My Day So Far

Finding time to write a blog post is sometimes harder than you'd think. At least it is when you're trying really hard to keep your priorities and responsibilities in the right order! And then when you find the time...well, it helps to have subject matter, wink*

I've read all the Getting Past Writer's Block and Blogging Tips 101 posts from other successful bloggers. Sometimes it just comes down to figuring out what's on your heart and how to put those feelings, emotions, and thoughts into something that makes sense to the people reading it!

I'm not quite there yet...so instead of forcing it, I'll just save it for a day when I'm ready and share what today looks like from where I'm sitting.

Midnight-ish, last night: Josh and I wake up on the couch and love-seat, respectively, and do the zombie-like walk to our room. We sleep. 

6 am-ish: I vaguely remember saying good-bye to Josh as he heads out for work. 

7:15: I wake up to Blake screaming, stumble into his room to pick him up, then lay back down in my bed with him beside me, for just a few more minutes. 

9:00am: Well ok, that was more than just a few more minutes. I'm not a morning person, what can I say??

10:30am: We head out for a visit to the music store. This goes well...the sales lady doesn't have to dodge a pacifier flying past her left temple because my son didn't throw a temper tantrum this time. 

We've made progress!

11:06am: Blake wants to play outside. I am pelted by 6 falling acorns while sitting on the stairs listening to Blake emphatically tell me he wants the stroller out of the trunk of the car. 

I fain ignorance. 

This leads to a melt-down....lunch, anyone?

11:32am: Cheese, crackers, apple, baby carrots, and milk. Blake signs All Done...and yawns. 

Diaper changed and we rock....

11: 57am: and rock, and rock, and rock...I lay Blake down in his crib. 

This is the part where I do the crazy-lady mad dash through my house, picking up everything from clothing, shoes, toys, and dishes to the Sunday newspaper. 

I start working on homemade soup for dinner. 

I eat a grape. 

12:34pm: Josh calls on his lunch break. I miss him. He misses me. It's Monday.

12:46pm: Blake is crying. I stop the microwave because I've learned that when you're making a Bechamel sauce and you get interrupted, the next thing in the Series of Unfortunate Events is a sticky, paste-like explosion to clean up. 

12:48pm: I lay down on my bed with Blake. Thankfully, this works (on a daily basis) to get a longer nap out of him. I do the shimmy- slide-and sneak maneuver to unwrap his arms from my neck, slide off the bed, and sneak out the door. Back to my soup. 

1:04pm: I eat another grape. Then I stir my sauce into my soup and pour it into the crockpot. Someday I will serve homemade soup with homemade bread. Today I am not that ambitious. 

 1:15pm: Laundry is started and I sit down to write. Um yeah, I got nothin'. This is my reality. 

It's not perfect, it's not glamorous, but it's mine.

And I wouldn't trade it with anybody.  

2:03pm: Post finished. Stomach growls...

Anybody want a grape??



Linking up with MckMama over at...

Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

Makes Enough for 4-6 Servings

Cut 10-12 small/medium sized potatoes into cubes. You can use whatever kind of potatoes you have on hand...I used some small white potatoes that didn't need to be peeled. 

If you're going to use bakers potatoes, or others with thicker skin, go ahead and peel them first!

Once you have the potatoes cubed, place them in a gallon size ziploc bag and add around 1/4 cup olive oil. 

Next, add to the bag of potatoes and olive oil the following spices:

2-3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

 1 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (less or more depending on your heat tolerance!)

2 Tbsp. Minced Onion

1-2 Tbsp. Garlic Salt

Shake it up!! 

Squish the potatoes around in the bag until everything is coated well with the olive oil and spices. 

It should look something like this....

Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray, then spread the potatoes out into 

as close to a single layer as you can!

Sprinkle 1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to crisp up. 

Stir the potatoes on the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes, 

or until the potatoes are tender and the outsides are crispy to your liking.

They are so yummy! 

I cook these up to go along side brats in buns, grilled chicken or steak, or oven pork chops.

