5 Quick Ways to Simplify the Holidays

2018 blew me away with all the travel it involved! From starting the year in Palm Springs to ending it with our last trip of the year coming up in Nashville, I'm so thankful to be grounded with my kids at home for their December recess.  This is our 3rd Christmas as homeowners, but will only be our 2nd Christmas actually at home. To make it extra special, I've partnered with Wayfair to reflect on 5 quick ways I'm simplifying this holiday season. 

Easy Deconstructed July 4th Flag Cake

One of the hardest parts of celebrating July 4th with kids in the in-between stages of babyhood and pre-teens is the tricky timing of fireworks and bedtime.  Add rain on top of that and it's sanity saving quite tempting to completely skip over the holiday with a young family. Our first July 4th as a family of four was super easy: we lived in Jersey City at the time and had an amazing 360 degree rooftop view that allowed us to see about 5 sets of fireworks from Manhattan to deep into New Jersey. 

Here's a throwback pic...

How to Decrease Screen Time with a Reading Nook

The month of January flew by and one of the things we've been committed to as a family now more than ever is reading more books. With the recent data about kids and screen time plus as someone who works in a world of screens, it's important for me to have time that we all pull away from our devices. 

My kids have a strict screen time rule: we are screen free on school nights. Their schools have some screen time, which is fine, but otherwise from TVs to tablets, the children don't use them during the week. It's been a struggle at times and my 7 year old being older is good at reinforcing it with her 3 year old brother, but this holiday when we took down our Christmas tree and were left with a gaping space I decided it would be perfect for a cozy reading nook as an alternative to screen time.

Whoa December!

We went to a tree farm fully prepared to cut our tree, but this pre-cut one was our fave!

I looked up and this year is pretty much over. Welp!

Here's what's going on lately (in pictures)...

Thanksgiving Countdown: Decorating Our First Dining Room with Wayfair

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Wayfair; all opinions expressed are my own. 

In 17 short days my family will come together for our first Thanksgiving in our new home and in the wake of recent news while we always acknowledge the importance of family, this year's gathering feels especially sacred. 

Mudroom Magic: 3 Tips for a Beautiful and Functional Space

It's hard to believe that last month we celebrated the one year mark of home ownership, and when I think back to what made my heart sing when we first toured the house it was a small, but mighty space: the mudroom.

Here are my 3 tips for making your mudroom beautiful yet, functional...

Green Up Your Linen Closet with Coyuchi for Life

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Coyuchi; all opinions expressed are my own. 

What if I told you there was a Netlfix but for linens? Yes, it now exists thanks to Coyuchi. I was first introduced to Coyuchi at my first W.E.L.L. Summit where I attended a session led by CEO Eileen Mockus on creating an ethical and sustainable home. Now more than ever with climate change being a worldwide topic, this is critical so I was thrilled to learn about Coyuchi's efforts to continue this initiative. 

Giveaway Alert: It's Not Too Late to Join Day of No Clutter!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Year of No Clutter to facilitate this post; all opinions expressed are my own. 

It's fitting that today is (was!) the Day of No Clutter as I'm buried under so much of it since returning from our trip! As I work to get my act together, I'm inspired by author Eve Schaub who first wrote about her Year With No Sugar and now her Year with No Clutter. Yes, it's true!

Are you intrigued as well? 

Hosting the Holidays with Micro Cotton Towels

Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

In two short days our new home is going to be full with nearly 10 overnight guests as we prepare for our housewarming party this weekend and one of the things I've been trying to make sure we have are enough air beds, linen and towels for everyone. The last time we hosted a big crowd was when we had our first Thanksgiving in Portsmouth - fun times, remember?

Safer Laundry with Molly's Suds #WiseChoice

Disclosure: I was provided samples to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I've moved about 10x in the past 10 years and from the dreaded, dark communal laundry room in my Queens' apartment complex's basement to the awesomeness of wash and fold in Jersey City, I've experienced so many different set-ups. In our new home in Boston I finally have the arrangement I've always wanted: two floors of living space with an actual laundry room on the second floor. With built-in cabinets, hanging rack and wire shelving up high I like that I can close the door if needed and not worry about the laundry monster that often gets out of control in our household. 

