Collections

I'm a collector at heart. If I found an attraction to something, I always wanted a pair. Then a trio and so on. When I was little it was stickers... shells... stuffed animals (I'm sure if I'd have been a kid in the age of webkinz, I'd have had needed a litter of them!) I would take my "collections" out and arrange them in different ways and just admire them. As I got older the things changed, but my collector's heart didn't. I progressed to stationary... colored glass... and my newest whim: tiny plates. I found these two cuties at a garage sale recently for a quarter a piece, and I'm now on the hunt. I envision a mini-plate wall.

This post got me thinking... Do you collect anything?

Weekly Meal Plan

It's going to be a l-o-n-g week, with the hubby missing most meals. That means that I'll be making quick, easy meals that require little prep time and even less clean-up efforts. I'm not even assigning days. We're just going to roll with it. Not the most inspiring of meal plans, but it's for the sake of sanity. You understand, don't you?

quesadillas and guacamole

coconut chicken tenders and green beans

(from Bell and Evans... so yummy, with no antibiotics or hormones!)

mac and cheese and peas

spaghetti

CFA

(I'm being realistic here)

I better get a weekend out after this heckuva week! What are your go-to-easy-out-of-the-freezer/pantry/frig meals?

And since I have no image to go along with this week's menu, I'll share this photo I found on my phone... A certain big sister had a little fun with the doodle app:

Sidenote: In case you noticed and are wondering why I changed the post titles to Weekly Meal Plan, It's bc I was getting a lot of spam comments only on my "Monday Meal Plan" posts. Not sure why.

Enjoy More

A shift in attitude can be life changing. How about trying this on for size:

Hop on over to Bon Bon Rose for a chance to win lots of neat goodies, including a set of personalized notecards from yours truly. Those gals have a week's worth of giveaways going on over at their place.

And check out the links below to read some interesting gals sharing their reasons for blogging. Join in if you like.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Where, When, How, What??

Okay, so yesterday I went into why I blog (very long-windedly... Sorry!), so I thought I'd go ahead with the other questioning words, and possibly get a discussion going on:

Where do I blog? I've been trying out different spots (really how many could there be in my 1500 square foot house?) This is my current spot, in our family room. I like it in this central location, but I find myself checking in on things a little too often. The big honker printer will go up in the above cabinetry if I decide to make this a (semi) permanent spot:

When do I blog? Usually I write at night after my kids go to bed. I get a surge of energy about 10 minutes after those 2 darling munchkins have officially drifted off. Strange little coincidence, eh.

What is my blog? A spot to focus on the positive... A place to grow and improve and just be... An outlet to share what's going on with me, whether it be struggles, my business, projects, or the likes.

How do I go about it? Well, as you can probably tell, it's rather random. I'm rarely scheduled ahead and it's usually just on a whim when an idea will hit. For example, just the other night I was hanging out with my sister and she was telling me how she redid her laundry room. I immediately could see the before and after pictures all posted up so nicely on my blog. (Too bad she wasn't thinking about my blog and forgot the before pics. Thanks a lot, Amy! ;-) The only thing that is set is my Meal Plan days. I'm afraid to stop doing these, as it totally holds me accountable. I also participated in last year's spending hiatus and posted updates on my trials and tribulatons each week. My other posts are just whatever strikes my fancy... design, quotes, my family (Oh yes, I spam you with my kids a lot), my etsy shop and others, neat finds, and other happenings.

Now, it's your turn: Why do you blog? And while you're at it, Where, When, What and How do you go about it? If you want to share via a blog post, let's link up below so everyone can peak in on your place in blog-world. Sound fun? Just come back here to link to your related post. We'll see how this little dealie works.

Why, oh Why?

My little recent spring-break-blogging-hiatus has me doing some introspection... Why do I blog? I mean the break really was nice... And it's not a job requirement... So what has me doing this for over a year now? Bear with me while I ramble on trying to find my answer...

