Mini Books-Yay or Nay?

Now that I'm back at the whole scrapbooking thing I've even been considering putting together a mini book when we go on our 5 year anniversary trip. We're still trying to decide where to go. We've considered San Francisco, Seattle, Jackson Hole and a few other places. Anyway, I digress, when I was at Archiver's a few weeks ago, I saw the new Amy Tangerine mini books by American Crafts. She has one called Off The Map that I'm loving! I think it would be kinda fun to get all the supply to take with me and add things as we go.

I just think this stuff is so cute and fun! Plus, I've never done a scrapbook on the go, but think I would like it. And anything I don't add to this book I would add to our Project Life book later.

I don't really have to think about it for a while though because our trip isn't until August, but I'm all about planning ahead! Especially when planning ahead involves buying lots of new scrapbooking supplies!

Has anyone else ever done a mini book? And if so, how do you store them later? I've never done one because I don't really know what to do with them later.

Pinterest Recipe List & Ratings

I've made quite a few recipes from my board on Pinterest...I still have like a million more and counting to go before I've made them all, but this is a start. I thought I would share the list with you and even add mine and my husband's rating to each one. Keep in mind that you may have different tastes than we do, but I thought I would include our ratings for fun. I'm not saying that any of these recipes are bad (not at all), there are just some that I enjoyed more than others and some that I will (if I haven't already) make over and over again. That's what we're basing our ratings off.

We used a rating scale of 1-5 stars with 1 star being our least favorite and 5 stars being the best a.k.a. our favorites. I still highly suggest that if something sounds good to you, you should definitely try it. I mean, isn't finding new recipes that you love so much fun?! I get really excited when I find something that becomes a staple in our recipe book!

So here they are in no particular order:

Better Than Sex Cake
Tashia- 4 1/2 stars (I would have rated it 5 stars if it were topped with Butterfinger instead of Heath crumbles, which I will change next time I make it.)
Jeremy- 5 stars
recipe link

Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
Tashia- 5 stars (These are so good and completely addictive. I could seriously sit down and just eat a giant bowl!)
Jeremy- 5 stars
recipe link

Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan and pecans
Tashia- 4 stars (I'm still learning to like green veggies, but these are delicious)
Jeremy- 5 stars
recipe link

Roasted Chickpeas
Tashia- 1 star(It's possible that I didn't make these correctly though)
Jeremy- 2 stars
recipe link

Sour Cream Chicken Bake
Tashia- 3 1/2 stars (This chicken is very moist and tender. It's pretty good. I have already made it twice)
Jeremy- 4 1/2 stars
recipe link

Parmesan Honey Pork Roast
Tashia- 4 stars (This was different, but really tasty)
Jeremy- 4 stars
recipe link

Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Tashia- 4 1/2 stars (I thought these were so moist and delicious! Everyone in my family loved them too.)
Jeremy- 4 stars
recipe link

White Chicken Enchiladas
Tashia- 4 1/2 stars (I love Mexican food and this is a really good, simple recipe.)
Jeremy- 3 1/2 stars (Jeremy said he would have rated it higher, but he likes my chicken enchilada recipe better.)
recipe link

Coca Cola Cake
Tashia- 3 1/2 stars (It is very rich and I think it almost had a little too much glaze. I would make it again, but with less glaze.)
Jeremy- 2 1/2 stars
recipe link

French Bread Pizzas
Tashia- 2 1/2 stars (This is a simple, kid-friendly meal, but I couldn't get Hudson to eat it. Nothing fancy. You can basically make these your own and add anything you like.)
Jeremy- 2 stars
recipe link

Cheese Pinwheel Rolls
Tashia- 2 1/2 stars (These were good, but needed more flavor I thought. Very easy to make though. They're basically like little pizza rolls. Next time I'll add pepperoni.)
Jeremy- 2 1/2 stars
recipe link

Lasagna Rolls
Tashia- 4 stars (I love pasta and this recipe makes lasagna simple. I definitely plan to make these again and again.)
Jeremy- 3 stars
recipe link

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie & Oreo Brownie Bars
Tashia- 4 1/2 stars (These are amazing, but I may have over baked them just a tad because they seemed to get dry and hard quickly, like the next day, but I will totally make them again!)
Jeremy- 5 stars
recipe link

Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Tashia- 4 stars (Delicious and so simple. Yum!)
Jeremy- 4 1/2 stars
recipe link

World's Greatest Sandwich
Tashia- 5 stars (I love a good sandwich and it's hard to make amazing sandwich's at home, but this is awesome!)
Jeremy- 5 stars
recipe link

Banana Ice Cream
Tashia- 2 stars (Just to be clear, this is not an ice cream recipe. It's the recipe where you freeze bananas and then blend them to make an ice cream like treat. It was just okay. I think it would've been better without the peanut butter.)
Jeremy- 1 stars
recipe link

Kansas City Sue's Slow Cooker Chicken
Tashia- 1 1/2 stars (Totally different than I expected and I wasn't a fan. I think I expected it to taste BBQish and it tasted much more like an Asian dish to me. I think I was really caught off guard because I even made it to go over potatoes instead of rice. Now I know why they say to pour it over rice! Ha!)
Jeremy- 2 stars
recipe link

Pumpkin Bars
Tashia-5 stars (So awesome! Even better the next day!)
Jeremy-5 stars
recipe link

Beermosas (Orange Beers)
Tashia- 4 stars (I've always liked these.)
Jeremy- I drink beer beers
recipe link

Cheesy Beefy Enchilada Casserole
Tashia- 3 1/2 stars (Pretty delicious, but next time I'd cut the amount of sour cream added in half. It was a little too overpowering for me.)
Jeremy- 4 stars
recipe link

I have so many more recipes pinned that I can't wait to try. This list barely scratches the surface!

