Happy Halloween

Both of my little pumpkins have the stomach bug...there is nothing worse! I am hoping we will be better to trick or treat tomorrow night. We carved pumpkins yesterday...I used a stencil and I think they turned out pretty cute.

Home Sales Up in September!

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales rose 10% last month. In addition, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a low 4.35 percent in September. Read more here.

Don't let the media fool you...it is a great time to buy or sell.

Metallic Spray Paint

When I redecorated the end of my hallway a few months ago, I used this lamp from my attic because it was the right size for the space. I wasn't in love with it's look. I decided to spray paint it silver and I still wasn't totally in love but I thought it was an improvement.

Here it is before....



And after....



So I have been working on my dining room and it is no where near complete but I decided to spray paint a few other items.

I liked this monkey but was tired of his finish.

Here he is before...


And after...


I ended up moving him to my living room because I thought the finish went nicely with the frame already placed on this table.


I also spray painted this little vase that came from the Dollar Tree probably 10 years ago.

Before...look closely...you can barely see it.


After...


So if you are sick of some of your accessories and want to a fresh look...consider painting. It is cheap and easy.

Menu Planner

Sunday - Cookout for my nephew's 2nd birthday
Monday - On my own, undecided
Tuesday - Three Bean Soup and Crusty French Bread. I am going to add ham to the soup.
Wednesday - Chipolte Pork Soft Tacos
Thursday - Wine Club

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This recipe was pretty good. I would make it again. My husband says it takes a second to get used to pasta in a Mexican dish but that didn't really bother me. I used regular tortilla chips instead of the nacho-cheese flavored ones. I also only used two green peppers.

12 oz pkg dried jumbo shell macaroni
3 large green peepers and/or red sweet peppers, chopped.
1.5 cups chopped red onion
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups cooked chicken
16 oz can refried beans
1/2 of a 1.25 oz envelope taco seasoning mix
(2) 10 oz cans of enchilada sauce
8 oz package shredded Mexican style cheese
1 cup sliced green onions
2 cups nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips, crushed
Avocado dip and/or sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
2. In skillet cook peppers, onion, jalapeno, and 1/4 tsp salt in hot oil over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, beans, seasoning mix, and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup each of the cheese and green onions.
3. Divide filling among shells. Spread 1 cup of remaining enchilada sauce in 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange shells atop sauce. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce.
4. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Unvocer; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with chips and remaining green onions. Sever with avocado dip and/or sour cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I made the entire casserole and put the other half in the freezer for another week.

Source: Women's Day October 2010 Issue

Camille's Room Clean Up

I have started thinking about Christmas and all the new toys that will come into the house. Camille's bedroom is for sleeping but also for playing. The amount of stuff sometimes seems overwhelming...where does it come from? I swear it multiplies overnight. I purchased 3 new drawer bins from Target. They are on-sale for $5.99 each right now. We made three piles just like they do on all those organization shows...one for donate, one for attic (saving for my new niece who was born last week) and one for trash.

BEFORE







AFTER




We made a room for Mimi, Camille's Lovie, in one of her closets.




I purchased reusable food storage containers from the Dollar Tree to help us organize our crafts.

Still a lot of stuff but it feels much better and there is even one empty bin and the Halloween stuff will go back in the attic so there will be more room in Camille's closet for whatever Santa may bring.

Menu Planner

HandsOn Day was a great success! My project was at Maymont Elementary which is now a preschool in the City of Richmond for ages 2-5. All my volunteers were from Target Stores. Over one hundred people helped beautify the school. We painted awesome murals on a trailer, in the nurse's office and on the blacktop. We made flashcards, washed all the windows, planted raised bed gardens and re-landscaped the front yard. It was a gorgeous day and the school looks great. In the haste of leaving the house on Saturday am, I forgot my camera. I am working on getting some pictures emailed to me and I will post.

Glad to be back to blogging. We are organizing Camille's room tomorrow so stay tuned for before and afters of that project.

Menu Planner for the week...Monday - Chicken Enchilada Pasta (I am having a hard time finding a link to this one so if it is good , I will post the recipe later in the week)
Tuesday - Italian Sausage Soup, Blueberry Muffins and Salad
Wednesday - Chicken and Cheese Ravoli, Salad
Thursday - Not sure

Italian Sausage Soup. See below for recipe.

(2) 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes, undrained and mashed
4 cups pared and diced potatoes
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced celery leaves
(3) 10.75 oz cans of chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce or juice
1 pound hot Italian link sausage
1 pound mild Italian link sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, for topping

Combine first 8 ingredients in large Dutch oven, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for 45 minutes. While soup is cooking, slice sausage in 1/4 inch circles, do not remove casings. (Note...can also remove casings and break up and brown.) Brown sausage in a large skillet, drain and pour off all but 2 tablespoons pan drippings and saute onion until tender. Drain well. Add sausage and onion to the tomato mixture. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese. Cook covered an additional 45-60 minutes. Serves 8-12 people. I freeze half for later.

Menu Planner

We had a great weekend that involved a trip to the pumpkin patch. As you can see my top planter of pansies are no longer with us and the other two aren't looking too great.

Menu Planner
Sunday - Maple and Soy-Glazed Flank Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Asapargus
Monday - Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Tuesday - Kickin' Chicken with Crunch, Beans & Rice, Corn
Wednesday - Pork Loin with Mango Salsa, Cous Cous
Thursday - Not sure

This weekend is HandsOn Day, a city-wide day of service. If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, click here to sign up.

Menu Planner

I am still taking my blogging break until after HandsOn Day but thought I would post the menu planner since we are still eating this week. Here goes...

Monday - Chicken and White Bean Soup with Herb Swirl served with Blueberry Muffins and salad
Tuesday - Taco Casserole (recipe below)
Wednesday - Kristen's Chicken
Thursday - Zatarain's Jambalaya with Chicken & Turkey Sausage

Taco Casserole
1.5 lbs lean ground beef (I bought ground turkey this time)
1 package taco seasoning
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can chili or kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn
1+ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup tortilla chips (coarsely crushed)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown meat and drain. Return meat to skillet and add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans and cook until hot. Add corn & simmer 5 minutes to heat through. Put in baking dish. Top with cheese and chips. Put in oven 5 to 10 minutes to melt cheese.

Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, shredded lettuce, cheese and chips.