Good morning! My morning glories don't care that October is right around the corner.
This past week most of the flowers have changed to a beautiful deep purple.
And show no signs of slowing down!
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful last day of September!
Welcome to my fall dining room! These are the last of my indoor decorations and I have enjoyed sharing them with you.
I piled leaves, autumn flowers and sparkly pumpkins on my three tiered cake stand.
I wasn't sure how to decorate my tea shelf since all of my teacups are spring and summer colors. I ended up keeping it simple with white pumpkins, glass beads and floral hydrangeas.
Thank you for taking a look and I hope you have a great start to your week!
Thank you to all who joined in for Show and Tell and also for your comments on my entryway picture and decorations.
We had friends over for dinner last night and had a fun time together. I made oven baked ribs, baked potatoes, Caesar salad, pita chips with spinach dip and pico de gallo.
We also had one of my favorite fall dishes: acorn squash with butter and maple syrup.
I made choco hoto pots for dessert, but forgot to add the eggs, so it was more like chocolate concrete!
I had to pour boiling water in the bowls and scrap them out with a spoon, which gave me a blister. So, if you try the recipe, be sure not to forget the eggs!
I am happy to see some of you have joined in the weekly paper crafting meme. I put together an example of the weekly prize: A blank notecard, envelope, scrapbook paper, stickers and ribbon. You have all week to participate, so be sure to take a look!
And finally, I'm adding labels to old posts, so if you see them popping up in your bloglines, that's why. I hope you are having a great weekend!
Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.
Hello! Today I am sharing a special picture that hangs above our front door. It was a gift from my parents when we moved into our house 9 years ago.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
It is a single sheet of paper and the border has been cut out in a delicate pattern of flowers, hearts and swirls.
Even the letters are tiny slits in the paper.
I also added a few autumn touches to my entryway.
Thank you for looking at my show and tell!
Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.
If you would like to join in, please leave your *permalink* below, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting. Have fun!
Welcome to this week's homemade card project!
It is a simple design, but you can get lots of different looks by changing the paper.
You will need a 4" x 5 1/2" blank notecard.
Glue a 3 3/4" x 5 1/4" piece of scrapbook paper to front of card.
Cut out a 2 1/2" square from coordinating scrapbook paper. Cut out the center, leaving a 1/4" border.
Glue to front of card.
Tie a ribbon bow along left side of card.
Add stickers, if desired.
Send to a friend!
~More Homemade Cards~
New Weekly Feature: Post any kind of paper craft (card, bookmark, tag, banner, journal, etc.) on your blog between now and next week and come sign Mr. Linky. Next Thursday, I will draw one of the names and the winner will receive supplies for a homemade card: blank notecard, envelope, and an assortment of scrapbook paper, stickers (or stamped images), and ribbon.
I hope you will join in the fun and thank you for looking at this week's project!
Links are now closed. Please join us next week!
I love sharing a homemade card project each Thursday and many of you have said you would like to start making some, too. Starting tomorrow, I'll be posting a Mr. Linky each Thursday at the bottom of my card post and if you make any kind of paper craft (card, bookmark, tag, banner, journal, etc.) you will be able to share it with us!
If you need some ideas, I finally have all of my card projects in a single post, along with links to the step-by-step instructions. Click HERE to take a look.
You will have all week to sign Mr. Linky and then I will draw a name out of the participants and send the winner the supplies for a homemade card:
~blank notecard
~envelope
~assortment of scrapbook paper, stickers (or stamped images), and ribbon.
You will have a chance to win each week you participate. Things are always more fun with friends, so I hope you will join me!
Please scroll down for pictures and step-by-step instructions for all of my homemade card projects. Experiment with various scrapbook paper, stickers, stamps and ribbon to make cards for all kinds of occasions and holidays. Have fun!
~Step-by-step instructions~
~Step-by-step instructions~
Good morning! I can't believe there is only one more week in September. The first half of the month was nice and cool, but now it's back up close to 90F. Despite the hot temperatures, I've put away my summer recipes and we are enjoying comfort foods like casseroles and stews. Here are a few things I've cooked and baked in the past few weeks...
