Perfect Sentiment

My 2012 Motto

2012-01-12T11:43:00.000-06:00

So I kind of dropped the ball on last year's motto. I was looking for the perfect words to just come to me like in 2009 and 2010 to help me to focus on grace. I didn't ever find the perfect words, and well, I wasn't so very graceful either. I'm moving on and forgiving myself on that one. (I hope everyone who had to be with me while I was ungraceful will do so as well.) This year I didn't really have to go on a motto hunt. My sister shared a quote with me that immediately resonated and set me on the right path to find my motto to (try to) live by this year. Here's the quote that led me to my motto:

"Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn't stop to enjoy it." ~ W. Feather

And here's my 2012 motto:

Seriously, I love it, and it's perfect for me right now. It's something I struggle with on a regular basis. Sometimes I can get too goal oriented where I focus on the end result and make all the in between stuff not so fun. Or I get in the mindset of when ________ happens things will be better / smoother / awesome-er. Or I find myself just going through the motions and not really feeling anything.

Example: I have to give the kids a bath. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I just don't want to. And it shows. I mean, if I have to do it, why not be in the moment and enjoy it? It's better for everyone, and you know what? It ends up being joyful (or at least less not joyful).

Sooooo, this year I'm focussing on finding JOY in the JOurneY.

Anything you're focussing on in 2012?

I'm Thankful for... a free printable!

2011-11-08T06:15:00.000-06:00

I decided to reincarnate last year's I'm thankful for... pad. Same design, but this go 'round it's prints out into strips that can be made into a thankfulness chain.

Click on the following link to download: Thankfulness Chain Download. Then just print them out on any normal-sized paper, cut along the gray lines, write your thanks and staple or tape into a loop.

You could also use the strips in a pocket dealie like we did a couple years back. Or create one of these simply adorable little pumpkins I found via pinterest.

{top from Playful Crafts; bottom pumpkins from Craftiness is not Optional}

Have fun! I would love to see pictures of your chains, or however you decide to use the download. Thanks!

Halloween Download for YOU!

2011-09-26T14:14:00.000-05:00

Last year we failed to get the halloween/fall decorations down from the attic. This year I'm being proactive just in case that happens again... I've been seeing a lot of and really liking the look of subway art as of late, so I decided to make a little Halloween print to use as a festive decoration. And it's also set up as a download for you!

I was apparently in an indecisive mood when I created it because I made four virtually identical versions to choose from.

Just click on the link below to the one you like. Print it (choose for it not be scaled so it'll fit nicely into an 8x10 frame), cut it out, and frame it! Print out a few extras and give to teachers/friends/neighbors as gifts.

version 1

(simple black background)

version 2

(black background with border)

version 3

(multi-colored)

version 4

(ink-saving white background)

If you print this out and use it, I'd love for you to snap a pic of yours and send it my way. It makes me happy to see my PS~downloads in use. Thanks, and happy (almost) October to you!

Friendship

2011-09-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about friendship lately, and how we arrive at it and devote our time and selves to it... Sometimes it's an instant connection that grows. Other times it takes a while and you don't even know it's happening. You can't necessarily try for the relationship, although it often takes intent and effort. It's an unknown equation of timing, chemistry, similarities and/or differences, personality, and some intangibles... I read this quote and thought it summed up my view on friendship.

Leave it to Socrates to say it so well!

I love you more than...

2011-09-12T06:33:00.000-05:00

I have a dear friend, Jenny, who has this little ritual she does with her family. She'll say to one of her boys something to the effect of, "I love you more than... blueberry pancakes!" And they'll follow it up with something like, "Well, I love you more than... football!" It could go on and on from here, with a bold proclamation of love each time. Isn't that just the sweetest thing?

{Jen and her sweet boys... Thanks for the inspiration!}

I tried it with my little guy and found out he loves me more than riding his bike and his blankie! Talk about totally filling my bucket! It left me feeling all loved and excited to try it out on the rest of my family. Jen's convo also gave me an idea to make as a download in my shop... In the same vein as the menu planners and calendars, here's a reusable "I love you more than..." print. Just slip it in a regular ole 8x10 frame and start the sweet interactions!

Here's my latest for the hubby: Worked great considering a did a little shopping this past week...

What? Christmas Already??

2011-09-02T06:14:00.005-05:00

We're already deliberating over here over what we're going to be dressing up as for Halloween. (Well, the kids are as I'm not much of a dresser upper, even though I married into a very Halloween-y family... Thankfully they love me anyways!) We can do that because it's now September, just a month prior to October. It's totally on schedule, right? But Christmas? Surely not... I really didn't just see Christmas ribbon and ornaments decking the halls of our local super store, did I? That's a tad early, and a bit coo-coo, if you ask me. I mean, the temperature still pretty much triple digits most days.

I guess I've got a bit of the crazies going on too because I made (a version) of our Christmas card already! I guess it's not too crazy, seeing that's what I do, but if you look at my track record our card is generally the last one I get too. Last year, I actually had to send out a "Happy New Year" card because I was so delinquent. I decided to take our vacation photos and get after it. I'm also excited to try out some new shapes and designs I'm considering offering this year. So here it is... Let me know what you think!

A funny, telling, little side-story: We took the kids to the beach one night in coordinating outfits with the intent of taking some photographs to hang on the wall. Our expectations were high and we let the kids know exactly how we wanted them to act. We were a bit intense, if we're being honest. And you know what? They. were. terrible. They were goofing off and not following our directives. We were grumpy. And gripe-y. And disappointed. But you know what? The pictures turned out great. I really couldn't be happier with them. Their little personalities showed through. They were acting like their little brother and big sister selves. He was pestering her, and she was in her motherly (bossy) big sister mode, directing him and positioning him. If I were not in such a tizzy, I would have seen how precious this evening was. We got back to the condo, looked at the pics and promptly offered our apologies to the kids. Then we headed to Dairy Queen for Blizzards!

We definitely should have toned it down. No direction needed.

Lesson learned.

Changes...

2011-08-30T12:08:00.006-05:00

I saw this and just had to smile. First it made me giggle. Then it made me think...

from factsaboutyou, via this lovely gal's board while slightly addictive-ly perusing pinterest

What if it was this easy to cut the unhealthy out of your life, whether it be people or things or thoughts? Would you do it? Should you? Are these people/things/thoughts there to teach us about ourselves?

I'm not so sure, but it's got me thinking...

Overheard at My House: Real Life

2011-08-23T06:38:00.003-05:00

Meet Lemon.

He's our one and only pet at the moment. A birthday present for our 8 year old, who really wanted a dog but was not disappointed in the least. This little parakeet is very loved. He gets enough love to serve a whole litter of pups.

Here's the scene: Actually he's in pretty much every scene these days, as he's a member of the family, and the topic of much talk around here, but here's a glimpse at the latest of conversations surrounding our yellow feathered friend:

little gal: Are we ever going to get a girl bird, so Lemon can live a real life?
me: ....... No.

I should have encountered as to what a real life really means. I should have used this as a natural opportunity to have a a good conversation about the facts of life and birds and the bees and whatnot. I should have said a lot of things, but all I said was, "No."

I just didn't have it in me.

Next time I'll be ready. And I need to be, considering yesterday was the first day of 3rd(!) grade! I need to keep on filling the sponge in that girl's head before anyone else does!

Lunch Box Lovin'

2011-08-17T06:46:00.000-05:00

It depends on who you talk to... The beginning of school causes moms everywhere to either be holding back the tears or jumping for joy, or more than likely, a little of both. No matter what everyone wants to be sure to send their little ones off with some extra love.

I used to scrawl a little message on my daughter's napkin and tuck it in your lunchbox, until I realized that she didn't use her napkin. Didn't even take it out of the lunch bag. It was always perfectly flat in the same spot I packed it. That was the give away, along with the very dirty shirttails that seemed to match that day's meal. I decided I'd make it easy on myself, and a bit more obvious. I made these little lunch box love notes and laugh cards for just that purpose.

Slip these little cards into your kid's lunch box and they're sure to feel the love. The notes are simple and sweet. The laugh cards will serve even more of a purpose. They can be conversation starters and cause for positive interactions.

I'm excited about them and have just recently added them to my Perfect Sentiment Etsy shop. They are a printable file... Just print, cut, and love! Let me know what you think.

'Member Me??

2011-08-14T19:58:00.010-05:00

Oh my. Was it me that said I was back to blogging? Surely not, because I don't lie. I do, however, get overwhelmed and under-inspired. Hmmmmmm....

So anyway, here I am back at this neglected little spot trying to brighten it up a bit. And get re-acquainted. And inspired. And organized. It's a tall order but it's to be done! Here's where I'm absorbing some all-of-the-above from right at this moment:

Life is a Verb by: Patti Digh

Seriously good stuff. I am taking this book in slowly, and reading and rereading so many nuggets of awesomeness. What do you think about this line:

"It's not about doing great things-- rather, it is about doing small things that give you life, bring you joy, help you inhabit the stories of your days... To fully live, you must be present in the biggest way possible."

Wow.

And what about this one:

"Be fully present; listen... without being tempted to respond by recounting your own.. Do nothing else but listen."

and this quote by Erich Heller, "Be careful how you interpret the world: it is like that."

And I'm only on page 60 people. Most good books are so great that you just can't put them down until you've reached the very last page. This one is so good that you can't rush through it. It's like that dessert you chose to savor because you wanted to taste each morsel. So far it's that good. Really.

See you soon!

Really.

Daydreams v. Goals

2011-06-14T08:30:00.004-05:00

I'm working on developing a rhythm for myself and our family during these summer months. All the while my head is full of ideas. I just need to sit down and take the time to realize some of them. I came across this quote recently and it cemented the deal:

Gotta make a date with me, myself and I to dome some action planning!

Do you have any goals for this summer?

Home-y Quote

2011-06-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

I'm liking this little ditty quite a bit:

Have a good day!

Summertime!

2011-06-06T13:49:00.005-05:00

Happy summer! We're happily adjusting to our new norm... sleeping late, lax bedtimes, time to read, and I'll be back to blogging more (Hopefully, bc that's the plan!) So far we've learned that riding without training wheels is cool, but swimming without a floaty is definitely NOT.

