Meal Prep

So, I know I am posting this sort of late (although, it is only 10pm here), but I did want to share my meal prep. I don't prep every single thing, but I do prep a lot of it so it's grab and go and it makes it easy for me to healthier without having to think. If I have to look for something many times I'll go for an unhealthier version of something! :-/

So, here is what I did:

I had my daughter help me prep breakfast food:

On the left is pre-measured milk & cereal so all she has to do is pour the cereal to the milk & eat it right from the mason jar. Then, the right side is premixed carnation instant breakfast that she eats with either an apple or a banana. 

These are fruit parfaits. On the left is a 1/4 cup greek yogurt on the bottom with a bit of frozen mixed berries, then a  1/2 cup greek yogurt with more frozen mixed berries on top. The one on the right is a 1/4 cup greek yogurt on bottom with 5 frozen peaches, then a 1/2 cup greek yogurt & a handful of frozen strawberries on top. I prefer the frozen ones when making parfaits so as they melt the sauce makes the yogurt sweet. The granola is some I had made a while ago & needed to use up. It's just random amounts of quinoa, wheat germ, chia seeds, a few oats, and some coconut with a tsp of vanilla poured over it & a few drops of stevia baked at 350 until toasted.


Next I prepped some snacks for after my workouts. One set is some greek yogurt and peanut butter with apple slices, the other is one sweet potato cut in half and mixed together with some unflavored hemp protein powder.

Next, I saved the second sweet potato I made for later in the week with lunch, then I pre-cooked a few potatoes for lunches & my twice baked potatoes on Friday or Saturday (without my menu in front of me I forget which day hehe). 

Finally I made myself some fun drinks for this week! I've been getting kind of tired of my regular, plain old water & I've been having some digestive issues so I made some waters that will help with that and will give me something tasty to drink!!

This, I'm not sure where the recipe came from as my mom gave it to me, but you are supposed to drink the whole 66oz pitcher each day. It really helps with digestion!! I love this drink. It's 66 ounces of water, one small cucumber, 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger, and one lemon sliced. Put it in the water & let soak over night! It's delicious and refreshing!!

Last are these two. The left is 8 oz of water with a mint green tea bag, half a sliced lemon, and a small handful of frozen strawberries. On the right is what I love to call my sunshine water because of all the pretty yellow in it! It's just 8 oz of water, half a sliced lemon, and a few frozen peach slices! Put them in the fridge & let soak over night!!

For my dinners I chopped the scallions & precooked my bacon. Tomorrow while I do some cleaning I will make my soups so they have time to simmer on the burner. I already precooked my potatoes for the twice baked's so those won't take as long that night. Otherwise my meals this week were pretty easy and there wasn't too much "work" to be done. 

What do you do to get ready for the week???

Meal Plan Monday

Hello all! We are back at Monday! Try not to hate, Monday is having a bad day too! 

So, moving on, it’s that time for meals again. Yes, the family DOES want to eat this week (and I'm sure you do too!). Seems this happens every week, eh??

So  this is what is on the menu for us this week:

Breakfast:

Kiddo-Carnation Instant Breakfast (3 days) (If anyone knows of an Organic drink like Carnation's that is GMO free & is sold in Canada let me know), Lucky Charms (2 days, not typical but she’s been begging so I figured one week won’t kill her, certainly didn’t me!)

Me-Fruit & yogurt parfait (2 days), Egg quesadilla & bacon (one day), Green protein smoothie (2 days)

Saturday-Omelets with bacon and home fries

Sunday-Donuts

Lunch:

Monday-out to new Organic Pizza Place with daughter by her school

Kiddo-Tues/Thurs: subs & veggie soup; Wed/Fri: Pizza discs and cucumber slices

Me-Tues/Thurs: Quinoa pizza bites with veggie soup; Wed: Sub with veggie soup; Fri: Lunch date with hubby

Saturday: Just light snacks: homemade tortilla chips, boiled eggs, cheese, pickles, lunch meat

Sunday: Leftover twice baked potatoes & salad

Dinner: 

Monday: Sweet & sour pork tenderloin in the crock pot with fried rice: Put pork tender loin in the crock pot with the ingredients from this sauce recipe. Cook on low for 8 hours. When read to serve it in a pan heat 1T of olive oil throw in some leftover rice along with corn and peas and carrots (I'm using green beans though because that is all I have), when heated through make a well in the center and crack the egg, and fry up & mix into the rice. When done dish out onto plates and top with sweet & sour pork.

