Give Thanks

 

I am sure you have all been feeling thankful! I know I have been, and the holiday season is in full swing around here. I made this banner last year and was super excited to hang it up. I saw the idea at a friend's home in Texas, and kind of gave my own spin to it (she used leaves instead of squares to back her letters, I like the geometric look instead). I am not one for turorials (sorry). I don't like to follow them, and I certainly don't like to write them! So, here is a basic idea of what I did....

 

First of all, it is all made out of felt. I bought some brown felt off of the bolt since the 8x10 sheets would be too small. Then I bought a few different fall colors in the 8x10 sheets for the backing and letters. Then I just measured how big I wanted it to be, cut them to size, and then sewed the top of the brown felt so I could run a string through it. I cut everything else how I wanted and used my sewing machine to sew them on in contrasting colors. Feel free to do what you want in attaching them, it really just depends on the texture and style you want. I hot glued the circles and letters on to make it easier. As for the letters, I just blew up a font on my computer and used them as a template in cutting them out. It really was simple, just use your imagination! It could say anything you want as well, "thankful" "harvest" etc. I hope to make a Happy Birthday one soon for my children's birthdays in the spring/summer. I hope you like this idea! Anything is great with felt, I just love the stuff!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday's Feature {Overnight Praline Pecan French Toast)

This week's Friday Feature is a warm, gooey, guilty pleasure.  Head over to Valerie's Recipe Box for this amazing recipe!

Rules:

• Any creative idea will do
• No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
• Grab a button to link back to this blog
• Start sharing!
• And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

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Butternut Squash

I LOVE butternut squash. It is by far one of the sweetest and yummiest of all the winter squashes.  Every year my husband's grandparents share some of their squash harvest with us, so I am constantly on the look out for exciting new recipes.  I've recently found a few that should be a big hit with my family and wanted to pass them along.  (FYI-there are a few!  I couldn't limit myself to just five.)

Butternut Apple Crisp

Butternut Squash Lasagna

 Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Walnuts

Steamed Butternut Squash Pudding

Butternut Squash Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Macaroni Cheese with Butternut Squash

Squash Pot Stickers

Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup

Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash

Rice Pudding with Candied Butternut Squash

Squash and White-Bean Soup

Looking Back

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the things that we threw together for Fall and Halloween last year. 

Pumpkin Spice Potpourri

Fun With Foam (Printables)

Vintage Halloween Sign

Festive Frames

and

More Festive Frames

Vintage Spiders

Fall Centerpiece

Creative Inspirations From Hobby Lobby

If you are the type of individual who needs to see something that's already been made in order to jump start your own creative juices, then I highly recommend that you start collecting some of Hobby Lobby's Creative Inspirations pamphlets.  Not only are they chuck full of fun ideas and projects, but they are also free.  BONUS!! 
These great pamphlets give you several creative options that involve the same main crafting supply.  For example in the picture below you can see some of the different ways that an ordinary clothes pin can be used to create a large variety of projects. 

You can even find some helpful hints and step by step tutorials on how to create some of these unique looks, depending on the project that is being showcased.

For some reason I just barely discovered these little gems.  Probably because I spend most of my time at Hobby Lobby fighting my girls and trying to run in and then right back out.  But, in case you're like me and haven't known about Hobby Lobby's Creative Inspirations simply go to their store and look for them in any of their crafting isles. 

Here are few of the fun things you can expect to find:

  

Fall Centerpiece

This project was really easy and cost me about $5.00 to make.  I've seen things like this at Walmart and Target, but they were never quite want I wanted and the price was never right.  So, once again I decided to hit the dollar store and make my own.  (My mom joined in on the fun)

Here is what you'll need:

*A styrofoam pumpkin

*A variety of floral stems and other fall items (pine cones, leaves, berry clusters, etc.)

*A hot glue gun

*A knife

First, I cut off the top part of the pumpkin.  This will give you a place to stick some of the floral items.  I actually placed very few items directly into the pumpkin.

Then, I glued on a few green leaves to the top of the pumpkin and slowly started adding in all of my floral stems and fall items.  I added everything one item at a time to makes sure it was full enough and balanced.  I then finished it off by filling in any empty areas with the green stems that are sticking out.

