Peppermint Marshmallows

It is a well known fact in my family that I am insane.  Probably clinically insane at times, but I have come to terms with it.  Because of my insanity, I have been living behind my sewing machine for the past 3 weeks (well, when I'm not at work, it's a necessary evil) working on a Christmas present.  The most elaborate playhouse tent ever and I love it.  Kimie will have to post pictures after Christmas because I didn't get a chance to take any before I handed it off to a friend who was a lifesaver and willing to take it in her carry-on today to deliver it in time for Christmas.  That is my excuse for not posting anything all month.

To make up for it, I received an email with a recipe for peppermint marshmallows that I just had to try (thank you Betty Crocker).  They turned out very yummy, so I thought I would share. 

Snow cones

What do you do when it snows over a foot and the power is out. You make Snow cones!

Luckily we live in the country and have clean air. Not that yucky stuff you can see, so after the first snow storm we start making snow cones. Now that all the kids have moved to the city. Grandma’s house is the only place with ‘clean’ snow so it has become a winter tradition at Grandmas.

No my cup doesn’t have a leak in it. I’m a messy pourer. That's why there is something under my cup.

Peppermint Chocolate Kettle Corn and what to do with ruined fudge

As I'm sure most of you are, we are all right in the middle of tons of baking goodness, none of which is the least bit healthy.  But man does it taste good.  I found a Peppermint Kettle Corn I could buy, but thought, we could do that.  So while my mom was in town this last week, we spent one afternoon just making goodies. 

For our base of Kettle Corn, we use Our Best Bites recipe (LOVE that site).  My mom has this really nifty Whirley Pop thing that makes Kettle corn a breeze, but if you don't have one, review their recipe to get you to the point of having the popcorn popped.

World’s Best Fudge!

These past couple weeks have been lacking posts due to other obligations so I will fill in with a holiday treat I just made.  My mom has the best fudge recipe ever and has taught all of us girls how to make it.  It seems that the fudge is usually only made during Christmas time to be given away to neighbors and friends so we all look forward to this time of year (unless we are all together during the summer and get bored so decide to make fudge and then watch a movie while it sets up, then start to wonder where our 3 year old girls are when they show up saying “MMMMMMMMMM” with chocolate all over their faces and BIG spoonfuls of fudge missing from the pan…even the little ones know how good it is!)

Christmas Stitchery!

So I am a little slow posting and my project isn’t done….I do have a good excuse though.  I have a very sick little girl and I have been holding her and watching cartoons for two days.  Her dad is home now so I have done the switch off and figured I would post what I have so far while I get the chance.  I haven’t had much creativity this month or projects in mind so this project is off of another site that I love.  A few months back I wanted a new hobby that wasn’t expensive since I can’t really afford to make quilt after quilt even though I wish I could!  I love the look of stitchery so figured I would give it a try and I am hooked!  I love that it is quick, easy and I can do it anywhere!  I found a site that has downloadable patterns and they are super cute.  It is www.youcanmakethis.com  I have a long list of ones I want to get done but since Christmas is around the corner I started with a Christmas one.  This will eventually be turned into a throw pillow to toss on my couch for Christmas.  No tutorial, just pictures!  Enjoy and I’ll go finish watching Cat In The Hat or Bob the Builder with a snuggly princess. 

Seaside Ornaments

Every year for Thanksgiving we do an ornament exchange between the sisters and mom.  We all have trees with a theme/feel/color story so it is so much fun to find things that fit into the sisters decor.  Unless you get Carrie!  She has a very cute nautical themed tree.  Don't get me wrong, I lover her tree, it is just impossible to find cute ornaments when you don't live in California or Maine.  Of course, this year I got Carrie :(  So I decided to challenge myself to make her some great ornaments.  I have to say, I am totally in LOVE with them... and she seemed pretty happy with them too.

 

Vertical Ruffle Skirt

Christmas Dresses!  Always a time of great fun.  My daughter however, is very picky, and while she LOVES anything fancy and dressy, she hates things that are uncomfortable.  Give her a fun knit skirt and shirt any day and she will live in them for years until I finally throw them out from being completely worn out.  So, this year I decided to combine her love of comfort and love of fancy into one adorably wearable outfit.

Wooden Christmas Forest

I’m taking an extra turn this month. Carrie just moved into her new house and has not been able to get internet yet. I’m glad I get to do one of her posts. She is very creative and I’m sure when she is back online she will have some great things to share.
My hubby built me the nicest entry cabinet this past year so I have one more piece of furniture to decorate for Christmas. It has a shelf just off the floor. After making wooden pumpkins for fall I thought I should just continue this look and do trees for Christmas.

