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Dream Dinners – Homemade Made Easy!

If you follow me on instagram you may have noticed me sharing a few photos of my recent visit to Dream Dinners Scottsdale. Have you heard of Dream Dinners before? I’ll admit that I hadn’t until I was invited to come and check it out for myself! I was definitely intrigued by the concept of Dream Dinners and was eager to see what it was all about! 


What is Dream Dinners?

Simply put, Dream Dinners is a meal assembly store that takes the hard work out of making healthy dinners for your family. Named “the grandmother” of fix-and-freeze businesses by TIME magazine, Dream Dinners is recognized as the originator of innovative and convenient dinner assembly stores. Dream Dinners can save you 15+ hours a week by taking care of menu planning, shopping, prep-work and all the clean-up involved in preparing meals!


Sounds…well, like a dream doesn’t it? Believe me, it is! 
Let me tell you a little bit about my experience with Dream Dinners! 

I was invited to the brand new Scottsdale, AZ location (they are nationwide!) to try my hand at making a few of their delicious meals that I had picked out ahead of time. I was impressed with the variety of choices available on their menu. In fact, I had a hard time choosing which meals I thought our family would love the most!

When I arrived at Dream Dinners we were given the quick rundown of how it works. It really is so easy! You simply rotate between the various meal assembly stations according to which meals you chose from their monthly menu. At each station all the ingredients are prepped, some are already measured and you put together your meal using their detailed instruction list. Each meal is placed in freezer ready bags or containers.  Once you’re finished with one meal you place it in a designated spot in their cooler and move on to the next station. 

I was amazed at how quick + easy it was! In under an hour I was able to put together a weeks worth of meals for my family! I brought the meals home ready to put in my freezer and pull out the next time I needed dinner in a pinch. We’ve already sampled the Crispy French Onion chicken and our whole family loved it! 


To find out more about Dream Dinners check out their website for all kinds of information! I absolutely loved my experience with Dream Dinners and am already planning when I can book my next session!
There are three locations in the AZ area, but as mentioned – Dream Dinners is nationwide! Would you love to give Dream Dinners a try for yourself? Well, here’s your chance…

Dream Dinners Giveaway
I’m excited to team up with some other AZ area bloggers to giveaway a $200.00 gift certificate, valid at any Dream Dinners location across the US! Follow the prompts in the rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway is open to US residents only + it ends 9/20.
Disclosure: This review is sponsored by Dream Dinners. All opinions are my own.   

It’s Beginning to Feel Like Fall

Well, not exactly…not here in Arizona anyway. 😉

We’ve enjoyed some cooler temperatures this week, which has been so nice, but this is definitely not the typical Fall weather I’m used to at home!

Fall is one of my favourite times of year and I think it definitely shows with all the Fall projects I’ve shared through the years at Simple as That! Below you’ll find links to Fall themed posts that I’ve shared in the past & I can’t wait to share a few more that I’m working on for Fall 2013 over the coming weeks!

For even more Fall inspiration follow me on Pinterest where I’ll be pinning new + exciting {and of course simple} Fall themed projects throughout the month of September. 

Documenting the Loss of a Pet with Project Life®

Our Sweet Buddy // July 2001 – August 2013

Just a few weeks ago we got the sad news that our dog, Buddy, had passed away. He’d been in our family since before our oldest daughter was born and it is so hard for us to imagine him not being around. We weren’t able to bring him to Arizona with us, so the fact that we didn’t get that final goodbye with our sweet dog was really hard – especially for the kids.

I knew we needed to record the thoughts and feelings we were having and document the time this sweet little dog was a part of our family so I decided to involve the kids in a Project Life® layout all about Buddy.
  

It was so special to sit down together and remember him. We laughed and we cried as we jotted down stories and little details about Buddy that we never wanted to forget. I gave each of the kids a piece of paper to draw a picture of him. Their drawings were priceless + they will forever have a place in our 2013 memory book. 

I’m going to miss this darling little dog so much. He had such a sweet, loving nature and we’ve been through so much of life together. He was like my first baby and he will always have a special place in my heart.
Working on this layout together as a family was really special. The kids keep pulling it out to look at it and remember Buddy. I’m so grateful to have all these details documented while they were fresh in our minds. Creating this page helped us all to heal, just a little bit, from the loss of our sweet Buddy.

