10 on Tuesday

1. You have to see this video. If after watching it you aren't smiling I'm not sure we can be friends still. Haha! Seriously though, it's adorable.


2. This blog post makes me want to try new and bigger things.

3. This past weekend we had snow and today the temps were almost 70. They are calling for more snow Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A year ago we were getting ready for a blizzard to hit. My allergies are driving me crazy, people are posting pictures of their tulips and other flowers and trees blooming.

4. Since it is spring like outside I did some spring cleaning. I attacked Audrey's room today. Nothing was safe. I spent 4 hours cleaning it. And I didn't go through any of her clothes. 1 garbage bag, one bag and a container of stuff to go to my mom's and a bag for goodwill. She was very excited about how it looked.

5. Audrey has been watching the Elmo video like crazy(and I have too, seriously how can you not smile after watching it) and Dart has been addicted to this video...


6. This is a big week for Columbia and Mizzou. Tonight we play Texas, Wednesday hopefully we sign one of the biggest recruits in the nation and Saturday ESPN College Game Day is in town and we play kU.


7. Only a few more days until the new season of The Voice. I'm not as excited for the Super Bowl as usual, simply because I wasn't cheering for either team that made it, but will be cheering for the Giants to win. Not a fan of the Patriots at all.


8. Two of the meals on last weeks Menu Plan Monday were HUGE hits. The Enchilada Casserole and Pepperoncini Beef sandwiches were amazing. Both were super easy too, especially the sandwich. Literally throw a roast in the crock pot(can be frozen) and a jar of peppers, let cook 8 hours on low. I have never made something so quick and it was yummy!


9. In addition to spring cleaning the house, I've been spring cleaning my computer. I went through all the starred items in my google reader and pinned pretty much everything I had in there. I love that all those ideas are now going to be so much easier to find. Might do the same with some of my bookmarks.


10. I'm working on a class I'm going to be teaching at an event a friend of mine is organizing. "Operation Write Home" OWH is an awesome program and I can't wait to be a part of it. I am teaching a class I'm calling "Filthy Fingers!" It's all about inking and I can't wait. I love getting my fingers dirty with ink. I'm very nervous as I've taught before, but I think it's going to be FUN!

Menu Plan Monday

Looking forward to Sunday and all the yummy football food!!

Monday-Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches. these were on the menu for last week, but we didn't have them.
Tuesday-leftovers. Gymnastics night and we have lots of leftovers in the fridge.
Wednesday-Sausage, tators and onions. We haven't had these in a while and everyone likes them.
Thursday-Tex-Mex Corn Chowder. New recipe. I tore this out of somewhere years ago.
Friday-Pizza. I'm thinking it will not be homemade this week since I'll be doing so much for Sunday.
Saturday-Spaghetti. Dart requested it last week, so on the menu it goes.
Sunday-Football Food!! Shrimp, chips and salsa, wings, summer sausage, Beer Bread, veggies and dip, and whatever else strikes me at the store.

I do not make my beer bread exactly like the recipe. I read the reviews and comments and changed it to match some of those and it is AMAZING! Tastes like Tastefully Simple beer bread. I omit the all-purpose flour, baking powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. I also change the self-rising flour to 3 cups and the brown sugar to 1/3 c brown sugar.

Today

I am going through recipes I've printed or torn out of magazines and getting them on recipe cards. Hoping that will make me use them more.

I am accepting the fact that I'm not feeling like making anything. The inspiration just isn't there right now and I'm okay with it.

I am cleaning up and reorganizing some areas that have been bugging me for a while. I figure since I'm not feeling inspired to make anything I will take advantage and take care of some of these things.

I am finishing watching Season 1 of The Voice. A week from today the new season starts and I can't wait!!

I am wishing mother nature would make up her mind with the weather. I am almost 100% my allergies are driving me crazy and it's not a cold.

I am making a menu for the week, including lots of yummy, finger foods for the Super Bowl.

I am finishing up some projects that I started. They don't really require me to do much to them, just finishing touches so the fact that I'm not feeling inspired to make anything, I'm still getting some things done and I really think and feel doing this will help bring back my mojo.

I am finding it hard to believe that when I look at the calendar January is almost over!

