Christmas Journaling 2011

 

Holiday Links

Our internet was not working last night.  I apologize for the tardiness but there was not much I could do on a Sunday night.  I work on this offline and I hope that you like it and take advantage of the great posts that I include in this line-up.  These are my very favorite Christmas posts so far!  Hope you enjoy:

December Favorites                Soule Mama

Ten Basics for better home photography      Censational Girl

Make a gorgeous quilted Christmas stocking - Holiday Tutorial       Tatertots and Jello

Color me pretty Holiday Edition     Decor 8

Craft cinnamon ornaments      Small Notebook

DIY stocking stuffers       Not Martha

Gingerbreads heads         Bakerella

Cookies for Santa             Tatertots and Jello

Christmas books for kids     No Time for Flashcards

Holiday baking 101 freezing including the kids and more     Food for my Family

Weekly Round-ups

Hi there! Hope you enjoy my favorite posts!  It has been a long week.

Things you can make
Make a Fall Tree Button Shirt        Tatertots and Jello


Things for a Mom
Reminder: Daylight Savings Ends on Sunday                    Life your way
How to maintain your zen when kids have lost their ever loving minds           Modern Parents Messy Kids
Want to give your kids an Advantage?                             Not Just Cute
What's your definition of successful parenting?                 Simple Mom


Thing you can cook
How to get out of a cooking rut             Life your way
List of great soup recipes                      List Plan it


Things for the Soul
Plan your peaceful Christmas: Task 1               Simple Mom
8 Frugal ways to reduce holiday stress             Life your way
I'm selling dahlia pins to raise money for charity : water          Not martha

Weekly Round-ups

Hi there! So my round-ups are about a day late.  My little man is sick and I have been dealing with pediatrician appointments, pharmacies, work and home.  Gosh sometimes I think mothers should be given superpowers because there are days that we really need it.  Hope you enjoy my favorite posts!

Things you can make
Boy Booty Bag Tutorial   So You Think You're Crafty


Things for a Mom
The Rules of Effortless Parenting        Zen Habits
Link and Learn                        No Time for Flascards
Cookie Cutter Pumpkins         Modern Parents Messy Kids
Is Zero Tolerance a Form of Discrimination          Not Just Cute
An Organized October and Unprocessed School Lunches   Food for My Family
How and When to quit?         Life your way
Push down and play time       Not Just Cute
Fall audio books for kids       Lets Explore
Discipline vs punishment        Not Just Cute


Thing you can cook
Cake mix cookies                 Life  your way
Corner Bakery Cinnamon Creme Coffee Cake      Barbara Bakes
Green Beans in a creamy mushroom sauce             Closet Cooking
Smooth as Silk Pie               Bittersweet
Ravioli three ways               The Pioneer Woman


Things for the Soul
Do you need white space?            Simple Mom
How to Have Peace and Projects       Peace and Projects

Weekly Round-ups

Hi!  After being absent so long, you can only imagine how behind I was with everything.  Did you know that once your Google Reader exceeds 1000 posts it will only say 1000+?  Yes, that is how behind I was.  I kept trying to read and star the posts that I found to be relevant for me between out of town trips and the endless amount of meetings that I seemed to have per week.  I have been going through my highlighted posts this past week and weeded some more out.  Some were just repetitive, some I had already posted on facebook and some just weren't where I wanted to go right now.  It is a pretty whimpy list but it is my favorites from over a month ago!

Things you can make
In progress   (Gingercake)

Things you can cook
Hunt, Gather and Host: quick jams and preserves party  (Design Sponge)

Things for a Mom
List of fun back to school lunch ideas  (List Plan It)
Organizing and decluttering childrens toys (Organizing your way)
Back to school a teachers perspective (Simple Mom)
 Handling back to school separation anxiety (New Latina)
A Guide to Poop  (Baby Mine)
Foolish kids. Bad parents.  (Motherhood your way)

Things for the Soul
One bite at a time (Simple Mom)
http://www.peaceandprojects.com/blog/2011/08/good-morning/
The 5 Principles of a Profound Workday  (Zen Habits)

Hope you enjoy the reads and get out and have some fun this weekend!

