The Perfect Freezable Meatball

*This recipe is adapted from the meatball recipe found on page 424 of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I love this book. We use it all the time, if you are in need of a good cookbook, consider this one.

I am not exaggerating when I say these are the perfect meatballs. They are easy to make, use mostly things you have on hand, freeze like a dream, taste amazing how they are, or can be manipulated with any sauce (ie: add a teriyaki sauce, or a sweet and sour sauce, or a BBQ sauce or marinara...etc.)

Here's the recipe:

Tips for Successful Yard Sale Shopping

It is that time of year, y'all! Yard, Estate and Garage sales abound on Saturday mornings and I am finally finished with my semester which means no more working every saturday. I could not be more excited to be going out to some sales this morning. Here are some of my personal guidelines for what makes a successful Saturday morning yard saling excursion.

Luke's Nursery Reveal Part 2

2. "L", "U", "K", "E" fabric letters in frames:

The inspiration for these letters was that I had 4 empty white frames and I didn't know what to put in them, haha. I wanted them to match his room, so I ended up turning to my favorite thing-- the fabric scraps.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Need a few gift ideas for Mother's day? Here are a few budget friendly (but still sweet) ideas if you are in a pinch for time and are planning on buying mother's day gifts this year.

Homemade, No Bake, Granola Bars

I have been dying to try a recipe for homemade granola bars, but I could never find one that was exactly what I had in mind (surprise, surprise). I wanted a recipe that I didn't have to bake, because I prefer my granola bars soft not crunchy. I also wanted one that magically only had things I had on hand. :). I finally found this one from Rachel Ray that seemed pretty close to what I wanted but with some extras (aka fruit) that my husband wouldn't tolerate.  

Here is my adapted kid and husband friendly recipe:

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear 

Sarah!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!

That's right good people, today is Sarah's Birthday. It's the perfect day for a birthday, not to hot, not to cold, all you need is a light jacket. 

Here are my top five favorite things about Sarah. 

1.) She is loyal, trust me, I know. We have been friends for almost twenty years. 

2.) She is fun. Sarah loves to laugh and have a party, and it's always fun to be around her. 

3.) She is accepting. Sarah always gives people the benefit of the doubt. She is friends with all different kinds of people and loves everyone. 

4.) She isn't afraid of being who she is. She doesn't worry about what is popular or commonly accepted. She likes what she likes and let people think what they think.

5.) She is so talented! Sarah did most of our blog design and she really has an eye for beautiful things and great vintage finds. I always love seeing what she posts. 

Sar I am so blessed to have a friend like you! I love you, and I hope you have a wonderful day. 

If you haven't yet, make sure to send Sarah some birthday love! 

P.S. It is also our wonderful, amazing and talented friend Courtney's Birthday today! If you know her from CeeBee Photography, go shoot her some love as well!

(expired) Two Freebies from Bath & Body Works!

Send a Mother’s Day card from B&B on facebook and both your and your Mom (or friend) will receive a coupon good for a FREE Signature Collection Travel Size Item. No purchase necessary! Your coupon will arrive via email shortly.

Cheap Spring Fashion at Target!

 Remember this post about awesome Target coupons? Just to quickly explain in case you haven't used them before, you can print coupons from Target.com to use in their stores or online. They frequently offer $3 off one apparel item for a specific brand, and right now they have one for Merona and one for Mossimo. They also have a Buy One Get One 50% Off on Accessories. The coupons are even better when used to buy clearance items. I have often gotten things for FREE or under $1 with them! (Usually these are the best for PJ and intimates clearance items, but unfortunately those are excluded from this week's coupons.)  Print them out here and head to your store to see what kinds of deals you can find. Here are some of my faves in their weekly ad:

 The above dresses are on sale for $18 right now, making them only $15 after coupon!

See more below!

Luke's Nursery Reveal Part 1

One of my favorite things to do is make my house feel warm and happy. So, I thought I would share one of the many DIY projects I made for my son Luke's nursery (he's nine months old now and crawling around like crazy!)

When it comes to having a baby, (at least a first baby), there are plenty of things you can spend money on. As soon as I started browsing around I realized that nursery decor could be seriously pricey. I really wanted Luke to have a happy space. I wanted lots of bright colors and visual stimulation. I wanted his room to be personalized and I basically had no budget for it!