I am praying for something that I would love to have happen happen. I'm not saying anything more because I don't want to jinx it.

I am sketching out a plan for a monthly card club idea I have. Still early in planning stages, but I hope to have it all worked out in the next week or so. The basic idea is a client would tell me at the beginning of a month what cards they will need for the next month, example: "I need 3 birthday, 1 anniversary and a baby shower card." I would make those and then if there is a Holiday that month that people tend to send cards for I would include 1 or 2 of those and then a couple of extra cards; thank you, thinking of you, etc.

I am working on designing a class for Operation Write Home! I'm teaching an ink class and can't wait to get my fingers dirty!! I've never taught before so I'm kind of nervous!

At this moment

Listening to-Last nights Project Runway while I work
Eating-nothing
Drinking-Cherry Coke
Wearing-Jeans, MU sweatshirt and tennis shoes
Weather-Crazy. Pretty sure I'm suffering from allergies and not a cold. Supposed to snow though!
Wanting-an extended amount of time alone! A few other things, but that is top on the list.
Feeling-Drained, overwhelmed and excited. Crazy huh!
Needing-time alone, the ideas to keep flowing!
Thinking-about several projects I have on my plate right now.
Enjoying-the challenge of some new ideas
Wondering-how I'm going to get all the things I want to done!

 A new skirt and scarf I made for Audrey! Super easy and quick to make.

Breaking down pictures

Yesterday I sat down with my trusty Sharpie markers and my grid notebook to breakdown my people, places and things categories a little more. I am a list maker and when it looks pretty thanks to Sharpies I am even happier.

I broke down each category into smaller groups so I can 1.make dividers for them 2.find pictures easier later on 3.come up with a plan for the pictures.

Here is the break down for the categories:
People
Dart
Dakota
Audrey
Me
Mark
My family-my dad, my mom and step-dad
My sister Erin
My sister Leslie
My brother Jake
Mark's family(I'm not breaking this one down any more because I just don't have many)
Aunt Shanon and Uncle David
Aimie and family
Byron and family
Aunt Dawn, Uncle Doug and Shea and family(don't have many of these either)
Aunt Cathy and Uncle Craig, Shaila and family, Colin and family(again don't have many of these)
Pope and Granny
friends(this may get broke down more later)

Places
Field trips
Washington
Arizona
Florida
Washington DC
Hawaii
California
Omaha/Field of Dreams
Sea World
Hannibal
Mt. Rushmore/Yellowstone/Badlands
Oceans of Fun/Worlds of Fun
Float trip
Parks
Homes

Things
Christmas
Easter
4th of July
school plays/events
craft projects
items around the house
Weddings
sports
showers(baby, wedding, etc)
Halloween
Birthdays(these I think I'm going to break down by person)
nature
other holidays(things like Valentine's Day and stuff I might not really have many pictures of)

I'm excited to get the pictures broke down a little more! All this messing with pictures and all is making me really excited to do something more with all of them.

A few other things:

• Got the mini book listed in the shop today
• Working on a big idea I've had for a while now. Cards delivered to you each month based on what your needs will be for the month. Working on details and more ideas for it!
• Watching Season 1 of The Voice is making really excited for the 2nd season to start! I am not at all a fan of American Idol, but I LOVE The Voice!

Picture organizing and new products

 Made some good headway on pictures yesterday. I started simple, I was making things too complicated and it was really frustrating me. I had to make things simple, so I thought about what it is I take pictures of. My family, my kids, the vacations we take, the snow, school and sport events, places we go, things I make, and celebrations and holidays. As I listed these things it became clear how to sort them:  people, places and things. Some pictures were easy to sort, some not so easy. The hard were pictures of things around the house, my rooms growing up(mostly because it was things around my room), and sports. Here's what my breakdown looked like:

People-kids, family, friends, pets(okay so they aren't people, but they are part of our family!)

Places-vacations, field trips, homes, parks, school(I will explain school because it appears in 2 spots)

Things-Holidays, celebrations(weddings, showers, graduations, etc), snow/weather/landscapes/nature, craft projects, things around the house, sporting events, school, and birthdays.

