family yearbooks

About a year ago I started really organizing the pictures on my computer. They had gotten out of hand. I backed them up onto DVDs and decided it was time I did something with them. Young House Love gave me the idea of "yearbooks" and I'm so happy to have started this tradition. I have been using MyPublisher. They make it really easy to insert your photos, arrange your pages & come back to your project anytime you want. I started my "2012 Yearbook" at the beginning of last year and added pictures to it throughout the year.

A few times throughout the year, they offer a "Free pages up to 100" offer. Over Valentine's Day they were offering this sale so I took advantage of it and ordered our 2012 book. With shipping, and a few upgrades, my total came to just about $60. For a whole years worth of pictures, that not too bad!

If you're going to use MyPublisher, I'd 100% recommend the "Lay Flat Page." It's a slight upgrade by worth every penny (especially if you have a 100 page book). They were also having a sale on this so that made it even better.

Knowing that all of our pictures are organized into our yearbooks makes my OCD heart very happy. I love having these photobooks to look through. I'm looking forward to our stack of yearbooks growing over the years.

[Just so you know, I was not paid to write this post. I just really love my yearbooks that I ordered through MyPublisher and wanted to share with you]

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

the weekly creative #22

Welcome to week #22 of The Weekly Creative!
We spent this weekend at my family's cabin relaxing. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of busy life. I finished my infinity cowl (from the CAL hosted by One Dog Woof) and spent some much needed time away with family. It was just the kind of break I needed to tackle this extremely busy week ahead :) 

Let's get onto the party!
Here's how The Weekly Creative link party works:
#1 Each week I will be featuring the most viewed link, my favorite diy/craft/home project & my favorite recipe. I'm sticking with 3 features but I have divided them into categories now.
#2 Each month, I will be featuring one project on my sidebar - the project that gets the most views during all of the link parties during that month. It will have a picture of the project with a direct link to the post on your blog. This will hopefully direct more traffic to YOU! 
#3 All features will get promoted on my Facebook page and pinned to Pinterest. I have created a board specifically for features - feel free to follow along. 

Link up as many projects, recipes, etc. as you'd like. No giveaways or etsy shops please. 

Visit some other blogs and show them some love. Simple as that.
Here are the features from last week:
MOST VEIWED:

jute leaf tree by purple hue & me

MY FAVORITE DIY/HOME PROJECT & RECIPE:

bifold doors turned fancy french doors by 2 little super heroes & chicken tetrazinni by the best blog recipes

...& AN EXTRA 

(since there were so many great ones and I couldn't choose)

cross stitch dresser by dear emmeline

If you were featured, don't forget to grab a featured button from the sidebar under the tab "grab a button." Thanks for stopping by to link up!

chicken asparagus rolls

I'll start by saying that I'm proud of this little recipe.  It's really yummy! I'm not much of a cook so this was an accomplishment for me. I got the inspiration for these chicken asparagus rolls from a combination of recipes I found on Pinterest:

The first is these mini french dips. They’re quick and easy and are so yummy. My husband and I eat them about once a month (yum)! Then I saw this chicken & asparagus roll-up recipe. It’s by no means “fancy” but I thought I could tweak it to make it easier (hey...I’m a “come home from work and make something simple for dinner” kind of girl...can you blame me?). Plus, crescent rolls are the best (carbs = love). I know, I know...carbs are the enemy, but they’re oh so good.

Without further ado... Here’s what you’ll need to make your own batch:

Chicken & Asparagus Rolls

download printable recipe card

* recipe yields 8 rolls *

rolls:

1 package crescent rolls

4 slices of provolone/mozzarella cheese

16 asparagus spears

chicken:

1-2 chicken breasts

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup soy sauce

spread:

¼ cup mayo

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp dijon mustard

pepper (to taste)

a pinch of garlic salt

[1] Start by prepping your chicken. Cut your chicken breasts in half (to thin them out a bit) then slice into small, easy to eat strips.

[2] In a large ziplock bag, combine the extra virgin olive oil and soy sauce. Mix together well then add chicken. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (a lot of times I prep this the night before). I made 3 chicken breasts because I like to have leftover chicken for salads and wraps.

 

[3] Now it’s time to prep the asparagus. Roast the asparagus with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper for about 8 -10 minutes @ 400. Allow to cool for a few minutes. They should still be a bit crunchy.

[4] Cook your chicken (skillet, grill... your choice). I chose to use a skillet and cooked the pieces for a few minutes on both sides until done all the way through.

