Easy Meal/Recipe Planner

How do you handle meal planning?

I have tried multiple ways to plan meals:
--monthly wipe off calendars mounted on the side of the refrigerator
--printed lists
--this cute chalkboard tile system, which is the one I'm currently using...

(I painted 4" tiles from Lowes with chalkboard paint, added letter stickers, then glued magnets to the back. WARNING--Wednesday falls off the frig sometimes, so use good glue.)

When I stay on top of menu planning, things go so much more smoothly. It sure helps me make the grocery list too.
However, even when I know what we're having for supper, I don't always get my recipes in hand easily. I have recipes everywhere: recipes in favorite cookbooks, recipes torn out of magazines, recipes copied from friends, recipes printed from websites and recipes saved to my Pinterest board. Sometimes the recipe I want to use for supper can't be found. Frustrating.

I finally implemented a plan I have been thinking about for a while. I made a new copy of 20 of my favorite supper recipes onto 4x6 recipe cards, had them laminated at Staples, and hooked them together with a metal ring.

I love having them all together in one place. It is easy to change the order, if I want to put them in order of meals for the week. I also like being able to remove or add recipes easily.

This system is working so well, that I am planning to make another set of my favorite breakfast recipes.

Dear Diary...

 My daughter Ellyn wrote in a diary periodically when she was around seven to eight years old. She is seventeen now.  Where did the time go! She was an adorable little girl and she is still adorable.

Ellyn - age 7 1/2

Yesterday she got out the diary and read aloud some of her entries. I laughed until my cheeks hurt. I couldn't resist sharing--hope you get a chuckle too.
(I kept her original spellings, etc. for even more entertainment.)

4-18-02
"Dear Diary. it's rilly worm. I'm wering shortes and a tanc top. School gets out in 10 days. I can't wate. Today I have art!!! Hay did you know that at first I did not like barbies but now I do! I think Meggan does to."


6-18-02
"Dear Diary, today I baby sat and I got a doller! I will be baby sitting evry Tusday and Thersday! Me and my grandma are saving up for a new doll. We only haf to get 18 more dollers...It's hot out and the flowers are wilting."


12-4-02
"Dear Diary, I think we ran out of money. So I'm giving my dad $20 for Christmas. Well...maby. I don't know if he would want me to do that? I know that he's rich in God! and his family. He had to figure out today how much money we owe the city. Let's get happy hear. Lets talk about how my dad makes me feal better, when I'm sad or mad."


2-11-03
"Dear Diary. Today me, Ryan and Erica (neighbor girl) cleaned the hole house except my mom's room and the bathroom and the school room and lundry room. The loft. and my bathroom. and Brandon's bedroom. But all of that was either clean or we coudn't go in there. And we did it all while my mom was gone. And when she walked in she said, Ryan the house is clean. But she didn't know that we did all of the basment or anything but the laundry room. And then I told her that we scrubed the flore. and unloded the dishwasher and load the dishwasher. I said what we didn't do and asked her if that was all right and she said oh yah!   gonna go. joy! Ellyn"    (her name is written in cursive)

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is such a great time to focus on loving those around us. I treated my hubby and kids to "7 days of love" this week. Such a fun and easy treat (found on Pinterest). My hubby's had a little love note for each day, along with the candy. Tonight we are having a meal of all red, pink or white. I wonder how that will taste???
Have a great day and go share some LOVE. <3

My Favorite Things Party

Last fall I read about a "Favorite Things" party on pinterest.com and knew I wanted to host one in January.  I love hosting parties, and the idea behind this one seemed so creative. I invited 15-20 friends and asked each of them to choose one of their favorite things in the $6 price range. They were instructed to buy three of the favorite thing they had chosen (three of the same item), package it up, and bring it to the party.

At the party, each guest wrote her name on a three tags and threw them into a bowl. We passed the bowl around and each guest drew out three names, making sure to not get our own name or duplicates. We went around the circle and gave our "favorite things" to the 3 names we had drawn. It was so fun to see what everyone brought! Some of the "favorite things": lotion, lip balm, pens, journal, chocolates, nail polish, spatula, room freshener, kitchen soap, salsa, perfume, puzzle book, rolling pins, flavored syrup, eye liner, and more that I can't think of at the moment!

The best part of the evening was spending it with some of my favorite people!