A pre-Christmas thrifting excursion!

I took a side trip over to my favorite Salvation Army Family Store and came home with a haul.

 I spent over $20, which almost never happens.  But I got some good stuff.

 The best thing was this very old plastic sewing box, full of embroidery thread, many on wooden spools.

 At 15 cents original price, I figure they are maybe as old as I am.

I also found a basket exactly like the one I have full of pine cones at my front door - my mother admired it last time she visited, so this one goes to her.  I also found 6 glass ornaments in mint condition,

 two novels, some Christmas mugs,

 a couple of cozy big shirts for me to wear with jeans,

 and a dress shirt and sweater vest for Hubby.

 The ornaments I propped in wine glasses and used fabric paint to make monogrammed ornaments.

 I added some ribbon I already had.  

A fun way to spend some pre-Christmas down time!

Gina

Shared with:

Mealplan Monday #37 and simple Christmas decorating

In keeping with my plan to keep holiday decorating simple and spend very little money on it, I fished out some faux greenery, berries, and ribbon from my stash and put it all in a hanging doodad on the front door. 

Monday - Calamity Chicken, cabbage and carrots
Tuesday - Homemade mac and cheese, salad
Wednesday - Pork chops, rice with onions and peppers, cinnamon sweet potatoes
Thursday - Mexican Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, zucchini
Friday - Scout and Dad eat quick dinner; the rest of us maybe Chinese?
Saturday - Mom p/u dinner on the way home
Sunday -  Hamburger Soup (except I'm using ground turkey), pumpkin corn muffins

 Owing to my love of pine cones, I placed a basket of them near the front door with more faux greenery.  They are the cinnamon kind and smell nice, even outdoors!

Gina

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

This was a very easy and filling dish!  Kudos to Kraft.  I get a lot of good recipes from their website. 

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

1 lb.  lean ground beef  (I used Italian Sausage)

2 green peppers, coarsely chopped

3 cloves  garlic, minced

2 cups cooked long-grain white rice

1 jar  (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I like Newman's Own)

1-1/2 cups  KRAFT Shredded Italian* Five Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Brown the meat with peppers and garlic in large skillet; drain.  Stir in rice, spaghetti sauce and 3/4 cup cheese.

Spoon  into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese.  Bake 25 min. or until heated through.

 

I served with a salad made of spinach, mushrooms, and olives. I will  be making this one again.

Gina

Shared with:

Mealplan Monday #36 with Darling Darla

A pretty girl I lunched with at Panera:

 and her alter ego "Darla".

 They really aren't all that different!  Both sassy.  And silly.

Monday - Taco Rice (using up leftover rice with some cheese, taco meat, black beans), salad
Tuesday - Chicken (unsure as to how to fix...suggestions?)
Wednesday - Eggs, bacon, biscuits, OJ
Thursday - Pumpkin Ziti
Friday - Deli sammies and chips (boys camp)
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Leftover Thanksgiving freezer meal

 

Oh, my.

So glad both of her are enjoying college!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #35 and kitchen trees

Thanksgiving is this week!  I can't believe how quickly it has sneaked up. The menu this week is rather simple, and I have so much shopping to do. But I spent 10 minutes last week crafting something cute for the kitchen window seat:

Little potted pines!  

Monday - Scalloped potatoes with ham, salad
Tuesday - Dr. Martin's Mix, hot bread
Wednesday - Mom's Birthday!  Mom and Dad out, boys get freezer pizza and a movie.
Thursday - Breakfast is cinnamon rolls, bacon, gingerbread cocoa
                    Lunch is Thanksgiving Meal
                    Dinner will be turkey sammies
Friday - Turkey Soup for dinner, smoked brisket with all the trimmings mid-day
Saturday - Dad grill?
Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, salad

  

Here's how I made my little pots:

 

  I started with a cheapo "pine table tree" from Big Lots.

Got a medium sized terra cotta pot. 

Set a can of tomatoes inside to help my little tree stand taller!

Stuffed newspaper all around it to stabilize it and fill the space.

Added in some natural moss.

 

And tied a sprig of burlap ribbon on the top. 

No watering needed, ha ha.

Gina

Shared with:

Scout's photography wall

Last week I hauled all of the Christmas decorations out of the storage boxes to see what I had, what I needed, and what direction to go with decor.  I felt a little overwhelmed, I have to say...so I pulled out what I wanted to use, made my list of what to buy, then put it all in an out-of-the way place until the day after Thanksgiving.

 It doesn't look like so much here, but this is just the portion I saved out. Even so, I hope to keep it simpler this year.

Next up, I wanted to focus on adding to and spiffing up the photo collage in Scout's room.

Hubby had brought home some some very well made metallic frames from his office - you know the ones with screws and plates holding them together?  A pain to disassemble, but nice and solid frames.  Just needed a change of paint color.

I used a spray paint/primer combo - longer drying time, which is bad for impatient painters like me, but nicer not to have to sand or prime separately. I just spread out some gigantic trash bags on my patio and got going.  I worked on it off and on all morning.

The dark steel finish color is  perfect for his room and the nature of the photographs.  By adding the larger frame, I was able to make the arrangement a little less stiff and predictable.  The prints are a mix of color and black & whites.

 

 I put a little bit of that sticky tack under the corners of each frame so they wouldn't shift around on the walls.

 ******

 Here is a peek at his work:

I'm a little biased about it - I love it.  Although he does mostly nature photography, I hope he can take the family pics for the Christmas card this year.

This gallery wall is a work in progress as we change out the prints every so often.  Now back to my list - several other projects to do before the holidays are here!  What about you? Got any non-Christmas decor projects lined up?

Favorite Thanksgiving foods 2012

Every year I ask my peeps: "What's the one dish you need to have to make it Thanksgiving"?  We usually have cream cheese stuffed jalapenos for appetizers and the fixings for Bloody Mary's.  We munch on Crispix Mix and pore over the sale ads in the paper.  And there's a whole lotta cookin' going on!

The Girl always asks for Green Bean Casserole.  Always.  But last year I got her to make the Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie and I think pie-making will be her specialty!  I also make a Walnut Pumpkin Pie that has a graham crust and a buttery walnut topping.

Firstborn does love the sweet potatoes.  I bake sweet potatoes, cool and peel them, cut into chunks, then top with butter, brown sugar, and crumbled smokey maple bacon before re-heating in the oven.  Oooh, they are so good on leftover turkey Shepherd's Pie!

Bubbie loves this Watergate Salad, also lovingly called Gopher Guts at my house. 

Watergate Salad
1 small box instant pistachio pudding
1 small can crushed pineapple, un-drained
1 c. mini marshmallows
1 small container Cool-whip
Put un-drained pineapple in a bowl, add pudding powder and mix well.  (I strain the nuts out first cause we don't like the hard bits)  Add marshmallows, then fold in Cool-whip and chill, covered.

The cranberry sauce is my favorite.  I follow the recipe on the bag of cranberries and add the juice and rind of one large naval orange in with the measurements.  So good!  And the leftover cranberry sauce gets used in Cranberry Bars.

 Scout's  favorite is Corn Casserole that is super simple and very rich:

Corn Casserole
Melt one stick of butter in a 13x9 casserole dish.  Pour melted butter into a bowl to mix with:
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 package cornbread mix
1 small container sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
Pour all into the buttered dish and bake for one hour

We brine the turkey every year and our favorite brine calls for brown sugar, peppercorns, and bourbon.  And the dressing is always cornbread based, with lots of spices onions, and celery.  I can smell it now, the kitchen warm and cozy.

  Can't wait!

Gina

Shared with: