It's coming...12 days of Christmas giveaways!

We are so very excited to start our first giveaways.  Shannon and I have been busy making fun crafts and we want to share them with you!  Help us publicize our blog and we will help you win!

Our first of our 12 days of Christmas giveaways starts at midnight, be on the lookout!  Thank you to all of you who are already following our blog!

Our Weddng Week Part 1

Today is my Dad's birthday.  He's 30 plus 38 :-) Happy Birthday Daddy!

I can't believe November is almost over.  I'm already feeling the December rush.  Family pictures on Wednesday, shopping, baking, planning, decorating... all needing to be done.  YIKES!  With all the holiday stress on the horizon, I'm glad I have great memories of the last two weeks in November to look back on.

We just got back from our "Wedding Week" in Florida.  I was so fortunate to be asked to be a bridesmaid in my friend Mandy's wedding.  It was beautiful.  There were seven bridesmaids and we were lucky our bride was no Bridezilla.  We were allowed to pick from any black, long gown we wanted. We were all thrilled with the dresses we got and we were able to pick dresses that looked best on us.  What a bonus!  Now, if I can just find somewhere to wear my beautiful gown to again.

Mandy's wedding was in Melbourne,  FL.  Melbourne is south of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral on the east coast of Florida. We stayed right on the beach.  It was a little cool to splash in the waves (even though I saw a few brave souls doing so), but a morning walk on the beach was perfect!  Mandy had a block of rooms, reserved, at the hotel, for her wedding guests.  She had baskets for each room.  The baskets contained a map of Melbourne, bottled water, crackers, muffins, fruit snacks, trail mix, and my favorite... CHOCOLATE!  There was a little note from the bride and groom attached to each basket.  What a great welcome for guests!

Mandy chose to have her wedding on a Sunday afternoon.  I've been told many venues offer great rates for Sunday weddings.  What a great way to stretch a wedding budget!  Because she had her wedding on a Sunday, one of her wedding favors was a red or black paper bag filled with goodies and a note.  (see pictures) What a great economical wedding favor!

She also had her favorite, rock candy, at each place setting. This worked wonderfully to help sustain the kids, while waiting for the buffet line to open.  The only thing I would change is the color of the rock candy.  She chose red, an accent color to her black and white wedding.  Although it was very pretty, my youngest daughter got some on  her dress and as hard as I tried, I just couldn't get the stains out.  I would suggest a clear rock candy wrapped in colored cellophane or with a ribbon in a coordinating wedding color.

Mandy also had the BRILLIANT idea of having a basket full of new flip flops on the edge of the dance floor.  My feet were miserable before these lifesavers came along.  I know Old Navy offers flip flops for $1/pair at least once a year.  If you're planning a wedding, I'd say stock up when this amazing sale comes around!

There were many wonderful things about this wedding.  The bride and groom wrote their own, very personal vows.  So special. They played their favorite music while the wedding party walked down the aisle. So personal.  They broke out into a phenomenal dance routine at the end of their traditional first dance.  So fun.  This wedding was their wedding. It was so personal and unforgettable. I am honored that I was asked to be a part of it.

The perfect gift for kids!

Are there kids on your shopping list that you would like to include on your holiday gift list?  If so, follow this link to a wonderful list of picture book gifts!  I know my daughters adore books.  I'm sure your special kiddos will too!  Ways to give a gift: 2010 Picture Book Edition

Crocheted Candy Corn

On our trip home to Kentucky, I finally got to make these cute decorative candy corns.  These have been on my list of things to make for about two years.  One nice thing about blogging about crafts is it makes me commit to making things I've been procrastinating on for years.  I think these will look cute amongst my mantle decorations next year.

Now that I finished these, I can end my obsession with candy corn for another year.  If you would like to make these, they are super easy.  Here is the link to the pattern:  Candy Corn pattern  If you make them, let me know.  I would love to hear about those of you who are equally obsessed with Candy Corn.  My second child seems to have the same affliction.  He took off a piece of it from my wreath when I was packing things away.  I guess the clear sealant didn't stop a 2 year old!

Bye Candy Corn, we look forward to seeing you next year!

