Kitchen Menu Board

Over the past four years of marriage to my husband, I have learned many, many things about myself.  I've learned I am even more introverted than my college self knew, "slow reader" doesn't do me justice, my crafting ideas will inevitably surface near bedtime, I hate dishes, Pepsi-addiction is a real thing and homemaking does NOT come naturally to me.  Plus:  I actually like to cook!

Growing up with a super-woman stay-at-home-mom did not give me the chance to experiment in the kitchen much.  She was the goddess of the food and she did not need (nor did I offer) much help.  I always assumed I didn't care for it like she did.  Turns out:  I like to cook!

Now, we live on a small budget and our kitchen is even smaller.  Both of these things can make meal planning and shopping a bit tricky.  My money saving techniques have been all over the place:  coupon clipping, off-brands, Mperks, shopping at 3 different groceries, receipt uploading, etc.  But one of the staples in my routine is meal planning.  If I write out our dinners for about a week and a half or two weeks at a time, I can then better plan meals that will use similar ingredients or ways that we can stretch a meal to two or three.  I normally do my meal planning on a boring ole piece of notebook paper.  Nothing special.

I buy groceries.  (Read: all day event after which I need a nap).

I come home and put away said groceries.

And in the craziness of unloading and napping that little not-so-special-list gets lost and sometimes I forget what I was going to make two weeks from now.

So, thank you, Pinterest, for inspiring me to create this kitchen menu board and do away with silly little easy-to-lose lists.

So:  I got a spare piece of particle board from my grandpa. I bought a can of spray paint in a color I liked (with sparkles?!) and I bought chalk board paint when it was on sale. I bought plenty of painter's tape and used my sewing measuring tape to make my boxes even.  Then, I got out my old acrylic paints from furniture painting back in the day and added some fun little details. 

Note to self: Always lay down newspaper before spray painting in your side yard.

My favorite part of this board is the quote:  My grandpa (not wood-workin, particle-board-donating grandpa...other grandpa) always used to sing it to us as kids, so I was happy to try to freehand it for this occasion!

The colors match the curtains I made last year that hang close by (what? your laundry isn't hidden behind a curtain in your kitchen?!) and bring out some of the colors in our placements from the nearby dining room.

Nowadays, upon my return from marathon shopping and after a little rejuvenating snooze, I wipe down my menu board with a damp washcloth, write in our main dishes for the week (or sometimes two weeks if I add a diagonal chalk line) and then Hubs can see what's coming up as well!

You should try it.  I pinned dozens of different versions and decided I like this one the best because it sort of made a statement on an otherwise unused wall.  What do you think?  Do you have a menu board in your kitchen?

Birthday Bash!

It seems crazy that we recently celebrated Naya's first birthday!  We can hardly believe how months 10-12 have flown by...and how SO MANY huge developments have accompanied them.  We feel like we have a whole new baby these days!

Baby girl weighs 16lbs 4oz these days.  Yeah, we know, she's tiny.
She's pulling herself up to ANYTHING (even very wobbly, bad-idea-Naya-stop things) with one hand and then letting go &slowly sitting down.
She loves her walking toy and knows how to back it up if she gets stuck.
She is eating everything like Mommy & Daddy now and is on whole milk.
She is getting gigglier and ornerier.  She plays peek-a-boo, takes her pants off, teases us and dances.
She waves, kisses, hugs, and nodds/shakes her head (mostly when appropriate).
Our hearts explode with each new learning moment and discovery :)

When it came time to throw her a "birthday party", we probably took a different approach than many first time parents.  Because...well...we didn't.  We wanted to celebrate and thank God for giving us this last wonderful year with our daughter, but we also try to live simply and we didn't want to spend lots of money or time preparing for a huge party.  That was just our choice.  I love seeing Pinterest boards of first birthday ideas and I love attending those parties myself, but it just doesn't fit our family and our values.

In the weeks leading up to her birthday, we checked out all the birthday books we could find from our favorite authors at the public library.  We read one or two a day, and then we used them as "decorations" at her birthday bash.

So, we had over our immediate family that lives in this area (my parents, sisters/spouses, husband's sister & family).  They came to our small apartment, we grilled and ate outside on borrowed tables from our church.  We didn't send out invitations; we didn't decorate.

Baby girl enjoyed her first experience with a cupcake. No, not just any cupcake. THIS CUPCAKE.

She saw...

She licked...

She hugged...?...

She devoured... 

She...got too messy and wanted an icing refill, please.

 And then, of course, the bees began attacking and the wind made sitting outside a bit chilly, so we packed into our small living room and opened some presents.  Then we played, talked, and practically sat on each other. Seriously, though.

My husband and I didn't really get her gifts.
I bought her 3 headbands...

This one from ShelbyChicBoutique.

And these two from VioletBowtique.

...we wrote her letters...

... and we put some money in her envelope.
We knew others would give her the fun experience of tearing into boxes and bags, and she has EVERYTHING she needs and more.  We choose to give her (&most in our lives) experiences instead of items.  Not that items are bad (in fact, she loves them) but just that we find experiences to last longer, be more personal, meaningful and intentional and fit our family better.

Oh, and I used this adorable pattern from Pinterest to crochet a little birthday crown the night before her "birthday bash."  She obviously loved it.  HA.

We also finished the 1st year of her baby book and had it out along with a few other prints of family & friends with Naya.

One of my favorite parts was when my brother-in-law-to-be snapped some candid family photos of the evening.

Leading up to the time the party was to be, I kept going back and forth in my mind if we should move it to our church, if we should invite great-grandparents, if we should...if we should...

And that is when I need to stop and remember this day is not about me.
It is not about comparing my house or family or plans to any other mother.
It is about God and how he has answered our prayers and proved Himself faithful over the past year.
And I'm pretty sure entirely positive He doesn't care if my apartment feels claustrophobic or if my chairs are wobbly and uncomfortable.

My favorite thing in the weeks following Naya's birthday was taking pictures of her wearing, playing with or using her gifts.  I included those snapshots in the notes that "Naya wrote" for her loved ones.  It was fun to do...hope they enjoy a little picture of my everyday :)

Naya "reading" the magazine subscription gifted to her by her great aunt.

Naya "reading" her new flip books from her cousin.

Naya mastering the xylophone thanks to her aunt & uncle.

Naya all ready for her 12mo immunizations in the new clothes her aunt gave her.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for seeing it fit to bless us with Naya Renee for one whole year.  May her life always reflect You to those who know her.  May she love you and know you deeply.  May we as parents show Your love to her this next year and for her whole life.