Wordless Wednesday-Candy Corn Cookie Bark

Favorites from the past week.....

I am always coming across new blogs, but have some I follow and visit every single day.  There are so many talented ladies out there in the blogging world. I thought I would start sharing favorites from the past week that caught my eye.  It could be a recipe, a decorating idea, a craft I want to try or maybe just a really great post about life. Hope you enjoy them and hop over to the blogs and check them out.


                                                                      Chai Tea Mix

 

 

Fall Yard Display

 

 

Apple Pie Milkshake

 

 

 Candy Corn Cookie Bark

 

 

Yep, this is the one we are making today for our Fall party tomorrow evening.  Happy Tuesday y'all! 

 

 

Time to put on the apron!

I am not sure about you, but the heart of our home has always been our kitchen. 

I became the cook baker I am today because of a great kitchen.  The kitchen in our Fort Worth home was the place I spent most of my time. We lived there 12 years but the last 3 it became MY place.

It had a great set up, an island I was sad to part with and tons of working space. You could always find me in that kitchen cooking up something....cookies, muffins, cakes, baking breads and pizza. Speaking of breads and pizza....that kitchen is where I had the courage to work with yeast! And that kitchen is where I had the desire to make more things homemade for my family. And where the boys would pull chairs up around that big island and help Momma cook.

It was a great kitchen!!!!

But now we are in a new place and time.  In a new/different kitchen.  A place I am excited to make new memories in.

It's time to put on my apron!!!! 

I have tons of cabinet space and a pantry I once dreamed about!!!  The cabinets are super deep and go all the way to the ceiling.......perfect for things you rarely use. Oh and the two above the fridge are greatness too!

Once I added all my pretties it really started to feel like home. 

You all know how much I love baking!  You know how much I love making yummy goodness for all three of my boys!  And this time of year is the perfect time to learn this new kitchen. 

This past weekend we had the opportunity to really use the kitchen.  The biggest difference is the gas stove.  I have never cooked on gas until now.  The next biggest difference is the size of the kitchen.  It is a bit smaller, but workable. Not near enough counter space, but I am learning.

Note: our big kitchen table will come in handy for extra work space.

Put the gas stove and size of kitchen together and I have a very warm cozy place to cook, bake and create yummy goodness.

The weekend was off to a cool start here so it was the perfect time to get in the kitchen. We opened the windows (I LOVE having big windows right above my kitchen sinks!!) and got to cooking!
We Christened our home by Brant making his famous Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. I baked cookies, garlic bread, biscuits and banana nuts muffins......not all in one day, throughout the weekend.

It is a smaller kitchen, not as much work space and gets much warmer, quicker!  But I am really liking the change.  Like with any change in life you make a decision to embrace it or fight it.  I made the decision to embrace it and make it the best I can.

More kitchen fun this week:
Granola bars
Fall Candy Corn Cookie Bark
Walking Tacos
Pumpkin Bread with cinnamon chips

 
  Maybe I'll surprise the boys tomorrow morning with homemade pancakes!

What's for breakfast?

I had intended on getting this up earlier this morning so you could make it for breakfast, but you know how life goes. But now you can plan to have it for tomorrow morning.

So what's for breakfast?

Homemade biscuits with pumpkin butter, grape jelly or local honey. 

That's me cutting in the butter.  You can find recipes for both
homemade biscuits and pumpkin butter in the
recipe section here on my blog.

AND oven baked BACON!!! I had never tried it and it will be the only way I EVER cook bacon again!! 

Line a cookie sheet with foil and place bacon on foil.
Put cookie sheet into a cold oven.  Turn oven on to 400 degrees
and walk away.  Let cook about 20 minutes.
Time may vary with your oven...make sure to check for
desired crispiness.  Enjoy!

That is what was for breakfast.  What about you?  Any quick yummy homemade ideas you want to share?

Thankful Acorn 2012

Happy November!!!! I am so excited about the upcoming holiday season this year.  Living in the same town with family will be so much FUN!!!  We have lots to be thankful for.

 

Oh wait it is not November yet!!  Close enough right? 

I wanted to make sure to get this up before November anyway so you would have time to make plans to make your own Thankful Acorn.  Or basket.  Or tin.  Or tree.

 

November marks a time for the holiday season to begin for most folks. For me for sure! 

I am already thinking about the feast of course, spending time with family, preparing for Christmas in a new house, lots of baking, but most of all being thankful.

Although we should be thankful every single day, I like to take this month and really spend time on being aware of what we have to be thankful for.

The most important thing I am thankful for is my faith and trust in God. Without His amazing Gift, His son Jesus Christ, I would be lost, but by grace I have been found(saved!). Thank God!

If you have been following my blog for some time you already know what I am going to share.  If you are new to my blog I am happy to share it again.

