Merry Christmas !!!



I hope you all have a wonderful time with friends and family and have safe travels :)


We will be home for Christmas, but the day after we are going north to visit my family for a couple of days...I'm so excited!!!


Can't wait to hear about all of the great happenings over the next few day :)

Sigh...

Dear Blog,

How does it happen to be 2 days from Christmas? Time is FLYING!!!

Why does it happen that when I think I have a good idea for a gift and I go to make that gift, it turns out HORRIBLE!!!!! Oh well.....not bad for my record...one bad....one million good LOL!

I'm off to the store to get a few supplies for another idea.....wish me luck :)

Christmas at my house :)

I have been really busy lately! But I guess who hasn't? Just this morning I put up our tree...that involved moving A LOT of furniture!!! I'm declaring my Christmas decorating DONE! Now I'm off to work on my gift list...

Brown is Down!

A couple weeks ago I got to go hunting with my hubby! Look what I harvested!!!!

Pumpkin Cake in a Jar!

I wanted to share this recipe that my Grandma had sent me for our swap :)



This dessert treat is baked and presented in a wide-mouth canning jar. Because the jar is sealed, the cake keeps indefinitely. It can be made well ahead of the holidays.



Pumpkin Cake in a Jar

2/3 c shortening
2 2/3 c sugar
4 eggs
2 c fresh pureed or canned pumpkin
2/3 c water
3 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 c walnuts, chopped
8 pint-sized, wide-mouth jars, with lids and rings for sealing
8 wax paper circles cut to fit inside the canning jars


Cream shortening and sugar together, adding sugar slowly. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water. Set aside. Sift together flour,baking powder, salt, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir well. Stir in nuts.
Pour batter into greased canning jars. Filling half-full. Place jars on cookie sheet. Bake upright in preheated 325 degree oven about 45 min. (Cake will rise and pull away from sides of jar)
When done, remove one jar at a time from oven. While still warm, place wax paper circle on the top of the cake . Wipe sealing end of jar. Place lid on jar and close tightly with ring. Turn jar upside down. (Cake will loosen at this time) Repeat with other jars. Leave jars upside down until sealed. (Jar is sealed if lid remains flat when pressed in center)
To serve: Open jar, slide a knife around the cake to loosen and remove the cake from the jar. Warm cake in microwave, slice and serve with whipped cream or ice cream :)


I was thinking about trying this with banana bread?!!!!

Fall Swap :)

This is what I received from my Grandma for our fall swap :)

Canned Pumpkin Cake!!! (Already tried and it's super good!)

"Happy as a crow can be, sitting in a pumpkin tree!"


How adorable is this?!!!

An awesome table cloth! Grandma is a Master Seamstress!!!

a close up:)

It reverses to this!!!!!

another close up:)







My pumpkin tree!!! Love!!!





What is not pictured is a big pumpkin jar full of chocolate malt balls...which are now gone:(


Thanks soooooo much Grandma!!! I LOVE all of my goodies :) (Can't wait until next year:)

Back in the Game!!!!

WooooHooooo!!!!! So we got ourselves an early Christmas present! A new camera!!!! (The pics I took with the disposable haven't been developed yet....) Anyway, I have a TON of things I want to share and would in one post although I should probably spread them out a bit :)



So here's for starters....our first REAL winter snow! A whole 6 inches!!! Not as much as other areas, but still super fun for the kiddos :) Can you see the tracks?

One of my many current projects I'm working on...I found this desk at a thrift store an hour away from our town...so wish it was closer!!!! It will be for Makaila for school. She's excited about all the drawers!

I'm painting it Swiss Coffee (a creamy white), the drawers are done, I just have to do the sides and the top. Speaking of the top - the guy who was helping me load it, dropped his side and the back corner chipped off! Ughhhh!!!! Oh well, no will notice when it's painted but me - I hate that, for a minute I thought about finding another one and getting rid of this one - just because of the chipped corner! I bought raspberry spray paint to do the knobs and the chair in. Also I'm going to recover the chair cushions in super cute fabric...can't wait :)

So for the Daughter, Mother, Grandmother fall swap...this is what I got from my mom!!!!

