Weekly Menu Plan

Every week, I have the intention of making a menu plan not only so that I can grocery shop ahead of time, but so when I get home exhausted from work, I have a list to go to of what I'm making that day!

Well, today, I was feeling kind of cruddy (another cold) so I laid in bed looking at recipes on Pinterest. Somehow, this gave me the motivation I needed to create my list! Here are the recipes for this week with links included in case you're interested in making them!

Saturday- In honor of St. Patty's day, I am making Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup via Skinny Taste. Actually I'm kind of combining two of her recipes. I'm making the cabbage soup, but in a crock pot. I'll definitely let you know how it turns out!

Sunday- Lunch = leftovers, Dinner at Evan's parents! So grateful for Evan's mom who cooks for us every week.

Monday- I'm making Cafe Rio Pork. I found several different recipes for this. Here is the one I found that requires Dr. Pepper. I am not into soda, so I'm going to stick with the non-Dr. Pepper recipe, but probably add salsa like the Dr. Pepper recipes suggests. I hope it turns out as good as the real thing! I love Cafe Rio!

Tuesday- Crockpot Potato Leek Soup is on the bill. I googled "leeks" because I'll have some leftover from the corned beef and found this recipe from this blog I follow. I can easily through all of this in a crock pot... and the best thing is, I have all the ingredients already! I'm planning on making homemade whole wheat biscuits to go along with the soup.

Wednesday- Slow cooker Bajio chicken... LOVE Bajio and this recipe looks so simple using ingredients I already have. I love using my crockpot to cook dinner while I'm at school. It honestly makes my life so much simpler when dinner is already done for me!

Thursday- Cafe Rio Slow Cooker Chicken... I know this seems to be the week of Cafe Rio, but this chicken looked so simple, I wanted to try it out. Plus, once again, I already have all of the ingredients in the recipe. Might as well use the ingredients I have!

Friday- Crockpot chicken and dumplings... Boy, will Evan love this! He loves every time his mom makes chicken and dumplings. I've actually never made them before, but this recipe seems super simple. I am planning on adding in carrots and celery to add some more color and flavor.

Excited about our meals this week! Do you have any favorite recipes or way that you menu plan? I've been realizing more and more recently that if I don't cook dinner (or make enough for leftovers), it means that I won't have a hearty lunch the next day. Being pregnant, not having a hearty lunch means I'm starving and easily get sick to my stomach while still trying to teach my students. NOT GOOD! I'm hoping this menu plan will help me to make dinner everyday so that I'm eating enough for me and the wee babe.

Hanging Jewelry Holder

So, I've wanted to make my own hanging jewelry holder for a while. I am a visual person. If I don't see my earrings, I forget to wear them (or worse, I lose them!). I saw this idea and decided to give it a try! If I had to do it over again, I'd probably get fancier mesh like this one here:

Here are the cast of characters:

• Large FRAME (found at Goodwill for $2 without the glass or anything, perfect!)
• WIRE MESH (found at a farm & feed store $2.44)
• a can of SPRAY PAINT (from Fred Meyer $4).

I then hot-glued the wire mesh to the frame and...
Voila! Hanging Jewelry holder!

P.S. I'm thinking of putting a fabric background behind the mesh. What do you think?

After painting, I sanded the edges to ruff up the frame a little bit. It gave it an antique feel.
I lightly sanded the frame and then spray painted the frame and the wire mesh to match. ***NOTE: We have no garage, so I painted it in the field next to our apartment. I hope no one notices the paint on the grass!***

{Sassy Sarah}

Addicted to Headbands!

I'm addicted to making headbands. Okay, there I've said it. I guess while I'm admitting my secrets, I'll also admit that I'm addicted to starting/finishing up household do-it-yourself (DIY) projects.

The headband ideas started a while back. I'm getting SICK AND TIRED of dealing with how long my hair is getting. I'm growing it out again for Locks of Love. I want my hair out of my face, but I haven't found headbands worth buying. So, I decided to make them!