© Michael Pole

My So-called Weekly Link Round-ups

Hi!  It has been so long (2 months!!!!) since my last round-up post.  I have written about this many times...Life happens.  Many things get in the way, you re-prioritize or you are just so mentally drained that it is impossible to share anything more.  My Google reader had about 850 unread blog posts.  I have been trying to tackle that and document which ones I thought were awesome.  So without further notice..."My so-called weekly links from my reader" post.

Recipes
Ice cream without a machine                         (Honey and Jam)
Grandma's Zucchini Cake Recipe                 (Simply Recipes)
The perfect chocolate tart                             (Cheeky Kitchen)
Tzatziki Recipe                                              (Good Life Eats)
Caprese Salad                                              (The Pioneer Woman Cooks)
No Bake Chocoalate Cake                           (101 cookbooks)
Spaghetti alla Carbonara                                (Closet Cooking)
Flatbreads with honey, thyme and sea salt       (Smitten Kitchen)
Spicy Garlic Cashew Chicken Recipe             (Simple Recipes)

Children
Meet the Light box                                              (Modern Parents Messy Kids)
DIY Scavenger Hunts and I Spy Games              (Modern Parents Messy Kids)
Homemade finger paints                                      (Easie Peasie)
Quiet time with audio books                                (Modern Parents Messy Kids)

Eye Candy
First Day of Summer Blues                  (Censational Girl)
Julia Hoersch Photography                  (Decor 8)
Perfect Recipe: Clay and Terracota     (Delight by Design)
Children's Book Choices for July        (The Crafty Crow)


Spiritual, Organization and about a million motherly things!
People are what you expect them to be                 (Blog of Impossible things)
Q + A session                                                       (Marta writes)
6 Money Lessons for My College Aged Daughter      (Zen Habits)
The 2011 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen               (Green your way...Life your way)
Let Go Of Perfect                                                 (The tuckers take Tennessee)
In which I'd totally buy these                                 (The Badass Geek)
Has Blogging Transformed Motherhood                (Design Mom)
Computer Buying Guide                                        (Technology your way)
Using Routines to Become More Productive          (Productivity your way)
Travel Photography tip  (Great idea)                      (Becky's Blog)
Nella Cordelia a birth story                                    (Enjoying the small things)

Crafts
On the Go Crayon Organizer                       (Gingercake)
Decorative Tile Message Board                   (Tatertots and Jello)
Hostess Gifts                                               (Narrating Life)
10 Etsy Lessons from a Top Seller              (Peace and Projects)

Enjoy the up-coming weekend!

Weekly Links from my Reader

Hi and welcome to week seven of sharing with y'all my favorites blog posts directly from my Google reader.  Hope you enjoyed the past few posts and find this seventh week as interesting as I did! I know I enjoyed reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.

If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment. If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader. I would like to know that the hard work is paying off. Have a wonderful week!

Life, Family and Soul
Summer Family Tech Activities     (life your way blog)
What do Kids Really Need?         (Simple Mom)
Keeping your cool when your kids lose theirs     (Not just cute)

Health Tips
Finally, the Truth about Soy       (Zen Habits)
Two peds goes undercover at your local pharmacy     (Two Peds in a Pod) 


I didn't feel very inspired this past week.  This blog posts caught my eye and made me think.  Thanks to the authors for making my week a little less dull.

always making my life interesting!

Weekly Links from my Reader

Hi and welcome to week six of sharing with y'all my favorites blog posts directly from my Google reader.  Hope you enjoyed the past few posts and find this fourth week as useful as I did! I know I did, reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.

If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment. If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader. I would like to know that the hard work is paying off. Have a wonderful week!

