Here is my photo for today. My weeping cherry trees are blooming so I pulled out my extension tubes and got up close! I used all three tubes for this one, these buds are tiny let me tell you! It’s so amazing how much texture and detail are these things! Check out my friend Tasra’s website, she does a Twitter Tuesday feature of fellow 365′ers. There’s lots of great inspiration!

And for the fun news, scroll down…

I was featured on a great photography website this morning! My Twitter friend Travis runs Shutter Photo; it has so much wonderful information, reviews, inspiration, articles and more. I highly recommend his site if you’re into photography! Go check out my feature and stay and look around awhile! You will love it!

Last week I created meal planning worksheets and typed up a master list of our favorite meals, sides, snacks and treats. This is my system now, all pretty on my fridge where I can see it every day! It was so nice yesterday to have it all planned and not have to try and come up with something when we got home from church.

Here are my meals for this week. I’ll try and post recipes if I have some extra time.

Sunday – Baked Potato Bar with Salad

Monday – Fiesta Bowl Party. Bacon Dip and Potato Chips (My assignment to bring!)

Tuesday – Crispy Chicken Wraps with Cucumber Salad

Wednesday – Tacos

Thursday – Company Potatoes with Salad

Friday – Spaghetti Casserole with Green Beans

Saturday – Steelhead with Butternut Squash and Salad

I was inspired by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie to post my menu on my blog! Check out her fun tips and great blog!

Aaron and I talked about budgets last night and I now I feel inspired to start planning our meals. I’m usually a see what happens during the day and maybe start thinking about dinner at 5 o’clock! Not good at all for having good meals, and often we will just go get something or I’ll have Aaron pick up something on the way home.

It’s really silly considering I have a good stock of food here at home. I love to find great sales and stock up when the prices are low. So I really need to utilize what I already have and save some money! I went searching for meal planning systems and ran across Becky Higgins’ blog and her meal planning worksheet. It is so cute and perfect for what I need! I went looking around her site a little and found her cute font, so I decided to use it on my worksheet! I adapted it to what I needed and I love how it turned out!

I don’t like to use the word “resolutions” when I am planning what I what to accomplish in the new year. It has too many negative attachments to it, so I am planning out my goals for the year. I’ve never really done “New Year’s Resolutions” before, officially. I’ve thought of something I’d like to do or have happen but I never take any action. It’s just something that gets forgotten. I was inspired by this post from author Gretchen Rubin to create a list of goals for 2010. She has some wonderful tips for planning effective New Year’s goals.

This year I want to be different. I want to set some goals and actually accomplish them by the end of the year. I’m not adding crazy things like “keep my house clean every day” because I know I’m not ready to to tackle something like that yet!! Maybe when both girls are in school I’ll try! These are more small, personal goals and once I see how this year goes I’ll try some bigger things next year. I’m all about the baby steps!

Here is my list! I want to look back at this post at the end of next year and be able to cross everything off as being acomplished! I’m so excited to start!

My Goals for 2010!

Personal

• Love Michelle
• Read the Old Testament
• Pray daily
• Be active for at least 30 minutes 5 times each week

Family

• Show love to my girls each day. A little note or a hug and a kiss when they don’t expect it
• Pray together daily
• Have Family Home Evening each Monday night
• Date with Aaron at least 2 times each month

Creative

• Project 365 – One photo each day – Post photos on blog daily
• 52 Weeks of Gratitude – One photo each week – Post on blog weekly
• Post additional content on blog 3 times each week

Are you planning New Year’s Goals (Resolutions) for 2010? Have you been successful in the past? I’d love to hear any tips or comments you have! And, of course, every post is nice with a picture… Here’s a pretty little inspirational flower to brighten your day!

Check out my friend Amanda’s blog for “Just a Motivating Monday.” She has a great quote and some inspiring thoughts to think about!

 I’ve been awarded the Scholastic Scribe’s Superior Scribbler Award, thanks to Shannon Paterson of Anchor Mommy!

Here are the rules:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass on the award to 5 the most deserving blogs.

2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received the award.

3. Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his/her blog, and link to this post, which explains the award.

4. Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor!

5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Thank you so much Shannon!! Here are my 5 deserving bloggers!

