Free Printable Friday - Formal Table Setting Reference Card

I can't believe it's already Friday again! Well, if I don't have time for crafts, at least I can throw together a few freebies here and there for you guys.

Here is a quick reference card you can stash away in a drawer in your kitchen or something. Whenever you're having guests over for dinner you can pull it out so you know you're setting the table right! How fancy you are!

The JPEG:

Click for full size, right click, 'save image as' to download.

The PDF (for easier printing):

Download Now!


I link here!

Anticipating Paradise

I don't think there can be any question as to why I am looking forward to this summer. A honeymoon in tropical paradise Hawaii? Need I say more? I've been so ridiculously busy lately that I think a vacation at the end of the semester is definitely in order. Oh my gosh...just the word...vacation...

Anyways!

The wedding plans are going fairly well though, as stressed out as I am. Things are finally falling into place. I'm getting my dress fitted in a couple of weeks, so wish me luck! We think we may have a cake and officiant and DJ booked. And look what I got:

Time for me to get cracking on these bad boys, DIY style! These kits are pretty nice, I've already delved into the box and you get to put everything together yourself, so it still feels like I'm doing it all on my own, except all the bits and pieces have all been collected up for me. I'm just dreading the invitation on which I run out of printer ink. I've really got to get these mailed out...

Well, that's what I've been up to these days...wedding plans, wedding plans, wedding plans! Oh and of course lots of essays for school, a sick toddler with the flu, a newborn who doesn't like to sleep, and learning some computer stuff on the side among other things!

I feel kind of lame that I haven't done any crafting in a while. I have so many projects lined up, but I just can never find the time! I'm going to try and make a couple of wreaths next, I think. My door is looking kind of bare and the only wreaths I own are a Christmas wreath and a Halloween wreath. I know there are lots of wreaths floating around on Pinterest and I could use a little inspiration. Anyone have a favorite wreath they would like to share?

Guest Blogger Gabby

I'd like all of you to meet my friend and sponsor Gabby from The...Late, Young Family! Here is a post she has written for you in order to introduce herself. I love her blog and I think you will too! So without further ado...


Oh, and P.S...I know I haven't been blogging quite as avidly these days...School, two babies, blogging, wedding planning, my odd little side jobs...you understand, don't you? ♥


Now here's Gabby!

---

Thank you, Alicia, for having me over for a guest post today!  I am very happy to be here and to share with your readers what my blog is all about!




Hello to The Better Nester readers!  My name is Gabby, and I am a stay-at-home mother to two little ones, Ava and Quinn!  It is no secret that I struggle with ADD; so, my blog, The...Late, Young Family, is my own little outlet for showing off my sometimes eclectic projects and family photos!




I have Sing-Song Friday every week. If you like music, and you are always interested in hearing new genres, then you will want to stop by to hear my song of the week!




Hope you get the chance to stop by, and let me know if you're visiting from The Better Nester! I am always happy to see new faces!

Gabby

Liebster Blogs!

My dear friend Gabby of The...Late, Young Family has awarded me with the Liebster Blog award. Thanks, Gabby! Basically, the award is passed around as a way to feature blogs that deserve some attention but don't yet have many followers. Liebster apparently means "dearest/beloved" so I think that is good enough reason to continue the tradition. How sweet! Here are the rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter
2. Make sure to link back to the blogger who presented you with the award
3. Copy and paste the blog award button on your blog
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers of less and who you feel deserve to be noticed.
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

So here are the five blogs that I would like to present with the Liebster Blog Award!

• You Will Rejoice
• Little Mudpies
• Look. Snap. Love.
• Snickety Things
• Oh So Chichi!

Instagram

I finally got an iPhone which means I can finally spam the world with my Instagram photos!!! I'm completely addicted and/or obsessed. Here's what I've got since yesterday afternoon already:

Free Printable Friday!

I'm going to try and make it a point to hand out a free printable for everyone weekly. How exciting! It will help me to stay on my creative toes, and it will help you because free things are always awesome! We'll see how long I can keep it up. Hopefully, a very long time!

This week, I have something that I have always needed very desperately in my kitchen. I find myself constantly scrambling to the computer while I'm cooking to look up quick measurement conversions. So I did myself (and you) a favor and made up this cute little printable chart to hang right up on my fridge!

You can either download the JPEG file or a PDF version (easiest for printing, in my opinion).

The JPEG:

Click for full size, right click, 'save image as' to download.

The PDF:

Download Now!

Guesting A Recipe

I've written up an "Easy Pleasing Recipe" as a guest post over at You Will Rejoice (who just so happens to be a sponsor of mine!). The recipe is for some quick and delicious quesadillas and you can check it out HERE!