Mrs. H's Texas Chili and Country Cornbread Muffins
Mrs. H's Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese
Sandra's Snappy Meatball Heroes
Apple Pie Muffins from A Year from Oak Cottage
If you struggle with menu planning and making dinner every night like I do sometimes, all three of these blogs are filled with delicious recipes and menu ideas that I'm sure will inspire you!
Thank you for stopping by and for your comments on my fall living room! I love seeing your fall decorations, too.
I found two pieces of cutwork linen at a yardsale awhile back and wanted to use them on my entertainment center.
The bright white didn't seem to work well with my fall decorations, so I remembered hearing about tea staining and looked up some instructions. Here's what I did:
Poured boiling water over 10 spiced chai teabags and let them steep for 20 minutes.
Removed the tea bags and let the linens soak from 5 minutes.
I squeezed out the water and put them in a dryer for a few minutes.
Finally, I ironed them. I love the delicate shades of soft brown.
It didn't take long at all and now I'm looking around more other things I can tea stain!
Thank you for taking a look. Have you ever tea stained anything?
I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready to begin a new week. I have some pictures of my fall living room decorations to share with you.
I made a simple table runner with a single layer of hemmed fabric.
The candles are set in popcorn kernels!
I have some special things on my hearth. My friend, Tina Leigh gave me this pumpkin lantern last year.
Sarah Ban Breathnach's Mrs. Sharp's Traditions opened to the September pages.
When decorating the mantle, I started with the leaf garland.
Then placed the larger things like the topiaries and candles on each end.
I tucked small pumpkins and beads in the empty places.
A cake plate stand with mini pumpkins and candles on the entertainment center.
And lastly, I added beaded garland to the top of the lamps.
All lit up for a cozy fall evening. Thank you for taking a look!
Thank you to all who joined in for show and tell and for your comments on my special Autumn treasures! We've had a busy Saturday, but are about to relax and celebrate the upcoming first day of fall. It's been our tradition to watch Anne of Green Gables, and I made some Gingerbread cupcakes for our snack.
~Gingerbread Cupcakes~
5 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in large mixing bowl. Add molasses, eggs and milk and blend well.
3. Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
6. Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes. Remove cupcakes to cooling rack. Frost when completely cooled.
~Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting~
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. 
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with your family! I'll be around to visit you soon.
Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.
Today I am sharing a few of my special Autumn decorations. My sister, Melissa gave me this candle lantern a few years ago and it is one of my favorite decorations.
I have it displayed on my letter writing desk.
Melissa also gave me these acorn earrings last October when we came for a visit.
And lastly, a beautiful picture that my mom painted. My dream farmhouse is just beyond the red barn.
I have the picture hanging on my front porch which I will share with you soon. Thank you for looking at my show and tell!
Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.
If you would like to join in, please leave your *permalink* below, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting. Have fun!
Welcome to this week's homemade card project! This design will work for seasonal, thank you, birthday and many other types of cards.
You will need a 5 1/2" x 4" notecard.
Glue a 3 1/2" x 2" rectangle of scrapbook paper onto card, as shown.
Glue a 4" x 2" rectangle of scrapbook paper onto card, as shown.
Write word of your choice using stickers, stamps or a pen.
Add decorative stickers.
Send to a friend!
Thank you so much for all your sweet comments about my Autumn kitchen!
Welcome to my Autumn kitchen! I had lots of fun putting my decorations up this past weekend.
An Autumn wall pocket bouquet.
A corner on my kitchen counter.
If you tie ribbons around jars of candy it will last longer. :0)
My favorite Autumn pitcher and coffee mugs.
I found this squirrel salt and pepper shaker set at Cracker Barrel last year.
A bit of berry garland on a cake plate handle.
Thank you for looking at my Autumn kitchen decorations!
I spent Saturday morning in the kitchen making Pear Honey. I heard about it from Janet's Journal several months ago and finally got around to making a batch.
It is very sweet and will be wonderful on toast and biscuits.
The storm ended up missing us at the last minute. It drizzled all day and we hardly got any wind. My sister lives in an apartment (in Houston) and already has her power back on! Thank you so much for all your prayers!
It is going to be a very stormy weekend here in the Dallas area. Hurricane Ike is on it's way, although it will be a tropical storm by then. I have no idea what to expect, but we are stocked up on ice, water, and food. My sister is in Houston and had a rough night, but is safe and sound. Thank you for your prayers and to all who checked in on us in the comments and email.
