Monday, January 16, 2012

Menu Monday & Chicken Nugget Knock-offs


Well, we are in week 3 of the new year and while I have been making a menu plan, I will admit we haven't been following it, exactly.  In general I have made the meals, just not necessarily on the days I "planned".  I guess I am still a bit of a "what am I hungry for" and "I don't feel like making that tonight" kind of cook.  That being said, I am going to stick with it and maybe it will click.  Planning definitely helps when I hit the grocery store.

Monday
Carnitas - I bought a big pork roast on sale at Costco yesterday.  Some of this will go in to the freezer for another day.

Tuesday
Eating @ In-Laws - I won't be home so the kids and hubby have been invited to my in-laws!  Awesome!

Wednesday
Soup - not sure what yet, maybe an Italian soup with sausage & spinach - I will have to let you know

Thursday
Cheeseburgers & Hashbrowns

Friday
Homemade Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pizza (kids will likely just have cheese pizza)

Saturday
Lunch:  Panini Sandwiches
Dinner:  Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sunday
Lunch:  birthday party
Dinner:  In-laws

I shared on Facebook last week that I made two recipes that I had pinned on Pinterest last week.  They both were awesome. 

The first was homemade caramel made by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Pretty straight forward and very yummy.  It is awesome for dipping apples.  The boy and I had it for lunch 2 days in a row.  Yum!!! 
The second recipe was for knock-off Chick-Fil-A Nuggets from My Name is Snickerdoodle.  These were absolutely wonderful.  Maybe not as good as the original but very tasty.  I did 2 versions of these.  The first night I followed the recipe and fried them.  They were very good although they tasted a bit like the oil.

On night 2 I made this baked version...


I really liked these and of course, they were healthier.  (I didn't get a picture of the fried ones, sorry, we were so excited to eat them that it slipped my mind.)

The real secret to the recipe is the addition of powdered sugar in the breading which gives it some sweetness.  I never thought about that the nuggets at Chick are sweet, but they kind of are and that is what makes them so tasty.  I made a few changes to the original recipe.  Since I was baking these, I added some additional sugar to help crisp up the nuggets under the broiler.  I also added some Tobasco and cayenne to give the nuggets a bit more flavor and zip.  So here is my recipe.

Sweet Baked Chicken Nuggets
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp Tobasco
1 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Trim away any fat from the chicken and cube them in to bite size pieces.  Try to keep them uniform in size so they cook evenly.  In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk and Tobasco.  Place chicken in milk mixture and cover. Let it 'marinate' for 2-4 hours in the fridge (I let mine sit overnight since I made them 2 days in a row). This will make the chicken very nice and tender. Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl or large resealable bag.  Add your "marinated" chicken to the dry ingredients and coat.  Spread the chicken out on a large baking sheet, leaving space between.  Place the pan under the broiler.  Watch closely.  When the nuggets start to get a bit golden brown, remove the pan and turn over the chicken using tongs.  Place back under the broiler to brown the other side.  Under the broiler, the heat somewhat carelizes the sugar in the breading which allows the nuggets to turn a golden brown and get a bit of a crunchy crust.

Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy.


Saturday, January 14, 2012

24 Projects on the To Do List

Last year one of my favorite bloggers - Allison at House of Hepworths - published a list of 24 Projects I Should Have Finished By Now!  She may think she is alone, but I think we ALL have a list like this.  I know that we do...

Now, this white board in our office is part "To Do List" and part "Dream Board".  A few of the items on there, like new furniture, hardwood floors and redo backyard/pool area are definitely long-term goals that will involve a fair amount of money saving and planning.  But if we also know that with hard work, these visions for our future will come true!

But back to the here and now.  Like Allison, we have a more realistic to do list that is filled with  projects that need to get done - sooner than later.  Some of the items are general maintenance, some of the items are unfinished projects, some are simple decor solutions that just need to be started (and completed) and most of the projects will help us reach our home goals for 2012.

So here is OUR Project List!  And like Allison, we are giving ourselves a deadline.  Let's see how many of these projects we can knock off our list by April 15th, 2012.  Tax day!  I know, kind of a sick joke but maybe it will make us feel better when Uncle Sam comes a knocking!

{ Project #1 }
Complete Organization of Home Office/Craft Room
This project has been on the list ever since we moved in and while I started last week with great enthusiasm, I have slowed to a halt.  I have mostly completed the craft supplies and now we need to finish sorting through the office supplies and finding a home for everything.


