Virtual Scrap Night Begins!

"Take the Leap" into scrapbooking with an all-weekend virtual crop! I had fun hosting the first challenge over at SplitCoast Stampers. The challenge was to take a sketch and add one more element to your layout. I  used this sketch:

And added one more vertical stripe on the left hand side:

This page documents a little of the hospital hubs stayed in following his work accident in 2010. Miami Valley Hospital, or "the Valley", took great care of him!

Book Review: The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich

The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Evanovich is probably best known for her Stephanie Plum detective series. It's obvious this is one of her earlier works. Her characters are cute and charming, but the romance is ridiculously swift and the plot is a little jumpy.

Daisy is a sweet, overworked girl who falls into a job as a traffic reporter. Her boss, Steve, is gruff and handsome and protective. Even though they've worked together at the radio station for over a year, the minute Daisy gets the job, they fall in love. Riiiiiiiiiiight.

Add in a heat-packing granny, an overfed dog named Bob, and Daisy's habit of ticking off criminals, and you've got a book that is as much comedy as romance.

I think what bothered me the most was the dialogue. With lines like, "...marriage is for a lifetime. It's irrevocable. It's like getting your ears pierced" and "you son of a dog!", it's easy to write off all the characters as idiots, even though one is a graduate student and one is the manager of a radio station.

Certainly a light, cute read...but the romance is a little unbeleiveable, even for the romance genre.

View all my reviews

Menu Planning: Week 13

Here's what's on our dinner plates this week. Our schedule got all out of whack last week, resulting in spoiled meat and wilted lettuce! So my goal is to plan simpler meals this week and not waste anything!!

Thursday- Chicken Casserole (see below); salad

Friday- pizza night

Saturday- meatball subs; raw veggies

Sunday- grill out; corn on the cob

Monday- blueberry pancakes; bacon

Tuesday- Baked Chicken Quesadillas; chips and salsa

Wednesday- Pierogi Beef Skillet; cheddar biscuits


Chicken casserole (recipe from my friend Emily- thanks!)


3 large boneless chicken breasts ( I boil them and then shred them to chicken salad consistency)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of celery soup

1 box of instant stuffing

1 cup of chicken stock from boiled chicken (or you can use canned broth or bouillon)

2 cups of shredded cheddar or colby cheese



Combine cooked chicken, stuffing mix, both cans of soup, chicken stock and 1 cup of shredded cheese in a large bowl and mix well.



Spread mixture in a 9x13 pan and cook at 350 for 30 minutes. I sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the casserole in the last 5 minutes before I remove it.

This is great to make the night before and cover and stick in the fridge for the next night.

Menu Plan Week 11

Here's what's on our menu for the coming week. I am going with tried-and-true dishes this week. 

Have you tried a new recipe lately?

Thursday- Spaghetti Dinner and Literacy Night at the girls' school

Friday- Date night for hub's birthday

Saturday- pizza night

Sunday- Marebelle's casserole; crescent rolls; fruit salad

Monday- pancakes and bacon

Tuesday- Slow Cooker Fajitas; Baja roasted corn (from Market Day, a school fundraiser)

Wednesday-  Slow Cooker Veggie Soup; corn muffins

Viv's 6th Birthday: A Layout

I have slowly but surely been heading up to my craft room lately. This double layout was inspired by a challenge at SplitCoastStampers- go check it out!

I used the above sketch from Scrapbooks Etc. as a jumping-off point.

Supplies:

Paper- misc (love using up scraps!)

Glimmer Mist

Stamps- Unity

Ink- SU! Whisper White

Punch- Bling Bling by Fiskars

Project 365: Week 10

Things were really hectic here this past week- my best friend's husband was in a terrible car accident on Monday and has been in ICU ever since. (Talk about deja vu). My birthday was Friday. Everyone in my house got sick this week. I had to work late a few days. Needless to say, our routine was off a little. I only managed to take a pic a few days, so here they are...

Sunday- Dancing with the Wii

Monday- Dance practice- Viv is in the middle with the black leotard

Wednesday- Courtyard at University Hospital, visiting my friend who's husband is in ICU

Friday- One kid sick at home, one at the bus stop

Saturday- My best friend today!

Menu Plan Week 10

Where, oh where has this week gone?? Last week didn't go as planned (meal-wise), so some of the items listed here are repeats from last week. That's ok, just less I have to buy at the grocery store this week!

Thursday- crockpot parmesan pork roast, corn, crescent rolls

Friday- Dinner out for my birthday!!

Saturday- manicotti and garlic bread

Sunday-sandwiches/you're on your own (it's nice that the kids are old enough to put together a quick meal for themselves now!)




Monday- blueberry pancakes and bacon

Tuesday- pork burgers on pita bread and green bean casserole

Wednesday- salad with grilled chicken strips, Hawaiian sweet rolls

Project 365: Week 9

Need some ideas? Here's a list for a photo a day in March.
March. When did that happen??

Sunday- got a little scrapping done!



Monday- Viv has been battling a cough on and off for a couple of weeks. She hated the all-natural stuff!



Tuesday- a coworker brought in treats today!



Wednesday- waiting in line at the grocery store





Thursday- decorating our office door at work





Friday- Girls watching out the front door for the arrival of the big tornado-producing storms. Thankfully, it didn't get too bad here.



Saturday- Morgan and her cheer coach, at the awards ceremony.