Recipe of the Week #106- Rio Grande Rice Bowl

Rio Grande Rice Bowl

8 oz ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp each ground cumin and garlic salt

1 cup raw white rice

1 can (14 1/2oz) corn, rinsed

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

2 small zucchini, diced

Cook beef, onion, and spices until beef is browned. Stir in rice and 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes until rice is almost tender.

Stir in corn, tomato sauce, and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 8 minutes or more until rice and zucchini are tender.

Am I the only one who loves one pan dinners?!? This is another fantastic and super easy recipe. I love the flavor that the zucchini adds.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Prov. 3:5-6

This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, My Girlish Whims, and Craft-O-Maniac.

See One, Do One: Pinterest Inspired Necklace

When I see pretty stuff, I get inspired.
My hands get the "I can do that" itch.

This is why I am totally into Pinterest.

One place to store pics of all kinds of pretty stuff? I'm in!

Here's a project I tried based on a picture I saw on Pinterest.

I made these necklaces using old sewing machine bobbins.

This is the inspiration photo.

I was in love with this necklace the moment I laid eyes on it.

It was made and sold at this Etsy store.

On mine, each side has two beads, a button, then two more beads.

Then I attached each side to a bobbin and dangled a charm from the bottom of the bobbin.

I got the beads on clearance at Michaels.

I got the bobbins at a thrift store. 

The heart charms came from an estate sale; I stamped the words "Hope" and "Joy" on them.

I did another one in different colors.

This one has snaps above the beads.

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

Psalm 20:4

 This post is linked to Today's Creative Blog,  The Dedicated House, Tip Junkie, 

and Between Naps on the Porch.

Super Easy Purse DIY

I was slowly browsing the aisles in Hobby Lobby when I spotted a cute black and white tote.

I picked it up off the rack thinking about how I was in need of a new purse.

But I couldn't just carry around a plain old tote- even if it did have chevron stripes.

 

 

So I stood there wondering what I could do to give it a little pep.

Flowers make anything look better, so I picked up a few.

Voila! My new purse!

 

To make it, all I used was a tote and three pre-made flowers and a glue gun.

 

The flowers are from a new line that Hobby Lobby is carrying called Fashion Tid Bits.

They have both a pin and a clip on the backs.

This line has a ton of beautiful flowers.

I had a hard time deciding on only three.

 

I pinned the flowers in a triangle on the right side of the bag.

Then I used my glue gun and put some glue around the pins to make sure

they weren't going to fall off.

 

 

I really don't think you can make a purse any easier than this!

Isn't it darling?

 

I added a hankie that I had picked up at an estate sale.

I can't decide whether I like it better with it or without it.

What do you think?

 

I used a 40% off coupon on my tote, so it was only $7.

I paid three dollars for each flower (I was so excited to make the project, I didn't want to wait for them to go on sale. Sometimes I just have to pay full price:).

All together this purse cost less than $20 including the vintage hankie.

Cute and reasonable, I'd say.

 

If you like this, go here to see another purse made from a Hobby Lobby tote.

 

By the way, Happy Valentine's Day! Hope it's a lovely one:)

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2:12

 

 This post is linked to Tater Tots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Tme On My Hands, and My Repurposed Life.

Thrifty Thursday #104

I wandered out last Saturday morning and drove around the neighborhood looking for yard sales.

I found one which made it worth my while.

 

 

I spotted this tower of silver trays as I walked up the driveway.

I don't know what they are, but I like them!

They were only fifty cents.

 

 

They're smaller around than dinner plates.

They come apart and each one is like a little cake stand.

Two have flower patterns and two have heart patterns.

I'm thinking about painting them.

Anybody know what they are?

 

At the same sale, I saw two large lacy items sticking out of a garbage bag.

I assumed they were lacy table cloths.

At a dollar each, I was super excited with my find- especially noticing that they seemed

new- no stains.

I got home and opened them up for a closer look. It turns out they are curtains, not table cloths.

Oh well, a pretty purchase either way.:)

 

I only found a few items on my weekly thrift store stop.

 

This saucer is pretty with its white flowers.

I got this for fifty cents for my friend who is planning a plate display covering one of her walls.

This will be a lovely addition to that.

 

I got this beautiful table runner for a dollar.

It has a very small stain in the center, but the embroidery work is fantastic, so I got it anyway.

 

I got  this narrow silver platter for a dollar.

You just never know when you'll need a silver platter.

 

I wish you all luck with your secondhand shopping this weekend.

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation

Ex. 15:2

 

 This post is linked to Embracing Change, Today's Creative Blog, and 52 Mantles.

More Lovelies That I Love

There are so many cute new products out there that I'd love to buy.

Unfortunately, I have reigned myself in until I use up some of my current supply.

That doesn't stop me from window shopping, though. . .

I absolutely love this paper by My Mind's Eye.

I am a huge fan of wood grain paper, and the flowers on this just really finish it off.

These journaling tags from Elle's Studio are too cute.

I'm a sucker for cute journaling cards.

It's nice when they have prompts printed on them- that makes journaling a no-brainer:)

You could slip one of the above journaling tags into one of these glassine bags.

I just love little bags. . .

This pennant punch by EK Success could be used on so many projects- cards, scrapbook pages, even as a little pennant cake topper.

How cute are these decorative paper clips? They're called Typewriter Keys and they're by Prima.

Wouldn't one of these look pretty cute as a closure for a glassine bag? :)

It's so much fun to look at cute new stuff! I'm thinking all these products could be used together and make one rockin' project!

By the way, I am not affiliated with any of the above companies- I'm just a fan of their cute products.

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,

and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Mat. 7:8

 

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Cheerios and Lattes, and Ivy and Elephants.



Recipe of the Week#105- M and M Cookie Bars

 

 

M and M Cookie Bars

12 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups M and Ms

 

Grease a 9"x 13" pan. Preheat oven to 325.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add dry ingredient mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in 1 cup of M and Ms.

Spread dough in pan. Press remaining M and Ms lightly on top.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

 

These bars are delish! My family went bananas over them. Quick, easy, and yummy: they meet all three of my baking requirements.:)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

 

The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.

Psalm 6:9

 



This post is linked to I Heart Naptime, Tip Junkie, Between Naps on the Porch, and The Dedicated House.

Mini Album Monday #23- "10 Things I Love About You" Album

Over the years I've made my hubby several mini albums as gifts.
I have to admit, though, that I haven't made him one in quite some time.
Fast forward to today- I'll show you the one I made him for Valentine's day.

 

 

Here's the cover.

 

 

Here's the interior.

It's made from a file folder.

   

 

I started by folding the file folder. I followed the instructions found here.

 

 

I only used two pieces of 12"x 12" pattern paper- and not even whole pieces- to make this.

I trimmed the first to fit on each of the outer panels.

 

 

Then I trimmed the second to fit on only the lower portion of the interior pages.

I plan to add photos up top, so I didn't bother to put any paper there.

 

 

I put a photo on each panel.

 

Then I added tags in each pocket,

 and journaling spots on the bottom portion of the pockets.
I added one reason to each tag and each journaling spot for a total of
10 things that I love about my hubby.

I went through and added embellishments

 

 to both the photos and the journaling cards.

 

Finally, I added my title.

 

To keep the book closed, I used a piece of ribbon.

 

This is a very easy book to make and it doesn't require much to make it.

It sure would make a delightful Valentine's Day gift for your hubby, your kids,

or even for grandparents.

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer

Psalm 18:2

 

 This post is linked to Skip to My Lou, Funky Junk, and Craft-O-Maniac.