School appears in places and things because some things were events and some were just of school. If it is an event at school it goes under things, if it is simply the kids outside school or something like that it went on places. Another tough one was the pictures I took of my room or around the house. I had to ask myself what the picture really was of, the item or the room. If it was the item it went in things because it was a picture of that thing. Some I had to ask myself if a stranger was to look at the picture what would they see, would they see an item or a room? That helped me decide. I had some other pictures that I had to think about those as well.

What about all those "professional" pictures. School pictures went under places(I know it seems strange, but I decided that the picture was taken because of school). Family of course went under people. I had some from when my brother was little and if it had the number of his age I decided it was thing because it was taken because of a birthday.

I had a box full of those that I wasn't really sure about, so I asked myself a few questions. What is the picture of? Why was the picture taken? If a stranger looked at it, what would they see? Those questions really helped on those pictures. I still have a few I'm just not sure where I want them to go, but I think I will get them figured out today. I know it might seem crazy to sort so many times, but I really think starting super simple will actually make things easier. I think before I had too many categories and it made me stress over whether or not I was putting it in the right spot. Now comes the fun part of sorting these 3 categories a little more. I have my lists going and will share those tomorrow.

I also wanted to share just a few new items that will be going in the Etsy shop this week. I am so excited about the Love/Valentine's Day mini book!

The cover and back of the mini book! The colors are very Valentine's Day, but it does not have to be Valentine's Day!

A simple mixed greeting card set!

10 on Tuesday

1. Working on a new organizing system for my pictures. I love Stacy Julian's Library of Memories, but there are parts of it that just don't work for me. So I'm trying to figure out a system that works for me, but still keeping some of her ideas with it. I hope to have it figured out soon so I can share it with you.

2. You have to check out this wedding dance! So cool and funny!



3. I loved this blog post by Seth Godin. I'm trying to be more aware of where I spend time on the computer.

4. I'm not real thrilled with the teams going to the Super Bowl. I don't not like the Giants, but was hoping the 49ers could have made it instead. However, the Patriots I am not a fan of at all!! Go Giants!

5. We watched Moneyball last night. AWESOME movie! I can see Dart being a player analyst. He is so into the stats and knowing the crazy things about players. He spends more time on ESPN checking the stats of what happened in the games.

6. I'm really loving finding new recipes to try. Does anyone have a foodie blog or blogs they recommend? I follow Pioneer Woman, looking for some new ones with fairly easy ideas, nothing to complicated.

7. I tried the Raspberry Hershey kisses last night. Not normally a white chocolate fan, but those are yummy!!


8. Last night Audrey watched a video on making friendship bracelets. She made a very simple one for a friend. I think it's time to bring back my friendship bracelet making skills and teach her! I love that she is so into crafts and art!


9. On Tuesday Dart has choir practice and so Audrey and I usually kill time between dropping him off and school starting. Today we went and wandered around Walmart. She is like me in so many ways, but there are major differences and one that I'm not sure where she gets it from. She spent forever looking at jewelry and clothes. I used to enjoy shopping for clothes, but even then it wasn't frilly stuff like she likes to look at. Anything that glittered, shimmered or sparkled caught her eye. And jewelry, holy cow that girl loves her some bling!


10. I now have a sick Audrey home. So no gymnastics tonight. She is very upset.

Menu Plan Monday

Hopefully we can get back on track this week. A couple of new recipes to try and some old favorites. I am hoping to try at least 1 new one every week. Also this week I have a couple of crock pot recipes. I love using my crock pot. Makes the house smell good and it's nice to get everything ready in the morning and let it go all day.

Monday-Pasta with the works. Great for using up various veggies in the fridge and it has pepperoni so the kids love it.
Tuesday-Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese easy one for gymnastics night
Wednesday-Taco Soup Looks like this is going to be our coldest day this week. This can be done on the stove or in the crock pot.
Thursday- Italian Chops So easy and yummy.
Friday- Pizza Anyone who likes Mexican/Taco Pizza here's a great recipe for making it at home.
Saturday- Enchilada Casserole This is a new one this week. Looks yummy and easy!
Sunday- Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches Another new one. I love that this one looks to be so easy to toss in the crock pot.

If you want any of the recipes for those that I didn't link, let me know.