An (Early) Night Around the Campfire with Wayfair

When I shared this exciting news three weeks ago today one of the first things that came to mind was making memories with my kids especially in our new backyard. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio I have fond memories of my large backyard and hours spent playing there with my family. I'm looking forward to my children now having a similar experience! There's an existing fire pit section of our patio and I've been thinking about a fun way to (safely!) introduce my children to it. When Wayfair challenged me to come up with an idea board for my family's night around the campfire it was easy to find ideas perfect for young kids on their website. 

Here's what I came up with for my 2 and 6 year old to have a playful and safe first time campfire experience in our new home:

A Nautically Inspired Spring by Wayfair

As we've just celebrated my family's second spring in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I'm still feeling as though we're on some type of coastal vacation living here. It's a gorgeous town that I can't help Instagramming, and this spring while our trees have yet to fully blossom, I'm feeling inspired by the warm sun that fills our fishbowl windows and the brightly painted buildings in downtown Portsmouth.

Kicking Off My 7-Day Switch Up Challenge with Viva® Vantage®

Happy October! While spring is often considered the season of all things fresh and new, there's something about the beauty of fall that makes me feel refreshed. It's in full effect up here in New Hampshire (it really is the most beautiful place I've lived!) and in keeping with the festive theme of the last months of the year I've partnered with Viva® Vantage® to share how I'm shaking things up this season with their 7-Day Switch Up Challenge. I was compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

This time last year I was preparing for Thanksgiving and hosting about 20 family members. While it was fun it definitely had my head spinning and questioning if I'd ever do something like that again! This time around while I won't be hosting such a large group I'm thinking of ways I can be more efficient around my home especially with my kids and their constant messes. When I was invited last week to participate in a tasty afternoon showcasing Viva® Vantage® I was intrigued. A few of my fellow Boston-metro bloggers and I converged for a bit of a house party and learned how by making small changes such as swapping out our current paper towels for Viva® Vantage® over the next week can make a big difference. 

We keep fresh fruit and vegetables easily accessible and when I was given the task of "scrubbing tomatoes" I admit I was a bit confused. I mean, do you scrub your tomatoes? Apparently I should've been doing this all along:

Yes, that's dirt off the tomatoes. Oops! Thankfully Viva® Vantage® handled it wonderfully but I was a bit grossed out by the whole ordeal. Do you scrub your tomatoes? My Viva® Vantage® roll at home was quickly used once we learned of the versatility like scrubbing tomatoes!

Here are a few other versatile things that the stretchy strength of Viva® Vantage® paper towels can handle (#3 is my fave!):

• Ditch the bulky colander in favor of a paper towel. Place veggies and fruit on a sheet of Viva® Vantage® paper towels under a running faucet to function as a strainer; the stretchy-strength will keep the towel intact when wet.

• Keep lettuce fresh longer by wrapping a paper towel around a head of lettuce to soak up excess moisture.

• Slip a damp paper towel under your cutting board to prevent it from shifting while slicing and dicing.

• Need to get that grime off your stove? The great scrubbing power of Viva® Vantage® paper towels allows you to clean the toughest messes and restore your kitchen’s shine.

Get the drift? If you're still not convinced, take the Viva® Vantage® 7-Day Switch Up and see if you can last the entire time. If you have very messy kids like me you'll use the roll up before the 7 days end! Once you try Viva® Vantage® you can head over to their website for your chance to win a $100 gift card. 

We've been using the our Viva® Vantage® to clean up the epic messes that our 15 months old likes to make. He's such a busy baby and food goes straight from his high chair tray to the floor almost instantly. Silly boy! It's so easy to wet the Viva® Vantage® and wipe him down. He always seems to know what's coming and turns his head away when I try to wipe him down! When I was finally able to stabilize his head (!) I was really impressed by how I could wet and wring the paper towel a few times without it falling apart - it really is a strong paper towel! I even used it on his sister post-face painting and along with its strength its softness was also apparent as she didn't even wince - she often tells me our regular paper towels are too itchy.  

Do your little ones keep you on your toes when it comes to messes? What would you use your Viva® Vantage® for?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Viva® Vantage®; all opinions expressed are my own.  

