Easy Weeknight Taco Soup

Easy Weeknight Taco Soup. So easy, and super good! And it makes a ton! It's great for when you have company over, especially if your company{like mine}, tends to be lots of visiting family members. And who wants to do a lot of work in the kitchen when you have family to hang out with?

Easy Weeknight Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 1 cans kidney beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1-2 cans corn
• 2 cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes{I use original Rotel}
• 1-2 cans water or beef broth{add if you need more liquid}
• 1 packet taco seasoning{I use a couple tablespoons of this great homemade taco seasoning I found at The Girl Who Ate Everything. If I use a packet, I use Old El Paso original}
• 1 packet ranch seasoning{I haven't tried a homemade ranch seasoning yet but plan to soon}

Brown the beef and onion together in a stock pot over medium heat until the beef is cooked and onion is tender. Add everything else. Let it cook for a bit to let the flavors mix together. About an hour on low should do it.

Top your soup with any of the following yummies:

• sour cream
• cheese of your choice
• avocado
• tortilla chips or Fritos{My personal favorite is Fritos; way more flavor!}
• rice

A few added notes:

• You can make this vegetarian by omitting the beef. I do it all the time to save money since ground beef is super expensive.
• You can indeed freeze this. And you will probably need to. It makes a ton.
• Make it in the crockpot. Just cook your beef and onion in a medium skillet first and then add to the crockpot and cook for, oh however long you need it too. I've usually gone about 6 hours on low, I think.
• I don't think this is a super spicy dish. If you're really sensitive to spice, use mild Rotel in place of original, and use mild taco seasoning. Vice-versa, use hot Rotel if you want it really spicy or use spicy taco seasoning. Be prepared to die. Or at least lose a few taste buds.
• Add or subtract cans of ingredients based on what you have or what you like. This is a very forgiving recipe. Don't like kidney beans? Leave them out and replace with more black beans if that's what makes your tummy happy. Only have one can of tomatoes? Oh well, it will live. And it will be delicious.
• Subtract cans to make less, add cans to make more.

This recipe is so easy, I didn't even have to look at the recipe to type it out. Once you've made it a few times, you just remember! It's a perfect busy day meal, especially if you cook it in the crockpot. Also perfect for rainy days and cool nights. When you have large amounts of company over.

I'm sharing at these cool link parties:
Show and Share Wednesday: Mostly Homemade Mom
Hookin' up with HOH: House of Hepworths
Give Me The Goods: Rain On A Tin Roof
Brag About It: Bebetsy and VMG206
Blog Stalking Thursday: The Crafty Stalker
Blissful and Domestic: Feature Friday
Liz Marie Blog: Inspire Me Please

DIY Jewelry Organizer From Shutters

I am so excited to share this project! I've been working on it for quite a while now. I finally finished it up yesterday afternoon. It was a great day to work on such things.

I picked up some shutters at a thrift store not really knowing what I would do with them. After letting them sit around the house for a while, I realized that the slats were the perfect size to hang my earrings on. And then I got a scathingly brilliant idea: turn those shutters into a jewelry organizer. My poor necklaces have been sitting in a box all crumpled together for far too long.

They weren't real pretty to begin with. Just brown and dirty. I cleaned them off the best I could and then started priming. I used spray primer on one side but then ran out so I got out a brush and primed the other side with Valspar primer.

I originally planned on using a brush to paint the entire thing but went with spray paint to save time. I used a few different Krylon and Rustoleum spray paints. Just because I had to try a few different things...yes, that's it. I painted one side with Krylon in bright white in satin finish, and then tried to use Rustoleum white in flat finish on the other side. I'm not sure what was up with the flat finish but it turned powdery and I could just rub it off.

I ended up vacuuming it, sanding it a bit, and then painting both sides with Rustoleum Universal paint and primer in one in white satin finish. I think I've found my new favorite spray paint. It went on perfectly. This isn't a sponsored post and I'm not getting paid to say that, it just worked really well!

After painting, I sanded it, banged it up a bit with a hammer, and then attached hanging hardware to the back. This distressed my shutters more since they were laying on concrete while I was hammering away at the hangers.Then, I pulled my drill out and drilled four little holes across the top{but not all the way through!} for my cup hooks, and then screwed them in. And then the moment of truth...

Perfect.

So next time you see random shutters lying around, you will grab them up, yes? Yes. Your necklaces will thank you.

Inspired Fridays

Tara Dennis

Christina's Adventures

Newton Custom Interiors

Carissa Miss

Poppy Pedals

Our First Apartment

When Hubby and I were first married, we lived in a little one bedroom apartment. These were nice apartments too, which is why we only had one bedroom: it was all we could afford! And even then we could only afford it because they gave us a deal and threw in a free washer and dryer.

