My Thanksgiving {Blessed} Mantel

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I was inspired by the argyle ties my boys got for Thanksgiving. 

You can read more about them here.

The bright orange, greens, browns and yellows were just the ticket for a playful--with a touch of tradition-- Thanksgiving mantel with a focus on how blessed we feel.

My inspiration photo:

I even hung one of the ties right up on my green platter!

To achieve the argyle-look for my bunting, I cut diamonds out of felt in two different sizes and sewed them together. My four year old and our little neighbor girl got to help me cut the felt pieces-- it was fun!

The BLESSED banner was created from simple brown paper bags-- that's it! I just stamped my letters on the paper squares and glued them to a flat remnant of cording I had left over from my antique chair makeover this summer. 

It's casual and colorful and makes me happy. We are truly blessed indeed.

Shared with: Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime, Somewhat Simple

How to Eat a Crisp, Autumn Apple

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Sunday Rerun: Harvest Caramel Corn

I thought I would re-post some of my favorite early posts (from back when no one was reading them) in honor of my one year blogiversary this month. I need to make this caramel corn again. Yummy!

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Oh my mercy. This stuff is good. Man, it's good.

The popcorn is sweet and buttery with the most deliciously spiced caramel and dried fruit, yet salty and crunchy...

I may need a moment.

Grab a paper bag of this and sit out on the back porch while the kids play. Or pack it up for the football game this weekend. Or cuddle up on the couch with your sweetie and share a bowl in front of a movie.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Ingredients:

3 quarts popped popcorn, picked free of unpopped kernels*

1 cup dried apples, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup almonds, sliced

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3-1/2 T. corn syrup

1/4 t. salt

1-1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. allspice

1/4 t. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Coat bottom and sides of a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Place popped corn in roasting pan and stir in fruit and almonds. Set aside.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Heat to a boiling on medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Continue to boil to the firm ball stage (248 degrees F). Remove from heat; stir in spices and baking soda. Pour hot caramel mixture over popcorn, mixing well.

Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Break apart and store in air-tight container.

Makes about 3 quarts.

*Note: 3 quarts popped corn = a little under two 3.5 oz. bags of microwave popcorn or 6 T. kernels

Thursday's Theme: Pumpkin

It's September and my thoughts are turning toward crisp, autumn nights and snuggling up on the porch with a flannel blanket (its over 100 degrees in Texas today, but a girl can dream).

Enjoy this fabulous pumpkin-themed eye candy. Yum! 

Those cupcakes are five pounds looking for a place to land and look irresistible.

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cupcakes from Sweetest Kitchen

Ginger Pumpkin Mousse from BHG.com

Cinnamon Pumpkin Baked Doughnuts from Multiply Delicious 

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter from Baked Bree

Pumpkin Pie Brownies from Madcap Cupcake

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate from Closet Cooking

Praline Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting from Pinch My Salt

Pumpkin Pie French Toast from Closet Kitchen

Pumpkin Drop Doughnuts from Lara Ferroni

Pumpkin, White Chocolate Chunk and Candied Ginger Blondies from Picky Palate

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pancakes

Scrumptious straight from the hot skillet...



or with a drizzle of pure maple syrup...



or (if you're feeling extra naughty), a little warm ganache.



Enjoy them over the Thanksgiving weekend with your family. You'll be a hero.



Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pancakes

1. Prepare your favorite pancake batter.

2. Stir in 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin and 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of batter on a hot, buttered skillet and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

4. Flip when the top side bubbles.

5. For the ganache, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 3 T. milk or cream.



Linked to:
Blue Cricket Design, seventhirtythree

Tutorial: Reverse Applique Table Runner

I had a little of this faux suede fabric leftover from the Davy Crockett treat bucket and had been itching to put it to good use.

In the spirit of fall and Thanksgiving, I decided to use my leftover scrap for a reverse applique/cut-out table runner.

I love how it turned out!

1. Using a piece of card stock folded twice, cut out a design (paper-snowflake-style).

2. Determine how long you want your runner to be and trace the unfolded paper design on the fabric.

3. Put the kids in bed, turn on a movie, grab your scissors and cut that sucker out.

Take your time and work on it little by little.

4. With fabric glue, attach your cut-out to another piece of faux suede in a contrasting color.

5. Draw scalloped edges along the bottom piece and cut that out. I recommend applying a third layer to the bottom and cutting it exactly like the second layer to add weight because the scalloped edges tend to roll up.

I thought it turned out really pretty and added a nice neutral background to my nature-inspired table.

Harvest Caramel Corn

Oh my mercy. This stuff is good. Man, it's good.

The popcorn is sweet and buttery with the most deliciously spiced caramel and dried fruit, yet salty and crunchy...

I may need a moment.

Grab a paper bag of this and sit out on the back porch while the kids play. Or pack it up for the football game this weekend. Or cuddle up on the couch with your sweetie and share a bowl in front of a movie.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Ingredients:

3 quarts popped popcorn, picked free of unpopped kernels*
1 cup dried apples, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3-1/2 T. corn syrup
1/4 t. salt
1-1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Coat bottom and sides of a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Place popped corn in roasting pan and stir in fruit and almonds. Set aside.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Heat to a boiling on medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Continue to boil to the firm ball stage (248 degrees F). Remove from heat; stir in spices and baking soda. Pour hot caramel mixture over popcorn, mixing well.

Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Break apart and store in air-tight container.

Makes about 3 quarts.

*Note: 3 quarts popped corn = a little under two 3.5 oz. bags of microwave popcorn or 6 T. kernels

K is for Kisses

Do I have your attention? Chocolate does that.

A couple of months ago, my three year old and I began a Letter of the Week program with a twist: we don't go in alphabetical order.

He knows his ABCs so I let him pick whatever letter sparks his interest for the upcoming week. Getting to have a little say in his education makes him feel special.

Then I spend a few minutes jotting down ideas for activities we can do together that relate back to that letter. We practice writing the upper- and lower-case letter, play word games (clap when I say a word that begins with "O"), and look for our letter on businesses and signs while we're in the car.

The best part, though, is that we sit down together and think of a few people we know who's names start with our letter of choice and brainstorm simple ways we might serve them or brighten their day. We also make sure to include that person or those people during our daily prayers.

This has been a really nice way to help our little guy meet people at church he doesn't normally interact with and stay in touch with out-of-town relatives and friends.

Letter K was his pick for this week so we decided to take some Hershey's Kisses to Kristi.

He filled up the baggie. He may or may not have eaten one or two.

I may or may not have eaten one or two or three or four.

I wrote "K IS FOR KISSES" and he searched for the letters out of some foam stickers I had. He then peeled off the backs and stuck them to a piece of paper.

I quickly folded a piece of green scrapbook paper over the top and stapled it in place.

Here is what I typed up for the back.

Who wouldn't love a bag of chocolate delivered by a cute munchkin?

ABC and 123

Spiced Chai Sugar Scrub

You must really love your scrubs! To better serve you, I am now offering a beautiful brand-new eBook, A Year of Sugar Scrubs, 24 Original Recipes for Hand and Foot Scrubs. It is organized by month and is loaded with delicious (never before seen) scrub recipes, like Caramel Frappe, Pina Colada, S'mores and more! Each recipe can be easily whipped up in your kitchen with common ingredients. I know you'll love it!

Click here to purchase.

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This is like a pedicure in a jar and makes a sweet little gift!