Ice Cream

Sometimes when you're feeling bad all you need is a little ice cream.

This is Good!

I AM looking at you.

I know... I really am the cutest thing ever!

DIY School Yearbooks

I was so happy when Shutterfly contacted me* about a new product they are offering.  They now have Photo Yearbooks available on their website.  I absolutely love creating Shuttefly photo books and using their website to create our Christmas cards.  They have the best quality and using their website to create photo books is so easy.  I love that the designs are customizable all the way down to the font and size of the font.  I hate when the default font is tiny! 

As I was looking on the website I was so excited to see a colorful, graphic yearbook option.  It seems like the local school's yearbooks are always drab and inlclude more black and white than color photos.  And I never see any cool graphics.  The examples also showed where children's artwork had been uploaded and published.  That's revolutionary!  I think this is such a neat idea for a parent or teacher to do.  I can definitely see myself doing this for Vince.  I may start now since he loves to color!  If not now then it would be great to start even for Pre-K. 

I may put this idea into action for his baby book.  I have several pieces of newspaper articles and a first haircut certificate.  Those things are sweet and sentimental but I'd rather not store them from now on.  I could take a picture or scan them and then upload it to a photo book.  I LOVE this idea!  Thank you, Shutterfly.  You are always inspring!

How would you use a Shutterfly year book?  Have you ever put children's artwork or newspaper clippings into a photo book? 

You can follow Shutterfly and get lots of inspiration from them here:

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shutterfly

 · Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Shutterfly
 · Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/shutterfly/

*This is a sponsored post. I was contacted by Shutterfly to promote their yearbooks. I have used Shutterfly for years and have always loved their products.

Meal Plan Monday 03.05.2012

Hi everybody!  I'm linking up today with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Meal Plan Monday.  Here's what our week looks like:

I start two new classes this week.  My schedule will be Monday and Thursday nights for this bi-term.  I used to grocery shop on Monday afternoons but that won't be possible with this schedule.  I'll need to get home ASAP to get supper started.  I may push back to Tuesday afternoons when we don't have a 6:30 deadline for me to be focused on class.  I will see how it works.  I usually try and avoid going on the weekends because it seems like I am much quicker when I go after work and have a deadline to get home and get cooking!

Bake Sale for Backpacks

My sister Brooke and I have the AWESOME privilege of teaching our church's high school girls Sunday School class.  These girls have such a heart for Jesus, each other, their fellow students, and their community.  They put their faith into action last Saturday as they donated $912 to our 4-H backpack program.  Five of the girls even took the "Penguin Plunge" on a freezing cold day.  The money they collected during their bake sale will be given for students in our community to take home a backpack of food each weekend.  Each student's backpack costs $100 for the year.  So they collected enough for 9 kids!  How amazing. 

Smell the Flowers

I received the sweetest bouquet of flowers yesterday!

Meal Plan Monday 02.27.2012

I'm linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie for this week's menu planning. 

And just like I promised, here is my custom grocery list. 

Every week I go through and write down my meal plan in the top form.  I list everything we could possibly eat or need for each meal.  So even though it  seems silly to write down cereal every single day, it helps me assess what I need to be buying.  This week I actually did my meal plan on a notepad and did shopping that way.  So my above computer version only left the roast in my "to buy" section.  I am a vegetarian and hubby won't let me buy the meat.  I am somewhat unsure in that department :)

After I've made my plan I fill in my grocery list and cross the item off my "to buy" section.  I've arranged the list in the same format as my local Kroger store.  I assume it is probably pretty close for most stores.  This keeps me from overlooking items because I am following my list and going through the store in the same way.  I hope this gives you a good idea of how I menu plan and make my grocery list.  I'm still perfecting my method, but I am so much more efficient and effective compared to two months ago!  Let me know if you have any questions or if you'd be interested in me sending you a copy of my list. 

Come back next week and I'll tell you how I grocery shop!

Just like Daddy

Vince is growing up into quite a little boy. He loves to wear a "tucky" shirt and athletic pants. Whenever I got these Nike pants out to put on him he said, "Daddy!". I said, "Yes, Daddy is really going to like your pants!". I had to snap a pic the other day when Vince climbed into his chair and sat like a man. He's going to be a good man one day!

Meal Plan Monday

Join in with I'm an Organizing Junkie for this week's menu plan Monday!  Here's my menu for the week below.  Also look for my menu next week when I'll discuss how I use my planner and I'll show you my customized grocery list that makes sure I don't miss a thing on my list!



So many things

There are so many things I'd like to blog about.  I absolutely love blogging and the way it brings lives together and shows us glimpses of how others live.  I'd love to be blogging about my baby boy, my amazing husband, my great family, my awesome job and coworkers, my Sunday school girls, my church in general, etc. etc. etc.  However, I haven't been!  I could blame it on my current graduate program or just being a mom or just being busy.  But  I'll just say I haven't done it and I'm sorry.  I really want to start blogging again regularly since I haven't done it in about 3 years!  My posts since then have been pretty sporadic at best.  So here I am starting back, just a little at a time :)

Some of my current passions and things I may look to blog about soon:
Vince
Grant
Family life in general
School - My master's degree program
Church
Youth Ministry
High School Girls SS Class
Friends
My Favorite Things
Vince's Favorite Things
Project 365
Organizing
Meal Planning
Cooking

So, what do you think?  Have you been blogging regularly?  I read every day (okay....multiple times a day) but I want to make sure I'm checking in and posting regularly as well.  Help keep me accountable, okay?

Our Christmas Card 2011

Be Jolly Christmas Card

Create personalized Christmas card designs at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Merry Christmas!  This year we decided to have Brandy take some pictures for us in November.  We absolutely love them!  We did a few outside and then went into a friend's setup garage studio.  These turned out so great and I am so happy we went inside.  Vince would not sit still to get a  family picture outside.  There was too much to explore.  I ordered cards from Shutterfly and Tiny Prints this year.  I can never decide so I just choose two designs :)  I did front and back photos and just switched them between the two cards.