Tuesday: Corn, bacon, and scallion sautee serve with green salad

Wednesday: Soup (tomato) and mozzarella grilled cheese (hubby gets back this day so I want to do something easy).

Thursday: Turkey burgers with gravy (gravy recipe from P90X cookbook) and salad

Friday: Homemade Calzones with salad (I use this recipe for the dough for the calzones, I just sub white whole wheat flour & omit the sugar. Then, divide it into 6^th’s, roll each one out nice and thin and stuff with ricotta, mozzarella, and any toppings you want), then fold over & press together and bake at 350F (176 C) until done. 

Favorite Calzone Stuffing:

Sweet Italian Sausage

Spinach

Pepperoni

Provolone

Onions

Mushrooms

Bacon

Saturday: Pork chops, twice baked potatoes and salad or leftover veggies.

Sunday: Whole BBQ rotisserie crock pot chicken, with rice (double batch because leftovers from chicken and rice will be used next week), and corn/green beans/salad (pretty much whatever leftover veggies are in there & need to be used up). 

Well, there is my fabulous Monday Meal Plan! I will be back later on today with how I prep everything so cooking and getting the kid & husband out the door in the morning isn't too hectic! 

What is on your menu for the week???

Happy Flippin' Friday!

Finally Friday! The kiddo & the husband have been jonesing for this day since Monday! haha Every day I've heard "Nothing ruins a Friday like realizing it's _____________(insert any day but Friday here!)" So, now that we have come to the end of the week I've spent this last week organizing the blog. It's so much prettier. I hadn't done any HTML work since approximately 2004 or so when I took my last computer design course & decided it probably wasn't for me. So, that was fun to get reacquainted with! But, I love the look of it and hope it may attract a few more readers. Now to just get the new pages I added all updated and I'll feel like I'm on track. If you haven't seen it I made a much more fun "About Me" page that gives a bit more detail and doesn't sound like something from 1920 like my last one! I hope to get a few more fun pictures up there, but getting all those organized has been painstaking. I hope to post a tutorial on how I got all of our photo's on one computer/hard-drive, organized, backed up, and printed! But, that is a long time coming I'm sure. For now let's move on to some Friday Fun...

Friday's usually make for a nice family evening. Everyone just wants to relax, not do anything too strenuous. So tonight I'll be cooking up some Teriyaki Pork. That recipe is fantastic! I just dice the pork, throw the sauce over it, let it sit for an hour or so (that part is totally optional) and then bake it at 204C (400F) for about an hour or so. Then I make some of my easiest over fried rice: heat a little olive oil over med-high heat, throw on the rice & get it coated by the olive oil, toss in some frozen peas & carrots dash with a bit of soy sauce & let warm on the lowest setting of your simmer burner. Very easy & quick & even has your veggies in it! Then, when done toss the pork over it & serve it up while watching some Friday night Smackdown. Or, whatever your Family's favorite thing to do on a Friday night is...we just happen to prefer the hilarity of Wrestling. I know, it's weird, but we all have our thing. 

This weekend though I plan on tackling quite a few projects they are as listed:

1. Moroccan Inspired Glass Jars for my daughter's room re-do.

2. Dye the daughter's pillowcases and bedskirt in the Moroccan colors she picked out.

3. Dip dye napkins for our no-waste lunches

4. Make this awesome shirt for summer.

Fitness-wise:

1. Complete the weekend tabata challenge at Get your Sexy Back Mom's.

2. Complete my 4th week of Insanity

3. Using my Pear Heart-Rate Monitor instead of sitting on my butt during my daughter's cheer practice go for an 80 minute walk for an active rest day.

4. Take a nice walk along the sea wall and hopefully enjoy sometime competing with my daughter to see who can cross the monkey bars faster. ;)

So, what do you plan to do to stay busy this weekend? I think my projects and activities will keep us rather occupied. Hubby of course will be doing "research" aka, playing video games...I'm pretty sure that is why he switched careers ;)

Cheers!

Happy Weekend!!!

Happy Friday!!!

(Check out the AWESOME flowers my hubby go me this week...well sort of. I am such a crafty nerd that he told me to go get some so I went to the local cart that donates all proceeds to the elderly/homeless & made us a gorgeous bouquet)

HAPPY FRIDAY, Everyone!!! Yes, I screamed that! Welcome to F-R-I-D-A-Y!!! 

