Autumn SWEETS!

Okay...since I now have Autumn on the brain I want to make sure I embrace it fully in all its glory.  One of the things on my to-do-list is to do some baking and boy have I seen a lot of scrumptious recipes going around.   Autumn and pumpkin and spice seem to go together hand and hand, so I am trying to decide which pumpkin recipe I should try out first.

It is between these yummy looking 'Baked Pumpkin Autumn Maple Doughnuts' from 'food + words'.  The name alone gets me, it SCREAMS fall.  The only issue is the recipe calls for Autumn Maple Beer (which also sounds delish') but I am not sure that I can just find it "around town", so the search is on.

OR.........This recipe for 'Pumpkin Pie French Toast' from 'Closet Cooking'!  I am a sucker for breakfast food. I think it is because I don't get it or make it very often seeing as though I am not a morning person.  And when I say breakfast food I am not talking cereal or toast.  I am talking....bacon & eggs..... OR FRENCH TOAST! You get the picture.  This recipe right here could probably qualify as a dessert in my book.  

OR.....These 'Pumpkin Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting' from 'House of Hepworth's'.  These look simple and delicious, and they did get rave reviews.

 In all honesty these will probably be the ones I make first. So lets just say I will let you know how they turn out.   I really can't resist a cookie with icing on it. So....there you have it. Cookies it is!  

Oh, WAIT!  We can't forget about these....

clockwise: 'Apple Pie', 'twig minis', 'melon baller minis'

Some sort of caramel apple WILL be made. My husband loves them so they MUST be made, right!?  I am loving the idea of these mini caramel apples....they are so cute and they look way easier to eat.  

I was recently gifted an 'Apple Pie Caramel Apple' at a MOPS meeting that I attended and I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant since I am so used to the idea of caramel and/or chocolate. I couldn't rap my head around the white chocolate and cinnamon, but boy-oh-boy was I in for a big surprise. It was literally one of the best things I have eaten...NO JOKE!    It has definitely inspired me to try my own.

Here's a list of some more fall favorite SWEET treats:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies w/ Maple Marshmallow Cream Filling

ch-ch-ch-changes

It's been a while.  I tend to do this often. I guess I like to take long needed breaks from blogging when I feel it is taking over more important things.  So here's to round 23...or something like that. I hope you don't mind. .........P-L-E-A-S-E don't mind.                                                                                                                      I have been busy with getting my oldest off to Kindergarten.  **sigh**  Such a bitter-sweet time.

It was only the second day of school when he asked me to just drop him off and not to walk him up.  I hesitated but agreed because he said that is what the big boys do. I then asked him for a kiss goodbye and he replied with a "NAH".  WHA?!?!?!?   HE IS ONLY 5!   This is all happening too fast!   

I have convinced him to at least give me a kiss goodbye...but when getting out of the car he now refers to me as MOM, my husband as DAD, and his sister as SISTER!  And he asked me to call him SON!  I don't know where he got this from, but that is what we do.  Seeing this little independence in him did make it a lot easier to send him off to Kindergarten for a couple of hours a day.  He loves it.

               There has been another major change around here.....
As some of you might already know, my husband has been pursuing a career as a Firefighter.   He has been working so hard and now I can say his hard work has paid off because he is now a Firefighter for our County.  I am so proud of him.  While it is only a part-time position it is a huge step forward and foot in the door. It does mean that we are still not quite settled and the search for a full-time position continues (Ugh!), but a long awaited step forward none-the-less. We are so thankful.

(I need to start taking more pictures because this is the only one of us together in quite some time....how sad)

This summer we have been busy doing a lot of camping and fishing.  It has been so much fun.  We haven't had a good streak at actually catching fish but thankfully we finally caught something in our last attempts.  It was quite exciting after having such a dry spell and a nice way to end the summer.

I don't know about you but now that I am getting into a routine again I am so ready for Autumn to come!  I love this season.  I can't wait for cozy clothes, comfort foods, leaves changing, and all that good stuff.  I just love fall.

                    ♥ ♥ ♥ So, here's to embracing changes, thankful hearts, and to Autumn. ♥ ♥ ♥  

staycation

I know it has only been a couple weeks since I have been back in the "swing of things" here in blogger world, but I am giving myself a weeks vacation already. My mother-in-law is coming into town for the week and I always like to give my guests my undivided attention (whether they like it or not). So I might not only take a break from blog posts but the computer as a whole.  I can sometimes get consumed with all things "Internet" and that always tends to bog me down.  Sooo......

I am off to enjoy my Mother-in laws company, the extra helping hands with the kids and I am even going to treat myself to a stroll around the Funky Junk Antique show......

I can't wait.

Hopefully I will come back next week and will be able to share with you some sort of little treasure that I picked up there.  I will go with camera in tow.

Well....it's time to sign off. I hope your week is as wonderful as mine.

See you all next week....

Band of the week #2

I must be in some sort of mood this month because I have really been into a more low key melodic sound.  The band I chose this week is Bon Iver........ I love them!!  I have included a play list at the bottom of this post because videos for their music are hard to come by or non-existent. The videos that I did find are live recordings...while they are still very good, they do not have the same sound quality. So I would suggest taking the time to listen to AT LEAST the first song on the play list below because it is OH-SO-VERY-GOOD!! I could listen to it over...and over....and OVER!!!  Then when you are done listening to that check out his live studio version on the sidebar ----------> Sooooo beautiful!!

