Little By Little~Happy Halloween

This little beginner wants to run with the big dogs.  I see homes I drool over and I think how is that ever going to be possible for me?  Oh the collections of amazing crocks and dolls and jars and spoons and red ware and decor and furniture and stitchery and bonnets and on...and on.....Then I say to myself "little by little" is how it goes.  Life goes by little by little.  So, when I find a treasure, like this crock I picked up at GW last week, I will be happy and cherish it remembering that I am blessed with so much.

Finally the cooler weather has allowed me to put my pumpkins out. My patio gets soooo hot as the sun sets right on it.  I cannot put any plants or flowers there, anything with paint will bubble and peel, and my wreaths only last one season as they fade and crack so the cooler weather is welcome.

I was busy all week last week creating custom made Halloween costumes.  It was so fun to see the smiles on my kids faces when they were all done.  I didn't make the princess one though.  It was a left over.  Poor baby.  That's what she usually gets.   We went to a church Halloween party on Friday and my kids were so excited to get dressed.  It was my baby's birthday so she got to wear the birthday crown as part of her costume.   

Happy Halloween!!!

Primitive Witch Hunt

I find it mildly disturbing that I couldn't stop myself from the witch hunt.  It just started out as a simple "wow, that picture is really neat" and then I couldn't help it.  I had to find another, and another, and another, then just one more........ Don't you just love the pointy black hats and (of course) the brooms?  I also love the pictures that are just old lady's that look like they could be a witch.  I think the woman in the second picture is very pretty.  She is suppose to be a Salem Witch.   The "witches tea party" made me smile.  I especially like the picture of the four women together holding an owl between them.  It is very "witch classy".  The last picture reminds me of my Grandma Petersen (who is not a witch).  So if anyone finds these pictures as captivating as I do, then please let me know!  It will make me feel better to know that I may not be that disturbed.  Happy Halloween!!!

Good By Primitive Fun, Hello Halloween

~Good by muslin, good by tea, good by cinnamon, good by coffee.  I will miss you wood, walnut stain, sandpaper, and paint.  Farewell sewing needle, stitchery thread, and fabric.  See ya wax, molds, and yummy smelling oils.

~Hello tulle, velvet, flannel, and pellon.   Good morning feathers, sequins, diamonds, and ribbon.  How are you maxi piping, double fold, black thread, and belt fasteners.  Hope we get along sewing machine, seam ripper, iron, and hot glue gun.  

I have five days!!!! AHHHH.... five days to make these two outfits and a princess one for my girlies.  Why do I do this to myself?  Why do I put up with the needle pricked and hot glue burned fingers?  Why do I let myself go crazy; swearing at the sewing machine and pounding my fists on the table?  Why will I let my house go to pot while I slave away for hours?

Pottery Barn Pictures

Because I love those girls to death.........and I never hid the Pottery Barn magazine that came in the mail.  

Yeah!! I've got a peg rack

When Misi announced that her first display in her October's Tuesday Display Chain would be around peg racks, I cried.  I did not have one yet.  I went to good will a couple of weeks ago and found this little dodad and snatched it right up.  I knew exactly what it was going to be.  Yes!!  A peg rack.

My DH pulled it in half for me (it was put together very tightly).  Then I painted it and sanded it and stained it.  I broke out the power drill (scary, I know:{)  and successfully drilled holes to put the screws through.  I even mounted it on the wall myself (straight).

I put it in the guest bath.  If anyone who visits needs a shave, I guess they're all set.

I am just starting to decorate my guest bath the way I want it.  

Maybe some garland above the picture and something under the basket and pottery to raise it up a bit.  Oh, it's fun to redo a room. Even if it's just the bathroom.

 We are going to the pumpkin patch down in the canyon to get ourselves some big one's tomorrow.  So, have a happy weekend.

Tuesday Display Chain~ "Autumn at the Table"

Food and music are the same with me.  I love all sorts: sweet, salty, classical, rock, crunchy, chewy, jazz, alternitive, junk, healthy, 80's, or today.  Misi with Gable House Musings told us to pick only one recipe to share. So if I must pick, it will be pumpkin pie, and Frank Sinatra.  Perfect for a late dessert by the fire on a cold Autumn night.

1 1/4 cups sugar                  1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin puree

1 tsp. sat                              2 cans (12 fl. oz. each) evaporated milk

2 tsp. cinnamon                   2 9-inch unbaked deep-dish pie shells

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

4 eggs

~ Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.  Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

~Pour into pie shells (Buy them for heavens sake. They will look perfect.)

~Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  Cool for 2 hours.  

~ Serve with homemade whipped cream

There you have it.  A perfect fall dessert.  I have already had three yummy pieces.  And a possibly a fourth for breakfast this morning. 

Thanks Misi for hosting such a wonderful display chain this month.  I have had tons of fun being creative and meeting some awesome friends.  Can't wait for the next one.  

Rescued from the Garage

It seems as if items from my Grandmother's and Mother's past keep creeping in from my Mother's garage every time I visit.  I can't believe that these things were sitting in this neat wooden crate all dusty and in the dark.  I asked my brother, who was also visiting, what he would do with these things if he had them.  "I would sell them on Ebay" he said.  "Ohhhhh,Ohhhh,Ohhh" is all I could cry when I heard that.

Mrs. Leland's Old Fashioned Golden Butter~Bits.  Not as old as I prefer, but still needed rescuing. 

Lovely kitchen supplies.  The sifter is so neat. 

Apparently Grandpa smoked cigars and Grandma tinted fabric.  The .20 cents for the box made me smile.

If you know me you will understand why I squealed in delight upon finding this whisk brush in the box. It is  Kippy Kit from the 1820's.  I still can't believe it.  Also this straight edge razor is from then too.  Too cool.

And here is the awesome crate they were all sitting in.  It had a lid on it, of some sort, at one time.  Also it seems to be covered in some type of paper.  There is writing underneath it all.  

I love these types of things in general, but to know that your Grandfather and Grandmother held, used, and loved them makes these items so much more valuable.

Halloween made it to our House

We decorated for Halloween yesterday.  Here are some of my favorites.  Blogger is being weird today and wouldn't upload any of my photo shopped pictures soooo you get the originals.  Now that the decorating is done, I have to make a trip to the fabric store for materials to make a witch and a bat costume.  Hooray for no princesses or fairies this year.  I think it's  a first in 7 years!!!!

Tuesday Display Chain~ "Fall Foilage"

 Gable House Musings  is hosting a wonderful display chain this month. This week Misi told us to pick a display around "Fall Foliage". 

WARNING~ PHP AND SNOW 

The girls and I took little road trip to see my parents this past weekend.  Most of the leaves are not changing in the valley here in Idaho yet, so  I had great plans to capture my mother's amazing yard in all it's glory for what "fall" is here.  3/4 of the way there we were hit with an unexpected snow storm.  So instead of singing Halloween songs we were belting "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" down the highway.   It kept the mood light as I dodged piles of slush, sped past semi's, and tried to read road signs hoping I wouldn't miss the exit.  The girls had the best time while I was quietly freaking out.  I think Mother Nature was having and identity crisis that weekend.  All in all, we were blessed with 3 inches of snow in about 12 hours.

Oh yummy, crisp, sweet, cold apples.

Poor tomatoes, squash, zucchini, onions, and strawberries.

"Jack"- I know your hiding under there.

Frozen fall flowers.

Swim down deep little fish.

All bent over and broken

Safe under the patio.

Now go curl up near the fire and drink some hot cocoa.