Craft Sharing

      Crafting is an escape for Jill, Lesli, and me.  We love to get together and work on our latest projects. Unfortunately, with seven kids and three husbands between us, we don't always have the time to get together.  We still craft, when our little ones (and big ones) are tucked snuggly in their beds.  In the wee hours of the morning, you can find us working, ever so quietly, to check our craft projects off our lists.
      We've found that it's often financially and time wise to create in multiples.  By the time you buy the materials for a craft, you usually have plenty left over to make a number of the same projects.  So, you can form an assembly line and craft away.  What do I do with these extra crafts?  I share them.  Jill and I have become craft "swapping" experts.    When my daughter's recent bout with Strep kept me from a craft date at her house, I made the project here while she was making another project at her house.  Then we swapped them.  It worked out so well.  We spent less money and time than we would have had we done each of the projects on our own and we got two great projects!  We've actually done this a number times so our decorations are multiplying!
        So, next time you set out to create a craft, might I suggest you make it in multiples and find some buddies to swap with?  You'll soon have a plethora of great decorations for each holiday season.  (This same idea works well for cooking too!)

Happy Thanksgiving

We want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the time you have with your families, friends and loved ones.  Remind them how thankful you are for each of them!

We are thankful for all our followers.  Again, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kid-friendly Turkey Craft Tutorial

While the kids are off school for the Thanksgiving holiday, it is the perfect time to get crafty with them.  This is an easy craft so you can enlist the help of your children and allow them to personalize it as well.

Supplies needed:

2 Styrofoam balls (one small and one large)

Toothpicks

Brown paint and a sponge brush or Brown spray paint

Popsicle sticks

Red, white and yellow scraps of felt

2 Push pins (any color, mine were yellow)

Various colors of construction paper

Hot glue gun

Glue Stick

Scissors

Instructions:

1.  Take your plain styrofoam balls and prop them up on toothpicks so that you can easily paint them.  I used three to help prop each up.

I used brown acrylic paint and a sponge brush, but if you have brown spray paint it might be easier and faster.  I used quite a bit of brown paint as you have to push the paint in the ball to cover all the crevices.  Allow the balls to fully dry.

2.  While you are waiting for the paint to dry, cut out feathers from your construction paper.  There isn't a pattern for this, just cut a long oval shape.  If you would like the kids to personalize these, they can write what they are thankful for on each feather.  Using your glue stick, take a popsicle stick and glue it  to the back of each feather.

3.  Now cut out two circles from the white felt.  Cut out one triangle from the yellow felt and two long ovals (the gobble gobble) from the red felt.

4.  Once the paint is dry, stick a popsicle stick in the large ball and connect the smaller ball to it.  (This is the neck support).  I used a toothpick at first, but it wasn't enough support.

5.  Using the hot glue gun, glue on the eyes, nose and gobble gobble to the face of the smaller ball. Push in your colored push pin into the white felt circles to create eyes.

6.  Stagger the colors of your feathers and push them into the larger ball.  Make sure the popsicle sticks are facing back.

That's it!  I hope that you and your children will enjoy this craft and maybe make a few for friends.  This would also be a great item for your Thankgiving table.  You could have your kids make one for each of your guests and personalize the feathers to what they are thankful for or like most about that person.  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving spending time with those you love!

Making Subway Art- A Tutorial 2

The journey to the finished project was really quite simple. This is a great starting project for beginning mod podgers!

1. I started with a wood board.  Usually, I get my husband to cut scrap wood for me.  This time I picked up a plaque from Wal Mart for $4.

2. I lightly sanded the board.
3. I stained the edges and a couple of inches all the way around (the rest would be covered with paper).

4. I picked out the perfect paper for the project and cut it to the size of the board.  I suggest cutting it slightly smaller than the board.  It will make it easier to blend it nicely.

5. I spread mod podge on the board generously.  I made sure to be careful to make it smooth.
6.  I placed the paper on top of the mod podge.

7.  I used a roller to smooth the paper out as much as possible.  I then place boards on top of the board to keep the paper as flat as possible.  I let it dry completely (at least thirty minutes).

8.  I removed the boards and spread a coat of mod podge on top of the paper.  Make sure you use enough to make a smooth finish, without using too much.  Too much will make it lumpy. Let it dry completely.  The wet product goes on white.  It dries clear.

