The Bargain Aisle

It's not Christmas in July, and it's not Christmas in December...but there's this Christmas sale on books at Barnes and Noble - on the bargain aisles...go get some books for the kiddos and for you!

Salad Art

I enjoy a good salad, and my husband sort of enjoys a good salad, but I've found that I enjoy it  more when it's fun and colorful.

Two ideas to make salad more attractive to him and to them (the littles):

Instead of mixing everything together, keep it all separate.  The carrots in one spot, the avocado slices in another, the cucumbers another, etc.  It looks more like a masterpiece to love, than a plate of veggies to eat.

Insert a small cookie cutter shape in the middle of the salad, and place toppings inside.  How fun is that?

These both are fun surprises when the box is opened, the dressing is poured and the eating commences...

Crocheted Cuties!

My good friend's daughter in law makes these really cute crocheted animals, and I recently purchased this one for $30.  It's extremely well-made, it's big, and it's the cutest ever.  Check out the other ones they make on their facebook page Pretty Girls & Monkey Men.

Ham Skewers

These were so good and easy to make...

deli ham, slices folded into squares
cubed pineapple
1 inch sliced bell pepper
red onion cubes

thread these on soaked bamboo skewers, brush lightly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper

grill over high heat

season with fresh thyme leaves and enjoy!

It's a Wrap!

It's a wrap!

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 mashed avocado
2 T lime juice
chopped red onion
S&P and garlic powder
grated cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 cup greek yogurt or mayo


Mix all of the above, spread on a tortilla, and roll it up!  Chill, and then using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch slices.

These are great for picnics or lunches.

Super Sandwich

This sandwich tasted SO GOOD.

You'll need:

pretzel bun
1/4 cup mayo
1 clove garlic mashed and minced
chopped red onion
sliced deli ham
swiss cheese
sliced green apple
spring mix greens

mix the mayo, garlic and onion in a bowl.  spread on the top side of the bun.  layer the other ingredients on the other half of the bun.  put the sandwich together and enjoy the crunch and the flavors!

Double Decker Trays

My daughter hosts a lot of parties and often needs a tiered tray for cupcakes.  There are all sorts of cool round ones out there, but I found this one that's rectangular, on an aisle at Walmart.  It's made by Better Homes & Gardens, and they have a whole line of metal serving items that are super cute!

(and the whale cupcakes she placed on them are pretty darn cute too, right?)

Paper Fan Wall

My niece just decorated her daughter's wall above her bed with these cool paper fans she found in the party section at Target!!!  Cute, huh?

Mexican Mac-n-Cheese

Wow, this was tasty!

Boil shell pasta, and roast bell peppers (cut in half, remove seeds first), while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a pot, cook chorizo til browned, then add in 1/2 minced red onion and poblano pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup milk and 1lb american cheese and stir til melted.  Stir in one can of Rotel, and the cooked pasta!

Serve in the bell pepper halves, top with crumbled tortilla chips and chopped cilantro.

Now that's a meal!

Pizza Naan-Style

Leftover chicken and roasted veggies, and cooked bacon, make a great pizza when tossed and spread on Naan bread, with a little bit of sauce, and some sliced American cheese!

It was delish!

Chicken Dish Delish

This was SOOO good - one of our faves.

The recipe calls for yellow rice in pouches that just have to be heated up, and chicken already cooked in a pouch, as well.

I used Zatarains yellow rice, and grilled chicken tenders seasoned with salt and pepper.

And here's how this chicken dish goes together.

You'll need:

1 small onion
2 cups yellow rice (cooked)
chopped cooked and seasoned chicken
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pkg frozen broccoli
toasted sliced almonds

Chop onions, grill in a pain until translucent.

Add the rice, cooked chicken, broccoli and 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover and cook on low until heated through.

Serve, and top with the toasted almonds.

Truly delish! Packs well in a thermos, or serve it right from the pan.

Stoneware Sewing Station

What a cute idea - for yourself - or for Mother's Day coming up next month!  Look at this sewing station stoneware!  The lid comes off for storing your spools of thread.  So cute!

From Uncommon Goods:

Dollar Fancy

We got these cool cardboard houses from Michaels for the kids to play in, and gave the girls hats, fairy skirts and fake flowers - all from the Dollar Tree - and they LOVED dressing up and playing pretend all afternoon!

Dusters for Spring!

Really liking these sheer dusters for spring.  They're great for wearing over tshirts!  And these are only $15 each! From Charlotte Russe.

Those Plastic Eggs

My nephew's wife packed her three little girls' lunch today for an outing and I think it's a great way to use those plastic eggs next week, when Easter is over!

Line the kids' lunch boxes with the Easter grass.  Then nestle in eggs packed with goodies like strawberries, pretzels, jelly beans, blueberries, cheese, cherry tomatoes, nuts and more!

What fun it will be for the kiddos to open each one and enjoy their lunch, after the egg hunting day is over!

Go to Michaels!

Michael's had a 50 cent bin today and I was so excited to get these goodies!  And then...the Global Chic items were half off, and I got our initials and a couple cute eat and drink signs for our back patio!

50 cents:

votives to line a table

gift bags - cute spring ones!

two drinking glasses with straws, for picnicking!

initials and fun signs for the patio! (half off!)

