Showing my Life Planner Love!

It's no secret that before having Miss K, I was a bit OCD when it came to organization.  I'm that girl that keeps her shoes in clear plastic, labeled shoe boxes.  My pantry shelves are categorized and our DVD/Blue Rays are in alphabetical order.  And bless all my former students' hearts- you've never seen more organized 8 and 9 year olds.  My files were organized by subject and then by the quarter in which they were taught.  My planner/agenda/calendar was with me at all times. Even once I got my iPhone, I still had to have everything on paper.  I couldn't commit to anything without checking my calendar. In the almost 2 years since leaving the classroom and having Miss K, I have been nothing short of a chicken running around with it's head cut off.  I kid you not.  It didn't help that in the first eight or so months after having Miss K, we sold our house in NC, moved into a corporate apartment for two months then finally moved into Casa de D last summer.  Total chaos, folks.  NOT my style.  As K and I became busier and I started getting involved in more things, the chaos intensified.  For those of you that don't know me in real life, when I feel unorganized or out of control, I become a

lunatic.  More of a lunatic than I already am.  Enter the self-intervention this past summer.

While home in Texas, I was trying to figure out how on Earth I could get a grip on my life. Then it hit me...  You see, I realized that I wasn't treating my new job like it was a real job.  And you know what's funny?  This new job, the job of Miss K's mommy/stay at home wife/mom is one million times harder than any of my eight years of teaching.  No lie.  But for 18 months I hadn't been giving this new job the respect or thoughtful planning that I gave to my old job.  If I would have run my classroom the way I've been running my house and my life- I would have been fired in a heartbeat.  Then as though the blogosphere and twitterverse had been hearing my thoughts, I was introduced to Erin Condren and her AWESOME products, including the Life Planner!  Let me tell you, I am hooked!  Never again will I own any other planner, and I have owned my share. It has been a lifesaver and between that and my Home Organization Binder, I am pleased to say "I'm baaaaack"!  Gone are the feelings of unorganization and total out of controlness (not a word, I know).  My days are planned, my meals are planned, my cleaning is planned, my PLANS are planned! 
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Life Planner, here are a few peeks into mine. 

After MUCH debate, I ordered the taffy stripe in navy and pink! I loved all EC's choices, but this was my fav!! (The marker is covering my last name!)  The front and back covers are a thick lamination and I love the spiral binding on the side.

EC does a great job of including inspirational quotes and sayings throughout the planner, this one is at the front.  You can also see the tabs for each month along the side.

This is at the back of the planner- on the left side is a 2-sided pocket.  I keep my matching note pad in one pocket and use the other pocket for important receipts, etc.  On the right side is a clear pouch that has stamps, business cards, pens, address labels, and the fun freebies that EC sent with my planner!

Here is the monthly view that is the first page of each month and the page that the tab is attached to.  I am a color-coded person; each family member is a different color, and if it pertains to all of us it is a separate color!  We've been busy this month at Casa de D!!! (Notice the fun bookmark in the top right?  EC send you 2 of these to use in your planner!!)

Here are what the weekly pages look like!  I love that there are three separate spaces for each day- morning, day, and evening!  I follow the same color rule on these pages as well.  I write my daily chores in here as well so that I can keep up with what I've done and still need to do. 

There are SOO many more great things that the team at EC have thought of to make this planner perfect!  There's a place for important dates, lined pages for notes, a sheet for important numbers, and these AWESOME color-coded (SQUEE!!!) stickers for various things like birthdays, games, hair appointments, etc! 

Y'all get this- they have so much more than just the Life Planners!  I also ordered new family stationary with return address labels, circle address labels, notepads, and as soon as Big Poppa comes back from California this weekend, we're deciding on and ordering our Christmas cards! (Well, I've already decided, but I guess I'll let him have some say!)  And to top it off, their customer service is hands down, the best! 

*I am in no way being compensated for saying these things about Erin Condren.  I am just a huge fan and want to spread the love! 

School Days

This is our "new" smile!

Today was Miss K's first day at school!  She has been so excited about going to to "skeww" this last week, that's all she's been talking about.  Last Monday night, Big Poppa and I had Parent's Night where we went and met her teachers and got to talk and ask questions sans kiddos.  We used the need of our babysitter that night as an impromptu date night and headed out to dinner at Marlow's Tavern beforehand (culinary swoon).  It was kinda fun and sad to be the parent and not the teacher, but guess who got sucked into being the room mom? Yep, that'd be me!  So, in true room mom fashion, I hit the ever trusty Pintrest to find the cah-u-test gifts for the first day of school!