{ Project #2 }
Replace popped light switches {DONE}
One of the "issues" we had to deal with when we bought a foreclosure was minor repairs caused by upset home owners.  One of these projects was popped light switches.  We bought a contractors pack of new switches and while we replaced most of them, we missed a couple (either that or a couple of them have started show the wear and tear).  Simple project, we have everything on hand,  just need to finish it!


{ Project #3 }
Touch up paint in all rooms
We painted EVERY room in our home when we bought it at the end of 2010.  A little over a year later, there are the inevitable nicks and scratches.  Need to pull out each color and touch up each and every room.


{ Project #4 }
Decide on artwork for above the fireplace 
We have a friend whose husband is an amazing photographer.  We just need to decide on one of the photos, get the file, order the picture and get it framed.  Seems easy enough, well except for the picking a photo part - they are all so amazing.  This spot is screaming for a beautiful piece of art.



{ Project #5 }
Level the A/C unit
When we had our house painted this summer, our contractor let us know that due to erosion, our A/C unit was not level which is why it makes so much noise (vibrating) when it is running.  This unit sits outside our bedroom and is loud.  All we need to do is go out and re-level it.  Easy peasy!


{ Project #6 }
Elastek the flat parts of the roof
In Arizona, homes often have flat roofs.  Ours has a combination of a flat roof and a slanted tile roof.  Due to the intense sun, it is critical to re-seal the roof every few years.  We fixed a couple of "leaks" earlier this year when we noticed a wet spot in our front room but we really need to go in and put a coat of Elastek (a rubber sealant) on the entire surface.

{ Project #7 }
Repair and repaint ceiling in front room {DONE}
Last summer we had a water leak in the front room due to some drainage issues on the roof.  My awesome husband repaired the roof but we waited to do the interior repair.  While it doesn't rain here often, it has enough to know that the leak is fixed.  Now to fix the ceiling, add texture and paint.


{ Project #8 }
Recover Dining Chairs
Our dining room chairs are beyond nasty.  They are in desperate need of new coverings.  Two kids have done quite a number on them.  Between food stains and snags caused by Velcro shoes - let's just say, it is time for some style.  I even have the fabric (2 different ones as a matter of fact).  Now to just get it done.
{ Project #9 }
Donate big items taking up space in garage.
We have this awesome "extra" single stall garage connected to our house.  It is perfect for storage in Arizona since we do not have basements or attics.  HOWEVER, it becomes a dumping ground where stuff we need to get rid of goes to hide.  We don't go in this garage will often so it is easy to forget what is in there.  The old electronics and boxes have been there for over a year now.  We meant to get them donated in 2010 for the tax receipt but didn't get it done.  So we knew we would get it done in 2011.  Guess what, it is 2012 - it is all still there and there is even more.  Get it done!

{ Project #10 }
Hang ceiling rack in small garage
In our old house, my Dad helped us build an awesome overhead garage organizer using angle iron and 2x4s.  It was great for those items that are rarely if ever used but need a home such as skis, scuba gear, extra carpet, etc.  We later purchased a 2nd smaller one from Costco.  It sat in the garage at our old house for several years and now sits in this garage.  Time to get it installed and get the garage organized.

{ Project #11 }
Organize garage
We recently added some great garage cabinets from my husband's parents as well as having the above ceiling rack.  Now we need to find a home for everything in our two garages.  My daughter and I both got bikes for Christmas but our bikes need a home!  I am tired of climbing over stuff to find the one thing I want, way in the back.


{ Project #12 }
Move daughter's clothes to her room. {DONE}
In our last house, we had my daughter's dresser inside her closet and it was awesome.  However our closets are slightly smaller here and the dresser drawers wouldn't open since the doors are in the way.  Ultimately we would like to put a whole closet system in both of the kids closets.  Right now our daughter's dresser is in the guest room next door since she already had a lot of furniture in her room.  Well, my Mom is coming to stay with us for a month and we decided we didn't need to invade her space each day to get clothes so we are going to trade some furniture around.

{ Project #13 }
Secure slide out shelf in liquor cabinet {DONE}
I know how this one sounds and honestly, we are not big drinkers but we do keep some bottles around for parties and entertaining.  My Dad suggested we move one of the slide-out shelves in a small cupboard to the bottom to allow for the taller bottles to fit.  This worked great and the pull out shelf makes it much easier to find what we are looking for.  Unfortunately, I took the shelf out but never got it secured.  So it sits on the bottom of the cabinet. It is likely a 10 minute project that has taken a year and a half to complete!