{Please pay no attention to the swim trunks paired with gray socks pulled all the way up and hiking shoes... Some battles are not meant to be fought! :-}

Hope your summer is off to a grand start. Talk to you soon!

No More!

2011-05-16T06:10:00.009-05:00

I'm all about self improvement and growing, but lately I've been doing a little too much self-reflection, or rather self-obsessing. I call it reflecting because it sounds so much more proactive and less, well, obsessive. The reality for me though is that it's not helpful or healthy. I'll tell you what I've come up with: I'm going to stop doing it...

Stop over-analyzing decisions. Quit rehashing recent conversations in my head and replaying my interactions (and those of my kids), wondering if I came across in a wrong way. Stop worrying about how others perceive my amount of involvement. No more dwelling on my mistakes or mishaps. I could go on...

I don't know about you, but these types of thoughts run through my head much too often during the regular course of my day. Maybe I'm the only one but just in case I'm not, I thought I'd throw out my new goal: Stop all the "self-reflection". All it serves is to make me less serene, and who wants that? I'm in love with and encourage my family and other people in my life. Why not actively include myself on that list too?

So, it's more pats on the back. And breaks given. And just being.

Sound good? Join me!

{adding in this photo just bc it makes me happy!}

And this is where I would normally start worrying if I came across sounding crazy. Since I've stopped doing this type of self-reflecting, I'm not thinking that! Really :-)

A Quote to share... Grudges

2011-05-10T06:15:00.001-05:00

Here's something worth making cute and passing along...

Such a good thing to keep in mind, don't you think?

Honey Words

2011-04-26T06:23:00.004-05:00

I've been tutoring part time for the past couple of months. I get to work with small groups of students to help prepare them for our big standardized test here. I so enjoyed getting to work with kids in a school setting again, and it was a wonderful experience. I had this one group of students though that had me reaching into my bag of tricks and silently praying for patience. It was strange because they were separately each sweet, really neat individuals, but something about that mix of 6 kids just didn't work. They were not nice to each other. Really, just flat out rude to one other, and it really broke my heart. One day I told them for the next 30 minutes that we were together, I wanted them to make every word they said to be sweet like honey. I noticed a bit of a difference in their interactions. Baby steps, right? Our target skill was reading comprehension, but I'm hoping that a bigger, more important lesson sunk in.

So with that in mind, make your words sweet like honey today.

Have a good one!

Gallery Wall: Take 2

2011-04-18T06:02:00.001-05:00

I took my time while working on just the right gallery wall for our family room... I cut out the templates:

And arranged them on the wall:

I lived with them for a while, and then I gathered the courage to start hammering nails into my walls. Then I stepped back to take a look, and I did not like it at all.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Could it be that they are not random enough... Or too random... Or spaced out too far... Or quite possibly, maybe I'm not a gallery wall person after all. How is it that I like just about every arrangement I come across, except for this one? Maybe it's kind of like me loving a sofa set on a diagonal in someone else's home, but can't live with mine not perpendicularly set for more than half a day. I think I have issues.... I'm going to try to overcome and give it another go. We will see. As of right now, these holes in my wall are making me crazy:

Did somebody say issues??

Speak Words That...

2011-04-15T06:10:00.002-05:00

This inspired...

Trying to keep that feeling going.

Silhouettes- a step further

2011-04-11T06:27:00.005-05:00

I've been seeing artwork lately using the pages from sheet music and old books. It gave me an idea on how to redo with our silhouettes from a while ago. Of course our originals are not hung back up on the wall since remodeling because I have yet to finish my gallery wall. And true to my typical procrastinating self, I decided to look past all the halfway finished projects and looming todo lists, and give this little project a go. My materials: scrapbook paper, old poetry book, silhouettes, scissors, tape and ModPodge.

I resized the kids' silhouettes using photoshop and printed out the smaller black and white copy. Out of an old poetry book I chose some sweet poems (Twas the night before Christmas for little guy and A Butterfly for the gal), taped silhouettes to the back of the poem, and cut around the black silhouette.

I cut some scrapbook paper to the size of my frames and situated the cut out silhouettes on them.

I loved the way that they were coming along so much that I decided to make one of our newest family member, my daughter's pet parakeet. Kinda silly, I know, but when I found a poem about flying in a garden it had to be done. I cheated though and just found a silhouette online.

Then I painted on some ModPodge. This was actually my very first experience with using ModPodge, and I'm not sure I did it right because I ended up with some wrinkles. I'll be looking into that.

And then I got a little carried away... Seeing the remaining two identical frames I had left (I told you I had a "collection" of frames going for a while now), I decided my husband and I needed our likenesses done as well. He was only slightly confused when I asked him to take my side-shot and then I took his. A few snapshots, some photoshopping, and a couple of love poems later, I had the whole family done.

{What a wonderful discovery this poem by Roy Croft was.}

I figure since they are just 5x4.5" each, it's not completely obnoxious. I'm actually pretty excited about them. Of course, now I have five more things to hang, right after I finish that gallery wall!

Overheard at My House: Getting Married

2011-04-06T06:05:00.004-05:00

Here's the scene: My little guy had the very important job of being the ring bearer in his uncle's wedding this past weekend. We've gone through this with my daughter as a flower girl, and I just don't remember having any anxiety at all leading up to the big day. Well, this experience was different. I was worried and actively praying that my little guy would do his job without causing an America's-Funniest-Home-Videos-type moment. And especially so after this little conversation I had with him just a few days before the wedding:

Me: It's time to go pick up your tuxedo!

Little guy: I don't want to wear a tuxedo.

Me: Why not?

Little guy: I don't want to get married.

Of course, I'm pretty sure he changed his tune after meeting the flower girl:

{In case you're wondering, my little guy did a pretty good job with his duties... Aside from falling down the steps at the alter, making faces to the crowd, and ending up playing Angry Birds on my phone for much of the ceremony, we're calling it a success! And the wedding was absolutely beautiful. Congratulations to my bro-in-law and my new sis-in-law!}

My Gallery Wall-in the works

2011-04-04T06:23:00.002-05:00

Using my inspiration gallery walls as a springboard, I started piecing my gallery wall together... I tend to over-think things, and then it usually takes me a good while to actually execute. Well, the thinking time is over. It's time time execute! I'm sounding all bad-A but the truth is I've run out of room to store my frame "collection", it really needs to happen now. Here's the gallery wall-to-be, a clean slate:

I spent a good two hours deliberating on an arrangement. My hamstring muscles are literally sore from rearranging while bending over. (Okay, so I could use some more fitness in my life. I happen to be working on that too :-) Here are some of the possible configurations, with many of the frames still needing to be painted and properly filled:

(Please excuse the terrible photography. I was taking these for my own use... I never seem to have the forethought that this might just end up on the ole blog.)

I'm kind of leaning toward the last arrangement, although my symmetrical-self feels more safe with the second to last one. Thoughts?? I'll know for sure soon... I've actually got templates cut out to put up on the wall! Maybe very soon!

Dreaming of... a gallery wall

2011-04-01T06:06:00.004-05:00

I've been collecting frames for quite some time now with plans to create a gallery wall. I think I have (more than) enough now, and it's time to get serious about nailing some holes in the wall. I've gathered all of my inspiration images and am trying to muster the courage to actually go for it!

I can't decided if I'm going to try for a more random organization of frames or more of a symmetrical aligned arrangement. My love the random mixtures but my tendency is probably more toward the latter. A good friend of mine just alerted me to this how-to on arranging a gallery wall. It just might give me the push I need to actually decide and do this thing. I think I'm off to do some arranging, and maybe it will be a productive picture hanging type of a weekend.

{all images found on Houzz. The 6th photo is a blog friend... I love her mix of frames!}

Keep Bloomin'

2011-03-21T06:15:00.001-05:00

My sister sent me this little sentiment and it was too sweet (and true) not to make purdy and share:

Have a great day!

Lucky Subway Art Download

2011-03-17T14:35:00.006-05:00

I almost forgot to share this download today. That would have not been so lucky! Here you go...

Just click on on this link {Lucky Subway Art}. You'll print it and cut around the gray line. It'll fit perfectly in an 8x10 frame:

Just a little St. Patrick's Day fun for you!

Kiss Me: I'm Irish (or at least my first name is :-)! Happy St. Patty's Day to you!

My Favorite Room

2011-03-15T06:48:00.001-05:00

Well, it's not really a room. It's more of a hallway. Or a back entry way. Just a passthrough, really. But in our house we lovingly refer to it as the mudroom. Yes! I now have a mudroom (kindasorta), and it's my favorite "room" of the house.

{It's so small, I can't even get a complete photo!}

You might think that I'm being overly dramatic if I were to say that this space has changed my life, but it's changed my life. There's a place to drop our keys... We shed backpacks and jackets right there before they can escape into the rest of the house. No shoes are ever left in the middle of the floor anymore (Okay, so we're still working on this one)... Hats, scarves and gloves have a drawer of their own... And I have two (2!) drawers designated for all the extra stuff I've never had a proper place for (gum, change, random screws and nails I find, nail clippers, etc).

It's a mere 4' x 5'. That twenty square feet added to my home has seriously made my everyday life around this home so much simpler. So, yes, a few designated hooks and cubbies in their own little space has turned into my favorite room of the house.

Mommy Stress

2011-03-03T06:17:00.003-06:00

I've discovered a love for podcasts as of late. It feels like purposeful radio listening (kind of like what the invention of the DVR did for my tv watching). I can tune into something of interest instead of switching channels on the radio or thumbs-downing Pandora. Don't get me wrong... my in-the-closet-country-music-loving self will happily to tune into (and sing along to) some of my fave stations, but I've just recently found a huge amount of value in the podcast.

One of my favorites is the Focus on the Family Broadcast. This is where I heard Lysa Terkeurst talking on "Mommy Stress" say this:

"70% of mothers will admit to having struggles with the complicated role of motherhood, and I'm convinced the other 30% aren't telling the truth."