I think they turned out pretty cute see as how they were soooo easy to make!  Thanks to Pintrest, I now have enough year round teacher gifts to get us to at least middle school!  :) 

I was a little worried about Miss K and school this year because we have her going 3 days.  Last year (for half the year) she went to MMO two days a week and by the end of the year was a total rock star!  We were originally going to keep her in the MMO program she was in again this year since her birthday is Christmas Day and she won't be 2 until then, but through a friend we found an awesome preschool that has a class for 18-23 months.  This is a bit more of a structured program with circle time, music class, etc but is still 9-1 like MMO.  Big Poppa and I went back and forth on whether or not to keep her in just 2 days a week because I'm not ready for her to go 4 days but decided to send her 3 days a week because this momma needs a break.  It's fun because there are only 5 kids in each of her classes and her teachers are the same.  **I'm just going to once again give MAD props to all the single moms out there.  I'm pretty much a single parent about half the month and I can tell you what- by the end of the week when Big Poppa is out of town, I'm about to lose my you -know-what.  It's flippin' hard with no family to help out. (Maga, no pressure to move to the ATL:)  That's why when people ask when we are going to have another one, I instantly start breaking out in hives before they can finish their sentence!

Miss K had an incredible day today and was so cute when I picked her up and she said "Hi, Mommy" like it was no big deal that I had been gone 4 hours.  (Well, really only 3 since I had to wait an hour for a locksmith to come unlock my car because I locked my keys in the car trying to get everything to her classroom in one trip this morning.  One hour and $65 of my life I'll never get back.  Le sigh)
Tomorrow you can bet that I will not be locking my doors when I drop her off!

With her teachers at Open House

When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip...Texas Style!

Ok, I just had some crazy college flashbacks from that title!  Who remembers that song from 'da clubs back in the day?!?!  Come on now- dip baby, dip...dip, baby dip.  And no, this post isn't about club music, or my crazy college days (sigh....)!  I'm actually linking up with BooMama for DipTacular '11 in celebration of the start of college football!  There's nothing better than a good college football game (GO RED RAIDERS!) and some good dip.  And good beer.  Here in Casa de D, when it comes to game day fare, we are simple folks.  Some good homemade pico de gallo and guacamole, jalapeno poppers, and there's always something on the smoker, and whall-a!  A perfect Saturday for football.  But for the rare occasions that we feel the need to step it up a bit, there are two go-to's that are sure to please any crowd!  Beware, they are both super simple (really) and almost so easy it seems pointless to share, but they are good nonetheless!

Southwestern Sour Cream Dip

• 1 large container of regular sour cream (you could do one of the medium in low fat and one medium in regular if preferred)
• 1-2 packets of McCormick taco seasoning (I use the original flavor)

Spoon the sour cream into a bowl and then stir in the taco seasoning a quarter of the packet at a time.  The key to this dip is getting the just right flavor without over doing it.  Add until you are satisfied with the flavor.  We like ours pretty flavorful so I am pretty heavy-handed when pouring!  You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick if you'd like.  Stir until well blended and then let it chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours!  Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!


Chili con Queso

• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 large block of Velveeta
• 1-2 cans Rotel
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can green chilies

Brown meat in a skillet and throw in the onions to saute' for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are clear.  Drain off excess fat from meat and set the meat to the side.  I usually pour it onto a plate lined with some paper towels to help soak up the fat.  Cut Velveeta up into cubes and put into crock pot.  Depending on how "tomato-y" you want the queso to be, add 1 or 2 cans of Rotel to crock pot. *I usually use 2 cans, and I drain one of the two cans into another bowl before adding it.  You want some of the juices to help thin it out, but I don't drain the chilies so those juices are in there too.*  If you only use one can of Rotel, pour all the can into the pot.  Add green chilies and beef into crock pot.  Be sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn.  If it is not as soupy or thinned out as you'd like, take the reserve juice from the second can and stir in until you get the desired consistency.  Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy!  Happy Football to everyone! 

Book Club

So for the past few months, a few friends and I have tossed around the idea of starting a book club since the majority of us are bona fide bookworms.  Of course, we would talk about it when we got together, and say we're going to do it and then never do it.  Sooo, me being the natural born sucker leader that I am decided to get it started!

I've been in a few book clubs in the past, none of which I was absolutely in love with.  I've never lead a book club, but decided to take the things that I liked about my previous ones, plus a few other ideas and get started!  We had our first "meeting" this last Sunday and chose the books through December.  I asked everyone to come with 3-5 titles that they were interested in reading, no restrictions.  Between the ten of us, there were over 25 different books suggested.  A few of us had over-lapping titles, but I think we were all impressed with the variety of genres presented.  I asked everyone to bring a copy of the book, or since our first meeting was in a major bookstore that houses a very popular coffee brand, everyone was able to grab a copy of their books to share. 

After passing the books around, discussing some a bit more in depth, and reading synopses we decided on the following books:

September: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

October: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

November: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

December: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Out of the four we chose, I have only read To Kill a Mockingbird, and the last time I read that was in college a few years over 10 years ago, (holy crap, I'm getting old) so I'm excited to read it again. 

I typed the list of all the books suggested, and we will revisit them in January when choosing the next set of books.  There were so many good choices, I think I'll have my Kindle full for the next year!