Super cute salt and pepper shakers...the funny thing is I almost bought these same ones to put in their packages!!! LOL!!!

She glued birch bark onto little pots...love :)





My mom is awesome in the woodworking department!!! You should see the table she almost has done (it's been a few years - OK well I've lost track) LOL! (Love ya mom!)


I LOVE this!!!!




Awesome pumpkin pillow!!!






Beautiful wreath!! Mom is a master wreath maker!!! Not kidding!!!





Thanks mom for all of the awesome goddies! I love them all :)

What's coming up...

So I got myself a disposable camera to hold me over a few more days LOL...I will be posting new pictures soon!!!!!





Here's what I've been up to...


Living room - textured and painted! I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm loving the new color and the overall feel of the room now!

Daughter, Mother, Grandmother Fall Swap - all of my projects are done and waiting for their picture to be taken and to be shipped!

Decorating my kitchen and living room - it's so fun to have a fresh back drop to work with...I've redone a lot of my decorating pieces (mostly with spray paint LOL), and have added some GREAT finds along the way!

Etsy - have been working on projects to put in/open my store!



I'm looking forward to this weekend mostly because Thanksgiving stuff will be going on sale and Christmas stuff will take place of Halloween stuff...YAY!

Yummy!

This recipe has defiantly made it into our rotation! We had it last night for dinner and loved it!

Cheeseburger Pie


1 pre-made pie/pastry crust
1 lb. lean ground beef (or elk)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c dill pickle juice
1/3 c milk
1/2 c chopped dill pickles
2 c shredded cheese, divided


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Crumble ground beef into a large skillet and brown over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute. Drain grease from mixture (with elk burger, I never have to drain!!!)

Sprinkle beef mixture with 1/4 c flour, Stir in pickle juice, milk, chopped pickles, and 1 c shredded cheese. Spoon into pie/pastry shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese and bake an extra 5 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the top is nice and bubbly.



Note: You can also add diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce to the top after it's done, just like a real hamburger! Also make sure you add the pickles and the pickle juice, that is what makes this dish!!!!!!

Thanksgiving ideas...

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I like to start gathering ideas for my table decorations. I love these pictures. Very simple, yet elegant at the same time. I already have my giant table runner done, but I need to add more. Something underneath the runner and something on top of the runner...like a smaller runner? Also I need a centerpiece to go on top of all the runners...still with me? I like the idea of stenciling names and sayings onto the napkins and table cloths...

I also like the idea of not setting the food right on the table, but putting it somewhere else...sideboard or something, not very practical though. Last year we had so many people for Thanksgiving dinner that I set all of the food on the table (expanded out all the way) and we all served ourselves and ate in the living room (I set up a bunch of chairs all around). This works good when there's a ton of people...and it's looking to be the same this year too!

Pictures from www.countryliving.com

The Scoop...

I soooooooo wish my camera would work!!! I'm planning on getting one of those disposable cameras just so I can capture what I'm doing before I send it off! I'm in the middle of a BIG. FAT. CRAFTING. STORM! My house has been transformed...or as my hubby would say "um, what happened?" That's when you know you are really doing good!!! The deadline for my 'daughter, mother, grandmother' swap is approaching like wild fire and I'm proud to say I'm almost finished!!! Yay...I'm breaking loose from the procrastination chain (for this project anyway - there is still Christmas! LOL!).


In other news (LOL), I'm hacking away at my to do list and I'm getting A LOT of half finished projects (from like years ago!) finished up! I tell ya, there is nothing more motivating than seeing what you all are up to, and what you get done!!!! I LOVE it!

Crock Pot Tuesday

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe - here is my favorite crock pot soup....



Taco Soup


1 lb. hamburger (I use elk burger)
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 cans pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 cans diced tomatoes


Brown the burger and then add the taco seasoning mix. Add all of the canned ingredients into the crock pot, do not drain. Add the burger and stir. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Serve with sour cream, chili fritos, shredded cheddar cheese, and small green chilies.

