How to Replace a Shower Head

After learning how to install a bathroom faucet, I also wanted to learn how to replace a shower head. Ladies - take this off the "honey-do" list!! It is a lot simpler than you think to do it yourself! I decided on a dual shower head - which sounds complicated, but it's not as difficult as it looks. Plus, you don't need a crazy amount of tools to replace that old shower head with a beautiful, shiny, new one!!

Since breaking my leg, showering is high up on the list of difficult things to do. With a regular shower head, showering took at least double the amount of time it should have (which might sound nice, but it really isn't). I decided that having at least a handheld shower head was going to be necessary. Luckily, Moen was so great to send me a Banbury Dual Shower Head to try out, and I can honestly say it has been a life (and time) saver!

Handheld shower heads aren't just for injured or disabled people. Since this particular shower head is a dual shower head, it can spray from just the handheld or the main shower head - or both! My husband even said that he likes this shower head better than our old one! The handheld shower head has also been convenient for washing the shampoo out of my daughter's hair when she takes a bath.

Moen's Banbury dual shower head is also finished with a Spot Resist™ brushed nickel finish that resists fingerprints and water spots for easier cleaning. There are also five function combination sprays for more variety. So, really, there's something for everyone in just one shower head!

To get started, open the Moen Banbury shower head kit and make sure all the parts are there. Then, all you'll need is an adjustable wrench and some Teflon tape. The washers are also included in the shower head kit. 

Place the black washers in both ends of the hose, then attach one end of the hose to the handheld shower head, and use the wrench to tighten it.

Next, attach the shower arm diverter to the other shower head. Then, attach the other end of the hose to the shower arm diverter. Now your shower head and handheld shower head are connected!

Remove your old shower head with the adjustable wrench, then remove the old, white Teflon tape (if there is any). Use new Teflon white tape and wrap it clockwise 4-5 times around the threads, making sure not to go past the threads and into the shower opening (the shower head could clog if you get any tape in there).

Next, attach the shower arm diverter to the shower arm and tighten with the adjustable wrench. Keep in mind to be very careful when tightening, because you can easily scratch the finish. Also, do NOT over-tighten. You may break something in the wall! Once the shower head is attached, place the handheld shower head into the handheld shower cradle.

Now that the shower head is all installed and looking beautiful, it's time to test to make sure you don't have any leaks. If the hose is leaking, check to make sure the washer is there. If the shower arm is leaking, make sure you add Teflon tape and have tightened the shower arm diverter to the shower arm.

Once you've made sure there are no leaks, you're done!!

I received this shower head from Moen in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

3 Ingredient Sticky Chicken Fingers

With as busy as things are lately, I am always looking for simple recipes that my family will love. These sticky chicken fingers couldn't be easier, and even better - there are only three ingredients!! The sticky chicken fingers are sticky (of course), sweet, with a little kick of heat. This recipe is husband-approved, and will most likely make it to our weekly menu plan.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Frank’s Original Hot Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
8 breaded chicken fingers (frozen, any brand)

Directions:

1. Bake breaded chicken according to package directions.

2. While the chicken is baking, mix together hot sauce, brown sugar, and water in a saucepan.

3. Stir the sauce over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce starts to boil. Remove from heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

4. When the chicken is done, place it in a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce (while warm or room temperature) over the chicken, and toss chicken until all the chicken fingers are coated.

5. Serve sticky chicken fingers with a side of ranch and enjoy!

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes

Lucky Word Set

We don't really do much to celebrate the St. Patrick's Day holiday, but I can't resist all the cute decorations there are! When I first saw this Lucky Word Set at Wood Creations, I just had to have it! Wood Creations has a lot of adorable St. Patrick's Day crafts, so be sure to check them out. I had a hard time narrowing down my choice to get just one set.

The Lucky Set measures about 21 inches wide and 7 inches tall. It's a little smaller than other sets, but the design is just perfect with my other St. Patrick's decor. The set comes unfinished, and needs a small amount of sanding before adding paint.

After sanding, I painted all the letters with DecoArt's Americana Acrylic paint in Kelly Green. I painted 2-3 coats of paint. Once the paint was dry, I traced some shamrock and plaid papers, cut them out, then stuck them on the shamrock shape and the "k" with Mod Podge. Let the letter/shamrock dry, then lightly sand the edges so the papers fit smoothly at the edges.

While the shamrock and "k" were drying, I added glitter to the rest of the letters and the horseshoe. I used Recollections glitter in Pesto, Gold, Citron, and Emerald. To apply the glitter, place the letter on a scrap piece of paper. Paint the front of the letter with a coat of Mod Podge, then pour the glitter over the letter. Let sit for a few minute or two, then carefully stand the letter up and tap it on the table a couple of times to remove any excess glitter. Carefully roll the paper to make a funnel to pour the extra glitter back into the container.

Once everything is covered and given time to dry (maybe an hour or so), spray the letters, shamrock, and horseshoe with a coat of clear spray paint or polyurethane sealer to protect the papers and to keep the glitter from coming off.

Place the letters on a mantel or shelf and enjoy!!

The amazing Wood Creations is also letting me give away a Lucky word set to one *lucky* reader!! Wood Creations has locations in both Utah and Idaho, or you can order online. Follow them on Facebook to see new crafts and sales!

Enter through the Rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway ends on Monday, March 3rd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received the Lucky Word Set from Wood Creations in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

17 St. Patrick's Day Recipes

We don't usually do too much to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but I think it's a lot of fun to make cute treats and dye our food in greens and rainbow colors for one day!! Today I'm sharing 17 delicious recipes that the whole family (especially the kids) will love this St. Patrick's Day!!

