Dinner Ideas....for the week!!

Oh NO!!! I hate to say it but it's Monday again...already. Here are some ideas for some yummy dinners for the week if your counter so happens to be over grown with some wonderful garden or just bought from the farmers market goodies like mine is....or was :)

Roasted Corn on the Cob in the oven....HEAVEN!!

Place the corn on top the butter, season how ever you like it, then roll it up so the butter is now on top to melt all over your corn while cooking. I did 5 cobs on 400* for about 35-40minutes.

It was so tender it just came right off as I ate it. Even my 2 year old was able to eat it!

Roasted Potatoes seasoned with steak seasoning, garlic and onions and diced ham. Serve it up with some broccoli or a different garden goodie and add some cottage cheese for protein.

Tuna patties, carrots and seasoned rice.

Crowd pleasure! Orange chicken.

I just cook the popcorn chicken in the oven according to pkg directions, then put the chicken in a bowl and pour sauce in, stir to coat and you are done! Serve over rice and again, with more garden goodies!

I cook dinner every night OR every other night when there is leftovers. I remember asking my mom years ago after I first got married how she always knew what to make for dinner. She said you just need to have an idea. Well, let me help you by giving you some ideas.....sometimes that is the hardest part!

Reversible Sewing Machine Cover...

Yahoo for DIY Day!!

My poor over worked sewing machine needed a makeover!! Here is some simple hints on how to make a very simple, yet very fun reversible cover.


Measure your machine.

Mine was 17" in length AND

29" from the bottom of the front, up and over and down the back side to the other bottom.

SO I simply cut 2 pieces of fabric 18" x 30". I made two tying straps 14" long (blue fabric in picture, you could even use ribbon) and one short strap 4" long (in the same fabric as the cover, or just use ribbon). You can choose how wide you like your straps, depends on what you like, mine where 1" finished.

Simply put wrong sides together of your square pieces, insert your already made straps to the longest side of the fabric (measure in from both sides about 7", pin straps in place) You want the straps to be inside the fabric.

On the other long side, measure up 7" and pin one end of the 4" strap to the inside of the fabric. Do not pin the other end yet.

Sew around your fabric, sewing the straps and one end of the shorter strap. Make sure your opening to use to turn the fabric right side out is where you can then insert the other end of the 4" strap. So in other words, before you start sewing, measure up 7" on the other side and start sewing at that spot, leaving a 3" opening to turn your fabric right side out. Once it's turned right side out, insert the other end of the 4" strap into the opening, pin and sew. You can then continue sewing around the hole thing for a finished look.

You have one end that ties with straps:


The other end keeps the cover in place like this.

Sewing a cover like this it is also reversible. Just choose 2 designs of fabric.

Hence one project but two options for a cover!! Nice!!

Want some other awesome projects? Go to

A Soft Place to Land for even more!

Your Kids Handprints...

Is it school time already???

I am so late in posting this BUT what a better time to show it, now that school is starting again for the year. I made this for my SIL's birthday, with her kids help of course :)

This would be so fun to do with your kids at the start of a new school year! Then when the school year is over, have them do another one so they can see just how much they have grown! Display it in their room so they can see it, they are sure to love it.

All I did was get a flat painting canvas(found mine at Joann's), used paint and a sharpie, punched holes at the top with my crop-a-dile and hung it with ribbon. Super easy so the kids can do it!!

Giveaway!!

Go check this out! It's a must!!! So many fun things to win and oh how much I love the Capes from The Dress Up Drawer!!

Orange...you glad!!

I needed something to put all those goldfish crackers in and make them easily assessable without having to go buy another container! (cause I have way to many) And this solution looks pretty darn cute if I don't say so my self.

This is what I did. We finished some really good OJ the other day. While I sat there enjoying the juice, I couldn't help admire the empty container.

So with a lot of help from this stuff (I honestly didn't plan on this project having so much orange involved...really!) I was able to get all the sticky stuff off the jug when I peeled off the label, I gave it a good wash in the dishwasher and then decorated it with some paper and ribbon and filled it with crackers. yum!!


I like this idea so much that I think it would be fun for neighbor gifts, teacher gifts, table decorations at a party or even just a cheap way of organizing those messy cupboards......hey I know I have some :) This is a great activity for the kids too. Let them clean the jars and decorate them for something they can use in their bedroom. (fill it with Lego's, beads, any small toys that get lost)

Also pictured at the top: I used an empty salsa jar as well.....the possibilities are endless!! This jar is MY time out jar full of treats that I can eat when I need a break!
Mom's need time out's too!!