{ Project #14 }
Find plants or other filler for the pots out front
I found these awesome planters on deep clearance at Target last year.  I love them.  The problem is, our house is south facing in the hot Arizona sun. Last fall I put mums in them and despite watering them daily, they were completely fried by two weeks later. I need to go to the nursery to see what they suggest as "gardening" in Arizona is an art and finding xeriscape plants is critical.  Xeriscaping is gardening and landscaping with native plants that minimize the need for supplemental watering.  I am not good at "watering", especially when it needs to be done more than once a day so Xeriscaping is my answer.

{ Project #15 }
Window treatments for my daughter's room {DONE}
We completed awesome window treatments for my son last year and I love them.  My daughter has been bugging for curtains too.  Guess we need to head to SAS Fabric (our favorite discount fabric store) and find a fun, girly fabric to make her curtains.  There have been some awesome tutorials lately so it should be a quick project once we decide on a fabric.

{ Project #16 }
Finish the grommets on my son's curtains {DONE}
As mentioned above, I made curtains for my son's room last year and they are great.  We used these great snap together grommets.  They are really cool but can be quite stubborn to snap together.  I was so excited to hang them up, I left a couple of the grommets off.  Time to finish this project once and for all.

{ Project #17}
Replace trash and recycle bin in kitchen {DONE}
We are big on recycling in our house so we keep a small bin in the kitchen to separate our trash immediately.  The reality is, we generally have more (or at least as much) recycling as we do trash - and probably would have more if we had a bigger container.  I have been looking for a slim can that we could use side by side in the kitchen so that this area not only looks good but is more functional.

{ Project #18 }
Window treatments in living and dining area
Having a big open concept area with 2-story ceilings is awesome.  However, it can also be very loud with so many hard surfaces.  The north facing wall of the room is largely windows.  Since they are north facing, we generally don't have to worry about blocking sun so the window coverings would largely be decorative.  However that function is critical in providing some sound muffling and of course decorative appeal.  Again, need to SAS and find some awesome fabric to make some simple drapes for this window.


{ Project #19 }
Window treatments in master bedroom
We have lots of windows in our master bedroom as well.  I love the light it brings in, however not so much at 5am.  Some beautiful decorative drapes would be awesome.  I would love for these to be lined to offer better light control as well as offering some style and charm to our room.

{ Project #20 }
Shelving/Storage in front hall closet
We have a great coat closet near our front door.  The thing is, we live in Arizona and rarely wear coats.  This closet has deep insets to each side which makes the closet perfect for storage.  I would like to add a couple of shelves to offer better storage.  Should be a quick and easy project, just need to do it!

{ Project #21 }
Laundry basket organizer for laundry room
I redid the laundry room last year and I love it.  However, we don't have a great place to store the laundry baskets.  Additionally, there is this space to the right of the freezer that becomes a catch-all pile of stuff that doesn't seem to have a home.  I want to build a simple storage unit that holds 3 or 4 laundry baskets for both storage and function.

{ Project #22 }
Redo lamp for guest bedroom {DONE}
A few months ago my husband stopped at my favorite Goodwill store on 50% Saturday.  He had never been there so this was an experience.  I think he is slowly catching on to the idea of thrifting and making stuff new again.  He picked up this small lamp which will be great in our guest room.  Quick coat of spray paint, a nice shade and it is perfect.

{ Project #23 }
Hang up Dad's tools in garage
My wonderful Dad passed away almost 2 years ago now.  He was an amazing woodworker and all around handy man.  We rarely hired someone to fix anything, Dad and my brothers would take care of it.  When Mom asked us what she should do with all of Dad's tools I spoke up and said I wanted a couple of items to hang in my garage as a reminder of his hard work and determination.  I didn't care if it actually still worked, I wanted it for sentimental and decorative reasons.  I mean, really, why shouldn't I decorate my garage!

{ Project #24 }
Replace Light Bulb in Oven {DONE}
Remember a few weeks ago when we had to replace the glass on the front of our oven?  Well, while we were at it we should have replaced the light bulb too but we forgot.  It burned out a week or so before Christmas and we keep forgetting to pick one up.  It should be a quick job but why is it that those are the projects that take forever to complete.






