Seeing Sunshine

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Orange Angel Bars

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Every year, my family gets together to open Christmas presents and do some holiday baking. In fact, this was our 25th year getting together to do this. For the last several years, we've been making orange angel bars -- a yummy treat that is in high demand in our family. I'm pretty sure everyone loves to eat them cold. We usually keep them in the freezer. Here's what you'll need: Angel food cake Butter Orange juice Powdered sugar Graham cracker crumbs Walnuts (or pecans) My grandma makes angel food cakes in 9x13 pans, but you can also just buy them already made. Cut the Continue Reading

A Holiday Gift Guide for Bloggers

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I've been a blogger for ... jeez, how many years now? I think I started my first blog in 2010 and moved to Seeing Sunshine in 2012. So I'm going on six years of blogging. Over that time, I've figured out what helps me with my blog and some things that I would love to have for my blogging "career." Do you have a friend who's a blogger? Or perhaps someone trying to get into the blogging world? This is my list of gift ideas for bloggers. Blogging Holiday Gift Guide Coschedule I just recently started my free trial of Coschedule -- you can get a 14-day free trial to see if you like it Continue Reading

Mexican Chili

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This recipe is really simple! We loved eating it by dipping tortilla chips in it. It's very thick and hearty, perfect for dipping! First, brown the hamburger with the chopped onion until the meat is brown and the onion is clear. You don't have to drain it as long as your meat was pretty lean. Throw the mixture into your crock pot. Add in the rest of the ingredients. The only one you need to drain is the can of corn and the can of kidney beans. Cook on low for about 3 hours. Serve this dish with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and/or sour cream for Continue Reading

5 Things Every 20-Something Should Know About Retirement Savings

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OK, I'll admit it. I don't like numbers or figures or math. I don't like anything to do with finances (except shopping for pretty things!). My husband, on the other hand, knows what's up. Travis is my financial role model. I love how smart he is in general, but especially when it comes to providing for us and saving for our future. He takes care of paying for all our bills, investing our money, saving for emergencies, and he's even thinking about retirement. Before I got married, I was pretty good at saving my money and budgeting. But to be honest, retirement was the last thing on my mind. I Continue Reading

Bedroom Reveal

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I'm so excited to announce that my bedroom is finished! Be sure to check out the bedroom before and during in one of my previous posts. A lot of work was done to this room, and now that is complete I seriously love it! It is exactly what I wanted. A big huge thanks goes out to my dad, grandpa, and uncle who put in countless hours of work for me. A big thanks to my brother and his fiance for helping me take the closet doors off, which took forever. And another thank you goes to my husband who helped me paint the closet doors, put them back on (sorta), and hang up my wall art. Please don't Continue Reading

Enchilada Soup

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I think Travis and I have fallen in love ... with this soup! I've already made it twice just this week! Here's what you'll need: Onion Garlic Olive oil Chicken Chicken broth Mild green enchilada sauce Rotel tomatoes with green chilies Knorr Spanish rice Sour cream Cumin Cheddar cheese (optional) Cilantro (optional, but not really because it's so amazing with this added!) I know that sounds like a lot of ingredients, but this recipe is pretty simple. I mean, I did make it twice in one week! Start by sauteing the chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat while stirring. It Continue Reading

Closet Door Makeover

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While Travis was home for a few weeks, I recruited him to help me paint my closet doors so I could finish the bedroom. The doors started out as wood, but I wanted a closet door makeover! I wanted to paint the doors a deep color as an accent for the white-walled room. Here's a before shot of the whole room, complete with one of the closet doors showing. We set the closet doors up one-by-one on this sawhorse. I wiped them down with a rag to make sure there was no remaining dry wall dust! We decided to use our paint sprayer for this project because we knew it would go faster! We were Continue Reading

Gift Ideas for New Homeowners

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Travis and I bought a house at the beginning of this year. I've been living there and slowly fixing the place up since March. In those nine months of being a homeowner, I have discovered so many things I wish we had. Travis and I have talked about all the things we'd like to have as homeowners -- practical items that will come in handy as we fix up this home and even build our own home someday. As new homeowners ourselves, we thought it would only make sense to share these items with you as gift ideas for your friends and family who are new homeowners. Almost all of these items are on Travis' Continue Reading

Sugar Cream Pie

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Sugar Cream Pie. I'd never had it before. In fact, I had never even heard of it! But it is one of my husband's favorite desserts. So of course I had to learn to make it! This recipe is really pretty easy as long as you follow the instructions exactly. It could be difficult to get it the right consistency. Here's what you need: Half and half Butter Sugar Cornstarch Pie crust Vanilla Cinnamon Bake the pie crust. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Set aside. On low to medium heat, completely melt the half and half and butter together -- do not let it Continue Reading

Halloween Party Ideas for Children

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During a visit to Tennessee to see my nieces and nephews, we decided to throw a small Halloween party. We wanted to have some fun games, cute snacks, and great prizes. We spent a few hours preparing and setting up. Everything was easy, and the kids had a blast. I wanted to share our party ideas with you so you too can have an age-appropriate Halloween party for children. Check out these Halloween party ideas! We had all the kids play in a back bedroom while we set up for the party. One of our favorite parts was blowing up black and orange balloons, attaching them to black and orange Continue Reading

7 DIY Wreaths for Fall

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I love fall. It is my favorite season. I could list all the reasons why and leave you reading for hours, but instead I'm sure you can just take my word for it. One of the things I love doing for fall is decorating. I love doing that for all seasons really, but fall decorating feels warm and cozy. I love looking at wreaths, and I wish I knew how to make them. So I found some cute DIY wreaths from some fellow bloggers that I thought I would share with you. These are all perfect to hang on our doors for fall. No one feels more welcome than when they see a big beautiful fall wreath on the door Continue Reading

How to Clean Drywall Dust

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My bedroom renovation included drywall. And drywall means dust. A lot of it. Like piles of dust covering everything. I walked into my room after the drywall was complete and the sanding was finished. I was overwhelmed by the amount of dust. And I seriously was not sure how to clean it. Along the way, I learned some things. Tips for Cleaning Drywall Dust While cleaning, be sure to wear a mask over your nose and mouth. Breathing in the dust is not good for you. Be sure to keep the room closed off from other rooms or you'll have dust everywhere. Keep registers or vents closed or keep air Continue Reading

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