you could win...

a cute camera strap cover from knittybitties! (or something else from her shop, but i want the camera strap cover ) just head over to simplify to see what you need to do. good luck, i sure hope i've got some!

Food Storage Recipe: flautas

i've been trying to try (wow that makes me sound totally lame) some more food storage recipes lately and last week i made these flautas. they were pretty yummy, especially for food storage. although i have to admit i used fresh salsa in mine, but i'm sure the bottled stuff is still good. so here is the recipe directly copied from safely gathered in:

photo source, recipe source

Flautas:
6 10-inch flour tortillas
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 can or 2 cups chicken
1 can of black beans or approximately 1 1/2 -2 cups of beans
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cooking oil for frying

Preheat oven to 350. wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.
In a large skillet cook oil, beans, chicken, and spices until heated. Spoon about a 1/2 cup of filling into each warm tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly and secure with wooden toothpicks.
In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 inches of cooking oil. Fry flautas, two at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep fried flautas warm in a 300 oven while frying remaining flautas.
Remove toothpicks and serve...

If you prefer to bake them you can place on a baking sheet and brush with cooking oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

When rotating, we serve these with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole... for obvious reasons these things are not food storage friendly! Hope you enjoy!

*note added: could use leftover roast, steak or pork

*suggested side dishes:
cilantro lime coleslaw
refried beans
mexican rice

Menu Plan 8/27-9/2

Thursday:
chicken cordon bleu
*fresh fruit

Friday: night out

Saturday: night out
dessert- zucchini brownies

Sunday: hubby's cooking

Monday: zucchini alfredo { adding garlic and onion }
*green salad
*parmesan bread
FHE treat- blueberry zucchini bread { with struesel topping }

Tuesday: leftovers or freezer meal

Wednesday: meatloaf dinner
*best green beans
*jello with fruit

online shopping at old navy

old navy has some really great deals on toddler girl's clothes. here are some that i just bought: $3.99


$5

$5

(great for layering under shirts for fall and winter)

$5

$2.99

$5 each when you buy 2 or more

$5 each when you buy two or more

here is what i didn't buy, but i wanted to:

these shoes were actually on sale, but i didn't get them. i'm kind of kicking myself for that

i am seriously thinking about splurging on this last one, its just "tu tu" cute!

anyway like i said old navy is having some great deals and on top of that if you buy today (tuesday) then you can use the promo code: YAYTUE15 to get 15% off

and use promo code: SHIPFREE to get free shipping on any size order

and if you use your oldnavy card, you can get triple rewards points on your purchase!

(promo codes found via my shopping addiction )

check it out

*potterybarn decorative balls
*felt food obsession (i'm not the only one ;)
*entertainment center turned play kitchen
*diy party banner
*how to make ribbon flowers
*giving your kids choices
*craft/tool station wall organizer
*coke cleaning
*car seat cover
*numbered jars
*framed window photo project
*fabric strawberries
*mod podge jewelry case
*handmade baby bibs

check it out

*old book photo frame
*practical pallet furniture
*tips on how to create a relaxing bedroom
*how to spruce up a picnic table
*organizing on a budget
*10 tips for looking your best
*blogging and balancing time
*can't i just vacuum?
*rag letters tutorial
*oreo pudding popsicles
*chic on a shoestring
*frozen grape pops
*laundry soap dispenser
*mini blinds to roman shades

my not so extreme homemakeover: the kitchen { plan }

so now that summer is almost over, i feel that things might settle down enough for me to dive back into my not so extreme home makeover. i've got it all mapped out so let's pray that i can stick with it. i am still currently working on my kitchen. i have continued to paint my cabinets, but i thought i would share with you my plan and inspiration.

i have decided on keeping my walls green and painting my cabinets white like in this photo:


i even thought about throwing in a little accent of red...


i plan on putting some corkboard inside my cabinets so i can post my recipes that i am using...

do you not love this sign? i am hoping to make one similar to this...

i would love to have some pics and recipes hanging from clothes pins like this...

and make some chalkboard labels...

for my hutch i am thinking of lining it with burlap...

or fabric similar to this...

or if all else fails, paint it the same color as my walls like layla's...

i plan on spray painting my main light fixture oil rubbed bronze, hoping it will look similar to these light fixtures...

i would like to have some potted herbs...

i've bought some jars from ikea to hold things such as oats, brown sugar, powdered sugar, noodles, etc....

i am going to hang 2 to 3 shelves to hold them like she did here...

i am going to paint my table legs white, and chairs black like she did here...

and i really want to find or build a bench like this one...

i don't know where i found this picture ( it was labeled cindy's kitchen) but she has all the elements that i want to implement into my kitchen: white cabinets, oil rubbed bronze hardware, beadboard backsplash, metal backsplash behind stove, white sink and silver faucet.

another beautiful (dream) kitchen...

so there you have it. you can see my to do list to the right on my side bar. red= it's done, green = it's done and click on it to see it.

to see the rest of the story:

my not so extreme home makeover

my not so extreme home makeover: the kitchen { before }

my not so extreme home makeover: the kitchen { inspiration }

kitchen room redo update

a sneak peak

check it out

*recycled jar lanterns
*diy burlap bulletin board
*diy window boxes
*rewards points system for kids
*more felt food inspiration
*baby memory blanket
*flower clip tutorial
*rain gutter bookshelves
*$ store wooden tags
*nail head trim stool
*tips for taking good blog photos
*how to keep your house clean enough
*paper lace banner
*beadboard wallpaper cabinets tutorial

check it out

*a few ideas for storing food
*another tutorial on making roman shades from mini blinds
*frozen watermelon pops
*framed fabric tutorial
*photostyling your crafts
*abc embroidery pillow
*framed message board
*coffee table turned bench
*alphabet block magnets
*pudding finger paint
*entertainment center redo
*cupcake applique shirt
*kitchen redo
*diy burlap book rack

check it out

*silhouette pillow
*firetruck pillow
*make your own puzzle blocks
*heritage tributes
*redesigned luggage
*how to make tissue pom poms
*pretty plastic bag organizer
*gathered skirt with knit waistband
*covered thumbtack tutorial
*shirt to dress refashion
*recycled baby food jars
*diaper burp cloth tutorial
*just married banner template

check it out

*breakfast bib tutorial
*rainbow cake
*back to school organization
*another diy play kitchen
*how to make a ruffled pillow
*seashell shadowboxes
*diy wipeoff board
*headboard makeover
*upcycling kids clothes
*how to put the voom back into your vacuum
*baby blanket tutorial
*table redo
*men's shirt to toddler dress
*reusable gift bags

*tips for using chalkboard paint
*picnic tote
*tips for opening up your space
*beautiful wall mirrors
*build your own picnic table
*little pots of moss
*DIY: craft organizers
*window message board
*faux mudroom
*how she furnished her house without spending a ton
*paint can planters
*repurpose old sweaters into chairs
*beach cottage tablescape
*shabby chic desk

i feel like a jerk

oh my gosh, so i was looking through some posts that i like, that i save and happen to come across this one. boy do i feel like a jerk. here i thought i was being so creative and thought i would share that creativity with you and then i find that v and co had done the exact same thing!

in all honestly i really had thought of the bandanna skirt being inspired from this. i guess maybe v and co's post was always in the back of my head. anyway just wanted to clear some things up. i never would want to take credit for someone else's ideas.

(and to think i could of just referred to her post to make it, geez i feel like a jerk)

(on another note v and co is an excellent seamstress so that makes me feel a little better about myself)

p.s. isn't ironic that we both have making house a home on our banner?i promise i didn't copy that. we must just think a like.

check it out

* the finished quiet book by jill
*front entry by funky junky interiors
*drawer hangers
*butterfly patch shirt
*recycling vintage children's books
*making your own homemade cleaners
*beautiful studio!
*grocery bag holder
*binder cover tutorial
*jewelry frame tutorial
*diy craft desk
*chalkboard fridge
*hallway of family
*felt food

4th of July Inspiration

i'm thinking it would be really cute to serve silverware in something like this.

patriotic pinwheels for the little ones or just for decoration


joys of home shared a great idea for patriotic decor




happy 4th garland from country living


i love absolutely everything about this picture from the old red truck, the giant flag hanging from the old barnwood, the picnic table with the red ticking and crochet trim tablecloth, the sunflowers i could go on and on! i love it!

{ can't remember where i got this picture from, i'm thinking maybe bhg }

how simple and cute, pound cake cut out in the shape of a star with red and blueberries to top!
yum!

{ source }

patriotic pizza, i'm thinking would look really cute in the rectangle shape like the cake below

we are going to hit the children's 4th of july parade on the 3rd and then go to our town's parade on the 4th followed by bbq, homemade ice cream, lots of strawberry lemonade, swimming and relaxing while watching the fireworks from our backyard. what are your plans and traditions for the 4th of july?