Easy Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love easy cookie recipes that are quick to throw together. These cookies are made with Bisquick mix, and while I was skeptical making them for the first time, they are seriously SO good! Soft, chewy, and one of the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipes I have ever made!! They are even simple enough for the kids to help make!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg.
3. Fold in Bisquick baking mix.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Valentine Tissue Paper Heart

I'm excited to announce that I am part of Elmer's "Crafty Mamas" Blogger Crew this year and am going to be sharing lots of seasonal project ideas using Elmer's products that you can create with the kids. Today's project is our first one, just in time for Valentine's Day!

DIY Alphabet & Number Gems

My daughter loves learning and we are often working on homeschool projects and games to keep her entertained and learning new things. We're always counting and working on letter recognition and letter sounds, but now she'd really enjoying learning addition and seeing how to spell words. Since we are working on these kinds of activities all the time, I decided to gather a few simple supplies to make learning even easier!

Chocolate Cherry Heart Pops

I've teamed up with Jolly Time Popcorn to bring you this delicious Valentine's treat! Popcorn is always a favorite on it's own, but mix it up with some cherries and chocolate and you've got a hit!! It's a fun Valentine's activity for the kids, and are a sweet gift to give out to friends and family!

DIY Barbie Bed

My daughter's Barbie and Disney princess doll collection is steadily growing, and she likes to play with them in one of her small doll houses. I've looked into buying Barbie furniture and accessories, and I cannot believe how expensive everything is, not to mention that everything nowadays breaks in a matter of minutes.

Valentines Fingerprint Canvas

My daughter is so excited for "Valentime's Day" and asked if she could paint some kind of project for the holiday. Of course, I said yes and immediately got out some supplies. Honestly, I'm not always too thrilled at the thought of a toddler getting into paints, but I totally trust Apple Barrel Craft Paint when it comes to kids crafts. They are water-based, so that means they are easy to clean with soap and water.

You & Me Sign

I've been slowly working on some new decor for my bedroom and wanted something a little more personal to add to the wall. After spending some time shopping at Poppy Seed Projects, I had an idea come to mind and had to run with it.

This You & Me Sign looks so great hanging on my wall and I absolutely love it! It was so easy to make, and I'm excited to share this tutorial with you today to hopefully inspire you to create something personal for your home, too!!

Supplies:

Divided Plaque (found at Poppy Seed Projects)

Texturizing Cream (found at Poppy Seed Projects)

DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paints in Snow (Titanium) White, Dark Chocolate, and Lamp (Ebony) Black

With a sponge brush or rag, dab on some texturizing cream. Whatever pattern you have is what will show through when you sand your project (you'll see what I mean when I get to the end of the project). Let dry completely. The cream dries clear, so you'll know it's dry when you don't see any white.

If you're like me and do some of your crafting on the couch, a cardboard box (like the waffle box you can see above) makes a great painting space!!

After the texturizing cream is dry, paint on a thin coat (or two) of the Dark Chocolate Americana paint. Let dry completely. It's okay if it's not perfect! This is the color that will show through when you sand later.

Paint the board with the Black Americana paint. I painted about three coats. Be sure to let each coat dry COMPLETELY before you add another coat.

Once the last coat is dry, lightly sand the board (especially the edges) with sandpaper. This will start to bring out the brown color underneath and will bring out the texture from the texturizing cream. I love how easy it is to make a board look worn!

When you're done sanding, wipe off the board with a tissue or damp cloth.

With my Silhouette, I cut out the "You & Me" in vinyl. I weeded out the letters and ampersand and cut a rectangle around the words to create a stencil. Find the centers of both the board rectangles and the stencils to make sure you place the vinyl in the right spot.

When adhering the vinyl, be sure to press hard (especially around the edges) so that the stencil won't move, and so you won't get any paint bleeding under the edges.

With a spouncer, add a light coat of Snow (Titanium) White Americana paint. Press the spouncer into the paint, then dab off the excess before painting on the stencil. Be sure to dab vertically over the stencil instead of painting horizontally. This will minimize the amount of bleeds. I added about 4 coats to get complete paint coverage. Let the paint dry completely between coats.

Peel off the stencils while the last coat of paint is still wet. If you happen to get any paint bleeds, don't stress about it! Get out an Xacto knife, and you can carefully scrape some of the small bleeds away. Don't scrape too hard, or you could take off some of the other black & brown layers of paint. You could also touch up with black paint if you have any larger bleeds.

Get your sandpaper out and lightly sand over the words. This is also a great way to disguise any of your mistakes!! Own it and just call it "unique"!

Spray the board with a clear spray paint to finish. Add a sawtooth hanger to the back to hang on your wall, or add it to a shelf!! This sign would make a great gift (even for yourself) or a fun girl's night project!

I received products from Poppy Seed Projects and DecoArt in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

12 Olympic Kids Crafts

The Olympics are almost here! Get the kids excited for the big games and help explain what the Olympics are all about with these 12 fun and creative crafts for kids of all ages! I had a lot of fun looking through all these fun posts. I hope you're inspired, too!!

Mini Valentine Sandwich Cookies

Valentine treats are so cute, and a lot of fun to make. Kids love helping (usually), and this recipe is EXTRA kid-friendly!! My four year old had a blast helping me make these mini Valentine sandwich cookies that taste a lot like a miniature ice cream sandwich. And as a bonus, you can eat these little cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet!!