Thankfulness 2013: Day Twenty-Two

Following up on the helpers in our lives...I am thankful for inspiration in our DIYing projects!  Honestly, if we didn't have the myriad of shows on DIY Network or HGTV let alone the magazines, websites, and of course Pinterest, our ideas would be much less convenient and productive.  I'd be in the planning phase forever just trying to think of how I want something to change but I'd have no ideas how...or at least very few ideas.  The downside is that I have grand ideas now rather than average and typically easily accomplished (not to mention usually cheaper) options!

Meal Planning 101...201...ummmm

It just isn't easy flipping through the recipe book every week trying to figure out what we should eat and when.  Using my marker board on the fridge was a great first step to getting us out of the last minute 'what do we have in the pantry' crunch.  What I really disliked about my otherwise enjoyable process of planning out meals that didn't feel like they were too repeated, was the constant erasing and reworking for about 40 minutes when I'd find a different meal to plug in.  This doesn't include when plans during the week change and a meal needs to be rescheduled or cancelled completely.

So in walks Pinterest and a random pin that caught my eye with its post-it abundance....

Here is a sample week in the planning.  Can you see how this might make that revamping worthwhile already?  Too many beef meals in the week?  Pull and replace!  Have too many things on your schedule one day to cook something longer than 20 minutes?  Pull and swap until you've got everything looking just how you want it!  The laminated sheets make it simple and the post-its stay reusable this way also!  If you still prefer markers, they'll erase off of this easier than my cheap marker board on the fridge after the couple years I've had it.

Rather than the categories on the side, I chose to change it from Lunch/Dinner to Meal Ideas, along with Breakfast, Salads/Appetizers, Drinks, Desserts, and Snacks pages.  On the Meal Ideas pages (4 of them) I changed the interior categories to various categories that suited my family.  I am sure this will change over time as this is a new system to me still and I'll refine it as I go.

I've printed and laminated the calendar pages as well and will include it into my own binder Command Center.  I'll figure out what else needs to go into it as I go along but I am already LOVING this system so much more than where I was previously!  Thank you Ursula at Home Made by Carmona!

Custom Stone Coasters DIY

Custom Stone Coasters

As most new crafters, I find the vast majority of ideas pouring from the Pinterest screen that is almost always open on my computer.

I've had this particular project hanging out just waiting for someone to send me a wedding invite.  This weekend was my first wedding of this year so I finally got to break out this gift idea!

Photo is my first attempt and I like them!
I got the instructions HERE.

I hope that it lasts as well as the original crafter makes it sound.  I adore the idea of custom coasters for a wedding gift.  I've got the supplies, I'll be making a set for ourselves soon enough but I've got some card crafting to finish up first!

(The link to the instructions doesn't lead to a single post but a long line of crafts on that blog.  Just scroll a ways down until you see either that can of wax or tiles that look similar to mine.)

One final tip:  The people at the home improvement store told me that the wax is meant only for wood so it may not work.  I'll let you know but the original crafter hasn't come back to say that it hasn't worked anyways.  I'll likely try a stone tile sealer down the road and I'll come back to update when I do.

Have you made these?  How did the process go for you?  Do you have a lifespan of well-used coasters yet?  Give us your best tips!

Simple Crafting

So here is a super quick and simple craft to bring some color to your fridge doors...or any magnetic surface.

What you need:

Large buttons

Tacky magnet circles

All you have to do now is peel the protective cover off the tacky part of those magnets and stick it to the back of the buttons you chose...Less breakable magnets for kids to hang their own artwork!  TADA!  Love this idea....Pinterest inspired of course!

Voila!  Now loose the toddlers and watch the color naming and counting commence!

**Note: The small tacky dots pictured in this post are not a super strong magnet so they will not hold multiple sheets of paper or cardstock.  Most coloring book pages will be fine if done only one sheet at a time.  The 'jumbo' coloring sheets (like pictured above) require 2-3 magnets depending on how much of a breeze may be passing your fridge on any given day.**

The Woman with the "Man Cold"

I have entered 'man cold' territory since this morning.  I am totally that whiny sick person right now who doesn't have enough sleep and while I love that my toddler is feeling better (even though she still has her cold) I am having some serious energy issues dealing with her.