Amen to that, sister! She has lots of encouraging words for moms. I know I found encouragement from listening to her during a stressful string of days (and days) recently.

Next time you see a fellow mom with that look on her face, pass on a kind word or even a squeeze. And if that frazzled mom is you, feel comfort that the rest of us are right there with you. No need to try to hide it for appearance's sake. We're in this journey together!

Nicely Put

2011-02-21T06:18:00.001-06:00

I love it when I get slapped with some perspective when I'm in the midst of a bout of irritability. Thanks Audrey.

Homemade Playdough

2011-02-15T06:25:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I'm no expert on this, as I tend to buy the standard tubs from the store, but while being snowed in for 4(!) days, I got a little desperate for things to do. I googled recipes for this, after having made a flop version 4 years prior.

(Side story there: My sweet daughter was starting her first year of preschool and I signed up to be the first week's playdough mom. This person was supposed to make the playdough with your child to have on hand in class during center time. Well, after forgetting until the last minute, I made the playdough on my own late the night before. It didn't work, so we "forgot" to do it. I haven't attempted since.)

The recipe this go 'round worked perfectly! The kids loved making it (aside from having to go to their rooms mid-kneading for fighting over the blue food coloring and squirting it all over the place), and it's stayed fresh and soft for almost a week now. Here's the one I went with:

Basic Playdough (Nonedible)

• 1 cup flour

• 2 Tbsp cream of tartar

• ½ cup salt

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil

• 1 cup water

• food coloring

Mix flour, cream of tartar, and salt in a pan.

Add with oil to dry mixture and then the water.

Cook over medium heat until thick.

Knead in color.

Not sure why I had Cream of Tarter on hand as I have no idea what it's used for. You? I think next time I might try to add the food coloring to the water before mixing. It would probably make it a bit less messy (and possibly avoid fights).

Now, here's a little inside information: I tend to be a bit OCD when it comes to playdough. Seriously, there's no mixing colors in this household. You make a multicolored sculputre, you carefully take that guy apart and put the proper colors back into their proper tubs. No grayish-brownish colored playdough to be had here! But, I think I might could loosen up a bit, if we start making our own. Maybe...

(So sorry for all the side stories and parentheses talking today. I didn't realize I had so much to say and so many stories about playdough. Sheesh. I'm gonna have to start living a little more outside this house... Thank goodness for the warmer weather as of late!)

Silly Band Valentines

2011-02-13T11:20:00.007-06:00

Silly Bands:

They're all the rage! Well, at least they are for my 8 year old daughter. When we found some valentines themed ones at Target, I grabbed them and she decided to make homemade Valentines with them. It was one of our snowy day activities.

If you're about make a last minute trip to the store for your kiddo's class party tomorrow, this might be an option for you. Here's how we did it:

1~ Cut strips of paper. We used scrapbook paper and cut them 1.25" wide and the length of the paper, but you could use pretty much any kind you have on hand.

2~ Write a sweet note on one side. My daughter made up fun little sayings to go along with the silly bands which I thought was pretty darn cute. (Doggone it, You're a good friend! Have a HOPPY valentine's day! etc.)

3~ Fold the strip in half, and slip the silly band on.

4~ Pinch the ends together to form a heart. Secure with a staple.

So simple and fun!

I'm about to make some whoopie pies for my little Valentines. I tore out this recipe from a magazine and was going to attempt the real deal, but I decided to go for this easy version. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Our Kitchen: The AFTER!

2011-02-06T12:53:00.012-06:00

I'm so excited to share our new space with you! I've got most things organized, but I've yet to hang anything on the walls. (They are just so fresh and hole-free.) I couldn't wait any longer though, so here you go:

The AFTER kitchen:

Our new breakfast nook:

The footprint is exactly the same, but with a few walls missing. Here are some before and after photos from various angles:

Standing in the family room, looking into the kitchen:

Standing in the kitchen, looking out to the family room:

Our original built ins got a little facelift. The doorway to the left was the entrance to the garage, but it's now a little back entry way (aka: our mini-mudroom :-). I'll take some photos of it to show you that area soon:

We love, love, love it! My kids sitting at the new island was one of my shiniest dreams for our new space, and it's definitely lived up to my expectations!

Before:

During:

After:

It was so worth the 11 years of planning, saving, and dreaming. Thanks for hanging out with me along the way!

Snow Day(s)!

2011-02-04T16:09:00.012-06:00

What do you do when you are iced/snowed in for 4 days straight while your husband is away on a week long business trip?

Do you make the most of it? Do you snuggle up in front of the fire and watch movies? Do you slowly go insane? Do you step into creative-crafting-mommy mode? Do you plot to put the kids in bed as early as possible? Do you pop popcorn and drink hot cocoa? Do you have daydreams of drinking wine and wonder what is the earliest appropriate time would be to pour a glass? Do you play board games and card games and have obstacle courses and do puzzles? Do you kindasortamaybe resent your awesome husband because he's sleeping in a king-sized bed in a hotel room all to himself, even if it is at LaQuinta? Do you bake and eat a lot? Do you remind yourself that these moments are precious and put that mantra on repeat inside your head? I am proud and embarrassed to say that my answer to all of these questions is... YES!

While we made the most of our rare wintery weather and really did have some great times, I'd be lying if I told you it was complete and utter bliss. Here are some of the highlights:

This yummy Banana Banana Bread recipe is good enough to share. So simple and delicious. I only modified this recipe by brushing a thin brown sugar/water mixture to the top before baking to make a sweet, crispy layer: my fave part!

I might have taken these photos to prove to my husband that while I possibly sounded a bit crazed on the phone each night, I was actually doing a bang-up job at this solo-parenting-on-ice gig, if I do say so myself.

We're still snowed in at the moment, but the hubby is home safe and sound, and we're all thrilled! Happy Weekend to you!

2011 Motto Search

2011-01-21T13:43:00.009-06:00

I'm currently searching for a quote to serve as my 2011 motto. I've loved 2009 and 2010's so so very much. Sometimes a quote will just resonate and my goal will come from it, and then other times I try to find a saying to go along with what I'm working on. I've decided that in 2011 I want to focus on having grace in my words, actions, movements (Ha! I am so not graceful), and thoughts. Here are some quotes/verses/sayings that I've been collecting. They are all wonderful, but not the one. I'm still gonna keep my feelers out for the perfect one. Please send any you know of on the subject! Thank you, thank you!

When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. Proverbs 31:26

I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am. ~John Newton

Having grace and bringing grace to all situations brings health, happiness and prosperity. Guru's Grace

Grace was in all of her steps, Heav'n in her Eye, in every gesture dignity and love. ~John Milton

Grace is available for each of us every day... but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful hear and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

Learn to limit yourself; to content yourself with some definite work; dare to be what you are and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not; and to believe in your own individuality. ~ Henri Frederic Amiel

I know this will be a challenge, but I think it's a worthy one. It seems that I'm always given lots of opportunities to practice my sought after quality. Makes me a bit nervous! Do you ever feel this way?

Fave Scenes

2011-01-14T06:15:00.003-06:00

Have I mentioned that our new kitchen is done? It is!!! D-O-N-E. The workers have cleared out and I'm busy unpacking boxes, organizing, getting it all lived it, and of course, planning to take photos for before and after pics. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite moments since we've started utilizing our new space:

Our breakfast nook (I have a breakast nook! Hehehee... Makes me giddy :-):

Cooking, finally! Well, I haven't completely embraced this, but I'm working on it:

Eating at the breakfast bar/island (And if you look in the background, there's the new mini-mudroom. Yep, I said it: I have a mudroom space! Well, it's really just a back entry-way, but it makes me smile to call it that.):

I'm working on getting it photo-ready to share with you, but I couldn't wait to show it off a bit. Thanks for indulging me!

Oh, and the little gal is feeling much better. Thank you so much for sending your prayers for a healthy, happy birthday!

Sick Day

2011-01-12T06:03:00.003-06:00

Oh, don't you hate when your little ones are sick? It's such a helpless feeling, not being able to make it all better. I have a confession though: I secretly enjoy, in a small way, when my kidlets are under the weather. They are so snuggle-y and still, with nothing better to do than lay up on the sofa together and watch movies all day.

I'm trying to relish that small silver lining because my sweet gal is on day four of a fever. Will you say a little prayer for her that she's all well so she can properly celebrate turning 8 this weekend? Thank you.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:22:00.005-06:00

Hope your holidays are SWEET!

{sad little boy when he realized he wouldn't be eating his house}

I totally caved and already let the little gal open a present. I mean, how could I resist seeing her in that stinkin' cute shirt ($12.99 at Marshalls... LOVE Marshalls!) on Christmas Eve?!

Have a blessed Christmas!

Spin Cycle

2010-12-23T06:17:00.001-06:00

In the midst of the kitchen remodel we decided that to enclose our laundry area. You might remember my pitiful little corner of the garage that I called my laundry room. We tried hard to make it cheery and more functional, but I'll tell you what: Even though it's not apple-green anymore, but it's making me oh-so-cheery at the moment (and apparently my daughter who made all the pics):

So many things to be thankfully giddy about: It's inside the house. It has heat and air and a cute little pocket door. It has a broom closet and hanging rod and storage. And it's d-o-n-e (aside from a light fixture and putting on the cabinet knobs)! I do love it so.

I've never been so excited to do a load of laundry before! We were running quite low on undies and socks around here!

The kitchen is moving right along. It won't be done by Christmas, but it's looking good. More on that soon... Merry Christmas Eve's Eve!

Let There Be Lights!

2010-12-13T06:19:00.002-06:00

I said way back when that I might not know what my future kitchen is going to look like, but I knew I wanted lights from Schoolhouse Electric. Yes, they sat in my virtual shopping cart for quite a while, but I just pressed the checkout now button. I done did ordered them! SO EXCITED.

Here's a progress pictures of our kitchen (wall: gone!) with those bea-u-ti-ful lights superimposed in there :-) Oh, and I slid the new barstools into the shot too (on sale at overstock.com for $79.99/pair). Check it out:

It's coming together...