And then I wander into the kitchen every 20 minutes after dinner's done to sneak the leftovers from the fridge...they're that good!

Picture Frame Re-Do

My mother-in-law gives me lots of old treasures...she is a garage sale/estate sale/antique shop regular. Last winter she passed along two empty frames that had been sitting in her basement. 

Um, ornate frame = blank canvas!

So, I have to admit that both frames ended up sitting in my basement until just a few weeks ago.

I was looking for a unique way to display some of the necklaces I sell in my Etsy shop at an upcoming sale,

and this is what I came up with....

We had some leftover paint sample cans and I decided to use one of the colors that ended up being too dark for our bathroom re-do (you can check that out here).

I sanded down the frame, then painted on two coats of the robin's egg blue paint. 

Once it was dry, I cut poster board to fit the size of the frame opening, covered the board with scrapbook paper, and popped it into place. 

The necklaces are hanging from push pins that I stuck into the back of the frame!

Once the sale was over, I simply took out the push pins and finished decorating the poster board!

Blogging Tips: Ten Things I've Learned

I will be linking this post up with Nicole at Miss Mommy for her Ten Things Tuesday Party!

Ten Things I've Learned About Blogging....

1. Be Yourself! You were created unique. Your life and your story are important with divine purpose. Don't be a copy of someone else (no matter how cool they are!). I have found some of the most amazing, inspirational people through the world of blogging! But at the end of the day, I am not them...they are not me. If I forget who I am, and strive to be like someone else, my blog will not be authentic! So be who you are, strive to grow into the best version of yourself you can be, and live each day knowing that what you do does matter and you are loved by the God of the universe!! That's pretty special**

2. Be a friend! This applies to all avenues of life, but in blogging-where 99% of your interactions with people are online-it's extra important! We don't see each other on a daily basis, except through our writing and our activity in social media. So take the time to put yourself out there and be friendly! If someone leaves a comment on your post, by all means, visit their blog, leave a comment, say hello. Strive to get to know others and strengthen the friendships you make while interacting with other bloggers!

3. Network! Going right along with #2, networking is about meeting other bloggers. Be friendly of course, leave comments on other blogs when a post you read impacts you! Take as many opportunities as you can to link up with other blogs. Utilize Facebook, Twitter, and other sites to help you meet other well-established bloggers and to encourage those who are starting out! You will meet amazing people with amazing stories, skills, and products. Share what you have to offer and tap into the resources that others share with you.


4. Redeem Your Time! In order to redeem something, it first has to have value. You can't redeem a coupon at the grocery store if it's not good for any amount off your bill, right?? Well, your time is worth something! It matters how you spend it! This may sound funny....but sometimes you need to stay off the internet. If you spend all your time perusing other fabulous blogs, drooling over their sites, their pictures, their amazing-ness....your time will be gone. You will have used up time that could have been spent snapping pictures of your kids at the park, creating a yummy recipe, or trying a new craft project. Use your time wisely!

5. Learn As You Go! My blog design has changed numerous times since I became serious about blogging 5 months ago. Back in May, I new nothing about HTML code, making crafty items, opening an Etsy shop, blog design...the list could go on. And while I am so far from an expert, I am much more capable in these areas than I used to be. I have chosen to make blogging a learning experience! If I were to stop blogging today or never see my hope of gaining sponsors become a reality, I would still walk away with skills that I can take and use to benefit my family down the road. Things like designing blog buttons, custom designed links, and custom headers...things like making ruffled flower accessories and pom-pom necklaces.

"If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. But if you teach a man how to fish, he'll eat for the rest of his life."

I guess I've learned how to fish! I can take these learned skills with me down the road, and someday they may provide a stream of income for us!

