Magnetic Calendar

Sharing with you today the magnetic year-round calendar I crafted up. I had to post on the last day of January, mostly because my pregnancy goal was to make it until at least February. My due date is twenty days away, but each day I show up at work people look astonished to see me...same with my doctor's appointments. Yes, still cruising around with the baby bump. And loving every minute (and day of January).
My mom found the magnetic board at a craft store, but had she not, I was going to use a sheet of steel and vinyl or sharpie the calendar template on. For the date stickers, I did the following:

1. Printed off numbers 1-31

2. Printed off enough letters to spell every month (If you want a copy, comment below and I can email you the document).

3. Made the letters/numbers into stickers with a Xyron sticker maker, stuck them onto small squares of cardstock.

4. Mod-Podged the cardstock onto square tiles.

5. Used E-6000 to adhere a "rare earth" magnet (very strong hold, tiny magnet) on the back of each one.
I wasn't going for perfection here...I like the numbers a little off-kilter. It suits our style. I found some cupcake buttons I'm going to use in place of a number when it's someone's birthday, and will hopefully find some more themed buttons as well for other holidays.

Menu Planning & Free Download

I have been busy with lots of projects. Photographing and posting to this blog, however? Well, I'm slacking in that department. Now that I've got a backlog of creations, I better get to sharing.

This one is less of a creation of mine, and more of an organization tip/free printable. I've been using a menu planner for the last three weeks, and love it. I've always had a general plan of what I want to make for the week, but writing it down and planning it out helps me actually stick to the plan instead of throwing a frozen pizza into the oven.

I found two different patterns at 733 Blog. They are both free for download. You can make them into a book, but I just printed mine and keep them hung on the side of the refrigerator. I also love the grocery list on the side you can cut off. Head over there and check it out. There are tons of other great things to explore while you're there.

Have a great day,

Robin

Back From Break

Where have I been? Absent from here, that's for sure. I have been on "Winter Break" from school for just over a week, and have enjoyed every minute of it. I couldn't get myself motivated to blog on these days--lacking motivation in that department. New Year's Resolution? Ha, yeah right. I have an early January birthday, so have learned to never set myself up for failure like that. I can't wait to share what I've been up to over break, and maybe you'll gather some inspiration, ideas, or links to use. Caution: complete randomness ahead.

1.) First, I read a couple good books:
Set in South Africa during the Apartheid, the story of a young boy who encounters many interesting characters while coming of age, facing racism, and recognizing the power one possesses.
Way better than I expected. The story is not focused just on race, but on the adventures of this interesting and inspiring family.



2.) Then did some intense research on photography. I used these sites:

Pioneer Woman Photography has some great explanations and tips. She claims not to be an expert, but her pictures show otherwise.

Two Peas in a Bucket has a downloadable 12 week course that you can reference or print in PDF form. I love the format and have printed out the first couple weeks to try.

Turns out I'm still not that awesome of a photographer. But I'm working on it!
3.) We celebrated Christmas with family, and I spent lots of time with this special little man.


4.) Stocked up the deep freezer for maternity leave.

I found recipes and information on this LiveJournal. I was able to make and freeze almost 20 meals in about 4 hours (spread over two days, let's be real, I'm hugely prego and slow moving) and it cost less than $150. The food looked so good I kept wanting to eat one of them that day. Didn't give in, only because the husband was there and I didn't want to look weak.

The pic above is from the livejournal and looks a lot neater than my kitchen did at any point of preparation.

5. Prepared for baby number two

Eek! Holy nesting session. Busted out all the gear for baby, and have the car seat all set to go. That's right, sitting out in the open, ready for me to grab at a moment's notice. Because that's totally how childbirth goes--one minute you're in labor, the next you have a baby. At least I feel prepared. What is that called when you can recognize the "crazy" but don't do anything about it? Oh yeah, pregnancy.

6. Pinned a "few" things.

Dare you to stop by Pinterest for just a few minutes. I have found the site incredibly helpful. When I'm feeling crafty, I hit up Pinterest and get to crafting (usually).

7.) Organized and backed up months of photos

So this doesn't really seem like a task I should blog about, but it took so freaking long that I feel justified listing it. I need all my picture folders meticulously organized, which is painful. Someday I will be thankful for this. Also, take this as a friendly reminder to back up your pictures and documents :)


I hope you gathered at least one idea by reading today! I am blessed to have had such a long break from school as well as a toddler who takes long naps. Have a great day.