I love that my husband has so much patience for both of us.  I did send him a fair-warning text after lunch though.  One of those, 'feel free to come home early because Alyssa and I are butting heads like crazy' texts followed by a text with better advice: "Or find a place to hide from both of us".  He truly is a saint and I'm not sure how I got so lucky because the poor man never has man colds...he does the typical get up and get over it like I should.

On the plus side, after nap battle was conquered (read ignored), I got to take a decent nap as well!  Almost two hours of sleep for Momma today!!!  Yes, it did help with that energy issue for me to some extent and at the very least has given me an extra dose of patience for my toddler to get us through today.

While we are waiting for this bug to leave our home...feel free to mock my stuffed up head by making and sending these.  (Seriously...aren't these cute??)  I don't have an original source as it was pinned from a blogger's site who doesn't claim ownership of the idea either.  Simply put, it is adorable and whoever thought it up is a freaking genius.

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...

With most of our belongings in storage awaiting the official move into a house again, we were missing a crucial piece of the festive feeling of Christmas season....the TREE!  There is always a debate over real vs fake and I'll just nip that in the bud by saying as much as I LOVE the real trees and going to a farm and cutting our own as a family like I did growing up most years, I cannot stand the bumps and itches that I get all over my arms as I put the lights on or the ornaments getting hung.  Plus I've seen enough dog vomit in my family history with pine needles in it to want to avoid that in the future too.

So with my lovely pre-lit fake being in storage along with all of our ornaments and my personal favorite tree topper, well, we had to figure out something else for the apartment life this season.  The plus side to the timing of figuring this out--WE HAVE A CLOSE DATE on our house!!!  We know which house we are buying and we have gone through all the hassle of the short sale and we now have a date of which we will be owners of said house.  This means I was able to make plans for next year's holiday season decorating with the apartment solution for this season!  Meet the beginnings of my upstairs tree (read color coordinated):

The lights are red and white twined together (yes, I made my husband tangle lights rather than untangle them) so that nearly every white is paired with a red.  The santa hat topper and the tote bottom were inspired--okay, taken-- straight from a Pin which will lead you to here.  For this year I have red bells, silver icicles and a few Poinsettas on the tree.  I'll wait for some good sales to collect some other red, white and silver ornaments (minus any glitter) to fill it in for next year.

When do you put up the tree?

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty

Monday night my hubby made up 5lbs of BBQ's.  (mmmmm.....)

They do a monthly celebration of birthdays at the office and this month he brought in my family's recipe of that delicious messy meat.  The making of said BBQ's reminded me of something that I frequently am grateful to have: the Crockpot!  Yes, I am thankful for my Crockpot.

C'mon...so many amazing foods can come out of this baby and if you recall my Pinterest thankfulness post, well, you would be thankful for anything that does ALL the work but the cutting and serving too.  I have a few recipes that are Crockpot faves and they can be found in my dedicated Pinterest Crockpot folder.  The one that can't be found there though is the BBQ recipe.  In case you need a delicious and still simple option for semi-sweet BBQ's, here ya go:

--------------------------------

BBQ's

1 lbs lean hamburger

1 C Ketchup  (we use Heinz)

2 TBSP Mustard

2 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

Brown and drain hamburger
Mix all sauce ingredients (everything but the hamburger).
Mix and simmer (or crockpot) sauce and meat til heated through or as long as you want the flavors to marinate for.

