It's What's For Dinner

Dinner time can be such a headache without a plan. Add to that the inconvenience of a dwindling pantry- so it was slim pick'ins. I told you I'm a procrastinator! Tomorrow,  I aim to get my coupon on. Back to tonight- I went to my trusty cookbook- Better Homes and Gardens' Anyone Can Cook. Love this cookbook! It totally makes me feel like I CAN cook. I came across Caribbean Rice and Beans and could see that I had just about everything I needed. One quick emergency ingredient (coconut milk) phone call to my sister and I was all set. I doubled the recipe so I could use the entire can of coconut milk and I am soooo glad I did! Leftovers! Even the kids loved it- it's a miracle!

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Caribbean Rice and Beans

1/2 cup finely chopped onions (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice or short grain rice **I used long grain rice. I'm a rebel like that**
1 15.5 ounce can small red beans or light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 ounce can vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (2) **Didn't have any. Didn't care :)**

1. In a 2- to 2 1/2 quart saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender; add rice. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat about 5 minutes or until rice is golden.

2. Stir beans, broth, coconut milk, jalapeno pepper, dried thyme (if using), salt, and allspice into saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and mixture is creamy. Stir in fresh thyme (if using). Sprinkle with green onion. Makes 4 to 5 main-dish servings.

I sprinkled jerk seasoning over frozen, skinless chicken breasts and roasted them in the oven. The hubby shredded them for me because I decided that grabbing the thermometer that had been IN the chicken IN the oven could be removed with my bare fingers. Ouch. We served the chicken over the beans and rice. A simple salad on the side added some color and some crunch. Yummy. I'm adding it  to the rotation. Try it!

Bless your mess,
Karen

Easy Sunday Mornings? Not quite...

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I don't know about you, but getting to church on Sunday mornings can be one of the toughest times we have all week. The boys were tired and cranky from a family viewing of "ET" last night. The weather was cold and rainy- all but requiring us to stay in bed. "Church clothes" were too much to ask of the boys. Mind you, they were wearing khakis or cords, and weren't even forced to wear collared shirts today. Thing 1 and Thing 2 rebelled by wearing their play clothes underneath their church clothes! Whatever it takes, right? 

As usual, I am glad that we made it to church today, even if we were 10 minutes late to Sunday School Singers. Once the service started, and the boys were relatively quiet and still (shout out to Highlight's "Hidden Pictures"), our Pastor shared another sermon in his "Mayday, Mayday!" Series. Today's sermon was about the law in the Bible and how it relates to us today. My biggest take away from it was "the christian faith is not about our goodness, but about HIS goodness."

I also laughed as much as I can remember in recent history! Pastor Jeff referenced a book called Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier. He read an excerpt of it and now I think I have to make it my personal mission to get my hands on a copy of this book. Hysterical!! I found a review on line by Mary-Jane Donnellan who described it like this: "Lamentations of the Father is a humorous and colorfully illustrated book, which offers a delightful yet insightful perspective on parenting. Adapting the language of Deuteronomy, tongue-in-cheek, it sets out a father's code of conduct for young children."

You'll like this if you are a parent of if you have spent ANY time with children. Here's an excerpt:

Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the hoofed animals, broiled or ground into burgers, you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the cloven-hoofed animal, plain or with cheese, you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the cereal grains, of the corn and of the wheat and of the oats, and of all the cereals that are of bright color and unknown provenance you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the quiescently frozen dessert and of all frozen after-meal treats you may eat, but absolutely not in the living room. Of the juices and other beverages, yes, even of those in sippy-cups, you may drink, but not in the living room, neither may you carry such therein. Indeed, when you reach the place where the living room carpet begins, of any food or beverage there you may not eat, neither may you drink.

But if you are sick, and are lying down and watching something, then may you eat in the living room.

Read more of it here!

Bless your mess, 
Karen 

The booth is open for business!! Today was moving day and, despite the rain, all went well. I could not have done it without a lot of help- Paula was my muscle and my sister, Sarah, kept the kids. Thank you!! Please come on down to Melville Trading Company and wander over to Booth # 9. You'll find an eclectic mix of vintage, industrial, and modern pieces.

This is what the space looked like when we first arrived.

the inventory pile

getting settled in

a little closer 

my favorite mirror

vintage Paint By Numbers

More inventory to come later this week!

There are several items in the booth that I either handmade or rejuvenated. I''ll share some tutorials soon!

Bless your mess, 

Karen

Lunch Notes

I've been putting these little notes in Thing #1's lunch and wanted to share them with you. They are vintage looking and are so sweet. My little guy has a tough time being away from home for so many hours and I think these help him out a bit. My favorite thing about these particular notes are that they are interactive- the kiddos have to complete them.
 
            

            
           
Jenn from Rook No. 17 created these and shares them as a free printable at her website. Please go there to check out her site and use the link above the pictures to download them. She even provides a printable card box to store them in! I love it when I find something that I can do for my boys that makes me feel like a good mama!!! Thanks, Jenn!!

Bless your mess,
Karen

Opening Night - Changing Things Up

I get the itch to move furniture around. A lot. (and not just at my house). My sister says it’s an illness. I’m not sure if that is her professional medical opinion or just a personal opinion. Hmmm?I think it's fun to move things around and see if the room can look or function better. Buying new furniture would be great, but that’s just not in the cards right now. So I make do with what I have on hand. Most of the furniture we have in our home has had several lives- being used for one purpose or another. When Thing # 2 finally decided to cooperate with potty training (still in progress) we were left with a changing table with nothing to doo-doo (too much?). So I decided to change it.

Before

After 2 coats of basic black spray paint (My hubby “CC” bought the store brand from Lowe's Home Improvement for $.99!! and I am happy to report that it worked just fine) I think it looks much better now.

Behold!

Good enough to sit on the front porch and greet guests at the door. I plan on using it as a potting bench/toy corral. If I ever get my Halloween decor out and about, this little spot will definitely get spooked!