RANDOM GOODIES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE….

 

I just wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some random goodies that I have come across while blog hopping. 

The first is THIS gorgeous bedroom makeover from Michelle @ Three Men and a Lady.  OMG…I LOVE IT!!  But don’t stop there.  Take a tour of the rest of her house.  You won’t be disappointed!!  That is one very creative/talented lady!!  I wonder if I could get her to come over to my house and give it a makeover?

And then there’s this….a condensed “fill in the blanks” version of your life story.  I’m lovin’ it!!  Wouldn’t these make great little gifts.  I’ve already printed out 2 of the teen versions for the boys and 2 of the adult versions for DH and myself.   Now I just need four of the little binders.  Go to Becky's Blog and print out the Life Story Pages of your choice.  Now isn’t that an awesome idea?  Thank you Becky!

Something else that really caught my eye was this HEADBOARD TO HOUSE NUMBER SIGN from Gail's Decorative Touch.  Here’s another very creative/talented lady.  I’ve seen a lot of wonderful headboard transformations, but this one has to be my favorite so far.   Thanks for the inspiration Gail!

I could go on and on and on with this post because there are  sooo many creative and talented people out there.   But I’ll save some for another day.  Is there someone’s work out there that you admire and would like to recognize?  Feel free to share it…I’d love to see it. 

OUR MENU-PLAN FOR OCT. 26-NOV.1 (with links and recipes)

We usually try to include one new recipe each week, but this week we will be trying 2. The Panera’s cream cheese potato soup and the Sunny Side Up Breakfast Casserole. Hopefully we’ll be adding these 2 recipes to “OUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE RECIPES” binder.

MONDAY:

PANERA'S CREAM CHEESE POTATO SOUP (I haven’t used this recipe before, but with all of the great reviews we’ll give it a try. I’ll come back tonight and let you know how everyone liked it.) LUNCHMEAT SANDWICHES

TUESDAY:

PAULA DEEN'S BAKED SPAGHETTI, GREEN BEANS, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD

WEDNESDAY:

SUNNY SIDE UP BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (recipe below)

THURSDAY:

MEATLOAF, MASHED POTATOES, PEAS, ROLL

FRIDAY:

CROCKPOT GREAT NORTHERN BEANS, (recipe below) HASHBROWN CASSEROLE, SAVORY MIXED GREENS, CORNBREAD

SATURDAY:

PIZZA

SUNDAY:

FFY(FEND FOR YOURSELF)

And here’s one of our family’s favorite recipes. This is super easy and DELICIOUS!! There is no need to soak the beans, just toss them in the crockpot.

CROCKPOT GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

1 LB. GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

HAM BONE

2 QUARTS WATER

1 1/2 TO 2 TSPS. HOT PEPPER FLAKES (1 1/2 IS PLENTY FOR ME BUT DH ALWAYS ADDS MORE WHEN HE MAKES THIS)

1 TBS BUTTER

SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE

Rinse and sort beans and put in crockpot. (I use a 6 quart crockpot) Add water to approx. 1” over beans. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Then turn crockpot to low and cook the rest of the day (approx 6-7 hours). When done, remove meat from ham bone and toss bone. To thicken the liquid, tilt the lid so that one side is open to let the steam escape. If it’s too thick, just add a little water.

I have added this recipe to Crock Pot Wednesday at Dining With Debbie.  Head on over there to check out some more great crockpot recipes.

SUNNY SIDE UP BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

(recipe from Bob Evan’s New Family Favorite’s Cookbook)

1 LB. ROLL BOB EVANS ORIGINAL RECIPE SAUSAGE

1 CUP CHEESE FLAVORED CROUTONS

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, (DIVIDED)

3/4 CUP SOUR CREAM

1 TBS. DIJON STYLE MUSTARD

8 EGGS

PAPRIKA

Preheat oven to 375*. Over med. heat, brown sausage. Drain and set aside. Grease bottom of 7 X 11” baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with coarsely crumbled croutons and sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheese. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and mustard. Place half of the sour cream mixture over the cheese and croutons in evenly spaced spoonfuls. Spread sausage over top. Make eight evenly spaced shallow indentations into the sausage (about 2” in diameter) Break each egg separately into a small dish and gently slide into each of the indentations. Spoon on remaining sour cream mixture between the eggs. Sprinkle casserole with the remaining cheese and paprika. Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are lightly set. Serve with salsa if desired. Serves 8