Now, being a stay at home mom/wife Friday isn't quite as special to me as it used to be, but it is still nice because it means I can do something super special to kick off the weekend which means a super fun & exciting two whole days with my two loves. 

So, for this Friday I planned pizza & a movie for us. But, since I love to be non-traditional we are going to do pizza burgers along with salad and some homemade garlic bread. We will also be watching "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". I am really looking forward to seeing this as it's one the daughter & I have been wanting to see. Plus, in lieu of the Boston events I think it is a great time to review a horrific detail in the United State's history, while having a positive message behind it. 

So, before I get to the yummy recipe I thought I might list a few things I am thankful for this week: 

• My husband (who is just as wild and crazy as me about seeing the world)
• My daughter (who is amazing & puts up with our thousand moves & just rolls with the punches
• The luxury of having lived so many different places and seen so many amazing things
• The sun, this seems like a small thing but after the grey winter I am glad for some Vitamin D. 
• The city of Vancouver which provides us with much entertainment & a fun walking experience every weekend..

Now, for the super fun recipes for tonight's dinner:

Pizza Burgers

1 lb ground beef (or 4 premade hamburger patty's)

Pizza sauce (canned or homemade)

Mozzarella cheese

Dried Basil

Salt

Pepper

Onion Powder

If using ground beef form into four patties. On each side season liberally with dried basil, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Cover with saran wrap & let marinate all day. When ready, take patty's out & fry in a frying pan until done to your liking (I do about 10 minutes on each side, but we like ours fairly well done). In the mean time heat the broiler up & cover a baking pan with foil. As the burgers finish place them on the foil lined baking sheet. Top each burger with a generous amount of pizza sauce & mozzarella cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. Watch carefully or it will burn quickly under the broiler. Plate & serve along side a green salad & garlic bread.

My Favorite Garlic Quick Bread

1 Loaf of French Bread from the Bakery

a lot of softened butter

garlic powder

dried minced garlic

basil

mozzarella cheese, if desired

Split French Bread loaf in half. Spread liberally with softened butter (I'm a very healthy person but don't be shy here lol it's Friday you want to cover that sucker in buttery goodness). Shake garlic powder over the buttered halves. Be careful here, or not lol we love garlic so I use a lot & I'll only be kissing hubby so we will both have stinky breath & no vampire attacks will occur, certainly! Then, sprinkle lightly with minced garlic and basil for decoration. Then, if the mozzarella on the burgers isn't enough or you are serving this with a different meal feel free to cover this bad boy with some mozzarella. Then, stick under the broiler & toast it up. But, watch it carefully as it will burn quickly. 

For a super fun treat you can serve the burgers on the garlic bread. ;)

Hope y'all have a fabulous Friday!!! What sort of plans do you have for the weekend ahead???

Great Reads!

I am an avid reader. Always have been, always will be. Over the last month I've read a few new & exciting books I want to share!

"The Light Between Oceans".  

(Image Credit: Random House Au)

This is a book about a couple in the early 1900's; they live under extraordinary circumstances. The losses they face and the situations they go through, and how their relationship is quite amazing. I will say, this book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is a very, very sad story. The ending is sort of happy, but sort of not. It is very bizarre. I'll be honest, I had wished I'd never read it. But, if you are recently having faced the loss of a child it could be the book for you as you may be able to find a connection with the main character.

"Friendship Bread"

(Img Credit: Darien Gee Website)

This is a book about friendship & communities coming together during hard times. This was a feel good book that made me cry a lot, but they were tears of joy for everyone involved. The idea of the story is developed around "Amish Friendship Bread" which winds up bringing the entire community together. If you want a pick me up book (which I needed after The Light Between Oceans) this is a great read! This & the previous book I am reading with the book club from A Bowl Full of Lemons. 

"Ruby in the Smoke"

Book Info

This is actually a young adult novel. I know...go ahead and laugh now, but you know you read "The Hunger Games" Trilogy. ;) It's a story about a young girl in 1800's London who has been orphaned and has to find out what happened to her father in order to truly gain control of his inheritance before it is too late. During a time when women, especially young women like herself, aren't fully educated and aren't really listened to she has to find a way to over come these obstacles and show she is perfectly capable of caring for herself while investigating the interesting events surrounding her father's death. It is a quick, fun read and takes you through the streets of olde London, complete with exciting back alley escapes!

