As I’m adding new piano students and shifting others around, I’m finding dinners on lesson nights need to be more streamlined. For a while, lesson night was always a crockpot meal. But as my student load lightened, I got away from it. Now it looks like it would be wise to go back to using the crockpot more.

Here’s my pattern:
Sunday – fast and easy. With three little ones, we like to get lunch over quickly so they can go down for a nap before we need to leave for evening services
Monday – lessons in the afternoon but empty evening. Anything can go here
Tuesday – lessons, definite crockpot night
Wednesday – lessons before church – crockpot or super fast and easy (or both)
Thursday – currently empty. Lord willing, I’d like to add some students this night too. This is the night we do our most involved meals
Friday – pizza night
Saturday – junk food at home, more involved meals, or eat at in-laws

Now that the weather isn’t quite so hot, I’ve put soup on the menu. It’s still not really that cold here, but at least the thought of soup isn’t repulsive anymore! ;O)

Sunday: picnic on the porch

Monday: salmon cakes and french fries

Tuesday: soup in a pumpkin (recipe clipped from a magazine many years ago)

Wednesday: tacos

Thursday: chicken broccoli casserole

Friday: pizza night

Saturday: bbq chicken

The meals without veggies listed we’ll just decide then which veggie to eat from the freezer.

Breakfasts are eggs, scones, oatmeal, biscuits, grits, smoothies, and pancakes.

Lunches are sandwiches, wraps, macaroni and cheese, tuna salad, leftovers, etc. for the kids and lots of salads for Stephen and I.

Snacks are cheese, baby carrots, nuts, fresh fruit, smoothies, etc.

You can read more menu plans over at Orgjunkie.com.

One of my big projects lately has been this table runner. My mom brought a quilting book for me to borrow when they came. There were a few really neat fall leaves projects in it that I just loved.

This isn’t one of those projects. :) But I did use the five-point leaf template from the project.

It’s a quilted table runner. The materials are all left over from other projects – it was a wonderful stash-busting project.

Closeup of background material

I followed the quilt-as-you-go method found at the Moda Bake Shop (thanks to Susan, for posting about their site!!), and then topstitched the seams. The five-point leaf template is from the book Mom brought, and the other leaf template I drew freehand. I appliqued them all by machine using the pin stitch setting.

It was a challenge since I’d never appliqued before. The leaves got easier to do as I went along, which was really nice.

In the end, it was a lot of fun to make. This one is a gift, but I liked it so much that I’d like to make one for myself if there’s time.

My little helper

Lately I’ve been working on some new jewelry designs. Earrings have been so much fun to make. Since it’s officially autumn now, I made some in fall colors.

I posted several pictures on the Hope of My Heart Facebook page, and here are two of the new designs.

This next design is one of my favorites. I just love the combination of the crystal colors and the color of the fancy jasper.

(Clicking either image will take you to that design’s page in the store)