We just randomly decided to check them out, even though we figured luxury apartments were well out of our price range. As soon as we walked in and saw the light brown paint on the walls, we wanted to live there. Love my neutrals! Hubby{to-be} thought of me when he saw them. He knows what makes my heart go pitter-patter.

Definitely my favorite room. Looks pretty good for just starting out and figuring out my style, I think. I love that tv armoire. It's a heavy, solid, Ethan Allen piece that some friends of ours found at a yard sale for $100. Nice price compared to the $1400 the owners said they paid for it!

And we were on the second floor so that piano had to come up too. Guess what Hubby, the groomsmen, and assorted male family members were doing the night before our wedding...thanks guys!

Our tiny little kitchen. We didn't have anywhere for a table because of the piano, so bar stools were our solution. Our solution for the lack of drawer space was putting the towels in a basket on the counter. My laundry room/pantry is though that door at the end of the kitchen.

Our bedroom was the one room I hadn't got completely together before we moved. As you can see, I had way too much junk that I was determined to use. I have learned my lesson! I hope. A lot of this stuff is going at the big yard sale in a couple months. And yes, I did just stack a bookshelf on my dresser.

I do miss our little apartment. In some ways, it was easier to work with than a big house. And we hadn't acquired as much stuff. No, really, we have way more stuff now. Mostly bigger stuff.

This little place will always have a special place in our hearts. There's something about your first place together that has that effect on you. There are definitely some things decor-wise that I wish I'd done differently{like that overabundance of tcotchkes}, but I've lived and learned, and will not be making the same mistakes again.

Instead, I'll make completely new ones for your amusement.

My Thrift Store Find

I found the best thing at the thrift store this weekend. It makes me giddy just thinking about it! Ok, I'm sure there might be better things to find at a thrift store, but this one made me so excited!

*cue angelic music*

Nate Berkus pillow shams from Target. 

Oh yes. I don't know where the comforter went, but I have the pillow shams. I am very much looking forward to making some pillow covers or something from this fabric.

Totally. made. my. day.

Books

Books. Books everywhere. They are taking over my home in their modest unassuming way. Don't get me wrong, I love books. Hubby and I are avid readers, but we're starting to run out of room.

And if I put all the books on our bookshelves, where will I put my all my thotchkes?

This is a real problem, people.

This is one side of our upstairs built-ins. Not quite packed, but pretty durn. I used to have pretty things on those shelves along with the books. Ah, those good ol' days.

And then Hubby does things like going out and buying bukoos of books at the thrift store. More books. Oh, the humanity!

This is what happens when my reading, his reading, books accidentally left by family members, and birthday gifts get together and hang out on my end tables.

I could always resort to stacking them everywhere...

{Source}

It's chic, stylish, and won't work with a toddler.

Rats.

I suppose I should probably get rid of some of them, but it is so hard to part with old friends.


Do you have any creative uses for books or unique ways of displaying them? 

We Painted The Bathroom!

Remember our upstairs bathroom, all its issues, and the work we had done trying to fix it? Well, we have hit the light at the end of the tunnel. And not a moment too soon.

This week we have family and friends staying with us and, since the bathroom was in a shambles, I was stressing over it. So I did what I always do. I decided to paint two days before everyone arrived.

I had my color all picked out but after talking to the paint people at Lowes, decided I needed to go with a different kind of paint. Which kicked my color choice out the window since the color wouldn't translate well into another brand. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because the the color probably would have been all wrong anyway. We have old creamy white tile in the bathroom and I wanted to match the paint to the tile.

I couldn't find a color in the right paint, so I went to Home Depot to check out their selection. I brought a few samples back and tried them out but none worked. I had picked whites with yellow undertones and once they were up next to the tile, I realized I needed a pink undertone. So back I went.

Finally, after 9 samples of white paint, I happened upon the right one. I picked Nude by Behr in a semi-gloss enamel finish. This was my first time using Behr paint but I must say that I really liked it. This post isn't sponsored and I'm not getting paid for it, I just was really impressed with the quality of their paint.

I got the paint up on the walls with a day to spare. Except I almost ruined it because the paint wasn't completely dry in a few places when we put on the second coat. We got a few bubbles but then they deflated so I guess we'll see if it causes problems later.

You can see in this photo how the previous white paint was very bright compared to the tile. Plus, it only had one coat of paint so you could see blue peeking through underneath it. Always do two coats of paint. It really is the only way to get coverage, even if the can says one coat! And also use primer. Every employee I talked to at both Lowes and Home Depot told me the paint/primer in one is totally bunk.

And now it blends with the tile so much better! The pink undertone was the way to go.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get the trim painted before everyone arrived so you can see the difference in the new paint and the previous paint.

