i've moved.
finally accomplishing something i've wanted to do for awhile now. you can now find me on my new site, melaniemakes.com.
February 2, 2013
January 30, 2013
wordless wednesday : recital costume fitting.
warning : this photo does not truly capture how very orange this costume really is.
January 29, 2013
because i need another thing to take care of.
this past sunday, instead of the typical sunday school hour, everyone gathered in our church's gym for a special presentation from the organization we've adopted as our mission project. the organization trains service dogs before presenting them to their new owner. an awesome cause, and of course the most adorable retriever was there to show off his skills. this furry guy can pick a dime off the floor. and super quick as well. amazing stufff.
after i snapped this photo of my fellow animal lover, i told her to go tell her daddy she wanted a puppy. it's on my list of things to do when we have a house with a yard in ohio. we have thomas, our medical school cat. we have duke, our residency cat. why not have a fellowship dog to the mix?
my husband insists that i'm crazy. i say really, what's one more thing to take care of? i've never had a dog before. i think my time is drawing near...
January 28, 2013
menu plan monday : january 28, 2013
can't begint to tell you how successful our menu plan was last week. we were eating better, everyone was happy getting a pick for the week and we had great leftovers for lunch. win, win, win.
this week's menu ended up being very crockpot heavy. probably a good thing. my head is swimming with a very large to do list. what we're going to have for dinner is not something i want to be worrying about at the end of the day.
here's what we'll be dining on this week :
meatless monday : crockpot picadillo. i was instantly intrigued by this recipe when it popped up in my google reader. she promises the whole family will love it. considering the middle child is having issues with actually eating her dinner as of late, this will be the perfect test.
i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.
tuesday : crock pot italian sloppy joes. another new recipe this week. i'm thinking of putting them on wraps or sandwich thins instead of buns. so trying to kick buns to the curb. too. much. bread.
wednesday : crock pot chicken enchilada soup. my third of three new recipes. all from skinnytaste. we're big soup eaters - at least andy and i are - so i'd love to add a new one to our line up.
thursday : slow cooker beef and tomato stew. andy's pick for the week. we just had this a few weeks ago but it was obviously a hit. easy to throw together with the stew in the crockpot and rice in the ricemaker.
friday : oven baked chicken fajitas. one of my all-time fave recipe finds on pinterest. my version has approximately three times more veggies than the original recipes and it's oh so tasty.
recent recipe reviews
homestyle chicken and noodles. awesome. it's like the inside of a pot pie with noodles. great leftover the next day for lunch. will definitely make again.
January 26, 2013
clean & simple card making 2.
Wanted to be sure to pass along that my friends Jennifer and Kristina, along with the sweet Julie Ebersole have a new class beginning on Monday. You definitely won't want to miss this!
Online Card Classes is back with an all-new take on one of our most popular classes: Clean & Simple Card Making 2! Join Kristina Werner, Julie Ebersole, Jennifer McGuire and friends to discover the “secret” to minimalistic and fabulous cards. Learn new techniques and be inspired by 26+ videos and 34+ clever and creative card designs. Gather inspiration from your fellow students and Online Card Classes teachers in the forums and galleries. Then print out class PDFs to take Clean & Simple Card Making 2 with you wherever you go. Plus, with lifetime access, random giveaways and shopping discounts galore, you’ll be able to outfit your card making stash in clean and simple style.
For more information on the class, check HERE.
January 21, 2013
menu plan monday : 1.21.13.
happy half birthday to me! a day made even sweeter by the fact that andy is home from the hospital because of the holiday. it's barely above zero today so we're enjoying a day at home in comfy clothes. even if i'm doing fun things like organizing and purging and a bit of packing.
here's what we'll be dining on this week :
meatless monday : homestyle chicken and noodles. first, i'll explain that we ate meatless for lunch, so i'm still going to call today meatless monday. for dinner we're going to with this recipe i had on our menu plan a few weeks ago and didn't get a chance to make. a nice and hearty comfort food dish on a cold evening? yes, please!
i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.
tuesday : turkey fried rice. a recipe from my binder that i've pulled from magazine. again i'm sad that everyday food is no longer. the recipe calls for ground pork, but i'm making it a bit leaner by using turkey. a perfect use for the large amount of brown rice that's in my fridge from meals we had at the end of last week.