Thanks for stopping by and to see some more delicious menu plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

CALENDAR IS FINISHED & BEEF STEW IS COOKIN'

Well, I have to say, the calendar turned out pretty good considering I never could draw a straight line even with the help of a ruler...lol... Now, it just needs a hanger hooked to the back and hung on the wall. I can't wait to show you all some pics. Still working on borrowing a camera. (I've been really good this year...maybe Santa will bring me a new camera :)

Now for something totally unrelated to the "home office" projects:

Since this colder weather has hit, I've been craving some beef stew and some biscuits straight from the oven. So this morning, I threw everything in the crockpot and by the time I get home from work tonight it should be ready. All I'll have left to do is through some biscuits in the oven. I love coming home from a long day's work to food that's already cooked, don't you? Here's the recipe I use. It's from the little cookbook you get in the box with your crockpot. AND IT IS DELICIOUS!!

BEEF STEW

1 1/2-2 LBS. STEW MEAT CUT INTO 1-INCH CUBES

1/4 CUP FLOUR

SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE

1 1/2 CUPS BEEF BROTH

1 TSP. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

1 CLOVE GARLIC, MINCED

1 BAY LEAF

1/2 TSP. PAPRIKA

3 CARROTS SLICED

3 POTATOES, DICED

1 OR 2 ONIONS, CHOPPED

1 STALK CELERY, SLICED

2 TSP. KITCHEN BOUQUET, OPTIONAL

PLACE MEAT IN CROCKPOT. MIX FLOUR, SALT & PEPPER AND POUR OVER MEAT; STIR TO COAT. ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND STIR TO MIX. COVER AND COOK ON LOW FOR 8-10 HOURS. (HIGH 4 TO 5 HOURS) STIR STEW THOROUGHLY BEFORE SERVING.

Well, guess I'd better get ready for work. Catch ya' later!

JOIN ME ON MY JOURNEY TO SET UP OUR HOME OFFICE ON A THRIFT-STORE BUDGET

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve posted last.  Between family issues, football, work, and small home improvements, life has been pretty hectic!   

BUT…I did make time (here and there)  to read some of my favorite blogs.   And while searching for ideas/tips to set up a home office/family command center,  I’ve also stumbled upon some new favorite blogs.   

I personally like using our home management binder.  It works for me, but it’s not working so well for DH and DS.  They need a system where it’s more “in your face…and out in the open” . 

So I took every page out of the home management binder and nailed them to the wall…just kidding.

I just want a place where I can pay bills, plan menus, post everyone’s chores, sort mail, drop off keys, etc., etc., etc.

So, let’s break it down and see what all we’ll need. 

First, we’ll need a large calendar.  I don’t care for the whiteboard calendars because they’re just so boring looking.  But I love these ideas:

I recently stumbled onto Just A Girl's  blog.  She has one of the prettiest Organization Station's  that I have ever seen.  Wouldn’t you agree?  And look what she did with an old wooden wall pocket.  (kicking myself for giving mine away…)

Then I came across The Creative Crate's $3 frame makeover.  How creative!

  

That would be perfect for our home office.  We are already using a similar setup for our daily chores.  I printed off our daily chores and put them in sheet protectors then hung them on the wall.  Then we use a dry erase marker to check them off as we do them.  But using picture frames would look so much prettier.  So, I’ll be on the lookout for a large cheap/free frame for our calendar.  YES!!!  I scored one tonight at Goodwill.  It was marked $8 but everything was 50% off today.  $4 is right up my alley!!!  …doing a happy dance…So one of tomorrow’s projects is to fix that calendar!

Next comes the mail.  It needs to be sorted immediately after it comes in the house.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  So we’ll need a system set up for the mail.  Here is some very good info on that subject. 

I decided to use 3 baskets because, well, that’s what I had on hand.  To make them look like they go together, I had my DS spray paint them all the same color and then I hung little labels from them.  It’s a temporary fix, but I think it’ll work.  (I’ll see if I can borrow a camera and get some before, during, after pics )

Are you curious to see what else I’ll be doing? 

I guess you’ll have to check back in and see : )