Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What I Wore Wednesday

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Sweater & Shirt – Old Navy

Jeans – Kohl’s – Jennifer Lopez

Shoes – Marshall’s ($7, recent find, woot!)

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Let’s be honest, this is what I really looked like all day. Brr!

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I wasn’t sure about this one, but I really ended up liking it!

Shirt & Leggings – Kohl’s – Lauren Conrad

Boots – DSW

Pearls – Kohl’s – Vera Wang

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Earrings – Old Navy

Jacket – H&M

Shirt – Kohl’s – Lauren Conrad

Jeans – Kohl’s

Boots – DSW

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This jacket was my wicked awesome Target find! I’ve been eyeing it for awhile, and when it finally dropped to $14, I couldn’t pass it up! I love IT!

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One last, new addition to my wardrobe this week. The shirt was $15 from Marshall’s! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Trick of the Trade Tuesday–Photo Gallery Organization Tutorial

Photo Gallery Planning Tutorial

2 weeks ago, here, I shared that I like to layout my photo gallery plan in Microsoft Publisher. I figured I’d give you a step by step of how I did it. Perhaps slightly embarrassing to admit how OCD I am, but…I know I’m not alone.

Step 1

Measure all your picture frames and the area of wall you hope to hang said photo gallery.

(if you’re OCD like me, measure the size of the mats, too, so you can really get a visual of what the whole she-bang will look like).

Step 2

Open Publisher and change the View to about 25% (more or less depending on how large your wall area is). Click the View tab, and change the percent to 25. It will then look like this.

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Step 3

Create a shape the same size as your wall space. Mine was huge, about 42” x 85”. Click the Insert tab, Shapes, and my wall space is a rectangle. Change the measurements in the upper right corner to match your wall space. See? Because mine was so large, I changed the view to 10%.

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Step 4

Begin putting in the size/shapes of your frames. So, for example, one of my frames is 10x12, the mat was 8x10, and the frame opening 5x7. I put in a rectangle to be 10x12, filled in black. So, Insert, Shapes, rectangle, adjust the measurement. Next, click Format, Shape Fill, black.

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Then, I added another rectangle that was 8x10, Format, Shape Fill, White, and centered it in the middle of the first “frame”, and wa-la! You have your first “matted frame”.

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Then, add your picture in a 5x7, center it, and you’ve got your first framed picture!

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To keep that whole picture entact, use your mouse and select all 3 layers, both rectangles AND your picture. Then, from your home tab, click group. Now you can move the whole image together. See?

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Step 5

Continue this process until you have all your frames and pictures. Don’t worry about placement just yet, you can move it out of the “wall space area” until you’re ready to lay out your frames in the gallery design you’d like.

Step 6

Now, toy with what pictures you want where, and where you’d like each frame placed. It helps with color layout, etc. It seems like a lot of work getting it set up, but now, each time I want to put in new pictures, I can just add the picture in the correct size, and see how it fits. Does the color mesh with the others, etc. Easy peasy. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try and answer!

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Enjoy your new gorgeous photo gallery!!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Menu Plannin’ Monday

Last week:

Monday: Lemon Chicken & SaladIMG_6873

Tuesday: Butternut Squash

(I planned to make Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole, but forgot we were bringing a side dish to a friend’s for dinner, oops! I sauteed the squash in EVOO for about 5 minutes w/ S&P, then baked at 350 for 15 minutes. Drizzle with honey and top with thyme.)

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Wednesday: Tortellini & Salad

I know…you’re ALL wanting this recipe! Hold your applause please…Costco ladies and gentlemen!

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Thursday: Feta Turkey Burgers

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Friday: Chicken Caesar Salad

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Saturday: Oven BBQ Chicken, Biscuits & Salad

Sunday: Papa Murphy’s, we didn’t have leftovers! =)

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No meal plan for this next week….reasons to follow next week!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Simple Things Sunday No. 8

allie’s step stool

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This simple Sunday, I’m celebrating Allie’s step stool.

Can I just tell you how thankful I am for this adorable picture?

