Lovely round table

Usually I find myself browsing the local antique shops. Somehow I came across a booth who I assume must be leaving the shop for this poor lonely table was the one and only thing to occupy its space.

For sale $20 the price tag screamed... yet I walked away. All night the thoughts of what to do with such a table rattled my brain. The next morning I woke up and fixed a big glass of iced coffee and sat down with my laptop. I went through my Pinterest trying to think of something. Eventually I bit the bullet and went back to buy the table. I came home and sanded her down and got her all cleaned up. Finally deciding what my plan of attack was I came up with this....

I painted the bottom a dark chocolate brown and the top a nice cream. Then she sat again while I figured out exactly what to do with the top. I knew I wanted something to personalize it more.

I have a metal "S" that sits on a shelf in the living room and I traced out every bit of detail on to the table. Then with a tiny paint brushed filled it all in. She is still needs another coat of poly but wow am I so happy with the result! Now I have a new side table for the living room! I love how things work themselves out :)

I'm sharing this at :
Miss Mustard Seed-Furniture Feature Friday

Shopping adventures

Recently my hubby and me went browsing through several stores. There is one in particular that I love in our small town mall. I see so many things in this store that I see people do on blogs its not even funny. Specially when we are talking prices. WOW they are expensive! But there are so many things I love!
Lets start off with these cute bunnies...

$25 each.. hmm wonder if I can find some bunnies at the dollar store like I did the pumpkins back in the fall. Betcha I could!

Rooster $25 and the beehive cake stand which I soooo love is $65. Rooster same thing goes try to find some thing cheaper to just modge podge .. the cake stand I'd probably have to bite the bullet and just buy it! 

This adorable small dresser was $199... you can find stamp things at Graphics Fairy online and apply it yourself to a piece of furniture. I'm hoping to do this soon!

This is a rustic bar my hubby was taking a look at for $599. Maybe find a piece of furniture for the bottom and build the top yourself. And that's what he said he wanted to do. Eventually! 

So many things to look at and so many cheaper methods to do it. I'm ready to jump in and get started!

Olive dresser

A friend recently moved back to New York and left me some goodies! A dresser with matching headboard and night stand and a huge wooden end table. I began with the dresser first, my son asked for this to be in his room so he picked out the color.

Your basic blonde color bedroom set

He picked out an olive color which I was a little worried how it would turn out but it ended up a beautiful color for a teenage boys room.

I stained the top and painted the bottom. But the stain didn't do so well on those side pieces. Of course that bugs me to no end but my son is very happy with it. And that is what matters most!

Camp Recipes

Next in my camping series the best part... food! 

First tip cut and bag your veggies before you even leave! Foods like onions, bell peppers and carrots can be cut ahead of time put in zip-lock baggies and toss in the cooler. Form large hamburger meat patties into zip-lock bags too. Remember these will shrink some and its best to get a higher cut to cut back on grease. Cook up your chicken ahead of time too. Chicken takes forever on an open fire or those standing grills, best to be safe. Plus it saves you cooking time!

Have yourself a camp meal planner. Say you will be staying two nights…

Night one- Foil Packet Dinner

Dessert- banana boats

Next day

Breakfast - breakfast burritos

Lunch- sandwiches, chips and fruit

Dinner- bbq chicken fajitas

Dessert- S'more buffet

Last day breakfast- Omelet in a bag

Lunch- sandwiches, chips and fruit

Then usually you pack up and head back home! J

Foil cooking tips

Foil packet dinner-

Ground hamburger meat patty

Potatoes

Onions

Carrots

Mushrooms

Season salt

Pepper

butter

Lay down a large piece of foil place one hamburger patty.

On top place some sliced potato, onion, carrot and mushrooms. Sprinkle with season salt and pepper place tablespoon of butter. Fold the foil up pocket style and seal the edges well. Toss on the grill and cook 20 or so minutes per side.  My kids usually liked a little ketchup with this once it was done.

source

Banana Boats-

Banana’s

Toppings- chocolate chips, marshmallows, peanut butter or strawberry jam.. your favorite toppings

Slit each banana lengthwise through the peel, making sure not to cut all the way through to the other side. Then stuff with yummy things such as , chocolate chips, marshmallows even peanut butter or strawberry jam.

Wrap each banana with foil and set on the grill for about 5 minutes allowing enough time for the chocolate to melt. Open carefully they will be hot and eat with a spoon.

Breakfast Burrito-

1 package large flour tortillas

6 eggs

1lb breakfast sausage or bacon whatever you prefer

onion

bell pepper

shredded cheese

Wrap the tortillas flat in foil and place on part of the grill with less flame, flip every so often. Cook the sausage in a pan until no longer pink. Remove to a bowl. In same pan saute the onion and bell pepper until tender. Then add the eggs and scramble. Return the sausage to the pan and toss. Lay a tortilla on a plate, spoon the sausage/ egg filling to one side and top with cheese. Roll up just once over filling then fold in two sides then continue rolling. Helps hold all the good stuff inside. Serves 4 or 5 people. My gang can eat a lot of these. I usually cook double.

BBQ Chicken Fajita-

With these I usually cook the chicken ahead of time on the grill at home. Then put in a zip-lock bag and freeze. By this time I'm exhausted from the heat and a day on the water. Its a great quick filling meal!

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Chicken breast

BBQ sauce

Onion

Bell Pepper

Large flour tortillas 

Cheese

Cut up the onion and bell pepper in long strips. Put in a pan with a tablespoon of butter and saute till tender crisp. Place chicken in a large zip-lock bag and using a wooden mallet or rolling pin beat and flatten. Remove from bag and sprinkle a little salt and pepper then lay on the grill. Once the chicken is no longer pink brush on bbq sauce and cook for another minute per side. Layer chicken, veggies and cheese on tortillas and serve. You could also grill some fresh corn to go along with this. Just make sure you allow the corn to soak in water for about an hour before grilling.

