Well, the first week went really well. We stuck to the meal plan and had delicious meals at home.

Mark didn't care for the potato soup too much, so I'm afraid that is not going to be finished. That recipe makes a lot of soup. If we were going to eat it, I was going to freeze the extra. That's what I'm going to do with the chili. Mark is the one who makes chili at our house, and he always makes a lot. He makes it different every time, but it's always delicious.

Next week, we have some special events going on. On Monday, we are meeting up with some good friends for tacos. Wednesday is community group, as usual, but it's also my birthday. Sunday will mark 10 years since Mark and I began dating. We've been married almost 4 years now :) Anyway, the meal plan is a little easier this week.

Here it is:
Monday: Tacos at K & R's
Tuesday: Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, peas
Wednesday: Pot Luck at Community Group- bring birthday cake
Thursday: Left over meat loaf & potatoes
Friday: Enchiladas
Saturday: Date Night
Sunday: Easy Chicken Bake

I started meal planning fairly regularly last year. I've tried a couple of different methods and think I've found some good ideas to help me get organized pretty quickly. The biggest help for me is the spreadsheet I created for meal planning. It lists a bunch of our favorite meals along with a side, the main ingredient, and a note of where to find the recipe (link included for internet recipes). When it's time to start planning, I can open it up and pick out some ideas based on what I know I have on hand and what we feel like eating that week.

Ok, so... I'm considering this as my practice blog until I actually get the hang of it. I've been reading lots of blogs and learning what I like, so maybe someday I'll know what I want to really do with a blog. For now though... I though it would be fun to share a fun date Mark & I went on.

There's a website called The Dating Divas that has a lot of great ideas for dating your spouse. I found one called "Choose Your Own Destiny" and thought it would be fun to try. I wanted to do dinner, an activity, and possibly dessert. I chose three options in each of these categories and printed off pictures as "clues" for each option. My clues weren't really helpful in any way, but Mark was a good sport and took his chances.

What would you choose?

We went to Grub's for dinner. Neither of us had eaten there before. Mark thought his burger was good, so we were off to a great start. Of course, I forgot my camera, so we stopped back at the apartment to pick it up (like I said, Mark was being a good sport!). Mark chose the picture that represented Go Karts, but we weren't sure we were really up for that. So, we broke the "rules" and decided to go to Gator Golf instead.

The rejected Go Kart Card

It was Mark's idea of a perfect night as far as weather goes: warm (not hot) temps, slight breeze, & cloudy. We played one of our worst games of mini-golf ever, but had a lot of laughs.

Gator Golf

One of the dessert clue cards was "Home Sweet Home". Mark's not much of a dessert guy, so he liked the idea of heading home which was fine with me. It was a great night, and I'm hoping we'll have a lot more like it this summer.

What are some of your favorite date ideas?

Mark & I have not been able to go home to Minnesota for Thanksgiving or Christmas since moving to AR. It would be wonderful to be with family for the holidays, but God has blessed us with good friends to help make these days special.

The last three years, Travis & Tabitha & Zedekiah have been coming to see us for Thanksgiving.  We have a lot of fun together and are starting some special traditions now that this is getting to be a habit. Last year, we took T, T, & Z to the Square to see the Christmas lights for the first time. That outing has made it to the list of "must do's" while they are here.
We decided on two new traditions to add this year. For the first one, we are going to use the same tablecloth each year and have whoever is with us write what they are thankful for on the tablecloth. Then, they can sign and date what they wrote.  Even with only one Thanksgiving's worth of notes on the cloth, it was fun to read what everyone had to say. I look forward to filling the cloth with many years worth of names & blessings.

Writing on our table cloth.

Our other idea didn't quite come together this year.  We want to play a game with each other each year and have a traveling trophy that stays with the winners.  We got as far as the playing games portion, but did not find a suitable trophy or white elephant prize.  It's a goal for next year :)

What are your Thanksgiving Traditions?  Any ideas on a good traveling trophy?

Grosgrain: ANOTHER SILHOUETTE MACHINE GIVEAWAY!!!!

This machine would be so much fun. Check out the link. On Monday, Nov. 29th there will be a big sale if any of you would like to have the machine and don't win it.

I'm on Thanksgiving break this week!  I got off work at my normal time (1pm) on Friday and immediately went into vacation mode. Nap time!  When I woke up, it was time to work on some more of my craft projects. I decided to make everyone's Christmas presents this year.  It has been a lot of fun, and I'm learning a lot.

My friend, Nichole, and I decided to have a craft day every month. We've invited several other girls to join us, but so far it's just been us. We have a great time spending the day together, but it seems that we don't usually get very much work done.  It's alright though; we just enjoy hanging out together.  Last Saturday, we were at her new apartment. I was actually able to almost finish the jewelry box that I covered with scrapbook paper, but Nichole was busy trying to get her internet hooked up. Why are those things always so time consuming?

