Because I’ve had my head in the sand trying not to make eye contact with my professors, or especially that dreaded clinical professor, I’ve been pretty much in my own little world. After graduation I decided that I am going to reach out to my dear friends, as well as open myself up to a few new friends..

So here’s to a new friend, and a new sketch site this week…

Keri Lee has opened my eyes to Card Positioning Systems. You can find their archive of older sketches directly on the CPS Blog. So many to choose from that I literally printed them out, closed my eyes and pointed, and here are two creations inspired from sketches #12 and #67.

But, here is my take on their newest sketch #118

Grab your scraps and glue and head over to CPS, and show them how you roll {I mean scrap!!}. Until tomorrow, have a great remainder of your Sunday friends!

xO-Jenny

{Simply Sunday} will be focused on simple living, healthy living, frugal ideas, helpful links etc.

 A special thank you to Jeryn for creating the Simply Sunday logos for me.

Sunday in our home:

Change bed linens

Charge camera/cellphone batteries

Grocery List for the week

Couponing for the week

Create my weekly To-Do list

Update Family & Personal Calendars for the week

As you can see, I’m not doing anything ‘major’, but I’m doing a number of things that keep me focused and truly simplifies the week ahead of me. Give it a try if you don’t have a Sunday system yet, then let me know what you think. If you have a Sunday system already, feel free to share whats on your list of Sunday in your home.

While at Walmart the other day I purchased a new and improved pill organizer. I really need to make a better effort at taking my multivitamins as I have some deficiencies, including Osteopenia, so I am hoping this will put me back on track. I’m going to add it to my Sunday to-do list.

In the Kitchen

The June edition of Everyday Food has some great recipes, including 1 grocery bag: 5 fast, fresh weekday meals.

I’ve been reading Real Simple Solutions, Tricks, Wisdom, and Easy Ideas to Simplify Every Day, and have found some wonderful ideas to put to use in my house. Because I have the hopes of a new pantry being built for me here’s some great info pertaining specifically to pantry staples:

Herbs and Spices, the most versatile flavors to have on hand are black pepper, paprika, oregano, fennel, and ground cumin. Buy spices in small containers so you use them up before the flavor fades {about four to six months}. And don’t forget kosher or sea salt. I have to add that I love sea salt!

Tomatoes, purchase cans of whole tomatoes {not crushed or pureed}, since they contain the highest quality tomatoes, and it doesn’t take long to dice them yourself.

Beans, have a stash of white {cannellini, navy, garbanzo}, pink or red {kidney, pinto}, and black beans for salads, soups, and sides.

Tuna, canned tuna is great for sandwiches, but also a healthy addition to green salads and pasta dishes.

Pasta and Rice, to cover the majority of recipes and sishes, store a few varieties, like linguine, penne, and lasagna noodles, and wild, brown, and basmati rice.

Cornmeal, a key ingredient for muffins, breading, and corn bread.

Honey, a spoonful dropped into plain yogurt or hot tea, use to make glazes, salad dressing or desserts.

Breadcrumbs, freshly made kind tastes better, but the store-bought version last longer, up to six months if unopened.

Chicken broth, purchase in can or carton, can be refrigerated after opening.

Nuts, not only good for baking, but nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts are great for salads and are healthy snacks.

Baking supplies, stock everything you need to satisfy a sweet tooth: sugar, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, cornstarch, shortening, vanilla extract, and semisweet chocolate chips.

Oils and Vinegars, canola oil when you don’t want to add flavor, and extra-virgin olive oil when you do. Red, white, and balsamic vinegars for salad dressings and marinades.

Here is another article I came across Building a Basic Pantry.

In the Stores

Today begins a new day for our weekly couponing. A special thank you to my mom who saves her coupons for me, and helps me by cutting them out also. I will be working on my couponing list today, and will be shopping on Tuesday.

Here’s a few links for you this week:

Walgreens

Dealicious Mom 

Well friends, I have a lot to get accomplished today, and time hasn’t been very kind to me as of lately, so Iam going to attempt to get ahead of it this morning…Until the next Simply Sunday, talk to you all later. Hope you’ll join in with your ideas etc.

xO-Jenny

Happy Saturday to each of you. Unfortunately it is another rainy day here on the East Coast. ERr!! But, I am going to take advantage of this rainy day…I’ll let you know how that works out.

Sketch #8 at Unscripted Sketches is up and running! I hope you will join in on this weeks sketch. Here is my creation using sketch #8.

Well there you have it folks. I’m going to find myself in the shower so I can begin this day and get a lot accomplished! Until later, have a wonderful Saturday friends.

xO-Jenny

Another day of rain, and another day of feeling grumpy. Not sure I have the energy for an additional day of grumpiness. Ugh!

PLEASE visit Keith’s Blog to see his NEW work, and Please take a moment to let him know that his work ROCKS!! You can follow him on twitter also {hint, hint}.

I have officially turned into a MOB-zilla {Mother of the Bride-zilla}, thanks for the title Sharon. All I can say is this is going to be a long 15 months. Toni sent me a link to a photographer last night, and all I can say is, wow!! Her work is absolutely breathtaking….once we have the deposit down and date set, I’ll share the info…

Jeryn was nominated for a blog-friends award and she nominated me with this wonderful little note:

Jenny: I’ve known Jenny for years now from when she used to own Scrapping Arts, an online community, and I can honestly say that we’ve made a true friendship. She’s got pirate humor, tells it like it is, very talented and is full of ideas! Me and her are alike in a lot of ways, though I don’t know if she knows that. I am trully blessed to have a friend like her.