This recipe works well with any beans you may have on hand, sometimes I will chop up an onion and toss it with the browned meat. I also use my own taco seasoning mix recipe:


Taco seasoning mix

1 T chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp . oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper


This makes quite a bit for just 1 lb. of meat so I usually just use half of it and store the rest in an airtight container for later.


Enjoy!

It came back....

So this morning I decided to try my camera one more time...it WORKS again!!!!!!? What is going on? I guess it was just having a bad hair day!!! I hope it keeps on working until I can get a new one though...I have so much coming up that I need/want to share!!!!

(Some fun news...)

I had SOOOOO much fun doing a swap with Rambling Gal that I'm doing another swap with my mother and grandmother, a three-way swap! Now you must understand that these two ladies are so talented (they can run with the best of them!) and I'm so excited! I've been working away at my projects and will post what I send and what I receive (they both read this so I will have to wait to show my progress pictures:) Our theme is "If pumpkins were to grow on trees" I then learned that there are some that do grow on little trees, kinda oriental like and people use them over in Asia in stirfries, but whatever! I was picturing like a big giant Oak tree that produced big giant pumpkins :)

Sad News...

I've noticed something strange going on in Blogland...kind of a ripple effect...lots of cameras are either breaking down or broken or on someone's wish list...


TODAY my camera is no longer with us :( I don't know what happened? It just is not working (And yes I've tried EVERYTHING...new batteries, EVERYTHING and my hubby has tried EVERYTHING!)


I'm asking all of my family members for Amazon.com gift cards for Christmas so I can get this...

Until then I'm not sure how much blogging I can do without a camera (and I was just getting going!!!) Anyway, I will still be here and checking 'daily?' on my blog roll - keep me in your thoughts girls! I know this is a hard time, but I think I will pull through it ;)

Back A.W.A.Y. from the spray paint!!!!

Last week we went to Walmart (which I live 1 hour away from, sigh).

Here is a conversation I had with my 6 year old daughter while standing in the paint section drooling for about 20 minutes over spray paint.

DD: "Mom, we have been standing here for awhile!"

Me: "I know, just a little longer, I can't decide what colors to get." (At this point I should of just put one of each, no make that two of each into my cart!)

So finally I decided on black, caramel latte, and sparkling canyon (I know, I know; I did get two of each though!)

DD: "Mom, don't you think one would be plenty?"

Me: "No, see you have to have options!"

DD: "Oh"

Be glad to know that DD is being taught the right priorities!!! LOL!!!

So yesterday I started on some projects and wanted to share...

This is going to be one 'giant' table runner for my Thanksgiving table. I love how it's turning out and yes I'm using spray paint with a stencil...

A close up...

I can't decide if I want to do the whole thing this way or just the edges? Whatcha think?

I broke a shutter I got at a yard sale for $1.00 (not on purpose), perfect word plaques for my fall tree...

These are embroidery hoops...stay tuned for the final unveiling...

More hoops, wall baskets and picture frames...

And yes...I'm spray painting on doors, BUT these were headed for the dump and thought they would be perfect for the job!!! And yes...I'm doing this in my daughter's play room downstairs, BUT what kid would rather watch her mother make a mess? LOL!!!!

Whata Weekend!

Last Saturday my mom came to visit and to help celebrate Makaila and Katelyn's birthday's. We did a joint party because their dates are so close together. The party was fun - there were only six screaming girls, OK maybe they didn't scream the whole time, but they were LOUD! Instead of doing a goodie bag, we opted for the girl's to make beaded bracelets that they could take home...they were all super excited for about 2.1 minutes and then decided that playing would be more fun! Needless to say all of us moms were gathered around the table making bracelets LOL! Oh well, maybe next year...

So anytime my mom comes you can almost guarantee that she will bring some really fun stuff with her...not only for her granddaughter's but for me as well!!!! I L.O.V.E. this!!!!





How cool is this old bread box!!!










She got this at a thrift shop...I can just imagine the possibilities!!!







A beautiful tray full of some of my favorite things...those pumpkins will make great stew/soup bowls!!!

Thanks mom for coming to visit and for all of the wonderful things that you brought with you!! (P.S. I hope that Hubba Hubba didn't make too big of a mess in your house!!!! LOL!!!!)