whatever

Pam - hello there meg! i just love your blog…i admit i check on you every day…you make me smile 🙂 your taste is my taste to a T! would you mind sharing who makes the color ‘winter spinach’? i’m thinking it’d either be great on an old piece of furniture or possibly the playroom walls. xo

Shana - My favorite dog too! She’s soooo sweet!

robin bird - this is my first visit to your blog having found my way here by way of liz over at http://mabelshouse.blogspot.com/
i enjoyed being here right from the first click! your favorite things post inspired me to begin thinking about what i might post if were to make that list my own. it might be as long as 5 miles though if i were to have the time to lest and photograph all my favorite things! your photos are great and i see you are a scrapbooker…i’m the digital only type but passionate none-the-less.
i’ll be back 🙂

Yolanda - My friend, Peggy at RueRice.blogspot.com pointed me in the direction of you blog since you were looking for ideas for feeding the family.
I am a Registered Dietitian and have a blog called Yo’s Kitchen Counter – Where Friends, Family and Food Come Together. I am in the process of having a big, fancy website built that will include lots of food and nutrition ideas for the family. Until that is up and running you can visit my “tester” blog at
Yoskitchencounter.blogspot.com
I loved your scrapbook layouts. I started scrapping a couple of months ago. I need to include some layouts in my own blog.
In Health,
Yo

Liz - Why does my cereal and yoghurt never look that appealing?

Dayna - Great stuff!
I love that snack, too. That and watermelon. Mm.
Great shade of green, I like pretty much any shade of green =)

meleea - those are some of my favorites too – only my hubby, not yours. one of my favorite places to be is the tub! i love your pictures – they are amazing!

melissa @ the inspired room - Aw, love this. Where is that bathroom! Love the feet but let’s see the rest!!!
Happy soaking!
Melissa

Jennifer P. - I am that gorgeous shade of winter spinach green with envy over your new bathtub!
Love all your fave things :)!

One Wired Woman - I needed to read your happy post today. Not so happy over in my neck of the woods. Maybe I need a bath!! That’s the ticket!! Let me go and get the water running right now. 🙂 ~Jill

elisabeth (bovagoods) - not sure if you are much into coupon-ing, but it seems like everyone where i live is nuts about it. there are people here saving some serious money using coupons. here are my favorite sites:
http://www.moneysavingmom.som
http://www.moneysavingmethods.com
http://www.southernsavers.com
btw, love your blog. my mom used to have the “whatever…” verse stenciled on her kitchen walls. that was back when stenciled walls with flowing stenciled green ivy was all the rage. they recently repainted. i miss seeing those words when i visit. LOVE your house! i am having some serious house envy. i live near charleston, sc and people here want and arm and a leg and a child for the historic homes here. i am from ohio and things are much more affordable there, like kansas. jealous! 😉

Shana - This changed our life…Every month I make a menu – everyone in our family of four has to come up with at least 5 menu ideas (dinner only). Then we write the menu on the calendar, make a list and buy all of the groceries for that month – including snacks! They have learned quickly that if you want a snack at the end of the month you won’t eat two boxes of crackers in one sitting at the beginning of the month! Does our menu look the same most months? Yes! Does it take the brainwork out of 29 other days of the month? Yes! Does it take an hour or two to accomplish every month? Yes! Sometimes I am very creative in where and when I make the list – in the car on the way to a swim meet, yelling ideas from the shower, or just copying last July’s menu and saying “That must have worked!”

meg duerksen - thanks for the ideas girls!
i will definitely devising a more deliberate plan for sam’s club.
i usually just get whatever i see when i’m there…no planning ahead.
it’s 30 minutes away which is a bummer but worth it once a month.
and thanks for all the other sites. i will be checking them out when i am ready to get organized. 🙂

Liz - I don’t think there’s an easy answer to that one. The problem in our house is we’re sick of eating the same old, same old. I need new recipes!

cynthia - our fridge looked like that until this afternoon!
as far as what to feed a family of 7, i’m probably not much help with only the three of us…but what i do is make a menu for the week, make a list (stick to it for the most part) and head to the grocery store! i’ve found that this way we are not wasteful and usually end up eating everything!
i’m a planner, can’t help it!

Pattie - SAMS! It’s a lifesaver.
We have a minimum of 4 teenage boys at our house almost all the time. I grill chicken breasts by the ton and they use them for quesadillas, pizzas, nachos, salads or whatever. Same with most meat, I grill a lot of extra. Mine like paninni sandwiches too so I keep deli meat. I used to not have a ton of junk food but, I sent them to the grocery store this week to find stuff they liked and they came home with hot dogs, ice cream, chips, tons of fruit (yea!) hamburgers, and like 5 boxes of pop tarts ha. We also go through gallons of tea, gatorade and bottled water.
The thing I hate more than all the food they eat is all the dishes and dirty countertops that are left when they leave.