Christmas Download for YOU!

2010-12-10T06:15:00.002-06:00

So we're not decorating this year. It just doesn't make sense with the amount of dust floating around this place. The kids are sad, but to me a brand new kitchen is a good trade-off! I do love to decorate though! My eventual decorating goal would be to have a festive replacement for all of my other decorations. Instead of just adding in decorations, I'd be swapping out. So where my regular ole framed piece on the wall used to by, would be a Christmas-y counterpart. I found the cutest black and white framed winter-y pictures the other day. I loved them! They were understated and classy and simple, and over-priced. I thought, "I could make that!" And I actually did. (Who knew I could be so good at follow through?) Even though mine are quite a bit simpler, I'm happy with the result:

I won't be hanging them this year, but I'm already a step ahead of the game for next year. Click here to download them and print them for yourself if you'd like. Then just cut them out, slap them in a frame (these are from Ikea) and hang 'em up!

Merry Christmas to YOU!

New in the Shop

2010-12-02T06:28:00.006-06:00

I wanted to share with you a few new items I recently added to my Perfect Sentiment Etsy shop:

I made a colorful new Fruit of the Spirit print. I'm loving the rainbow spectrum at the moment and decided to use it on my favorite scripture. It's a downloadable pdf file of a 5x7 print. With it, you get 2 bookmarks ready to print as well.

If you love the bookmark, but don't want to print it yourself, I'll mail you the readymade bookmark with a bright ribbon.

I also updated the "please knock" signs with a few more designs. I'm serious when I tell you that this still saves our precious nap time! Just hang it by or over your doorbell and nap time will continue as planned.

And finally I decided to offer a few printable Christmas card options for you. It's a simple way to get a custom card on the quick and inexpensive.

Check it all out and let me know what you think!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink

2010-11-29T06:21:00.004-06:00

Literally... There's nothing left in my kitchen except for the kitchen sink:

Speaking of sinks, The 30 inch version of this apron-front beauty (insert giddy grin here) is the one we just purchased for a seriously good deal. It was the first actual purchase toward our new space.

I can't believe how many decision I have/get to make. It's pretty darn overwhelming, but I'm not going to complain! I'm having the hardest time with countertops. I always thought I wanted marble and/or butcher block, but I'm rethinking that now that I'm learning about the upkeep and care involved in different surfaces. Any countertop suggestions / thoughts / experience to share?

I'm also working on updating the Perfect Sentiment Etsy shop, so look for some new additions there in the next few days!

Official "Before" Kitchen Pics

2010-11-24T06:13:00.003-06:00

You've heard me talk and talk and talk and talk about my kitchen dreams. Would you believe me if I said we're finally doing something to realize those dreams? What if I showed you what my kitchen looks like at this very moment in time? Check it out:

Yep, I'd say there's no turning back now... We are in the midst of remodeling our 1950's kitchen! So here are the official before photos:

Soon there will be no walls or doorways... A breakfast bar/island will be in its place!

Finally saying buh-bye to the ancient stove :-)

Stay tuned for the "after" photos... Everything should be complete in about 2 months. I'll share my inspiration photos very soon. I'm giddy and anxious all rolled up in one!!

I'm Thankful for... a free download!

2010-11-16T06:33:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've shared a download with you... This one comes just in time for Thanksgiving. I made little "I'm thankful for..." slips of paper for our family to record our blessings this season. It came about because that little Thanksgiving project I made last year is still up in the attic with the rest of our fall decorations. (Ahem. Not pointing fingers. Okay, I am.) I wanted a visual way for us to think about all we have to be thankful for. I slipped them into an tin can, along with a pencil, so that we can easily jot it all down. Then on Thanksgiving we'll pull them out and read them.

You can too if you' d like! Just print out this file on a regular 8.5x11 sheet of paper (do not scale or fit to paper) and cut it into fourths. Then just grab a can or jar and a pencil. What a simple way to record your blessings.

Have fun!

Tis My Season

2010-11-12T06:15:00.004-06:00

I just finished my first Christmas card order of the season! Makes me so excited and really gets my creative blood flowing. I'm excited about my 2010 holiday designs!

It also makes me bit anxious too... I know I talked about this before, but I am so not a business person. I love to create. I don't love to market myself. I get so excited to email out a digital sample to a customer. I do not like to charge money. I am all about the details for my products. I drop so many balls when it comes to taking care of business. Case and point:

I just spammed my entire Perfect Sentiment mailing list by mistake. Those sweet folks who elected to receive updates from me just got an in box full of 6 of the same emails from me. ARGH. I don't feel entirely comfortable sending out a "choose me" newsletter, but I step out of the ole comfort zone a couple of times a year. I spent the better part of the evening setting up my holiday version, and then I sent it out s-i-x times. Ooops.

I gotta work on the ins and outs of being a business-woman (Ha!) and mom-preneur (a fun new term I heard recently). In the meantime, I'm having fun creating my newest product, the notepad.

One is a custom pad for moms. I got the idea at a recent birthday party where one of the gifts had a tag on it with the multiple choice boxes for each kiddo. I thought a notepad version would be a good thing to have on hand to jot down a quick note to send to school. The other version is a ready-made little guy with a unique quote on each sheet. I'm going to try these out at my booth at a local craft show next week. Then they might just show up on myPerfect Sentiment site and my Etsy shop.

Right now I'm going to try to stop cringing at my spamming mistake. I'm sure it will pass.

T G I F !

Low/No Cost Fall Decorating

2010-10-29T06:14:00.005-05:00

We've made it to the last week in October and our fall decorations are still in a tote up in the attic... I gently suggested to my husband on around October 1st that it would be a great time to bring those down for us.... The kids less-gently urged their dad to get the Halloween stuff out, a time or two or so. I even ventured up into our attic space, only to be totally overwhelmed by the amount of stuff and coming down empty handed (and a case of the heeby jeebies. Not a fan of the attic). Soooo, rather than nag this said husband, I got around the lack of decorations on my own.

Thanks to my sweet friend Erika's idea and the plethora of shedding trees around me, I have a naturally festive mantle:

And due to some walks with a 3 year old who is recently enthralled with having pockets, we now have a bowl full of fall-ness:

And my love affair with spray-paint continues with the metallic variety and some miniature pumpkins placed around the house:

Even though we're not the most decorated house on the block, I'm actually pretty excited about this route because I'm realizing that there's nothing to pack back away! And just think about how excited we'll be next year when we get to rediscover what's actually hiding in the "Fall" storage tote after not having seen in for a couple of years! It might be a good idea to start hinting about Christmas decoration now though...

How are you decorating this season?

Overheard at My House: Why?

2010-10-21T06:03:00.001-05:00

Here's the scene: This particular line of questioning happened in the car, but in reality it's ALL THE TIME!

little guy: Why is the light red?

me: So cars will know when to stop.

lg: Why do cars need to stop?

me: So the other cars will have a turn to go.

lg: Why do the other cars need a turn to go?

me: So we all don't crash into each other.

lg: Why don't we want to crash into each other?

me: Because it would damage our cars and maybe even hurt the people inside.

lg: Why do some trucks pull trailers behind them?

me: So they can carry big loads at one time.

lg: Why do they want to carry big loads?

me: (silently praying) Please dear Lord give me the patience to continue calmly answering this sweet child.

lg: MOMMY, WHY DO TRUCKS WANT TO CARRY BIG LOADS?

me: I'm guessing because they need to move a lot of stuff and they don't want to make too many trips back and forth.

lg: Why don't they want to make lots of trips back and forth?

me: (silently praying more) Please give me tolerance so I don't squelch his sense of wonder.

lg: MOMMY, WHY DON'T THEY WANT TO MAKE LOTS OF TRIPS BACK AND FORTH?

me: (silently praying still) Dear Lord, please keep me sane!

lg: MOM-MY, WHY. DON'T. THEY. WANT. TO. MAKE. LOTS. OF. TRIPS. BACK. AND. FORTH?

me: Probably because they want to save time and not use a lot of gas, and please don't yell at me.

lg: Why do cars need gas?

And on

and on

and on...

Can anyone relate?

Meal Planning

2010-10-18T06:21:00.003-05:00

Okay, so the meal planning is still hit or miss over here. I don't know what I'm doing, but seriously, when I sit down to plan I'm just drawing a blank: So unmotivated. Because of that, I've been going to some easy standbys and then trying some new recipes. The ole "smorgasbord board" that we've adopted as our new fast, fun meal is making another appearance this week. Just lay some meat, cheese, crackers and fruit on the table and let every one go at it. My son thinks the whole of it is his portion. He probably could have managed it all, but we made him share.

Not sure what else we'll eat this week, but I promise, I'll feed the family. Maybe I'm trying to get everyone is the practice for when we (hopefully) won't have a functioning kithen in the (hopefully) near future.

I do have a few recommendations on a couple of new recipes. Last week I made Chicken Tamale casserole, and we decided it was a keeper. I didn't make it quite as light as the recipe suggests and next time will need to add less red pepper due to my daughter's sensitive palette. And per that same sweet daughter's request, I made "fried" cheese sticks another night, paired with chicken nuggets and green beans. She's been lamenting that she can't buy her lunch on the day they have mozzarella sticks because she doesn't like any of the sides served with it. I (being the awesome super-mom that I am. HA! So not the case. Ever.) decided to whip some up for her (bc I just happened to have been emailed an easy recipe for them and had all the ingredients on hand). They were so very yummy and I scored some brownie points! Definitely give them a try.

Any suggestions to get me out of my menu-planning-slump? I hope I'm not dragging you down with me!

Juggling

2010-10-15T06:15:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like your theme song should be circus music (do do doodle doodle do do doot doot doodle do...)? Sometimes I'm quite the successful act, seemingly handling whatever come my way. And then. Well. Things go south. And very quickly. It's like I'm juggling. I'm doing such a great job that I keep on adding in balls. I keep going like this long enough to get a bit cocky. That's just about the time when I drop a ball. And soon most of my balls are scattered haphazardly all around me. I have to start over with the original two or three most important balls and start the act over, carefully adding in additional ones as I can.