wednesday : spinach and artichoke baked pasta. i let everyone select a meal for us to enjoy this week and this was camryn's pick. which i found mildly amusing. [1] because i've only made it once and was shocked that she remembered it as it was back in october and [2] becuse her sister has a "thing" about spinach lately and insisting she doesn't like it. dinner should be interesting...
thursday : chicken and wild rice soup. i made this soup the week after christmas from one of the five new cookbooks i received. i *heart* me a great cookbook. a nice, hearty soup that everyone enjoyed and easier for leighton to eat with the rice instead of noodles.
friday : chicken nachos. andy's selection for the week and an easy one to throw together. for the record, i enjoy this best as a quesadilla filling. the girls side with daddy as they enjoy the treat of having chips for dinner.
recent recipe reviews
slow cooker beef and tomato stew. yum! really enjoyed this and was great as leftovers as well. i served it over rice as the recipe recommended but didn't think it needed the yogurt it called for as a topping. it was an odd combo to me.
January 18, 2013
project life rewind : week 28 | 2012
This month, I chose to document week 28 of 2012. Having a baby last year threw me off track of staying “caught up,” so I have grand plans for this year. I’m hoping to stay current for 2013 and do one week for my 2012 album as well. We’ll see what happens! You know, because I'm only working on packing up all of our belongings and moving this year.
It’s crazy how much older my children look than they did just six months ago. I wish I could make time slow down just a bit!
[Left Page] Muffin Tin Monday. Dance class. Sleeping baby. Our oldest furbaby. Skyping with daddy who was out of town on a business trip. First baby smiles.
Freckled Fawn’s washi was an amazing addition to this week’s layout as you can do so much with it! In just these three smaller cards, I used it three different ways. On the photo of my oldest daughter at dance class, I used it as a background for my Micro Monogram alphabet stickers. (For the record, you need no other alphabet stickers for this project but those. LOVE them.) For the card highlighting a quote from our younger daughter, I created a border of washi which helps lend a pop of color to a simple white card. The third card features the washi as a way to adhere my photo to the patterned paper. Super easy.
[Right Page] Toddler attitude. Breakfast smoothies. Dressed for church. A quote and text. First tomatoes. Saying goodbye to friends. Talking to daddy on the phone.
Likely my favorite part of this week’s layout is this card. I loved the combination of the gold airmail Freckled Fawn tape paired with the Lucille Title sticker. A perfect pair.
The Lucille Be Silly clear stamps are a great choice for weekly layouts. So many options to dress up your photos and journaling.
And so there's another week in the 2012 album. Loving this journey.January 16, 2013
photo fun at target.
the cats were out of food so carson and i headed to target after dropping the girls off at school and before his attempt at a morning nap. we swung by the sunglasses as i lost - or rather forgot - a pair of mine there a couple of weeks ago when attempting to get everyone in the cart.
trying on sunglasses turned into a fun game of making faces in the mirror. the shades i'm sporting were his favorite as he can see his reflection in them. this boy loves his reflection.
so 10 minutes later, we left with kitty food and sunglasses. and this priceless photo.
January 13, 2013
carson : 7 months.
month seven and photographed in the shirt i bought when i was pregnant with camryn just in case she was a boy. so glad i held on to it. love.
at seven months, carson :
- goes to bed between 7:15 and 7:30p and gets up between 7 and 7:30a.
- continues to struggle in the napping department. if he takes two one hour naps, it's a good day.
- nurses four times a day.
- loves solid foods. his favorite is avacado although he really hasn't disliked anything. he eats six ounces of food three times a day.
- finally rolled over! granted he maybe has done it a handful of times and would rather scream at me for 20 minutes to flip him over instead of doing it himself.
- shows no sign of being mobile. i put him in one place and he's totally content. i've decided he's just a lazy baby. handsome, but lazy.
- is amused by his big sister camryn. she has cast a spell on him and can make him laugh no matter what the circumstance.
- loves to look at his reflection in the mirror and will cackle at himself.
and the monthly photo of these three. post-nap bed head and all.
January 8, 2013
back to school.
yesterday it was back to school for the girls. plural with a s. it was leighton's first day of preschool.
we hadn't intended to send her before she turned three, but she's more than ready. she's already reading and writing her letters and is quick to pick up on anything that her big sister teaches her, including knowing the days of the week and months of the year. more importantly, we wanted her to get the social aspect that school offers. going to school before we move will also be a great transition for her instead of starting in a new city.
her favorite part of the day? playing in the gym. go figure.
