Ribbon Jar and Meal Plan

My little one has been taking long afternoon naps lately which has left me a lot of time for my favorite thing: new projects. Here are a few things I have completed recently:

Ribbon Jar

I love ribbon, but my collection used to consist of this tangled mess:

Now, they are spooled on doll pins for a much nicer display. The ribbons are easier to find as well. Eventually, when I have more ribbon (which I'm sure will happen) I'll organize them into jars by color. And eventually, maybe I'll have of a shelf full of these jars, looking like a candy jar rainbow. Only in my craft room dreams.

Meal Plan

To say that cooking is my least favorite task would be a grandiose understatement. I thought that if I turned meal planning into somewhat of a craft, it might become slightly more enjoyable and, if nothing else, more organized. I started by typing out all of my "tried and true" recipes. I had so many overflowing cookbooks, Internet printouts, handwritten jargon, and unorganized chaos that this was quite a task in itself. I threw out recipes that I never used and typed up the rest. I had the cards printed as 4x6 pictures and then laminated them.

Next, I made a box to hang on the refrigerator to hold the recipe cards. At the beginning of each week, I pick the meals I want to make for that week and put them in the box holder. That way I don't have to scribble down my meal choices in my planner or on the grocery list like I usually do, only to misplace later.

I covered a lunchbox tin with coordinating papers and ribbons (of course) to hold the remainder of the recipe cards.

I divided the cards into categories and made dividers and tabs.

Maybe, just maybe, this is my first step to enjoying cooking.

Maybe someday, I, too, will baste and sauté with feeling and pleasure.