Simple Things Sunday Photo Link Party No.123

Hello Friends! I’m so, SO excited to welcome you back to Simple things Sunday! It’s been far too long since we’ve shared photos + celebrated the simple things in life together!

I’ve missed our little photo party so much + I’m thrilled to continue this weekly tradition with you! I’m equally thrilled to be co-hosting the simple things link party each week with my good friend
Stacy of Kids Stuff World!

We’re going to keep it really simple! It’s all about slowing down + capturing life’s everyday details, then getting together each Sunday to share our photos and celebrate the weeks simple moments together!

This weekly reminder to slow down and take notice is something I’ve appreciated about Simple things Sunday and what I’ve missed so much about it! To help remind me daily, to look for those simple joys, I’ve created a set of 4×6 printables to hang around my home. You can download them here if you’d like to use them too!

How to share your simple things photos:

[1] You can choose to join us for Simple things Sunday on my blog or on Stacy’s blog. Come link up your photos from the week + enjoy what everyone else is sharing!

[2] You can also share your STS photos on instagram using hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday.
Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

The Simple Things // September 2013

Now that the kids are back in school it’s just me + baby girl at home during the day. I’m really enjoying our quiet, one-on-one time together – something she hasn’t gotten a lot of being the youngest of four. Afternoons spent coloring, little trips to the grocery store and reading books – just the two of us – have been so special and are just a few of the many simple things I’m celebrating this week.

Now it’s your turn. 
What simple things did you capture this week?

If you’re new to Simple as That I’d love for you join us in this weekly tradition! 

Simple things Sunday is about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. Each Sunday we gather here to share our photos with each other. To enjoy the beauty that can be found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things are. 

Just a few quick rules to play:
1. Grab a button and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.

No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.

Leave as many as you can.


 

By linking up to the Simple things Sunday party you hereby give us permission to feature your photos + tell the world about your amazing photography talents. We’d love to showcase your work via social media and acknowledge what you’re doing each week to capture the simple things!



Project Life® Inspired Saturday Share Link Party!

Image Map
I’m popping in to tell you about something new that I’m excited to be a part of called Saturday share! Each weekend I’ll be teaming up with Pebbles, My Sister’s Suitcase, Sweet Rose Studio, Balancing Home + Snap! to share some Project Life® memory keeping inspiration!

We’ll be showcasing some fun photo pocket page layouts and/or tips on each of our blogs + we’d love to have you to join us! 

Stop by on the weekend to link up your photo pocket style layouts, share your tried and true tips via a tool at the bottom of each Saturday Share post! You can link a related blog post, photos you’ve uploaded to Pinterest, whatever works for you. What’s really neat is that you can link-up from ANY of the sites shown below and it will share your link on ALL of the pages!


ETA: This giveaway is now closed + a winner has been chosen. Congratulations to Erin Mullarkey! 
Shoot me an email at cooper{dot}rr{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize Erin! 🙂

We’re kicking off this new Saturday Share linky with a giveaway! 


Our first “official link up” will begin next week, but we wanted to kick things off by giving away a prize pack that includes a sampling of more than 60 Project Life Cinnamon Edition 3×4 and 4×6 cards, Thickers, flat alpha and accent stickers, wood veneer and a slick writer!

Simply follow the prompts in the rafflecopter widget below to enter!


New Project Life® Just Add Color Kit on HSN

There’s something exciting coming soon to HSN + I’m thrilled to share a little sneak peek at what you can expect!  Think Project Life®! Think gorgeous designs! Think square photos + think customizable! This is a brand new twist on Project Life® + it is SO fun!!

HSN is releasing this exclusive, instagram friendly Project Life® kit called Just Add Color on September 17th and it’s absolutely the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen! The designer Kerri Bradford has really outdone herself. I had such a fun time designing with these beautiful products and can’t wait to use them again and again in my albums!

The bundle that you can purchase on HSN includes the Just Add Color Core Kit, never before seen photo pocket pages and stickers all for one low price! It will only be available in limited quantities and is expected to sell out quickly so keep an eye out for it! 

This kit features a square format that’s Instagram friendly. This brand new Core Kit, that’s not available anywhere else, features new 2×2 and 4×4 sized cards and photo pocket pages. The Core Kit and photo pocket pages also feature the regular 4×6 style inserts and pockets so that you can easily integrate this into any existing albums you’re working on. This is the first Core Kit to come with 12 sheets of stickers.

