Grilled Asian BBQ Chicken Thighs

This is what the husband wanted for Father's Day.

Garters For My Sister

There are only about 2 weeks until my little sister gets married in Mexico! I made her Toss & Keep garters using this tutorial from Modest Maven for her that also serve as her something blue. Not that garters are that difficult to figure out how to make, but this was my sister's wedding. I wanted to get it right. I came across lots of garter tutorials, and this was by far my favorite. The tutorial was super easy to follow and yielded a cute, classic garter than can be modified to match any wedding decor and style. 

Week of June 26

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
L: Leftovers D: Fried Chicken Meal Plan from last week (never used it)	L:  D: Marinated Grilled Shrimp w/ Baked Potatoes & Texas Caviar *Marinade Chicken *Make Cookie Pie	L: Lunch w/ Mom & Presley D: Overnight Chicken & Corn, Avocado, & Tomato Salad w/ Honey-Lime Dressing	L: Birthday Party Play Date D: Inside-Out Lasagna (2) & Stuffed Zucchini (salad for church friends)	L: Leftovers D: Out	L: Out - Sugar Waxing Appt. D: Vegetable & Edamame Pasta w/ Basil Cream Sauce (vegan) & Fresh Bread from Bakery	L: Leftovers D: @ Wedding (again)
Snacks:	Activities:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas Kashi Granola Bars Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie		P @ Preschool AM: 9:45 Yoga & School (read, modules, & discussion) PM: Finish embroidering welcome bags for sis’s wedding	AM: Time w/ Mom (Groovy’s & Lunch) PM: Bday present for tomorrow & Glitterworks	AM: Run @ the Y & Birthday Party Play Date PM: Library & Food to Church Friends	P @ Preschool AM: 8:45 Beginner’s Yoga & School (Take quiz & work on research paper) PM: Still work on research paper...blah, blah, blah	P @ Preschool AM: Sugar-Waxing Appts. PM: Clean House & Pack for Wedding

Projects I Hope To Finish: paint desk & table, finish embroidering welcome bags for sis's wedding, scrapbook pages for sis's wedding, alter Camille's blouse

Anticipated Blogs: garter, asian bbq chicken, welcome bags, Glitterworks, painted furniture


Linking Up To: Meal Plan Monday

Pillow For Landen

A week or so ago, I finished a valance for my friend's son's room. My pride in that is I did it without a tutorial or pattern! Just used my own awesome brain. I've come a long way, baby!

Her son had a birthday party this past Tuesday, and I used the leftover fabric to make a pillow that matches the rest of his room decor.

The thin fabric bunched up a bit on his name. Bummer. But the dump truck is super cute!

 It's the closest to quilt block that I've ever sewn before. One step closer to making my first quilt.

Maple Rubbed Salmon

I salivated when I saw this recipe in Family Circle's April 2011 magazine. 

It was so simple! The only change I made was how I cooked the sweet potatoes. I sliced them, sprinkled on the same maple rub spice that I used on the salmon, and roasted them. Served with green beans, this was a tasty and healthy meal. 

Btw, if you're worried about your salmon source (wild vs farmed) and where it comes from, I found a fantastic solution! Costco sells flash frozen Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon for $35 a bag. They cut the salmon into 5 oz (perfect portions) which are individually sealed. A family of three can yield three meals from this bag, which actually makes it a good value.

9 Month Skirt

I'm calling this the "9 Month Skirt." 

Week of June 19

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
L: Leftovers D: Asian BBQ Chicken Thighs (Family Circle Magazine), Asian Slaw, & Cookie Sundaes *Church & Father’s Day	L: Leftovers D: Cheese Tortellini & Pasta Sauce (from Costco)	L: Landen’s Birthday Play Date D: Southern Fried Chicken, Baked Fries w/ Garlic Aioli, & Corn on the Cob	L: Tea Party Play Date (Bring flower-shaped tea sandwiches using  this & this  D: Leftovers	L: Leftovers D: Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken w/ Sweet Potatoes & Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad	L: Hip Mama Clothing Swap (bring Zucchini Nut Bread Sandwich Cookies) D: Out	L: Jill’s 31 Party D: @ Wedding
Snacks: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas	Activities:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		P @ Preschool AM: Class & 9:45 Yoga PM: Sew Time	AM: Run & Birthday Party Play Date PM: CPR Certification	AM: Tea Party Play Date PM: Library & Spaghetti Worm Painting	P @ Preschool AM: 8:45 Beginner’s Yoga & Research/ Outline PM: Embroider & Blog Time	P @ Preschool AM: Begin Research Paper PM: Clean House

Anticipated Blog Posts:

The 9-Month Skirt

2 Embroidered Projects: Landen's Pillow & Bags for Sister's Wedding

Keep & Toss Garters for Sister's Wedding

YummySoup! Review

Linking up here. 

Free Money!

Probably not a realistic title, but it might feel that way if you find your name on one of these lists. 