Monday, January 9, 2012

Menu Monday


Here we are, week #2 of 2012 and we did very well this past week.  We didn't eat out at all.  If you knew us, that is a HUGE feat!  I love to eat out.  It is easy, convenient, yummy and best of all, there is no clean up!  We are working very hard this month to eat at home.  So here is our menu for the week.

Monday
Crock Pot Chili

Tuesday
Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

Wednesday
Pork Loin Chops and Fried Apples

Thursday
Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles and Mixed Vegetables

Friday
Cheese Burgers and Baked Fries

Saturday
Lunch:  Left Overs
Dinner:  Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sunday
Lunch:  Pannini Sandwiches
Dinner:  In-laws

Here is to another awesome week of eating better and eating at home!


Friday, January 6, 2012

2012...Lose the Frump

I am a mom.  A stay at home mom.  I don't have too many reasons to dress up.  I used to have a career where I had to dress up every day.  I didn't have to wear suits, but I did occasionally.  I always wore dress pants or a skirt.  Now...not so much.

Today my wardrobe can best be described as "comfortable".  In other words, casual, worn, stretchy, old, faded, dated and dare I say, frumpy!  I don't necessary hate my wardrobe but I don't love it either and I really don't think it does anything to flatter my figure.  (Oh, and I am working on that "figure" too because I don't hate it but I don't love IT either.)

I would love to be one of those people that have a style.  A look.  I am not flashy or trendy and that is not what I am looking to achieve.  I want to be classic, put together, modern.  Additionally, I want my clothes to reflect a better me.  I want my wardrobe to flatter my body and make me feel confident.

via
Before I can "find" my new style, I need to lose the frump.  So I decided to start with a quick purge.  First off, I do not have that much clothes and sadly, of that small amount of clothes, I probably wear about a quarter of it. 

I started with a quick closet purge.  I pulled out the old, the faded and stained.  I got rid of the stuff I don't wear at all and probably won't.  It feels good and now I get to do the fun part - building a wardrobe that makes me happy and that makes me look and feel great.

Don't you just love this wardrobe I found on Pinterest?  I don't know that it would work for me but I love how it all just seems so stylish and seems to all work together.
a pair & a spare perfect wardrobe essentials

I decided to do a google search for the top 10 wardrobe essentials.  The lists are largely the same and haven't changed much over the years.  So my quest is to find these items.  My two favorite lists were from Harper's BAZAAR  and Tim Gunn.  Both lists are from 2007 but they are truly timeless. These items are as modern today as they were 5 years ago.

Harper's BAZAAR
  1. Trousers
  2. Blazers
  3. Pencil skirts
  4. White Button-ups
  5. Silk  Blouses
  6. Simple Cardigans
  7. Dresses (shirt, shift, or sheath)
  8. Pumps
  9. Structured Bag
  10. Belts

TIM GUNN
  1. Basic Black Dress
  2. Trench Coat
  3. Dress Pants
  4. Classic White Shirt
  5. Jeans
  6. Any Occasion Top
  7. Skirt
  8. Day Dress
  9. Jacket
  10. Sweatsuit Alternative
    Bonus: One Indulgent Trendy Item
So, I am off to create the list of items that I need and build a wardrobe that works for me.  What is your style? 




Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Office ~ Craft Room Makeover Before

It is a new year and like so many others, I am on a mission to declutter and get organized.  I have been working on a variety of projects including the master bathroom, kitchen junk drawer and my closet.  However, the big monkey on my back is the junk room home office/craft room. 

For the past year, this room has not been used for much more than hiding boxes and crap when company comes over.  Of course, it has been set up as an office and craft room but used more as a storage space for those supplies.  I generally do my crafting and sewing on the dining room table.  And our home office work is done with laptops on our laps on the couch (both me and my husband).

So this is the UGLY TRUTH as it looked before I started this morning.


I told you it was a junk room.  Let me give you a closer look!




Scary isn't it!  I know I was scared.  I also know that I was going to need divine intervention a plan.  So here is what I set out to do...

Stage 1:  Unload & Sort
Do you remember the TV show Clean Sweep?  In that show, Peter Walsh (my organizing and decluttering idol), first completely emptied the room in question and sorted through the items piece by piece.  I decided to use this same technique.

Step one was to empty EVERYTHING out of the office.  I chose to leave the furniture because I have a pretty clear vision of how we want the space to function and have worked out a floor plan using an online software program.

Fortunately, we have a large "formal living/dining room" with no furniture so I used this space as my staging area.  I brought each item out of the office and put it in one of nine areas.