When I got home, I kept working on the box. What should have been an easy project became quite complicated when I got up the next morning and realized that the spray adhesive was not holding properly.  Maybe I put the mod podge on too soon.  I tried respraying, then I put something on it to hold it all together. When that had set for several hours, it was sticking to the box. It peeled off leaving a bumpy mess.  I fixed that and added another coat of mod podge to seal everything. I thought it was dry, so I set the lid on top of the bottom. Then, I discovered the lid was sticking to the box!  Needless to say, this jewelry box is not perfect. However, I still like the way it turned out.  I just hope that it will work well for the person I'm giving it to:)




Here are a couple of other things I've been working on:

Hi, I'm made from a pair of gloves.

I do my own hair.

These will have clips for hair or headbands with the option to add a pin.

A couple of weeks ago, Emily & Rick came for a visit. Their time here was far too short, but it was wonderful to spend time with them. We tried a local pizza place for dinner the first night.
On Saturday, Emily & I left the boys to watch the Razorbacks while we visited the farmers market.
Rick had some friends at another church in the area, so they went there for church on their way back to MN on Sunday.  When he got there, he found out that some of the people he knew from working at a small camp in Tennessee are now leading the Student Ministry at my church. It was fun to tell them that "Big Rick" married one of my best friends and had been in town with us.

Here are links to the tutorials I used from other blogs:

Doll: http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2008/12/handcrafted-doll-tutorial.html
Flowers: http://www.simplyvintagegirl.com/blog/index.php/2010/05/29/tutorial-how-to-make-lovely-fabric-flowers

Thanks to Grosgrain & Simply Vintage Girl!

Shabby Apple All That Jazz Dress Guest Giveaway

These dresses are gorgeous. I would love wearing them, wouldn't you?

So, I kinda feel like I'm failing at the whole blog thing. There have been so many cool things going on this summer, and I can't put them all in one post. I definitely have to work on posting more frequently. Maybe now that I'm getting into a routine with school again, I can try to catch you all up on what's been happening.  It's been a good summer.

Mark & I had a great time on vacation visiting people all over Minnesota plus family & friends in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri.  I'll share pics and stories later though. I have been wanting to share some of my summer projects. Some of them were made for gifts, so I had to wait to put up pictures. Then, when we got back from our trip in July, I didn't make time to write about them until now. Like I said, this blog is a work in progress :)

My first projects were purses that I made for my sisters for their birthdays. Last winter, I learned about "fat quarters"- quarter yards of fabric that lend themselves well to many simple sewing projects. Of course, I had to try some.  The ones I made for Summer & Shadee happen to be reversible.

Summer's purse

I "messed up" and got ruffles at the top. I like it.

The other side of Shadee's purse.

After the purses, I was inspired to make eye pillows for Tracy's bachelorette party. We had a spa night and it was great.  We gave the eye pillows to each of the girls who came. I filled the pillows with flax seed, dried lavender, and dried chamomile.
Then, I found a magazine article about how to make a necklace organizer. I'm sure there is a catchier name for it, but a necklace organizer is just what I needed. I was on the lookout for a cheap frame, and found one for a quarter at a garage sale. It had a pale picture of some landscape, and the poor lady started to tell me all about the picture. I felt kind of bad that I was going to throw it away. After I painted the frame it was ready for a new job.
My final and most challenging project was making my own dress. I stumbled across a really great blog called Grosgrain Fabulous. It is inspiring and has led me to many other crafty blogs. On it, there are some tutorials called "A Frock by Friday". It took me step by step through the process of making the dress. I was rather nervous, but when it was all done I felt really good about it. I even wore it to parent night at the school where I teach.

As you can see, I've been on a DIY kick. It feels so good to make things for others and for myself. I'm hoping to find time to do more soon. I have a wish list a mile long of things I want to try.  What do you like to do?

P.S. If anyone is interested in trying these projects, I can easily share patterns and/or instructions :)

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway
These are the sweetest little baby shoes. Wouldn't they be fun to make?

I was reading Keren's blog "What I Like About Life" and noticed her "Thankful List".  She inspired me to make my own list of things I am grateful for. I think she is aiming for 387 items on her list.  I'm don't think I'll aim for any particular goal, but I do like the idea of counting my blessings, so mine will be numbered as well.  

I'm also very excited for Tracy & Andrew's wedding in a few weeks. Mark & I begin our trip north a week from tomorrow.  There are many things to be thankful for just in those two sentences :)

Which reminds me, I have to go get some supplies for my PreK class. I will continue my list another day.

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

It's Memorial Day. I'm enjoying a laid back day and have plans to get some things done around the apartment. Mark & I may even go to a movie later. However, it seems strange not to be going to a Memorial Day Service or to have plans for a picnic.
When I was growing up in McGregor, that is what we did every year. In high school, Tracy, Carie, and I often sang for the Memorial Day Service. I enjoyed being able to show my appreciation to the veterans in our community that way. It's hard to describe the way I felt at those services. Men and women I'd known my whole life were being honored for the sacrifices they made when they served. I could see sadness in their faces as they remembered friends who had given their lives. It was a solemn time.
As the service ended however, the mood would lighten. We would run into old friends who had come to town for the holiday. We'd stop at the pancake breakfast and visit with everyone there. There would be a family picnic and lots of fun on the farm with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Even though I couldn't be at the Service in McGregor or spend time with my family this weekend, I don't want to forget what today is all about.
Thank you to all of the veterans from today and the past. Thank you for defending our freedom.