(If you're uncomfortable starting something like this by yourself have a friend join in on the fun to provide ideas and help.  My mom has done several projects like this and she had some great insight.)

Once your pumpkin is done go ahead and use it as a center piece or simply add it to your fall decor.

Expressing Gratitude

Saturday morning my husband looked out our front window and saw these three little neighbor girls raking up all the leaves scattered in our yard.

I wish I had captured them in action, but I thought about it a little too late.  However, I immediately decided that their little act of service required some homemade chocolate chip cookies topped with M&Ms.  So, I baked some cookies, let them cool, and put them on a plate all ready to carry over.  Wait a minute!!!  A plain old paper plate?  Surely I can do better than that.  Lucky for me I had some fun items on hand and was able to spice up a simple plate of cookies.

Here is what I put together:

I wanted each girl to have their own little personal "Thank You".  No sharing with the parents unless they wanted to.  I wrapped up their individual cookies in some plastic wrap and tied it all together with some twine.  Then I printed off a little thank you note from the computer, whole punched it and tied it on as well.  (I distressed the edges of the note)  Then, I pulled out some wooden leaf cutouts that I had from an old fall decoration and spiced them up with some ribbon and berry clusters.  Once the leaves were all done I glued them onto the thank you tag.  

I think they are a cute way to say thanks.  I really like how the leaves represent the service that was done and the fall season.  I'm sure I could have come up with something more creative than plastic wrap, but with the short amount of time I had to throw these together I think they turned out all right.  At least they thought so. 

Carmel Frosted Zucchini Muffins

Yummy, yummy, yummy!  I'm so in love with this recipe, and this is the perfect time of year for it.  Something about it screams "Autumn" to me.  The best part is, my kids LOVE them.  One year I made these as an alternative to birthday cake and the kids couldn't get enough.  I love zucchini bread and these are top notch!

Note: I shred my zucchini on the thinner setting.

Kicking off November with...

November is here and with it comes Thanksgiving. This is by far my favorite holiday. I enjoy Christmas, but there is something extra special about Thanksgiving. Maybe it has something to do with getting together with family, watching football games, counting all of my many blessings, and eating all the yummy food. Since I spend a good portion of the month contemplating on all the tasty things I'll get to eat come Thanksgiving day, we thought it would be fun to have a week full of recipes. mmmmm......  Each day we'll be sharing a different recipe with you in celebration of all things yummy.  That means our recipes will be geared toward tastiness and not just Thanksgiving.  So, to kick off the month of food we start with one of my family's favorites.

"OPEN and DUMP" Taco Soup

This isn't you average taco soup and it's called "open and dump" because that's what you do... you open a can and dump it in.

I always get the craving for some good old chilly the this time of the year.  In my opinion it's the perfect warm ya' up and fill ya' up meal.  One night, as I sat staring into my cupboard trying to figure out what to do for dinner, I realized I was in the mood for just that. The problem was I didn't have any good recipes and I didn't want to use all my ground beef in one meal. So, I got a little creative and threw something together. (I do that every now and then)  This is what I came up with and it's been a big hit with my hubby!

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. package Ditalini pasta (This depends on the size of your family. With our family I usually only use about half the bag. You can also use any type of pasta)
1/2 pound of ground beef (or sausage would be yummy too!)
Taco Seasoning
1 can of corn
1 can black beans (I've used red beans before too. That also depends on you and your family's likes and dislikes)
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 cans tomato sauce (depending on the size of your family and how much you're making)

Top With:
Cheese
Sour cream
Green Onions
Frito corn chips
Or any other toppings of your choice

Directions:
Cook your pasta until tender, then drain and rinse.  Fill your pot back up with water until your noodles are just barley covered. (Your water line should be just below your pasta level)

While you're cooking your noodles go ahead and brown your beef, drain of any extra fat, season with your taco seasoning and add to your noodles.

Now the fun part, start dumping in your remaining ingredients: corn, beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Heat everything together for a few more minutes and then season to taste. (I usually add in more taco seasoning.)

Serve with cheese, sour cream, Frito corn chips, and green onions and left everyone pick their own toppings.

**Since I came up with this recipe on my own and geared it to two people you may need to play around with the quantities. Also, in case any of you are wondering, I got the great little soup bowl from Tai Pan Trading.**