--------------------------------

Our Crockpot only holds 5lbs at a time so we take this recipe and multiply it (shockingly by 5).  We then vacuum seal about 1-1 1/2lb portions to freeze.  It makes a great last minute meal during the week considering we can pull the bag out of the freezer, defrost in the microwave and then heat in the microwave and serve!  Play with the amounts for the sauce to get your taste preferences.  My family hates exact measurements (and they wonder why I can't cook....) so this is my mother's "all approximates" recipe that we actually like as-is.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Fourteen

This might seem a little ridiculous but bear with me.  I am thankful for Pinterest.  Yes, I am talking about that weird but amazing little website that works much like a corkboard/file cabinet for anything that can be found online.  Why would ANYONE be thankful for a time-sucking addiction like Pinterest??  Well, lets be a little honest here--I have not only found ideas that have made some strides in child behavior for us (see Coin Chart) but crafting ideas that have been entertaining to say the least.  These are great in their own rights but the biggest reason I have to actually be THANKFUL for this site?  Completely and totally my reason falls at the feet of the recipe pinners out there!

You see, I can't cook.  I started a stove top fire making pork chops one night...on an electric, ceramic top stove.  (Everyone was fine and I know enough fire safety to have put it out quickly and without extra incident.)

If I have a step-by-step recipe with amounts (rather than estimates) and temps and times, then I can usually muddle through to an edible meal.  I really don't know how there can be a recipe without a temp for the oven or how long to cook it for though and yet, I find them all too often in the old notecard recipes.  So far, all the Pinterest recipes that I've looked into have everything I need to have produced some yummy results.  I'd bet that if my hubby hadn't sampled meals pre-Pinterest, that he'd never believe my incapabilities when it comes to cooking.  We are all lucky that he cooks and does it so well or there wouldn't have been a home cooked meal without the brands Stouffers or Bertolli.

Hopefully, with the help of all those nice pinners on Pinterest and those wonderful bloggers or recipe sites that they frequent, I will at least have my kids fooled into thinking that I have a few recipes that I can outdo their Papa on!  HA!  I'm never going to convince myself of that one...

Pinterest PARTY?!?!

Seriously...When will I think of things like this on my own??

Pinterest Party.  Yes, those two words together are screaming my name right now!  If you're as bad as I am with the site then you have literally THOUSANDS of pins and maybe a handful of ones you have done (or worse, even gone to the actual link to read up on!).  I'm maybe up to a couple hundred links read but as far as actual projects done or recipes tried--well, let's just go with a handful instead of trotting out the toddler to count them for us.

So what could change this lack of motivation on actually attempting the glorious Pins?  Why a party of course!  In other words--get a bunch of people with a similar problem and force yourselves to do something you've wanted/been meaning to do anyways by designating a time and appointing witnesses.  Hmmm...maybe this will double as my house cleaning motivation!

From what I understand of the Pinterest Party concept is that each guest brings a dish (that is currently able to be found on their Pinterest boards) to share and then come and craft!  Another option I think *might* work, if you have different crafting tastes, is each person bring their supplies for one or two projects that they want to do and craft side by side. Then it is simply a group of friends keeping company (and helping out randomly) during the allotted crafting/visiting time....Such a simple and fun way to bring Pinterest out in your home!  Seriously--it's about time for Social Media to become a little more sociable.

Now...I just need a couple gals in my area to come craft with me.....

Lazyhate...New Word!

Source: Uploaded by user via Katie on Pinterest

Pinterest....I'm not even sure what vocal inflection I would put on that word.  It is very much a love-lazyhate relationship.  I love all the ideas and the sorting of things from almost anywhere on the web.  The drawback to this whole process is that I collect crafts because I LOVE so many of them and then what do I do with them?  I sort them into their "Boards" and go back to look at them every so often.  My "lazyhate" kicks in right about here.  I have made a total of ONE craft item (well, I made two of them but only because I had enough supplies to make a second at the same time).  I have HUNDREDS of things pinned that I want to make--THOUSANDS if you look at the organizing projects and recipes and decorating ideas too.  I have lazily accomplished two non-food pins and one happens to be that Coin Chart you have recently seen me talking about.  Lazyhate....it's a good word.  Pinterest is best used by the motivated.

So I'll keep pinning until the day I become that motivated person I would love to be (but haven't been motivated enough to become!).  HA!  I do think I'll dig out a neat crafty pin to play with this week though.  Maybe I can make myself be one of the motivated.  ;)

What I can't decide now is if this would motivate or depress me: