We were suppose to go to a church picnic Wednesday night but apparently I brought the rain with me to Las Vegas, so it was cancelled. Anyway, I wanted to make an extra yummy dish to bring and this was my first choice. I don’t know whether to call it a salad or a dessert? Such a dilemma! It seems more dessert-ish to me but since it’s so good it doesn’t really matter. The family wasn’t sad they didn’t have to share. They ate the whole thing in about 24 hours.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

I used gluten free pretzels to make the dish gluten free so I could eat it. My family thinks gluten free pretzels taste better than regular pretzels anyway. Give them a try, I think they’re much better.

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar & 1 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. carton Cool Whip
6 oz. raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
2 pkgs. frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar in bowl, then press in 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool.

Combine 1 cup sugar, softened cream cheese, and Cool Whip in medium bowl. Mix until well blended. Spread on cooled crust.

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add frozen raspberries instead of cold water. Pour on top of cream cheese layer.

Let set in fridge for 2 hours or until set. Delicious!

It’s Thursday, so that means it’s time for a post from one of my awesome contributors. Melissa is sharing with us another incredible recipe this month. How did she know brownies are my favorite dessert? I’m going to try to make a gluten free version. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I love a good classic fudge brownie, but for years I have been using boxed brownie mix because they are convenient and they taste fine. I also couldn’t find a brownie recipe from scratch that loved. A few years ago I decided it was time to find the perfect brownie recipe. I was so disappointed with a few recipes that I tried at first that I almost gave up, but I’m glad I didn’t because then I found this one. It makes brownies that are moist, fudgy, dense, gooey, decadent, chocolatey, delicious….you get the idea. They are way better than a box and they are easy too!  Just make sure you whip these up when there are people around or you might polish off a whole pan by yourself!

Classic Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil (this is an important step and will make your life so much easier later on!) Spray generously with cooking spray.
3. Melt semi sweet chocolate chips and butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk to combine.
4. When they are completely melted and combined remove from heat.
5. Whisk both sugars into the chocolate mix. Add in eggs, one at a time and then add vanilla. Whisk until combined.
6. Stir in flour and salt until evenly incorporated and pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake 35-40 minutes until center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. If you can, wait until they are completely cooled to cut into squares

Thanks Melissa! Don’t forget to also check out My Mommy Style where Melissa blogs regularly.

Clear back in June Hubby and I attended one of our favorite activities. We love the Parade of Homes and try to go to all of them in the area. Since moving I haven’t done much of anything except clean and unpack, but I was looking through my camera card and came across these pictures that I never shared. This was one of my favorite homes this year. I have more homes I’ll share with you in later posts.

This home is by Ezra Lee Design & Build. I love his homes! They’re unique and I love so many of the elements he uses in his designs.

I love the brick wall in the dining area and the gabion wall just outside the window. The light fixture is one of my favorite dining room lights. And I love the rustic wood framed mirror next to the brick wall.

The cabinets, globe lights, and bar stools are a perfect contrast against the brick wall.

Can’t you just see this awesome light in a craft room or play room?

This is an amazing homework space. I love the blue wall against the wood planks. My kids would love doing homework or hanging out in this loft space.

I’m ready for a nap. What a beautiful and relaxing room. I think I might even be able to duplicate a plank wall in this rental.

I’m pretty sure this is my dream craft room. The colors are perfect and the cabinets are heavenly.

I love all the natural elements in this bathroom.

I see a craft project in my future!

I love everything about this driveway. Maybe not practical with kids, but beautiful just the same.

One of my favorite things about this house, besides the view, is the garage door. So what do you think? Love it or leave it?

I’m so excited to introduce you to the amazing new contributors at Organize & Decorate Everything. I couldn’t have wished for more talented ladies to work with. I hope you were able to check out their first posts this past month, but if not I’ll include a link in this post. I’m always amazed and excited by all the talent in blogland and am happy to share more of these talented ladies with you here.

Melissa is the Recipe/Food Contributor. Don’t miss her yummy recipes the 1st Thursday of every month. Check out her Chicken Rollatini with Spinach and Mozzarella recipe.

Hi, my name is Melissa and I am so excited to be the new food contributor here on Organize and Decorate Everything! I discovered my love for cooking in college, but as a starving student I settled for Ramen noodles more often than I would have liked. As a newlywed I was able to experiment more with cooking and I found out that I was also pretty good at it. When I became a mother I had so much going on that I couldn’t put as much time into preparing food, so I try to make meals that are quick and easy, but also family friendly and healthy.

I like to call myself a tomboy in a skirt because I am a girly girl that loves to play sports, watch football, go hiking, camping, and fishing. I love yard sale shopping, cute shoes, maxi dresses, party planning, crafts, and reading.

My husband and I have been married for 7 years and have three beautiful kiddos, Jordan (6), Sam (4), and Hannah (19 months). I am a stay-at-home mom and spend most of my day cleaning the house, doing laundry and chasing the kids around. It’s not all work though! We love having dance parties, going for walks, and doing “activities” (what Jordan calls fun things I find on Pinterest). I am also blogger at My Mommy Style and love having a creative outlet to share my ideas. Working with My Mommy Style has given me great opportunities to meet new people, which is one of my favorite things about blogging.

I look forward to sharing some of my favorite family recipes with you!

Anne is the Party Contributor. Who doesn’t love a good party? Anne’s party posts are the 2nd Thursday of every month. Check out her Geometric Rainbow Party.

Hi, I am Anne from Circus Berry.  I am a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist-turned-business owner and blogger, living outside of Buffalo, NY with my husband, our two children, and our dog Mojo.  I am a perpetual crafter, decorator, and inventor of reasons to have celebrations everyday. I have a passion for food, sunshine, fitness, alt rock, flavorful drinks, things that sparkle, and the color blue. The Circus Berry blog is an extension of my party-styling and design business, where I am inspired to share things related to living and loving life. Stop over to see the crazy, the creative, and the spark-tacular.

Sarah is the Printable Contributor. She shares her awesome printables the 3rd Thursday of every month. Check out her School Lunch Planner.

My name is Sarah and I am the creative mind behind Becoming Martha, a mama to two wonderful princesses (aged 3 and 8), a teacher, a small town Canadian, and a military wife. Becoming Martha is a crafts and DIY blog which I started to help me become more domesticated – however, I still don’t cook.  I am a passionate and dedicated person, and topping my list of passions are helping children learn, creating a warm and inviting home, and planning wonderful parties and events for our group of friends.  I have taught myself many aspects of graphic design, and now I love creating blog design and printables, which landed me here as the printables contributor for Organize & Decorate Everything.

What else should you know about me? My blog may have pretty pictures of a perfect home, but here’s the truth: I hate cooking and my floors are almost always dirty.  My youngest daughter is often permitted to wear her older sisters flip flops and her hair is usually in her face.  I am extremely forgetful, and if I do not write it down, I will forget it.  Even if I do write it down, I will probably still forget it.  And what do I do for fun when I’m not ignoring my dirty floors and messy child?  I craft. I create.  I indulge in Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream.  I watch Big Brother (don’t judge).  I cover things in glitter.  And I blog, which I now get to share with you!  I can’t wait to get to know you all!

Whitney is the Fashion Contributor. She will be sharing her fun fashion posts the 4th Thursday of every month. Check out her Six Fall Fashion Trends.

Hi, I am Whitney and I blog over at A Mommy’s Life with a touch of Yellow. It is a lifestyle blog full of fashion, fitness, crafts, DIY, decor, recipes, and anything and everything that inspires me that I want to share. I have been married to my husband, Ty, for 6 years and we have two handsome little boys, Maddux {3} and Holden {1}. I am a licensed teacher in Physical Education and Health Education and I loved student teaching, but right now I am focusing on staying home and taking care of my boys. So for now I am playing with the boys, cleaning, doing laundry {all the mommy duties}, crafting during nap time, doing crossfit and running in the wee hours of the morning, and of course blogging as my creative outlet and loving every minute of it, ok well most of it. No one really loves doing laundry and changing poopy diapers do they? But we love those that we do it for so it is worth it in the end.

My first year of college is when I really found my niche for fashion. My friends and family always said I had a unique sense of style, which to me meant I was pretty fearless in trying it all out! When I became a wife and mother I loved all the fashion and style even more, don’t get me wrong I love a good pair of sweats but there is just something about putting an outfit together that makes you feel confident about yourself. I am always shopping on a budget and love to share how to be in style without breaking the bank. I am excited to share some of my favorite fashion trends, tips, ideas and tricks with you here on Organize and Decorate Everything.

I know you’re going to enjoy their posts as much as I do. Check out their own blogs for even more great projects and ideas.

When we were first married we had to go to the laundromat to wash and dry our clothes. Years later, I can’t say I miss that one little bit, except for the rolling laundry baskets. I loved the rolling baskets and have thought many times throughout the years to purchase one. I was recently asked to review an item from Create-ologie so of course I chose their Laundry Basket on Wheels. It was like a dream come true!