New week

I'm looking forward to the new week. Last week was a very off week for me. With the kids being home Monday and then Wednesday being the anniversary of Dakota's passing I just wasn't feeling much like myself. I'm ready for a fresh start on this week. Working on my menu right now for the week. I have 3 new items to list in my Etsy store and hopefully will have one more after tonight. I'm making Audrey 2 new skirts and scarves tonight, me a new purse and have a skirt and scarf cut for American Girl dolls. Hopefully I can get them done so they can go in the shop too.

Here's to a fresh week!!!

My Angel Girl

Dakota Marie

March 28, 2004-January 18, 2005

10 on Tuesday

1. I have yet to make a menu for the week and therefore there is no Menu plan Monday post. And coming up with dinner stuff at night is not fun.

2. This winter weather is CRAZY!! Yesterday the kids and I were out in short sleeves and playing catch. There was a nice thunderstorm last night and there were even counties around us last night with Tornado warnings. Today, we are going to blow away and the temp is supposed to drop all day. Yipee!

3. Did anyone else watch Betty White's new show "Off Their Rockers" last night? That was HILARIOUS!! I hope I have as much spunk at 90 as she does. Happy Birthday to America's Golden Girl!

4. Check out this amazing stop motion video.



5. Watching Season 1 of "The Voice" on Hulu! Can't wait for season 2 to start. I'm not a fan of American Idol, but LOVE "The Voice" and not just because of Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

6. I've also been watching Season 1 of Gilmore Girls. I didn't watch the show regularly when it was on, but am now thanks to the library for having it on dvd.

7. I finally got Audrey's art area taken care of yesterday!!! She is excited about it and actually cleaned everything up last night.

8. I am working hard on clearing stuff out. Started going through boxes of pictures last night. I really don't need 100 trading size pictures from my freshmen year. I kept one of each size and tossed the rest. I know some are freaking that I threw pictures away, but my mom also has copies and really I don't plan on looking at them all that often. The hair took up most of the picture!

9. I love these little guys. I think I need the pink one! Owl Keychain

10. I have nothing else for 10. Here's to a good short week! 

To do list review and new list

• pictures of new items
• new item made everyday Didn't happen
• get through at least 100 of my sisters wedding pictures, there are over 1600! I didn't edit any, but went through and marked some as favorites and deleted the bad ones.
• clean my fabric area
• find canvases that I bought a while back
• cut my new purse Hope to tonight or tomorrow.
• cut and sew hedgehog sack Tonight or tomorrow
• wash shower curtain so I can take down the Christmas one! Forgot all about this!
• make Valentine's Day mini book
• make another mini book I have tons and tons of ideas rolling through my head, need to decide what I want to do.
• go through one box of my pictures and scrapbook(I will explain what my new process is going to be later. I really hope this will work) I may not get them scrapbooked, but I will go through a box and get them organized.
• set up Audrey a little art area. She is my crafty girl and really wants an area, so I'm going to see what I can come up with in our tiny house. Still working this out. Got some of it together. Need to decide how I want to get it together.
• select fabric for American Girl clothes for shop. I'm thinking pajamas and other clothes would make good Valentine's Day gifts for little girls. I know Audrey would love more clothes for her doll(it's just an 18 inch doll we got at Target I think. She is working for an AG Doll.) Got them picked out, just need to cut and all.
• Meet with our school district human resource person to discuss the search for a new principal.    

I'm hoping for a better week this week. The kids not having school Monday will be a nice bonus!

• sew purse
• sew sleep sack
• find some shops in town that allow locals to put items in and contact them.
• make cake for brother's birthday and take it to him. This will be his first birthday away from home so the kids and I are going to make him a cake. Probably Pumpkin Roll Cake!
• make another mini book. Love them
• make a mini book for Dart about Dakota. 
• work on new scrapbook process. 
• sew some American girl clothes
• sew a set of deep pocket crib sheets for a friend. 
• get the last of my valentine's day items for my shop decided. Need to get them all listed ASAP, less than a month to go!
• try a new burp cloth I want to make. My cousin made a bunch for her sister in law and I want to give them a try.
• make me a pin cushion.
• work on some of the projects in progress. get at least 2 done and ready to list. 

A new card set that is in the shop now.

