How is November already done? It really seemed to fly by! Are you still in a food coma from Thanksgiving? We are back from a relaxing trip to the beach where Thanksgiving was very laid back, and we managed to balance at least some of the calorie intake from holiday food with long walks and hikes in nature preserves.

But now the really busy season is upon us! With shopping and Christmas parties, it's important to have a plan for menus--not that I keep to the menu plan all the time, but it's good to know that there is a plan in place!


Here's the plan for the week:

Monday: Parmesan Chive Crusted Tilapia, Rice, Carrots



Tuesday: Pork Chops, Sweet Potatoes, Bread
Wednesday: Easy Savory Meatballs, Fruit, and Celery (I know it's weird, but my girls love it!)


Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner
Friday: Baked Penne, Salad


Saturday: We're going to a Christmas party, so we'll leave the kids to some chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and salad.
Sunday: Leftovers

What are you eating this week?

All photos in this post are by Christina Nicole Photography. If you're local to the Charlotte area, check it out!

How often do you take family pictures? I'm ashamed to say that before this last fall, the last time we took family pictures, my (three-year-old) twins weren't even thought of. Yep. I'm a slacker. But this fall, we finally found the time to get some family pictures as well as some shots of each of us. I love these pictures, and I'm so excited to have one of all 3 of my girls that turned out great! So, to immortalize that moment, I had to create my own photo ornament--with Mod Podge photo transfer medium (affiliate link).


I took a blank white ceramic ornament that I bought at my local craft store (you can find a similar ornament here (affiliate link). This is the perfect backdrop for this type of project, since the photo transfer medium is white. If your ornament came with a string or ribbon, remove it before proceeding.


I took my selected photograph and flipped it horizontally in photoshop. This isn't imperative, but it does keep your picture from being mirrored, so if there's writing in the picture, you definitely don't want to miss this step. Print out your picture with a printer that uses dry toner (not ink).


Trim your print of the picture to fit the ornament. I kept part of the ornament blank on purpose so I could write the date later with a permanent marker.

Place a thick coat of transfer media on the front of print. You don't want to be able to see the picture at all. Place the print onto the ornament, transfer media face down. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.


After the waiting period, take a damp rag and soak the paper. Then gently rub the paper until the picture is revealed. You may have to wet the image and rub several times to get all the paper fibers off the ornament.


If you want the image to look vintage and faded, you can leave it as is. If you want the colors to pop a little, you can coat the image with some matte mod podge.


Thread the ornament with a ribbon and hang it on your tree!

It's menu planning time! This week, everyone in the US is menu planning at least one day--Thanksgiving! Whether you're cooking a big spread or going to someone else's home, you have a plan.

This year, we're doing something a little atypical for us. We're going to have Thanksgiving--just the five of us. This is the first time we're doing this, so I'm not sure how it's going to go, but I'm looking forward to new traditions.

But here's the plan:
Monday: Tacos with Squash


Tuesday: Out to eat
Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Thursday: Ham, Biscuits, Corn, Dressing, Kickin' Cranberry Sauce


Friday: Leftovers--because it's tradition, right?
Saturday: Roasted Vegetable Baked Penne


Sunday: Sandwiches

Do you ever have an idea that you know will be super cool but you just put it off for months and months, thinking that you still have time...until suddenly, you realize that you don't have time at all. I've had an idea for a Christmas ornament in my head for 11 months, but I'm just now getting to it--when I am getting ready to trim my Christmas tree. Yes, I am a procrastinator. I found a little glass tree ornament in the clearance section of my local craft store, and I just knew that etching it was the way to go.


I love etching. When you are equipped with etching cream it is so easy, and yet it makes the simplest project look so elegant.

I took some vinyl and cut out circles with my Silhouette. You don't have to have a craft cutter--you could use stickers, but with my Silhouette Portrait, it was easy to make circles exactly the right size for "ornaments" for my glass Christmas tree.


I placed those vinyl circles on my tree, and then applied the etching cream. You want a thick, even coat. Be sure to follow the instructions as far as how long to keep the etching cream on the glass. When that time is up, remove the cream and rinse off the ornament with running water.


Carefully remove the vinyl and hang up your ornament.


And know that all that procrastination...was worth it.