The only problem was that I wasn’t sure I just wanted to use it in the laundry room anymore. Being an organizer I had much grander plans for this awesome laundry basket although it does look pretty awesome with dirty clothes in it.

It would look great in a bathroom with guests towels in it.

Or on the deck or back patio holding pool towels. I mean, why not pretend you’re at an upscale hotel with pool towel service? Even though I’m sure you’ll be the one laundering them.

Or what about in the craft room holding beautiful fabric or crafting supplies?

But probably my favorite use I came up with so far is holding gift wrap supplies. Gift wrap supplies are so colorful and pretty so why not display them in something just as awesome.

I filled the inside of the basket with gift bags.

The rolls of gift wrap fit perfectly under the basket in the cross area of the legs.

I used shower curtain hooks on the side of the basket to hold smaller bags. You could also fill a bag with tissue paper and another bag with tape, ribbon and other gift wrap essentials to place inside the basket.

We just moved into a new house in a new state. I’m sure I’m going to think of many more uses for this laundry basket. Right now it’s in the laundry room but since I’m still unpacking, I’m not sure that it’s going to stay there.

Heading off to college is expensive, not only are there the obvious expenses like: tuition, books, transportation, groceries, and rent, but there is also the expense of school supplies and things you will need to set up your living area. I wanted to show my daughter that there was a way to purchase the things she would need for her dorm room without spending an exorbitant amount of money, so off to Dollar General we went.

The first place she headed was for the school supplies. Who doesn’t like new school supplies at any age? Emilee was taken by the colorful animal prints. She was excited to find the small locker, magnetic board, pens, pencils, sticky notes and erasers in the coordinating school supplies. We also bought the trash can and paper file then added her initial to the front of each using a cutting machine and vinyl to personalize it.

We were both impressed with DG Dorm Essentials, whether it was school supplies, dorm décor, pots and pans, or food and cleaning supplies, everything was at an amazing low price and we were both happy to see that it was well within our budget. She was a little nervous looking at the pots and pans and cooking supplies. I guess we need to work on some of her cooking skills before she heads off to school.

Dorm rooms are small and even if you chose to rent an apartment off campus with a bunch of friends you’re still going to be limited on space. It was nice to find that Dollar General had coordinating dorm décor to make her space stylish and represent her personality without spending a lot of money.

When you think about shopping for dorm essentials don’t forget Dollar General has everything you will need at a price you and your student can afford.

I started packing up the kitchen and ran across these charms I made a few years ago. I don’t think I’ve ever shared them with you so I decided to share them today. They’re super fast and easy to make and add just a little something extra to any party.

All you need to make them is loop wire, small-ish beads, and a small charm. You can make enough for a whole party in just minutes.

No more having to worry about who’s drink is who’s. It would be fun to use initial charms too.

With party season almost upon us, I think I’ll be making more of these.

I bought this beautiful antique dresser in Florida at a yard sale, many years ago. It had a few years of abuse by my teenage son and then it’s just been in storage for the last couple years. Since we’re moving, Emilee decided she would like it as her dresser. We just sold her old dresser so now she can’t change her mind. The drawers are rough in places and a little uneven so I thought it would be best to line them with something.

I had some super cute polka dot wrapping paper that I thought would be perfect for the drawers. I measured the drawers by placing the paper inside and and folding it to fit, then I cut along the folds. It was easy and there was no need for a pencil and ruler.

I secured the paper to the drawers with double sided tape. Not only does it protect her clothes but it also looks great. I wouldn’t use wrapping paper in a young child’s dresser drawers but since she’s a teenage I think she can keep it in good shape for a while.

Once we move I need to decide what color to paint the outside. Her room is going to be green, pink, and black. What color would you paint it? We have an idea but I’m open for suggestions.

The packing has begun! I have a quick tip for you while packing breakables. First line the bottom of your box with fabric, a towel, bedding, a pillow, anything soft. You can also use these things to wrap the breakables.

I like to use gift wrap, brown paper, or packing paper to wrap the breakables. I don’t use newspaper or ads because I can’t stand how messy it is and I don’t like to clean everything once I get to the new house. Gift wrap does not travel well during a move anyway so instead of having it arrive smashed, crumpled and unusable, I use it to wrap my breakables. I’ve also used the MALA drawing paper roll from IKEA once my kids didn’t want to draw on it anymore.

Do you wonder how I got all this random Christmas wrap? I ordered some gift wrap from a company and it was shipped 2 weeks late so they sent me an additional 9 rolls of random wrap. Now it’s coming in handy! It’s making me kind of excited to unwrap everything. I think it’s going to feel like Christmas.

Do you use something besides newspaper to wrap your breakables?