However, I will be taking a little hiatus from baking and even some cooking for a little while. Well, 30 days to be exact. Jeremy and I are starting an all natural, no processed foods meal plan tomorrow. It's part of my One Little Word for the year. I'm really making an effort to become more healthy, but also to lose some of the baby weight that I've accumulated over the past three years and two babies. And I just basically want to see how it improves my overall mood and appearance. By doing this little experiment of sorts, I'm hoping to come away with a more health conscience mind so that I'm making better decisions about what I eat on a daily basis. I guess we'll see how it goes and I'll be sure to keep you posted!

p.s. I will not be giving up my coffee...well my coffee creamer that is. That is the one thing I look forward to every morning and it makes me happy!

Day In The Life

On Wednesday, February 8, I followed along with Ali Edwards to capture "A Day In The Life". Things have changed quite a bit around here since completing Week In The Life back in September, so I thought it would be fun to look back and note what's gotten easier and what's gotten more difficult, how much the kids have grown and what our schedule is like now versus then. I just ordered my Project Life plastics on Friday, so I haven't started my book yet, but knew I wanted to add this project in an 81/2x11, 9 pocket page protector. I added 18 photos taken throughout the day and also printed out the daily journal pages from Ali's blog to fill out throughout the day as well.  Here is what the pages will look like:

*note* I still have to print the photos onto 81/2x11 photo paper and cut them to add them to the page protectors. Some of the photos will be switched around a little.

1. Having my morning coffee, checking email, facebook

2. Jeremy's getting ready for work

3. Saying goodbye to the kids.

4. Reading blogs still drinking my coffee

5. Breakfast for the baby

6. Hudson's ongoing obsession with shoes, especially daddy's shoes

7. Harper pulling my hair...her favorite thing right now...not so much fun for me.

8. Hudson taking pictures of me taking pictures of him.

9. Harper's nap time.

10. Hudson enjoying some Little Einsteins

11. My Project Life core kit and binder came in the mail! Yay!

12. An afternoon nap for Harper and some snuggle time for mommy.

13. Finally getting around to folding some laundry.

14. Taking a bath after dinner. I had a nasty headache.

15. BBQ chicken salads that Jeremy picked up from Panera. Delicious!

16. Play time with daddy.

17. About to feed Harper and put her to bed for the night.

18. Jeremy and I watching one of our favorite Wednesday night shows.

It was a VERY typical day around our house. Perfect for what I hoped to document with this project. It will be a nice addition to my Project Life, which by the way, has gotten so big this year that some of the new shipments that arrived at amazon.com on Friday sold out within hours! Craziness. I'm glad I got mine! I also talked my friend Kari into jumping on the PL bandwagon ( Hi Kar!). I hope she likes it as much as I do!

Show & Tell: For The Photographer

*Update*
This post is way late considering Christmas was almost 2 months ago, but I wanted to share with you a few camera related gifts that I received. I'm so loving all of them!

1. Jo Totes rose camera bag
I had the hardest time deciding on a color, but most importantly, I just REALLY needed a camera bag. Showing up to a photo shoot without a proper camera bag for all your lens=embarrassing and totally not cool. Anyway, I ended up choosing the mustard colored bag and am so glad I did. It's a great semi-neutral color that I really can't see myself getting sick of anytime soon, which is something I was worried about with the other colors on my list.

 I totally dig the inside with the black and white houndstooth.

2. Handmade Camera Strap 

I really wanted a pretty camera strap to match my bag and my sister ended up getting me this one from here. I love the bright colors and pattern.

3. Fujifilm Instax Mini 7s

I had been pining after these cameras for almost a year, but now I finally have my own. I had it saved on amazon.com just waiting for it to go on sale. Right before Christmas the price dropped from $95.99 down to $87 (I think it was even more a while ago), so I called my mom and she ordered it for me! Yay! Only now I see that the price has dropped significantly since then down to $65.95! I wonder if they are coming out with a new model or something. Now the 25 is $83.95 down from $125.99! Ugh...why couldn't it have been that cheap when I got mine!! Sigh. Maybe that just means I'll have to get that one too! He he! I really adore the one I got though. I think it will be tons of fun to add these little polaroids to my Project Life!

*Here is what the photos look like:

It's actually a little clearer in person. This was taken inside, so it's a little dark too. I haven't taken any photos with it outside yet, but I'm sure those turn out much clearer. I'm looking forward to taking vacation photos with it.



