Julie, The Effortless Girl, is from a small (teeny tiny) community in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. The Effortless Girl was born out of a desire to challenge herself to find accessible, unique lifestyle ideas with cost savings in mind. LEARN MORE >
Simple Low-Fat Banana Bread
I love banana bread. It tastes great and makes the house smell delicious as it bakes. Banana bread is a great alternative to cake, but it tastes very similar. I use a recipe that cuts out much of the fat and allows for adjustments to the sugar content so you can feel good about indulging in a warm slice. The…
Peter Pan, Potty Training, and PTSD….
It’s the time of year when families all over the country pack their suitcases, stuff the car full of flotation devices, and set off on the yearly vacation. When I was little, my parents decided to do the same thing. I was eleven, my sister Kelli was nine, my sister Bethany was four, and my brother Robby was one when…
We All Scream For Ice Cream
Summer would not be summer without ice cream. Ice cream is as American as Uncle Sam or apple pie. Every Friday in elementary school, our class paid a quarter each to eat ice cream bars for our end of the week treat. My favorites were orange push-ups and ice cream sandwiches. I still love orange push-ups and ice cream sandwiches. …
Effortless Greeting Cards 101 for $1.01
I hate shopping for greeting cards. There are so many to choose from and each one says almost the right thing…but not always. By the time I read each one on the rack, I’m tired and indecisive. The climbing prices for poetry on fancy paper are a bit of a deterrent also. This year for Mother’s Day I decided…
Gift Wrapping 101 for $1.01
Welcome to another installment in our series ‘101 for $1.01’ – Gift Wrapping! I love receiving beautifully wrapped gifts as much as I love the present inside. Spending time wrapping lovely presents adds a little something special to the gift. My only problem is the cost of gift wrapping necessities. Bags, bows, ribbons, and paper can be super pricey. So…
Homemade Chicken Stock 101 for $1.01
This is the first post in a new series for Effortless and Exquisite. The ‘101 for $1.01‘ series will showcase Lifestyle Tips 101 for $1.01 or less! Let’s get started…Chicken Stock is a great base for soups, pasta, rice, and casseroles. Substituting chicken stock for water in recipes adds flavor and that little something extra. However chicken stock, especially organic…
DIY Invitations: How To Craft the Perfect Would You
Anyone planning a party, wedding, bar mitzvah, or shower knows there are too many invitation choices. There are literally thousands of color, pattern, paper, or print styles to choose from. Your budget can range from reasonably inexpensive to mortgage level spending depending on what you select. It gets exhausting, especially since invitations are usually the first item to pick in…
Easter Egg-tastic Bunny Baskets
I love Easter for lots of reasons. It signifies many celebratory events; the resurrection of Christ, the beginning of spring, color returning to the world following the dreary winter, and in America – candy. The idea of children running around all cracked out on sugar is scary. I’m about to gain a stepdaughter and decided to create a fun…
Chocolate Souffle…The Easy Way
The word souffle intimidates me. It reminds me of a smoking oven with a beeping fire detector or an uppity french restaurant with no crumbs on perfect white linens. Sigh, but I really love souffles, especially chocolate…what’s a girl to do? For Valentine’s weekend I decided to tackle the chocolate souffle – the Effortless and Exquisite way! I decided to…
MS Stands For Mississippi, Morgan Stanley and Multiple Sclerosis
I’ve taken a step away from the blog for the last couple of weeks…not by choice. In fact there are some great people waiting to share with the blog; it’s me not them. I wish I had a thrilling adventure to write about that kept me from blogging. This is not the case. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. There…