Here are some of the headbands I've made. I won't post my own tutorials, because the blogs I got the headband ideas from already posted such great ones: Tie headband, Raw Edge Headband with Flower, Basic Headband.



My nieces BEGGED me to make them tie headbands when they saw mine. We found a pink tie for $2 and I went to sewing. This project was SUPER easy, but I realized it was harder to sew with silk than with the polyester tie. One step I added was to cut out 1/2 inch of the "insides" of the tie before I sewed a 1/4 inch seam. That way, it wasn't so thick to sew. I also HAD TO USE pins to pin down the silk tie. To make the flowers for the silk tie, I cut the remaining part of the tie into a circle. I did a basic stitch along the edge of the circle. I gathered it and then tied off the thread. I hot-glued a button down in the center of the flower and hot-glued the flower onto the tie. SO EASY and SO adorable!



{Sassy Sarah}

Picture Frame memo board

I've seen this idea all over pinterest, but I wanted to add my own style to it. Like a little fabric flower bow in the corner. I added ribbon to each of the clothes pins, but paint or scrapbook.

New Dress A Day

As I was searching for Christmas gift tutorials today, I stumbled upon an amazing blog call "New Dress a Day." It's amazing not because of the title, nor even because of the writing. It's amazing to me because of the premise of the blog. This girl spends $1 a day on a dress at the thrift store. She then turns these old (and some of them UGLY) dresses into a masterpiece. It's amazing to sort through and see what she has created from these $1 thrift store finds. I want to go out and search for $1 dresses and try this out!

Here are a few pictures of her creations and a link to her blog. Check it out!

This was made from a velvet Jessica McClintock dress with a lace front bib:

You wouldn't believe the MASSIVE dress this was made from!

AMAZING!!!

{Sassy Sarah}

Lemon and Lace

A friend of mine started a fun blog called All About Mommies! She recently moved to the east coast and started her new etsy shop, Lemons and Lace.

She makes flower pins, hair accessories, aprons, little girl shirts, purses and more. I love her fabric choices! So bright and cheerful!

Here are a few of her pieces for sale:




Check out her shop!

{Rachel}

MiniMe Papar Dolls

Lily and Thistle have created "MiniMe" Paper Dolls!

I loved paper dolls as a kid, but it would have been even better to have one that looked just like me!!
Lots of different outfits to choose from including Faries and fall outfits. They even have boy dolls!
These would be fun for any little girl, and I can't wait for some of my friends little girl's are old enough for these dolls. They would make a great gift :)

Check out Lily and Thistle MiniMe Paper Dolls HERE! Also, check out their blog, here!
{Rachel}

Vintage Bella Umbrella Rentals

I am not sure where I found Bella Umbrella from, but I sure wish I would have known about it when I got married! These umbrellas would be fabulous to rent for wedding pictures or even senior pictures!
There are umbrellas with ruffles, prints, solids, bridal parasols, doubled layered, and even umbrellas  with jeweled covered handles!!! They are vintage and soo beautiful!
Go to there website, HERE, or go check them out in downtown Seattle! They also have a fun blog too!

{Rachel}

Gathered Clutch Tutorials

So, I'm here posting about another one of Noodlehead's projects again: The Gathered Clutch tutorial. I've actually seen this tutorial on a few different blogs recently and had to check it out for myself. They were right... these clutches are amazing. After looking through her tutorial, I feel like I, too, can make one. What are you waiting for? Head over to Noodlehead's clutch tutorial to check it out!

{Sassy Sarah}

Vintage Button Earrings

My friend from college, Hannah, has an adorable blog entitled Sherbet Blossom. She has the most fun and creative ideas over there! One of my recent favorites is for these simple, understated vintage button earrings. They are a snap to make by following her tutorial. Head on over to her blog to check it out!