Okay, so it hasn't been that drastic around here, but it's a good visual for me. Nothing's wrong at all. We're doing great actually. Life is so good. I was just dropping balls left and right, and had to scale back. Going to start (carefully) adding in a few things here and there, the business and blog hopefully being next.

Thanks for being patient with me. And by the way, I totally giggled reading back through this. It reminded me of my sweet baby boy and this story. Hehehe.

Happy juggling!

{LOVE this print! You can find it in this fun shop: Violet May}

Pull up a Stool

2010-10-08T06:26:00.003-05:00

If I came home one day and this kitchen sat in place of mine right now, I'd be so okay with it. Just go ahead and swap it out with ours and we can skip the whole decision making process. Thanks.

Those super cool white stools got me thinking about what seating I want at my future island/breakfast bar. There are so many options to choose from, possibly a set of one of these:

And judging from my initial research, bar stools are apparently not cheap. Note to self: Make room in the budget for barstools.

{images from School House Electric, Crate and Barrel, Conran USA, Get Back Inc., & Ballard Designs.}

Perspective

2010-10-01T06:19:00.002-05:00

I couldn't go all week without popping in. I'll leave you with some inspiration about perspecitve. I know I need it.

I'm wondering how my days would be different if I didn't expect/see/prepare for the negative. So many instances can be seen in a different light depending on how I view them. Can you relate?

To Start It Off Right:

2010-09-24T09:14:00.003-05:00

Happy next few days to you!

My Laundry "Room" (in-the-works)

2010-09-15T06:04:00.001-05:00

Along the same lines as my last entry... It's like we can work on anything around here except what's most pressing (ie: THE KITCHEN). We are now avoiding kitchen decisions by working on my laundry "room". I say "room" because it's actually just a corner in our garage. Our two-car garage has 4 functions: a parking spot for my car, a home gym, laundry room and storage area. I'm really only concerned with my laundry area. (Well, I suppose the other stuff is important too...) My husband, in effort to keep my stuff more in my area, went for helping me spiff up my space. Here's the before:

Pretty terrible, I know. (Sometimes I can't believe what I reveal on this here blog space.) I figure that instead of dreaming of my future laundry/mud room space, I should make what I have now be more functional and look better. Shouldn't be too hard, really, considering what I'm starting with. Here's the plan: bright cheery walls, lots of coordinating storage caddies, fun details to make the task at hand a bit less dreary...

It's not yet a finished project, but the walls are done! I decided that I wanted my little nook to be painted my new favorite color, an appley green. My first attempt was terrible. (You can see it in the before pic.) I seriously stink at picking colors. Love that Home Depot took that back, and that my husband is so much better at picking paint colors than me. He came home with Bay Leaf, and it is perfect! Here's a little peak:

We hung some shelves we already had. I ordered some wall decals (these and these) for some whimsy, and am getting some sweet anthropology-esque knobs from a blog friend. I'll be heading to Ikea soon for some inexpensive storage caddies. And I even snuck in some chalkboard paint too. I cannot wait to put it all together and share it with you. Hopefully that won't be too long, but we all know how distracted and s-l-o-w I can be on home projects! Any home projects you're in the midst of?

How I Procrastinate...

2010-09-13T06:11:00.005-05:00

So my (must be done) ToDo list was a mile long. It had things on it that literally made my blood pressure rise just thinking about getting them done. You're probably thinking, well, then just do it, Erin. Yah... No. Instead I decided to busy myself working on making a magnetic pad for my grocery list:

It was so much more fun! I just followed these simple instructions using my downloadable grocery list file over there under the downloadable goodies button on the right. It didn't increase my stress level one bit! Plus it makes prepping for the grocery store a little more enjoyable.

Now I just need to fill that fun thing out and get to the not-so-fun grocery store... Anything fun you're working on to help procrastinate on the not-so-fun stuff?

Friday Focus

2010-09-10T06:05:00.000-05:00

It's the same thing my motto is egging me on to do.

Workin' on it.

You?

Dreaming of... Kitchens (still)

2010-09-07T06:05:00.000-05:00

We've been talking to some contractors and sharing our dreams for the kitchen. I think we're deciding to go the contractor route because, as I've shared before, we have analysis parlysis. We talk and talk (and talk) about remodeling our kitchen, but never get any further than that. My husbnad has decided the the extra money for someone to do some deciding and delegating for us is worth it. He calls it the hassle factor. He's beginning to win me over to his way of thinking, except that we're having a tough time finding someone who completely shares in our vision...

Sure it would be nice to gut our space and start fresh, but I love the 1950's feel of our house and would really like to work with it (as well as not spend a butt load of money). While we're still searching for a team to work with, take another further peak into my kitchen dreams:

It's a bit unnerving how excited I get when I see apron front sinks, butcher block countertops and pretty pendant lights... What features make your heart go pitter pat?

Oh, and by the way, I no idea what we're eating for the week. I kind of forgot to meal plan on Sunday. The holiday weekend kind of threw me off (but it was oh-so-nice). I'll be trying to figure out our meals asap... Any ideas?

Announcing the Winner:

2010-09-03T06:28:00.002-05:00

That's Jemm! I'm so excited and can't wait to hear how she spends it! Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway, and thank you to CSN for making it happen. It's so fun to host!

On a side note, does anyone recognize that quote? It's from a Dr. Seuss book called Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? and I had to look it up to remember the wording completely. I've gone blank on the rest of the book, but I've got it on order from the library now, as I'm thinking it will be a good one to read with the fam. It has a stanza in there that reads, "When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad... You should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky! Some people are much more... Oh, ever so much more... Oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!" So, just tell yourself, You're really quite lucky! (especially you, Jemm :-)

Have an awesome weekend!

Dreaming of... Kitchens

2010-09-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

I know. I know. I've been dreaming kitchen for as long as you've known me. Those who I talk to on a daily basis have come to expect a kitchen remodeling conversation to happen on most days. I'm not the fastest moving gal when it comes to change, or spending large amounts of money, or making decisions. It's true, but I really think we might be making some updates. I'm growing tired of all the talk and no action. Sooooo, the thought of that possibly becoming reality has me pulling open my inspiration files. Here are a few that I love:

Can you tell that I like simple, white cabinets, wood floors, and breakfast bars? What are your dream kitchen must-haves?

{Don't forget about your chance to win an $80 gift certificate.

Comment to enter before Thursday at midnight!}

Weekly Meal Plan: Better Late than Never!

2010-08-30T08:16:00.006-05:00

{image from here}

So we did so-so on following the menu plan last week. We didn't quite make it through our planned meals because we might have eaten out more times that I planned for, but it's a start. And I did drag myself into planning this week. Here goes:

Mexican Lasagna (ingredients all ready to go from last week!), guacamole & chips

chicken tenders, Greek salad & cheesy bread

cold cuts platter (Not sure what to call this one yet, but it's a new go-to fave with sliced meat [ham/sausage/salami/turkey or whatever], variety of cheese, avocado & tomato slices with crackers and fruit. I slap it down on the table on a big cutting board and everyone builds their own cracker stackers. It also goes quite well with a glass of wine for the mom and dad :-) Any ideas for a better name for this meal? I have a feeling I'll be offering it up often!

paninis (with the leftovers from the platter)

That's all I've got so far. I'm thinking I might round the week off with some stir fry, but I'm going to let the meat section at the store guide me.

What's for dinner at your place?

Giveaways make me Smile!

2010-08-27T06:20:00.003-05:00

What better way to end this week than a giveaway?! I mean just the fact that it's Friday is gift enough for me, but this makes it even sweeter:

I'm partnering with CSN to give a lucky someone $80 to spend as you please on their site. I'm telling you: this site has it all! From bedspreads to dining room sets to lamps, you will have so much fun spending your money! They literally have millions of items to choose from on the CSN site.

I am so excited about this giveaway because I recently won one a CSN gift certificate over at a fave blog of mine. I used it to buy a sewing machine. The process was so swift... It arrived in record time, although it's still in the box because I really don't even know where to begin. Another lesson perhaps...

Anyways, you can totally have one too. Or you might choose this or this as those two guys found their way into my shopping cart for consideration. All you have to do is make sure you're officially following along (just click the "follow" button over at the right) and then leave a comment here. Spread the word and come back to leave a second comment if you'd like. You're chances are great here on my little blog... I'll announce the winner next week on Friday. Have fun browsing!

A Quote to Share...

2010-08-26T06:02:00.005-05:00

Trying this one on for size...

If this quote is true, I've been quite interesting this week (very much so, depending on who you ask). With that being said, we've done good to keep the crazies at bay. I'm calling it a imperfectly successful week, even if it is only Thursday. (Seriously, how could it not be Friday yet??) It's all in your perspective, don't you think?

Weekly Meal Plan: Back at it!

2010-08-23T11:27:00.005-05:00

I sent my precious daughter off to the second grade today. The summer was such an awesome one, but I have to admit that I'm actually looking forward to getting back to the ole grind. I'm craving some routine and predictability. It's so funny how that exactly what I'm looking forward to ditching come June 1 is what I'm missing when August starts coming to a close. Sooooo, with the start of the school year, I have committed (seriously, sworn to the hubby) to start planning our weekly menu. I think I'm going to be a little looser this year with the days. That way I can switch things around as our schedules demand. Here's ours for this week. I was not very ambitious... Just keeping it realistic!

breakfast for dinner and fruit

BLTs with cheese and avocado

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

Mexican Lasagna and salad

And we'll round it out with going out to eat once this weekend to celebrate the week.

What's on the menu for you?

Overheard At My House: Crazy Times

2010-08-19T06:15:00.006-05:00

Here's the scene: We're driving in the car talking about the first day of school... What teacher to you want? Who do you hope is in your class? What are you going to wear on the first day of school? And the likes.

daughter: Oh, this is when the crazies begin!

me: What do you mean by that?

daughter: Oh, you know... "Hurry! Hurry! We're going to be late! Let's go!"

me: Well, (long pause) let's try hard not to let the craziness begin... Let's try to continue our summer laid back attitude, with a little preparedness thrown in.

daughter: That sounds good to me!

