Tonya Staab

A Dead and Breakfast Inn Halloween Mantel

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Oriental Trading Company.

It's not too early to start putting up Halloween decorations, is it? If it's wrong, then I don't want to be right. 

We haven't decorated outside, but you better believe I've got our mantel done already. This year we've gone with a Dead and Breakfast Inn theme, complete with donuts. Of course!

Tea, donuts, and a fire-breathing dragon 'skeleton' to start a fire to keep you cozy are the perfect additions to this fun Halloween theme. 

I shop at Oriental Trading a lot for holidays, parties, and seasonal decor, and for TODAY ONLY, yes, Friday the 13th, they are offering up to 50% off skeletons and free shipping using the CODE: SQUAD19.

How To Host A Simple Afternoon Tea Party at Home

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

Growing up in Australia some of our family traditions were adopted from Britain, and this includes afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is more of a low-key at-home version of high tea which you may know from fancy hotels and restaurants - which is very different from the actual definition of high tea, but it's what most people know of being served in a higher-end environment - often for girls days out, Mother's Day, bridal showers and baby showers. It often consists of tiny finger sandwiches, bite-sized desserts, pastries, and of course, tea. We basically grew up having five small meals a day, breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and then dinner.

My mum would place out an assortment of biscuits or cake, fresh fruit, tea, and sometimes pastries, and although we don't sit around the table to have it like I did growing up, my kids still love coming in from school every afternoon and asking what's for afternoon tea.

Here are some of the things you can incorporate into your own afternoon tea (or high tea) at home.

Gift Idea for College Kids

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Best Buy. 

 

I have a college student ... although he's taking this semester off for work training, he will be back at it next semester to finish up his degree. For so many students, especially those who live on campus or in student housing, getting around can be difficult if they have no vehicle available.

 

This is where Jetson Quest Electric Scooter can help. It makes the perfect gift for your college student because they can fold it up and leave it in their dorm room when they aren't using it, where it will be safe, but it enables them to make it quickly around campus and to local areas for appointments, to meet up with friends, and to run errands. 

 

 

The 250W hub motor lets you travel up to 18 miles at 15mph, while the bright LED headlight and deck lights support nighttime travel, making it the perfect way for them to make it to sports or the library to study after dark and still be safe. Plus, as I mentioned above, the easy-fold system allows the Jetson Quest electric scooter to be conveniently stowed in their dorm room, or under a desk if they in the library studying. 

Harper Kids: 3 Easy DIY Baby Shower Decorations

Thanks to Pinterest, everything seems to be getting more and more over-the-top, especially when it comes to planning parties. 

You can make things look like they took a lot of time and effort to put together, when really, a free printable, some scrapbook paper, and a few cookie cutters are all you really need to put together a baby shower that guests and the mama to be will love. And the best part, the costs are minimal.

Head on over to Harper Kids where we are showing you how to throw a book-themed baby shower that's simple, cost-effective, and everyone will love.

5 Days of Easy Gluten-Free School Lunchbox Ideas

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Stretch Island as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

As most of you would know by now my little man is on a gluten-free diet. He's the only one in the house who is and sometimes that means cooking two meals and it also means keeping gluten-free options of our family favorites on hand so that he's never missing out on his favorite snacks and dishes. He doesn't have celiac's disease, but his body simply cannot break down gluten-based foods - it took me over four years working with a gastroenterologist, allergist, and his pediatrician along with doing things like keeping a food diary to figure this out. The hardest part is school lunches. Thankfully our school district does work with us and with a little help from his pediatrician the school does have some gluten-free foods brought in for him, but sometimes he likes to mix it up a little with his favorite foods from home too.

So, I want to share with you five super quick and easy (no fancy bento box skills required) gluten-free lunchbox ideas to help you out this coming school year too. 

I've made each of these lunches based on what my son will actually eat, so go ahead and switch out fruits and vegetables that are your child's favorites. All of these ideas contain Stretch Island Fruit Leather as a snack option because he loves them, plus they come in a box of 8 so there's plenty to add as a morning snack into the lunchbox. Mix and match all of the different lunch box options below.

How To Make Cauliflower Pizza

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

Cauliflower pizzas are like a regular thin pizza but so much lighter, which means you don't feel quite so heavy after eating them. So, I thought I'd lighten up the entire meal a little, not just the crust, because did you know September is National Cholesterol Awareness month? Fun fact: A clinical study showed Mazola®​ Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com. 

You can reduce saturated fats and cholesterol in your meals easily with simple swaps, such as substituting butter with Mazola Corn Oil. So, I swapped out regular bacon for turkey bacon (especially for M who prefers a meat-lovers pizza), I swapped cauliflower pizzas for everyone instead of making flour dough based pizzas for the family members who are not gluten-free, and I swapped Mazola Corn Oil for cooking the sausage and for brushing onto the pizzas before cooking instead of extra virgin olive oil.

Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol-free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses including baking, grilling, sautéing, stir-frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.

Flynn is gluten-free; his body simply cannot tolerate gluten, so I've had to find a lot of alternative recipes for him so that he can still enjoy his favorite things (like pizza) and not feel like he's missing out. He first tried cauliflower pizza when we were sitting in an airport waiting for a flight earlier this summer and we needed to have dinner before we boarded. Being a picky eater, I was expecting him to hate it, so I didn't get anything for myself in case that ended up being my dinner, but he loved it so much he ate the entire thing.

So, now that I know he loves cauliflower pizza, I decided to make them for him at home, too. The best part is that by making them at home you can add whatever toppings you like.

My next step is to figure out whether I can pre-make a batch of cauliflower crust bases and freeze them and how they hold up once they are thawed. Have you tried this? If you have, please share any tips you have in the comments below.