Kitchen basket makeover

Yah, I know it doesn't look very appealing, those baskets on top the microwave (I wish I could find the same ones in black)

But with some shoelace ribbon (found it at Walmart) and a little bit of weaving they are now

Ahhhhhh, So much better looking and still functional.

Here is another project I did using the same technique!

Cards, Cards and More Cards

I have added a few new thing into my Etsy Shop so please take a look by clicking on LittlePolkaDot on the right side of this blog. I have a lot more other things up my sleeve so check back often. If you would like me to make you some cards for any of the upcoming holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas) please leave me a comment in my shop and I'd love to help.

Sneak Peek.....Revealed!! Fabric Wall Hangings

Hello everyone and Happy Thursday! If you are joining my blog for the first time from DIY Thursday from A Soft Place to Land, then I really hope you enjoy a look around :)
OK OK I know I promised a while back that I had a few projects that I have been working on. Well I do, I have just been doing other projects like laundry, cleaning the house, went back to work and napping..... after a great family reunion last week it's taken me a bit longer to get back into the swing of things. BUT as promised: Here is the project that I teased you with earlier:



I found this fabulous fabric at Ikea! I was soooo excited when I found it 'cause it has all the colors that I was looking for and in a style that (according to the Mr. in the house) "is totally you!"

So what I did was find a bunch of frames that I liked and I cut pieces of fabric out to fit in the frames and I arranged them in a way that I liked and I hung them up on the wall.


Look at this! So simple, so fun and again "totally you!"

The thing I like about this is that the fabric is not permanent so as the seasons change and I find fabric that I want to hang up I can replace it very easily, therefore always having something practical and useful and for not a lot of money.

**the frames I found at Joann's and they are 8 x 10's.

Breakfast Burritos

Here is a picture of me assembling breakfast burritos for the family reunion. They were such a hit, that before I could even get a picture of them all finished they were gone. All eaten up by those who I love the most! So happy they looooved them. So you'll just have to use your imagination but believe me they really were good.

Saute 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 3 cloves of fresh garlic and 2 cups of diced ham in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. Once they have softened add 18 eggs ( crack these in a separate bowl then add to this pan) Yes, 18 eggs.....we had 15 people to feed so figure 1 egg per person plus some :) Cook until done then add how ever much grated cheese you like.

I find it easiest to lay the tortillas out all at once on my counter and I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out the eggs. I was able to fill 24 tortillas. If you are not doing these for a large group you can freeze these for fast breakfast's for the kids now that school will be starting soon.

*** My personal touch is, once I fold them into a burrito shape, I lay them all on a jelly roll pan, spread a thin layer of butter on the top, sprinkle them with sat and pepper and a little bit of seasoning salt. I leave them under the broiler until lightly brown and crisp. Serve them with sour cream, salsa and of course a fresh fruit. DELISH!!!

Zesty Sloppy joes.....without the sloppy

Here is my new favorite Sloppy Joe recipe that I was able to come up on my own with a bit of experimenting, and we love it around our house.

Here is what you need:
2 lbs of ground beef (I will be trying this recipe with ground turkey soon since that is a bit healthier)
1 1/2 pkg of dry ranch dressing mix
1/8 cup of Dijon mustard
dash of salt and pepper

*** mix everything into the meat, let it sit in the fridge for several hours to flavor the meat. Then take it and cook it up in a pan like so:

This makes enough to go a long way so do as I do, save half and freeze it for a fast dinner some other night!!


Saute some onions. Now if you want you can cook the onions with the meat but we LOVE sauteed onions in our house.

Saute up a yummy veggie to go with dinner

And there you have it. This really is a nice change from the regular tomato base Sloppy Joes.

Enjoy, I know I did :)

Before and After Picture

I decided a couple of weeks ago that it was time to do a mid-summer clean out around the house. So the Mr and myself decided to have a yard sale. It went well enough that I was able to take the $ from the old stuff and buy something new. So this is what I decided "I needed."

A new rug for my living room.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I am loving it! I think my mood lately was in major need of a pick my up!!
I needed more color in my life :)
You like the rug? Here it is.