9. Once the board is dry, use a belt sander, or a piece of sand paper, to sand the edges and blend the paper into the board. Then, apply stain to the project.  This will also help blend the paper into the board.
10.  While the stain is drying, work on your vinyl lettering. I have a Silhouette.  I chose to do every name in a different font and arranged them in a "free" way.

11.  I cut the vinyl and carefully removed any vinyl I wouldn't use on the sign.
12.  I put transfer tape on top of the vinyl and transferred it to the sign.
13.  Honestly, sometimes it's a challenge to get the vinyl off the transfer tape.  Be patient. The end product is worth it.  I removed the transfer tape and voila...almost finished.

.
14.  I drilled two holes in the top of the board.

15.  I cut a piece of wire to hang the board.
16.  I used a pencil to twist the wire ends around to give it a little design.

17.  I had a completed project I can treasure for years!

Mantle Ideas

Mantles seem like the thing to decorate. I've seen many examples.  I just thought I'd share my Halloween mantle and Thanksgiving mantle.  Look closely.  I'll bet you see some familiar projects!

Fall Leaves Chandelier

I love it when a craft project comes together with supplies you already have on hand.  That’s how my fall chandelier came about; I was looking to add some decorations for Thanksgiving that didn’t require a trip to the store!

Supplies:

Scrapbook paper

Twine

Scissors or a cricut or silhouette machine

Twine

Directions:

If you have a cricut machine, go thru your cartridges for any leaf images. I used my gypsy to pull up several different ones. If you have the silhouette, you can download and cut your leaf images. Otherwise, draw some random leaf shapes (Remember, they don’t have to be perfect! I made this project last year with my three year old and it was adorable with her cut out leaves!) and cut out. Hole punch each of your leaves.   Cut out two-inch sections of twine and loop it through the hole in your leaves.  Tie randomly around chandelier.  That’s it! Easy peasey and makes quite a statement! I just may have to do snowflakes next month!

CopyCat Crafting 5

I love Subway art.  You can find different interpretations of what Subway art is. I've decided it's things, randomly arranged, in one place. I spend huge amounts of time choosing fonts and arrangements of things.  Thank goodness there's a wonderful blogger that's done that for us! http://bunchofcraft.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-subway-art-printable.html She has it all ready for you to download and print. Voila!  How easy is that.  For $3 (the cost of the frame) I have this beautiful decoration.

Pumpkin Recipes from Paula Deen

If you know me well, you know that I cook like Paula Deen.  Everything is better with a cup of sugar and a stick of butter, right?  If you enjoy yummy goodness as well, try out these recipes for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Cake:

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To make the cake: Combine all of the ingredients and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare filling. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Pumpkin Bars

Recipe courtesy by Paula Deen

Serves:  48 small bars or 24 larger bars

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

 Enjoy!  You may have to do some exercise after eating these goodies!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Recipes

For all my friends who love their crockpot, here are a couple of recipes to try!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Soup

2 cups fresh pumpkin (or 1 (15 oz) can)

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 red onion. chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 yams, peeled and chopped

3 chopped garlic cloves

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 T white sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

GARNISHES:

heavy whipping cream

chopped green onion

If you have fresh pumpkin, use it ... otherwise, open a can of pure

pumpkin and use that. Empty pumpkin into your crockpot, and add the chopped vegetables, spices and sugar. Stir in the vegetable broth and water.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Carefully use an immersible blender (or regular blender) to blend about 3/4 of the soup. Mix it back together.  Serve each bowl with a drizzle of cream and sprinkled with green onion.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Cake

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 (16 oz) can solid pack pumpkin

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the first 5 ingredients until well blended.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into well greased crock pot.  Cover and cook on high 3-3 1/2 hours.  Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 



Enjoy!

My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

These two recipes are my must haves for Thanksgiving every year!  Both are delicious and comforting.  I hope you will give them a try!

Pumpkin Cake Roll 

3 eggs

1 C. granulated sugar

2/3 c pumpkin

1 tsp. Lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 cup chopped nuts

Filling

1 cup powdered sugar

1 3oz. pkgs. of cream cheese

2 T. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Beat eggs on high speed of mixer for five minutes; gradually beat in sugar.  Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.  Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.  Fold into pumpkin.  Spread in a greased and floured 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan.  Top with nuts.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Turn out on a towel.  Sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Starting at the narrow end, roll towel and cake together; cool.  Un-roll.