Scrapbooking
Sewing
Crafts
Decor
Home Office
Technology
Other Space
Trash
Donate/Sell

This is what I ended up with:





Again - very overwhelming.  Just looking at these piles brought on a bit of anxiety so I let the Virgo in me take over and I moved on to stage 2.

Stage 2:  Clean Slate
Taking a break from the overwhelming piles of stuff, I headed back into the office for a bit of cleaning.  So I cleaned.  Dust. Vacuum.  Wow!  Now it came time to finalize my plan.





This project is a huge undertaking.  I worked all day and am very happy with my progress.  Yet I have a long ways to go.  I am going through the items in each area, organizing, downsizing and putting like items together.  Nothing is allowed back into the space without first being properly sorted, labeled and stored.

Come back next Wednesday as I share my progress.  I would love to say that I will have the AFTER but we will see how it goes.



Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Modern Silhouette

Over the last several weeks I have spent a fair amount of time on Pinterest and have noticed a big trend.  A lot of the arts and crafts that I remember being popular in the 60s, 70s and even the 80s are totally making a come back.

I have noticed a lot of string artpin and sequin pomander balls, magazine trees and silhouettes.  It just seems so funny to me to see these old-school crafts take on a new modern twist.  I remember my mom decorating with these very ideas as a kid.

So to celebrate an old-school art, I recently made some silhouettes of my kids.  For me, they are the perfect amount of historic and modern art.


I realize they look very traditional, but it is not so much the framed silhouette that is modern as it is in the process to make them.

I remember as a kid in grade school, being asked to sit "very still" with the overhead projector lamp shining on my profile as my teacher quickly and carefully traced my shadow onto a piece of paper that was taped to the wall.  Honestly, I am not sure how those ever looked like us because there is no way we could sit perfectly still.

Enter today's technology and making a silhouette is easy peasy!

#1:  Take a Picture
Simply put, using a digital camera, snap a profile picture of your subject (child, pet, husband, whatever).  While it is best to have a simple background like a wall it is not entirely necessary.  I would recommend not having too much going on as the more busy the background, the more difficult it is to distinguish the features in the next step.


 #2:  Edit Photo
Using photo editing software, convert the photo to a pencil sketch or coloring page.  I use the free version of Picnik which is an awesome on-line photo editing program.  Someday I may upgrade to the premium version which entails a nominal fee but for now, the free version is great.


To create the pencil sketch in Picnik, follow these basic steps...
  • Upload your photo
  • Go to Basic Edits and rotate and crop photo as needed
  • Next go to Effects and find Pencil Sketch towards the bottom of the list
  • Adjust settings (specifically Strength) until you are happy and hit apply.  The goal is to lighten up the photo and to emphasize the outline.  Don't worry if it is dark in this step as you can adjust it further in the next step.  Make sure to hit Apply to save these edits.
  • Go back to Basic Edits and use the Exposure feature to further lighten the photo.  This again helps to emphasize the outline and also saves a significant amount of ink when it is time to print the photo.  I primarily used the Highlights slide to lighten the photo further.  Again, make sure to hit Apply to save your edits.
  • Go to the Save & Share tab and save the photo to your computer.
#3:  Print Photo and Cut Out
I then printed the photo to the desired size of my frame (5"x7").  Once I printed it out, I used a fine point marker to trace around the features.  This step made it much easier once I was ready to cut it out.  Using a sharp, small scissors I carefully cut out my silhouette.

#4:  Trace on to Final Paper and Cut Out
This is where you get to choose what you want the silhouette to look like.  You can choose the classic black silhouette on a light background, white on a bright color or as I did, a patterned silhouette on a subtle patterned background.  Place your cut-out from the last step on the back of your paper and carefully trace around it with a pencil.  Then cut out the silhouette.

#5:  Apply your Cut Out to the Background
Once you have cut out your final silhouette, apply it to your background.  I chose to use a light coat of spray mount as I wanted to make sure that the edges were secure.  You could also use a glue stick or even decoupage depending on what you are applying it to.


And there it is, my modern silhouette.  I love some of the fun silhouttes I have seen and may try to do something like this some day...how fun is that!

silhouettes
via



Monday, January 2, 2012

Menu Monday


Welcome to our first Menu Monday of the year!  As I layed out yesterday, this week I am working off of a new blogging calendar that will hopefully help me plan a bit better and reach our family goals for the year.

