Upright and Caffeinated

For everything in life that keeps you on your feet! I share simple DIY projects and crafts, home decor ideas and helpful tips as well as easy recipes for week-night meals.

Mother’s Day Brunch Cocktails

Mother's Day is coming up soon and mom wants nothing more than your love and a cocktail.  Kidding- just your love is enough, but if you want to make her day really special, get Dad to make her one of these Mother's Day brunch cocktails. My favorite thing to do for Mother's Day is to spend the day with my family.  I love brunch and having a potluck style brunch with extended family on the screened-in-porch sounds like the ultimate Mother's Day.  Kids playing with their cousins, moms relaxing ... View Post

30 Best Side Dishes for Your Next Picnic or Potluck

Summer is almost here and that means attending lots of get-togethers.  Off the top of my head, I can think of four different picnics we are attending where I need to bring a dish.  As I began brainstorming about what to make, I decided to pull together the 30 best side dishes for your next picnic or potluck! Click on the picture to take you directly to the post with the ... View Post

10 Resources You Didn’t Know Exist at Your Library

Hey Friends!  It is library week, so today I'm sharing a list of library resources you probably didn't know exist at your local library.  Libraries offer so much more than books.  Did you know you can check out DVD's at your local library?  Most libraries have new releases just like Netflix.  In addition to checking out book and movies, here is a list of 10 resources you didn't know exist at your local library. 10 Resources You Didn't Know Exist at Your Library   Apply for a ... View Post

$50 Laundry Room Makeover

I’m so excited to share our $50 laundry room makeover with you!  We are currently renting our town home in Alexandria, VA.  It’s a picture-perfect town home that you’d typically envision when you think of Alexandria.  We love our town home, but since we are renting, we have restrictions on what we can change.  This was certainly a challenge, but we were able to accomplish a $50 laundry room makeover in a rental. We had a little unfortunate incident with a leaking pipe behind the wall in ... View Post

Don’t Nuke It- 10 Foods You Shouldn’t Heat Up in the Microwave

We generally use the microwave every night.  Having two young kids,  sometimes it is just easy to reheat part of a $4.99 rotisserie chicken.  I seriously don’t understand how people (my parents) lived without a microwave.  It is a luxury I have always had and rely on heavily.  That being said, there are a few things that just don’t nuke well.  I give you the Don't Nuke It list - 10 foods that you should heat the old-fashion way and avoid the microwave. Pizza My favorite way to reheat pizza:  ... View Post

20 DIY Spring Wreaths

I absolutely love spring; the season of renewal, refresh and rebirth.  Seeing all those pretty, colorful flowers just puts a smile on my face.  We still have snow on the ground right now, so it doesn't quite feel like spring yet.  I love decorating for spring, but since we are moving soon, I am recycling an old wreath I made last spring.  Today, I am sharing my favorite 20 DIY spring wreaths to help inspire you to decorate your own front door for this beautiful season of ... View Post