[5] Now it’s time to make the mayo spread. This goes on the crescent rolls during “assembly.” In a small bowl, combine the mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, pepper & pinch of garlic salt. Mix really well.

[6] Now that all the pieces and parts are prepped [whew - a little time consuming but totally worth it, I promise]...it’s assembly time! Roll out the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet then layer in this order and roll up like a normal crescent roll:

[6] Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (or until rolls are golden brown). Allow to cool for a few minutes before digging in.

You know what’s great about this recipe? Not only is it yummy... but if you prepped extra chicken, you’re already halfway to your next meal (it’s like killing two birds with one stone). I hope you like it!

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

diy cake stands

As you might have noticed from some of my other wedding related posts (here, here & here) we didn't have a very traditional wedding. I'm not a big fan of cake... and I couldn't justify spending LOTS of money on a pretty cake that would have to be served by our caterers. We wanted a more casual, "help yourself" feel so we ended up with cupcakes. It was such a good choice - they were a hit! (and totally affordable).

To make them look a little prettier, I made cake stands - lots and lots of cake stands! ______________________________________________ Here's what you'll need to make your own: glass plates candle holders epoxy glue or E6000 ______________________________________________ [Step 1]: Lay out your collection of plates and candle holders until you find configurations you like. Don't be afraid to do 2 or 3 tiers!
[Step 2]: Take your cake stands to a well ventilated area, lay down some newspaper to protect the surface you're working on, and begin glueing your candle holders to the underside of your plates. Allow the plates to cure AT LEAST for the time the epoxy suggests (if not longer).

[Step 3]:
Practice your table settings a few days before the wedding (or other party).

[Step 4]:

Enjoy your fun and unique display of delicious treats.

 

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

the weekly creative #21

Welcome to week #21 of The Weekly Creative!
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. The flu has come to visit us - I'm healthy so far (knock on wood), but Adam was down for the count. I hope he gets better this week because we are spending next weekend away at my family's cabin. 
I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week. Your projects always fill me with inspiration and I appreciate you linking up each week. I wrapped up a few projects this weekend and can't wait to share them with you this week.
Here's how The Weekly Creative link party works:
#1 Each week I will be featuring the most viewed link, my favorite diy/craft/home project & my favorite recipe. I'm sticking with 3 features but I have divided them into categories now.
#2 Each month, I will be featuring one project on my sidebar - the project that gets the most views during all of the link parties during that month. It will have a picture of the project with a direct link to the post on your blog. This will hopefully direct more traffic to YOU! 
#3 All features will get promoted on my Facebook page and pinned to Pinterest. I have created a board specifically for features - feel free to follow along. 

Link up as many projects, recipes, etc. as you'd like. No giveaways or etsy shops please. 

Visit some other blogs and show them some love. Simple as that.
Here are the features from last week:
MOST VEIWED:

pink & red love baby quite by jedi craft girl

MY FAVORITE DIY/HOME PROJECT & RECIPE:

salvage love bag by carrying sunshine & chili lime chicken wings by turtles and tails

If you were featured, don't forget to grab a featured button from the sidebar under the tab "grab a button." Thanks for stopping by to link up!

silhouette art

About a month ago, my parents lost their (almost) 13 year old golden retriever/beagle mix. Who are we kidding...she was mostly beagle. Her personality made her a unique member of the household and she is missed terribly. All of us kids grew up with Rosie in the house and we have a lot of fond memories with her.

This picture truly represents her in the best way. It was taken a few years ago - she was sitting in the kitchen, on her butt, begging for someone to feed her. This picture is how I remember our sweet Rosie and I thought it would be the perfect picture to use to make a sweet silhouette memento for my parents.

_________________________________________

Here's what you'll need to make your own: printed picture scissors and/or exacto knife black (or dark) paper white (or light)paper glue stick pencil/color pencil for tracing frame _________________________________________ [STEP 1] Print out a picture to the size you need. I just made a basic print from my computer. Carefully cut around the image with scissors or an exacto knife. Try to keep as much detail as you possibly can.

[STEP 2]

Trace the inverse of your image onto the black paper. Carefully cut out this image.

[STEP 3]

Glue your silhouette to a white background and put into a frame. After this step, your husband might think you bought it on Etsy.

[STEP 4]

Enjoy your new silhouette picture. This one got wrapped up and shipped to my parents for Valentine's Day.

Here are a few more pictures of our sweet Rosie dog:

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]