On The List {Meal Planning}

Time to do a little meal planning again. Remember a few weeks ago when I told you all about my plan to schedule our families meals for two weeks at a time. I was hoping to spend less time at the grocery store, less money eating out, and more time making delicious meals from my family. Good news. It worked.

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So here I go again and that's what I look like when I go. Pretty much. Okay, not really.


Monday-  Coaches dinner. This equals a free meal paid for by the school. One of the perks of being the wife of a coach.


Tuesday-  Grilled pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, and corn on the cob.


Wednesday-  These delicious grilled burritos and rice.


Thursday-  Chicken stir fry with rice. 


Friday-  Burgers on the grill and sweet potato fries.


Saturday-  Steaks on the grill, grilled veggies, and trial run homemade butter-cream cupcakes. Yum.


Sunday- We treat ourselves out to lunch after church and usually have a sandwich or cereal for supper.

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Monday-  Baked Ziti,{sharing the recipe soon}salad, and yummy bread dipped in oil and spices.

Tuesday-  BBQ grilled chicken, oven fried potatoes, and yummy yeast rolls.


Wednesday-  Crock pot fajitas, rice, and beans. {recipe to come}


Thursday-  I'm thinking frozen pizza and homemade chocolate chip cookies. {another recipe i need to share}


Friday-  Last day of school equals celebratory supper out! 


Saturday-  Left overs from Lucy's party. Including cake. Lots of cake.

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Ha! What about you? What's for supper at your house?

Hello Monday!

Hello Monday! 

Hello breakfast deliciousness that is homemade doughnuts.

Hello sweet pea in her shades going to see her "frans" at church.

Hello hot air balloons.

Hello big girl eating baked ziti all on her own.

Hello daddy's Cabbage Patch Kid from waaaaay long ago!

Hello 2 more weeks of school!!!!!


I'm joining Lisa Leonard for her Hello Monday linky party!

A Few Lovely Ladies + A Winner

Today I get to show off some of my new sponsors! I asked each one the same questions. 

What did you eat for breakfast?

What's your most favorite part of the day?

What is an absolute must have in your purse or wallet?

How did your blog/shop come about?

Here's what they had to say!

Meet Chelsie and Christy from My Best Friends Blog! 
What did you eat for breakfast?


Chelsie: Coffee. Eating breakfast too early makes me sick!
Christy: I ate a zone bar and a banana on the way to work.


What's your most favorite part of the day?
Chelsie: When I put both kids to bed and it's my time. 
Christy: My favorite part of the day is 3pm. By 3 I usually have all my errands done and my little girl comes home from school!


Must have in your purse or wallet?
Chelsie: Gum. I always need it.
Christy: Clear lip gloss.


How did your blog come about?
"We have so many funny stories and great craft projects. So we decided to start a blog as a way to document our stories and crafts." 


Seriously girls. Could you get any cuter?
Be sure to follow the girls on pinterest here and here! And while you're at it check out this little project.

Meet Brittany from Three Years Down!

What did you eat for breakfast?

Okay. So this is really gross, but I ate half the bag of ruffles that were supposed to be for my lunch.

What's your most favorite part of the day?

I love the evening around 6-8. This is when I'm most awake and most productive.

What is an absolute must have in your purse or wallet?

A tube of Burts Bees chap stick and my Erin Condren planner.

How did your blog/shop come about?

I started blogging on livejournal, well before blogging was a buzz word. My blog-life evolved from there until I was in my last year of law school and decided that instead of studying, I would start blogging again. The name "Three Years Down" came from the fact that law school is three years long, and I thought that once those three years were done, my life would really start. Over two years later, here we are! I'm not sure my life as "started" yet, but I am really happy to have joined such a wonderful community.

Law school? Really? You're my hero Brittany! I'm also loving that she's lovin' Jesus and not ashamed to share it!
You can follow Brittany via twitter and check out her pins. Also, be sure to check her out on Google+.

Meet Tam from Twelve Discovery Drive!

What did you eat for breakfast?

I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast this morning.

What's your most favorite part of the day?

My favorite part of the day is sitting on my back patio after the sun has gone down on a warm summer night-it's so relaxing!

What is an absolute must have in your purse or wallet?

A must have in my purse is without a doubt, my dental floss! Sounds weird, but I wore braces as an adult and I got in the habit of flossing after every meal.

How did your blog/shop come about?

I'm a recent empty nester trying to discover new and exciting possibilities through the world of blogging. I have set a goal to try at least one new thing each month during 2012. That's how I came up with the name of my blog- try Twelve new things to Discover who I and and the Drive to get it done. Twelve Discovery Drive is a general lifestyle blog about crafts, new ventures, home-life, and my favorite-travel!