Things I love

Winter finally decided to join us last night. The temp is 17, but feels like -1. And the kids are home from school! Snow Day!!

Just some wintery love:
I am always hunting for good gloves/mittens. These long mittens look amazing.

While we won't be going out to play in the snow today when we do venture out a scarf is in order. I'm loving this scarf. 

A snow day always involves lots of snuggling under blankets and this blanket looks nice and toasty.

Movies and games are always a big thing for snow days. I'm hoping to get our games moved so they are a bit easier to get to. We have a few games we love to play and games are always on the lists at birthday and Christmas. Some of the games on our wish lists are:
Apples to Apples Junior - The Game of Crazy Comparisons!
Logo Board Game
Don't Say It Game
Rack-O

And of course there is always the good ole Wii on snow days to burn off at least a bit of energy.

I imagine they will be back at school tomorrow especially since we don't have school on Monday. 

A new One Little Word

So last week I blogged about One Little Word and my word/phrase for the year. Well as I was going about doing things, reading things online and going through my stack of quotes and stuff, a word kept coming up. This word was in EVERYTHING I was reading. Even in things I was looking at for inspiration. It was popping up in tv shows I watched or the theme behind the word was. I wasn't really "feeling" my word/phrase and when this word kept popping up everywhere I took it as a sign that I needed to change my word. So shortly after I posted my blog post last week I changed my word. My word now is:
Choose

It was this quote that sealed the deal for me.
"You are everything that is, your thoughts, your life, your dreams come true. You are everything you CHOOSE to be. You are as unlimited as the endless universe."

I choose to chase after my dreams, I choose to try harder to have patience when the kids are driving me crazy fighting, I choose to keep my mouth shut or stand up for something, I choose to work everyday to make my life the life I want it to be.

10 on Tuesday

1. Friends is the best TV show EVER!!! Watched it last night. I have all 10 seasons, the finale on dvd by itself, "the one with all the parties" and the 2 other volumes.

2. We were a house divided for the title game. Dart was cheering for LSU and I was Roll Tide! Not the best game, but I liked the victory.

3. On October 13th Alabama will play Mizzou. I'm thinking that might be a good weekend to leave town. Not looking forward to the craziness that will be CoMo that weekend.

4. Got the new Boden catalog yesterday. So many cute things in it! I think I want every cardigan in there.

5. Typing this while I watch Carl Edwards on Live with Kelly. Love Carl and how much he loves being from CoMo.

6. Audrey goes back to gymnastics tonight and can't wait. She even got a new leotard to wear.

7. Yesterday Audrey and I made onion soup mix and taco seasoning. Found the recipes on Pinterest. Will let you know what we think after we have something with them.

8. Speaking of Pinterest, I am seriously addicted to that site. I love it not only for the ideas I get from it, but for the fact that later on when I'm looking for something I can easily find it. I have converted most things I had bookmarked as far as ideas went to there. It's so awesome.

9. This is probably going to come back to bite me soon, but I WANT SNOW! We have been above normal in temps lately. In the 60's a couple of times and even close to 70 one day. It's winter. I have a feeling our spring is going to be COLD!

10. Something to think about: "Cards aren't just for sending, they are for receiving." When was the last time you sent a card just because you wanted someone to know you were thinking about them.
 

Menu Plan Monday

I'm actually enjoying this, makes the week so nice and since this week will be back to normal for the most part, with school everyday and gymnastics Tuesday night it will be so nice to not worry about dinner every night.

Monday-Baked Potatoes we never had them last week, so they will be first on the list for this week.
Tuesday-leftovers there is lots in the fridge and with gymnastics this will be easy!
Wednesday-Hot Pot Stew I have some pork roast I need to use so this will be perfect.
Thursday-Meatloaf
Friday-Pizza trying this Taco Pizza and then pepperoni for kids
Saturday-Breakfast we will have eggs and pancakes, haven't had these in a while and I may make extra pancakes to have on hand for breakfast.
Sunday-Slow Cooker lemon garlic chicken with Crash Hot potatoes can't wait!!

A review of last weeks recipes that we had never had before:
Chili Cheese Macaroni-It was good, but made a HUGE batch. This would be great to make one for you and one for the freezer or to take to a friend who might need a meal made for them.
Super Nachos-I need to work on my cheese sauce, but everyone said it was good.
Bean Pot Pork Chops-Very yummy! In my bean pot with the oven at 250 I let them cook for 2.5 hours. They were very yummy.

