L&J Goes Green

I LOVE sharing about a good cause. And I have a new cause I just have to share with you! Okay, really it is not new. Recycling has been around forever. But, what I stumbled upon will transform your recycling! Plus, this is the perfect month to focus on giving back to mother earth, because we should all be thankful for the wonderful blessing the earth is to each of us. But, I should start at the beginning. 

My precious laptop was seriously injured in an accident recently. [Not sure if I can actually claim it as an accident, but I digress.] So, I was looking online for places local to me that I can properly dispose of/recycle my laptop. I was searching online and found a site. 

Earth911.com

It was such a fabulous site. You can simply search for a recycling facility near you, and it is not limited to laptop computers, they have categories for batteries, paint, glass, gardening materials, construction supplies and equipment. The possibilities will amaze you! The site also gives specific information for the recycling facility, so you don't have to do a bunch of additional research. Plus, it has some great articles on being green, ways to recycle, recent news pertaining to recycling and taking care of mother earth. Go to the site and bookmark it now! You will thank me, when you have some odd item you need to recycle and no clue where to take it!

Another bonus of finding this gem of a website is that I learned that, 'America Recycles Day' is in two days! Ahhhh. You can search for local events taking place in honor of this day, you can pledge to make a difference by finding out what items you can recycle locally and making a pledge to recycle more within the next month!

So, what are you waiting for? Jump on over to Earth911.org and pledge to make a difference and find out how you can be the change in your community to help make recycling an issue that gets the attention it deserves! 

High Five for Friday

High Five for Friday! (Disclaimer: I am high fiving from the last two weeks. :)

#1: First and foremost I am high fiving the fact that although the week started with the flu, it didn't last too long AND I feel great now. Plus, my hubby was seriously my hero while I was sick and got our little pumpkin ready for church all by himself, took her to church all by himself, taught my Sunday School lesson for me extremely last minute and then cooked dinner for his family (which I had committed to do) and took it over to his brother's house. He won major brownie points and really made it easy for me to relax and get the rest I needed so I could get well. A.Mazing.

#2: Pumpkins! Christmas is truly my favorite holiday, but Halloween is a close second and I love carving pumpkins. I try to be creative and do fun characters or go with a great theme. So in honor, I am posting some of my favorites I have created throughout the years in my Halloween recap (look forward to Monday's post).

#3: Trick-or-Treating was awesome. My little girl is 20 months and you just never know how these things will be recieved by little ones. She loved trick-or-treating! It was so fun to take her around and see the excitement on her face. She even got in some, 'trick-or-treats' (we practiced for weeks) and some, 'thank-yous' (at appropriate times even). The weather was perfect, and that is saying something for the Rocky Mountains this time of year. We took our wagon (best. idea. ever.) and since her bucket got heavy and she got tired towards the end, the wagon was the perfect catch-all when we needed it.

#4: Home Sweet Home is coming together and that feels amazing. We are building a new home and recently had our design appointment (SO stressful)! The day of I couldn't sleep and I barely ate because I was so anxious and excited to pick out all of our design elements for our home. But now that is complete and we have agreed on our must-haves, it feels really great and very exciting to be able to look forward to the progress and anticipation of seeing our ideas come together.

#5: Cookies make any day better. Especially my homemade sugar cookies. These are the best sugar cookies. Nice and fluffy but not too soft and crumbly either. I get requests all the time to make my sugar cookies, they have become semi-famous, so I am going to share this amazing recipe with you. You can thank me later, when you have devoured the whole batch of sugar cookies in one sitting. :) 

Lizzy's Famous Sugar Cookie Recipe 

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Then add baking powder and flour. Chill dough for at least 10 minutes. Roll dough on lightly floured surface about 1/4" thick. Cut out. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. 

Baby Girl Bling!

Lately I have had lots of friends having babies (and I mean there is something in the drinking water, so watch out). Well, lots of them are actually having baby boys, but for the few that are having girls, it means I get to go accessory crazy and put fun things together from my Etsy shop. So, I decided to show you some of my creations I am sending to a friend who just had her first baby.

You can check out more Lizzy & Janes creations in our Etsy Shop.

For custom creations, you can always contact us. We customize for free, so we can always change up colors, styles, centers, headbands, etc. Plus, all of our items come gift boxed so you don't have to do any busy work to get them ready to gift.