Today let me tell you about a fairly new family tradition. It is called, The Thankful Acorn(that is just a name I came up with....you can pick your own or use it too).  This is our fourth year to set aside a time to tell what we are thankful for.    

Many families like to take the time on Thanksgiving day to stop and be thankful. And where I think that is a good practice to get into, I wanted it to be more than just one day. Although we Praise God daily for the many blessings He gives us, I wanted a whole month for my boys to really think about all they have to be thankful for.
We started with just a few nights a week two years ago. But now we do it almost every night of the week. I prefer to spend the time right after supper while we are still at the table and write out our thankful notes.

Now here is where you can make it super simple, like me, or go all out on this. The first two years I simply cut construction paper into little squares and placed stickers for extra fun. Last year I bought cute scrapbook paper.  This year I am doing a combination of the two.  And actually found some scrapbook paper in my stash so I am using that and some leftovers from last year.  As we run out I'll cut up construction paper.

Next, find something you will put them in each day as you and your family write out the thankful notes. I had the cute little acorn basket for years. I would always put it out for fall, but now it serves a true purpose. You could use a regular basket or a pretty fall tin. The container really does not matter. It is the actual sitting down and writing what you are thankful for that is important.

Don't covet the basket!

The tag I made last year...."We are thankful for....."

If you have small children that can not write yet, do the work for them. But encourage them to think of all the little things they are thankful for. If they can write let them do it......you may have to help with spelling, but allow them to do it on their own.  And don't discourage what they are thankful for. 

This last part is optional, but worth the little bit of extra work. After Thanksgiving I take all the notes and put them in a "scrapbook".

Thankful Acorn 2011

Thankful Acorn 2010

Thankful Acorn 2009

NOTE: I confess I have not done that yet!!!! Actually the thankful notes were still in the acorn from last year. I just might use my idea below about the baggie!  Unless I find another Target $1 scrapbook like the ones above and below. 

Again it does not matter what I put the notes in, just as long as I keep them as a memory to go back and look at later. To save space you could simply put them in a baggie and pack away with all your fall decorations. I like to take out the scrapbooks during the fall season. And then put them away with all my fall stuff at the end of November.  The fun part of this for us is going back each year and looking through our little notes. We love seeing what each other was thankful for the year before.

So that is The Thankful Acorn.

I hope I have inspired you to make this part of your November/Thanksgiving tradition.

I am thankful for my sister-in-law that shared it with us a few years ago! It is a fun part of November for our family.

And today I am thankful for a new home with windows that let the sunshine pour in creating a natural glow.

Thanksgiving books for children

Yes it is that time already!!!

Do you realize Thanksgiving is less than a month away?!?!  I can smell the turkey and cornbread dressing as I type.

Most of my decorations have been out, but I wait until November 1st for my Pilgrim, Indians and our Thankful Acorn (post coming soon for that).  But all the Thanksgiving books are out and ready to read.

In the boys' room I was able to create a nice little reading area.  And on the chair I sat a basket just for those seasonal/theme books. 

The basket will make many trips to the living room over the next few weeks.  Or on a bed as we sit and read together the books of the season.........Thanksgiving!!!!  In the past week the boys have taken these books out to read at bedtime.   

Nothing like reading in bed to settle a little one down before they turn off their lamp and drift away to those sweet dreams.

Here are our favorites. 

Do you have a favorite? Maybe it is one we don't have.  I would love to get the boys a new one this year.  Leave me a comment and tell me your family's favorite.

Take some time

Do you love this time of year as much as I do?

How often do you take some time to get outside and see the beauty?

I'll admit it sure does NOT feel like Fall in Southeast Texas, BUT yesterday we took some time to see what nature gives us at this time of year.

We love our walks looking for God's creations.  We love looking for the changes He gives us at this time of year. 

Plus it makes for a great break/recess in our morning of school.  I can't imagine homeschooling and not getting outside. 

Outside is a HUGE classroom FULL of exciting and wonderful subjects!!  ENDLESS subjects!!!

 

Even if you don't homeschool take the time in the evenings to take a walk with your children. 

Grab a bucket, a pail or even a paper bag for them to carry and let them collect things of this season.

 

The boys had so much fun picking up acorns, leaves of various colors and plenty of pine needles.

 

 

As your child collects things talk about where they came from.  Learn about the trees in your neighborhood.

Discuss the blessings God gives us through each season.  And the miracles we see right before our eyes as plants and trees change colors.

It doesn't take long and you will be happy you got out of the house.  Children love a nice walk and learning about nature.  And children love learning new things from Mom and Dad. 

Go ahead take some time to get out and discover nature!


"Let them once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight and habit through life."
~Charlotte Mason

Feeling normal.....feeling blessed.