Filling:  Combine all ingredients.  Beat until smooth.  Spread over cake; roll.  Chill.

 

Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake

given to me by Beth W.

Crust:

1 1/2  cups graham cracker crumbs

3 T.  Sugar

3 T. Butter, melted

Combine and press into bottom of 9” springform pan.  Bake @ 325 for 5 minutes.

Filling:

3-8 oz. Pkgs of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar-divided

2 t. Vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 t. Cinnamon

1/2 t. Ground nutmeg

Beat cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla until well blended.  Add egg one at a time, mixing after each until just blended.  Reserve 1 ½ cups of batter.  To remaining add ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin and spices.  Mix well.  Spoon alternately over crust.  Cut through batter with a knife to create marble effect.  Bake 50-60 minutes until center is almost set.  Run Knife around edge of pan, cool before removing rim.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

 

Enjoy!

More Pumpkin Recipes

I have more pumpkin recipes to share with you!  These recipes will get your sweet tooth going! I hope these help you plan for all your Thanksgiving activities!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookie Dip

32 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 10 min.

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 jars (7 ounces each) marshmallow creme

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Gingersnaps or vanilla wafers

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon and orange peel. Serve as a dip with cookies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 4 cups.

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients

 Nonstick spray coating

1-1/3  cups  all-purpose flour

3/4  cup  buckwheat flour

1/4  cup  sugar plus 2 packets heat-stable sugar substitute, or 1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2  teaspoons  baking powder

1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1/2  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  salt

2    slightly beaten eggs

1  cup  canned pumpkin

1/2  cup  fat-free milk

2  tablespoons  cooking oil

1/2  teaspoon  finely shredded orange peel

1/4  cup  orange juice

Directions

1. Spray twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with nonstick coating; set pan aside. In a medium bowl combine the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar plus sugar substitute or the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In another bowl combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil, orange peel, and orange juice. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

3. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins are light brown. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Spiced Pumpkin Doughnuts

Makes: about 12 doughnuts plus holes  

Ingredients

2  tablespoons  butter, softened

1/2  cup  sugar

2  teaspoons  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1/4  teaspoon  baking soda

1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger

1/8  teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg or a Dash of ground nutmeg

1/8  teaspoon  ground cloves

1/2  cup  canned pumpkin

1/3  cup  buttermilk

1    egg

1    egg yolk

1/2  teaspoon  vanilla

2  cups  all-purpose flour

    Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying

    Spiced Sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high seed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour until well combined. Cover and chill 3 hours.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-inch doughnut cutter, dipping cutter into flour between cuts. Reroll as necessary.

3. Fry doughnuts, 2 or 3 at a time, in deep, hot fat (365 degrees F) about 2-1/2 minutes or until golden, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, removed doughnuts from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Coat warm doughnuts in Spiced Sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 12 doughnuts plus holes.

Spiced Sugar: In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. 

 

Pumpkin Pie Drops

1/2 pound butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer, on medium speed, cream butter and brown sugar until light. Add egg and pumpkin. Mix until well blended.

On low speed, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix just until blended.

Drop dough from a teaspoon onto parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing each 2 inches apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until firm.

Remove cookie sheet from the oven. Using a metal spatula, remove cookies from the cookie sheet and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely.

Frost with cinnamon confectioners' icing. Place a wired cooling rack on top of a parchment lined cookie sheet. This will catch any excess frosting and make clean up easier. Using a small spatula or butter knife, frost the top of the cookie.

Let frosting dry completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yield: 50 cookies

 

Enjoy!

What Can You Do With a Can of Pumpkin?

As soon as the temperature drops, and the leaves start changing, our menu changes too.  Watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe are replaced with squash.  Our favorite squash is pumpkin.  Pumpkin is one versatile vegetable.  Any vegetable that can make a yummy dessert is one worth knowing.

I'm always on the lookout for great new recipes to try.  I wanted to share a few of my "Pumpkin Favorites".

Pumpkin Dip---Here's a savory pumpkin recipe.
12 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons Taco Seasonings
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 cup chopped bell pepper
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1/3 cup dried beef, chopped

Cream together cream cheese, pumpkin, taco seasonings, and garlic powder until smooth.  Stir in bell pepper, olives, and dried beef.  Chill and serve with crackers and vegies.