I really don't like storms, especially windy ones, so I'm going to try and keep busy today, instead of living at weather.com. :0) We rented some movies last night, so as long as the power stays on, the kids will enjoy a movie day.
Right now I have some pear jam cooking away on the stove.
Plenty of fall decorations to put up.
And new scrapbook paper to have fun with.
I hope you have a great (and less wet!) weekend than us!
Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.
Today I am sharing a Autumn candle tray that I put together last week.
The tray is actually a picture frame that I got at a yardsale.
I replaced the paper under the glass with scrapbook paper.
Arranged some harvest candles on top.
And wrapped Autumn berry and leaf garland all around.
Thank you for looking at my new candle tray and have a wonderful weekend!
Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.
If you would like to join in, please leave your *permalink* below, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting. Have fun!
As you know I have Autumn on my mind, so I have a colored leaves card project to share today.
You will need a 5" x 7" notecard.
Cut a slightly smaller rectangle of scrapbook paper and tear all the edges. Glue to front of card.
Make a mini envelope from cardstock or scrapbook paper.
I found these die cut fall leaves at Michaels, but you could use stickers instead.
Or even floral leaves.
Arrange leaves in and on the front of the envelope and glue in place.
Glue the envelope to front of card.
Print or write a saying of your choice on paper. Cut out and dab the edges with ink pad.
Glue to front of card, along with addition leaves, pumpkins, etc.
Send to a friend!
I found a wonderful book at the library recently. It's called Back To The Table~The Reunion of Food and Family by Art Smith and is filled with lots of delicious recipes.
The first recipe I tried was Fluffy Yeast Rolls and everyone loved them.
Fluffy Yeast Biscuits
Makes about 2 dozen biscuits
You can refrigerate the dough overnight so you can have a big plate of biscuits ready for breakfast in no time.
Two 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm (105 to 115F) water
4 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, chilled, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup shortening, chilled, cut up (I used butter)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, as needed
Sprinkle yeast over the warm water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast.
Sift the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly with a few pea-sized pieces of fat.
Make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture. Stir in enough of the buttermilk to make a moist, shaggy dough. Knead in the bowl a few times, just until the dough comes together.
Transfer the dough to a medium bowl (no need to oil the bowl). Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, about 45 minutes. (The dough can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.)
Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 400F.
Pat down the dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Pat or roll out the dough until 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Gather up the scraps, knead together, and roll and cut out more biscuits until all of the dough is used.
Bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the biscuits are golden brown, about 20 minutes*. Serve hot.
*Keep a close eye on your biscuits while baking. Mine were finished and very golden at 10 minutes.
The biscuits were perfect for our Labor Day dinner, along with corn on the cob and Mrs. H's Oven Baked Country Ribs.
The book is also filled with beautiful pictures and quotes.
Let us give thanks for nature's abundance at this table this evening and for the work of loving hands.
The table is a familiar, uncomplicated, and friendly place where we can celebrate family, friends, food, and life's many blessings.
The table has always served as a symbol of congregation, the place where we celebrate our loved ones through the generations-old tradition of sharing a meal.
Daily we must unite with the human family around the world by counting our blessings over the table. These opening remarks start the celebration of the meal and of life, and express our love.
I mentioned that we got our first pumpkin last week.
I set it on a doily and the cake plate Linda gave me a few weeks ago.
And set it between two candles for a quick and easy centerpiece!
Candle light makes things more cozy this time of year.
Thank you for taking a look!
Good morning! How do you feel about Monday mornings? Sometimes they seem to sneak up on me and I'm faced with a huge t0-do of chores, school lessons and errands. One of the things I try to do on Sunday afternoon is a weekly home blessing (also known as a tidy-up), to help things go more smoothly for the coming week.
I put on a favorite apron.
Light a candle, so that by the time I'm finished cleaning, the scent is all through the house.
Often, I fill a small ziplock halfway with baking soda and a few drops of essential oil, mix and sprinkle over all the carpet. Here are a few more things I take care of:
Finishing up any laundry leftover from the weekend, especially the kitchen towels and dishcloths.
Gather school supplies and books together.