The just Add Color Edition includes: 60 4×6 title cards, 20 4×6 journaling cards, 80 4×4 journaling cards, 400 2×2 filler cards, 80 basic cards and 20 sticker sheets. Becky Higgins shared some more sneak peeks at the product here on her blog if you want to take a look.

After drooling over all the beautiful cards included in this kit I got to work creating a couple of quick pages. I used some of the stickers + the fun date stamp pictured above, that will also be available on HSN on the 17th. It was really fun to be able to customize + create some of my own Project Life® cards using the stickers.

I love that you can add a unique twist to your pages so easily with the stickers and with so many spaces available in these new photo pocket page designs the possibilities were endless! Oh my goodness…my mind was reeling with ideas of page I could create with these new square format designs!

There’s a number of other bloggers who will be sharing more sneak peeks over the coming weeks + I’ll be sure to stop in and add their links right here so that you can have a look at all the things you can do with this amazing kit!

ETA: Check out more sneak peeks from My Sisters Suitcase, Sweet Rose Studio, The Mom Creative, Balancing Home.

If you like what you see, be sure to tune in to HSN September 17th!
You don’t want to miss this one!

You can go here to see all of the Project Life® pages I’ve created since I started using this simple + easy memory keeping system!

Picture Everyday With Tracey Clark + BPC

ETA: This giveaway is now closed.
The winner according to random.org is Melissa Antolovic! Congrats Melissa. Shoot me an email at cooper{dot}rr{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize!
I’m so excited to take Tracey Clark’s class Picture Everyday at BPC this Fall! I’ve heard it’s one of Tracey’s best classes ever + I love her style of teaching and her approach to photography!
This 7 week course starts September 12th and here’s a little bit more about it:
Your life is full of beauty, authenticity, and moments of magic just waiting to be captured in pictures. All it takes is the right perspective. In Picture Everyday, a new workshop from photographer Tracey Clark, you’ll learn to see your world in a sublime new light—and to use your camera to tell the story of what you see.

Through 30 surprisingly powerful photo prompts, dozens of inspiring images and videos, and eight weeks of gentle encouragement, Tracey will help you elevate your everyday—and fill your soul with gratitude along the way. You’ll be focusing your lens on topics like Routine, Spaces, Places, Details, Connections, and Affections.

Your final week of class is an exclusive pass to Tracey’s upcoming self-paced class, A Photographer’s Guide to Project Life. Throughout the week, you’ll be inspired to select photos from the past seven weeks to display in a keepsake photo album.

You can find all the details + watch a short intro video from Tracey.
Win a Free Spot in the Picture Everyday Class:

If you’d like to join me in the Picture Everyday class you can enter to win a FREE spot! Simply leave a comment on this post telling me the last ‘everyday’ detail that you took a photo of.
Giveaway closes Sunday at 12am MST and will be announced next week!
Good luck everyone!

Workshop

40% off Sale in the Simple as That Digital Shop

We’re celebrating back to school time with a 40% off sale in the Simple as that Digital Shop! 
Prices are marked so no coupon codes required! Offer ends this Saturday.
Enjoy these huge discounts on EVERYTHING in the shop, including my most popular designs:
Instagram Collage Templates

Christmas Card Templates

Save on China-inspired styles from Tea Collection

My kids love their new back to school clothes from Tea Collection and starting today these darling China-inspired styles are on sale! 
These markdowns are only available while supplies last, so if you’ve had your eye on something from the China Blue collection now is a great time to buy! 

Clothes my Kids Chose for Back to School:

[1] Skinny Twill Pants in Fruit Punch, Night Garden Graphic Tee, Ribbed Purity Tee in Citrine

[2] Day Tripper Twill Pants in Thunder, Pouncing Tiger Tee, Acid Green Purity Tee
[3] Tai Kang Floral Bubble Skirt, Polka Dot Stretch Leggings in Fruit Punch,
French Terry Mock Neck Zip Up, Acid Green Purity Tee
[4] Tai Kang Floral Twill Dress, Polka Dot Stretch Leggings in Fruit Punch, Acid Green Purity Tee

Note: this post includes affiliate links. You’ll find my complete discolure policy here.

Create a Mini Summer Scrapbook

Summer is such a special time, and to help remember some of our favorite moments from the season, we decided to create an All About Summer mini-scrapbook.
Join me at Simplemom.net for a quick how-to PLUS you can download these free printable journaling cards to help you put together your own All About Summer mini album in a snap!

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