My parents donated the rocking chair and crib, and my MIL sewed Luke's bedding and recovered the rocker to match the nursery better. Obviously this helped a ton to get things started. We already had the white shelf (Walmart special, $20), so the only thing in the nursery we had to pay for was the dresser. It is from the HEMNES series at IKEA and I absolutely love it. Even though it was a splurge it was worth every penny $299.) In addition to these staples I made 5 decorations that help tie the room together. I am going to share the first of those with you today!

1. "You Make Me Happy" Fabric Board:

(expired) $10 for a Custom Hard Cover Photo Book from Picaboo!

Another great deal on photo books you guys! Don't miss out on this one. With Groupon $10 will get you a 20 page 8.5" x 11" or $20 will get you an 11" x 14" from Picaboo. I got my husband a leather hard cover book for Christmas from this company a year ago with all of the pictures of him playing music over the past few years (he is a drummer) and he loves it! It was super easy and it's beautiful. I have been dying to do another one. Get yours here!

(expired) Freebies & Deals For Your Weekend!

 How is everybody doing? I am so excited to share these awesome offers with you!

First, MyPublisher is offering a free 5.75" x 7.75" hardcover photo book to new customers! Mother's Day is coming up! Or maybe you have been thinking about making a wedding album or just a personal album? (I love these because I am totally not a scrapbooker. You can also use your code to get $20 off another size if you want! Sign up here.

 

 Down East has a coupon for this weekend (I'm thinking good deals on swimwear or summer skirts!)

Secretly craving some Bieber? Or something else? Get it guilt free, Amazon is once again giving out free $2 music credits. That's at least two songs people. Use code MOMROCKS to add it to your Amazon Mp3 account.

My Favorite Quotes on Mothers...Printable Form

I thought I would get these mothers day printables out a little early in case any of you want to display them for awhile, or even frame them and give them as a gift. So, without further ado, here they are! 

Love this quote. It is so true of both my selfless mothers. If you like it, here's the printable.

Vintage T.V. Tray Makeover

So after we got married, husband and I fell into a habit of eating our dinners (which, at home + together are few and far between) in front of the TV. Mostly because we get home from work and school pretty late, and the timing is perfectly in sync with our favorite TV shows. Since we were doing that, he thought we should get T.V. trays. The suggestion brought me to this thought: We can't turn into the parents on Matilda! I just couldn't get over it, so I resisted and resisted, even though it really did make sense for us to get them. When he would find them at garage sales they were always more expensive than what we would ever want to pay for them anyway. Then one day at the D.I. I found some super old ones. SUPER old. And ugly. Sadly my own before photos are M.I.A. since I wasn't planning on ever doing a tutorial, but the ones on the left are a dead ringer for one of them, and the one on the right is quite similar to the other one I got. They cost me $1.00 each at the D.I. (our local thrift store.) But I decided that I could probably get them, fix them up and make husband very happy. So I did. It was so easy.

Step 1: I scrubbed them down with Lysol wipes.
Step 2: Spray painted them with a $3 bottle from Wal-Mart
Step 3: Mod Podged some cute scrapbook paper onto the surface of the tray! Voila.





So they have been some of the most useful things I have ever found at a thrift store. Well worth the $5 I spent.

-Sarah

Awesome Target Coupons

Target is one of my all time favorite stores.

Not only are the prices fabulous, but in my experience the stores are usually clean and the employees pleasant. Plus, I love their clothes and shoes! They don't shrink or rip after one wash or wear like many other department stores apparel.

If the fact that Target's apparel is cute, good quality, and fairly priced isn't enough for you, they also have great coupons!

My very favorite coupon Target does regularly is $3 off any Merona women's apparel item...a coupon that they happen to have right now!

To print yours go to this link, Target's Printable Coupons, and then on the left hand side right at the top it will say apparel and accessories, click that link and print your coupons.

Now all that's left to do is find a great deal on the clearance racks, making your purchase almost free!

Printable Roundup: Mother's Day!

Do you guys know what is coming up soon? Mother's Day! Less than a month. And if I know anything, it's this: Moms are ANGELS. So we want to share some of the better ideas we've found for treating our Moms for Mother's Day. One thing that I have found through my love of blogging in the past few years is this: There are so many FREE resources out there on the web, that can make your life just a little more beautiful. There are artists, who selflessly allow others to download and print their work for personal use. Three cheers for them!  So, I am rounding up some of my favorite printable pretties for you all to do as you wish with. Don't forget to treat your angel Mothers this Mother's Day!

1. Mother's Day Breakfast Printables created by Sybille over at FUNKYTIME.

2. Mother's Day Card Poster Card created by Amy over A Proffittable Life.

3. Another sweet Mother's Day Breakfast Printable created by Jordan over at Oh Happy Day!

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

I have been searching forever for a good, freezable breakfast burrito recipe. The other day I stumbled across a recipe on this blog that looked good to me. What attracted me to the recipe originally was it's simplicity, because if' you've been following this blog you know that I love a recipe, craft etc that is wonderful and simple.

I wanted to change a few things, most notably that I like bacon instead of sausage. Just working with what I had on hand, and not wanting to make a ton (since it was a trial run) here is what I came up with.

Happy Weekend- an H&M Coupon!

I hope you all have a great weekend filled with relaxation and enjoyment. I am quite busy, working and throwing a bridal shower! It is going to be so fun, I will share some pics later this week. What are  you all up to? If you're going to be shopping, good news! H&M just released a coupon good from today through April 22 for 20% off one item. I love H&M. Such cute stuff- for such great prices. Can't wait to do a little shopping and see if I can find any really phenomenal deals! Click here to get it.

Thanks Cass for the heads up!

How To Take In A Shirt

The other day I made my husband go through his closet and pull out anything he would never wear again. Which was actually really hypocritical because I need it way more than he does. (Admitting it is the first step right?) Anywho, he gave me a pretty big stack of old shirts. I immediately saw tons of awesome projects unfolding in my mind. So, I decided to do one of the more basic ones first. Here is how to re-size something to fit you, whether its something you got for a steal on clearance or you raided your hubby's clothes like I did.

If you are a very beginning seamstress this is for you!

Guest Posting @ Over the Big Moon!

Hey guys! We are doing our very first guest post today over at Over the Big Moon. We just love their website and are so excited to be able to share a craft there today.

Love you all.

Style for a Song: DIY Mint Jeans!

Never miss a post! We share tons of cute & cheap fashion here at Pretty Providence, so follow us  on GFC (right sidebar) or Feedburner, Twitter, FB, Bloglovin', G+, etc. and save $ while you update your wardrobe!

Yes! I am so happy with how this re-fashion turned out. I have been longing for mint jeans (along with the rest of the English speaking-world) all spring. So I decided to do something about it. And that something was not spending $60 on up for the available options. See my tutorial below!

The Importance of Paying Attention

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby to grab myself some craft glue. I started making a split-pea wreath over a month ago but my glue gun wasn't working and the other glue I had at my house was not working so well either. So it has been sitting half finished in my spare bedroom for a while. That annoys me and I really want it to be on my door- all the way finished. So I get to the glue area and I quickly scan the types and the prices and decided that since I don't need a huge bottle that I will just get something smaller. I have my 40% off coupon pulled up on my phone already so hopefully I can spend under $2. I saw the one on the right in this picture hanging up and it was $2.77. Bingo. So I grab it and start to walk away. Then I had second thoughts. Maybe I should just make sure this is the best price. So I walked back and saw that the bigger tacky glue bottles (which were placed conveniently on the whole other side of the aisle) were only $2.99. I look at the ounces each holds. First bottle I grabbed was 3 oz. for $2.77. The second was 8 oz. for $2.99. And then I was so glad I had checked. Because I for 20 more cents I more than doubled the amount of glue I was buying. So the lesson I learned is, don't be a chump! Paying a little bit more attention literally pays off. Check the price per ounce, and don't assume that the lowest price is the best value.

DIY: Designer Couches

We are so excited today to have our very first guest poster! This lady is so talented, you will love what she created! Without further ado, Mrs. Kelsey Wells!

 

First off, I am honored and SO stoked to do the first guest post for Pretty Providence!! Love the blog, and especially love the ladies behind it.

In my field, (interior design) it is easy to spend A LOT of money. While one day perhaps we will be able to afford the beautiful furnishings of say, Ethan Allen, for now my husband and I make do with hand-me-downs, do-it-yourselfs, and clearance bargains. And guess what? I LOVE IT! I love making our house into a home. I love making spaces beautiful. And I promise, you do not need thousands of dollars to do it!

A few months ago is where this sofa story begins. My amazing husband came to me and said that for Christmas this year, we could buy some sofas. WHAT! Seriously, I was flipping out! After we got married a year and a half ago, we inherited some slip-covers from our very generous friends, and found some free sofas on KSL to go under them. While we were very grateful for them, and enjoyed them well, I could not help daydreaming of the day we could buy our first sofas! When he told me the news, the search began. The more we looked, the more I realized how much we would have to spend to get something I loved. I really wanted to find some awesome vintage pieces and have them re-covered, but that would have been a pretty penny as well. So, I turned to one of my best friends, KSL! Not sure what I was looking for, after three days of browsing almost hourly, I saw them! A sofa and loveseat set, almost NEW condition, going for $90!!! Together!

Crazy? Yes. Miracle? Absolutely! Rare? Yes. Impossible? Never!

I called immediately and sent my husband over to pick them up. Turns out, a family was moving and had purchased new sofas. They could have sold these for at least $600, but didn't need the money, and just wanted to make sure someone would enjoy them. $90 later we had these little babies-

Budget Series: Step 3- Track Your Spending

If you have already made your financial plan and rough budget workup now is the time to start seriously tracking your expenditures.

In my experience, tracking your spending is the single most important step when it comes to successful budgeting. Anyone can make a budget, then go through the month "trying" to be careful, only to check at the end of the month and find yourself way over. Trust me, I know from experience.

You are not budgeting unless you are tracking your spending.

Not only is this the most crucial step when it comes to your budget, it can also be the hardest. It is hard because it will open your eyes to how much you waste. It is hard because it will force you to cut back. It is hard because it can be time consuming.

I tell you these things in advance so you know it's not just you. Now, you will be prepared for these hard things when they come up and you will have the strength to forge ahead. You're welcome.

Okay fine Jessica! We will track our spending already... but how do we do it?

There are multiple ways you can track your spending. Almost every budgeter will track in one of the three ways described below.

Happy Easter!

via

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday! I am feeling super grateful today for our Savior Jesus Christ and the greatest gift anyone has ever given. Here you can find wonderful Easter-y videos and messages to ponder. After seeing them, I totally feel like bursting into song... but maybe I should wait until husband is awake? He will probably appreciate that.

Motivation Station: Gratitude

For a few weeks now I have been trying to do this challenge. Before I started it I really had no idea what a complainer I was. It has been really humbling (and embarrassing) to realize this, because there is nothing I should be complaining about.

How to get a FREE Redbox!

Okay guys, this might change your life. Do you love Redbox? Guess what. It's free. Say what? There are promo codes available, each giving you one movie, one night free. You can use each code once per credit card. So no, there are not unlimited free movies, but you can get a good few for free for a night. I am going to share with you a few of the codes that always work, and then show you how to find the ones that usually just last one or two days for after you use up those "always" codes. Husband and I have seriously never paid for one on the first night... sometimes we forget to return them and get charged a dollar for the next day. Oops! But I guess that's why they release them right?! If you have been paying for them every time, those little charges add up, and they have even raised their prices recently! So welcome to your new, free movie-watching way of life. I always share free music and other cool freebies here whenever I find out about them. To never miss a freebie, follow us on GFC (right sidebar!) or Feedburner, Twitter, FB, Bloglovin', G+, etc!  For more information on Redbox and to get an exclusive free code visit Redbox.com - How It Works.

Redbox promo codes that (usually) work at any kiosk:

DVDNIGHT

DVDONME

 BREAKROOM

REDBOX
BOARDROOM
DVDONUS
MOVIETIME
RENTONME
DWTFREE4

Codes that work at Redbox kiosks at specific stores: 

DVDATWAG - Good at any kiosk at a Walgreens store.

DVDATKROG - Good at any kiosk at a Kroger affiliated store (for Utah it's Smiths)

DVDATSONI - Good at any kiosk at a Sonic Drive-In

And then after you have used all of these codes with all of your different debit/credit cards, you can visit Inside Redbox and the ones that have been working most recently will be shown. If you have a smart phone you have an advantage and you can just look them up right while you are at the kiosk. If you don't, before you go make sure to write down a handful of them because some are time-sensitive and you might get a dud, but one of them is bound to work!

So... are you thinking about grabbing some pizza and a free movie and staying home friday night? Cause I am.