One Wired Woman - My two boys are eating me out of house and home this summer too. I’ll have to hack some of your visitor ideas here in the comment section. 🙂 ~Jill

danelle - We do a lot of ramen noodles during the summer. And popsicles for snacks. You ever shop at Aldi’s? I used to go there more often but I remember their prices being cheap.

amy d - start running it like a restaurant and make up a cute little menu on your chalkboard door and then START CHARGING THEM!!! 🙂 oh, and put out a tip jar!

traci - i wish i could help you but it seems like my fridge looks like that all the time too. i no sooner hit a couple grocery stores, fill it up and i hear “mom, there’s no food” – and it’s empty again. just wait till the boys get a little older.

Brenis - LOL !!
Sam’s club or Costco!! We make a trip monthly and usually end up buying most things on alternating months (w/ exception of meats, cheese and TP which we need every month! lol) Farmers markets for fruits and veggies twice a month, if you don’t have a veggie garden. Buy alot if it’s on sale and freeze it – and having an extra freezer is a must for us!! And yes.. always making more than we need and having left overs works wonders!
Good luck hon!! I know what a struggle it is. Cooking has become a chore anymore and i cringe each day it’s time to cook! LOL!
hugs,
Brenis 🙂
I can’t believe HOW CLEAN your fridge is!! Did you just clean it for this photo?? LOL!!
Mine always has spills of this or that with 6 of us in and out of it! 🙁

chris - Sorry I am baffled , and sick of the constant chore of grocery shopping and trying to make everyone happy at all with food selections, 10 years has drained me from liking cooking, how do we all do it ?

Karol - My refrigarator frequently looks like yours. I, too, am baffled by all the food these people eat in the summer. So, I have been going to Costco and loading up on fruit, snacks, meats, and bread items. It seems to be working and lasting much longer than my constant grocery store visits. Oh, and I am saving money!

robin bird - good morning! i stopped by today (it is sunday) for another visit but since you hadn’t updated your blog i went backwards 🙂 these photos are simply the sweetest ever baby shots! i also really laughed seeing explanation for all that tongue wagging 🙂 yes you were quite lucky!
xo

JimaieMarie - what a GORGEOUS little girl!! oh my goodness!!
you captured such PRECIOUS pictures of her!
so cute.

Lanny Stanard - Megan, you make me laugh!
Lanny:)

Peggy Rice - Hi Meg!
That is so exciting that you emailed. I love your blog! I have been a blog stalker for a while now and thought I would share it with others.
My family and I did recently move to Paris and it has been an adventure. I think my blog doubles as therapy. Stay tuned I just might go crazy online for all to see.

PamperingBeki - Megan, those are beautiful!! I love the one of her picking flowers.

traci - she is so cute and getting so big already. i just love her name!!! great photos of her – love the tongue – so cute!!

Jenny Pocknall - Gorgeous!

Amy Walker - She is absolutely beautiful and she has two great parents! Megan, you take such great pictures, always capturing the wonderful things life has to offer if we just slow down enough to “catch” them:)

chris - Hey hey , thanks for stopping by as always I love to hear from you , did I talk you out of getting a puppy , if not today’s dog dilema was that my dogs anal sac is absessed , yes that right clogged and infected but it burst through the skin and is now oozing constantly , a slow ooze , the vet came by and tried to empty it and treadted $240.00 later he should be able to get better now , if you want I dog I will mail you one of mine, kidding of course, but wow what a crazy life I lead in part to those two dogs I have .
Yes that show is a show , it is Canadian show , you would be great , I do believe they go everywhere , you should sign up , they allow you to makeover a room , then the designer does it his way , they go to the street and ask people to choose which one they like than the home owner gets to keep which ever one they want , not bad huh. Heck I should sign up too.

PamperingBeki - How fun! My kids don’t even bother with the rainboots, just splash in their bare feet. 🙂 (the boots are much cuter though)

Nancy - Wish I had me some kitty boots to go outside and play in the puddles. What fun. The photos are great!

Staci - We had a day just like that last week…except, we weren’t able to take advantage of the dark clouds and sleeping in because of ZOO CAMP! Darn it! Dark clouds…if you are out there, please come back on a day when we really can sleep in! Great Pics by the way!

traci - fun in the puddles – i remember those days. i so love how you capture your kids doing all the fun stuff. i use to love to ride my bike in/and after a big rain.