I know why I started this blog: Simply as an extension of my little card business. I didn't even think to start a blog, except when I was working in my website template there was a little place to link to your blog in it. So after looking up the definition of blog (Really I did. It's web+log, in case you were in the dark like me!), I posted up about some card business related stuff. Then on a whim I posted my first personal entry. It felt weird. Very out there for me. Then I remembered about my personal resolution to step outside my comfort zone a bit more. I then posted more random tidbits like this and this. And then this strange thing started happening: People (albeit just a few) started reading and commenting. I posted more, without having a plan or method or really a goal in mind.

I like what I feel when I look back over this space that's been created. It's a place where I share things that inspire me, that I love, or that I happen to be struggling with at the time. In turn, it's become a place that inspires me, turns me to the positive more, and holds me accountable. I suppose this is why I blog.

In the beginning I found myself teetering between loving this experience and wanting to retreat back into my own safe private haven. I admit, I occasionally still have those feelings. It's that darn comfort zone beckoning me back, but I'm out (mostly) and really like it. Thanks for helping to create this here blog, and for encouraging me along the way.

So... did I answer my own little question, or did I just ramble on in my own introspection? Let me ask you: Why do you read this blog, or blogs in general? If you have a blog, why do you do it? Thanks for sharing!

Weekly Meal Plan

Phew! I have to admit I'm a little spring break-ed out over here. It was such a fun time, with us completing the majority of the slated todo's. But, I'll tell you what: A week chock-full of saying "yes" to most requests will wear a mutha out, at least this one. Although I'm missing my sweet gal already this morning, I'm happy to have some routine back in our days. Here's our very routine weekly meal plan:

Monday:

BLTs

Tuesday:

breakfast for dinner

Wednesday:

spaghetti and meatballs

(similar to this recipe, with some added mozzarella!)

Thursday:

soft tacos

Friday:

taco salad

Saturday:

out

Sunday:

leftovers

What will you be dining on the week?

Do share!

To Do's

So this is the to do list my daughter has for her spring break...

{Check out this neat post-it note generator... Have fun!}

No where on there do I see, hang out while Mom has some concentrated computer time. Oh well. (How will I manage?) It'll be a fun week. (Hopefully the withdrawal symptoms won't be too terrible.) It's already off to a grand start:

{Have more fun with this poladroid application!}

Hang with me, and I'll see you soon!

Weekly Meal Plan

It's spring break here. Relaxing, fun in the sun., time off... Uh, no such luck! I guess my former career as a teacher still has me in the (false) mindset that Spring Break is a break. My present job as a mom has no such break... I've got both the kids home and raring to be entertained. Well, entertain I will. And relaxing will come later (hopefully). With all that being said, I had this little no-break-realization a little late in the evening on Sunday, so I threw together a meal plan for the week without really thinking too much about it. I'm hoping to sub in eating with friends or family cookout or the likes. And now that I'm typing this out, I'm remembering St. Patrick's day where we'll have to eat something green for sure, but for now this is the plan, subject to change without notice:

{Just scored some great vintage frames. This one's been fixed up and now has a new home! Thanks, April, for being patient with me.}

Good Deeds

My husband and I have (or are trying to) institute our morning coffee time again. It's been nice. Really, really nice. We've spent our time talking, making plans, and doing a little dreaming. He made a bold statement this week by saying, "We need to make our plan to execute in 2010." Oh, this is so true. We have such good intentions and great ideas, but bringing them to fruition... Well, not so much. This quote came to mind and might just be in the running for the twenty-ten motto. (No, haven't quite executed on that one either.) What's inspiring you to do good?

Overheard At My House: Self Esteem

{Yes, that is a black sequined hat that she's proudly rockin'.}

Here's the scene: My husband and daughter are goofing around while I'm in the kitchen. I am halfway listening to them when overhear this priceless bit of their conversation:

Hubby: What do you think about yourself?

Little gal: Well... I wouldn't want to be anybody else... Wouldn't want to be any person but myself. Even though I make mistakes, I still want to be me.