 

My New England Patio Dreams with Wayfair

Disclosure: I am a Wayfair.com Homemaker Blogger and received store credit to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

As I set sail this holiday weekend on my cruise and it continues to slowly warm up here in New England, I've been inspired to create an inviting outdoor space when I return. Our home here in Portsmouth is the first place we've lived which has a significant amount of outdoor space. There is a dedicated patio and, get this: grass! It sounds so simple, but coming from concrete-filled NYC-metro I'm so excited for my kids to grow up playing in a yard and surrounded by green as I did in Ohio. 

To start my plans, I've picked out a few nautical-inspired items from Wayfair sophisticated enough for my husband and I, but playful (and colorful!) enough for our children.   

My sister-in law's created a beautiful home, and she inspired me to select a cozy outdoor rug as a soft texture underfoot is welcoming. Since our home is shoe-free having an outdoor rug also makes an easy transition stepping in from the outdoors especially as my kids like to be barefoot when playing outside. 

nuLOOM Layne Blue Marine Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug (click image for more information)

When I think of outdoors in New England Adirondack chairs come to mind and immediately bring thoughts of childhood summer camp. I was thrilled to come across this cheery yellow version and the best part? It's foldable! I could see Mr. Lovebird and me enjoying evenings outdoors together in these chairs after the kids go to college the kids are in bed.

Hyannis Folding Adirondack Chair (click image for more information)

For the times when we're all outdoors together, a few oversized, outdoor pillows the kids can tumble on would especially make our patio family-friendly. They'd also double as low seating and support for impromptu picnics and playdates:

Dion Striped Outdoor Pillow (click image for more information)

Want to see more? I've created a New England patio dreams Wayfair inspiration board with a few more of my favorites (including a heat lamp which I'm learning is a must). Just click here to check it out!

What's your favorite, must-have item for your outdoor space this summer?

Making Green Choices with Little Twig and Eco-Me

Disclosure: I received products to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Returning to New England is prompting me to make some small but significant changes in my family including "going green." I grew up in a very non-green household (there were 4 kids in my family and we ate on styrofoam plates regularly and did not recycle), but now with my own family I'm of the mindset that when we know better, we do better. 

I'm very much aware of the sulfate-free, paraben-free movement, and I've been thinking about where I can make eco-friendly changes within my family. One of those includes being more conscious of which products we use. Long term I'd like to eliminate plastic toys and plastic food storage completely from our household, but for now when Little Twig and Eco-Me reached out to try their baby products and dish soap I was excited to start there. I'm all about the kaizen way!

Little Twig Calming Lavender Baby Wash and Lotion are free of phthalates, sulfates, paragons, synthetic fragrances (a hidden source of endocrine disrupters I've learned), nut, soy and wheat. Bath time should be a safe space both physically and chemically, and during Gray's bath time it's been calming knowing I'm doing something good for him. 

Additionally, the product smells so luxurious - I've even taken to using it for myself and have enjoyed the extra bonus of aromatherapy for me during his bath time. I call that a mommy bonus! Grayson suffers from eczema so after giving the lotion a try I found I preferred just the body wash for him and the regular post-bath ointment that his doctor recommends. 

In the kitchen, although I've shared the honest snapshot of the chaos in our last place, I've been determined to make sure each night the dishes are washed up. 

While it's definitely been proven that running the dishwasher is more efficient and eco-friendly than hand washing, I'm often left with quite a few items that are hand wash only. Since I love to cook homemade meals for my family these usually include grimy pots, pans and bowls. I was a bit nervous if Eco-Me's Natural Plant Extracts Dish Soap would be able to handle everything as my conventional dish soap does, but I'm pleased to report it's done the job!

I'm nearing the end of my supply and am ready for more! Additionally, I'm thrilled that it's a "mompreneur" product created by two moms who were concerned about making sure they had non-toxic products for their family. 

Besides the fact that it works, the smell is fantastic! I find myself even washing my hands with it when I return home just because of how pleasant it is. It's composed of all natural ingredients that re food-grade and derived from plants including vinegar. 

Want to do start to make the switch for your family too? Here's where you can find the products:

Little Twig Calming Lavender Baby Wash is available at www.littletwig.com in a 8.5oz bottle (MSRP $12.50) as well as 17oz (MSRP $17.50) and 34oz (MSRP $31.99); the Calming Lavender Baby Lotion is available in a 8.5oz bottle (MSRP $12.50) and in 2oz bottles packaged in travel sets). Visit here for store locations. 