S'more Buffet-

I found this pic on pinterest and it came from My Recipes. Cute idea! With some new twist on ingredients!

Omelet in a bag-

source

Basically is what it says. 

You will need- 

Zip-lock baggies

Eggs

Cheese

Ham

Water

 Bring a large pot of water to boil. Crack eggs into a bowl add salt and pepper and whisk together. Dump the eggs into the baggies along with ham and cheese. Press out all the air and seal the bag. Place into boiling water for 12-15 minutes. Carefully remove from water. Top with more cheese if you like J

Simple and fast but good! That is what its all about when camping!

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

Mmmhmm another great recipe! Fast and good! I doubled the sauce which did help coat all the broccoli. I also added thin sliced fresh carrots. Deeliteful! :)

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

3 tablespoons cornstarch , divided

1/2 cup water , plus

2 tablespoons water , divided

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb boneless round steak or 1 lb charcoal chuck steak , cut into thin 3-inch strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion , cut into wedges

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

hot cooked rice

Directions:

1-In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.

2-Add beef and toss.

3-In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm. (Don't over cook the meat or it will be tough)

4-Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.

5-Return beef to pan.

6-For the sauce combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.

7-Cook and stir for 2 minutes. It will thicken fast so get it quickly tossed around to coat everything.

8-Serve over rice.

Camping Part Three

Time for another part in my Camping Series. You’ve heard the slogan for Boy Scouts “Always be prepared” this is very true! I was Cubmaster for my sons Cub Scout pack for three years. I learned a lot! Kids will be hungry all hours of the day while camping! There just isn’t anyway around it. Plus you don’t want to have something happen and there isn’t even a Bandaid in sight! You need to pack according to the length of your stay. Clothes, cooking gear, food, blankets, pillows, first aid and activities. It can be overwhelming to make sure you have everything before you leave the driveway.

I use totes to help me sort items. The large deep black tote.. this is for our cooking gear, camp site gear and anything else that might be needed. Here is my checklist for the big black tote:

Pots n pans

Spatulas

Big spoons

Knives

Cutting Board

Paper towels/ toilet paper

Pot holders

Paper plates

Plastic utensils

Foil

Matches/lighters

Rope

Clothes pins

Lanterns

Batteries

Playing cards

Ziplock bag with insect spray and sunblock

Inside a plastic bag I’ll have dish soap, wash rags, a bar of soap placed inside panty hose, empty laundry soap container with the push button spout. (I’ll explain that later)

First Aid Kit
Charcoal/lighter fluid and lighter  (Pack these separately from all the above items)
Small radio

In the picture above you can see two thin totes I use pack up the dry foods. Items such as breads, snacks, chips etc.. Can be store without the worry of a whole loaf of bread being smashed. In the other thin tote items like potatoes, onions, fresh fruits are stored. Let’s face it no matter how hard you try there will be bugs and flies around your camp site eventually. These totes are a great way to keep unwanted pests away from your food! Plus before a camping trip I will have these on the kitchen table going through my check list while packing. Organization… it helps!

You know you’ve seen it.. the commercial about space bags? Well they really do work. After a camping trip everything gets washed. Sleeping bags are bulky and hard to store away but not if you have a space bag.. gee sound like a commercial huh? Haha! Seriously they are awesome! I wash and dry all 5 sleeping bags put them into a giant space bag I purchased at Wal-Mart. Then they are stored up in the rafters of our work shop. No bugs, no dust! Next trip they are clean and all you have to do is throw the bag in with everything else you take along. Space bags work great for pillows too. Squish them down and they take up less space for the trip.

Remember the bar of soap inside panty hose and the empty laundry soap container, ok here is whats up with that. Once at your campsite designate a hand washing station away from food and sleeping areas. Place the bar of soap inside one of the panty hose if you can find a low branch tie the panty hose around it letting the soap dangle below. Fill up your empty clean laundry soap container with water. When hands need to be washed you push the button spout for water and use the soap in the panty hose. It keeps the soap from getting nasty with mud, twigs or leaves. This was something we did at Cubscout Day Camp and it worked great!

How about the rope and clothes pins listed on our check list? Tie your rope around two trees to form a clothes line. When towels or clothing needs to dry you just hang them on the clothes line. You can also tie battery powered lanterns on the same rope/clothesline and suspend them between trees to help light up your campsite. If there is a need for an outdoor changing area this works great as well. Just hang old bed sheets or blankets over the rope for privacy.

I know some may think wow this is a lot to bring. Trust me after years of camping you figure out what needs your family may have. Plus you learn what you needed the most got left behind. Always be prepared.. yes we know. J

 Up next a thoroughly stocked first aid kit, activities and camp recipes! Till then….

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Skewers

I love simple dinners that taste so good! I made chicken and veggie skewers then tossed them on the grill. You could do this on an outside or stove top grill. Super easy!

If you are using wooden skewers make sure you let them soak in water for about 30 minutes. Otherwise they will catch fire and burn which isn't so good!

First chop your veggies in large chunks.. I used bell pepper and onions, you could also use small button mushrooms or squash too. I had two chicken breast that I cut into bite size chunks. Thread them all on the skewer, I started and ended with the bell peppers since they are more stiff and everything doesn't fall off. You can certainly marinate them at this point in just a store bought italian dressing. I went ahead and popped them on the grill. Once the chicken was no longer pink I brushed some BBQ sauce on each skewer and cooked for another 3 minutes or so.

So while all the grilling was happening I cooked whole potatoes in the microwave for baked potatoes. This was a fast and really good dinner!