Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Easy Pumpkin Plate Craft Fall Activity for Kids

September 11, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

You might not know it, but I love pumpkins. I love the way they look (they are so cute and round) and everything with it tastes delicious. To share my love of pumpkins this year, I decided to do a post that was out of the ordinary for me. I’m going to share my very easy pumpkin plate craft fall activity for kids (of any age). Take a look at how cute it is!

Pumpkin Plate Craft

A pumpkin plate craft is great for a cool, fall day because it’s so easy to make. I like this craft because most of us have a spare paper plate or two laying around (the house or the classroom). So, this activity uses things that you won’t have to go out to purchase (those are always my favorite types).

Materials Needed

Paper Plate
Orange Crayon or Colored Pencil
Scissors
Black Construction Paper
Glue
Ink pen or pencil
Jack-o-lantern printable or stencil

Steps

Color a plate orange.
Print out the jack-o-lantern face.
The one I used is below and you are welcome to print it out and cut as you see fit. Alternatively, you could just have the kids color the paper orange. I made it on PicMonkey, which has some other options.
Cut it out and trace around it onto a piece of black construction paper. Then, cut it out and glue it onto the plate. Viola! A super easy pumpkin plate craft for fall.
Optional: Cut out a piece of green construction paper to make a stem or handle for it.

So, what do you think of my pumpkin craft plate? Will you be making one with your kids or do you prefer to do it old school by decorating on or carving a real pumpkin? Interested in another easy Halloween idea? Check out my Halloween Cereal Treats!

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

August 27, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

It’s been a while since my last recipe (where are you food companies?). So, I thought I’d share this super quick and easy coffee cake recipe that I just made yesterday. It’s so painless that I came up with it by myself and did it yesterday morning on a whim. I guess I need to start listening to my inner thoughts because this turned out great! Let me know if you try it and what you think of it.

Coffee Cake Recipe

What makes this recipe so easy is the ingredients. I’m all for taking shortcuts in the kitchen, as long as the food still tastes good. So, I opted for biscuit dough for the “cake” of this recipe. Check it out!

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

It's an easy coffee cake recipe containing biscuit dough.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 5

Ingredients

1 can or other forms of prepared biscuit dough
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1- teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter softened

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare and arrange half of the biscuit dough in the bottom of a pan.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.
Pour half of that mixture on to the biscuit dough.
Place the remaining half of the biscuit dough on top of that.
Pour the remainder of the sugar topping on top.
Bake 20-25 mintues for a 8x8" pan or 13-15 minutes for smaller pans, like I used.

Keyword Easy

I will admit that I attempted to soften the butter and it ended up melting some. So, my topping wasn’t so much of a streusel topping as just another layer of goodness. Either way, this easy coffee cake recipe is terrific and I really like it. Next time, I will leave the butter out to soften prior to using so it will make more of a streusel-like topping instead of a glaze. So, what do you think of it? Will you be trying it?

The Smores Cookbook by Susan Whetzel

August 21, 2013 By Lindsay 88 Comments

Right before I attended the Mixed Conference last year, I learned of a fellow southwestern Virginia blogger. Her name is Susan Whetzel and she blogs at She’s Becoming Doughmesstic (which is a lovely food blog that makes me jealous of her skills). She was actually one of the conference founders, but I didn’t get a chance to really chat with her much during the conference. Nonetheless, I could tell she was really nice and I was thrilled when I learned that she had written The Smores Cookbook. It just came out this summer and I’m happy to tell you more about it.

Smores Cookbook

It’s kind of sad, kind of funny. Susan lives about 1.5 hours away from me. However, I had to go to Chicago to see her again. Haha! While I was in Chicago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend Susan’s The Smores Cookbook event at the Hard Rock Chicago. You probably saw me Tweeting about all of the chocolate-y goodness on Saturday night since Hershey’s was kind enough to sponsor the little get together. Long story short, I won a very nice s’mores gift basket and Susan gave me 2 signed copies of her new book! Yay! So, I’m going to keep 1 for myself and I’m giving the other away to a lucky reader.

In case you aren’t already hooked just by hearing that it’s called The Smores Cookbook and need more info, let me fill you in. The Smores Cookbook features all kinds of s’mores recipes. Think of things like S’mores Chocolate Bread Pudding, Crock-Pot S’mores Brownies, Chocolate Graham Pancakes, and S’mores Eclairs. Yum! My mouth waters just thinking about those delightful dishes. Every recipe in the book is fairly straight-forward and is accompanied by a delicious-looking picture. Oh, and the foreword is written by Chef Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes. So, the book obviously has his stamp of approval (as well as mine).

Susan has created countless ways for us to re-imagine the classic s’mores. One of my favorite chapters in the book is all about drinks. There’s a S’mores Milkshake, S’more-tini, S’mores Frappuccino, and S’mores Hot Chocolate. It just so happens that I have the perfect mug for the last one (I purchased this cup back at Christmas time without even knowing it would come in handy for a post)…

Like I said, it worked out well. So, are you as excited about The Smores Cookbook as I am? I hope you want to support Susan in this new endeavor by purchasing her book.