"Family Storms"

This one is about a young girl who at a young age her father walks out on her & her mother. Her mother was never a strong person so after a while she sadly loses it while all Sasha can do is watch. As a young girl who should be in school enjoying life she is left to sell goods on the streets of Santa Monica, CA with her ailing mother. After a time her mother really loses it & her & Sasha wind up being hit by a car on a rainy night. In true V.C. Andrews fashion a rich family swoops into save Sasha. However, this isn't the end of Sasha's troubles. She has to go through all sorts of horrific scandal before she can find her happy ending. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Cloudburst, as these books seem to be an ode to an earlier VC Andrews.

"Hip Home Ec: Get Crafty"

This book really & truly inspired me to look at my home and caring for my family in a different way. She says to look at each & everything you do as a "craft" or "project", something you want to do for yourself & your family/home this way you will be more likely to do your best. If you do your best then you wind up pampering yourself, your family, and your home. She also encourages you to love the space you live in. It may not be your perfect or ideal space, but it is what you have for right now so loving it to the best of it's ability is what you should do. When doing this you will be happier, your family will be happier, and you will feel blessed all around. This is a great read for anyone; especially those who may feel like they need some extra inspiration in their lives.

This is what I have coming up that I am enjoying/going to enjoy: 

Two of the books are from the Ruby in the Smoke series. I am continuing with my teenage love of VC Andrews, and I had to have a political book in there, plus tons of things about caring for the home. I've never really been a designer or someone who is good with laying out a home/decorating so I am hoping to get better with some of these fun books that also have lots of DIY's in them! Maybe I'll do a few features from each book!! ;)

What are you currently reading? I could use some recommendations!

Pear Sports Heart Rate Monitor-Review

     Today I want to eventually share a review with you guys. First, I want to start off by telling you about my workout plan. I posted my April work out at the beginning of the month. So far it’s going pretty well. I've stuck with Insanity & I did my half marathon training for one week. I’m hoping to get back on the band wagon of half training this week; Insanity hasn't been a problem, it's the second workout of the day that kills me. The one thing that keeps me super motivated is my Pear Heart Rate Monitor. That little guy is awesome!

     I've had it since the end of February so I feel like I can finally sit & give an honest review after using it daily. Yes, I really mean daily for over a month now. It's addictive! When you buy it, it comes with a nice little storage bag, a chest strap, sensor, ear buds, and different size ear guards to go on the ear buds. When you bring the box of goodies home you download the Pear App from the iTunes store, affix the chest strap & get started!!

These are all the "goodies" that it comes with. There are a small, medium, and large size earbud guards so a) sweat isn't getting in your earbuds & causing them to go all wacky; b) they fit your ears & aren't falling out every time you smile.

To get started each time prior to putting your chest strap on you should wet the sensors on the left & right side with a little water. On the FAQ on the Pear Sports website it says this helps it to get a stronger reading. If you put it on and it can’t read your heart rate it does tell you to moisten the sensors. Then, put the strap on & open your app. The very first thing I did was the calibration workout to determine my fitness level & heart rate zones. The coach tells you when to speed up & slow down. It is a quick 20 minute workout; I did it along with a longer run (I have to admit I was pretty gung-ho & excited to have it so I wanted to play that day lol). I haven’t done too much running with it but the few runs I have done I loved the coaching that came along with it. So, I will now list out the pro’s & con’s of the device.

Pro’s:

• ·         Ability to have heart rate, pace, zones, calories, time, and distance read out to you.
• ·         Ability to say how often or not you would like these things read out to you (so every minute you aren’t being updated on how many miles you’ve gone…or in some cases, not gone! LOL)
• ·         Ability to download “plans” from the plan store. There are awesome half marathon & marathon training plans available for purchase as well as other works outs that are free such as walking, abs, stretching, etc.
• ·         You can “save” each workout so you can see your history.
• ·         Detailed chart at the end of your workout so you can see your heart rate during a workout.
• ·         Summary of workouts on the home screen-you can see yearly, 3 months, 1 month, and weekly stats.
• ·         Ability to play music in the app from your playlists.
• ·         Great price point.

Con’s:

• ·         If you don’t “save” a workout when you are done you will lose the information if you close the app in the bottom bar where you close any background apps. This happened to me only once & I was so sad. I wish it had an automatic save feature instead of giving you the choice at the end to share/save/delete.
• ·         I have gone through all the free workouts; I wish they would add some more often.

      Here are some images of the chart you get when you complete your workout: 

As you can see I don’t have many complaints about this device. I really like it & would recommend it to anyone looking for a good quality, affordable heart rate monitor for their workouts.

What is your favorite workout product? How often do you use it?