Blogging Tips and Advice
Want to work from home?  Find help.        (Simple Mom)
5 Home Business Ideas for Work at home wannabes     (Simple Mom)
Interested in a Blogging 101 Webinar?          (Simple Mom)
How I Add Structure to My New Day Job     (Peace and Projects)
Want to work from home?  Find your routine    (Simple Mom)

Life, Family and Soul

How to Set and Achieve Your Goals       (Life...your way and Zen Family Habits)
Four E-magazines You should make time to Read.    (Modern parents Messy Kids) 
25 Simply beautiful ways to Show Someone you care      (Peace and Projects)
Honoring the Man They call Daddy: Gifts that show love and respect    (Life...your way)
The way of Beauty      (Like Mother, Like Daughter)
7 Simple Tips To Deal With Negative People       (Zen Habits)

DIY Projects that I saved to favorites

Guest Project: How to make custom water bottle labels           (Tatertots and Jello)

Organization
Wrapping up Personal Yearbooks           (Becky's Blog)
Tips to Travel Overseas with Babies and Kids            (Small Notebook)
 

A Week of Links from My Reader

(I am sooo sorry for taking some days off!  My little monster and I have been dealing with serious allergy problem.)
Hi and welcome to the fourth week of sharing with y'all my favorites blog posts directly from my Google reader.  Hope you enjoyed the past few posts and find this fourth week as useful as I did! I know I did, reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.  I added something new!  There are two blog posts that have stars besides them.  They are my favorite posts of the week!  I also posted them on my facebook page this week!

If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment. If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader. I would like to know that the hard work is paying off. Have a wonderful week!

Organization
Top 6 clutter excuses and How to Banish them forever     (Organizing your way: Laura "I'm an organizing Junkie)

DIY Projects that I saved to favorites
Big Announcement      (Sherbet Blossom)
BOTB 05-01-11     (Centsational Girl)
Stylin    (Gingercake)
DIY Veggie Garden Sensory Box    (Modern Parents Messy Kids)


Recipes
Spring Minestrone Soup Recipe      (Simply Recipes)
Salsa - Quick and Easy       (Your homebased Mom)
Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies     (Barbara Bakes)
Web Deliciousness: Cinco de Mayo             (The Pioneer Women Cooks)


Life, Family and Soul 
Announcing MPMK Learning language resource guide       (Modern Parents Messy Kids)
Will We Ever See Eye to Eye    (Simple Mom) 
Chatty       (Like Mother, Like daughter) 
The weekend    (Whatever)  
** 5 things I've learned about being a mom  (please read the whole series - it's great!)     (No biggie)
10 steps to Courageous Hospitality   (Simple Mom) 
Get Started: From overweight to healthy      ( Zen Habits)



Blogging posts and How to's
How I Write    (Simple Mom)
Want to work from home?  Make it a family business...not YOUR business.      (Simple Mom)
** Self Employment Tips for the Sole Bread winner   (Peace & Projects)
City Walks with kids       (Baby Mine)
Protect your online account information     (Organizing your way)



Eye Candy -Design 
Kitchen Crush         (Delight by Design)
Help Wanted    (Urban Grace Interiors)
English Peas, Buckwheat and a Strawberry Tart           (Cannelle et Vanille)
   

A week of links from my Reader

Hi and welcome to the fourth week of sharing with y'all my favorites blog posts directly from my Google reader.  Hope you enjoyed the past few posts and find this fourth week as useful as I did! I know I did, reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.  I added something new!  There are two blog posts that have stars besides them.  They are my favorite posts of the week!  I also posted them on my facebook page this week! 

If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment. If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader. I would like to know that the hard work is paying off. Have a wonderful week!

Organization
 List of dates &/or events to include on your mid-spring and summer calendars  (List Plan it)
Setting goals for yourself as a Home Manager   (Organizing your way)
Save Time and Keystrokes with Test Expander   (Blogging your way)
5 tips for Working at Home Productively   (Success your way)
Your Digital SLR: Lesson 5: What I use when and why       (Allison Walken)
AwayFind launches new features...    (Uncluttered)


DIY Projects that I saved to favorites
Batman: A super hero party   (The Party Dress)
DIY Vases for Mother's Day   (Modern Parents Messy Kids)
Mother's Day cupcake toppers   (No biggie)
Appreciate your favorite teacher with a DIY Survival Kit     (Modern Parents Messy Kids)
Great Ideas - Handmade Mother's Day Gifts to Make    (Tatertots and Jello)