Blog Conference Roommate Gifts: A List of Ideas

July 22, 2013 By Lindsay 4 Comments

When I first went to Reviewer’s Retreat, I was surprised to discover that people exchange gifts at blogging conferences. All of my fabulous roomies gave me a small token to remember them by. Sadly, since I didn’t know about this idea, I didn’t take them one. However, after that, I’ve been better prepared. I promised myself I wouldn’t show up and feel awkward when everyone else is exchanging gifts again. I proudly took these beauties to Reviewer’s Retreat a few weeks ago and felt accomplished. Now, I’ve got some goodies for my BlogHer roommates as well. However, I’m not going to show you a picture of those just yet. So, here are my ideas for blog conference roommmate gifts.

Conference Roommate Gifts

Here is a list of items that I either gave as blog conference roommate gifts already or will give to mine this week at BlogHer. When looking for conference roommmate gifts, I try to go with things I think people might forget to bring and will need or things I think are neat and useful (based on the conference).

Pedicure kit or at least a nail file, you don’t want to shake hands with someone who has a hangnail.
Lint Roller (pictured above) – I got some fabulous travel sized ones at Target for about $1.
Lip Balm (also in the picture) – I picked up some great green apple Chapstick for each of the roomies at RevRet. They were a hit. In fact, my roommate Kayla mentioned it in her what to take to a blog conference post. I know that conference rooms can dry out your skin. So, these are great for those instances.
Gum – for fresh breath.
Mixed CD – Now, this one I’ve never actually done. However, I think it’s a great idea if you already know your roommate. It can be the soundtrack to your weekend.
Notebook and pen for taking notes.
Card – I actually added one to each of the bags after I took the picture. It was a great way to personalize the gifts as I wrote something just for each roommate.
Hand Sanitizer – I loved the travel-sized Purell Hand Sanitizer I reviewed earlier this summer. So, I actually gave some to my roomies.
Tissues – I also gave the roommates a travel size package of Kleenex tissues. They are great for when you end up sitting next to the air conditioner in a session.
Snacks – Sometimes, a granola bar is the perfect thing for a quick snack between sessions.
Hand lotion – this is for the same reason as the lip balm.
Hole puncher and binder/book ring. This so people can collect business cards and keep them together. You simply punch a hole in the cards and put them on the ring. Then, you can keep them together easily.
Candle – because who doesn’t love a good scented candle?

So, what do you think of my list of ideas for blog conference roommate gifts? Would you be happy to have received any of these items? What do you like to give/receive as roommate gifts?

Vera Bradley Beach 2013 Summer Tote Bag Towel and Sarong

July 9, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

When one of my favorite brands reached out to me the other week for a post and giveaway, I got very excited. I recently received free Vera Bradley Beach 2013 summer gear, including a tote bag, towel, and sarong. In addition to receiving my own, Vera Bradley sent another set for me to giveaway to one lucky reader. Keep reading for your chance to win some fabulous Vera Bradley Beach 2013 summer stuff!

Vera Bradley Beach 2013

Now that the 4th of July has come and gone, it doesn’t mean that summer is over yet. In fact, there’s still plenty of time for a quick trip to the beach or pool. That means it’s a great time to pick up some of the can’t be missed deals on Vera Bradley Beach 2013 items. For instance, look at the fabulous towel I received above. I’m still loving the Viva la Vera Bradley patterned towel I received back in 2011. Now, I have this beautiful Plum Crazy one to go along with it. I think the deep purple is very pretty. Plus, I can already attest to the high quality of their towels since my older one is still holding up nicely.

Another item on sale right now, is their small mesh tote. Since it comes in the same great pattern, it matches my towel perfectly. I can now feel very stylish as I carry my items down to the local pool with my nice towel. Plus, there’s no mistaking which bag is mine now since I can easily spot this pattern. The tote is a good size for carrying several items in without being too bulky. It’s definitely ideal for a quick few hours away trip.

Lastly, I received my first sarong from the Vera Bradley Beach 2013 showcase. It can be used to cover you up in different ways. It would be perfect to put on at the beach as you walk back to your room. It’s very light-weight and won’t take up much room in your bag. In fact, mine is actually folded up and is inside the bag in the pictures above. How’s that for space friendly.

You can now get all of these Vera Bradley Beach 2013 items 50% off on their site! So, hurry over now to get the best selection and stock up if you can. Additionally, one very lucky reader will win each of these items in the Go Wild print.

WIN!

One Laughing Lindsay reader will win a towel, small mesh tote bag, and sarong in Go Wild from Vera Bradley.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!

Disclosure: I received the three items for free and Vera Bradley is providing the winner’s items as well. No compensation was received.