Pinterest; A new love

Thanks to my friends Kelli and Christine I have fallen in love with Pinterest!  It is such a fun way to find new ideas, motivation, crafts, etc.  I have also downloaded the tool to pin things I find on my favorite web pages.  I love having a favorites page I can access anywhere!  I also enjoy seeing what my friends have pinned!

Recently I have found three organization tips I loved; an old shutter as a mail holder, a dish rack as a way to organize Tupperware lids, and a magazine box for plastic wrap and aluminum foil!  N found me an old shutter at a Habitat ReSale shop for $3, we have spent a little more than I would have hoped on good spray paint (8.99 a can), but I am really loving how it is turning out.  I already had an extra dish rack from our old house, so no money was spent on that.  I also had one of the magazine boxes, so I relocated the books that were in there and moved it to the pantry.

My pinterest page link is on my blog (I think at the bottom).

Shutter Before

Shutter almost ready for hanging-needs one more coat of paint

Tupperware Cabinet Before

After with dish rack!

Good Life

A few more pictures from our photo shoot with Lori from Little Voice Photography:

Loving her Daddy and probably laughing at Grandpa being silly



"Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life "



The picture of Fall!

This and That

After a week of glorious fall weather it has turned cold and wet here in Michigan, it is probably all down hill from here!  Thankfully we were able to get some fall activities in before it got too cold and wet.

A photo my mom took while having our professional pictures done

My parents were in town last weekend; we had fun shopping and decorating the house for Halloween.  Mom finished D's Halloween costume and made her a dress.  We also had family pictures done; we had a nice day for them, maybe a little too hot (I know, I know, bite my tongue) but the landscape was gorgeous.  A sneak peek of our photos can be found here:  http://littlevoicephoto.blogspot.com/  We can't wait to see the rest!

D had her Fun Run last week at school.  It is her school's only fundraiser, so we want to thank all of you that donated!  She raised $130!  She is looking forward to the pizza and bowling party for those who raised over $80.

Earlier this week I was able to be a test kitchen for a website I love.  I cooked a whole vegetarian freezer menu.  It was very challenging to do alone, there was so much to cut up and roast.  It took me a lot longer than I was allowing for.  My freezer is now full of lots of great meals.  We have already tried a few of them and they were both hits.  Even D ate the Roasted Corn, Poblano Pizza!  Once the website releases the menu I will share more information on what I made!

Coming up in the next days and weeks we have lot of Halloween activities and D was invited to go see Disney on Ice with a friend.  I am sure I will have lots of pictures to share!

2011 Fall Craft

N is off to Traverse City today for a work conference.  Poor guy had to drive up there on his birthday!  Hopefully he will be able to have a nice meal with some of his co-workers this evening.
D and I decided to do some crafting.  Last year for fall we made thankful leaves to hang on the fireplace, this year we made a tree using her hand and arm and she used her thumb to make the leaves.  (we got this great idea from http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com/)  D decided to add some clouds using a sponge and painted a sun using a brush.  She also drew a birds nest with eggs in the tree and an interesting looking mommy bird. I love that she adds so much detail to her drawings, things I don't even think about.
We also took a nice stroll through the neighborhood collecting leaves we thought were pretty, she is trying to decide what to do with them.

Wordless Wednesday:art, yoga, and apple dumplings!

Keeping my sanity!

I am not feeling very successful at being a stay at home mom with my only child at school, I think I miss the schedule that comes with having a child at home.  After a couple weeks of feeling like I have accomplished very little I think it is time to create myself a schedule (Thanks Kelli K for the idea and inspiration!).  This will hopefully keep me motivated and help me feel like I am using my time wisely while Delaney is at school.  And if I get a job, it will hopefully help me balance it all (the job market is not looking so good though, surprise, surprise!).
My plan for today is to get all the laundry done and put away!  I would also like to put together a menu for the week, and thanks to a day of freezer cooking this should be fairly easy!
Tuesdays I am hoping to devote to volunteering in the media center at D's school.  This may change as they just hired a new librarian and she may have a different schedule that she wants to go with.  I am also planning on going to the gym in the morning after taking D to the bus stop.
And that is as far as I have gotten on my planning....obviously I need days for cleaning, shopping, and errands!

Nothing new, just plugging along.....

D is having a great time at school!  I have been to her class a few times to do a few things for her teacher, it has been nice to put faces to names and see how the kids are interacting.  Her teacher said it is a great group of kids and they have really picked up the routine fast. 
D is still doing karate, she now has a friend in her class with her and really likes that.  She is itching to swim again, so we will sign her up for lessons in November.  We also need to take her to family swim times at the gym, hopefully this Friday we can go.
Fall is in the air around these parts!  The morning air is crisp.  I am hoping we can have a rain free weekend soon so we can go pick apples and find a pumpkin.  I also need to get some mums planted!  I have some bare areas in the flower beds and it would be nice to have some flowers that bloom in the fall.
I am slowly getting used to being home alone all day.  It is such a strange feeling.  I have tried to stay busy with some volunteering at the school and some MOMs club events.  I need to create a routine for myself, as I am horrible without one!