And the Winner Is.......

Commenter #15, Adrienne! Congratulations! Enjoy your planner and printable planner pages!

Giveaway: Personal Planner & Printable Planner Pages

Get organized and stayed organized with this fabulous personal planner! I created and designed these and it is what I use myself to keep my life in order.

This personal planner is 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches in a pretty, vibrant floral design. Each of the 8 tabbed dividers are covered in extra sturdy page protectors for durability. The sections are:

Monthly Calendar
Daily Planner
Week At A Glance
Birthdays & Addresses
To Do List
Meal Planning (featuring a menu plan form & a shopping list)
Task Tracker
Notes

The winner will also receive the PDF files of all the planner pages so they can refill the planner as needed!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post letting me know in what way you need to better organize your life.

For a second chance, become a follower of Simply Savvy and leave a comment letting me know you have done so. If you are already a follower, no problem! Just leave me a second comment for another chance to win.

This contest will close Wednesday, July 28 at 10:00 pm MST. The winner will be announced Thursday morning.

Good Luck!

New York Style Thin Crust Pizza

My husband has been wanting to make a New York style pizza, so I searched the web and found this recipe on Food Network. It's definitely worth the work!

Homemade Sauce:
2 cups tomato sauce
4 T. olive oil
Italian Seasonings to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl.

Basic Pizza Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
2 t. sugar
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3-4 cups all purpose flour
2 t. salt
olive oil

Whisk the yeast, sugar, water, and shortening together to make a paste. Add the flour and salt and mix, using a dough hook, until the dough comes away from the sides and crawls up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the bowl. Grease the bowl with olive oil and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide dough in half. Roll the dough into balls, cover, and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be shaped.
Makes 2-12 inch pizzas.

Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough
cornmeal, for dusting
4 T. olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you have one, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven. Dust pizza peel of baking sheet with cornmeal. Place rolled dough on peel. Brush dough with 2 T. olive oil. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 cup basil leaves on top of sauce and then sprinkle with cheese. Add additional toppings if desired. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and the edges are golden brown. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make two pizzas.

Fab Feature: Becca from Jumping Jax Designs

I am super excited to introduce you to the cute and very talented Becca from Jumping Jax Designs.

I came across Becca's blog while I was searching for custom blog designs. Not only does she have some of the cutest blog designs out there, but she also offers cards, monograms, and logos. And did I mention that her prices are out of this world phenomenal? Her basic blog design is only $10 or you can get a complete makeover for only $45! (That is on my gotta have it & soon list!)



Some of her cUtE card designs:


When I asked Becca how she got her start, this is what she told me:

I have always loved fashion and had a knack for creative design, but since I went to college to be a teacher, I didn't really have an outlet for that. When I had my son last year, I just knew that daycare wasn't for our family. I wanted to stay home with him, but somehow still bring in money, doing something I loved. It was my mother-in-law who finally gave me the swift kick in the pants to get my own business going last August. I started by getting Photoshop and totally teaching myself how to use it. I wound up crying more nights than I can count because it's VERY difficult to learn without someone to teach you. I slowly figured out what I was doing, and created my first card for a friend's birthday party in October of last year. I was on a message board called TheBump.com where girls were ALWAYS needing birthday invitations & birth announcements, so when I would make one for someone, they would show it off, and link up my shop. I became the go-to person for design needs, and I have sort of branched out from there!


What inspires your creativity and designs?

I am kind of on-the-fly about my designs. I don't know all of the technicalities of design by any means, I just create whatever I dream up. I can be walking through Target and see cute little girls' clothes that inspire me, or think of a color combo while I'm laying in bed at night, and quickly jot it down before falling asleep. I have taken inspiration from wall art, clothing, home decor, and even food!


Here is a look at some of her fab blog designs:





I asked Becca what makes her designs unique and she said:

I like to think that all of my designs are fun, fresh & exciting. I just don't do "boring". Since my inspiration is drawn from such random aspects of my everyday life, each one is unique, and hopefully unlike anything else you'd come across on the web! :)

What do you like to do when your not creating?

I play with my son! :) I only work when he is sleeping, whether that be at nap time or once he is down for the night. He's my world, and I don't see any point in staying home with him if I'm just going to ignore him for work, you know?

What is your typical day like?

In the mornings, I wake up when Jax does. We have breakfast, play, run any errands that we have and sometimes Jax has occupational therapy. Around noon, we eat lunch, and Jax goes down for his nap at 1pm. I start working at that time, and don't break for even a second until he wakes up, usually around 3-4pm. Then we play some more, wait for my husband to get home, and have dinner as a family. Around 7:30pm, Jax has his bath, book, bottle & goes down for bed at 8, and I get back to work. On a good night, I'll be finished by 10 and can spend some time with the hubby. On a busy night, I have been known to work until 4am. It sounds bad, but I've become used to it, and thankfully have a boy who likes to sleep in until 9am or later! :)

I hope you will take the time to check out her shop! Thanks, Becca, for letting us get a glimpse of your creations and life!

Printable Wardrobe Inventory & Checklist

It's that time of year again; time to take stock of what is in your kid's closets. Pull out items that no longer fit and donate them to charity or give them to a family who could use the clothes. Make a list of what is needed for the upcoming year. Here is a printable list to make the task easy and fun!

Fall Wardrobe Inventory & Checklist

Seafood Alfredo

My mom made this and brought it over for our dinner tonight. It was so yummy, it will definitely be added to our family favorites!

1 12 oz pkg bow tie pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 oz cooked salad shrimp
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 16 oz jar alfredo sauce
Cook pasta. In a skillet, saute garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in crabmeat, shrimp, lemon juice and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add alfredo sauce. Cook and stir until heated through. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir to coat pasta.

Overnight Omelet

You prepare this breakfast bake before you go to bed, stick it in the fridge, and toss it in the oven the next morning. It is so rich and yummy and feeds a crowd!

1 loaf Italian bread
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick butter
8 oz. package cream chesse
10 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 t dry mustard
dash of paprika
dash of pepper
1/2 t salt

Generously butter 9x13 dish. Tear bread into chunks and place in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle cheese over bread. Cut cream cheese and butter into small pats and place over the top of the cheese. Mix remaining ingredients in large bowl and pour over the top of the ingredients in the baking dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bake at 325 degrees, covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking at 350 degrees for another 10-15 minutes.