Boo!

This one won a second place ribbon in the "Holiday' category at the North Carolina State fair this year. This Stampin' Up! stamp set is "Wicked Cool" and I have nearly worn it out these past few Halloweens!

Wishing you all treats and no tricks!

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Meatless Baked Ziti using delay bake feature on oven (not home from soccer until 7:30)

Tuesday: Lime and Garlic Shrimp/Corn & Black Bean Salad (Recipes from the 6 o'Clock Scramble)

Wednesday: Honey-glazed Chicken Breasts/Rice/Mixed Vegetables

Thursday: Oven-roasted Turkey Breast/Whipped Cauliflower/Broccoli

Friday: Slow-Cooker Meatball Subs (2 soccer practices, not home until after 7:00)

Saturday: Kids Choice of hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill (Mom and Dad have an adult party to attend)

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday: It's getting busier this week as all three soccer practices begin for the season. That means more nights of relying on my slow cooker and the delay bake feature of my oven!

 Monday- Creamy Taco Filling on Tostadas A crowd favorite around here in the slow cooker. Browned ground beef, bag of shredded cheese, can of rinsed kidney beans, can of mild Rotel tomatoes, can of chili without beans.

 Tuesday- Honey Dijon Shrimp, Saffron Rice, Broccoli Simple marinade and the shrimp cook in minutes on the grill

 Wednesday- Pasta Night at the Club! Hooray!

 Thursday- Boca Burgers on the Grill/Okra/Salad

 Friday- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes on slider buns (Excellent recipe from Slow Cooker Revolution) and Tater Tots for fun on the side (2 soccer practices -- not home until late)

 Saturday- Pizza for Kids (Mom and Dad have an adult birthday party to attend)

 Sunday- Best priced Catch of the Day on the Grill

Getting Wild!

This is the birthday party invitation I created for my daughter's celebration which will include an entertiner who brings live animals.  Just another excuse to grab one of my favorite sets of all time, "Wild About You". This invite is simple because I needed to recreate it assembly-line style.  The strip of patterned paper is from the "Berry Blossoms DSP" and the featured colors are Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder.

All products by Stampin' Up!

Happy Bird Day

Every once in a while I try to challenge myself to give some love to my old products --  the ones that are taking up all that space in the craft room!  I needed a little boy birthday card in an appropriate color combinaton that didn't scream that it came from a house of girls

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Blue, Whisper White
DSP: Greenhouse Gala from 2010-2011
Lattice Embossing Folder
Sentiment from a retired hostess set: "Picture This"
Other birdie from WAY retired favorite "Wild About You"
Daffodil Delight Ribbon
Large and small tag punches and label punch
All supplies Stampin' Up!

Menu Plan Monday Here's what's cooking this week: Monday- Tilapia Tacos (simply tilapia pieces marinated in taco seasoning, tossed on the grill and served in taco shells with all the fixings). Tuesday- Grilled Chicken Breasts with cous cous and mango chutney. Wednesday- Turkey Tenderloin, corn on the cob, dinner rolls Thursday - Grilled Cheese and Fruit Kebabs (easy because I host book club) Friday - Orange Shrimp, rice, salad Saturday - what we grill depends what's on sale after Wednesday....

Menu Plan Monday

My organizational obsessiveness requires that I wake up each morning knowing exactly what I'm feeding the gang for dinner. Menu planning also keeps me from having to dash into the grocery store every afternoon on my way to after

school carpool! Even though school is in session, the girls' activities aren't in full swing so the nights are a little easier right now. That changes when all three soccer practices get going in the middle of August! Monday - Chicken Tacos, (slow cooker style from Slow Cooker Revolution) *Violin Lesson Night* Tuesday- Popcorn Soup, (kid request, crowd favorite from Dinner Doctor book) Wednesday- Basil Meatballs over Spaghetti (meatball recipe also from Slow Cooker Revolution) Thursday- Asian Drumsticks on the Grill/Frozen Rice/Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables *Evening rugby story - drumsticks are in the freezer marinating in a Sesame Pineapple Vinaigrette to Daddy Dollars can grill those and microwave the rest while I am working Friday- Pizza and Salad Saturday- Griller's Choice, based on what's available after the specials flip on Wednesday

Summer Reading Logs

Our summer break from year-round school is a short one and we are constantly on the go, but I like to encourage the little Lucy Lous to read as much as they can. This year I quickly crafted a few summer reading logs to help them track their progress. I totally lifted the template from Rebecca Cooper's blog. I have admired her style since the good old days of Simple Scrapbooks (rip). These came together quickly with my never ending stash of Stampin' Up! supplies. The cardstock is Crumb Cake and the initials were stamped in Soft Suede with a long-retired, but favorite large alphabet stamp, called Big Deal. The ribbon is Baja Breeze. Rebecca also shared a download for the logs that fit inside. I printed those and tucked them inside. As a group the four of us are reading The Lemonade War

by Jacqueline Davies. We're our own little book club this summer! Stamping, reading, kids books