6. Guard Your Priorities! I love blogging...but I love alot of other things too! It is easy to become obsessed with looking at Pinterest for hours, spending a night in the basement painting furniture, or doing other things that revolve around blogging. I've found it is so important to guard my priorities because of this! My house still needs to be cleaned, laundry washed, dinner made...and those are just the basics! Sometimes Josh and I go a whole evening sitting on the couch next to eachother, while we're each holding a laptop. Comical, but sad. I don't ever want blogging to become what I love most. So I strive to guard what's important in my life from what is my latest fascination. 

7. Don't Be Discouraged! There have been many times in the last 5 months that I have considered giving up on blogging because of discouragement. When you've written a great post, linked it to Facebook and Twitter, and 3 link parties without a single comment - well, that's enough to make anybody want to quit! But take heart... Stay true to your priorities and who you are, and you will see growth. You may not go from 10 followers to 3,000 in a matter of six months...but if you stay encouraged you'll be in a better mindset to go out and promote your blog. 

8. Know When to Walk Away! Blogging is not for everyone. It does not fit every single person's lifestyle, situation, family dynamics, or time schedule. And there is no shame in saying so! There have been many nights that I've walked in after teaching piano lessons and wrestled with whether or not to blog... because I'm tired, because I haven't seen Josh in 14 hours, because I haven't eaten. If I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it. Blogging is a huge time commitment, and there are times that I think I would be happy to stand on the sidelines cheering on all the wonderful women I have met through blogging. So be honest with yourself. If you'd rather be a cheerleader than a blogger...make that decision and run with it. 

9. Set Goals! I am a list-maker by nature. So setting goals for my blog is something that came pretty easily to me. For others it may not be...but try! By setting goals, you effectively break down a huge undertaking into manageable pieces. Your blog design will not be perfect from Day 1 (unless you can afford to shell out the big bucks to a designer!) But if you set weekly goals like: Look into how to make a custom header, Experiment with my blog layout, Set up a Twitter account....your accomplishments list will grow, your blog will grow, and you will be encouraged!

10. Own Your Choices! "All that your hand finds to do, do it with all your might!" (Ecclesiastes 9:10)  Whatever your choices are when it comes to blogging, (or anything for that matter!) ultimately they are yours.   So make your choices with thought and wisdom. Choose what message you want your blog to portray, choose what bloggers you associate with, choose how much time you devote to your blogging activites, choose....then get out there and rock it!

October Sponsors and A Winner!

I am offering FREE sponsor spots starting this month! I would love to feature your blog or shop, host a giveaway, do a product review...or all of the above! If you're interested in helping me 

get my feet wet

in the sponsoring pool, please email me at 

todayissweeter{AT} yahoo{DOT} com!

Winner of the Ivory Rolled Necklace is Comment #4....

Nicole @ MissMommy

Hooray for you!! Email me at the address above within 48 hours!

Country Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe

This is a Paula Deen recipe. Need I say more?

Be prepared for oodles of butter...

You can find the recipe here.  And then you can check out my 'adjustments' below.....

Yummy, gooey biscuit dough cut into quarters. I used the reduced fat Grand's biscuits to offset the butter! (Kind of like getting a Diet Coke with a Mickey D's value meal....just sayin'.)

Dip the biscuits in butter and then into the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. 

Layer the biscuits in your casserole dish, then top with blueberries and rolled oats. 

Drizzle melted butter all over the top. 

Bake.

Eat. 

Swoon.

I used freshly picked, Michigan blueberries and it was divine! I also substituted all of the butter for margarine. It still tasted amazing, and bonus....my pants still zipped!!

This was so yummy for breakfast with scrambled eggs and orange juice....

So what have you been making lately?

Link up below! 

Remember to grab my Good Lookin, Good Cookin button from the right sidebar 

and include it in your post!!

Happy Friday Friends....have a fabulous weekend **

Chocolate Pudding Guy

Today we had dessert after lunch...

Chocolate Pudding

I think Blake liked it. Not really sure, but yeah...just guessing. 

Mainly because half way through, the spoon stopped being good enough...

and he decided it'd be better 

to

drink it!

I would give him chocolate pudding every day

just so that

I could see this face.