Awww Shucks is all I have to say!! I of course love Jeryn, and so wish that she didn’t live so far from me. She has proved to be an important person in my life time and time again. Be sure to visit Jeryn’s blog often, her creations are spectacular and breathtaking!!

Have you been over to Unscripted Sketches? Be sure to check us out. Between the Unscripted Designers and the work of those Unscripted ladies playing along with us, there is tons of inspiration!! Don’t forget to follow us, and subscribe to Unscripted while you are there!

Oliver had an appointment today for shots, then we ran a few errands together, including visiting my parents. Oliver loves his gramma and papa, and came home with some treats {we won’t mention the pink bandana with white skulls on it, lol…Keith wishes it was black!!}. My mom gave me a pile of craft magazines that I’ve been perusing for some ideas/inspiration.

So…

Have I mentioned that I AM A NURSE?! I still need people to pinch me, because it still does not feel real. I am seriously wondering when this is going to sink in, and when I am going to stop telling people that I am a Nursing Student!?

ONe of my most prized momentos during my journey…

And one of my personal favorite quotes…

I am me. I am not fake. 100% real. I am a leader. I aspire to be the absolute best person that I can be. My life is PErfectly-IMperfect, and I wouldn’t want my life to be any different. I am not afraid to give a stranger/or a friend, a compliment, and at the same time I am not afraid to tell someone exactly what they can do with their stupidity and ignorance. I surround myself with the most sincere, beautiful, strong women friends in the entire world…I am Blessed!! But…I am still grumpy damn it!

Friends, stop in tomorrow morning to see my Unscripted Sketch. Have a great rest of your Friday!!

xO-Jenny

I admit it. I am addicted to facebook. I’ve met back up with a few people that I’ve missed, a few, well you know…and have seen a few people I had {almost} forgotten about. 

Feel free to request me on Facebook

I do have to admit that I am doing my dangdest {is that a word}, to avoid my responsibilities. I have huge studying to do, and I’ve yet to crack the books. On a serious note, I am exhausted, and have yet been able to catch my breath and just relax. In the back of my mind I am thinking about a number of things that I allowed to upset me, trying to move on, but you know, sometimes it’s easier said than done…  the NCLEX exam is in the back of my mind, huge college loans coming due, other financial obligations that we have to figure out how to include into our monthly budget {we won’t be discussing this}, my damn truck is running like crap, and we are just keeping our fingers crossed that it does not die on us as we, #1 cannot be without a vehicle, and #2 cannot financially add a new vehicle into our budget right now,{but looking on the sunny side of things, only having one vehicle lessens our families carbon footprints},  we are planning a wedding for my daughter, {I think I am going to be very, very poor}, and this damn fibromyalgia is in full flare up on my body and I am just feeling …woe is me. So see, if you are feeling a bit of the woe is me, you aren’t alone friend.

Which speaking of this damn fibromyalgia. I had an appointment with my doctor Tuesday, and we are going to do a medication change, and a couple of medication increases. Plain and simple I am sick of this shit, and about done with fibromyalgia controlling my life, the way it has been!!

Nikki and I went shopping yesterday and I found these two books at Goodwill:

I have to get some better control over my Fibromyalgia…if you suffer with this chronic condition, I would love to hear your wisdom, and advice!!

I really like Julia Cameron, I believe Sharon introduced me to The Artists Way, a number of years ago. I spied her  book The Writing Diet, and thought it would be interesting.

I am still battling the scale, and desperately want to loose a few more pounds down to ‘my personal goal’. I do things a tad bit differently than most people I am sure. When I am making a decision to eat something the first thing I look at is calories, the second is protein. Calories because I attempt to keep my daily calorie intake between 1000 and 1200 calories per day, {I have very good days where I sit at 900 calories for a 24 hour period. And, I have days where I have too many cups of coffee, and a ‘treat’, and top out at 1200 calories. For me, it’s all good.} When I keep my calories below 300 for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I am able to treat myself with an extra cup or two of French Vanilla Cafe Coffee. Because I basically live on baked chicken and fish, fruits and vegetables, I don’t have to watch my intake of fat etc as I stay away from fast foods/processed foods for the most part, and my cholesterol etc is perfect. I’ve been maintaining my 100 pound weight loss for almost 3 years now, so I am thinking I am doing something very right.

Because I am still hoping to make it down to my own personal goal, I am hoping that Julia Cameron’s book may give me a bit of that inspiration that I need to make it to that goal, once and for all.

Here’s an example of my under 300 calorie good for you lunch:

2 slices chicken breast deli meat = 23 calories each slice
mustard = {I NEVER put mayo on my foods} = 0 calories
lettuce = 8 calories per cup, I estimate 1/2 cup= 4 calories
sandwich bread = 100 calories
1 slice of cheese = 60 calories, now this I find painful, but I was in the mood for cheese, and wanted to increase my protein intake.
grapes= 3 calories/grape = approx 30 calories
Total= 240 calories

If you haven’t tried sandwich thins I really recommend it, especially at 100 calories. Nikki and I went to a bread thrift store yesterday in our area and I believe they were $1.19 a package. Cannot beat that price.

Made a few phone calls this morning…one of them to secure the site for Toni’s wedding and reception. This wedding is going to be expensive…but oh, so beautiful!!

Well friends, my body aches because of this dampness, so I am going to curl up with my blankie, Oliver and my new Fibromyalgia book. Sorry, for the woe is me.

xO-Jenny

that a four legged, cat chasing, sock stealing puppy would steal my heart!!

Oliver had his first hair cut yesterday. He looks so different. The pet groomer said he did very well for his first time, and he of course stole her heart also. He is definetly a chic magnet.

Nikki just called and she is almost at my house to pick me up for some retail therapy together. Talk to you all later tonight.

xO-Jenny