Eco-Me Natural Plant Extracts Dish Soap is available in Citrus Berry, Herbal Mint, Lemon Fresh and Fragrance-free; it's available in 16fl oz (MSRP $5.99) at www.eco-me.com and retailers nationwide.  

Are you making green changes in your family or have you already? What was the transition like?

A Tale of 4 Headboards

The holiday season is a festive time often filled with story telling. It is in this same vein that I'm sharing quite a story with you today. Grab a cup of tea and settle in, it's long, twisted and confusing, but I promise it has a good outcome!

Some of you may recall Mr. Lovebird helping me with a DIY headboard project a year ago. It was a challenge and costing nearly $200 since upgrading to a king size bed in our new place here in New Hampshire we decided to forgo the DIY route and purchase one instead. 

I was initially thinking "headboard" only and when I had a Target gift card burning a hole in my pocket I decided to apply it towards purchasing this beauty which I shared on Instagram:

Thoughts of myself lounging on my sophisticated headboard floated through my head until two days later an email from Wayfair popped into my inbox with this:

I clicked the link on the Madison Square Bed and saw it in a gorgeous Olive shade annnnnd it was about $100 less than the original headboard that was en route plus it included a footboard. We had already ordered our king bed (from Amazon, I might add - Mr. Lovebird's idea!) and we also had a box spring coming. I realized the original headboard from Target could require a frame, but I remembered I still had our queen frame which I hoped to sell after we got rid of our bed before leaving NJ. I saw on Amazon that some frames are adjustable and while we checked ours to see if it was, it turns out it wasn't so an additional purchase would be in order if we stuck with the Target headboard. 

I called Mr. Lovebird and shared with him the new development. We decided the Wayfair bed was indeed a better purchase since we could just drop in the box spring, mattress and be done so I ordered it. 

A few days later I got this notification:

I was so confused but jumped into action checking other sites for the Olive headboard but only came across other colors and they were substantially more and/or didn't have free shipping like Wayfair. 

At this point Mr. Lovebird proclaimed that he was fine sleeping on the boxspring and mattress on the floor as we had been, but me being like any other human Type A Quiana insisted we have a proper bed so I continued the search. 

Lo and behold I came across this one at Walmart:

{Image Credit: Walmart}

It wasn't quite what I wanted but it was in budget (only $299 at the time - since then it's now $289), but the issue was that it didn't require a box spring which meant we'd I'd have to sell our new one - yet another hassle. With the outstanding purchases already waiting to be refunded Mr. Lovebird was losing patience, but I assured him that I'd keep track of everything until it was resolved. 

So I ordered the Walmart headboard and canceled the Target order that was already in transit. This involved not only alerting Target but their 3rd party carrier who would be delivering it - they were very friendly and appreciative that I gave them a heads up which helped avoid extra fees and wasted time. Sidenote: I had to stay on top of Target for the refund. They didn't immediately process it when I canceled the order. 

For those of you who lost track we're up to headboard #3. My credit card company even became concerned and sent this:

Now for the fun part . . .

While awaiting the Walmart headboard and stressing about having to sell the box spring, I got this email from Wayfair:

What?! Usually when I order from Wayfair (disclosure: I'm one of their featured bloggers) if something is out of stock there's a notice right there on the item page with an estimate of if/when it will be back in stock. When my Olive headboard order was canceled there wasn't an inventory notice; it was just GONE. This time around it was indeed the same model of headboard in stock, but it was a different color: Taupe. While it appeared cream colored in the picture, the user reviews confirmed that it was more of a khaki color which is what we actually wanted. 

So what did I do? Like any good shopper I ORDERED IT! YAAAAAS, I did. Did I tell Mr. Lovebird? I think so, but I knew one thing for sure: after what happened the first go around, I was NOT going to cancel the Walmart headboard until the Wayfair headboard was certain. 

I forgot to mention the Walmart headboard was a "ship to store" purchase which saved me shipping costs (woo hoo!), but it was arriving in two boxes. Mr. Lovebird was adamant that he would have no part in my pick-up shenanigans and as the delivery date neared I was nervous about how I'd load up the car with two kids once the boxes arrived, but I figured, "Hey, I have a Wellesley degree! I can do it!"

I cautiously placed my order for headboard #4 (still waiting for the refund of the initial Target headboard) and waited for the purchase to go through. I checked two days later and saw the transaction had posted to my account. "Great!" I thought, "This might actually happen."

