Joyful Abode

I don’t remember where I found this recipe, but I wrote it down and didn’t try it for a WHILE. Finally, I tried it about a month ago and it was sooo delicious. The man agreed that this recipe had thumbs-up rating, so we made it again last week.

You will need:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup (or more) frozen veggies
1 cup cooked chicken (but we did more), cut-up
1 can condensed cream of chicken mushroom soup

1 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup milk

It doesn’t take long to cook the chicken in a pan. Let it cool for a while before you cut it up, so you don’t lose all those good juices.

While it’s cooling, go ahead and start the pot. Put in your milk, soup, and veggies.

Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently so you don’t burn the milk.

Also go ahead and mix up the Bisquick + milk for your dumplings.

Now, cut up your chicken and add it to the pot. Decide it needs more veggies. Because veggies are good.

Add more veggies and stir them in.

That’s better.

Once it’s all hot (if you just added frozen veggies you have to wait a few minutes), drop in your dumplings. You should get about 8-10 out of your dough.

Don’t stir it! Simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Then simmer covered for another 10 minutes. Don’t bother your pot… it’s doing ok.

Dinner is served!

Last week, I brought home a sore throat from work. Kid germs everywhere!  Well, all I had was the sore throat, but my husband caught it AND got sniffles and such. I guess all of my time building up immunities around kids (aka being sick a lot) has paid off.

Anyway, I whipped up this batch of Cheaters’ Corn Chowder… warm, creamy, and soothing… and I thought I’d share it with you.

Also, the guy mentioned to me that lately a lot of my food posts looked very “clean and finished” but that I should add more pictures of the process because, “your readers would like that.” So, here ya go.

You will need:

1 package Ramen noodles, broken up (any flavor)
2 cups water
1 can creamed corn
ginger, curry powder, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 (or more) cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring the water to a boil. Throw in the Ramen noodles and the flavor packet. Boil for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix seasonings into the milk.

Add the milk and corn to the pot. Simmer. Do not allow to boil.

When it’s all hot, add tons of cheese and heat through.

Stir to mix up all that good cheese.

Serve it up, and feel warm and soothed.

For a while, my jewelry has been lumped together in a jewelry box. When I want to wear earrings, I have to hunt for mates… when I want to wear a necklace, I must first unravel it from a tangle of its cousins.

Not anymore! If you have this problem too, you might enjoy making some gorgeous jewelry boards for your bedroom (or dressing room, if you have one… I have heard of such things).

You’ll need frames. Buy them on sale! Sometimes Michael’s has a selection of frames on clearance. I got mine at Linens n Things. Buy one get one 1/2 off.

You will also need cork. I bought 4 square-foot boards from Michael’s with a 50% off coupon. I only spent 5 bucks on them.

You will need hot glue, a ruler, an exacto knife or similar blade, stapler (regular kind), fabric, coordinating ribbon, coordinating pins, and a FEW minutes.

Remove the glass from the frames, but save the cardboard. Using the cardboard as a guide, cut your cork to size. It’s ok to piece it in order to make it big enough. No one will know.

Then, use your amazing hot glue gun to affix the cork to the cardboard.

Now, cut your fabric a little larger than your cork/cardboard mess. You can always trim it later, so err on the larger size. Place your mess cork-side-down onto the wrong side of the fabric. Stretch and staple. Staple a lot. And look out for those corners!

Now, if you just want a plain old covered cork board, you’re pretty much done.

For the magical jewelry boards though, pull out your coordinating ribbon.

Turn over your boards and measure where you want your ribbons. Mark with a pen. Don’t worry… no one will see the back.

Now, wrap your ribbons and staple staple staple (on the back, of course).

See what we’re getting at? Now they’re ready for the frames!

You’ll probably have to kind of cram them into the frames, because they’re a little bulkier than a photo… but it’s worth it. Make sure you secure your board by bending the little metal thingies down.

Check it out!

Now pull out your coordinating pins and your ruler. Add pins below your ribbons, about an inch apart. These are what you’ll hang your necklaces on. I pushed my pins in almost all the way, and then bent them out a bit so they’re like hooks.

Now, hang your jewelry and you’re ready to go! Hook your earrings over the ribbons, and hang your necklaces.

I really like this because everything is out where I can see it. It also really looks like the jewelry is framed, and since I chose frames, fabric, and ribbons that coordinate with our bedroom, it’s like a piece of art.

Let me know if you make some! I’d love to see photos.
And if you have a different solution for your jewelry storage, please comment about it. Another reader may prefer your solution.

I did an Inspiration? Decorate! post earlier about my bedroom decor. Here’s the second installment, about my living room and its inspiration piece.

The inspiration piece is this pillow from World Market.

I loved the colors, the pattern, the clean but organic shapes. It really appealed to me. So I took a couple home with me.

Enter: deliciously burnt orange curtains and curtain hardware which mirrors the leaves.

Then, I mixed up some paint colors that were pretty close to those in the pillow, and went to town creating my living room art.

Add a throw and you have….

That was in Columbia, SC still. So here it is translated into my Pensacola, FL home.

So, what are your favorite inspiration pieces? How have you incorporated them into the decor in your home?