I did NOT start this day off…thankful for Allie’s step stool.

My precious little girl wants soo badly to help in the kitchen, she follows me around with this step stool constantly while I’m meal prepping. If I turn around to rinse my hand off in the sink, she’s already climbed down, turned around and is setting up the step stool beside me at the sink. I’ve nearly run into her…about a gajillion times. I know, that’s a lot, right?

BUT! As I was going through all our photos from this week, this one stood out to me. I mean seriously, how precious IS she? And instead of thinking of this step stool as this annoying thing that’s constantly in the way, it helped me step back and cherish how precious it truly is that my daughter WANTS TO BE WITH ME. She wants to help, she wants to learn.

So…while it takes at least 10 minutes longer to prep with Allie and her step stool…I will enjoy it, because my daughter loves me, and that’s pretty awesome!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Friday Faves - Target Debit Card

target debit card
I have my sister-in-law to thank for this helpful tidbit! And I’m kicking myself that it’s taken me this long to follow through with it!
My husband and I have been working super hard to create, AND stick to a budget. We’re getting more and more successful each month, and it is so encouraging to meet our financial goals. We pretty much only use ONE credit card, and pay off each individual purchase we make. So I don’t want any other credit cards that could muck up our plan.
BUT…with this Target DEBIT CARD…my Target purchases come right out of my checking account! That means no forgotten payments ending in late fees. And here’s the perk ladies…
the perks
You get 5% off EVERY TARGET PUCRHASE (INCLUDING STARBUCKS PEOPLE!!) AND…you get free shipping online (could be dangerous? I’ll let you know).
Why oh why have I waited so long? The $ I could have been saving! So, I finally took the time last night (probably because I was at Target without children, how often does that happen) to obtain said debit card. All you have to do is bring a blank check with you so they can link it to your checking account. Done! Easy peasy.
the deals
Orange Coat
I mentioned I was at Target without kids (also sometimes dangerous) and found some awesome deals! The orange coat above? $14 after the 5% discount, AWESOME!IMG_7008

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As if you needed an extra push to tell you that Target was awesome. But…go get yourself a 5% debit card, seriously!
*Disclaimer – I am in no way receiving any kickbacks from Target for posting this blog. Just an FYI

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Thoughtful Thursday–Gumball Necklaces!

Gumball Necklace Tutorial w Words

I’ve mentioned that I coordinate a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, and I can’t believe I haven’t shared more of our crafts with you! So…allow me to give a tutorial on our most recent craft, gumball necklaces!

Supplies

  • 8 gumballs (follow this link for the best bulk price I found)
  • 1 yard or more of matching ribbon (ours was ~1/2” wide, do longer than 1 yard if you want your necklace length longer)
  • 1/2 yard of 1” matching ribbon (for the bow – we got our ribbon from Michael’s)
  • Metal skewer (follow this link for the skewers we used, or if you just need some amazingly cheap skewers that are good quality!)
  • Tape
  • Toothpick

Directions

1. Use a metal skewer to pierce the dubble bubble logo side of the gumball. Hold the top of the gumball steady as you guide the skewer carefully.

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2. Flip the gumball over and pierce another hole directly opposite to the first hole. If you try to poke a hole straight through both sides at once, the gumball will crack. Poke holes in all 8 gumballs.

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3. Tape a toothpick TIGHTLY to the ribbon.

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4. Then use the toothpick to thread the ribbon through the gumballs. Tie a know between each gumball as you string it.IMG_6947IMG_6949

 

 

 

 

5. Once you’ve finished stringing all gumballs and tying knots, remove the toothpick from the ribbon and tie a small knot with the ends of the ribbon. Then, use the thicker ribbon to tie a bow over that knot.

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AND…the thoughtful part…we encouraged our girls that if these necklaces weren’t there thing (how could they NOT be, right? Winking smile), to give them to a girlfriend as an early Valentine’s gift thanking them for their friendship. So…my parting thought for all you blog readers out there, don’t let Valentine’s Day pass without telling a good friend how much you appreciate them.

