weekend project

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I love weekends when things actually get done! They are few and far between these days, it seems- since adding a little one to the house. 

I have long had 'create bulletin/inspiration board' on my project list. I had seen one in Martha Stewart Living a long time ago that put the fire in my belly. When we moved into our most recent house (almost two years ago!), I said I would make it a priority. Well...the time finally came. I have to say I am pleased as punch with the results, and they are everything I envisioned they would be. We installed one in my office so I would be able to put up portions of the HPG collection and miscellaneous inspiration, and another in our playroom so that we can hang children's artwork with ease.  

For those of you interested in this DIY weekend project, I suggest you look at Shiso Mama's thorough instructions. We loosely followed her guidelines and modified them for what would work best in our home. I feel I must warn you, however, that it is a Project, with a capital P. Getting the board, cutting it, finding the fabric, ironing and stretching it so that it doesn't pull, putting anchors in the wall so board can be supported...for us, it required getting a babysitter so that we could devote enough time to it. But as I said, I'm quite pleased!

helpful websites for meal sign-ups

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In the South (and probably elsewhere), when someone is sick, has lost someone, had a baby or any other number of 'occasions', a long line of friends show up with food at the front door. Often times the 'afflicted' person can be deluged with tons of food at the same time, or worse, go for long periods of time without having anyone bring anything. 

A friend recently passed along two websites that I thought were genius...both of them with the same basic idea. They were created to help facilitate meal sign-ups. It takes the burden off of one person having to organize meals, which is often what happens in these situations.

Casseroles and lasagnas tend to be a favorite- what do you like to make to take to friends? Or do you just pick something up from a store? Pictured above is a casserole from Real Simple's 'Easy Casserole Recipes'...lots of them look yummy.

meal sign-up websites (both are free services!):