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

It’s finally the Christmas season. I will admit I’m one of those that gets excited when the stores start putting Christmas out even though it isn't’ even Halloween. I bought Trudi some ornaments I found the first of Oct. They were perfect for her tree so I had to do it. Then every time I go to a store I go through the Christmas isles again and again. As I cleaned house on the Mon. before Thanksgiving I figured I might as well put fall away and Christmas out as I took things off to dust. I LOVE Christmas!!!!

One of our family traditions is making gingerbread houses. I am going to make them with the grandkids this year. But since they all live a ways apart we will be doing it multiple times. I’m so excited, it will be so much fun.

Christmas Ribbon Table Runner

Now that Thanksgiving is over, well except for the pies :), it's time for Christmas.  I love Christmas!

A couple of years ago I found a lot of great ribbon for really cheap after Christmas.  It's always nice to have some on hand for wrapping.  A few days ago as I was working on another project, I came across the ribbon again and had a light bulb go off in my head.  Why not weave them together to create a table runner.  So here it is, my Christmas ribbon table runner.  I love how it turned out.

Thanksgiving Day

We had a great Thanksgiving and hope all of you did to. There are so many things to be thankful for this year. We were only missing one family this year. This is one of the first years we didn’t have more than just our family. But we had a great day. We thought we would share our dinner with you. Everyone has food assignment that we choose about a month ahead. 

Some items we make ahead and some get made that morning at the home we have it at.

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers are ready!

Cheese Ball and crackers, Spinach Dip and Sour Dough Bread, Veggie Tray and Ranch Dip, Mini Rolls with Assorted Spreads (Lemon Dill Butter, Cream Cheese Pesto, Roasted Red Pepper Humus).

 

Everyone was chilling’ and watching movies or playing games or munching on appetizers while the main course finished cooking.

 

 

The table is set and the food is ready. We were in Carrie’s new condo and used the counter as our buffet table. As with lots going on that morning the extra chairs were forgot so we sat some at the table and some sat on the sofa in the living room. The little girls loved having their own table.

This year the menu was: Brined Turkey, Cornbread and Regular Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Cranberry Relish and Jellied Cranberries, Frog Eye Salad, Brussel Sprouts, Homemade Rolls.

We finish up with an assortment of homemade pies, which has been a family tradition for generations. This year we had enough pie for each person to have half a pie each. We had 2 Pumpkin, Cherry, Pecan, Coconut Cream with a caramel nut bottom, Dutch Apple, Key Lime, and Lemon Meringue.  There is no such thing as too much pie.

We hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, but I will be honest I can’t wait till Christmas.

Cranberry Relish

Cranberries are a must at Thanksgiving and this recipe was shared with me from my Mother-in-law who received it from her Grandmother.  I love recipes that have been in families forever.  I can only make this recipe when I have others to share it with or before I know it, I have eaten it all.  I guess it is okay since it is healthy!

Thank You!

Just a quick great big THANK YOU! to all of our current followers.  I can't believe we already have 75.  Also, for those that just haven't clicked the "Follow" button, but like to check in regularly, we are planning our first giveaway at 100 followers!  So, if you haven't yet, become a follower so you can enter to win.

Turkey Napkin Rings

I will be the only sister not joining the rest of the family for Thanksgiving this year.  So I have to make my own decor and fun.  I'm not a super entertainer (especially when it's just going to be our family plus one), but I wanted to have a little something to spice up the table.  So I came up with some cute little turkeys (well, in addition to the 3 I take care of every day) to hold our napkins.

Fall Leaf Chargers

This year I have been very inspired by the beautiful leaves around my house turning into all shades of fabulous this fall.  The idea of the leaves changing just screams fall to me, so what better way to decorate your Thanksgiving table then with these beautiful fall leaf chargers.  I love the look of natural wood and thought it would be a beautiful accent to the reds and yellows of the leaves.

They took a little bit of time (mostly waiting for each layer to dry), but they are fantastic and make my formal Thanksgiving table look perfect!  I am so excited to share this tutorial...

Cheese Ball

Every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember, my family has had a cheese ball for an appetizer.  I have introduced it to my in-laws as well because to me Thanksgiving just isn’t the same without a cheese ball!  I have seen many recipes for cheese balls before but none of them are the same as ours.  I don’t know where my mom got the recipe but where ever it was, we like it!  (Picture doesn’t look very appealing but believe me, it is good!)