To do list:

On the schedule for this week:

• pictures of new items
• new item made everyday
• get through at least 100 of my sisters wedding pictures, there are over 1600!
• clean my fabric area
• find canvases that I bought a while back
• cut my new purse
• cut and sew hedgehog sack
• wash shower curtain so I can take down the Christmas one! 
• make Valentine's Day mini book
• make another mini book
• go through one box of my pictures and scrapbook(I will explain what my new process is going to be later. I really hope this will work)
• set up Audrey a little art area. She is my crafty girl and really wants an area, so I'm going to see what I can come up with in our tiny house.
• select fabric for American Girl clothes for shop. I'm thinking pajamas and other clothes would make good Valentine's Day gifts for little girls. I know Audrey would love more clothes for her doll(it's just an 18 inch doll we got at Target I think. She is working for an AG Doll.)
• Meet with our school district human resource person to discuss the search for a new principal. 

There will be lots of other things to get done this week, but those are the biggies.

A glimpse of a new card set! I love coloring!

To do list update and link love!

A review of my to do list for this week:

• List something new in the store everyday(at least Mon-Fri, still deciding if I will do weekends too)
• Start Valentine's Day cards-Have the ideas sketched. On the list for today.
• Finish getting Christmas stuff down. I like the tree up for my birthday.
• New blog header
• Make a Hedgehog sleep sack for a friend. Sounds crazy, but I will share it.-Got fabric picked.
• Sew some American Girl clothes, I think they would make great Valentine's Day gifts.-Hope to get some today.
• Watch the Christmas movies I didn't get to watch before Christmas. I have Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life to watch still.-Nope and I put them away.
• Make a Valentine's Day mini book.-Paper pulled and sketches going.
• Make my new purse.-Would help if I could find my fabric.
• Library run.
• Make banner for engagement party and get it mailed. 
• Get listings that have sold recently remade-Have a couple done.

And these are some of my favorite links from the week!
-This one is great for wasting time for movie buffs. Not going to lie, I kick butt. It's played hangman style so you can get a little help figuring some out.-If you need something to make you laugh, check out Snarky in the Suburbs blog. This post is the one I read this week. She is HILARIOUS!
-I posted about this article yesterday, but am posting it again in case you missed it. How to develop a creative practice.

I hope everyone has a good day. We are staying home and watching lots of football! Go Saints!

At this moment

Listening to-last night's Big Bang Theory. LOVE this show!
Eating-nothing
Drinking-water
Wearing-jeans, t-shirt, slippers. I usually have some kind of slipper on, even in the summer.
Feeling-was feeling a little off and then I read this and my mood changed.
Weather-very strange weather here. It's going to be in the 60's today. Seriously it's January.
Wanting-new running shoes, some books on coloring techniques.
Needing-new running shoes. I want these, WR10RG New Balance WR10 Women's Minimus Road Running Shoe
Thinking-about Valentine's Day projects, the article I mentioned above, and about needing a nap.
Enjoying-Big Bang Theory, the sunny, warm January day, Life.
Wondering-when it's going to snow.

It's okay to put your hood up and take a nap!

Poor Audrey was so tired after school she fell asleep with her coat and boots still on!

 Ever have one of those days where no matter how hard you try nothing you attempt works the way you want it to? How do you normally handle those days? Do you eventually say, "okay, you win, I'll do something else" or do you force yourself to keep going, knowing in the back of your mind that no matter what you do you are going to hate it tomorrow when you look at it and then beat yourself up for creating something horrible? We all have those days, even the most amazing artists do, at least I hope they do. We all have days where we aren't feeling it, but we push through and then the next day we say "not bad, if I change this it will be great." I'm talking about those days where you just are totally off.