What is a new year without a resolve to eat better.  We are trying to focus on eating more whole foods - meat, vegetables, fruit, etc. and most importantly, more meals at home.  We have a bad habit of eating out, especially for lunch and on the weekends. 

In an effort to eat better and save a few bucks, I have put together a menu plan.  The plan utilizes the ample amount of meat and food that is in our freezer and pantry paired with fresh ingredients that are on sale during any given week.

Here is our plan for this week...We head back to school and work on Tuesday so sack lunches those days.

Monday
Lunch - Salad w/grilled chicken
Dinner - Grilled Pork with Grilled Pineapple Salsa & green beans

Tuesday
Dinner  - Taco Tuesday (ground beef)

Wednesday
Dinner - Vegetable & Chicken Lo Mein (Using this recipe as a base but will add A LOT more veggies)

Thursday
Dinner - Ham, Cheese & Apple Panini and carrots

Friday
Dinner - Chicken and Black Bean Stuffed Burritos

Saturday
Lunch - Hamburgers on the Grill, fresh fruit
Dinner - potluck/leftovers

Sunday
Brunch - Streussel Pizza (Papa Murphy's) & Fresh Fruit
Dinner - Orange Chicken with Snow Peas & Brown Rice

Here is to a great week of yummy food and family fun!  Happy new year everyone!


Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012...A New Adventure in Blogging

Happy new year everyone!  2012 is finally here and in the tradition of making resolutions and having a glowing and positive outlook on life, I am excited to be here to share my adventures through this exciting forum that is "the blog".  I started my blog in August of 2010, when on somewhat of a whim we bought our "dream house" that has come to be known as Our Forever House.  This is the home we intend to live in until we get old and gray.

Over the past year I have had an amazing time sharing projects and anecdotes about our life.  I saw my readership grow and I was actively blogging.  But I will be honest, blogging is a lot of work.  I have never really had a plan and will sit down, write a blog post and publish it.  Occasionally, I would "schedule" a post but I always seem to be flying by the seat of my pants.  (To be honest, as soon as I finish typing this, I again will be hitting publish ... no pre-planning on this first day of year either.)

I am working on a schedule for 2012, to make blogging more fun, easy and more intentional.  I am a Virgo, I have the need to plan, plan, plan but often end up a bit scattered.  So today I am going to share a few blogging resolutions and plans for the years.



Goal #1:  Eating Better and trying new things.
On Mondays I will share our food inspiration - it could be a menu plan, a recipe, a favorite food or drink, etc.  If it is food related, we will spill it on Monday. 

Goal #2:  Continue to make our house our home.
Tuesday will be all about how-to.  I love to craft, decorate and DIY so I can't wait to show you how I do the project of the week. 

Goal #3:  Be more spontaneous and check off a few bucket list items.
Taking advantage of life and living in the moment is so important.  I don't want us to miss an opportunity so while I love to plan, sometimes you need a day to do whatever.  On Wednesday I will share our life's adventures. I may share a bonus project or ramble on about whatever.  You never know what I might say! 

Goal #4:  Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose ... more!
Thursday will be all about being thrifty.  I love to go to thrift stores, repurpose items or make something out of nothing.  I also like to find thrifty ways to do things we love.  So I can't wait to share this one.  I also look forward to making 2012 greener for our family. 

Goal #5:  Find my inner beauty and style...on a budget!
Friday will be about finding my style.  Face it, as a stay at home Mom the last 6.5 years my style (not that I was ever a fashionista) has become a bit "sloppy".  Hanging around Pinterest, watching some great talk-show segments and perusing Goodwill, I know I can find my style and dress and feel better in 2012!  Of course, I will share my adventures. 

Goal #6:  Do more of the things I love.
I love to scrapbook and chronicle our lives with paper crafting.  Sadly, I have not spent much time doing this in 2011 so in 2012 I will get back in the saddle.  I can't wait to share some of my layouts and inspiration. 

Goal #7:  Be inspired and inspire others.
I am a beginner photographer and have a lot of fun learning to use my camera.  I look forward to learning more in 2012.  I have decided to take on a Project 365 photography challenge.  Project 365 is simple, take one photo each day.  Whatever inspires you. Whatever moves you.  Whatever you are doing.  Finding beauty in the mundane.  I will share some of my photos on Sunday as well as other photos that inspire me.

source
So there you have it, our 2012 blogging calendar.  May this year be an exciting adventure in blogging.  Cheers!  Let's ring in the new year!