Apples, Apples and More Apples

A couple weeks ago my favorite grocery store had all types of apples on sale for real cheap.  With the crisp morning air bringing in the feeling of fall, I went crazy and bought LOTS of apples.  We have been happily eating them but I have noticed that a few of them are starting to get soft so I decided to do some baking!

Citrus Enfused Turkey (or Chicken)

This is a little twist on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey that I learned from one of my favorite professors in school.  He was as Italian as you could get and brilliant in the kitchen. 

Typically I would have placed the turkey (chicken) on a platter and dressed it all up nice, but well, I had a houseful of hungry people and I was one of them.  So we went ahead and ate it right out of the baking dish :)

Spinach Dip

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the appetizers and my favorite is spinach dip. We make it every thanksgiving and it is always the first thing i go for.

Crab Dip

Yesterday, I spent hours upon hours (well at least one) mixing up Royal Icing and making Batman emblems for my 3 year olds birthday this morning.  I was out of wax paper, no big deal, I just pulled out freezer paper and made them on those instead.  I woke up this morning to peel them off, and they failed miserably.  My guess is the freezer paper doesn't breath and they never fully dried out, but in all honesty, I only say that to sound smart, I have no idea what I did wrong.  So, before 10 am I frantically made up a Batman logo pick and stuck those in the top instead.  Even though I was super stressed with getting it all done, I will admit, I almost think they turned out cuter.  So, if you are ever in a bind and want a SVG file to cut out Batman picks with your Cricut (or Sillouette, I think), let me know, I'd be happy to shoot one over.  Heck, I'll even send it to you if you aren't in a bind ;).

Now you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with crab dip.  Nothing, I just thought I'd share a piece of my morning with you.  Now onto the crab dip.  We first tried this recipe last Thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it.  I found the recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook.  When I made it again for dinner last night, we ate it first, and almost didn't care about dinner.  The best part is, it's super easy too.

Turkey Place Card Holders

I am always looking for a fun craft that I can do with my 3 and a half year old.  She loves to spend time with mom, being creative.  I’ve inherited a box full of random wood pieces and thought it might provide a bit of inspiration.  This time it proved to be quite successful!

Thanksgiving at Houseful of Handmade

We thought we'd share a typical Thanksgiving Day dinner we enjoy each year. You first have to know that as the Mom I dislike cooking, therefore I came up with the idea that if I taught my girls to cook and made it fun then I wouldn't have to do it. It worked! Most of them really enjoy it but a couple like it as much as I do. So when the family gets together there seems to be lots of food.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner starts at noon with appetizers consisting of a Cheese Ball and Crackers, Veggies and Dip, Spinach Dip with variety of Breads, Something made with Little Smokies, and anything else someone found that sounded good so they make it.

Then at 2 we have the main course.  Traditional Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Homemade Stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Cranberries, Salad (which changes), Hot Rolls, and of course Brussel Sprouts.

Of course we are to full for dessert so we play games, watch movies or sleep it off till around 4 or 5 when the pies are served. Pumpkin, Coconut Cream, Cherry, Dutch Apple, Lemon Meringue, Berry, Key Lime, Pecan and any other new one someone wants to try. We seem to have at least 7 or 8 pies which is way more than we need but we LOVE pie.

We will be sharing some of our recipes during the month as everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I grew up with pies as a main dessert when the family got together. My grandfather loved cherry pie so we were all taught how to make pies. That is where I get my love for pies. I am picky though when it comes to the crust. I love homemade crust. Our recipe for that is included today.

This is one of the easiest pies to make if you do the lemon filling in the microwave. It is also my favorite, I never get tired of it.

Halloween Costumes

When looking back at all of our Halloween costumes, I can't think of any that were store bought. Our amazing mom always made our Halloween costumes and they were great! This created a love in all of us girls to create our own kids Halloween costumes. We thought it would be fun for the four of us that have kids to post our kids costumes this year that were handmade.

Taco Soup

It has just been one of those weeks and I woke up this morning remembering it was my turn to post and I didn't have anything ready.  I don't have any pictures to go along with my post, just a recipe (maybe I will add a picture on Sunday after I make dinner).  Over the last few years I have made it tradition to make Taco Soup for Halloween.  This recipe is my "don't want to cook dinner" recipe and it is healthy so that's alright, right?  Halloween is just around the corner so this is on my menu and thought maybe it could be on yours too and maybe become tradition like me.