Menu Board Tutorial

So, last week I made an amazingly cute little Menu board! This project came around because I am great at meal planning, however, execution sometimes I lack in. I keep my meal plan in my household notebook but in the morning I forget to check it to see what needs to be taken out to prep dinner. So, I thought if I make this menu board I shouldn't forget. Well, I made it a couple of weekends ago & all last week we stuck to our meal plan 100%. So, I am going to put the tutorial up now for how I did it. I should mention it didn't cost me a dime; I used all materials I had on hand so feel free to adjust.

Menu Board Supplies:

• 11”X13” frame (I had one I had lying around from Wal-Mart years & years ago it was no more than $5 I remember)
• Mod podge
• Paint (2) (color of choice I used black & a bluish color)
• Paint Brush
• 1” circle cutter (optional)
• 9 bottle caps
• 9 clothes pins
• Letter stamps
• Stamp pad (color of choice I used blue)
• Two small, leftover squares of scrapbook paper (can match or just coordinate)
• Post it note pad
• 12 X 12 cardstock (white or colored whatever you prefer)
• Tape
• 12X12 cardstock or business cards
• Envelope (1-2)

Instructions: 

1.  Paint frame black (if it isn't already). Mine needed 3 coats, then I topped with two coats of matte mod podge. Let dry.

2.  Measure white 12"X12" card stock & trim to fit back of frame. With leftover piece fit it to cover the rest of the frame; tape in place.

3. Using stamps, on the upper right hand corner of the 12"X12" paper you just pieced together stamp “menu”.

4. Put this in the frame (cleaning the glass first if need be) & secure with fasteners on the back.  Next, paint clothes pins. I like to put these on an old Tupperware container & paint them that way as the paint dries they don’t get glued together. I put two coats of paint on each clothes pin & then followed it with one coat of matte mod podge. Let dry completely. 

      5.  Punch out 9 one-inch circles from a piece of scrap card stock. I’d make sure this coordinates with your pain colors you used on the frame, clothes pins, and stamping. Using smaller stamps or fancy script label them Monday through Sunday. I used abbreviations: "M, Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su." Then, the last two I labeled "B" (for breakfast) and "L" (for lunch). Then put a little glue on the inside of the bottle caps & press the 1” labeled circles down. Let dry (about 5-10 minutes), then coat with mod podge. I only used one coat here & it was fine. It would look really cool with dimensional mod podge but I didn't have any on hand. Using hot glue center these onto your clothes pins & glue down. 

This was how I labeled them, notice these are on the left hand side of the frame.

      6. Glue clothes pins onto frame. (I put my Monday-Sunday ones on the left & breakfast & lunch ones on the right.

You can see the "B" & "L" here, notice they are affixed to the right side of the frame.

      7. With last piece of scrap card stock stamp or write “List” on the top & affix the post-it note pad to it. Using double sided tape tape to the frame in the bottom right hand corner.

Must be the glare from the amazing sun behind me, but this was how I did the "List" section. This way when we run out of something or the husband or daughter need something they can just write it here. Otherwise, when I write down my menu for the week the few things I will need can go here & I can just take it with me.

      8.  Finally, if you have plain business cards get those out to use as your little sheets to write your meals on or if you don’t have any using a paper trimmer cut out small rectangles the approximate size of business cards (I didn't measure mine I just started cutting lol). For a little extra flair I stamped mine in the bottom right hand corner. I keep extra’s in an envelope hot glued to the back of the frame. My meals I plan each week I don’t throw those cards away I do keep them in a second small envelope hot glued to the back so I don’t waste too much paper.

These are the "business cards" I made. I just cut the first one myself then  after that first one I did measure the rest  so they would be the same size as that one. I'd say they are probably 3"X2" cards maybe? After, I found a cute stamp in my collection & added a little flare to all the cards. I think I cut 40 total cards. I figure I can cut more as the seasons change & I will change the little picture at the bottom to give it some seasonal flair.

I hope you all enjoyed the tutorial! Let me know if you decide to make one & share some pictures!! OR if you already have one post it for me to see and share a link in the comments below!!!

Meal Plan Monday!

So, back to Monday! Monday, Monday. 

Yup I went there! So, Around here that means it’s the day to do meal prep & get everything set & ready for the week ahead!