I did get a new shower curtain rod and rings. It looks great! Now if I can only get the stuff back up on the ceiling.

Once the excitement dies down around here, I'll be able to finish the painting and a few other bathroom projects. I can't wait to show you the end result! I'm so excited! 

A big thanks to my mom, sister, and mother-in-law for helping get it done on time and looking fabulous!

June Happenings

Well, June flew by rather quickly and here we are in July already! How do these things happen? My schedule got a little thrown in June and I'm still trying to get back on track. We're so off track in our house that we haven't even gotten the pool ready for summer yet.

And when it comes to my spray paint projects, they have been on hold because it. won't. stop. raining. Seriously, Summer? This isn't how it's supposed to work. Although, I am grateful for the slightly cooler temperatures, so, thanks for that.

Here's a round-up of some things that were going on here in June!

Gold Dipped Vase

30 Days Accessory Free

Summery Herbed Tomato Pie

Blogging and Blessings

Around the House

Thrifted Hutch Makeover

Kiddie Room Ideas?

I am sorry for the long posting absence. This weekend I was again at my In-laws helping them unpack more stuff, hang some pictures, and spend more money at Ikea. If you want any help with spending money on your house, come see me. I'm very good at it.

Ahem. Anyway, as I was saying, my schedule has been very crazy lately and I haven't been home. I know, I am a bad blogger for not working ahead and scheduling my posts. Bad, bad, blogger. But hey, I have a hard enough time just getting the laundry done{poor hubby}.

With all the Ikea shopping, I've been trying to plan out a new kid room in my head. Little man's room is the smallest in the house and there just isn't enough room for all the playing that takes place in there. So the plan is to switch his room and the current guest room. I want to incorporate his crib bedding because I love it. And to save money.

I love the little quilt with all it's neutral texured patchwork. Some squares are fuzzy and soft, others are cable-knit sweater, some are nubby, some are polka-dots. I love it. Oh yeah, and the mobile is mine from my baby days. 

This is his room from last year. It doesn't look exactly like this any more. We added and removed some thing and hung beige blackout curtains. They are too short for hanging high so I don't know how I could use them in the new room, but I spent money on them so I feel stuck. I'm trying to figure out how I could lengthen blackout curtains without the extra material looking see-through.

Another hang up I'm having is that the fan in his room{not in the picture}is a bright green. And I'm not sure I'm up for painting it, though now that I'm thinking about it, that might not be a bad idea. And I found this old cross-stitch going through stuff last weekend and I'd love to use it.

It hung in Hubby's room when he was little. Matches the bright colors in the fan and the mobile. And then there's the giant colonial style Noah's Ark print that you can see in this guest room post. It needs a new mat and frame but Little Man loves it and it would be great if that could go in there too. Too much? Probably.

I should mention that I'm planning on putting white paint on the walls. 

So would you use the green fan or paint it? The cross-stitch is definitely going in and I think it will work with the neutral bedding. What would you do for curtains? Solid or print?

Any ideas?

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

In my last Inspired Fridays post, I shared a recipe for super delicious healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies that I found over at Tickle My Fancy. The thing is, when I made it, I modified the recipe. I'm sure the original is quite tasty and possibly healthier, but you go with what you got sometimes.

The original recipe calls for cloves, coconut, and nuts but I left those three things out. Why? Well, hubby hates cloves, I'm not a fan of coconut{unless you make a German Chocolate Cake, in which case, come right on over!}, and Little Man can't quite do nuts yet. I think my version is still pretty tasty though!

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
• 1/3 C. Peanut Butter
• 2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
• Dash of Ground Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in the oats, chocolate chips; stir until well combined.

Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly{I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie.} Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

I may or may not have eaten these for breakfast this morning...

You can find the original recipe, coconut and all, over at Tickle My Fancy.

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I Made It!

I made it a whole month without my house accessories! It got hard toward the end, but I made it. Now I can start putting my random junk out again!

Hopefully, I have learned not to put out so much random junk this time. I was able to go through some of it and set it aside for the giant multi-family yard sale we're planning. I still have a lot to go through.

Having rooms cleared of all their stuff made it easier for me to see what was necessary and how the room could function better. Like this lamp. I put it in the living room knowing it would never stay but having no idea where else to put it. It was clear we needed a light in our office and, since the shelves were clear, finding the right spot for it in that room was so much easier.

I just wish it didn't illuminate that old AC unit...

Plus, taking all that stuff down really helped solidify for me which things I absolutely loved and which things were just "eh." The trick is going to be with more sentimental things. Things I don't really want to decorate with but don't want to get rid them either. I guess I'll pack them up along with my stuffed animals.

I just might make a habit of this every year.

Note to self: trips to ikea may sabotage your accessory-less efforts.


You can find the original inspiration for this challenge here at the Nesting Place.