If you try it out, be sure to let me know if you liked it! And definitely be sure to leave my sponsor some love!

recipe guest post

Hi, everyone! My name is Alicia Yamashita from over at The Better Nester! I'm a stay at home mom and I love to blog about all things crafty, tasty, and mommy! I cook for myself and my hubby and now our little girl, Adrianne, who sure can be a picky eater at times. Usually I'm so busy chasing her around that I have a hard time throwing a decent meal together. But this recipe that I am about to share with you is a favorite in our house! Personally, I love it because it's so quick and easy to make!

Today, we're making some Easy Cheesy Quesadillas! It only has a few ingredients. In fact, the only ingredients that are really mandatory are the tortillas and cheese! But nonetheless, you can be sure this recipe will make for some happy tummies. After all, who doesn't love some cheesy, melty goodness?!

I cook this recipe for my family, and it's one of the hubby's all time favorites. Adrianne also loves it because it's easy for her to hold and eat. I love substituting the peppers for some extra veggies in this recipe for a quick, nutrient packed lunch for her. The cheese really hides the veggies well!

This recipe would be great for a Mexican themed meal, served with some Spanish Rice or even just sliced avocado. You may even just want to serve it as an appetizer for a large family before an entree. Let's get started! This recipe will yield about 2 quesadillas and is easily doubled as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tortillas, white or whole wheat
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced (about 1 medium tomato)
• 1/3 cup pepperoncini, sliced (about 5 medium-large peppers)
• 1/3 black or pinto beans, cooked or from a can
• Butter

DIRECTIONS:

Lightly butter one side of the tortilla. Then place it butter side down on a large frying pan.

Sprinkle a tortilla with half of the cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and beans so that all the ingredients are evenly dispersed across the tortilla.

Fry over medium-high heat until the cheese is nice and melted, about 5 minutes or so. Be careful not to let the butter burn the tortilla on the other side. The tortilla should brown, but only slightly.

Fold the tortilla in half with a spatula and gently press flat if necessary. Quickly remove from heat and slice in half or in quarters. Repeat with the second tortilla and remaining ingredients.

And there you have it! Quick and Easy Cheesy Quesadillas that are sure to please! Enjoy!

Sunny With A Chance Of Photoshoots

Number 1 rule of photography is to never use a camera flash. Always use natural light.

So when the sun comes out around here, the camera comes out! Rowan is already learning to hate the sight of it, and Adrianne...well, she at least likes the gearing up part of photoshoots.

Adrianne distracted him long enough that I could get some cute shots...

of his adorable toes!

Look at those lanky feet!

Curly baby toes are just the best...

And dimply hands are just as sweet!

Toddler toes are pretty cute too, they're so chubby!

Isn't my girl beautiful?

He's All Smiles

Look who's feeling better! Yep, Rowan's back to his goofy, smiley self. He's a charmer, this one.

I love it. He is so happy and smiley that it's easy to get cute smile pictures of him. He is just smiling all day long. Be still my heart!

And he's always sticking that tongue out =P Gotta love that double chin as well!

In other news... Just in case you want to be weird-ed out, here is a picture of something funny that I found today:

Haha, Adrianne leaves around the cutest surprises! I caught her earlier walking around the house and saying "num num num num..." I suspiciously asked her, "Adrianne, where did your banana go?" And she just laughed and shouted "num num num!" as she ran pointing to her baby. She is hysterical!

Aaaand...one more cute picture of Rowan.

Rough Day

We had our first three shots done yesterday... =( Ro-Ro did pretty good in the doctor's office, he only cried for a few seconds. But boy did we have a rough day after that. His poor little legs were so sore that every time he moved them he would burst out crying. He even looked sad when he slept! See in the picture?

The only thing that would soothe him was being held him up against my chest as I walked with him. So I did. All day long.

It's so heartbreaking when they have to get their vaccinations, but what can you do? Imagine the guilt if they came down with something that could have been prevented... The most heartbreaking thing was when Rowan would just look up at me and give the sweetest, gummy smile, despite all he'd been through. What a trooper! I remember Adrianne doing the same thing.

Both Rowan and Adrianne reacted similarly to the shots the first time. It wouldn't have been so bad if their legs didn't get so sore. Adrianne would cry every time her legs were touched when she got her first shots. At least they didn't get fevers, though! Just swollen, sore legs.

The nurse said that it would probably be harder on me than it would for him. I don't know about that, but it was a rough day admittedly. There is nothing easy about hearing a baby cry and being powerless to help him. Not only that, but I was also over heating due to the fact that I was constantly moving all day and it's been really warm out lately but unfortunately we haven't gotten around to putting the screens back in the windows. It got over 75 degrees in here!

Some nice, cool strawberry lemonade done right sure did help. Through it all, I tried to keep in mind something my mom always taught me: that you gotta take care of yourself in order to take good care of others! One of the best learned lessons out there. =)

Anyways, we're over the hump now. Just two more months til we get to go through the same exact thing.

Manliness

One thing that ought to be known about Rowan is that he really loves to feel manly. Adrianne was never really too picky about who was holding her until she went through her "only mama" stage that all babies go through. But Rowan? Well, sometimes mama just isn't manly enough for him!