Three for Night

Found these on clearance IN the store at Target today for $6.48 each - and I bought all three...for me!

One is never too old to sleep and dream about kids' stories and pictures and sayings!

For Your Table

On Easter, we eat outside at long tables, and I wanted something for the tablescape...

Using the tiered stands I already had, I purchased moss, eggs, birds, nests, succulents and votive candle holders and arranged them...oh, and a little birdhouse I found on clearance.

This way the table will look pretty, and the families have something to take home from the "nests."

I got the items from World Market and Hobby Lobby, all on sale this week!

A Great Lunch

Super yummy chicken salad and chili cheese Fritos are like a flavor explosion in your mouth!

boil chicken breasts and chop or shred

mix the chopped chicken with walnuts, carrots, cucumbers, green olives, and red onion, and mayo - with season salt.

let it chill.

enjoy!

Flower Lights

Found this cute light set of plastic tiny flowers that are solar, and I placed them in between ground cover foliage in one of my garden areas.  They soak up the sun by day and shine by night!  It's hard to capture in a picture, but they look so pretty in the yard!

Road trip from Austin

Another road trip for you local readers, or for you who might visit Central Texas:

This trip was easy to do in one day and super fun.

We headed from Austin up to West, Texas (a city named West!) - a Czech community - to  The Village Bakery - the oldest kolache shop in the area (about 1 1/2 hours north of Austin) And there were so many choices of meat or fruit kolaches - so we tried one of each!  We also shopped at a few of the antique stores around the square (and at a True Value Hardware!), and then drove out to see the site of the explosion in West a few years back.  A great playground built by the firemen, in honor of those who lost their lives, was new near the site.

From West, we drove through several small towns including Leroy, Mart (terrible roads!) where we enjoyed DQ and realized it was the home of a famous UT football player Quan Cosby.  Mart was not a very cute town, but super friendly people were there!  And the park there, which on the internet stated it was a great place, was anything but!  But that's the beauty of road trips...finding and discovering whatever lies up ahead, even if it's comical or pitiful...

Next, we drove through Riesel, and onto Perry, where we stopped at a picturesque church site - Perry United Methodist - for a quick car nap - except I read a book I had brought while Jon slept. :)  

After that was Marlin, where we hung out downtown a bit, peeking in the windows of an old Hilton hotel (where the lobby is still left as it was - spooky!), running our hands under a hot mineral water fountain near the Chamber of Commerce, and visiting an old theater.  Marlin has history!

On to Lott, and Cedar Springs, and finally to Cameron, Texas.  We had printed out histories on these tiny towns from texasescapes.com.  And the green fields and flowers were spectacular this weekend!

In Cameron we stopped to eat Mexican food at Los Comales - Jon enjoyed his dinner, but mine was just okay - the chips and salsa were great - and it was cheap!  We then found a gorgeous park with a cool old bridge and a small lake in the middle where we went for a good long walk.  This was the highlight of the trip in my opinion!  And I've included one of the murals from the walls in the historic district.

We then headed home.  This was a great trip, not too much driving, and lots to see and enjoy!

Fun on My Feet

I like lots of options for summer shoes, and I enjoy stopping in all sorts of stores, with Rainbow being the most recent.

I found these fun Birkenstock-like shoes by Rouge for $12.99 - and they have a thick sole - so that  makes them not so flat.  Completely flat shoes hurt my feet.

So check out some of the store you may not frequent - Rue 21, Maurices, Rainbow, and even Charming Charlie - for some seasonal fun on your feet!

Supper on a Plank!

Sometimes at the end of the week, there's a little of this and a little of that in your fridge...but there's a whole of fun that can be had with all of that little stuff!

Use your cutting boards for the serving tray...I'm calling them planks.

Cut cheese, crisp up some bacon, chop up any leftover veggies, grab some cashews or other nuts you have, stack crackers, peel some fruit, and cut up any other remains you might have that still taste good...

Arrange it all in stacks and in lids, and even in measuring cups, on your trays.

Your meal of all the little stuff will look like a gourmet dinner for two!

Fold it Up!

This was a fast, easy lunch to prepare and really tasty!

preheat oven to 425

large tortilla
mustard
sliced whole pickles
thin deli ham
thinly sliced swiss cheese

spread the mustard on the tortilla, layer the rest, and fold it over twice.

brush with butter on both sides, place on baking sheet and bake about 18 minutes, brushing again with butter about halfway through - until light brown and crisp.

yum.

Two New Things

I love Marshalls...and today I found something I had been looking for to replace an old wicker vase in my guest bathroom...and a new hand towel, too.  Sometimes, it just takes a couple of items to create a whole new look!  And this green rainboot ceramic vase was just the thing...

Brisket Nachos

Brisket Nachos, a super easy weeknight meal:

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Pita Chips (plain)
Cooked brisket (I used the kind already cooked that you just heat)
Jarred jalapenos
Lime Juice
Freshly chopped rosemary
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

Mix about 3 T jalapenos, 1 T lime juice and 1 tsp rosemary in a bowl - salt to taste.

Lay the chips in a dish, layer on the brisket and jalapeno mixture, then the cheese.

Bake 10 minutes - then enjoy!

Dresses for Her!

Toddler dresses...for Easter...or spring...for playing or wearing to an event...they're so cute at Old Navy!