Tata for now!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Bloglovin’

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Trick of the Trade–Communicate!

communicate with your spouse

Ryan and Becky

I am FAR  from an expert in this department, but I’ve come a LONG way in our almost 10 years of marriage.

Let’s begin with how I USED to communicate:

I’d pretty much expect my husband to read my thoughts, and know exactly what I was feeling. I would often get mad, clam up, and expect him to know I was mad and figure out why, all on his own.

Sound familiar? Thankfully, our pre-marital counselor caught on to this (I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that every other women in the world is this way) and pointed out that I needed to start talking to Ryan, telling him what I was feeling. My initial excuse was, “Well, I still haven’t sorted out my thoughts, and it may come out wrong” pshaw! Yeah right. So what if it does?! That’s all part of marriage.

So…NOW…if Ryan does something that bothers me, I always work hard to tell him as soon as I get a moment, calmly is key! Try not to insert emotion, just state what it is. If we don’t say anything, nothing’s going to change! Don’t fool yourself into thinking he’ll get it from subliminal messages, or maturity down the road, that’s idealistic wishful thinking that I apparently had at one point. INSTEAD, talk to him so that you two can grow together as a couple. And when all else fails, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. I guarantee you that is why my relationship with my spouse is as good as it is. Prayer, and God working in us.

Now that we’ve discussed conflict…there is more to communicating with your husband solely regarding conflicts! And the advice is the same – TELL HIM WHAT YOU’RE THINKING, FEELING, AND WANTING!! There are SO many different examples for this line of thinking. For example, if you want an extravagant trip for your 10 year anniversary, TELL HIM! If you don’t, TELL HIM! Don’t secretly desire a gift for your birthday or Valentine’s day, then be disappointed when you don’t get it. I know it sort of takes out the “magic” of it when you flat out tell him, but think of how much happier you will both be!! You won’t be disappointed, and he won’t feel like he’s in the doghouse because he didn’t read your mind. Win-win ladies!

Now with all this said, don’t get all demanding and needy. I mentioned above that God is what grounds my marital relationship. And the Bible states,

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21

So while it’s great AND okay to tell your husband what you’re thinking, feeling, and wanting, you need to do the same for him. Try do observe what he’s thinking and feeling. Try to predict what it is he wants. And when you don’t know, ask! What’ve you got to lose?

I hope this equips you in your marriage this week…particularly with Valentine’s quickly approaching. Change your Valentine’s this year! Don’t be disappointed, tell your hubby what it is you would like. =)

Monday, February 4, 2013

Menu Plannin’ Monday

Last week:

Monday: Chicken with Orzo

I was out of spinach (we ate it all up too quickly! yay!), so I substituted edamame, delicious! Instead of purchasing a roasted chicken, I just cooked chicken in the crockpot so it shredded!

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Tuesday: Spanish Style Stuffed Peppers

So easy and fast! I add chicken (‘cuz my husband prefers protein with EVERY meal).

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Wednesday: Autumn Chopped Salad

This, too, came together rather quickly and was tasty!IMG_6699

Thursday: Chicken & Roasted Fennel and Carrots

Surprisingly delicious! A friend recommended this recipe, and she added the Trader Joe’s mixed grains (in the frozen section, heats up in 3 minutes). And again, we added chicken. The orange is definitely what makes this dish!

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Friday: Pasta Fagioli

This was just okay. Tasty, but nothing spectacular. It was a bit bland. And we had A TON of leftovers!!

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Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs

Didn’t get a picture of these, but they turned out great! And the leftovers made a great lunch the following day.

BONUS: Blue Sunset Smoothie

Usually I try to sneak in greens when we have smoothies, but we’ve been burning through our greens, which is great! I used regular milk for ours (the recipe calls for brazil nut), and I used frozen blueberries. It was tasty!

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Plans for the week ahead:

Monday: Lemon Chicken & Salad

Tuesday: Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Wednesday: Tortellini & Salad

Thursday: Feta Turkey Burgers

Friday: Chicken Caesar Salad

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Oven BBQ Chicken, Biscuits & Salad

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