An Actual Craft Project!

What's this? An actual craft project on my crafty blog? I know, I know, it's been far too long. I've been meaning to make this nifty magazine holder for awhile, but I knew it was time when Jesse asked me why an empty cereal box had been sitting on the table for the past two weeks.

Materials:

• Empty cereal box
• Wrapping paper or scrapbook paper
• Decorations of your choice
• Hot glue gun
• Tape

Directions:

Cut cereal box so it looks like one of those fancy store-bought magazine holders. You know, angled down so you can see what's inside it. Then wrap it with pretty paper. I chose a pretty Tiffany's blue, which isn't exactly showing up in my pictures. *Helpful hint: Make the seams of your paper meet at the back (the longest side, which is to the right in the picture below) and the bottom, which won't be showing when you have this set out.*

Decorate! I used ribbon and my hot glue gun. I may add more later on, but for now, I like it. Now to read those magazines...

Menu Plan Monday

It's been a few weeks since I've done a menu plan post, mostly because we've taken a few weekend trips and meals have been pretty scattered. Now that we are back home for awhile, things can get back to normal.

Lunches:

Monday: English Muffin Pizzas
Tuesday: English Muffin Pizzas
Wednesday: Beans, Cheese, and Tortillas
Thursday: Turkey Sandwiches
Friday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Saturday: Egg Salad Sandwiches
Sunday: Macaroni and Cheese

Dinners:

Monday/Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday/Thursday: Mexi Turkey Skillet
Friday/Saturday: Veggie Stir Fry
Sunday/Monday: Mini Turkey Loaves with Green Beans

We've been getting a little tired of mostly vegetarian dinners, so we're mixing some meat-inclusive meals back in, although we'll be using a mixture of meat and beans in some of them, so they're still healthier, and less expensive.

I'm going to make a double batch of the bean/ground turkey taco mixture, which we'll have in both tacos and the mexi skillet. That should make meal prep pretty easy for those. I make mini turkey loaves in muffin tins, which means they cook faster, and one of them is the perfect kid portion.

What I'm Reading...

A Collection of Free Kindle Resources. My favorite is to just go to the Amazon Kindle Bestsellers list and look at the top freebies. (The Simple Dollar)

List of Ingredients to Avoid in Cleaning Products. For those interested in greener living. (Life Your Way)

Organizing on a Budget: Using What You Have. I can think of at least 3 baskets/containers off the top of my head that aren't currently being used where they are, but could be used elsewhere in my house. (Northern Cheapskate)

How to Be a More Patient Mom in 24 Hours. Such simple steps, but important. I find myself frequently multi-tasking parenting with something else, but I notice that Jonah and I both have more fun when we're just hanging out together. It's not always possible, but it's good to aim for that. (Inspired to Action via Simple Mom)

10 Ways to Get Small Children Involved in the Kitchen. I am happy to say that we already do a couple of these. (Life Your Way)

Loving Your Family Through Meal Planning. Jonah and I really like sweet potatoes and squash. Jesse does not. We only make him suffer through those meals occasionally, and I usually cook them separately if I can so he doesn't have to eat them. (Good Cheap Eats)

How to Get Free Baby-Sitting and a Mom's Night Out. This sounds like a very reasonable idea. My kid goes to bed at 7:00. Just saying... (Passionate Homemaking)

The Thoughtful Parent's Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations. This presents both sides of the issue. We ended up choosing to go with the traditional vaccination schedule for Jonah, but not without research. (Keeper of the Home)

How to Get Groceries for Free by Gleaning. This sounds like an interesting idea. I would think once you got everything set up, it wouldn't actually be too much effort, just picking things up and sorting them. (MSN via Money Saving Mom)

Busy Mom's Guide to Easy Recycling. The main idea here is to give yourself places to put all of your recyclables. I only wish we had recycling in our apartment building. (Life Your Way)

Crafty Link-Up

Recycled Newspaper Crafts. A lot of these look really cool, although I think the hand-spun newspaper yarn is the most intriguing. (Life Your Way)

DIY Homemade Cake Mix Recipe. (I Am Baker via Deal Seeking Mom)


DIY Fleece Liners to Keep Your Cloth-Diapered Baby Dry at Night. We've been doing disposables at night because Jonah soaks through them, but I wonder if this would help. (Offbeat Mama)


How to Make Chocolate Butterfly Cake Decorations. These are pretty sweet. (Everything Old via not martha)

Recycled Gift Bows from Phone Books. Similar to ones I've posted before. (How About Orange)

What I'm Reading...

The Best Friends' Guide to Newborns. Someone remind me to read this when I'm, oh, about 2 weeks in and haven't slept in 3 days. (Goddess Guidebook via Offbeat Mama)

I Don't Have Time to Be Frugal! Being frugal does not mean spending hours on coupon clipping or manual labor. It means being smart and organized. (The Simple Dollar)

Does Cutting Meat, Eggs, or Dairy from Your Diet Save You Money? Yes and no. You spend more on produce. You spend less on meat. There are smart ways to buy either way. (The Simple Dollar)

The Buck Stops Here: How to Lower Your Monthly Bills. I've seen many of these, but it's always a helpful reminder that you can negotiate for lower rates on many bills. (Life Your Way)

It's Harder to Get Started Today. An interesting cost-of-living comparison of life today vs. 30 years ago. (The Simple Dollar)

Does Your Family Have a Drinking Problem? Some days we do. This is a cute and simple idea. (Smockity Frocks via I'm an Organizing Junkie)

This pantry redo is really awesome. I would LOVE a pantry like that. (Honey + Fitz via I'm an Organizing Junkie)

Crafty Link-Up

Simple Cooked Play-Doh Recipe. I think we made something similar when I was younger. Fun! (Money Saving Mom)

This Freezer Paper Stenciled Scarf is really cool looking. I already have too many scarves. (How About Orange)

Personalized Children's Canvas Wall Art. I don't think my dollar store sells canvases. If they did, I would buy a bunch. (Full of Great Ideas)

Diaper Boxes into Lined Canvas Bins. Brilliant! I have no idea what canvas/pretty fabric for lining would cost though. (Positively Splendid via Money Saving Mom)

Rain Gutter Bookshelves. What a nifty way to display books for kids! (Raising Olives)

Stained Glass Heart Cookies. These are very similar to the stained glass cookies I want to bake. (Deal Seeking Mom)

Make Your Own Reusable Sandwich Bags. I've thought about doing this, but we use mostly containers anyways. (Living a Frugal Life via Deal Seeking Mom)

A really smart way to organize ribbons. (Spunky Junky via I'm an Organizing Junkie)

What I'm Reading...

Double Your Space with Wire Shelves and Dividers. I like a lot of these ideas. (I'm An Organizing Junkie)

Here's a big list of Freezable Foods. My favorite things to freeze are chopped veggies. When I'm cooking, I can simply grab a container of whatever I want and throw it in, no chopping necessary. I've found that freezing meals doesn't work too well for us. We aren't good at eating them. (Simple Organized Living)


Clean Out Your Inbox: 7 Steps to E-mail Success. I use Hotmail, not Gmail, but the idea is the same. Organize, split into folders, and only keep subscriptions to things you actually use or enjoy. (Life as Mom)