Those were her exact words, quoting what she remembers my exact words being. I must have been spewing it all the time. How sad. I'm really going to try my darndest to not let the "crazies" begin. It might mean getting up a few minutes earlier. And taking a few deep breaths went I'm tempted to start barking orders. And practicing patience.

Anything you're practicing or working on?

What are you trying to do differently at this moment?

Lookie what I made:

2010-08-12T06:48:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I was all set to post this little diddy:

I Got Nothing...

Seriously. I'm absent over here because I've got nothing to offer. In a way it's a bit alarming, but in more ways it's been liberating. I do feel some creativity and ambition eeking it's way back in though. I've been making lists, bookmarking inspiration, doing some daydreaming and finding time to surf the web a little. But mostly, I'm just mommy-ing. There's two weeks left of life as we've known it to be for the past 2 and a half months and we're working our free time over here. I even spent a bit of last week moseying back to the beach on a whim (with just 1 kid... Talk about liberating!). While I'm over here hanging doing I-don't-know-what, you keep on rocking it. I'd love it if you stay tuned... Who knows what's to come!

Then I went to a sewing class last night. Oh yes, this never-touched-a-sewing-machine gal took a class. I'm not kidding either. The extent of my sewing skills are to sew a button back on using my handy dollar store plastic sewing kit. I can't remember the last time I tried something that was so out of my comfort zone (maybe it was starting a blog. Ha!). It was so fun! Although learning to sew is on my bucket list, it definitely wasn't on the immediate to do list. It totally wasn't my idea and I even thought about canceling due to scheduling issues. (Thanks, Jennifer, for making it happen!) I thoroughly enjoyed it and I feel reenergized. I'm sure I'm not going to be a stellar seamstress, as I had the hardest time just remembering to put down the foot or boot or whatever it's called... And I actually had an apron at home to compare it to made by my friend for a show we did, and mine paled in comparison (really, it did)... Oh, and I see that pesky string hanging there... BUT it was such a neat experience learning something new, and I'm super proud (just so happen to be wearing it now :-) and pumped to do more.

Any ideas on what I should create next?? Okay, okay. First I should go back to class a few more times.

My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore

2010-08-06T06:17:00.003-05:00

He's 3 years old today {sniff}.

Hey little guy... Because of you I know what a front loader/excavator/backhoe loader/skid steer is. Because of you toots and the word underpants are now funny. Because of you I now see painter's tape as a potential racetrack and a makeup sponge (or any other incline for that matter) as a ramp. Because of you I'm interested in motorcycles, baseball, and vehicle types. Because of you I can't pass a construction site or see a helicopter without pointing it out very enthusiastically. But mostly, because of you I am more patient, more loving, and so happily more loved. I love you my sweet baby boy. Happy third birthday!

2010 Motto: Finally!

2010-07-28T07:38:00.001-05:00

Okay, so we're over halfway through the year, but I finally found my motto for 2010! It's about time, eh?! I've been on the hunt all year for a set of words to live by. Last year it was a quote my sister shared with me. This year, I'm keeping that quote and adding on this one:

Right when I read them (on this wonderful photography blog), I knew my 2010 motto had been found. It's okay that it's already nearly August, because they couldn't be more perfect for my life right now. I'm going to keep these words tucked in my pocket and will be striving to use them to steer my daily frame of mind.

Any particular quotes/verses/sayings resonating loudly with you as of late?

Vacation Tidbits

2010-07-26T06:28:00.009-05:00

A few things I learned on vacation:

Make sure the kids get enough sleep. Naps beget joy, for everyone.
Sand will get everywhere. Just accept it and move on.
Canopy tents are brilliant contraptions. (Thanks to my sister for lending us theirs.)
If you see a jellyfish on the shore, don't swim. Chances are someone will get stung.
A family vacation is wonderful bonding time. We should (and will) do it more often.
Family vacations are not really a vacation for the mom and dad.
I love to eat out! (Okay, I already knew that one, but it's so nice to get to a lot!)
My daughter can put down some popcorn shrimp.
Walking on the beach is my favorite beach activity.
The kids favorite activity is picking out souvenirs.
I could live at the beach.
Coming home to a clean house makes me so very happy. (Note to self: always leave it tidy before vacating.)

It's good to be home, but I'm already looking forward to the next getaway. Not sure when or where it will be as of yet, but we'll make it happen.

Summer To Do's: Progress?

2010-07-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

I am amazed at how our summer is speeding by! It's been so nice thus far, even though we really haven't done a whole lot. Maybe that's part of the beauty of it. That being said, we've got a lot of things left to try to get checked off of our Summer Fun List! This is what it looks like at the moment:

We're working on checking off go-to-the-beach as we speak! Yay! What do you have left to "accomplish" before fall is upon us? And it's not to late to make a to-do list... Last year we compiled ours to try to get the most out of the last weeks of summer.

Quote Cards Download: Take 3

2010-07-19T06:14:00.000-05:00

I compiled the quotes from the past few months into a download for you. Just click on this link to open. Then print onto heavy paper or cardstock and cut out. You can use them as daily inspiration on a bulletin board, rotate them in a little business card holder or use them as card drops. (If you haven't downloaded the past two versions, here they are: quote page 1 and quote page 2. There are some other downloadable goodies, so definitely check out the button over there on the right.) Enjoy!

Words To Inspire

2010-07-14T06:22:00.001-05:00

Seems simple...

So why must I continually have to remind myself?

Weekly Meal Plan

2010-07-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Alert the press: I planned our meals this week! I know, I know. This used to be my gig, but I have severely been dropping the ball so far this summer. I didn't even go to the grocery store for a week and a half straight. The hubby has been subtly dropping hints here and there about loving a good home cooked meal and wanting to eat more clean and no restaurants are really sounding very good. Okay, okay. I'll cook a proper meal (or two) this week for my love. Here's my plan, although I'm leaving the days off as to the nature of things coming up in the summertime.

pasta/green/fruit salad trio

Mexican Lasagna

black bean and cheese quesadillas

spaghetti

out to try a new burger joint!

Okay, so the last meal on there isn't home-cooked or all that "clean", but I think it'll be received well. What's on the menu at your place?

Drumroll Please...

2010-07-09T08:08:00.002-05:00

The winner is...

Sarah from Sarah Flourish Design + Style is the lucky gal who will have a potty-trained toddler in her house in the about 3 days from now. Don't be sad if you didn't win... Just head over to 3 Day Potty Training and get yourself the e-book. It's a great deal and Lora's giving 10% of you enter "perfect" as the coupon code. Go. Seriously, it's a solid plan. Thanks to all who entered and thank you to Lora for offering this deal to PS readers!

Reality Check

2010-07-08T06:28:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a dear friend who shared this quote with me. It's always good to do a little self-check to keep things in prospective. Perfect timing for me. Thank you Jen.

{Be sure to enter the 3-Day Potty Training giveaway. I'll announce the winner tomorrow. Things are still going quite smoothly with our little potty-trained dude... Crazy thankful over here, with a smaller grocery bill!}

Dirty Little Secret(s)

2010-07-06T06:17:00.003-05:00

I've heard of the 7 year itch, but I think I have the 10.75 year itch. I'm just feeling unsatisfied with my home. I know that sounds so ungrateful, but I'm just feeling the need for some change/renewal in our living space. What I'm really aching for is a bit more square footage, but since that's not happening, we had a garage sale last week and moved a bunch of stuff. The whole clearing out process got my redecorating engines going... So in this time of my unrest, I'm tearing things apart. Case and point:

Repainting the family room and dining/office (with sites on the whole house)... Doesn't everyone have a wall full of paint swatches? Don't look too close or you'll also see where we took off some shutter doors between the two rooms and still need to do some patch work...

Reorganizing the garage... The garage sale earnings are earmarked for some shelving, paint, etc for this area. Here's a during picture... It always looks worse before better... Right??

Refinishing this piece of furniture. It might be ugly now, but it's quite nice in my head... And all that storage is pretty heavenly to me...

Oh, and this one too... I know I said I was d-o-n-e with my daughter's room, but I couldn't pass up on this vanity at an estate sale down the street (It was only $15!). It just needs a few coats of white paint to match the rest of the room...

Not to mention my grand plans to turn my dining room into a proper office... Dining room table anyone?

Oh, and there's that dang kitchen that wants/needs/might-never-get to be finished... Seriously, who in their right mind starts so many projects at once?! I need to stop and focus. If I do, there might just be lots of glorious "after" pictures to be shared. In the meantime, remind me to finish one project before making a new mess. My family will thank you.

Do you have any projects you are working on at the moment?

Happy 4th!

2010-07-03T12:01:00.007-05:00

Have an awesome Independence Day weekend! Looking forward to enjoying the festivities and so thankful for this place I call home.

Oh, and my kitchen floors are hanging out over at Cassity's awesome blog. If you have some time this weekend go over to Remodelaholic to give me a shout out and definitely peruse her plethora of inspiring projects.

The (not so) Dreaded Potty and a giveaway!

2010-06-30T06:28:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I just potty trained my son. In 3 days. No lie.

I was dreading this task so very much. My daughter was no problem. She received a doll that happened to being wearing undies and decided right then and there that she wanted to wear them too. And that was pretty much that. Well, the little guy didn't quite follow suit. He had no interest in the potty. This 2 and a half year old (okay, 2.75 yr old... okay, okay, almost 3) didn't even want to just sit on the toilet. Nope. He's a stubborn one. Right about the time I started thinking that he'd never be able to go to school and I'd be buying diapers for an eternity, a friend recommended the 3 Day Potty Training method. (Thanks Beth!!) I perused the website and it just made so much sense to me. I purchased Lora's 3 Day Potty Training e-book, read it through, and made my notes and grocery list of small necessities. (She'll guide you, I promise!) Armed with my plan, I carved out 3 days to hang with the little guy and his not-wanting-to-potty self. I'm here to tell you that my little guy was potty trained in 3 days, probably in the first day and a half really. And I'm talking during the day, at nap, and all night. I even felt confident enough to leave town a week later, leaving him in the care of the g-parents. (They seemed a bit skeptical, with not a single diaper to fall back on, but the weekend went splendidly for all parties!) It was a success!

