Menu Plan Monday

I have been making weekly dinner menus for my family for as long as I can remember.  It used to be (& still is to a point) a running joke with my brother in laws and myself....everytime they would come to the house the first question would always be "what's on the menu this week?"  It always just seemed logical to me to plan out what we were having and shop for those items...I had neither the time nor patience to be running to the store to pick up items I needed for a recipe.  Plus, with a picky husband, kids with different tastes and myself who is very strict on low carbs/low sugar, knowing I have something on the menu each night that everyone will eat, and fits into our schedule, was genius!  If you popped over here from Org Junkie...you must be a genius too...and my BIL's cave dwellers...

I must admit though, meal planning isn't my all time favorite activity.  It takes me HOURS sometimes, leaving me frustrated and ready to throw in the towel.  Perhaps it is because the varied tastes of my family, although I have learned to overcome that...the main reason is I am so overwhelmed by the amount of recipes I have already and the amount that I keep finding on Pinterest or the Internet.  I am on a never ending mission to get myself organized and as I write this post I think I need to move the huge job of tackling cookbooks, magazines and clipped recipes up to the forefront...to save my weekly sanity.

One thing I did do this week, which I wish I had thought of earlier, was to assign each night a theme.  It made it so much easier when looking at my recipes and our schedule to pick out that night's meal.  I wish I had thought of it after racking my brain for 2 hours thought...here is what a week might look like:

Monday - Mexican/Tex Mex
Tuesday - Asian
Wednesday - Italian
Thursday - Leftovers (with the exception of the summer months, I shop on Friday morning)
Friday - Pizza
Saturday & Sunday - Pork, beef or chicken recipes that don't fall into one of the above categories

During the summer, my menu runs Saturday to Friday (Friday to Thursday during the rest of the year) only because of when I shop.  Here is what is on the menu this week:

Saturday - Pizza (pepperoni and cheese for the kids, BBQ Chicken for the hubby) and mushroom and cheese using this gluten free / low carb crust for me. 

Sunday -  Lemon BBQ pork chops, green beans, baked potato

Monday  - Mexican Chicken, corn, hashbrown potatoes

Tuesday - Spicy Basil Chicken, white rice, snowpeas and carrots, mandarin oranges

Wednesday - Spaghetti & Meatballs with homemade sauce, bread machine bread

Thursday - Key West grilled chicken, salad, baked potatoes

Friday - Leftovers or sandwiches

I hope something on my menu inspires you this week! Want more menu planning inspiration?  Head on over to Org Junkie to see what others are cooking up this week.

What is on your menu this week?

I Suffer from Disorganizationitis

Ok, so I know that disorganizationistis isn't a real disorder (or is it?) but if it was I really would suffer from it.  I am always getting down on myself because it seems like I have a never ending to do list that never gets done (sound familiar).  It is a never ending circle...I can't seem to accomplish anything because I always feel like my house is a mess and my house is always a mess because I can't get anything done.  I think one of my main problems though is that I don't finish what I start.  I jump from project to project, task to task without really finishing anything.  I am a keeper of the never ending to do list but what I crave is the ability to cross things off.

Since August is right around the corner (yikes!) I have decided to start the month fresh and try to focus on five tasks/projects a week.  Some will be bigger than others and I am sure that some will get moved into the following week but if I can prioritize five things to focus on (along with my other daily duties and of course my creative detours) I might just be able to start checking them off.

I have decided to post my five weekly tasks/projects each Sunday and update my progress each week.   This way, I am being held accountable for putting it out there. 

So here is my weekly top 5:

1)  Start catching up on Project Life 2012 - I won't even mention how far behind I am as that is another post in itself.  I do want to mention though that as I look at the weeks that I have completed I love the outcome and really, truely do not want to give up on this project.  I have some work ahead of me but I will push through and conquer. (Watch for my epic PL catch up plan post coming soon)

2) Pictures from 2009 - My computer is ancient and running out of space.  It is so bad that I can't download any of my new pics from my camera because there is no room!  I need to tackle moving old pictures from the computer onto a external hard drive and DVD (plus print them...yikes!).  I have a huge post in the works on my process for this but first I need to free up some space.

3)  Pictures from 2008

4)  Finish The 19th Wife  and start a new book - I probably should finish due to the fact that it is already 2 weeks overdue.

5)  Clean the Craft Room/Office - this one gets a task all to itself as opposed to cleaning every other room in my house because this room is out.of.control.  There really is no excuse....except the mess is a good excuse as to why my PL is so far behind...I cannot function in chaos!  I would post a before picture now but I there is no room on my computer!

CTMH July Specials: Perfect Pairs

Celebrate Perfect Pairs in July…

Place an online shopping order of $75 or more during the month of July and receive a Paper Packet and coordinating Embellishment FREE—it’s a Perfect Pair! Which specific Paper Packet and Embellishment you receive is based on the date you place your order.


Order Dates                                            Perfect Pair                                                                           Retail Value



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July 6–10         Dreamin’ Paper Packet (X7142B) and Harvest Charms (Z1633)                         $14.90


July 11–15       Fanfare Paper Packet (X7138B) and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (Z1400)    $17.90


July 16–20      Lucky Paper Packet (X7137B) and Lucky My Stickease®                                     $17.90
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July 21–25       Mayberry Paper Packet (X7136B) and                                                                          $17.90
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July 26–29       Sophia Paper Packet (X7131B) and Sophia My Stickease®                                 $17.90
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July 30–31       Believe Paper Packet (X7145B) and Holiday Pockets (Z1486)                            $14.90
                              OR Wonderland Paper Packet (X7146B) and Wonderland My Stickease®
                             Assortment (X7146C)

All featured products in the Perfect Pair promotion can be found in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book.

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 The Perfect Pairs offer is only available to online shopping orders and while supplies last.  If you are interested in a paper packet, please place your order early in the week to ensure availability.