It's getting to be that time of year when we host and attend parties and we're just looking for something quick and easy to bring to events. I'm always looking for something that tastes a little different from the traditional cheese spreads and dips without straying too far from the festive fare that you find in the rest of the party spread. This Mango Lime Shrimp dip is perfect with a crusty bread, crackers or veggies.

And even better, there is only 3 ingredients. Oh, and it takes about 5 minutes to make.


Yeah, it's a winner.

Here's what you need:

2 cups cooked shrimp (medium size). You can buy them frozen but already cooked.
2 oz cream cheese, softened.
1/4-1/2 tsp mango lime seasoning.

Thaw the shrimp. In a small food processor, puree the shrimp. Add the seasoning and cream cheese and pulse until combined.

You can serve it immediately, but I found chilling it overnight helped meld the flavors.


Enjoy!

Are you ready for menu planning?


Well, this past week's menu went pretty well, but my oldest little girl woke up Wednesday with a fever, and she had one until midday yesterday, so that always throws a kink in the plan. Luckily, my husband and I were able to split our time with her and managed to get everything done last week. We're just hoping that no one else catches this bug, especially since this coming week is going to be very busy at work. As a matter of fact, it's sounding like either one or the other of us will be working late every night this week.

So, with that in mind, I'm trying to think of easy, low key meals that the kids love for dinner this week. Here's the plan:

Monday: Leftover Roast, Roast Broccoli, Bread


Tuesday: Fish Sticks, Bananas, Corn
Wednesday: Parmesan Pepper Sausage Pasta


Thursday: Spaghetti with Dressed Up Sauce, Salad


Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Swiss and Bacon Mini Meatloaves, Green Beans, Bread


Sunday: Pizza, Fruit, and Salad

What are you eating this week?

Do you craft with your kids? Here's a better question: Do you use craft kits with pre-portioned, already cut craft supplies? I used these craft kits that I bought at Michael's to help my girls make fun Indian headbands for Thanksgiving. (This isn't a sponsored post, by the way.)


Why do I (unashamedly) use craft kits? There are loads of reasons:

• It allows us to skip some steps. Mommy doesn't spend all her time prepping for the craft and I can jump right into spending time with my girls.And after all, isn't that why I'm doing it? 

• It breeds a feeling of success. It is much easier for a novice to create an attractive craft with part of the work and thought process done already. And when you have success, you are more likely to try another--possibly more ambitious craft. I want my girls to have confidence as they create, so I want to start them off with age appropriate, simple crafts.

• You can be as creative as you desire. There is nothing saying that you are limited to the craft supplies in the bag. One of my girls wanted to add some ribbon. All of them applied the feathers and decorations as they pleased. It was pretty fascinating watching their personalities come through as they were creating. But if you have a rule following perfectionist, then there is nothing wrong with creating a craft just as it's shown on the package.

• It's a great way to try out something new and experiment with a medium you may not know well. I don't often craft with felt, so it was neat to try something out of my norm.

I'm a huge proponent of creating with what you have and upcycling, but if you want to use a craft kit, I say go for it! Your kids will love spending time with you, and you or your kids might find a new passion.

It was super easy to make this ornament. I took some images that I had saved from picnik before it went away and opened it in my Silhouette Studio (the designer edition)


Then I used the trace function and messed with the threshold and scale until I got the look I was wanting.


Meanwhile, I took a clear glass ornament, some pledge floor cleaner/finish (the blue floor wax) and some fine gold glitter using this tutorial. I love how it's all glittery, but it doesn't shed all over the place!


Then, all I needed to do was apply the vinyl, and I was done! One sweet little pink bird is ready! And my daughter can't wait to give this gift to her teacher!


Enjoy!

And now, if you want to Check Out More Silhouette Gift Projects...

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

 
1. Get Silvered // 2. My Paper Craze // 3. unOriginal Mom // 4. Creative Ramblings // 5. Chicken Scratch NY // 6. Pitter and Glink // 7. Ginger Snap Crafts // 8. Architecture of a Mom // 9. Silhouette School // 10. McCall Manor // 11. Just a Girl and Her Blog // 12. Weekend Craft // 13. Rutchee Design // 14. Adventures in All Things Food // 15. My Favorite Finds // 16. Please Excuse My Craftermath // 17. Simply Kelly Designs // 18. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 19. Practically Functional //