Planning Board :)

Happy Monday!  It doesn't look very happy outside here--all cloudy and gloomy, which would be great if it were raining (we sure do need it!), but it's just cloudy.  Oh well, *sings* the...sun will come out... this afternoon..  :)

Okay, now moving on from the silliness..

Remember how I talked about wanting to be more organized?  Well, I LOVE making lists.  By that statement you would really think I was totally Type A, but I'm really not.  I probably drive Type A people nuts sometimes! The reason I like lists is because it helps me to focus on what I NEED to do.  I started making lists in college whenever I'd feel really overwhelmed with all the homework and studying I needed to do.  It really helped!  Now that I'm a mama, I can't tell you how many times I think of stuff I need to do after my daughter goes to sleep, only to realize that I can't do that specific task because it's too loud or it's something I need to do in her room, etc.  Then, when she wakes up, I forget about it until her next nap.  It's a vicious cycle.

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to take a big step in being more organized.  I began planning my menu for supper each week.  I don't plan breakfast or lunch--those are always simple and easy.  I just found that I was always stressed about fixing supper, because I wouldn't decide what to cook until around 4:00, which meant I didn't have anything thawed out!  So, now, I sit and write down a bunch of different supper ideas on a sheet of paper.  Then, I write them on a calendar, making sure to reserve certain days as 'leftover days' when I know there will be too much the night before.  Not only do I get a night off from cooking (though I do love it!), but it saves some money too!  :)  I'm also trying to make only one big grocery trip a month by planning for the whole month and then shopping for what I need.  I'm hoping this will save money as well.  Anyway, I'm chasing a rabbit...

I saw this great idea for a planning board online, and decided to make one myself!  It includes a menu for the week, to-do's for each day, and a prayer list.  At first, I just used a giant dry-erase board I already had, but I quickly realized that I would have to re-draw all the lines constantly, so I moved on to a different idea I found online and made this.

This is just a regular picture frame, so now I can write on the glass with a dry-erase marker, and it comes off without any problems!  :)  It turned out much cuter than I hoped for because I had SO many scrapbooking stickers that made it super easy!  :)  Of course, you don't have to use scrapbooking stickers.  You can always draw things on by hand or print something off the computer--whatever floats your boat.  ;)

Wanna make one?  You know the drill...
If you're using the materials I used, you'll need:

• A picture frame:  It could be just about any size, as long as it's big enough to write everything on!  
• Two sheets of scrapbook paper (12x12)
• Letter Stickers
• Line Stickers (My only advice is to look in the scrapbook stickers section)
• Pencil
• Tape
• Ruler
• Any other cute stickers to decorate!
• Dry-erase Marker

Alright, let's get started, shall we?  My frame is a 12x16 from Walmart.  I got it for $4!  Hard to beat that, my friends!  I really liked this frame because it has a super small frame going around it--you can barely see it!  I think this makes it easier to write on as well.  I chose a larger frame because I wanted to make sure that I had enough space to write down everything.  (Disclaimer:  Some of the pictures don't look very good because of the lighting!)

Next, I chose two colors of scrapbook paper, and cut them to fit the frame.  I had to cut a SMALL strip off one of the edges to make them fit the way I wanted.  I used one whole sheet, and then cut a small section off the other sheet (I'm guessing about 5 inches wide or so) to fill the rest of the frame.  I just used the insert sheet above from the frame to make sure I had everything the correct size and then taped the two pieces together on the back.  (Does that make any sense???)

Then, it's pretty on the front.  :)

Next, I took my ruler and measured how big each column should be in the light blue section.  That was easy, because the paper is already 12x12, so each section was 4 inches wide. 

Then, I measured out the lines for the days of the week.  Remember you actually need EIGHT slots for this, including the top section that says "Supper", "To-Do", and "Pray".  They measured out about 1 1/2 inches each.  (Random thought:  In case you don't know me, I am married to a wonderful (and super cute!) man--just wasn't wearing my ring at this moment!)

Once all my lines were drawn, I took my line stickers and placed them over the horizontal lines on the light blue paper.  They weren't long enough to cover the whole length--I'll get to that later.  They actually didn't even cover the length of the light blue paper, but I started from the right side, knowing that I had a plan to cover the left edges.  (Again..it'll make sense soon!)  I only had enough stickers to cover six lines, so I decided to use a different kind of sticker for the top.

Next, I cut more line stickers (for lack of a better term) in sections to place on the dark blue paper and to cover the top line all the way across.  To add a bit of flair (and pink--because it's my favorite!), I added some pink stickers with butterflies to create a border.

You may notice that my pink stickers didn't quite reach to the edges.  I'll take care of that with some lovely butterfly stickers!  (I'll have to share my love for butterflies story another day--they're VERY special to me!)  After I added the butterflies, I put on my letters.  I DID run out of a couple of letters, which was always a problem when I was scrapbooking.  Have no fear though--we can always improvise!  The 'r's in supper and pray are actually 't'!  I just cut them down to make them look like 'r'.  Nobody will ever know!  Except in my case, everyone who reads this will know.  Oh well.  ;)

I have people under the prayer section, but didn't include it to protect their privacy.  The thing I love about the prayer section is that it reminds me to pray for specific people!  :)

And there ya go... y'all have a happy week!!  :)

P.S.  In case y'all have noticed, I am NOT good at explaining some things.  So, if something just doesn't make sense at all, just ask and I'll ATTEMPT to explain in a different way.  ;)

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