Pumpkin Bread-This is the best pumpkin bread I've ever had.
2 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
4 eggs
2 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup nuts (optional)
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda

Combine sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and blend well.  Blend in pumpkin and water. Sift dry ingredients together 3 times, then add to pumpkin mixture. Then add nuts.
Blend well and pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies-This is a great recipe Lesli shared with us.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
(optional: 1 cup walnuts or 1 cup raisins)
Icing:
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/4 cup butter-softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons whipping cream, fresh OJ or rum

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg,  Stir into butter mixture until well blended.  (Add nuts and raisins if using). Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet, about 2" apart. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden.  Cool.

Icing: Cream confectioners sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. (If icing is too thin, add more sugar, if too thick add more liquid) drizzle over cookies (I used a sandwich bag and clipped the corner-perfect!)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies-Head on over to Tidy Mom for this delicious recipe.  They were so good and so easy!
http://tidymom.net/2010/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-with-marshmallow-filling/

I hope one of these inspires you to get busy in the kitchen!
Happy Fall Cooking!

Crocheted Candy Corn Bunting Pattern

I love all things Candy Corn, if you haven't noticed.  A few months back I saw an adorable Felt Candy Corn bunting from The Funky Polkadot Giraffe.  I loved it, but didn't want to spend the time cutting, sewing, more cutting and more sewing.  Instead, I went back to my elementary days and cut out construction paper and used my glue stick.  Here is a picture of my first attempt at a bunting:

I thought this was pretty cute, but as you can see, some of the candy corn turned backwards.  I also had two little boys who enjoyed hitting it.  The construction paper wouldn't last much longer.

Since I have a renewed passion for crocheting, I thought I would give it a try.  I made a simple band for all the candy corn to hang from.  If you know how to double crochet and half double crochet, this will be super easy and quick!  Here is the updated mantle and a close up:

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  This banner is more likely to withstand two little boys!  If you are interested in making your own, here is the pattern:

Crocheted Candy Corn Bunting

Yarn needed

1-    #10 Yellow Peaches & Creme

2-    #11 Sunburst Peaches & Creme

1-    #1 White Peaches & Creme

H/8 Hook

Chain 353.  Less or more depending on the length desired.  (I got 9 Candy Corn from this length)

Double crochet in third chain from hook.  Double Crochet in every chain till the end.

Row 1-Using Yellow, sl st into the 20^th st.  Ch 1, make 1 hdc in the next 25 sts.

Row 2-Ch 1, turn, make 1 hdc in every hdc st for a total of 25 sts.  Ch 1, turn.

Rows 3-5-Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts, ch 1, turn. 

Row 6-Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts. Join Orange color and ch 1, turn.

Rows 7-17- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts, ch 1, turn. 

Row 18- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts. Join White color and ch 1, turn.

Rows 19-25- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts, ch 1, turn. 

Row 26-You should have two hdcs remaining.  Hdc in second ch.  Finish off.

Weave in all loose yarn pieces into coordinating color.

For those of you who love Candy Corn like I do, I have another candy corn project in the works.  Be on the lookout for that soon!

Yummy Baked Beans

Lately, I have been to quite a few potlucks or get-togethers.  My favorite (and easiest) thing to make is baked beans.  These aren't your average baked beans, these are yummy goodness on your plate.  If you are looking for healthy, you won't find it here.  I am a Paula Deen type of cook.  Everything is better with a cup of sugar or butter!

When we have church potlucks, my friend's husband asks which line to get in for my baked beans.  I'm thankful for that compliment, since there is a lot of good food on those tables and my baked beans are his priority!

There is nothing I hate more than taking a dish to share and coming home with half of it still in the casserole.  This is not the case with these baked beans.

Yummy Baked Beans Recipe
1 28oz can Bush's Original Baked Beans
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup real bacon bits

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 8 x 11.5" casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until nice and bubbly.  These baked beans will be thick and gooey.  Enjoy!

The picture doesn't do them justice, but you get the idea!

I hope that you enjoy these baked beans as much as my friends and family do!  Please comment and let me know how they turn out for you!