Anyone read any of the chosen books? What did you think?

The Great Wreath Debate...ending with a DIY!!!

I've always loved wreaths on my front door, but have never been one to really change out my wreaths.  I had my standard year round wreath and then maybe a Christmas wreath.  When we moved into Casa de D last year, one of things that I loved about it was the double front doors.  With double front doors though, comes the debate of double wreaths, or just one?  Our hood is pretty divided...about half do 2 wreaths and half only do one.  I've only done one so far, but I am tempted to jump over to the double side! 
With that being said, I've bought a few new wreaths since last summer.  I'm a strange hybrid of minimalist meets over-the-top when it comes to choosing a wreath, so it makes it somewhat difficult when looking for new ones.  I have also not been blessed with the cute wreath making gene, so while I have these grandiose ideas in my head, they never really come to fruition.  Until now. Thanks to pintrest (a life sucker) and twitterverse, I decided to take a stab and make a Texas Tech ribbon wreath for football season.  I was lucky enough to score some Texas Tech grosgrain ribbon a few years ago and wanted that to be the highlight of the wreath. 
I got the wire wreath from my money-sucking craft store that is closed on Sundays.  I think it was $2.50 for the size I needed.  I had some ribbon, but also picked up several more spools of various reds, blacks, and whites (in total, I think I used nine or ten different patterns/colors).  Then, it was time to get started!

I started with cutting 24 pieces of each ribbon at about 8 inches long. There are 8 sections to the wreath, so that gave me three of each ribbon per section to begin with.  I didn't want to cut too many to begin with, but I did add more eventually.  I will say that I did not trim my ribbon ends before making the wreath, I did all of that at the end so you'll notice that the next few pictures all the ribbons are blunt cut. I think that was a time saver, because as you tie and pull at the ribbons, they'll fray.  The OCD in me wanted to fray check all of the ends, but the practical me stopped from doing that!



I continued to tie my ribbons in somewhat of a pattern within each section, using the thicker ribbons first.  Because I was using a lot of what I already have, I think my thickest ribbon was 1 1/2".  In my opinion, it was plenty thick especially when tying the ribbon.  I alternated tying the ribbons between the inner and outer middle rings with the thicker ribbons.  Once I got to the thinner ribbons and the Texas Tech ribbon, I was bit more strategic in placing them in the more noticeable holes.

Here's the final product, hanging on the door!  In hindsight, I could have perhaps made it fuller by maybe using more ribbon, but I do think for my first one, it turned out pretty good! 

Here's a closer look at how I trimmed the ends.  I just cut them all at various angles, no notch cuts.  I think waiting to do this until the end also allowed me to trim the ribbons I felt necessary to help with the fluffing of the wreath. 

All in all, it took about an hour and half to make this one wreath.  I bought two wreath forms in anticipation of making two, but I don't know.  What do y'all think....one or two?



OBX '11

We made our annual pilgrimage to the Outer Banks again this summer for the 4th of July.  After the craziness of last summer and going twice in one month, we decided to go for ten days this year and do it all in one trip.  We're still having to remember that we are no longer the four hour drive that we were in NC, but a lofty ten hour drive (with some stops for Miss K) from here!This is this first year we went with friends...and yes, we are actually still friends!  :)  Our week over the 4th, we go the same time as some dear friends of ours back in NC but we always stay in our own houses.  We invited our friends here, the G family, to join in the fun this year!  Their son, G is about a year older than Miss K, but they really play well together and it's super cute to see them talking to each other. 
We really didn't do more than go to the beach and just relax.  That's our trip to just disconnect and enjoy family time.  Big Poppa and the guys go out deep sea fishing on The Trophy Hunter, and this year they put the hurt on some Mahi.  That of course meant we had some killer beer battered dolphin bites for dinner one night!  That's the one thing about the Banks, we ALWAYS eat so well there! 

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip! 

 

We're already looking forward to OBX '12!!!

Summer 2011- Where we've been

So, I told myself back in the spring that I was going to be better about blogging.  As you can tell from the last post until now, I didn't get any better.  Every time I go to blog, I think about how average our days our, and that no one could possibly want to read about it.  Then I remember that's the main reason I enjoy so many of the blogs I read everyday!  So as we wrap up our hot and way too fast summer, I am hoping to jump back on the blog wagon and try to to post more regularly. 

The past few months have been pretty busy at Casa de D.  It feels like we have been here, and there, and everywhere!  We went home to Texas in May, on our annual pilgrimage to the Outer Banks in July, I went on a girls weekend to Hilton Head, have had some serious landscaping done to Casa de D, and now Miss K and I are home in Texas again for a few weeks. I have started a blog idea list that will allow me to keep up to date on posts and plan on posting a recap of some of the big highlights from this summer.  As a teaser to keep y'all coming back, here's a picture of us from the beach.  Please pay no attention to how cracked out I look, but at how UH-dorable my child is, and how hot my husband is!  :)