Shanan - What great pictures! We haven’t had rain in months and I miss it.. the smell, how green it makes everything, and the kids playing in the puddles.

Chrissie - Back in the day was Toss Across remember that game. Now here country people call it Corn Hole. People are serious when they play too.
Take care, Chrissie

Michelle - i’m going to target today! i hoooopeee they still have one! love your photos meg and your inspiration to have fun : )

Shanan - OK, you have to tell me what state you live in! Everything is so green and beautiful. That game looks like a blast.. good old family fun in the sun. Nothing better.

melissa @ the inspired room - Looks fun, I am going to look for that!

emily - That looks like such fun. I may have my dad whip me up one of those (he’s a woodshop teacher.) and send it to Texas. I love it!

mom - Should I bring the croquet set over the 4th?

danelle - games? oh you mean we are supposed to play with our kids?? ha, so kidding. but seriously we have not done much playing this summer, just been to baseball/softball games…playing catch in the front yard is the extent of what we have done. we need to get with it and be good parents too

traci - that one is cool. i have never seen one with that many holes – ours only has one. the kids love to play that. it’s a huge thing with karlies friends right now. they have “bag” tournaments (as they call it).

Lanny Stanard - How fun, and did you say Target! looks like a great game for all seasons really!
Lanny:)

Stephanie - Absolutely creative! I wonder what your daughter will be when she grows up! Her junk man is a keeper for sure!

mallory Heffron - what a great idea, way to cute,

traci - talby – MR. JUNKMAN IS AWESOME!!!!! you did a wonderful job.
how cute meg. i bet the boys are very jealous and out scouting for junk even as i type. you have wonderfully creative kids. i love seeing what they create!!! i wonder where they get it from?

Jennifer P. - I think you’ve got a little mixed media artist on your hands! And “green art” IS all the rage right now….
Way to go Talby!

Allikayesmama - Not surprising that you have creative kids!! I love that!

mom - That is fabulous! Tell Talby that grandma is very proud of her too, for being so creative. I love the pumpkin head! What are the pieces across the bottom?

Rebecca R. - that clip?
says it ALL.

Liz - Oh Meg. Me too. Last week, very bad. Even when I know it’s coming… somehow that doesnt help. I’m surprised, depressed, pissy and crying anyway. So sorry.

Jennifer P. - That commercial parody was just on SNL last night! Too funny! Although I found myself totally weighing the options of turning into a she-wolf once a year if it meant no aunt-Flo for the rest of the year. PMS-ing is the worst…
Hope the coffee and tears combo. did a little to calm your spirits. Hang in there!

Liz - At least you got a clean fridge out of a crappy day. Sending soothing vibes your way!

Lanny Stanard - Oh my goodness I’m laughing so hard… I no longer get PMS… I so very happy but when I did watch out. Hope you have a good week-end.
Lanny:)

Crystal - Sounds like something my husbands would say. He is away on a business trip at the moment…when he was about to hang up with me yesterday he said “Holla at you lata girl” in his best playa voice. THAT is my husband. (as I shake my head)

lorel - I am with you too – after telling you the other day that I thought I didn’t have PMS symptoms very often anymore! Last night, Kevin was walking up the stairs, and I was following. He stopped and turned around and I ran into him, and his elbow hit my eyebrow. I said, “that kind of hurts” and next thing I know I am bawling! He just hugged me, bewildered, and said “I’m sorry, you’re okay…”
Whatever… glad you made it through. We all do somehow.
Thanks for all the beautiful family posts you’ve been doing lately. They are just amazing. So glad you’re doing this.

Leigh Ann - I am SOOO with you. It was one of those lonely, incredibly frustrating days for me too!!! Let’s hope the rest of the weekend is better.

Linda - I hear you…I am PMS-ing big time!! I feel frustrated, lonely, irritable, bored, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, and whiney!!
Surely you’re not that bad??!!

trish - I so feel your pain!!!
and that clip is freakin hilarious.
what was that from sonic that had a double shot in it?
we just got our first sonic in our town and it is still 20 minutes from my house, but maybe worth the drive?
deep breaths!

Leah - I think I know what your talking about! I had a nervous breakdown yesterday from buying a bed on craigslist that I ended up hating and it smelled like smoke! Thankfully, God blessed me with a great husband who held me as a cried (most of the night) and got the guy to take the bed back today. By the way… my tiny house is clean now too;)

Melissa's Cozy Teacup - For me, it’s usually a steak and a glass of wine that gets me through. Hang in there.

kristin - bless you.
and bless me.
i hear you.