Water the flower pots.
Tidy up the fridge.
~Empty garbage buckets
~Dust the living room
~Vacuum
When I'm all done, I relax with a favorite book and wait for the new week to begin.
Do you do anything special to get ready for Monday?
Thank you to all who participated in show and tell and also for your sweet comments on my cameos. We are starting to see some signs of Autumn around here...
Guess what I found yesterday? The first pumpkin of the season! I will share how I displayed it next week.
Benjamin knows how much I love acorns and he brought me this one he found a few days ago.
Lastly, a special thank you to Phillip for giving my blog an Autumn look. :0)
Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.
Good morning! I have a couple of special things to share with you, today. Recently, I got an email from Debi asking if she could send me a copy of Life Beautiful magazine. She was sweet enough to send along several other gifts, including this beautiful guest towel. Thank you, Debi!
I am also sharing two favorite pieces of jewelry.
My mom always kept this cameo brooch on her dresser and I loved to look at it. I was very happy when she gave it to me a few years ago. Now I keep it on a little mirrored tray in my bathroom.
My other cameo is this ring that Phillip got for me when we lived in Sioux Falls, SD. I would love to add a Victorian era cameo to my small collection. Maybe someday! Thank you for looking at my show and tell and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.
If you would like to join in, please leave your *permalink* below, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting. Have fun!
Welcome to this week's card making project! This one is quick and easy to put together.
I made a couple of versions, including this one for Autumn.
You will need a 5 1/2" x 4" notecard.
Cover the front with patterned scrapbook paper.
Cut a 4" x 2 1/2" rectangle of scrapbook paper. Trim the top edge with decorative scissors.
Glue the sides and bottom to front of notecard.
Cut a 2" x 3 1/2" rectangle from cardstock.
Trim top corners with decorative scissors, dab edges with ink pad and add a stamp or sticker. There are plenty of other ways to decorated your gift tag, too.
Punch a hole and tie on some ribbon.
Glue a length of ribbon to top edge of pocket. I used hot glue.
Slip tag inside pocket.
Send to a friend. Thank you for taking a look!
Hello! Thank you for your comments on my new reading corner! Today, it is only getting up to 80F, which definitely counts as fall weather in Texas. ;0)
I will be putting out my fall decorations slowly this month, but I did find these place mats at the Dollar Tree. I couldn't have made them that cheaply!
We used them for our Labor Day dinner and they washed and ironed up great afterwards.
They also had these Maple Pecan Roll candles that smell as wonderful as they sound.
Speaking of wonderful, I made Sandra's Applesauce Puffs this past Monday. I used my mini muffin pan and got 24 puffs that were perfect for a first day of school snack. Thank you for the recipe, Sandra!
Let me know if you try them!
ETA: I just found out about The Inspired Room Fall Nesting Week. Please visit there for more fall tours!
Good Morning! I did a little rearranging this past weekend. In addition to the storage drawers, I got this hanging basket stand at the same yard sale for $5.00.
The blankets and pillows didn't match my bedroom colors, so I took them out and gave the baskets a good cleaning.
Next, I moved my patio chair into the corner.
Along with a little foot stool.
Now the baskets hold a burgundy throw and past Autumn issues of my favorite magazines.
Uh-oh...it looks like Daisy likes my new reading corner, too.
I don't think she plans on sharing! Thank you for taking a look and I hope you have a great day. It's the start of 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade for us!
Happy September! Thank you for sharing in the excitement of my recent yard sale find! We are having a quiet long weekend at home, although we did go to a fun pool party on Saturday evening.
Our friends just had a new pool put in and the kids had a great time swimming.
I really liked the waterfall.
But my favorite part of their yard was the beautiful walkway with lush plants and flowers.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these summertime blooms! According to Mrs. Sharp's Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach, the first Monday of September the season changes officially from summer to Autumn. Vacation is over, children get ready for school and once again, it's back to work.
Our new school year begins tomorrow and I can't wait to get out my fall decorations. RuthAnn from Warm Pie, Happy Home has an inspiring post on Blessing Your Nest for Fall and she also shares some of her own beautiful fall decorations.
I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day. Please pray for everyone on the gulf coast as Gustav makes landfall in the next hour.