We have been in our new home for a week now.  We still have lots of unpacking to do and tons of projects, but for the most part things are starting to feel normal.

Normal to me these days is.....................

-Sleeping in my own bed.
-Getting up early and drinking coffee in my favorite cup.
-Baking homemade granola bars.  Even if I had to do it at 5:30 in the morning to avoid overheating this little kitchen. 
-Taking a nap on our couch while the boys run and play all around me.
-Decorating each room (which BTW are only a few!) with all my pretties.
-Having projects to keep me busy.
-Seeing the boys in "their" room playing with all their toys.  "Their" room is a new thing.  They had their own room for as long as they can remember.
-Having internet, TV and Wii all connected.
-Developing a routine in a new place.  Still working on it, but trying desperately to establish something!

These are just a few things that are making me feel normal these days.

The house is pretty much set up.  I still have lots of things to be hung on walls and am in hopes Brant can get to those this weekend.

NOTE: the pictures are of our bedroom.  And just so you know I did not take a picture of the very messy dresser stacked with junk and boxes.  And did indeed move things around to make these pictures look better.  I had to tell you because I am honest and did not want you to think I totally have it all together......not yet!

The garage is another story!  It will serve as a storage room since we downsized tremendously.  Going from 2018 square feet to 874 square feet! We ultimately want to buy land with a bigger home one day so for now we are renting this cute little home.  We have lots to get rid of, but still a lot we want to keep for that bigger home one day. Not near as big as our home in Fort Worth!!!
So.....can you say YARD SALE coming soon?!?!

It is a much smaller, older home, but I am loving it more and more everyday.  For a year or more I had started to get rid of stuff in our Fort Worth home.  And when we were packing to move I could not get over all the "stuff" we had!  Why on earth do people need all this junk?!

So moving into a smaller home I am really finding out what we truly need and getting rid of the rest.  This will make me shop smarter I am sure. I have no room in our life (or HOME!) for junk!!!!!

I'll post soon about the specifics that make this house so great.  And some of the projects to come.

My favorite is the bathroom. With yellow tile I was horrified at what to do to make it work.  But with just a few changes, ideas from Pinterest and eventually a new floor (Honey, when can we make this happen?) I am loving the bathroom!!!!

Even though we are just renting right now we consider it our home and will enjoy fixing it up.  We always love a home project!!!

Right now I am feeling normal.....feeling blessed.

My blessed pillow made by a very special friend.  And given to me by
that friend and a special group of women that I miss very much!!!!

Happy Friday y'all!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Home Sweet HOME!!!

We have moved into our new old home!!!!!  Just a few pictures of this sweet, little old house.
I'll update later with more details on the fun we will have with home projects.

 

And the view sitting on the porch...........LOVE!!!!!!

Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin Butter.........it's what's for breakfast!!!

This is fabulous!!!!! And way too easy so lets get on it!


Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (15 oz) canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling mix)

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Turn heat to low and simmer a few more minutes.  Allow it to cool and place in a jar or container.  Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers!

Oh howdy is this stuff good on warm toast with butter.  And I bet it would be good on muffins.  Or, get ready.....warm HOMEMADE biscuits!!!!! Maybe Sunday morning honey.

The spices you taste are amazing!  So easy you are crazy not to try it!  Unless you just don't like pumpkin.  And if that is the case, well I still think you are crazy!

Enjoy! Now go take a bite!

 

 

Have a great week!

Chair Makeover-Part 2

"Pits make life sweeter"

So what do you think? 

I absolutely LOVE it!!!!!!!

And one of the most easiest makeovers I have ever done!!!   I did not take pictures as I worked to make it over, but this is pretty self explanatory.

First I sanded the chair all over.  But did concentrate more on the edges.  After sanding wipe down chair.

Next I took old fabric off.  Now to apply the new fabric.........lay seat board and cushion (which was foam) on new fabric.  Start pulling fabric tightly and staple onto the board.  That is it.  Oh except for reattaching the new seat to the chair.  I had Brant do all that for me.  Thanks honey!

And one last look at the before and after.

Nice, but too white and pretty for me!

Shabby chic finish and full of FUN!!! That makes me SMILE!

 

Cost of makeover:
Chair-$10
Fabric-$4

I can't wait to have this in our next home one day (I pray very soon!!!).  It will certainly add that bit of whimsy that I think all homes need.

Week of Instagram

 

1. Matthew checking for eggs.
2. Ryan looking like he belongs in the country.
3. Morning......it was delightful!
4. A few of the girls working on next day's breakfast.
5. Next day's breakfast....Matthew cooking fresh eggs.
6. Checking the mail.....long driveways make it so fun!
7. Matthew and me.
8. Ryan and me.
9. The boys watching the chickens after AM chores......they are SO gonna miss this next week!!!