This is what our Dinner Menu looks like:

Monday: Beef/Turkey Sliders & broccoli & corn

Tuesday: Steak with broccoli & corn

Wednesday: Brown rice bowl/chicken & rice

Thursday: Chicken sliders with salad & pear slices

Friday: Pizza Burgers with salad

Saturday: Spaghetti/seafood marinara & salad

Sunday: Mango/ginger pork tenderloin with rice (white & black) and green beans sautéed with bacon.

Breakfast Choices:

C-whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes & maple syrup, maple turkey sausage & egg “muffins”, berry banana smoothie

K-protein smoothie, maple turkey sausage & egg “muffins”

Lunch Choices:

C-leftover homemade ramen, chicken & cheese baguette & pear slices, soup & egg “muffins” & pear slices

K-protein smoothie, tuna salad baguette & soup, leftovers

M-roast beef au jus dippers & cucumber slices, homemade hamburger & pear slices, leftovers

Snacks:

Whole fruit, granola & yogurt, protein plate

Well, I hope everyone has a fantastic day!! Let me know what you are planning on having for dinner this week!!

Easter Review!!!

So, I haven't been feeling terribly well the last few days, but am finally up & at 'em again! A healthy diet, good workouts, and lots of rest got me through! My awesome hubby made sure I didn't overdo it and that I got all the rest I needed! So, I am here to tell y'all a bit about our Easter weekend (a week late lol) & talk about the Easter baskets my daughter & I put together. I know it is a bit late but hopefully there will be some ideas to put on your list for next year!!!

So, our Easter weekend Started our early as hubby had Friday off so we just got errands done and relaxed  as a family. Hubs did "research" for work & played a video game all day while the kiddo & I did all the grocery shopping. She was a champ at Costco but felt "cheated" because there weren't many sample stations out. :( Honestly I felt cheated too lol Then Saturday it was a gorgeous day here in Vancouver so we headed out to our favorite local place & sat on their patio for a few hours, then headed to dessert at our favorite waffle bar. Sunday we cooked a largeish dinner, did baskets, delivered baskets, and just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful Vancouver weather!!!

On to the good stuff though! So, my daughter follows a young lady on YouTube called Macbarbie07. I've watched several of her video's & think she is super cute & is one of the few people I don't mind my daughter following because I think her video's and fashion advice are very appropriate for girls their age. Well, there was a video on Easter gift ideas. My daughter followed many of the ideas on here & put together baskets for her closest friends. First she thought about the things her friends like & what sort of DIY stuff she could put in there. She decided first on the blown out message eggs included in the video tutorial. That was fun!!! (Tip: if you get blue food coloring on your rented walls/tile floor use peroxide to get it out!). She did find though when you are blowing out the egg it is much easier to blow it out when you cut the straw down & make a short straw. Also, cutting the straw in to many pieces & just using a new piece each time was the easiest thing to do. Also, we found making a couple extra helped because some broke when putting the message inside. ;)

Top left: Peeps, paper bag scrapbook, snow globe, diy hair bow, a candy filled egg, and message egg

Top right: Chocolate bunny, snow globe, painting kit, and message egg

Bottom left: diy hair bow, message egg, candy egg, diy makeup remover (half olive oil/half filtered water)

Bottom right: Chocolate bar, lip gloss, nail polish, message egg, candy filled egg

Most tutorials can be found on the MacBarbie07 YouTube channel as linked above. Here is how to make the paper bag scrapbook.

Paper bag Scrapbook

One paperbag

Photos

Cardstock

Fold the paper bag in half. Fold the card stock long ways & cut in half. Fold over the fold of the paper bag and glue down. Choose a picture for the front & crop to fit. Add title if you wish. Then, choose which pictures you'd like in the scrapbook. Crop them & you can mount on card stock if you wish & write captions on the back. My daughter however chose to write on the pictures themselves with archival quality markers. Then stick them in the open part of the paper bag! Super simple & super cute!

Now here are the baskets I made hubby & the teen: 

For the teen I did a cute jar centre piece with peeps & robin eggs, a chocolate bunny, another little centre piece with peeps (I thought hubby liked them but he didn't so I gave the teen double lol she wasn't complaining). The eggs were filled with money for Starbucks deliciousness, then a couple of bright notepads for school & list making. Then, hubby got a basketball basket (since it is his favorite time of year afterall), with some goodies to keep him awake all  night for his "research" (aka video game playing, must be nice to be a designer & have your excuse to play video games be work related), then those are our gorgeous eggs!!!

I hope everyone had a great holiday last weekend & that your April has started off with wonderful showers to bring those May flowers!!! :)

Cheers!