So there you have it! It was a very camera heavy Christmas this year. Just what I wanted!

I'm kind of interested in those magnetic lens for the iPhone. Has anyone tried them or have some? I would love to know if they're worth getting.

A Blizzard

Yes. Winter finally arrived last weekend. Boo. I didn't get to get out of the house much because it was snowing like crazy on Saturday. I'm not a big fan of snow, but it was gorgeous! It was that really wet snow that sticks to everything it lands on, so it covered all the trees and bushes in a blanket of white. The best part about all the snow was that Hudson finally got to use his new snow pants and snow boots that my parents bought him back in October. He also got to build his first snowman and go sledding for the first time...it was only down a tiny little slope on the side of our house, but he loved it!

Here is my handsome boy all bundled up and ready to go.

And I finally got to get a few pictures of Harper in the snow too. She is wearing an old fleece snowsuit given to me by my sister back when Hudson was a baby. I thought about buying her a new, cute pink one, but it's been so warm here, I wasn't sure when she would get to wear it. This one worked fine and matched her cute hat. She was laughing and trying to catch the falling snow in her mouth. It was adorable!

It was so bright out because of all the light reflecting off the snow, so you can't see where the snowman ends and the snow on the yard begins.

Here are Hudson and daddy on the sled.

I'm hoping to bet back to work on all our projects this weekend. We are for sure painting the nursery. And I'm going to try to get Harper's little artwork finished. I think I have a new plan for it now though, so we'll see how it turns out.

P.S. I'm joining Ali Edwards for Day In The Life today. I love a reason to take lots of pictures...not like I need one though! If you would like to join in, click on Ali's name and it will take you to the blog post and a download freebie! So awesome!

Glow Bath For Kids

Okay, so I can't remember if I saw this idea on a blog at some point or if I came up with this idea myself, but this weekend I came across some glow bracelets in the dollar section of Target. I got 15 bracelets for $1! Well, I had been wanting to let Hudson take a glow bath for a long time. I thought it sounded like so much fun and right up his alley.

He absolutely loved it! We did too. Just watching him have that much fun in the tub was awesome! I was a little jealous and actually considered taking one myself...

Anyway, here is what it looked like and I totally encourage you to buy some for your kiddos too, or yourself, wink-wink.

Isn't it awesome?!

Hello Chevron!

I've been thinking about making over my blog design, so I decided to start by switching up the background to chevron!! Isn't it fun?! I adore it! It's from tinysea.net.


I love chevron so much! It's a good thing I don't have a bunch of money laying around or I would probably have my entire house and wardrobe done with chevron prints...well maybe not entirely. I've always loved stripes. If you look in my closet, I would guess that half of my shirts are striped, so it's no surprise that I think chevron in the cats pajamas.

Anyway, I hope you like it too and hopefully I'll find some time to redo the header soon.

P.S. I didn't finish that art project for Harper's room yet because it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so I need to rework some things. I was so bummed. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend though, so I'll post it then!

Ten Things

1. I've been working on an art project for Harper's room based on one I came across on Pinterest (big surprise). I would have just bought the one that I found, but I wanted to use some of the fabric that I'm making her curtains out of, so I figured I would make one myself. I should have it ready to post tomorrow morning.

2. This is my new favorite combination for my morning coffee. I love chocolate and caramel together! I'm drinking some right now!

3. I haven't been on the computer much this week because the weather here has been amazing! It totally feels like Spring, so it will be extremely disappointing when Winter finally decides to make an appearance.

Anyway, I've been playing outside with the kids every day. It's been awesome! I took them to the park on Tuesday and it was the very first time Harper got to ride the swings! She loved it so much! She was smiling and giggling the entire time! Hudson has tons of fun too!

4. We have a few projects finally happening here with the house. It's hard to do much when your husband loses his job for 9 months and there is absolutely NO extra money to spend, but we're finally getting back on our feet and playing catch up, including getting to the nursery. I think I found the perfect shade of gray to paint the room and will be working on that and the curtains this weekend. I can't wait til it's all finished!

5. I'm also working on a list of all the recipes I've made from pins on Pinterest and plan to rate them in case you want to give some a try. Some have been good, some not so much...

6. So far, I'm loving the One Little Word class and just the concept in general. My word, nourish, has been playing a huge role in my life so far already. I know I still have 11 months to go, but I have a good feeling that it will only become more powerful with time. Love that!

7. If anyone has any brilliant parenting advice on how to deal with toddlers and tantrums, I would love to hear it! We've been dealing with A LOT lately and it is exhausting!

8. I finally ordered my Project Life binder and kit last night. I've been waiting for the page protectors to restock, but I couldn't wait anymore! I at least want to get started on my journaling before I get too far behind. I'm actually still playing catch up with last year's book. Plus I plan to add more of my own flair to this year's book.

9. I took a knitting class (did I already tell you that?), but it's possible that I've already forgotten everything I learned. Sigh.

10. The hubby and I need to start planning our anniversary trip for August. We originally wanted to go to Alaska, but I don't think we'll have the funds for that this year. Any other suggestions for a romantic getaway?? What about San Francisco? I really need a vacation!!