I know everyone has their own experiences, but this is our true story. It worked for us, with less pain and struggle than I ever imagined. I think this strategy golden. I've been telling everyone about it. Really. If you have a little one in diapers (Did you know that she suggests starting at 22 months?!), you really should read Lora's potty training e-book. She's devised a plan that really does work. She also offers online Q and A during your process. And you're in luck, because she's giving away a copy to one of you and offering a discount too. She's awesome.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me why Lara is the answer to your potty training prayers. Make sure you are a blog follower and I have a way to get in touch with you. Please pass this along to the diaper-changing world by tweeting/ button-grabbing/ blogging/ emailing/ facebooking/ etc/ etc. Let me know in a second comment for an additional chance to win. I'll announce the winner in a week from today.

If you just can't wait, enter "perfect" as the coupon code to purchase the e-book now. You'll get a 10% discount when you checkout. Thanks, Lora, for sharing your method with us!!

Overheard At My House: Empty Buckets

2010-06-28T06:47:00.002-05:00

Remember this little story? Well, that brilliant bucket-filling concept is working it's magic in my house again, only with the two-year-old this time.

The scene: It's been quite the day, with several timeouts happening and my patience hanging by a thread. I'm finishing up bedtime with my little guy willing myself to read a few books to him before making a break for the door (and possibly some ice cream and/or wine)...

Little guy: "My bucket is empty."

Me: "Oh really. What's wrong, buddy?"

Little guy: "My heart feels sad. I fink (read: think) I need a hug."

I have to admit that I felt completely sucker-punched in the belly after that little conversation, but it was such a good view into his little world. And I cannot say enough about this little book. It seriously makes the most meaningful analogy for kids. After my first encounter with the effects of bucket filling, I went to Amazon and ordered all three I could find with a bucket-filling theme. My little guy has only heard the Fill A Bucket one, and he eats it up. My daughter tend to enjoy the other two more. And I guess it's working, at least at times. I mean, I've been outright floored twice now. I think we'll move on to seriously working on him filling my bucket. All I want is fewer "No!"s and more "Okay Mom!"s.

Oh, how my bucket would spill-ith over!

Our Summer Fun List

2010-06-23T14:19:00.015-05:00

It's done. We sat down and made our list. I'm sure we'll add some more as we think more about it, but this one is pretty fun (and ambitious!) looking.

One down, lots to go!

Have you made your list? Link up, so we can share in the summer fun! Just enter your url below. And if potty training is on your list of things to do this summer, then you definitely want to check back next week. I've got something very exciting to share/giveaway!

Don't Go Wastin' Time

2010-06-21T06:30:00.004-05:00

This little nugget is a keeper:

Unplugged (sort of)

2010-06-17T06:04:00.003-05:00

This summer I want to not only soak up the sun, but I want to spend as much time soaking up my kiddos while I have them all to myself. It seems that the older they get the less down time we have together, soooo one of my goals this summer is to be more present and less distracted. That's good and all to say, but for me I need a plan of action to stay focussed on the ever-important now moments. Two things are working for me so far to help:.

One thing is I've turned off the audible email alert on both my iPhone and computer. Sounds simple, huh? Well, I hate to admit it but it's been a pretty drastic change for me... I'm not tempted to cut a reading session with my daughter short to find out who's emailing me... No more sitting on the floor working a puzzle with my son, only to hear that small "dong" and wonder if I've got a business inquiry.... My phone stays safely tucked in my purse while toting my precious cargo in the car. No more being immediately summoned, whether literally or just in my mind, and taken away from the here and now. It really is sad, but if I'm being honest, it really does take me away a bit from being in the moment. And now, it's not happening. It's so simple! You must give it a go.

The other is having a loosely designated reading time. After lunch we all hunker down on the couch for a little reading time. We each grab our own book and quietly read together. It sounded like a nice thing to try when a couple of friends suggested, but it didn't seem ground-breaking, but I'm telling you, it's wonderful. It's a change from how we would have normally done it. I would have read to my son, put him down for a nap, and started on something, while my daughter watched a TV show for a bit. Aside from getting to read my book (still working on The Help... So good!) in the middle of the day with no guilt, we get to have some low-key quiet time together. Makes for some good discussion and snuggling too. Loving it so far!

Let me know how you're unplugging this summer. Are you doing things any different? What's working?

Fabric-Matted Prints

2010-06-14T09:45:00.001-05:00

Okay, so this is so simple and might not even be post worthy, but I hadn't thought of it previously and I had a few inquiries as to where I got the prints on the wall in my daughter's room, so I thought I'd share...

These were little posters that were in the back of her American Girl Friendship book. We tore them out and went on a search for square frames. We couldn't find the exact size, so I settled on these from Ikea (❤!). They are a bit bigger than the print and the matte that came with them was a bit too small. Rather than cut, I just used some fabric and simply wrapped in around the matte and stuck the print on with double sided tape. It was so easy, but I think it just might be my favorite part of her room. I mean, how could you go wrong with some framed quotes?!

Supplies: frames, scissors, glue, double-sided tape, fabric, print.

Cut out the fabric a bit larger than your matte (or just wrap a piece of cardstock if you don't have a matte), and secure the edges to the back with glue.

Tape your print to the front of the fabric.

Voila: You have a cute, little custom piece!

Say Something Sweet

2010-06-11T06:01:00.001-05:00

(found this sweet thing here)

Have a sweet weekend! Completing this challenge could only make it sweeter, don't you think. Me? I'll be spending mine with my sweet husband of 12 years. Away. Sans kids. How sweet is that?! Happy Anniversary Hon!

Summer is HERE!!

2010-06-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

Member me? Yeah, it's been a while. What's my excuse? Ahhhh.... Well... I don't really have one. I just really don't have a plan for what the summer's going to look like. And you know what? It feels kinda good to be winging it. The first few days have been pretty darn awesome, so I've got high hopes for the remainder of it.

I will soon be making a "Summer ToDo" list with the kids though. I did it last year at the end of summer vacation to try to eek out all we could of what was left of our last few weeks (and keep the "I'm bored" comments at bay). I remember thinking how I wished I'd done it at the beginning. So, after the potty training is done, (Yes, we are in the midst of a 3 Day go of it. So far, so good!) we'll sit down as a family and make our list. Here are some great lists to gain inspiration from:

Charity's 2009 Summer Things To Do

Olivia's 100 Fun, Frugal Things to do with the kids

Summer Plans with Kids

101 Things To Do This Summer

Melissa's 2009 Summer List

Meg's 2009 Version

Jack's Summer ToDos

Wonder what will make our list? I remember thinking how surprisingly simple last year's list was... We shall soon see. Will you make a list this year? If so, definitely share!

Summer Reading List

2010-05-31T06:10:00.002-05:00

Let summer reading begin...

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

This one has been on the t0-read list for a while now and is borrowed and ready to be read.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

I've just started this one and it's so far living up to all that I've heard.

Belong To Me

by Marisa De Los Santos

I picked this one up at Costco without any recommendations and am going to give it a go.

Making the Cut

by Jillian Michaels

Recommended by a friend, I'm hoping to use some of the set workouts to help with the bathing suit bod.

Day-votions for Mothers

by Rebecca Barlow Jordan

This was a Mother's Day gift from a sweet friend and I'm already finding daily inspiration from it's short daily stories/prayers/focus.

This Is Not A Book

by Keri Smith

I'm so excited to locate this book and unleash some creativity in this family.

E is for Ethics

by Ian James Corlett

I think summer will be the perfect time to read this with my kids and start some good conversations while they're all mine!

Tear This Book Up

by Keri Smith

If it's in the American Girl library, it's got to b good (at least by my daughter's standards)!

Mrs. Pigglewiggle

by Betty MacDonald

I loved these books as a kid and am looking forward to reading them aloud as a family. We've got the treasury on loan as we speak.

Pocket Doodles for Kids

by Bill Zimmerman

I picked this up for my daughter as a little quiet time activity (Hoping to get a few mommy-minutes during naptime/quiet time).

Oh, and they'll be lots of magazine reading... I'm over-subscribed right now, thanks to the Amazon $5 deals and some gift subscriptions, and loving every page of it!

What books are on your summer reading list?

Check Out These Shops:

2010-05-29T10:39:00.004-05:00

I thought this was a neat idea and a wonderful way to spend some time on this long holiday weekend. So many new shops to peruse...

Won't you join in?!

Happy Memorial Day!

Overheard At My House: Oh girl!

2010-05-20T06:10:00.003-05:00

Here's the scene: My 2 1/2 year old is in that stage where he's a human parrot. He likes to copy what you do and everything that you say. His favorite person to copy: his big sister. She thinks it's pretty cool, most of the time, to have a little one looking up to her. Sometimes she gets a bit tired of the whole routine though...

Little Gal: "Mom, can I play on the computer?"

Little Guy: "Mom, can I play on the computer?"

Little Gal (in her most exasperated voice): "Oh boy, Here we go again!"

Little guy (in his most exasperated voice): "Oh girl, Here we go again!"

Made me smile.

{via here}

Easy Silhouette DIY

2010-05-18T06:05:00.005-05:00

Check out my "new" little corner of our family room. It got a facelift with a new chair and a couple of silhouettes. I purchased the chair on a whim (okay, I deliberated over it for days, with it in my virtual cart, waiting for it to go on sale) and am in love with it! I also got around to making silhouettes of my children. I've had it on the list of things I wanted to do. I actually had big plans of creating something like this, but I decided to take the easy (right now) way out and use Photoshop.

Here's my cheater's version to get from picture to silhouette:

1. Take a profile shot of your subject. This will work best if you set them up in front of a solid, light-colored background. My make-it-work trick for my 2 year old was to stick a piece of painter's tape at eye level and tell my him to stare at it. If the angle didn't look right, I just adjusted the tape.