It's so funny, it really does seem like Rowan just needs a little testosterone every once in a while. He sometimes will only be calmed if his Dad holds him. And the thing that gets him smiling the most? Just call him "strong," "handsome," or "manly." He'll beam from ear to ear!

One day we popped over to grandparents' house for dinner and I all but tossed a wide awake Rowan into his Papa's arms, since it's not too often that people get the chance to see the little guy with his eyes open. Well, he just snuggled his head right into that manly shoulder and passed out.

Don't get me wrong, he can be a total mama's boy sometimes (though not as much as I would have dreamed). But sometimes the only thing that will soothe little Ro-Ro is a good old fashioned manly shoulder to sleep on.

An Organized Schedule

I finally finished! I wrote down every assignment due date, every tiny little thing I should do and when, for the whole semester, for every class. Now I don't even have to put an ounce of thought into what I have to do, other than to just complete the assignments. Everything is perfectly scheduled around my wedding and honeymoon as well. I even gave myself the weekends off! Hopefully this makes my life a little bit easier while I'm juggling babies and wedding plans.

Still got the sniffles, but at least that daunting task is out of the way. School starts Monday. Wish me luck!

In other news, Rowan has a new favorite spot.

Rowan has this need to be held upright at all times unless he is sleeping. So I decided to try and find a spot he could sit all by himself in (with me nearby obviously). The corners of the couch just so happened to do the trick! He loves it there!

Of course, Adrianne got a kick out of it. She is one proud big sister.

Nervously, I have to watch as she gives him the most adorable little smooches on his cheeks and forehead. (She laughs hysterically when he turns his head from side to side, trying to avoid her kisses.) She is so gentle with him still. I marvel at it always.

And of course, she had to bury him under her two best friends, Rufus and Piglet. She is just so generous that way. She has always been a wonderful sharer. Just wait til she gets her first play make up set in a few years. Watch out, Rowan!

Under The Weather...

Woke up yesterday with the sniffles...now it's turned into a full blown cold. The worst part is that I don't even feel up to moving! I think I over exerted myself today by going out to get a few things done (one of which, was meeting up with the officiant for our wedding ceremony, very exciting!!).

Oh well, the best I can do is take it easy as possible and get better as fast as I can.

Speaking of weather, though...the weather yesterday was amazing! Almost 60 degrees out! (Probably sounds terrible to some people who are used to warm weather all year round, haha.) We went outside and walked for probably an hour or two. Maybe that's why I got such a bad cold...hmm...

Anyways, I just wanted to check in to assure everyone that I wasn't intentionally neglecting my blog. I did have big plans to do a few tutorials this weekend, but that hasn't been working out so far. Maybe I'll manage before the week is up!

Now I am off to plan out how I'm going to manage my time and work in a new monthly planner I got today. The school semester starts next week so if I'm to pass AND raise two babies, I better get organized about it!

Let's Help Save The Lives Of Thousands Of Children

For those of you who don't know, Joseph Kony is a terrorist who preys on children. Unfortunately, most people don't know.

This video has recently come to my attention, and by recently I mean a half hour ago. Already, I insist that everybody I know please watch it. It is a half hour long, so if you don't have time to watch the whole thing then I'll sum it up for you:

• Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.
• Joseph Kony abducts children and turns them into armed soldiers if they are boys and sex slaves if they are girls.
• Joseph Kony forces children to kill and mutilate, and sometimes even to murder their own parents.
• Joseph Kony is still at large and is doing everything he can to prevent his own capture.
• Awareness of this issue is KEY to convincing the government that this issue is still important enough to focus on.
• This issue is bringing the ENTIRE world together in the name of PEACE.

I was amazed when watching this video at how evident it was that World Peace is truly possible due to the connection we all have over the internet. I think this is a good place to start. Stop Joseph Kony. He must be found and arrested so that children may stop fearing and witnessing death. Imagine your own children in that situation. It is important enough to share this video, if that's the least you can do!



KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

From My Eyes

Today I thought out loud, "I wish I could take a picture of him while he looks at me like this as I hold him." But of course I couldn't, not if both of my hands were taken up. I just love the way Rowan looks when I sit him up facing me. His gaze is so intense and of course his chubby cheeks are really just too adorable. I really wanted to be able to remember this gorgeous baby face, decades down the line.

Well, leave it to my amazing hubby to hear that out loud thought and immediately grab the camera, run over, hold it up next to my face and snap a bazillion pictures! :) Now you can see what it's like for me to hold little Ro-Ro and stare into his cutie pie face.

Those beautiful, puffy baby eyes, the raised eyebrows, the droopy cheeks, the squishy chin...that baby face.

Those silly, wobbly, bobbly, "I'm trying to keep my head up but I'm still kind of milk-drunk" expressions.

Those precious, time-stopping, can't help but smile and coo like a happy new mother moments......