Recipes
16-minute Meal: Shrimp Scampi    (The Pioneer Woman Cooks)
Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich   (Closet Cooking)
Puffy Cheddar Roasted Potatoes    (Cheeky Kitchen)
Puff Pastry Maple Bars    (Barbara Bakes)
Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn and Blueberries    (The Pioneer Woman Cooks)
Why not?    (BitterSweet)
Pine nuts are expensive    (I made that!)
Breakfast Quesadillas     (GoodLife Eats)
Brown Butter Carnival Bars       (The Sophisticate Gourmet)
Top 10 Reasons You Shouldn't Plan a Weekly Menu    (Food your way)


Life, Family and Soul  
How to Practice Mindfulness  (Peace & Projects)
Coping   (I took the one less traveled by)
Praying for your Child to Promote God's Kingdom    (The Tuckers take Tennessee)
12 Months Later: 12 People I need to Thank    (Blog of Impossible Things: B.I.T.)
Six Ideas For Exploring Nature with Kids (Not just Cute)
Traveling while Pregnant     (Baby Mine)
**Homeschooling is not Optional    (Motherhood your way)
Play room     (Becky's Blog)
**In Which It's only Fair     (Badass Geek)
BYU Women's Conference    (Your Homebased Mom)
38 Life Lessons I've Learned in 38 Years    (Zen Habits)
Please Pray    (Fly through my Window)


Eye Candy - Design 
Prop Happy      (Creature Comforts)
Color me Pretty    (Decor 8)
My Kitchen intervention  (Urban Grace Interiors)
Saveur Magazine 2011    (Cannelle et Vanille)

A week of links from my Reader

Hi and welcome to the third week of a new concept I included in my blog!  I am super excited in sharing with you my favorite blog posts that I have read and saved during the week from my reader. Hope you enjoyed the first week and find this third week as useful as I did! I know I did, reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.  If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment.  If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader.  I would like to know that the hard work is paying off.  Have a wonderful week!


DIY Projects that I saved to favorites
List of non-candy items that fit in a plastic eggs (List Planit)

Organization
15 Handy household tips  (Sherbert Blossom)

What reaching a goal really looks like   (Small Notebook)

10 Book signing ideas   (Design 8)

 What reaching a goal really looks like   (Small Notebook)

How do clean your house when life gets in the way    (I'm an organizing junkie: Guest post from "Space for Living)

How do you find the time   (Corbett Barr)

Recipes
Yellow Birthday Cake  (the sophisticate gourmet)

Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting  (your homebased mom)

Heavenly chocolate cake roll  (Smitten Kitchen)

Kitchen 101: Basic Meringue   (Craft)

Barbecue Chicken  (The Pioneer Woman )

Life, Family and Soul 
Where is going green on Maslow's Hierarchy of needs  (Green your way)

The truth about lying: what to do when your child lies to you  (To Peds in a pod)

Announcing the ultimate blog swap  (Blogging your way)

Challenge yourself to 1/3 less stress   (Good Eats)

A simple fitness plan for travelers  (Zen habits)

Blogging through the gospels: Matthew 17   (Life by Ashley Pichea)

5 Drug-free ways to Manage Anxiety   (Peace and Projects)

Screenplay Contest     (Design Mom)

Good Friday  (Life in Grace)

Why  are you here anyways?   (Blog of Impossible things)

En mi propia voz   (Diario de una trotamundos)

Earth you're a wonderful wonderful planer    (Narrating Life)

Eye Candy
Plate Racks   (Urbane Grace Interiors)

A free Food and Travel Photography class with Penny De los Santos   (Cannelle et Vanille)

A legacy of creating   (Beck's Blog)

A Week of My Reader Round-up

Hi and welcome to the second week of a new concept I included in my blog!  I am super excited in sharing with you my favorite blog posts that I have read and saved during the week from my reader. Hope you enjoyed the first week and find this second week as useful as I did! I know I did reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.  If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment.  If you stop by here on a regular basis, I would suggest you follow me and add me to your reader.  I would like to know that the hard work is paying off.  Have a wonderful week!

