April 8, 2013

Menu Monday

 

Happy Monday!  Today is a day filled with mixed emotions – I’m heading back to work!  I am excited to once again have a daily routine, but am going to miss my little guy so very much.  Luckily, Mike is going to be staying home with him the rest of this month for a little father/son bonding time, so I know he’ll be in good hands.

We had a very productive weekend around the house with a little basketball watching party at our friend Lynn’s house.  I love getting things checked off our our to-do list; spring cleaning is definitely in the air!

 

Here are some of our highlights:

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Stroller walk with shades.  Mr. Cool.

 

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More smiles.

 

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2 month check-up.  Up to 12 lbs. 10 oz.!

 

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2 month shots, poor baby.  Ouch!

 

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Nursery updates.

Have I mentioned how much I love Hobby Lobby?  Well, I do.  I always seem to find something whether I’m looking for it or not!  I found this awesome E a couple of weeks ago and just recently purchased the numbers. 

Instead of spelling out his name which is very common in nursery décor at the moment, I wanted to do something a little different but still special to him – so I decided to buy the numbers that made up his date of birth.  Don’t worry, I do know how to count (my mom thought I had the 1,2,3,4 in the wrong order) – his birthday is 2/4/13.  I am so stoked with how it turned out!

 

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Handyman Mike installing our new faucet!  It’s the little things isn’t it!?!

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Ta-da!

 

Here’s what will be on our plates this week-

M:  Chicken Pesto Pizza

T:  Crock Pot Chicken and Black Bean Tacos* w/ Refried Beans

W:  Pork Loin w/ Spicy Thai Noodles* and Roasted Green Beans

Th:  Cuban Wraps w/ Chopped Salad

F:  Grilled Sausages w/ Peppers and Onions and Corn on the Cob

Sa:  Black Bean Soup w/ Yellow Rice

Su:  Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry w/ Brown Rice and Egg Rolls

 

Have a great week!

April 5, 2013

Did you know?

 

Hi all and happy weekend!!!  Today’s post contains a few did you know tips that I recently came across; I love when people share tidbits with me and wanted to share some of my recent “a-ha”s with you!  Enjoy!

 

 

1.  Did you know you can easily print Instagram pictures right from your smartphone?

 

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I have been in love with Instagram recently and have been wondering how to print them easily and in the correct size (4x4).  I knew of sites that offered Instagram printing services, but didn’t really want to have to send off for them and have the added cost of shipping.

Well my friends, I found the solution!  While I was printing pictures of Everett from my phone using my Walgreens app I saw the option of printing from Instagram.  I decided to try it out, but figured since the pics weren’t a “normal” picture size that they would probably just come out as a 4x6.  I can tell you that I was more than pleasantly surprised when I saw the result.

The pictures are printed in a 4x4 size with a matte finish and look amazing!  I loved the result and immediately told all of my friends who also love Instagram, and wanted to share it with all of you! 

Here’s how:

1.  Download the free Walgreens app on your smartphone (you can’t print from Instagram on your computer, only from your phone).

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2.  Click on the photo icon.

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3.  Click on the Print from Instagram option.

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4.  You will have to sign into your Instagram account.  After signing in your photos will be there; click on My Photos.

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5.  Click on the photos that you would like printed and then choose Print to Walgreens.  The best news is that you can pick any Walgreens store you would like (I have printed from my phone to the Walgreens near my mom in another city) and put any name on the order. 

The bad news is that you can’t really edit the pictures you have selected and/or order different quantities of separate pictures.  You can order a different quantity, but it will be for all of the pictures you have selected.

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***Don’t forget to check your Retail Me Not app (or the website) for Walgreens coupon codes.  They almost always have some sort of deal for prints (I ended up getting 40% off of my recent photo orders).

6.  Go to your selected Walgreens store and pick up your awesome prints!!!

 

 

2.  Did you know that you can order computer keys?

After we got married a few years ago my car and our computer seemed to die within about 3 weeks of our wedding.  Like any other situation, when it rains it pours.  We ended up buying a new (well, newer but used) car and new laptop within days of each other – welcome to married life!