Taco Soup:
1 pound Hamburger (when I am in a REALLY big hurry, I forget the hamburger and it is still just as yummy)
1 Onion, chopped
1 can Corn, drained
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed if desired
1 can Small Red Beans, drained and rinsed if desired
1 package Taco Seasoning (I buy mine in bulk at Sam's Club and use about 1/4 a cup)
1 quart Tomatoes (we bottle our own but canned also works great)
Chili Powder to taste (I usually put about 2 tbsp in)

Cook hamburger and onions.  Add remaining ingredients.  Let simmer for 30 minutes to let flavors mix.  Serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Make Your Own Kids Book

I love the cardboard picture books for my 1 year old.  We also have a few foam books that are very durable.  I have searched the web for ways to make my own sturdy books, but have only seen kits or blank cardboard books to buy then color or print onto.  One day while browsing the isles at my local craft store, I saw the 6 mm foam and thought I could make it into a book :)  Here is how I did it:

Halloween Chips

A few years ago I was making dinner for a neighbor that had just brought home baby number 2.  She already had a toddler at home and since the focus tends to be on new baby, I wanted to come up with something fun for her.   It was close to Halloween so I took my family’s tortilla recipe and created Halloween Chips.  

Spider Magnets

Create a spooky entrance to your home this Halloween. This is a fast and easy way to add a little excitement to your front door or any metal surface.

Funky Candles

Today's tutorial only ALMOST actually qualifies.  It's really easy, but hey, we all need easy once in a while, right?

White Chicken Chili

Life for my small family has made quite a few big changes this year.  In August my Husband took a new job about 2 hours away from home.  We moved out of the house we’ve been renting for the past 6 years and into my parents basement to save a little money and find a home to buy closer to the new job.  While we’ve appreciated the opportunity to be with my parents, it has been hard.  My oldest daughter is a “Daddy’s Girl” and I think the change has been hardest on her.  So, I’ve been trying to find the things that we enjoyed and made us feel comfortable at our old house (which my daughter talks about all the time), and I find one of the most comforting things is soups, chili’s and stews.  This recipe is so easy, yummy, and very comforting!

Wooden Pumpkins

I love the holiday seasons. I’ve always decorated my home with lots of fun things for the holidays. My style has changed some with my kids growing up. I had a few years where glass became popular in my decorations but now with grandkids the non breakables are a lot more appealing again. There are various versions of wooden pumpkins, this is mine. I paint them without faces so they can be used from Oct. 1st through Thanksgiving.

So if you have an afternoon you can make these. They are that simple.

SPOOKY Letters

I have been out of town for 3 weeks (two weeks for work and one for vacation... yeah!).  So this week I am in the office catching up, I looked at the calendar and it hit me... PANIC... October is half over and I haven't done any Halloween decorations.  I had a goal to be the cool mom (like my mom was) and make each holiday a blast for my baby and I seem to be failing.  I had created some letters for my son's room to decorate it and love them, so here I am redoing them for Halloween.  I call them SPOOKY letters :)

Pumpkin Bread

With fall in full swing, nothing is better then my house full of the wonderful smell of pumpkin baking in the oven!  I love fall and everything about it, mostly the food.  This pumpkin bread recipe was first introduced to our family by a family friend.  It is super yummy and easy to make.

Hot Pads

If you are anything like me you have lots of fabric scraps from other projects, or maybe some of those fabrics that were just too cute that you had to buy them and now you have to think of a use for them.  It’s one of those addictions that I’m okay with having.  It’s right there with chili infused chocolate, whoever created that mixture is a genius!

Okay, back to all those scraps.  Hot pads!  Perfect for scraps.  You can always use hot pads and they make good gifts as well. 

Chain Necklace

I am always looking for a cute chain necklace to add a spark to some of my more boring tops so I decided to make one that works with lots of different things. It is way easy to make too

Spider Web Table Runner

Apparently Carrie and I were sharing brainwaves this week, as we both picked a table runner, so, there's one for your dining table and one for an accent table!  So I give you, the spider web table runner.

Fall Burlap Table Runner

Although it is still really warm outside, I know Fall is on the way!  I love this season for so many reasons…  Soup, cool breezes, beautiful colors, and the list goes on and on.  I was inspired by the leaves on the mountain just outside our door and the changing colors.  I wanted to do something to bring that feeling inside.