1. Heather at My Writer’s Lair

2. Tiff at Three Ring Circus

3. Angie at The Arthur Clan

4. Puna at Life Signatures

5. Teri at As I See It

Wow! This week sure has been busy! We’ve had family come into town and we’ve been busy having fun with them. And now we are getting ready to go camping! It will be our first trip of the year… we were planning on going a couple weeks ago, but got rained out. The weather is starting to look like rain again, yuck! But we are still going to go. I think it will still be nice just to get away for a couple days!

I thought it might be fun to do a little photography challenge while I’m out camping. My creativity needs a little jump start! I’m going to get my sister to join me, she just got a Nikon D60 last month! It will be a fun way to learn some more about our cameras.

So, my challenge. I would love for you to play along too!

“The ABC’s of Camping!” …or wherever you are this weekend! So simple really! Well, maybe not but it will sure get you thinking! I am going to try and find something throughout our camping trip that starts with each letter of the alphabet! I think it will be fun and kind of cool to see what my sister and I come up with.

Join us if you’d like! I’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday with my results. I would love to see what YOU come up with!!

Have a fun (and dry, hopefully!) weekend!!

Welcome to our first week of My Favorite Things! 

My Favorite Things is a weekly feature that gives you and me the opportunity to share with each other our favorite things that we’ve found during the week. It can be anything! All you need to do is is post your favorite thing (or things) for the week on your blog, add the My Favorite Things badge to your post (the code is here), then come back here and leave your link in the comments section of my My Favorite Things  post each week! Join me and let’s have some fun together discovering some new favorites!!

This week, I knew I had to post this! I took this picture on our trip into the foothills last Friday. I wanted to experiment with some different angles and I’m so glad this turned out how I wanted! I gave it an edgy look and now I just can’t stop looking at it! It is definitely my favorite picture at the moment!

Another favorite is the new Pink Grapefruit Tic Tacs! I found them at Walmart last week  and they are already eaten. I need to go get some more before they’re gone, since they are limited edition! So… what’s your favorite thing this week? I want to see!!

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao Tzu

Be your own kind of beautiful.

Have you ever needed something calm and quiet to do with your preschool age children, but your idea bank was empty? I certainly have! My two girls can easily get excited and rowdy, but they can have a hard time calming down when it’s time. Here are some easy and fun activities to help your little ones calm down.

1. Story Time

A blankie, a stuffed animal and a few books can make for a great story time. Set up a little reading corner and have your kids bring their blankies and dolls along. Reading is a great way to settle down and get calm and quiet for naptime or bedtime.

2. Play a Tickle Game

Not the “tickle and laugh so hard you can’t breathe” kind of tickling though! Softly rub their arms or necks with your fingers. Draw pictures and have them try to guess what they are. Tell a story with your tickles. My daughter’s favorite is to build a sand castle! Her hand is the ocean and her arm and shoulder is the beach. We gather sand by the ocean and carry it up to her shoulder to build the castle. Several trips of sand gathering is a must! Pat the sand into the castle, then a dig a moat around it. Go down to the ocean and gather water for the moat. Again, several trips is necessary! Finally, we go back down to the ocean to get the flag for the top of the castle. When it is finshed, the tide comes up and washes the castle away! It is so calming and relaxing. When it’s done, ask her to build a sand castle on you! It feels so nice and she will have just as much fun!

3. Go On a Color Hunt

Take a walk around your house or the block. Ask them to find things that are a certain color. Go through the colors of the rainbow. If they know more difficult colors, give them a little challenge!

4. Art Show

Set out some paper and crayons and have your kids draw pictures. You can give them a theme or let them draw whatever they want. Play some quiet music in the background. When they are finished, display their pictures on the fridge or a wall. Let them show Daddy when he is home and have him “judge” the art show!

5. Dance Party!

Play some fun up-beat music and have your kids dance out their wiggles! Transition to calmer, quieter music. Let them make up dances, pretend to be ballerinas or butterflies. Have them dance quietly to naptime or bed.

6. Letter Fun

Go through the alphabet with your child. Have them tell you what sounds the letters make. Pull out some flash cards and let them tell you what the letters are. Pick a letter and let them find things around the room that start with that letter. 

7. Animal Zoo

Kids love to make animal sounds! At least mine do! Name an animal and have your child tell you sound they make. Turn the table and you make the sounds. Let them guess what animal you are!

Tell me about some of your favorite quiet activities you like to do with your children! What would you add to the list?