Friday, November 30, 2012

Advent Calendar

Good Morning Friends!

With the start of Advent just 2 days away, I thought I'd share with you our Advent Calendar!
Since my husband and I have been married, I've collected the Christmas with Southern Living books. They are always so beautiful and inspiring. I look forward to curling up with coffee and my new book each year. 
Christmas With Southern Living 2012: Savor * Entertain * Decorate * Share
A few years ago one of the stories had an Advent Calendar idea that I absolutely loved. So of course I made my own version of it.
This is a picture I took last year with our tree up. 

Here are this years pictures. Are you ready? Close-ups of every bag!


Sweet vintage girl and her little tree!

 Love that angel!

Hello Vintage Red Truck!

#24 is an ode to our Boston days!

And last but not least, the Holy Family.

I bought all of the paper bags at Michael's, embellished with stamps, brads and ribbon, gave them each a number and strung them on a piece of twine. I found mini Christmas ornaments at Target that hang inside each bag until it's day comes and then it gets moved to the outside to mark that day. We don't do candy or prizes inside the bags for the kids because to us that isn't what Advent is about.

One thing we are never sure of each year is when to start counting! ha! This year Advent starts December second but it varies year by year. Last year was December 4th. Advent calendars always go 1-24 and then the 25th is Christmas day. So we always start on December 1st.

When do you start your Advent count down?

Monday, November 26, 2012

Giving Thanks

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving with family (and friends?). We headed out to the country to my parent's house this year. I love being in the country. We are determined to have our own spot in the country one of these days. There is something relaxing about looking out the window seeing trees and rocks and land instead of seeing your neighbors house, cars, sidewalks and streets like you see in the city.

Thanksgiving morning we headed over as early as we could get all 7 of us fed, bathed and dressed. Once we got there (a short hour drive) it was a day of running around and playing for the kiddies and cooking and visiting for the adults. 
My mom set a beautiful table. Notice the chalkboard place setting tags? They are from my shop and exactly how I pictured them looking at a table! I had many many orders for them right before Thanksgiving to do the very same thing with. If only I were a fly on the wall of all of those dining rooms to see the beautifully set tables!
We enjoyed great food and great wine. I made these little maple leaf wine glass charms as a prototype for my shop. They worked beautifully and passed the test. (Gotta love job research right? ha!)

You can find them here. I'll be adding other shapes very shortly. Check back soon to see those. I'll post something once my full line of charms are listed :)
This picture makes me laugh now. Most people take a picture of a pie or the turkey. Me? The dinner rolls. ha! After we ate the turkey we realized no one ever took a picture. It was a beautifully golden 20 lb turkey; perfectly brined in a lemon infused salt and sugar bath and cooked to perfection. The gravy from the drippings were to die for. I could cook a whole 'nother (nother isn't a word is it? In the south it is. "whole nother" meaning a second. Now ya know!) turkey just to have more gravy! 

After dinner, headed out for a beautiful nature walk, as the kids were calling it.
First stop was at my dad's really old tractor for a family picture. (The kids LOVE tractor rides!)
 Then on to the nature walk.
This little cutie cracked me up trying to cross the cattle guard. I bet that is how a cow feels, too!
Cowgirl boots, denim, rustic fencing and a cattle guard- IN LOVE.
Boy's best friend. They walked side by side. The cutest!
Another pause to watch the deer feeder spray corn. 
Best Friends. Even though they won't admit it!
Nothing cuter than a little boy on his Papa's back. He had just slipped on the rocks and was a little too upset to walk.

And today, we are back in full swing with life and school. Three more weeks and we are off for our Christmas break! I love this time of the year. Soon our Jesse Tree will go up and other Christmas decorations will start to make their appearance. 

Don't forget to stop by my shop for my Cyber Monday Sale. Use coupon code MBFSAVE15.

BLESSINGS!





























Friday, November 23, 2012

Popcorn, Pretzels & Jelly Beans

Good Morning Ladies (and Gents?)

I hope everyone is happily stuffed with turkey and pie and all the thanksgiving dinner fixin's. I know I am! I love Thanksgiving. It is truly the best meal of the year. Wouldn't you agree? It is one of my top 3 favorite holidays.

Who doesn't LOVE Peanut's Thanksgiving? It is one of our favorites in our house. We always joke that one year we are going to have popcorn, toast, jelly beans and pretzels for Thanksgiving dinner. The kids think it is a wonderful idea! My husband and I, on the other hand, would miss our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

As a compromise, we made up these cute goodie bags filled with popcorn, jelly beans and pretzels to set at each place setting. They looks so child-like and fun- I love them! And of course, I crafted a cute little turkey tag to go on them. (I'll grab at any excuse to stamp something!)



Before I go, I wanted to share the details about my Black Friday sale!! Yep, it's that time of the year again. Swing by my shop and use the code MBFSAVE20 at check out to save 20% off your entire purchase.

Have a restful day!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Braided Crust Inspiration: Apple Pie

We signed up for the apple pie this year. I love making apple pies. They are such a pretty pie with the way the top crust hugs those chunks of apples underneath. After trying my hand at the braided crust on a pumpkin pie last week, I knew I wanted to do the same on our apple pie.

Once again, I love how it looks. I love that it is completely different from the standard crimped pie crust. Can't wait to cut into it after the big dinner!
Have a VERY blessed Thanksgiving with the ones you love!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

DIY Gak

 My kiddos have been seeing commercials for Gak lately and keep asking me about it and if we could get some. I remember Gak when I was a kid- we made it from scratch and it was squishy and slimy and fun! When they asked about it again today, I decided instead of saying "no" to one more thing, to let loose a little and have some fun. So we made Gak spur of the moment! Since we make our own laundry soap, love crafts of all kinds and baking, we had all of the stuff needed on hand! Don't ya just love when that happens?! I do.