Then.

I got a notification from Walmart that the first box had arrived and was ready to pick up. Then a day went by and no notice on the 2nd box. I then decided it was time to cancel the order but then a strange email arrived that the 2nd box was delayed. I decided to call and cancel the entire order (ultimately, it turned out it was damaged in shipping). Boy, were they confused! They thought I had the bed in my home and I had to explain multiple times that it was ship to store and one box is at the store while the 2nd box is delayed. It took nearly an hour to sort it out, but alas they did and I received email confirmation on my refund (and I've since received it). 

At last! Delivery day of my Wayfair headboard arrived:

Mr. Lovebird was out of town and agreed that upon returning he would put it together (here's proof). The reviews said it would take about 30 minutes to assemble (it took Mr. Lovebird about 2 hours, but don't tell him I told you!), but I was the patient assistant/kid wrangler and in the end it was beautiful - thank you to our Aunt K. for the lovely bedding!:

It's been quite sturdy so far, regularly holding all 4 of us in it very well (Mr. Lovebird and I start the evening in it alone then by 7a.m. we end up pushed out to the ends and the kids stretched out comfortably in the middle O_o). The only issue is a 2" gap at the footboard making me nervous for child limbs potentially getting stuck, but we are very vigilant about it. Nia likes to climb on the footboard part so far so I'm thinking of putting a bench there. I was concerned about covering the upholstered decor of the footboard, but saw this on Instagram and am planning on using it for inspiration (not the pine swag light fixture though!):

{Image Credit: Alice Lane Home}

So. There you have it: my tale of 4 headboards. 

Overall I lost the $40 handling fee from my initial Target headboard and the $60 cost increase of the Wayfair headboard (it's now $298, $24 less than what we paid), but Mr. Lovebird agrees: it's a pretty awesome bed. 

We love the design and the comfort. Oh and we sleep REALLY well on our Amazon mattress!

Have you ever had a crazy switcharoo purchase story like mine? Would you have given up at say, headboard #3?

Ho-Ho-Holiday Laundry Tactics With all Mighty Pacs Stainlifters

Disclosure: I received all Mighty Pacs Stainlifters to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own.

There's a dirty secret about having guests for the holidays: laundry! Coming from NYC-metro where we were blessed to have shoddy washers and dryers in most of our apartments and wash and fold when we didn't, I'm still reveling in the face that we have a properly working w/d here in New Hampshire. We hosted nearly 20 people for Thanksgiving, and if this is any indication of what it's like to run a bed and breakfast - WOW! I have a great respect for innkeepers. 

The first few days after Thanksgiving I bumbled around in a stupor, but soon I had to face this reality:
 

Yep, these were a couple of many laundry piles I needed to tackle left over from our festivities. Not only was there bedding, but my family has the lovely habit of leaving clothing behind every single time they visit (sorry dad, I still can't find your shirt!). My friends at team all took mercy on me and asked if I'd like to give all Mighty Pacs Stainlifters a try. We use all anyway, buying the liquid in bulk at BJs so I was happy to have an even easier method for powering through my laundry pile: I just tossed a pac in my laundry then I was on my way.

And yes, the all Mighty Pacs Stainlifters worked just as good as the liquid that I'm used to (we don't use them yet for Grayson's clothes since he has sensitive baby skin!). We were dealing with bodily fluids and greasy cooking stains from Thanksgiving and all got everything out with ease, and smelled wonderful as well. We like how all is dependable and not overly scented plus they were voted 2014 Better Homes and Gardens best new product by consumers. 

To learn more about how all Mightly Pacs Stainlifters can help you this tough holiday stain season, be sure to visit their website and follow on Facebook for the latest product news.

Do you get swamped with laundry during the holidays? What are your tactics for handling it?

Getting the Gunk Out With Wisk Deep Clean

Disclosure: I received a sample for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own.

Since being married for 5 years there's something that's not so glamorous that I've been dealing with: my husband's work shirts. He works a white collar job, but I really should say "brown collar" (is that mean???). He's on the road a lot and his shirts get quite the build up of ring around the collar. We were fortunate to have a washer dryer at most of our NYC apartments and for a while used a wash and fold service, but as I've handled the laundry for the most part I was determined to find a solution. 