I had one of those yesterday. I looked through all my normal things that usually inspire me, I went through some of my new supplies hoping something would scream "USE ME!", I looked at some new to me blogs hoping for something. NOTHING!! Now in the past I would just force myself to make something and then I would hate it and spend the next several hours beating myself up for having no talent(when I know that's not true) or thinking if I only had such and such stamp, paper, etc I could create something amazing. Or I would say okay I'm not going to create anything and instead I'm going to waste my day playing on the internet and then I'll beat myself up for wasting a day. Yesterday was a "New Day, New Year" for me. I knew I wasn't going to create anything I was happy with. I didn't even really feel like sewing, as sometimes sewing and forcing myself to follow some kind of pattern will help spark my creative mojo again. So instead, knowing how I was feeling I decided to do something else. I sat back for a minute and thought about what I would do in the past and knew I didn't want to do that. I needed something I would be happy with having done and still working towards something. So I spent most of the day working on cleaning up my external hard drive. Nothing earth shattering, but it is on my list of 35 things to do this year. And you know what? In the process I found myself feeling inspired. Looking at old pictures(most of which aren't printed, but I have a million printed to still work with) I started to feel happy. Part of my problem yesterday was I slept horrible the night before and I wasn't feeling good to begin with. Not really sick, but I do have a slight cold or allergies(considering it is in the upper 50's in Missouri allergies don't seem to follow the calender of it's WINTER). It was also the kids first day back at school and so we had to be up early and back in our routine. I had also ran a million errands and took down the remaining Christmas stuff, so by the time I sat down to work, I was just not feeling it.

I'm so proud of myself for recognizing it was going to be one of those off days and even more proud for not doing what I've always done. I feel good about the progress made on my ehd, I'm happy I don't have something I have to throw away because I can't stand it and I'm feeling ready to go today. Moral of this story, like the picture above of Audrey some days you just have to put your hood up and take a nap, because even taking off your coat is going to be more than you can handle. 

Quotes and words

The other day I read this on Karen Russell's blog and it really spoke to me. She did not say it, but someone told it to her at a point in her life and she posted it on her blog.

          "Time is inevitably going to pass and 1 year from today you can

find yourself in the exact same spot you're in now,

you can find yourself further away from your goal, 

or you can find yourself closer to your goal-

so where do you want to be a year from now?"

That quote along with this one:

"To get something you never had, you have to do 

something you never did"

really have me thinking. That and of course the start of a new year and a new age! I love the way I feel at the beginning of a new year, it's a whole possibility of new things. However I like most people lose steam. So this year I really want to try and treat each new day as the start of the new year. We tend to fall into the same old rut we were in the year before and the year before and the year before. And then we wonder why things never change. That's where the quote above comes into play, well both of them really. It is also where my one little word for the year is coming in. Okay so I have four little words, but they go together. My word(s) for the year is "New Day, New Year". I am going to make me a little canvas of it(I'll share that when it's done) and hang it close to my work area so that I will see it every day as a reminder to myself that each day can be like the start of a new year. 

You will probably see a lot more quotes on the blog this year. I have a major love for quotes and have a few ideas in mind of things I want to do with them. I will also post more about my words as the year goes on. If you decide to come up with a word for the year, let me know what it is.

New Header

Just a quick post to say that if you read this in google reader or another rss feed, please go to my actual blog and let me know what you think of the new heading. I'm still deciding, but for now I like it. I might play around some more later.

10 on Tuesday

1. Kids go back to school tomorrow. As much as I love them, I'm ready and I really think they are too.

2. Audrey asks everyday to look at the new American Girl doll of the year. She doesn't have a doll yet, but the one for 2012 is on her list. She is in love with McKenna for several reasons, she's a gymnast, she loves the color purple and she looks fairly similar to Audrey.

3. Speaking of Audrey and gymnastics she has been busy practicing her splits everyday. Everyday she gets a little farther. I hope I'm with her when she does them all the way for the first time because I want to see the look on her face.

4. The other day I opened one of Dart's drawers and was amazed at the amount of books he had in it. I forgot how many books we bought at the library book sale. We got somewhere around 56 or so books for $18.00. He still hasn't touched hardly any of them, he's had so many checked out from the library. I have to say that I love he loves to read.

5. At the time of writing this my google reader is finally at zero! It hasn't been there since probably before Labor Day!! Hopefully I can keep it under control.

6. I'm currently reading Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) and every time I read one of her books I always want to try the recipes. Maybe this year I will.