What a great idea! You can follow Tam on twitter and pinterest. Also, be sure to check out her shop where she is offering 15% off to all of my lovely readers with code PICKLE! I'm loving this!

Okay, before I announce the winner of my facebook fan giveaway, can I just tell y'all how thankful I am. Sometimes it just seems unreal to me that you guys read and even enjoy this little blog. It truly has been a dream come true and I just feel so blessed. Okay...on with the show. The winner of the $25 credit to my shop is Dondi! I send you an email and give you the details on how to claim your prize!

Mama's Day Insta-Style

What a great weekend! I hope yours was just a love-uh-ly as my little sweet pea says. I had lunch with my mom and girls at my favorite tea room, completed some projects, baby dedication for both of my girls at church on Sunday, lunch out with the fam, free TCBY, and caught up on Duck Dynasty{hands down the best show on tv}! Whew!

This sweet little hoop art was a handmade gift for my mama. She loved it and I think I'm going to make one for my self. Just look at those sweet little hands.

This is Ella Cate's new book shelf slash night stand. I had these old crates in the garage and I'm glad I could finally put them to use.

Thanks to Barnes and Noble and their 70% off coupon, I got this little prize in the mail for 5 bucks! Boom. I have a little something up my sleeve for this book and summer time.

My students painted these as planters for their moms. Complete with chalk paint hearts!

Playtime outside with my girls!

Tea time!

My loves!

Stressful week coming up. EOG's for my students. Eeek! Don't forget about the giveaway! It ends tomorrow. 

A Peek At My Booth

This past Sunday my sweet husband and I packed up all of my hard work and headed downtown to The Big Love Fest. I know, it sounds sort of creepy but really it was all about local music, crafts, and people. This was my first year as a vendor and it was a great experience. It was so nice to be surrounded by other local crafters and artists. And honestly, it was great to spend the whole day with Adam minus our two little girls. I know that sounds terrible, but true.

One of the best ideas I had was to hand out little business cards with each purchase. On the back there was a discount code to encourage returning customers. People thought that was the greatest!

This was the first show that I was able to accept credit cards. I used a program called square and the best part is that it was free and plugs right into my iPhone. The company gets 2.5% from each purchase and the moo-lah goes directly into your checking account.

That's me and Lola! She's borrowed and was perfect to show off my new line of vintage hankie aprons.

Something else I tried to do was compliment or connect with each customer in some way. Everyone was really friendly and this made interactions a lot less awkward. 

 Each time I do a show I get more and more confident and comfortable. I love walking around gathering inspiration from other booths and filing it away for next time. The absolute best part is that you meet some great new people like Lizzy. She stopped by, snapped a few pics and shared them here. 

Oh and this guy was amazing! Not one single complaint alllll day. He carried all of the heavy stuff and tagged items as I was setting up my display. He even held down the fort while I did a little shopping! I'm telling you, he's a keeper!

P.S. There MAY or may not be a giveaway going on for facebook fans. Okay, there is. All you need to do is like my page and then leave a comment here.

On Keeping A Promise {and maybe a giveaway}

So I'm the kind of girl who likes to keep her promises. Remember way back when I said that I would do a giveaway when The Pickled Poppy reached 200 likes? Huh? Do ya? Well....

We did it! Sooo....

I'm giving away a $25 credit to my shop! One lucky duck will be randomly chosen next Tuesday. All you have to do is "like" The Pickled Poppy and leave a comment saying that you do below. That's it! Oh and don't fret, I have a bazillion new items to add this weekend. Here's a little sneak peek...

XOXO

On Picking Flowers {A How To}

Seriously. I know what you're thinking. "Is she really writing a post on how to pick flowers?" The answer is yes. Of course she is. I love fresh flowers. I mean LOVE them. And I want to share this love with you.

Before you go jerkin' flowers out of the ground there's a few things you should know. First, it's best to pick them first thing in the morning while they're nice and hydrated. Be sure to take sharp scissors or clippers along with you.

You'll want to cut them at a 45 degree angle while the blooms are open. If they're not open, then it's likely that they won't open after you clip them. Just keep cutting until your heart feels happy or until you have more flowers than you can handle.


Next, you need to find something to place them in. {A vase if you will.} Except, I never actually use a vase. I much prefer mason jars, vintage bottles, old tin cans, or even tiny baby food jars. 

Fill your "vase" with a little homemade flower preserve. Mix 1 quart of lukewarm water with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar. So simple huh? {I read that in a magazine one time. Genius!}

ENJOY!


Be sure to change your water daily and clip your stems when your flowers start looking all droopy. See, aren't you glad to read this?