Cheers,

{Sassy Sarah}

Hilarious: Hyperbole and a Half

I found the blog Hyperbole and a Half recently via friend's blog. This blog is hilarious! This woman uses (what I'm assuming is) Microsoft Paint to illustrate her humorous descriptions of every day life events (see exhibit A below). It is definitely quite the hyperbole, but also definitely hilarious. If you want some good laughs (and you have some time), check it out!

Exhibit A:

{Sassy Sarah}

Shabby Apple

Looking for modest dresses? Check out Shabby Apple! Such cute dresses and so unique. I love the clothes at Downeast Basics, but I feel like everyone has the same skirts at church!
Although most of them are pricey, they would be great if you had a special occasion ie wedding, etc. And not only do they have dresses but they have accessories and jewelry, little girls clothes, and Halloween costumes for children.
Check out Shabby Apple HERE.

Here are a few of my favorites at Shappy Apple:

 

{Rachel}

Leather Headband Tutorial

I love Google Reader! I have friends that share insightful and fun (and funny!) items on there. Recently, my friend, Jane, shared a tutorial on Google Reader about the Lauren headband made from scrap leather found at a thrift store. Adorable! If you read my Stout Stories blog, you'll notice how I'm obsessed with making headbands. Hopefully I can find myself some scrap leather soon! Check out the how-to here at Ruffles and Stuff.

{Sassy Sarah}

Sewing 101

Last December, I received my very FIRST sewing machine for Christmas. Currently, I am in the process of learning the ins and outs of sewing. Noodlehead recently hosted a workshop with other bloggers about Sewing 101. The post helped me to update my sewing supplies so I am reading to tackle more sewing projects. If you're interested in what supplies you'll need to start sewing it up, check it out HERE. Happy sewing!

{Sassy Sarah}

Easy T-Shirt Dress

My friend, Melody, is amazing! She is a talented seamstress and crochets the most adorable items ever, as evidenced by the picture below. (See her ETSY shop for more examples and, hey, stick around and buy something!) I don't know how she does it all and is a teacher. I wish I had her talent!


Recently, she posted the most adorable (and affordable) dress idea: The Shirt dress. She bought basic, inexpensive shirts, cut off the bottom portion, and then sewed on a dress. Voila! Check out her blog for the shirt dress how-to! Perfect for warm summer and early fall.

{Sassy Sarah}

Make Your Own Web Images

Have you ever wanted to make your own web images? Well, search no further! Jill, of Homemade by Jill, has posted a fantastic tutorial about how to do it using Picnik.com, a photo editing website. Check out her tutorial and start making your own web images!

{Sassy Sarah}

Make Your Own Ice Pops

Bakerella is known for making the most darling cake pops you have ever seen. Case in point:

Image via here
Today, however, she is showcasing how to make your own ice pops as inspired by the King of Pops in Atlanta, GA. They look delicious and perfect in time for summer! Pop on over to her website to get the details and try your hand at making your own. YUM!

Image via here

{Sassy Sarah}

Paper Globes- Heather Bailey Tutorial

Yeah! Summer is here. . . well almost. If you live in Idaho, it doesn't feel much like it. (And I hear WA whether isn't any better.)

I am loving all the tutorials about paper globes and pinwheels, that I wanted to share this fun tutorial.

Heather Bailey is an amazing designer and has her own fabric line. I love ALL of her stuff and recently discovered her fun website. To get the tutorial to make these cute paper globes, click HERE. And don't forget to check out her other fun tutorials :)

{Rachel}

Free Desktop Backgrounds

I don't know about you, but I get SUPER bored with the desktop background I have at work! It's hard to look at it for more than a month at a time. While I could put up pictures of families and friends, I choose to be a little more creative with my work space.

Thankfully, Smashing Magazine provides a variety of FREE desktop backgrounds for every month of the year. And, what's better... each background comes replete with a monthly calendar as well. This is the one I chose for this month. Happy June!