Scrapbooking

I started scrapbooking many moons ago, long before there were entire rows of embellishments at craft stores. Not to date myself, but back in the day you actually had to use scraps to scrapbook - wrappers from candy, random bits of paper, etc. Since my son was born, I haven't scrapped much, although that hasn't stopped me from buying supplies - much to the chagrin of my husband, who says it's ok to buy the stuff as long as I am going to use it. Trust me, it never got used.
Recently, however, I have gotten back into it. I am back to scrapping my wedding pictures, and my son's baby pictures. Needless to say, I have been buying even more supplies, and to my husband, the only way to justify this is with results - meaning completed pages.
Thanks to my friend Ana (who's blog you should check out if you like to scrapbook), I have been introduced to the world of scrapbook blogs, all of which are filled with a wealth of information. One of which is Sketchy Thursdays. Each Thursday they post a sketch and invite people to show their work.
So for the first time, I made a page based on a sketch. It's far from perfect, but I am working on making better layouts.

I started scrapbooking many moons ago, long before there were entire rows of embellishments at craft stores. Not to date myself, but back in the day you actually had to use scraps to scrapbook - wrappers from candy, random bits of paper, etc. Since my son was born, I haven't scrapped much, although that hasn't stopped me from buying supplies - much to the chagrin of my husband, who says it's ok to buy the stuff as long as I am going to use it. Trust me, it never got used.
Recently, however, I have gotten back into it. I am back to scrapping my wedding pictures, and my son's baby pictures. Needless to say, I have been buying even more supplies, and to my husband, the only way to justify this is with results - meaning completed pages.
Thanks to my friend Ana (who's blog you should check out if you like to scrapbook), I have been introduced to the world of scrapbook blogs, all of which are filled with a wealth of information. One of which is Sketchy Thursdays. Each Thursday they post a sketch and invite people to show their work.
So for the first time, I made a page based on a sketch. It's far from perfect, but I am working on making better layouts.

Meal Plan for the Week

A friend was asking around for some ideas on meal planning, so I shared mine as an example for the week.
I am going to paste the message I sent her so if any of you need ideas, you can steal it!
Here you go:
I usually do my shopping on Thursdays, after the ads come out on Wednesday. I also clean out my fridge on Wednesdays, so I am ready to re-stock it.
Here is my plan for the week. Try to keep a well stocked pantry with staples like chicken stock, canned diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings, it will make it easier and you can stock up when things are on sale.

Monday: Pesto pasta with chicken - just cook the pasta, toss in store bought pesto (or if you make your own, whatever), bake some chicken breasts and slice them, then toss them in.
Tuesday: Tacos. I usually use chicken, with rice - I cook some brown rice and toss in a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles, and cilantro
Wednesday: Black bean whole wheat quesadillas: Whole wheat tortillas, a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, then smashed with a fork or potato masher, some part skim shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and whatever else you want, then cook in a nonstick skillet and slice with a pizza wheel.
Thursday: Balsamic chicken with spinach
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/balsamic-chicken-with-baby-spinach-recipe/index.html
Friday: Salmon or Halibut cooked in parchment with some sliced squash and zuchinni and lemon (it all cooks together in the parchment), and sauteed spinach with shallots
Saturday: Chicken Saltimbocca - easier than it sounds, and inexpensive, since you only need 6 slices of Proscuitto sliced paper thin:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-saltimbocca-recipe/index.html
Sunday: Appetizers and pizza - for the Super bowl, we will just snack all day.

Now, on a normal week I give myself a free day, or a super easy way out meal, something frozen, or something I can do in the crock pot. And sometimes things end up getting switched around depending on how much time I have or whether or not I feel like making a big meal. I also buy a big container of field greens so we can have salad, and I make a quick vinaigrette to go with it.

A friend was asking around for some ideas on meal planning, so I shared mine as an example for the week.
I am going to paste the message I sent her so if any of you need ideas, you can steal it!
Here you go:
I usually do my shopping on Thursdays, after the ads come out on Wednesday. I also clean out my fridge on Wednesdays, so I am ready to re-stock it.
Here is my plan for the week. Try to keep a well stocked pantry with staples like chicken stock, canned diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings, it will make it easier and you can stock up when things are on sale.

Monday: Pesto pasta with chicken - just cook the pasta, toss in store bought pesto (or if you make your own, whatever), bake some chicken breasts and slice them, then toss them in.
Tuesday: Tacos. I usually use chicken, with rice - I cook some brown rice and toss in a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles, and cilantro
Wednesday: Black bean whole wheat quesadillas: Whole wheat tortillas, a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, then smashed with a fork or potato masher, some part skim shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and whatever else you want, then cook in a nonstick skillet and slice with a pizza wheel.
Thursday: Balsamic chicken with spinach
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/balsamic-chicken-with-baby-spinach-recipe/index.html
Friday: Salmon or Halibut cooked in parchment with some sliced squash and zuchinni and lemon (it all cooks together in the parchment), and sauteed spinach with shallots
Saturday: Chicken Saltimbocca - easier than it sounds, and inexpensive, since you only need 6 slices of Proscuitto sliced paper thin:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-saltimbocca-recipe/index.html
Sunday: Appetizers and pizza - for the Super bowl, we will just snack all day.

Now, on a normal week I give myself a free day, or a super easy way out meal, something frozen, or something I can do in the crock pot. And sometimes things end up getting switched around depending on how much time I have or whether or not I feel like making a big meal. I also buy a big container of field greens so we can have salad, and I make a quick vinaigrette to go with it.