around the home, High Straightenance, Inspiration

March 22, 2017

Bullet Journal Layout Ideas

I recently shared some of my favorite Bullet Journal Supplies. As promised, I’m gonna show you some of my favorite Bullet Journal Layout Ideas!

It’s an evolving process, but here’s what I’ve got going on in the notebook I started last September.

THE CALENDAR YEAR SPREAD

Yes, I wrote out a two-year calendar spread by hand. It was quite the challenge, but I have somewhat of a sense of pride when I look at it. I just don’t look too close. I highly recommend doing it if you need chillout time. Make sure you start in pencil first then follow up in pen. Using the dotted grid on my journal made it so much easier to figure out spacing.

The year calendar lives in the front of my journal, right behind my index.

THE MONTH SPREAD

The month takes up two pages. I mostly use this to keep track of blog posts. All of the other calendar stuff, like appointments and such go in my google calendar online.

Remember how I use tab dividers? That’s how I separate months. In each month, we have our week spreads. With each week spread, we have a weekly to-do list (more on that in a sec!).

THE WEEKLY CALENDAR SPREAD:

This week view calendar spread above was my first attempt at configuring. It crammed my week up and I didn’t like seeing the dates stacked like that, so after weeks of tinkering, I worked out a spread that my brain likes.

This is what I draw every Wednesday or so to forecast the week ahead of time.

Three days of the week fill each page in columns with the weekend stack on the right edge. I spent several weeks trying to track my meal plan in the columns and just couldn’t get into it.

As for how I fill up the columns, sometimes I put things in the morning time in the morning/afternoon towards the bottom. I still need to settle in on how I fill that out, but I’ve found that coloring certain things or drawing on the pages helps certain things stick out.

Below, I was trying to figure out how to incoporate meal planning into the schedule.

I didn’t do a good job keeping it up.

So I now create a list of dinner options based on what we have in the fridge.

These are things I fill in on a Sunday.

Sometimes I decorate…. Sometimes I forget my own rules.

Sometimes I forget to write things in. Sometimes I forget to look at my calendar. That’s when my life falls apart.

Sometimes I can close my eyes and remember something because I can see a picture of it written down in my brain.

This how my photographic memory works.

Here above I made all of the posts for Shutterbean (the blog you’re reading!) in ORANGE.

The times I went to yoga were highlighted in pink. That was a good yoga week.

THE CURRENT WEEKLY TO DO SPREAD:

The two-page spread AFTER the week is what I like to call my brain dump.

I make lists. There’s always an errand list/blog list/research/housework list.

You know how much I love lists.

This is where my system deviates a bit from the traditional bullet journal concept. I didn’t like making check marks and creating a list day by day. But, I do really like crossing things off…and whatever is left on this spread gets put on the top of my to-do list/brain dump for the next week.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME OTHER LISTS:

THE MEAL ROTATION SPREAD

Basically what I refer to when I need to come up with dinner. I started writing down my family’s personal favorites so I know what I’m working with.

WHOLE 30 SNACK IDEAS SPREAD

Remember when I wrote that Whole 30 Snacks post?

This is the list that turned into this—

Snack lists are great to remember when you’re hungry and you need a good/healthy idea.

And then we have this list, also in the back:

WHOLE 30 MEAL IDEAS LIST

Which turned into this Whole 30 Meal Ideas post.

And we finish with one of my most used lists:

THE PACKING ESSENTIALS SPREAD

So I have something to reference when I’m packing. It helps so much!

That’s the system I’ve been working with for the past six months.

Stay tuned for more soon!

Don’t forget to check out my favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

recipes

March 20, 2017

Breakfast Sausage Pretzel Rolls

Breakfast Sausage Pretzel Rolls from Joy the Baker’s latest/greatest/AMAZING new cookbook, Over Easy. It comes out tomorrow and you’re going to looooove it. I already spilled butter on it.

I already spilled butter on it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

First recipe down:

Breakfast Sausage Pretzel Dogs

Hummina hummina hummina. We have a legit crowd pleaser.

As in, we had none left.

