I am so glad you’re here at smithfamilyrenovations.com. We share tips, recipes, and projects that’ll give you a glimpse into our world. Please take a look around! Comment, share, or like our posts! I hope you find something that inspires you. Don’t forget to check out our ‘About the Smiths‘ page and follow along the fun on social media.
I’m telling you, this camper project has had its share of make it work moments. As we’re nearing completion I can look back and see a time I felt pretty sure that we’d ever have a dinette and bed area. Continue reading “No Sew Camper Cushions”
Have I ever mentioned that Tim and I hate painting? It’s not that it’s hard, it just sucks.
We are not great direction followers. We like to skip steps. In painting, the steps are important. We want to follow the directions and do the steps, but we don’t. We want to get beautiful, meticulous results, but we don’t.
Don’t get me wrong. Our finished projects turn out fine. Especially if you don’t look super closely. I’m assuming we’ll get better over the years. Maybe even grow to love painting. For now, it sucks.
It’s no different with this camper project. If we didn’t know we hated that paneling and didn’t know how much better The Prospector would look with a fresh coat of white paint, we would have said forget it. But here we are, trying to follow the steps, trying to get it right. Continue reading “transformation tuesday | Painting The Prospector”
This quick and easy guaca-ranch sauce is perfect for chip dippin’, burger toppin’, or veggie coverin’.
My favorite way to enjoy it is on turkey burgers. We buy Jennie-O ‘all white meat’ turkey burgers from our grocer’s freezer. They are tasty tasty tasty.
Here in cow happy Nebraska people are a little hesitant of non beef burgers. “What, you don’t like beef? You too good for beef? Why use something besides beef?”
Well, disgruntled neighbor, it’s just a nice change from your regular beefy cheeseburger, which, duh, I love too. Not to mention, turkey is healthier. Topped with provolone or pepper jack cheese and you’re in for a real treat. “What, now American cheese isn’t good enough for you? Don’t you love America?!?” …. sigh.

Back to the sauce, this creamy, ranchy, spicy guacamole sauce is just the best. And it is easy to make. All the ingredients go right into your blender! A little chopping, a couple vroom vrooms from the blender, and you’re ready to go. Continue reading “Blender Guacamole Ranch”
Well life has been busy. I’m feeling like we are not getting much accomplished in any certain aspect. But we are happy and healthy and can’t complain.
I thought I would do a quick post of the fun stuff we (I) have bought recently. Junkstock is coming up this weekend and we’re not going. So instead of pouting, let’s enjoy the the new items we have.
Work has begun on our vintage Champion travel trailer — The Prospector
Our first steps were to basically demo whatever is not staying in the camper. Some things are coming out because they are damaged/broken. Some are coming out because we need or want something different.
Here’s a quick look at the before pics. Click the photo to see the whole post.
So,
- The ‘desk’ on the right end of the camper had to go. It’s just not functional for us. Custom ‘dinette to bed’ area coming soon. It’s in the works!
Continue reading “Getting to work on our vintage travel trailer”
Here’s the scene. Friday 5 pm. Tim’s at work. Kids are getting hungry.. We already had hot dogs twice this week.. I’m out of bread.. Need to get a veggie into them tonight.. Kids are whining.. I’m tired.. What am I gonna make us for supper?!
Making supper while Tim is at work is a challenge that is always evolving. My two little ones are finally at stages where they’re both eating about the same amount and they pretty much eat what I eat. That being said I’m not one to have a sophisticated pallet or be picky about eating kid food (grilled cheese, hot dogs, mac n cheese, etc).
This Knorr Pasta Sides meal has become a weekly staple in our quick and easy supper plans. It’s great for the end of week when your cupboards are bare and your patience is thin. Continue reading “Jazzed up Knorr Pasta Sides”
We had a great time at The Rural Route Rust sale a week ago this last Saturday! The weather was cloudy, but it didn’t rain. There was plenty to look at, stuff for Ivy to do, and yummy food. It was great to see Tim’s sister Suzie and her son Easton there, too!
It has been so long since I’ve posted a recipe! When I started this blog, my main focus was going to be home renovations, diy projects, and the like. Well, turns out continually renovating your home is expensive, even when you do it on the cheap like us. That’s when I turned to sharing recipes. I’ve got to say that I am not a chef. I do have a passion for cooking, being creative in the kitchen, and sharing connecting with others about food. So here is the first Smith Family Renovations recipe in about two months…
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
I love tacos. I love tater tots. I love making casseroles. This recipe is a TRIPLE WIN. I love tacos and tater tots, because, duh. Yummm. And I love making casseroles also because they’re yummy, but secondly because by following a basic formula you can use almost any ingredients on hand to make a hot and delicious meal for your family. Prep the casserole the day before and pop it in the oven for a quick and tasty meal. Continue reading “Taco Tater Tot Casserole”
Here’s the official BEFORE photo post of our sweet vintage camper, AND guess what, we’ve given her a name….
Meet The Prospector
Continue reading “Our Vintage Travel Trailer: Meet The Prospector (Before)”