7. Speaking of books, my mom got me Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, Deluxe Edition for my birthday. I have a feeling I'm going to need a box of kleenex when I read it. I may wait until after January 18th to even start to read it.

8. And again speaking of books, I can't wait for One for the Money (Movie Tie-in) (Stephanie Plum Novels) the movie to come out. I LOVE the book series. I'm anxious to see how Katherine Heigl does in the movie. I always said Sandra Bullock should play Stephanie.

9. I have 10 projects in some form of progress on my desk. I did get them in bags at least so they are a little more organized. Can't wait to be able to work on them.

10. My son while he drives me crazy sometimes because he's at that lovely age of 10 can be a real sweetheart too. He wanted so badly to get me something for my birthday so on my birthday when we went to Walmart he asked me to show him a few things I wanted. I showed him a few stamps and other little things I liked. He got what he wanted to get me and even went in the checkout line next to me so I wouldn't see what he got. He ended up getting me 2 stamps, an owl and a butterfly, some glitter glue and a 3 pack of Starbucks instant coffee. He knows I like Starbucks so he got me that. He was so excited for me to open my present from him and Audrey. I'll have to get a picture of the stamps some other time.

Menu Plan Monday

Still working on a little banner to go with Menu Plan Monday, but wanted to get this post done.

Monday-Tacos made with meat from Make-A-Mix Cookery. The book is expensive on Amazon, but you might be able to find it at a used book store or even your local library. If you want to know what meat it is let me know.
Tuesday-Lasagna. Going the easy route and getting a Stouffers, adding some bread and salad.
Wednesday-Chili Cheese Macaroni
Thursday-Baked Potatoes, might use leftovers from Wednesday to top them.
Friday-Pizza with homemade sauce, info on that below.
Saturday-Nachos while we watch football
Sunday-Bean Pot Pork Chops. My mom gave me a bean pot for Christmas and I've used it once already and love it. The recipe is almost all the way down the page.

I've mentioned making my own pizza sauce before. It's not a fancy recipe or complicated and I don't have exact measurements for any of it, except the tomato sauce.

The ingredients: Onion Powder, Oregano, tomato sauce, garlic powder, basil and sugar(missing from this picture).

Dump the sauce in a microwave safe bowl.

Add the seasonings. I have no idea how much of each. I dump a little in my hand and add it to the bowl. I crush my oregano and the basil in my hand before I dump them in. Add the sugar, I have a little spoon that came with the container my sugar is in and I just do 2 of them. It's probably a tablespoon in size.

Whisk ingredients and taste. You can usually tell if you need to add something. I usually need to add a little sugar as it will help take away the acidity of the tomato sauce. Put in microwave for about a minute to a minute and a half and then take out, whisk and taste again. You might need to add some other spices to your taste. Put back in microwave until it bubbles. It usually needs another 2-3 minutes, but my microwave is old and slow!!

Here's what our final pizza looks like:

Week to do list

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. We stayed home and watched tv, played Wii and just relaxed. And now I have 2 sick kids, who are both still sleeping at almost noon. My grandma always says what you do New Year's Day is what you spend the year doing, let's hope that isn't the case for them. As for me I plan on crafting my day away.

Now here's my list of what I will accomplish this week:

• List something new in the store everyday(at least Mon-Fri, still deciding if I will do weekends too)
• Start Valentine's Day cards
• Finish getting Christmas stuff down. I like the tree up for my birthday.
• New blog header
• Make a Hedgehog sleep sack for a friend. Sounds crazy, but I will share it.
• Sew some American Girl clothes, I think they would make great Valentine's Day gifts.
• Watch the Christmas movies I didn't get to watch before Christmas. I have Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life to watch still.
• Make a Valentine's Day mini book.
• Make my new purse.
• Library run.
• Make banner for engagement party and get it mailed. 
• Get listings that have sold recently remade. 

I hope everyone has a great day!

35 before 36!

My list is done!! I'm excited to see what the new year is going to bring, as well as what 35 will bring.

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose.
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it.
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one!
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years.
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death.
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store.
11. Add digital cards to my shop.
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop.
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop.
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger!
20. Make mini books for me and to sell.
21. Do more DIY items.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month.
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun.
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year.
35. Enjoy life more!!