It was super easy! Go ahead and make some today. Here is what you need and how to make it:

4 oz elmers glue
warm water
1/2 tsp borax
food coloring

Empty the whole bottle of Elmer's glue into a large bowl. Fill the glue bottle back up with warm water, put the lid back on, and give it a shake. Empty the gluey-watery mixture into the bowl and give it a stir. Add some food coloring and mix that up as well.

In a small bowl, mix in 1/2 tsp borax with 1/4 cup warm water. Add the borax/water mixture to the glue/food coloring mixture and watch it turn into slime!
If you want to read about how it works, click here!

And hey, maybe it will keep them busy while you get some Thanksgiving dishes prepped!

Do something unplanned with your kids today!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Who Doesn't Love a Giveaway?!

Okay, okay- it isn't MY giveaway but if you head over to Lemonade Makin' Mama, SHE is doing a giveaway and it is a good one :)

Read all about it on her blog and leave some comments to win!

Bye!

Pumpkin Pie (and it's not even Thanksgiving!)

The kids wanted to make pumpkin pie. We had a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry so I figured, why not! Who says you can't make a pumpkin pie and eat it just days before Thanksgiving? So the scale went up a little over the weekend but, ahhh, it was a good weekend. (And really, with a large fam like ours, a pie doesn't last very long anyways so it isn't like it was going to still be around come Thanksgiving.)


 I tried something new this time. Well, a couple of things. We didn't have the evaporated milk so I used whole milk. Just one cup instead of 12 oz like the recipe called for. A cup seemed to be enough so I stopped there. I do think for some reason the evaporated milk yields a better flavor but I'd have to do a side by side comparison to make sure it was the milk. Hmmmmm.



The other new thing I tried was a braided crust. I love how the braided crust looks- so pretty! (Single crust pies with the crimped edge always cave into the pie while baking for me. I never know how to keep that from happening.) All I did was cut the  bottom crust flush to the top of the pie plate, put the filling in and then I wasn't really sure what to do next. Ha! So let me tell ya what I did. I sort of folded the bottom crust down to meet the filling and laid the braided crust on top of that. Clear as mud? I know. I'm sorry! 
Those ugly spots are where i poked it with a fork to check to see if it was done. oops!

I think next time my braid will look even prettier. Practice makes perfect, right?! This year I'm in charge of the apple pie. I'm not sure if I will do the braid or something totally different. I've got 2 days to figure that out before I get it baked. 

Hope you are having fun getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!

I'm so excited to be doing this post! Today my little etsy shop turns 1! 
 It has been a wonderful first year and has brought so much joy to my life.
 These coasters are the reason my shop opened! A couple of years ago I made them to give as Christmas gifts to family and friends. Everyone loved them and encouraged me to open a shop to sell them. Well, it took me a whole year to get up the courage to take that leap and go for it. I'm so glad that I did. And now, my shop is so much more than coasters!
 These chalkboards are the best. I fall in love with them every time I make a new one. In fact, as I have said before, I love them all so much I honestly can't pick a favorite!
 This MENU board happens to be my number one seller. It is perfect for writing your dinner menu on or your week's dinner options. Oh, and I should mention the back of all of my chalkboard signs are usable, too! Yep, if you ever need just a blank chalkboard without a word for a party or any reason, reverse the rope and flip it over! How awesome is that? I'm a very practical person and love this practical board. (Makes it easier to justify a seasonal word doesn't it?)
 Ahhh, my little baby chalkboard tags! I use these all over my house and studio to label baskets and containers. They are also perfect for name card place settings like in the picture above. They come in sets of 6 but I can always do a custom number if you need more or less- just ask!
HOME pillow cover- year around must!

Thank you to all of my customers, family and friends who have supported and encouraged me during this past year. 

Let's celebrate with 10% off today only!  Use coupon code: HAPPYBIRTHDAY1 at checkout. Visit my shop and take a look around!



Monday, November 12, 2012

Job's Patience


 Today our religious lesson covered the story of Job's Patience. It was a wonderful story about Job who loved God very much, avoid sin and lived a very rich life because of his love for God.
Satan believed it was easy for Job to love God and do what was right because of his riches. To prove Satan wrong, God allowed Satan to do whatever he wanted to Job but not to hurt his body. The story goes on to explain all of the horrible things that happened to Job. His cattle had been stolen and servants slain, his sheep and shepherds struck by lightning, he lost his camels and those who took care of them and the worst news of all was that a strong wind came and made his house fall killing his seven sons and three daughters. 

Job had great sorrow when he learned of the news but still did not sin by blaming God. He loved God so much that he prayed "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!"
As the story continues, it goes on to say how Job's body was covered in sores and even then, he did not complain but still praised God. 

God saw how much Job really did love him and was very pleased. He freed him from his sufferings and gave him even more riches than before. God also gave him seven sons and three daughters. Job lived a very long and happy life loving and serving God. He died at 140 years old.

Lesson learned? We should all love God even during our trials and tribulations. Even when we are carrying our own crosses, we should preserver knowing that God has a wonderful plan for us. He sees how hard we try and we will be rewarded for that.


  
Even if you aren't Catholic, I recommend this book. It is full of wonderful bible stories for Children (of all ages)! It is full of gorgeous pictures and easy to read stories (74 chapters to be exact).





In the wake of the recent storm, presidential election (I guess depending on if you are happy or not about the winner ha!) and all of those things that happen in life that we sometimes don't understand why, we must continue to love, serve and trust in God that he has a reason and a greater plan for us!

Have a Blessed Day!