My parents (who were part of my pleased crowd) told me they preferred the breakfast sausage to the regular hot dog/pretzel dog situation. I agree, parents! Maybe it’s gotta do with sweet/savory combo of dipping one in maple syrup!

Pretzel dough is wrapped in sausage, then boiled, egg-washed, salted and baked.

And then it’s dipped in your choice of maple syrup, ketchup or mustard.

Heck, put some honey and hot sauce out while you’re at it!

my everyday life, Photography

March 19, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 11

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life: Week 11

Happy Anniversary to us! Casey and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary yesterday.

He gifted me this beautiful ceramic rendition of our wedding cake! (from here)

A collection begins.

Playing with chalk.

I love reading the little notes people make when they’re testing pens.

MMMM. BANH MI!

Cats are the sweetest when you’re not feeling well.

On a walk I was reminded that there’s always sun above the clouds.

M A K E A W I S H

Testing ink at the art store.

I loved how this bush was trimmed around the mailbox.

Intricate.

March 17, 2017

I LOVE LISTS

Welcome to I love lists! It’s Friday. Let’s see what’s up with the internet this week:

Have you ever seen such pretty Jell-O?
I want to celebrate Persian New Year.
Peanut butter & jelly doughnuts…..OMG
Number 15 made me snort.
Green & Blush– what a pretty color combination!
Some good advice for first-time moms.
I had no idea all that Keanu Reeves has been faced with.
Lego tape….whoa!
This made me legit LOL.
Umm. WHAT. Kitten fur perfume??
Time travel flashback: Spring Break in the 2000s.
I’ve been trying to convince my brother of this but it’s not working.
Some BUJO insight if you’re looking to start one.
I LOVE this idea of an alter ego party. I’d show up as Frankie from Grace & Frankie.
Can we turn these minty meringues into an Eton mess situation? YES.
MY IDEAL WORKOUT
When shopping online goes wrong. I just snorted.
On turning 49. (LOVED THIS)
This will be us one day.
This veggie burger looks awesome.
Spring closet update time! I’m currently rebooting my spring capsule.
I would like to use one of these in person, please.
The 6 Secrets of Self-Control

RIP AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL, your work will carry on in all of us who saw your light!

Questions for you:

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE FOR BREAKFAST THIS WEEKEND?
WHAT’S KEEPING YOUR ATTENTION LATELY?

Inspiration, recipes

March 16, 2017

Put an Egg on It

It’s only Thursday and I’m already thinking about breakfast for this weekend. At least one of our weekend breakfasts has something with eggs in it. There’s nothing like a leisurely breakfast with eggs and coffee. If you’re already thinking about breakfast this weekend or you’ve (always) got eggs in your fridge, here are some of my favorite ways to

PUT AN EGG ON IT:

Avocado toast….with an egg on top! Salt & pepper please.

Breakfast nachos….I MEAN.

Scrambled eggs with spinach and a nice sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

Eggs on top of chilaquiles. COME TO MAMA.

Toast with pesto & cheesy fried eggs. (I put cheese on the top of it at the very end of cooking time to melt).

(I put cheese on the top of it at the very end of cooking time to melt).

Fry some tortillas up, add eggs, salsa, cilantro and top with sour cream and cheese.

Bacon + egg sandwiches. Throw a tomato in there. Better yet, make it a B L A T with egg! That A in BLAT stands for avocado.

Eggs on Hashbrown Waffles. That’s right. You read that correctly.

You can make hashbrown waffles.

This is what happens when you combine a pita, pesto, cheese, arugula & egg.

Egg-in-a-hole pesto pizzas!

It’s the perfect thing to throw together for a weeknight dinner.

Roasted asparagus with some Parmesan served with a fried egg on toast & a side of bacon.

Scrambled eggs with broccoli cheddar and hot sauce served on toast.

FYI I donated my toaster 4 years ago and we strictly use a panini press in my house.

Best decision ever. We use it almost every single day.

Speaking of panini…. I made a cheesy omelet here and threw it into a grilled tortilla.

Instant breakfast quesadilla.

