it out to fit all his needs as a business student at BYU, and the ALL NEW HP Deskjet 3636 Printer from Walmart is the perfect addition to his desk. He previously would print all of his papers at the campus print center, but now he can take care of all his printing needs at home and not have to rush to campus early! 

Weirdly enough, Ryan is the organization obsessed person in our household. He enjoys finding a place for each and every item. While we are still in the process of organizing his office, it has come a long way! I'd love to share a few tips and tricks on how to organize your home office, for it to become the optimal place to study and focus for school. 

1. Hang items on the wall

We hung a shelf to hold all of Ryan's hats, pictures of family, fun posters, and finally a whiteboard right next to his desk to jot down quick notes. He brainstorms ideas on that whiteboard, and having it on the wall means it's not in the way, but is easily accessible. If you've got wall space, then use it! 

2. Sort each item into its own compartment

We picked up this organizer to streamline the system in his desk drawers. Ryan now has a specific compartment for each back-to-school necessity! Pencils, pens, highlighters, flags, note cards, and more. This makes the busy school days a bit easier when you know exactly where your tools are. 

3. Use boxes/baskets for aesthetically pleasing storage 

We picked up these fabric boxes to further organize books and tech equipment. The fun colors bring the "pop" needed for the space, and it keeps chargers and other tech easily accessible! Boxes and baskets that are aesthetically pleasing are the best of both worlds; it serves as decor and organization. 

4. Be stress-free by adding greenery, candles, and family photos 

Add some life into your office space! We picked up this mother-in-law's tongue plant then lit a candle on the windowsill, and the space felt so much more relaxing. School can be stressful, so we did our best to add items to the space that will help with de-stressing!

5. Download HP Printer app to print with ease

We picked up the HP Deskjet 3636 Printer from Walmart since it's an affordable all-in-one printer that not only hooks up to wifi, but we can use through our smartphone app. Say what?! This makes our lives so much easier, since Ryan can now print any school related material from wherever he's at! 

We chose the HP Deskjet 3636 in the fun Dragonfly Blue option, which works perfectly with the current color scheme we have in the office! When using the mobile app, it is a seamless experience. We printed up the upcoming BYU academic schedule to post on the wall as a reminder for important school-related dates. 

With a couple of buttons, we were printing our high-quality calendar in no time! The printer was nice and quiet with its optional 'quiet mode'. A great upgrade from our old noisy printer that we could hear throughout the entire house! 

We were able to set up the printer and start using it so quickly after unboxing the product. It's the perfect printer for any college student since it's easy to set up, ready to use, efficient, affordable, and high quality! Any professor would be happy to receive an essay printed with this HP Deskjet :) 

What organization tips do you have for a home office? Would you pick Dragonfly Blue, Vibrant Red, or Sporty Purple for your HP Deskjet 3636 printer?