  I also included a couple songs from the band Tennis that my husband recently discovered. I love that he loves music as much as he does because I just have to sit back and enjoy his stash or the new gems that he comes across.  My music life is now lived vicariously thru him.  It's nice.

 I couldn't really find any videos for them either.  They have a nice 50's, beach, lounge sound to them....which is kind of fun for spring.

  

If you like Bon Iver check this out too.......video(1).......video(2).....video(3)

31 before 32

Here is my list of 31 things to do before I am 32...

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I got the idea here on THIS blog! The only problem is that I only have until Ausust so I better get started.

1. Drink more water (kind of boring, but needs to be done.)
2. Create a monthly calender of things to do with my children....include at least 1 craft a week.
3. Learn to can, preserve, and freeze. (bought THIS book....excited to use it)
4. Take the kids fishing and camping.
5. Try container gardening (I thought this would be good since we might be moving)
6. Participate in the Bountiful-Basket Co-op.
7. Try to make my own food dehydrator. (Saw it in a book and just want to try it)
8. Continue to learn about all the animals that I want to raise on the land we will one day have. ;)
9. Be outside more (go to park, on picnics, walks, etc.......with the family)
10. Turn TV off more....and turn radio on....or just be in the QUIET
11. Play more cards and board games with my man....and the kids.
12. Go on more dates with my man (find a babysitter close to home.)
13. Restore an old quilt that was handed down (I want to make one from scratch...eventually)
14. Make more things to sell. (I have a list)
15. Exercise more and eat healthier (this one is big...I still have to figure this one out...TBD)
16. Make more breads and muffins (need good recipes....have any??)
17. Go to more garage sales and thrift stores for home essentials (especially kitchen items)
18. Write more handwritten notes and thank you cards...... (write my MawMaw!!!)
19. Get the kids and myself dressed..... even if we are staying in (at least 6 days a week)
20. Read to the kids more (start Little House on the Prairie series)
21. Plan more things to do as a family.
22. Train Bruce to sit, stay, and lay.
23. Be more hospitable (have someone over at least once a month)
24. Read at least one book a month.
25. Pray more (read a book on prayer)
26. Memorize more scripture
27. Knit a kerchief or my man a hat.
28. Take a sewing class.
29. Recycle and be more consistent with composting.
30. Make lip balm, lotion, candles, OR more soap (and other household products)
31. Open an Etsy shop (4 months should be enought time .......RIGHT?!?!?)

I know...I know! I might be stretching it a bit with a 4 month deadline and I will probably have to transfer some of these goals to my 32 before 33 list, but this is something to shoot for.....something to go to if I feel like I need to accomplish something......a good list of goals.

I will try my best to get these things accomplished....IT IS possible. Since I felt like I have waisted so much time waiting around for something to happen....I will waste no more.

via qacreate <---- I ♥ this shop

Like I said before.....it's on!!

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I was recently doing a bible study and read somehting in the commentary that struck a cord with me and has resonated in my mind. It was further defining the words "labor" and "striving".

(Colossians 1:29) I....Labor, striving acccording to His working

It reads: "Labor" refers to working to the point of exhaustion. The Gr. word for "striving" gives us the Eng. word "agonize" and refers to the effort required to compete in an athletic event. At the same time, he knew the effective "striving" or work, with spiritual and eternal results was being done by God through him.

I thought this spoke volumes on just how hard I really am to labor at what I do. I definitely don't push myself as hard as I should. I will be going back to this for sure, always keeping these key points in the back of mind.....pushing me just a little bit harder.

to sell or not to sell???

THAT IS THE QUESTION.....

See all of these pictures........ Well, I made them for my home.....

This one out of an old frame, some wallpaper, and some cardboard....

.....YES! Cardboard! That is what you do when you are on a budget! A girl has got to do what a girls got to do! ;)

I do hope to try and work with some cork in this same way soon. We will see how that works out?!?!?!

I did not do a fantastic job cutting the cardboard because that is the way I do things when I get an idea...get excited to see the outcome...and am making it for my own home. (you can see by the crooked tine on the fork.....heehee.)

I also made these out of wallpaper and cardboard, but I did do a little bit better job cutting the cardboard this time.

Meet Bruce. I don't think I have introduced him here yet. This is good ol' Brucey.I got this old window from a friend...painted it and got the idea to put a map behind it. I LOVE maps. I had looked at a few stores and couldn't find one, then happened upon this map a few days later up in a cupboard. This is a map my husband and I used while we were searching for our home. You can kind of see little teeny tiny Xs that we had drawn on there to map at all the houses we were going to look at. The little heart is over the house we bought. Awe. I painted the word faith to remind us to have faith through out the journey that Lord is going to take us on and that we are going to end up exactly where we are supposed to. I had a couple of old doors to a cabinet my husband made that I had saved so I cut some of our old fence boards to fit and VOILA.

Now back to the question... TO SELL OR NOT TO SELL?!?!??!

I think I could spend a lot more time making things for my home...but I really have a yearning to sell my "creations" whatever they might be. Would you buy stuff like this???

or THIS ?? .......or THIS ??

That is my question!!

**side note** I had to take all of my pictures of of my wall because the lighting in my house is terrible...which equals horrible pictures and glare. I took them outside one at a time IN THE RAIN!! And then for some reason chose to stand in a spot that was right under where all the water drips off of the roof. (I suffer for my art..hehehe)