Don’t forget the power of a frittata. I love making them because we have leftovers for future lunches throughout the week.

You can make an enchilada casserole for breakfast. It serves a nice group of people. It’s really good paired with fried eggs.

Sausage and peppers & fried eggs! Don’t forget the toast!

My grandma used to make me sausage, egg & pepper sandwiches on a french roll.

Man, I miss my grandma.

Leftover pizza + fried eggs are what hangover breakfast dreams are made of.

Almost worth the hangover.

Roasted vegetables + eggs for breakfast = happy healthy brain

Don’t look at that piece of toast with the peanut butter.

Look at the two toasts with arugula, egg & cheese.

Look at how I added green to that plate! See, you can totally slip some health into your breakfast.

All of my favorite things.

Sauteed spinach, bacon, roasted potatoes & a side of toasty bread and jam. Don’t forget the egg!

Nevermind my insatiably hungry cat, Ella.

Check out this brussels-sprout hash situation with a fried egg on top.

When in doubt, just hard-boil some eggs and add a little salt.

Perfection! Also, I’m loving hard-boiled eggs in my new Instant Pot.

High pressure/manual for 6 minutes with 1/2 cup water (and the eggs on top of the basket). Manual release and immediate ice bath. The shells peel off like A DREAM.

This is my current warrior breakfast.

A whole wheat English muffin with scrambled eggs (and cheese), a soy sausage patty and Tapatio.

I was reading somewhere lately that someone puts salami in their eggs.

OMG. YOU NEED TO TRY IT. If you fry it up a bit before you put the eggs in, it tastes like bacon.

I paired it with leftover broccolini panini that I reheated in the panini press. YUM.

Don’t forget you can put an egg in ramen!

I’ve got a good mushroom ramen recipe and a salmon one as well in my archives.

Simple is sometimes best.

Scrambled eggs with toast & jam is such good comfort food.

Go ahead, throw some hard-boiled eggs on your favorite potato salad.

CALL IT DINNER while you’re at it.

Brussels Sprouts + Bacon on top of polenta with an egg on it at my favorite breakfast place- Topsy’s in Petaluma. Don’t worry. I am going to recreate this one soon.

There you have it!

Don’t forget:

For more breakfast ideas, check out #shutterbeanbreakfast on Instagram

recipes

March 14, 2017

Coconut Quinoa Coleslaw

Thank you for all of your food rut suggestions. If you’re experiencing one yourself and want to get back on track to eating healthy, I suggest you pick up Naturally Nourished and work your way through it. Cuz, that’s what I’m doing!

It’s helping me to remember that I love eating healthy foods… and that dinners made up of pretzels and cheese don’t always make me happy.

My first stop? This Coconut Quinoa Coleslaw.

It’s a hearty coleslaw. One that keeps your attention! Sarah is right, the toasted coconut in the slaw gives it a subtle sweetness and that minty tahini dressing on top is out of this world.

My tastebuds are ready to go now!

my everyday life, Photography

March 12, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 10

Here’s what this past week looked like of My Everyday Life- Week 10:

Casey turned 40 on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cooper was in charge of the cake decorations.

Family dinner with Casey’s brother, Aunt and her fiance.

Last minute meatloaf dinner!

His and Hers.

Made eye contact with a fluffy deer this week.

WHY IS IT SO FLUFFY

Notes from a Marie Forleo episode.

40 beans.

One for each year Casey has been alive.

This is the year when we’ve finally known each other longer than we haven’t known each other.

We have been looking forward to this moment forever!

Birthday linguine & clams. His favorite. Always his birthday dinner.

A doodle while we waited. I told Cooper how lucky he was that he had two O’s in his name.

See why?

Trip to the city.

HI $

This caught my eye.

I loved the reflection of the tree in the window and the colors on the building.

I thought of Cooper.

Avocado toast & dates from Good Eggs.

Got a chance to see Sarah Britton from My New Roots (love her!) speak about her new cookbook Naturally Nourished and her experience feeding her own child. Very inspiring. I’ve already made a recipe from the book. I’ll share it next week.