What I've Been Up To

Summer school started up, and this research course is a beating. BLAH! So I haven't been able to complete big stuff...Just a few little things. Here's what I've been up to...

 Cooking crispy coconut tofu nuggets w/ peanut sauce...

and Hot Spinach Dip...

Making Mickey Mouse breakfasts...

And butterfly snacks...

 Enjoying feeding the hubs...

And the toddler...

 Sewing valances for friends...

Taking the girl to the library only to have her want to bounce around outside...

It's just the day in the life of a stay-at-home mom. 

Expo Washable Markers House Party

I was selected to host an Expo Washable Markers House Party. Wahoo! If you haven't yet heard of House Party, it's a cool marketing website. A company gets to promote their products by offering you the opportunity to host a party to show them off. With that fun little responsibility comes freebies: In this case, each guest at my party got 2 sets of Expo Washable Markers, an Expo eraser, and a white board. In addition to that, the House Party website gives the host (me) a ton of printables and activity ideas. Here's what a House Party can look like.

Welcome!

Week of June 12

I did this for the 2nd week in a row! Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to keep it up. It did make my week easier last week - like having lesson plans for my house.

You'll notice that the week before pay day is pretty weak in the menu department. We eat what we have, we eat cheap, and we eat out using Groupons and gift cards. Also, some of the stuff we didn't get to last week are recycled for this week.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
L: Leftovers D: Saltgrass (Gift Card) *Church & Family Photos	L: Expo House Party Play Date Snacks D: Spaghetti w/ Walnut Spinach Salad	L: Leftovers D: Windy City Dawgs Groupon	L: Green Giant Soup (Kohh’s Healthy Lunchbox  Cookbook) D: Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff & Cherry Tomato Salad	L: Leftovers D: Chinese Noodle Salad & Tofu Bites (Both From Kohh’s Healthy Lunchbox  Cookbook)	L: Leftovers D: Out	L: Out D: Velveeta House Party *MNI - CPR Certification
Snacks: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas	Activities:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Zucchini Nut Bread Sandwich Cookies		AM: Play Date @ Home PM: Backyard Kiddie Pool	P @ Preschool AM: Class - Read & Online Modules PM: Clean House & Make Skirt for Skirt Week	AM: Library Story Time PM: Ice Cube Painting & Groceries	P @ Preschool AM: Take Quiz & Begin Research PM: Blog & Sew Landen’s Pillow	P @ Preschool AM: Research & Outline PM: Hem Dress & Sew ELB’s Crib Bed Skirt

Week of June 5

I've seen some other popular bloggers organize through their blog this way, and I've tried it before. That didn't work out for me. But this time, I created a template that makes it easy. My hope is that posting this will keep me on track, organized and accountable. And maybe I can help out a reader or two with the handy links.

My plan is to publish this on Sundays, so I'm already, characteristically, a day behind. :) So without further ado, I give you this week's family meals (lunches and dinners) and toddler/mommy weekday activities.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
L: Smoked Salmon Rolls from Kohl’s Healthy Lunchbox Cookbook D: Costco Pizza	L: Pizza Leftovers D: Appetizer Night-Spinach Dip, Deviled Eggs, & Tofu Coconut Nuggets w/ Peanut Sauce	L: Play Date Cookout (Bring Condiments & Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars) D: Mini Lasagnas & Easy Spinach w/ Shallots	L: Play Date Snacks (Bring Banana Bread Muffins) D: Penne w/ Roasted Asparagus & Balsamic Butter Sauce	L: Leftovers D: Orange Chicken w/ Sautéed Broccoli & Brown Rice	L: Leftovers D: Spaghetti & Cranberry Spinach Salad	L: Out D: Leftovers for P; G & A at Cocktail Bridal Shower
Snacks: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas	Activities:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Zucchini Nut Bread Sandwich Cookies Orange Butterflies		P @ Preschool AM: Work on School PM: Errands & Blog	AM: Play Date PM: Play Dress Up & Backyard Kiddie Pool Time	AM: Cook Out Play Date PM: Ice Cube Painting & Backyard Kiddie Pool Time	P @ Preschool AM: Work on School PM: Clean House	P @ Preschool AM: Work on School PM: Crafts

For the activities, AM is what we'll do before nap and PM is after. I'm in grad school right now, so my daughter, Presley, goes to preschool 3 days a week so I can work on that. I've put what I should be doing that time down for my own benefit. 

What do you think? How do you keep your family's meals and activities organize?

Let's Art Party

So I guess it's a yearly thing for me, although I'd like to do it more often. Painting experiences, like the one I wrote about here and that you can get at places like Let's Art Party, have become the "new girl's night out." For around $35, you bring your own wine and snack, and the facility provides the rest: paint, brushes, canvas, and super simple instruction (and intervention, if necessary). 

That's my friend, Evan, in the back there and me closer to the camera. And our trusty bottle or Pinot to the right.