With that being said, we had a new laptop that we loved.  It was so sleek and nice…until one day when I had a long thin necklace on, bent over to sit down in front of the computer and my necklace somehow got caught underneath the #1 key.  As I sat down my necklace pulled the key off and I felt horrible!  Our brand new computer looked tainted.

 

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Well, have no fear – there is a fix for that very problem!  We ordered a #1 key from Laptopkey.com and it fits perfectly!!!  Our computer works like a charm now and I don’t feel guilty anymore – it was definitely a win-win!

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3.  Did you know you can order replacement rings for your blender?

 I love using my blender, especially for smoothies.  I have had it for about 8 years (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) and recently noticed that the rubber o-ring gasket seal was stained, cracked and just plain grody.

I kept thinking in my mind, I wish I could just replace that part instead of continuing to scrub my original with no improvement, or buying a new blender.

 

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Well, thank goodness for Google and Amazon – two of my favorites, my wish was granted!  By typing in my blender model I found not 1 but 3 replacement o-rings for less than $1!  Woohooo!  They were shipped within a few days and my blender has never been happier – it actually even seems to work a little bit better Smile.

 

April 2, 2013

Not so fast…

 

Hi everybody!  I hope you all had a wonderful April Fools’ Day yesterday Winking smile!

 

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If you

a.) know my husband and his love of tricking, scaring, and just plain messing around with people

or

b.)remember last year’s post about getting a dog named Sampson (see it here and here)

then you may have had a little suspicion that yesterday’s announcement to stop blogging was a hoax. 

 

Although it is true that I don’t have as much time as I once did, and Grocery Lane is not my first priority, I’m not going anywhere. 

 

For those of you who offered so many kind words with the thought of this blog ending, thank you (I will punch Mike for you).  My posts probably won’t be as frequent (as you have probably noticed) but they will still keep coming, as I love having an outlet; a place to share my life and loves…at least for now.

 

Have a great week!

 

PS-

If you missed Menu Monday yesterday, here is what we’re eating this week:

M: Steak, Mashed Potatoes w/ Mushroom Gravy and Broccoli

T:  Chicken n Dumplings

W:  Shepherd’s Pie w/ Caesar Salad

Th:  Pot Roast Baked Potatoes

F:   Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sa:  Mexican Burgers w/ Guacamole and Pasta Salad

Su:  Leftovers

April 1, 2013

That’s a wrap.

 

First of all, like always, hi all and Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a very blessed Easter weekend.  We sure did (except for the Gators’ blowout loss to Michigan – boo!).  My mom was down for the weekend – and actually still is – and we just chilled out and got some good Everett time in. 

We call him a TW = Time Waster.  Before you know it it’s 6pm and you don’t know what you’ve done all day! Here are some of our highlights:

 

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Everett has always been very alert, but he has recently started smiling-ish.  He hasn’t quite figured it out, but you can tell he’s working on it.  Much more expression lately!

 

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Happy to find out that his Gator pajamas worked Friday night, his outfit yesterday wasn’t as lucky.

 

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Our Easter Sunday included reading lots of books, going to Mass, eating a delicious brunch of ham and cheese quiche with homemade French onion soup and going through Easter baskets with even more books!

 

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Sweetest picture yet.

 

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This morning as we were trying to take our 8 week pictures he was very smiley!  He’s definitely not smiling on demand yet, but he’s definitely smiling!  I love it!

 

As for the rest of the weekend’s news, in talking with Mike and my mom, I regret to inform you that this will be the last post on Grocery Lane.  I have loved every minute of this blogging journey, however I feel that in order to be the best wife, mother and teacher I can be I have to give something up – there are simply just not enough hours in the day.

I have loved sharing my thoughts, recipes and life with you over the past year and a half, but because this is just a funsie activity and there is not a monetary supplement attached to it, it just seems like the right thing to cut out.  Although I won’t be blogging on a regular basis anymore, I will still be checking my Grocery Lane email for the next couple of months until my domain subscription runs out.

Thank you all for your love and support, but these two need mine right now.

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So long, farewell.