UPDATE: A few people have expressed concern that using these codes is hacking or stealing. Redbox has released these codes and made them available. A promotional code is meant for promoting the business, getting people to the kiosk in hopes that they like the service and will come back as a paying customer in the future. I have no doubt that they would disable them if they no longer desired them to be available for the public to take advantage of. The image claiming that you "never pay for redbox again" was not meant to be taken literally, but it could be if you would on only get Redboxes when there is a free code available and are impeccable at turning them in before your 24 hour trial period is up. I apologize to those who misunderstood my intentions in writing this post. I honestly just wanted to promote the Redbox service by sharing my knowledge about the promotional codes that have earned them my business over other competitors. 

ANOTHER UPDATE: I was contacted by Redbox, they like this post and thanked me for writing it and linking to their site.  

ANOTHER UPDATE: I wrote this post a year ago, so some of these codes are no longer working in all areas. I don't think there is any room for me to say "always" anymore but you can definitely try them and it's likely that some of them will work. I'm still having luck with a few of them. Also, if you sign up for Redbox e-mail or text alerts they send free codes out pretty often!

How to Be a Great Host on a Budget

About five months ago we moved away from both our families. Now, for the first time ever, our guest bed gets a ton of traffic. More for the grandbaby than for us, but hey, we'll take it! I love having people visit and I always want to make it a positive experience so they will come back and visit again. Here are a few tips you may find helpful if you ever have company visit:

1. Clean and wash ahead of time. Anytime anyone stays in our guest bed I try to wash the sheets right after they leave and re-make the bed. This way the bed is always ready, even for spur of the moment guests. Also, keep in mind what day your guests are coming and plan to clean your house a few days before they get there. Do the most urgent things first, and anything you don't finish, forget about.

2. DO NOT apologize for the cleanliness of your house or the things you haven't done. All this really does is make your guest feel like they have stressed you out. If you don't point out the few things you didn't accomplish chances are they won't even notice, but by going on about how crazy things have been you make them feel like an inconvenience rather than a special and exciting visitor.

3. Make a comfortable area for your guests. I like to make our guest room (which doubles as an office when we don't have guests) mimic a hotel room. I leave mints on the pillows and on the nightstand I have a cup and coaster, as well as some mini toiletries. I  like to put a few magazines or a book that I feel like the guest might enjoy on the night stand as well.

Style for a Song: Turquoise and Pattern Mix

Okay, so I saw this outfit on Cupcakes and Cashmere. So great. It is basically a summation of my favorite things (color: turquoise, animal print and stripes!) and I had to re-create the look. Here is what I came up with.

Shirt: $5.99 with free shipping
Belt: $8.97 with free shipping via amazon prime
Skirt: $22 with free shipping to your local store

Grand total: $36.96 for the entire outfit! That's what I'm into.

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day!

It's true! Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day is here at last. If you live near a Ben and Jerry's shop, please go enjoy the best ice cream ever for absolutely free today. I will be sitting in class dreaming about what flavors I might have chosen had I been able to make the trip. I have always been a Ben and Jerry's lover. My fave flavors are: Brownie Batter and Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. They are both DIVINE.  Do you have a favorite?

Bountiful Basket, My Co-Op Experience

Have you guys heard of co-ops? If you haven't, it is basically a group of people pooling their money in order to buy cheap, fresh produce strait from the suppliers.

I have always wanted to try one but I was always nervous for some reason. I think I was unsure how good of a deal it would be and I didn't love the idea of not knowing what I would be getting. Also, I was worried about wasting food because there are only really two of us who eat real food.

Well, I finally got brave and tried one and I loved it! When I went to pick it up it felt so exciting. It was kinda fun not knowing what I was getting, haha.

Here's how it works:

1. Look up a co-op in your area
2. The Monday or Tuesday before you place an order and pay online.
3. At your pick up time (usually Friday or Saturday morning) you go to your site and check in. They had me sign by my name so they knew I had picked up my basket. Whatever the number is by your name that will be the number on your baskets. I was number 76. I have no idea how I still remember that. Then you load all the stuff in your baskets (1 for fruit 1 for veggies) into bags, wipe down and return your baskets and go home and enjoy your spoils!

Mmmmmm.

Here is what I got for $16.50. ($15.00 for food $1.50 for credit card processing):