Back Online!

I'm back! We have had a week of sporadic internet outages and server problems so my access to the web and email has been limited. Having an IT guy for a hubbie is great, but because the problems were with our provider there was not much he could do! He usually was able to get me online once a day so I could post my daily LO to LOAD, so thanks to him I haven't missed a day yet! Now that it seems everything is working fine again, hopefully I can catch up on email and posting in the next day or two. (*If I haven't responded yet to your emails, I'm sorry!)

First up: Menu Plan Monday. I have to say I am really getting into the groove of menu planning now. Having been back at it for a month or so, I now have a selection of weekly menus I can choose from without having to reinvent the wheel. I write up each menu plan on a pre-made sheet I got in the dollar bin at Michael's, and then I write all the ingredients needed for all the recipes on the back. Once the week is done I put it in my household notebook for future use. That way whether I use the plan for the first time or the fourth time, I can quickly make up my grocery list by just adding the other things we need such as breakfast and lunch items and staples.

I also feel like I am getting good at tweaking menu plans to work more efficiently - for example we had a ham on Sunday and I knew I would have leftovers for later in the week so I figured I would make a Jambalaya. I need chicken for Jambalaya as well, so I planned to have chicken & rice on Monday and to make a couple extra chicken breasts to use. That way, I have everything I need, it speeds up the cooking time on the Jambalaya and saves time and energy! I also plan for a couple of regular nights - Thursday is usually Pasta night because it's quick and I know Grayson will eat lots of pasta which gives him energy for Soccer practice, and Friday night is usually Pizza night - I bake a fresh-frozen pizza and toss together a bagged Ceasar salad kit. SO easy! So...here is this weeks plan:

Sunday: Baked ham, Schwartzies potato casserole (I make only half the recipe and it is SO YUMMY!), mixed veg and buns (*I didn't bake the ham I had last week so I'm doing it this week)

Monday: Chicken fingers (slice chicken breasts into strips, coat with Shake & Bake, bake in oven) wild rice, broccoli.

Tuesday: Jambalaya (I use Zatarains mix and add leftover chicken and ham cubes), mixed salad
Wednesday: Meatballs with rice and broccoli

Thursday: (Soccer practice) Fast Tortellini Alfredo, veggies and dip

Friday: Pizza and Caesar Salad

Saturday: BBQ steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob

Done, planned and shopped for! I am loving this! I also enjoy looking out all the menu plans on orgjunkie, which I have linked to. Check it out for inspiration.

Next: Project updates. I am happy to report that I am still keeping up to date with Project 365, LayOutA Day (LOAD) and Library of Memories. It keeps me busy, but it is very satisfying to take photos of my family and complete lots of scrapbook layouts. I have moved my Project 365 photos to a Shutterfly Share Site as I was running out of (free) space on Flickr, and I am working on another Shutterfly site to showcase scrapbook layouts and other crafty projects. If you haven't seen these free Shutterfly sites you can create, check them out. They are a nice alternative to a blog or website and give you lots of options for posting lots of pics.

I have also been working on a new version of my Sharing Memories Scrapbooking website! My old site expired and since I wasn't happy with my web host I got a new domain name (http://www.sharingmemoriesscrapbooking.com/) and a new webhost (Dreamhost). I have transferred all of the content over and am playing with the new format, look & feel. I will be starting to post new entries, page plans and projects very soon. I am also planning a re-launch complete with prizes and contests soon and I will keep you up to date.

Finally on the homefront, Sam has recovered from the attempted escape from his crib, but managed to fall off a bed and give himself another fat lip. He has now been confined to a playpen with high sides for safety purposes!! LOL!! We have also been working on getting him to sleep without being rocked, and I have just finished weaning him (a bittersweet experience). He is close to walking although he has never offically crawled. And he will be one year old in just three weeks and I am planning his party. Where has the year gone? Sigh...

Anyway, enough for now! If all stays well with our internet I'll post again in a couple of days!

Happy Scrapping
Noreen