My mom, a clothing and textile sciences expert (seriously - she majored in it!), told me to try the old stand by Fels Naptha and while it definitely works, it requires rubbing each neckline, letting it sit then laundering. This process causes me to leave washing my husband's shirts for the last load and I often refuse forget to do them so when Wisk reached out to me to try their Deep Clean Power Blasts I wanted to see if the could handle the ring around the collar. 

This is my life right now (and this is just Gray's laundry after 2 days!)

Wisk Deep Clean goes beyond surface stains with its patented Miro-Cleaners which penetrate deep inside the fabric to seek out and attack hidden dirt, such as trapped body oils and dirt that other detergents may leave behind. While it sounds super powerful, it's something I wouldn't use on my kids' clothing yet especially with their sensitive skin, but between my husband's shirts as well as all the mounds of adult laundry containing food/bodily fluid stains thanks to life with kids I was willing to give it a try. 

Here's how the shirts turned out after:

I'm pleased to see that Wisk Deep Clean Power Blasts work just as good at removing the ring around the collar as my usual method, but the difference is TIME - something I don't have much of. While the price is less than a penny per use for the Fels Naptha, if I only use the Power Blasts for my husband's shirts (1 load a week) it really is a good deal considering the time it saves me. 

To find out more about Wisk Deep Clean visit their website and visit their Facebook page to use their gunk calculator for your family's laundry (our gunk jar is 75% full O_o). 

Do you handle the laundry in your household? Which stains cause you the most trouble? (I'm nervous about Grayson's cloth diapers once he starts solids - it can get intense!)

 

Getting Ready for Fall with Febreze Home Harvest Collection

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Febreze; all opinions expressed are my own.

One of the things I'm most excited about with our upcoming move to New Hampshire is experiencing a traditional New England fall with my family. Just the term "leaf peeping" makes me smile like Nia up above and the thought of looking out of my windows and seeing gorgeous leaves instead of buildings and concrete is already calming my nerves!

While we await our move I've already started getting our home ready for fall with the Febreze Home Harvest Collection. With delicious smelling scents like Chai, Toasted Almond and Sugar you can completely immerse yourself in fall by using Febreze spray, in-car vent clips as well as NOTICEables which plug into your outlets. My family's Febreze roots go back to when Mr. Lovebird and I were dating in college. Let's just say some of his uses for Febreze were a bit unconventional (I'm thankful we have our own washing machine now O_o), but especially now with kids it's a great way to give our clothing a refresh and with an infant I like how the scents aren't too overpowering. 

When we received our Febreze Home Harvest scentspiration box Nia thought it was another doll house, which it quickly became once we were finished, but I took her through it and let her scratch and sniff the scents. She deemed Sandalwood her favorite, and I supervised her as she plugged it into our entryway outlet. Nia was a bit impatient for the scent to spread so to pass the time I told her we could pick out one of the many activities that came along with our scentspiration box. She decided on the spiced orange.

We stepped out to buy our supplies, and when we came back she exclaimed, "Mama, I SMELL it!" What's so great about NOTICEables is that there's a dual chamber so if you're in a different scent mood you can simply slide the switch over to experience the second scent. I agree Sandalwood smells fantastic and about 30 minutes after arriving home from work Mr. Lovebird searching around asked, "What is that? I don't see the baby or anything!" - as if the baby smells of sandalwood! He was so confused that it made me laugh! I asked him if he liked it, and he said he did but it bothered him that he couldn't figure out where it was coming from O_o

Back to our project . . .

We gathered our supplies, and I explained to Nia that she could make a pattern with the toothpick then push the cloves in. She was aiming for a face, but got carried away with the toothpick so it's a bit abstract!

Besides the spiced orange activity there were also recipes like oven-baked s'mores, an obsession I had in my early 20s, as well as home decor crafts such as light bulb pears - simply wrapping a light bulb with twine and inserting a twig for the stem. Even better is that the crafts incorporate the Febreze scents. So instead of just spraying them in the air (something I'm cautious about with Grayson!) you can infuse the crafts with Febreze making fantastic smelling centerpieces. I never considered that before!

To learn more about getting your home ready for fall with the Febreze Home Harvest Collection be sure to follow Febreze on Facebook and Twitter.

Have you started getting your home ready for fall? Do you make special crafts or use scents to get in the fall mood?