2. Convert your picture to black and white. I used Elements so my instructions are based on this program, but I'm sure you could modify it to work with others.

3. Adjust the brightness/contrast by increasing both.

4. Select the background using the magic wand tool. Fill it with white (or whatever color you'd like). With the background still selected, choose "inverse" from the select drop down menu. Fill it with black (or whatever color).

5. Smooth out the edges. I just did this with the polygonal lasso tool and deleting, and filling the odd areas. I'm sure there are many ways to get this done, but this was the quickest and easiest route for me.

6. Resize or crop and print.

You could also play around with different colors and patterns.

And here's my finished product. I'm happy with them and am thinking that they'll do for now, until I get a bit more ambitious:

I'm happy to answer any questions, if my instructions were not so clear. Have fun!

Enjoy

2010-05-14T06:07:00.001-05:00

As much as I've been trying to be goal oriented, I'm thinking the in-between is what I need to be focussing more on. How about you?

Enjoy your weekend!

Big-ger Girl Room: The After!

2010-05-11T17:04:00.009-05:00

It's finally finished (aside from still needing/wanting to recover a chair)!

Her room has looked somewhat the same since we transformed our extra bedroom into a nursery over seven years ago in anticipation for our first baby. It was pink and light green and vintage-y sweet. Here's the room we decorated for her when she was born. Her crib was on the opposite wall with matching bedding. I loved this room:

Well, she's 7 years old now and oh-so-cool. Pink is her least favorite color and turquoise reigns as #1 now. She wanted nothing more than to have turquoise walls. We made a compromise, with me agreeing to a color as dark as I was willing to go and her relenting to as light as she would be happy with. We settled on Sherwin Williams' Reflecting Pool. I have to say that even though it still shocks me a little when I walk past her doorway, it's growing on me. And she's thrilled, so that makes it a bit easier to love. (Like the color? Definitely check out this blog: House of Turquoise.)

I won the letters on I heart handmade from this talented lady. I am so impressed with them and think that add so much to her room!

Here's her little reading corner:

We've corralled all of her tchotchkes in photo boxes and bins and found a home for her growing rock collection in some glass jars. I already shared with you about the bulletin board. The chair is just draped with fabric, but I plan to recover it soon. (Ha! I've had this chair for abt 10 years after we picked it up at a garage sale for $20. It's been on the to-reupholster list for as long. Hubby is happy to have the "turd" out of our family room. Too much info?!). The shelf is from a garage sale as well and the corner shelf, formerly pink, was a baby shower gift from my sister.

This is my favorite part of the room:

The armoire was in her room prior, but was a peachy-pink color. I had plans to distress it, but the little gal just really didn't want that to happen. She was happy with the 3(!) coats of white paint, so we left it at that. The frames are filled with little friend quotes (More on that soon) .

It's also her favorite part of the room, only for a different reason:

She loves the $2.50 mirrors we got in the dorm section at Walmart. We hung them on the inside of the armoire, near her karaoke-style cd player. She personalized them with stickers, spelling things like "rock and roll" and "QT" (seriously. at seven?), and now spends many an afternoon singing her heart out while gazing at her reflection. It would be scary if it weren't so darn cute.

So that's that. It's done and I'm happy with how it turned out. Most of the things you see in her room resided there before. The bedding, pink lamp, and little b&w frames were purchased new at Target. The throw pillows were a steal at Ross ($3.99, 4.99 and 5.99!). And all the fabric came from Joann's. I didn't total it all up, but I should because I think I'd impress myself!

Sooo, dare I ask? What do you think?

Mother's Day Download for YOU!

2010-05-05T19:06:00.020-05:00

I thought this little quote was so sweet and such a spot-on sentiment for so many women out there. (Of course, I might just share my pie... I do love pie!) It screamed to be made into a card! I have to admit that this little guy makes me chuckle. So simple, but it makes me smile. Feel free to download below it for a special mom in your life.

{Mother's Day card and envelope liner}

Just click on the link above to download and then print. The first page is the folding card. Just cut around the outline. The second page is meant to be an envelope liner, to turn a plain ole A2 envelope into something special. Just trace your envelope in its open position, but rather than cutting along your trace line, cut a bit inside your line. Slide this inside your envelope and fold the flap down. Secure the liner with a dot of glue or double sided tape on the flap part.

Happy Mother's Day!

{For personal use only}

Weekly Meal Plan

2010-05-03T06:16:00.001-05:00

{ Click to enlarge and/or print}

Last week we did a little menu shuffle and the Mexican Lasagna got bumped to this week. I would like to have saved it for Cinco de Mayo (complete with a pitcher of ritas!), but I'm worried my chicken won't last, and I do love to start the week off set and ready to go! I had a couple of people inquire about what the heck Mexican Lasagna is, so here it is. I don't know the original source, but the version I printed out was titled "Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole". That was too much of a mouthful to remember, so we changed it up. It's super-yummy and can be varied in so many ways. We tried this one a little while back and it was scrumptious too!

Monday/Tuesday:

Mexican Lasagna

Wednesday:

chicken salad on bed of baby spinach

fruit salad

Thursday:

chicken salad sandwiches

fruit salad

Friday-Sunday:

undetermined... We're still trying to hammer out Mother's Day plans so I'm waiting (and hoping not to cook, at all).

What's cooking at your house?

Finest Moments to Come?

2010-04-30T06:10:00.001-05:00

I eluded to feeling this way not too long ago, but darn it if someone else didn't already say it, only way more eloquently than I ever could:

I've been feeling like I'm slipping into a rut of sorts, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Have a good weekend... I'll be busy searching for different ways and truer answers. You?

Daily Motivation

2010-04-28T06:10:00.001-05:00

I've deducted that I'm logically creative... Creativity doesn't come naturally to me. I definitely have an appreciation for it and am continually in awe of the things that are being created around me. When I come up with (what I consider to be) a neat idea, it's usually some sort of solution for me. It's connected to me thinking I need something.

For example, the framed meal planner. I had set the goal to plan our meals and I was searching for a fun, easy way to keep track of them. I found a few options to work with and then came up with my version and the printable little guys. The family rules came about much in the same way. Little gal was going through a r-o-u-g-h patch and was testing us at every step. I had seen a posted set of rules at a friend's house and decided to make my own. So, you see, my creativity is somewhat left-brained. It doesn't quite flow. I've deemed it's more solution oriented.

My latest problem to be solved: Daily motivation. I had this cool old frame (another from my decorating savvy sis-in-law) that I've been leaning up on the mantle. I hadn't taken the time to remove the old wires and decided I'd use it to hang some vintage Valentines from it back in February. When I had to take them down (a good 2 weeks late), I missed them.

I decided this was the perfect spot for some daily motivation. I thought of three things I'd like to focus on everyday. This is the result:

And I thought others might like it too, so it's up in my etsy shop. These are downlaodable for you to print yourself, as many times as you'd like. I printed mine out on cardstock so they'd be stiff enough to hang, but they could be printed on paper and framed. Or used on a card. Or pinned up on the frig...

Have a wonderful day:

Living what you believe.

Praying before acting.

Enjoying this moment.

Because We Have To Eat...

2010-04-26T06:15:00.001-05:00

{from here}

I'll admit after not really planning last week's meals and resorting to easy-fast options, I really didn't feel like making a plan for this week. I guess I was just out of practice, but I sat down at 9:30pm and made myself because... Well... We have to eat. And if I didn't do it, I know I'd be stressed come five o'clock each afternoon. Soooo, here's our plan:

Monday:

weekend leftovers

Tuesday:

chicken tenders

carrots

Wednesday/Thursday:

manicotti

greek salad

Friday/Sunday:

Mexican lasagna

salad

Saturday:

out

Even if it was done half-heartedly, it's set and it'll be good... Or at least better than if I hadn't. Right?

Meal Plan & an Explanation

2010-04-19T06:01:00.003-05:00

I know I said I was going to edit, but I haven't done the most bang up job following through. I done over-committed myself. I know some go-getter types might have to laugh at my schedule, but I just don't handle a full dance card all that efficiently. Why this mumbo-jumbo? I suppose it's my attempt at explaining away my sporadic posting as of late. Hang with me: I'll get it all figured out soon. (Hopefully). This week's menu plan will be much like this recent one as the hubby is going to be unaccounted for more than a couple nights this week. I'm hanging in there. You too?

The Enemy of the Best

2010-04-14T06:07:00.003-05:00

I had a rare moment of being alone in my car. Most times I choose to either listen to my music, or have complete silence or flip it to talk radio. On this particular instance I decided to get a little Dave Ramsey inspiration. Just moments after tuning in he threw out this little nugget:

Why is this so true? Why does it take a close-call or hitting r-0-u-g-h times or heaven-forbid a tragedy to prompt us to make a change for the better?

Doing fine... Being okay... Skating along at status-quo... Whether it be financially like Dave was talking about, or in relationships, business, spiritually... This good comfort level could be what's holding us back from being spectacular/appreciating thoroughly/living the best life. By being okay with the good, are we just missing our best? Is this okay? If tragedy was staring at us, what would we be prompted to change?

Just something to think about. It made me think. Am I living my best life right now? Are you?

This Man

2010-04-13T06:17:00.003-05:00

See this handsome fella? It's his birthday! (How is it that men just keep getting better with age?) I met him when we were sixteen years old and the way he's shaped me as a person with his presence is amazing. I'm so glad he was born and made his way to me. I think I'm going to go call his momma and thank her for having him. She definitely raised a good one! Happy birthday to my man! I can't believe a whole year has passed. Time flies when you're with the one you love!

Weekly Meal Plan

2010-04-12T09:02:00.005-05:00

Here's our plan for the week...

Monday:

fajitas

(rollover from last week... ended up being a weird week)

sopapilla cake

(part of bday week for the hubby)

Tuesday:

out for hubby's bday

Wednesday/Thursday:

salad trio: pasta/fruit/green

Friday/Saturday:

grilling out something

(I'll decide based on prices at the g-store)

asparagus or zucchini

Sunday:

paninis

What will you be eating this week?