Make sure to leave us some love and tell us your favorite accessory! We always love to hear feedback.

Happy November!

Happy November! I hope everyone has had a fantastic fall. We had a wonderful Halloween! I will be blogging about it this week, but I have to say, I am breathing a little easier with Halloween under the belt and out of the way, because I have so many other things occupying my time. We wanted to bring in the new month with a breathe of fresh air with this beautiful treasury. Our set of flower hairclips is included, and although we love to be included, we also just adore this collection of items and the wonderful simplicity they bring to this wonderful season! Enjoy.

 

'Changing Seasons' by GetGlassy

As the seasons change....

Decorative Feathered Bi... RobinsArtAndDe... $35.00	Woodland Costume Headdr... mimiandlu $24.00	Burgundy & Bronze Acorn... UnnamedRoad $12.00	Felted Wool Bag in Ivor... HuzzahHandmade $95.00
Architectural Bud Vase ... LandMstudio $50.00	Bronze and cream - 3 f... EmbellishedLif... $12.00	free shipping ruffle co... betsybdesign $32.00	Copper and Silver Metal... lucysnowephoto... $30.00
Kitchen Conversions - 1... wickedmint $18.00	Gold Porcelain Pendant ... CorkyWhites $85.00	Fused Glass Handmade Di... Smokeylady54 $45.00	Set of 3 - 3" Flow... LizzyandJanes $18.00
Detoxifying Traditional... Mundus $12.00	Copper Gold Barrette - ... ccvalenzo $24.00	Celtic Embroidered Purs... ourspecialange... $15.00	Wrap Bracelet Pearl Bro... RavensNestScar... $16.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Wish List Wednesday

Well my birthday is officially less than a month away. This will be my last year in my 20's, so I really want it to be a great year. So lately I've been thinking about my 'wish list'. These are a few items I am hoping make it my way this year. :)

TOMS Ash Canvas Classics

 

B.F.F. Belly Bandit

 

 

Downeast Basics Long Sleeve Tees

-Lizzy

Monday Migraine

Well this Monday morning wanted to welcome me with a monster migraine. Thanks Monday, I really owe you for that one. Luckily I have the best hubby ever and he took really good care of me to help me through it. I am super tired, but feel so much better! (It's amazing to me how grateful I feel after a migraine to feel no pain and be over it!)

Well, I just wanted to give you a preview of blog posts in the works that will be debuting within the next few weeks. (I have to make up for the drought of the past couple weeks!)

My Famous Sugar Cookie Recipe
New Hair Do - Lizzy is Getting a Haircut
September Book Club Recap of The Night Circus
DIY Fall Decor to Spruce Up Your Space
A Birthday Wish List
Pumpkin Patch Recap
Christmas Quilt Project
Homemade Halloween Costume
An Organized Move
Fav Fall Item: Legwarmers
The Perfect Gift for Baby Girl

Have a wonderful Monday! Don't let it attack you like it did to me. :)

What Happened to You? Wednesday

You might be wondering where in the world we have been lately. Sometimes I wonder where I am too. :) Well, Jane has been buried under school projects galore and I (Lizzy) have been trying to adjust to new schedule changes that have risen out of my husband's new job (so grateful for by the way, but it is an adjustment to have him working a regular 8am-5pm schedule because I used to have my evenings all to myself) and my little    one's new nap schedule or I should say lack of a regular nap schedule. So both Jane and I are trying to adjust the best we can, so thank for your patience and forgiveness when we are absent for days at a time or behind on posts. 

Okay, enough of that. This is my FAVORITE time of year (October to the New Year - rocks the Casbah!) So, tonight we are having a fall festival at church and I am making my slow-cooked chili, so I thought I would share the recipe. One of my favs and so easy.

Slow-Cooked Chili 

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 lbs. ground beef

2 - 16 oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained

2 -14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Yeilds: 10 Servings

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the next nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese or sour cream if desired. 

It is delicious and so easy and perfect for fall!

Another amazing fall find: 

If you have ever had an apple pie caramel apple, you will love these! They are limited edition for the fall, so if you love them, you will want to start stock-piling now to get you through the rest of the year. :)