DIY Projects that I saved to favorites

Make a Washi Tape Topiary Centerpiece  Tatertots and Jello

Monster Party - Party favors  One Charming Party

Free Printable: Easter Memory Game  Modern Parents Messy Kids

Record Player Wedding Invitation    Craft

Easter Link Party Highlights  Centsational Girl

Almost there  Gingercake

Anthro Inspired Ruffle Shower Curtain  So you think your crafty

Organization

List of books that will inspire you to spring clean  List Plan it

Make-up draw organization that won't slide  Tatertots and Jello

List of things you need to make a Fairy House    List it Plan it

Hunt, Gather and Host: Decorating Easter eggs    Design Sponge

Tech Friday  Becky's blog

Recipes

Chicken Pot-pie  Cheeky Kitchen

Gluten Free Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes  Creature comforts

 Date night and Roasted Asparagus   Small Notebook

Oven Baked French fries  Food your way

Chicken and Rice Soup  Your Homebased mom

Linguini with Calm Sauce  Simply Recipes

Cookies 'n cream  See Jane in the Kitchen

Gnocchi   Closet cooking

Fine and Dandy  Bitter Sweet

Basic Vanilla cupcakes  The Pioneer Woman cooks

Lalo's famous cookies  Lottie + Doof

Seared Ahi and Arugula Salad with Ginger Soy dressing  Cheeky Kitchen

Vegetable Lasagna  The Pioneer Woman cooks

Life, Family and Soul

Life- Changing Decisions, Simplified   Peace and Projects

My reflections on the Prodigal God  Life - by Ashley Pichea

In which I become a father  Badass Geek

Create Habits Instead of Resolutions  Productivity your way

10 quick tips for a better photo  No biggie

Momness: The next 10 years  Everyday I write the Book

Dream Big  Whatever

Eye Candy - Design 

Advice Column  AB Chao

Home again, home again, jiggity, jig  Urban grace interiors

Color  Whatever

Homes with Heart  Decor 8

Eye Candy  Delight by Design

Workspace of the week   Uncluttered

Guest Post: Installing barn sliding doors  Tatertots and Jello

A week of my Reader - Round-up

Hi and welcome to a new concept I am including in my blog!  I am super excited in sharing with you my favorite blog posts that I have read and saved during the week from my reader. Hope you enjoy this! I know I will reading the posts and then compiling them into groups for your enjoyment.  If you have any blogs that you suggest to include in my reader please leave a comment.

DIY Projects that I saved to favorites

Elegant Hydrangea Easter eggs  Sweet Little Smoothie

Fortune Egg Poppy Talk

DIY Mirror Project  Hello Newman's

DIY paint stick sunburst mirror  Centsational Girl

Menu Planning and Budgeting

Eat well spend less: Week 1 wrap-up  Food for my family

Get started using coupons Denver bargains

Store Deals Money Saving Mom

Cupon database  Passion for Savings

Pantry Meals to keep the budget on track.  Good Life Eats

Eat well, spend less: Menus and Meal planning  Food for my family

Eat well spend less budget for lots of fresh produce  Food your way

Eat well spend less homemade pantry staples  Good life eats

Eat well spend less how they do it  Food your way

Pantry meals to keep the budget on track.  Good life eats

Recipes

 Honey Whole Wheat Bread       Barbara bakes

Announcing my food styling photography   Cannelle et Vanille

French onion Soup  Smitten Kitchen

Homemade doughnuts  Look I made that

Life, Family and Soul

In which I run   Bad Ass Geek

Out of the depths  The Romantic Vineyards

Making family your top priority  Not just cute

A year later  Creature comforts

List of ways to carve out time for a hobby or pasttime  List Plan it

I failed English  Becky's Blog

He says she says  Spencer and Jana

Operation Love reunited  I took the one less traveled by

10 things to do everyday to stay organized  Organizing your way

How to woo your spouse aboard the simplicity express  Peace & Projects