Now, how can I perpetuate this natural tendency in my growing girl? How can I ensure she feels that way when she's 13... 16... 22 years old? I think that would be a pretty solid self esteem to hold onto while navigating through her young life. Now, I've just got to figure out how to keep it going (and not screw it up)! This parenting thing is so darn tricky. We just have to keep on trying to get it right. And caring enough to try has got to be more than half the battle. Don't you think? Let's keep truckin' along!

Weekly Meal Plan

Here's what we've got planned for this week:

{diy planner info .... menu plan printable}

What's on the menu at your place?

Book Kick

I love books. I've been on a kick lately, with a strong focus on self-improvement. With all the titles I've been devouring, you'd think I was a complete and utter mess. There's just so much good stuff out there and it has just been finding me. Here's what I'm reading right now. I'm in the midst or finishing up each, so I haven't come to a final conclusion but I am enjoying it all.

Steady Days by Jamie Martin

Seriously, this has been a breath of fresh air. My life as a mom, with meaning, joy, and intention. It's just what I needed at just the right time.

For Women Only by Shanti Feldhahn

This has been a great glimpse into men, with things I thought I knew, but now understand better. I think my man is digging me reading it too, although he's no clue. I'm thinking of checking out For Men Only and stashing it on his nightstand. And I've got For Parents Only on order from the library. (I know, I sound like I'm a mess. I don't think I am...)

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

My first fiction in a long time and I'm totally into it. It's supposedly loosely based on Laura Bush's life, so it's very memoir-ish: My very fave genre. And the cover is quite pretty. (Thanks, Erika, for lending it to me!)

I decided to set up an Amazon store to share all of the goodness with you. Feel free to peruse it to see what else I'm finding interesting. I want to say that if you go through my site to purchase something they make a small contribution to Perfect Sentiment. (Didn't want you to feel like I was trying to be sly. And please know that you can just look.) I thought it would be a neat and easy way to keep it all sorted and put the good stuff out there to view. Not really sure how it works, but it sure was fun to set up and pick out the colors and such.

What are you reading?

I would love to know what's next on my list!

It's All About the Tools

My husband has a saying that he could do any job around the house if he had the right tools. So if we decide to embark on any home improvement on our own, I know I need to just go ahead and plan on him needing to add to his tool arsenal. I have to say, that I agree with him in a way. I always feel better about working out, if I have some great sneakers... Or facing a busy day, if I have on a great looking outfit... Driving long distances, if I have some new tunes... And on and on. So when I decided that 2010 is the year to have goals and be organized, I decided I needed some tools to help me along my way....

While they are still a work in progress (My friend Jenny and I are still tweaking them to our liking), some simple Excel Spreadsheets are serving as my tools. One is for weekly todos. I plan to print out a few at a time, each week filling in what I'd like to accomplish in those seven days. Future weeks will be available to jot down later tasks. Part of the battle for me, is getting it out of my head and onto paper. That way I don't have the stress of trying to remember everything, but I can also plan for the best time to accomplish it all. There's also a spot to write down meals for the week and a space to fill in some inspiring words to marinate in for this time. I'll sit down on Sundays and fill in the week. Then I can add to/edit as the week unfolds. The other one is for our budget. My husband and I decided to sit down and write out our budget (a la Dave Ramsey style) once a month on a Sunday as well. We'll be using a handy dandy spreadsheet for this too.

Here are the Excel spreadsheets I'm using. Feel free to download and modify them to work for you. They are simple (I so want to add some fun fonts and such... maybe after I'm all organized!), but I think they are going to work for me.

Weekly ToDos

and

Budget

It's all about the tools!

"What's the Measure of a Woman?"

{found via pineappleupsidedown}

What words would be scribed on your image?

Making me think...

Monday Meal Plan

Monday:

broccoli cheese soup

Tuesday:

soup and sandwiches

Wednesday:

chicken skewers

sweet potatoes

Thursday:

sausage mish mash

(leftover meat & veggies cooked in a skillet w/ link sausage & onions... my mil's creation)

Friday:

out

Saturday/Sunday:

chicken club salad