A Little Pumpkin Fun

Typically I refuse to pull out anything pumpkin before October 1. I know it may seem strange, but to me it’s like not wearing white shoes after Labor Day and not before Easter. Call me crazy, and it may be a “southern” thing, not sure, but I won’t do it. Just like I won’t put out anything “fall” or “Halloween stuff” before October 1. I won’t even have a Pumpkin Spice Latte before then either…typically. Well, today I pretended that it was October 1. One day shy won’t hurt me, right?

I am ready. I’m ready for pumpkin spice smells, cooler weather, Pumpkin Spice Lattes (non-fat of course). I’m ready to put out my Halloween/fall decorations and I’m ready for a season change. It’s time, people…let’s do this already.

So today, I decided we’d start a day early. Dallas and I went out for a little while together. We first stopped for a coffee and hot chocolate. I decided I had waited long enough and it was high time for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I ordered one…kinda felt weird ordering it but not too bad. We then set out to have our nails done. Low and behold the 2 places we went to were closed. Humph…

So, we decided to head to Michael’s to see if we could find some craft projects…and boy did we. I found some cute new decorations for the house, paints for projects, lots and lots of ribbons, and some cute pumpkin decorating kits.

She settled on the princess and we got Hunter the pirate…

They are total cuteness.

They cost $1.99 for each one, and they take foam sticker projects to a whole new level. We had to have them.

On the way home we stopped by a road side pumpkin stand. She picked out two small pumpkins for them, and we got a few more things as well.

The pumpkins were 2 for $7.00 and they are the perfect size.

I helped them a little in the beginning because we had to stick pipe cleaners in the pumpkin in a couple of spots to make the hats, hair, and ears stay. After that, it was all them.

They worked real hard on their pumpkins…

Then ta-da, they were finished. They were both super proud of their pumpkins, and I think they are just too cute.

How cute are those two? No silly, not the kids, I know they’re cute; I’m talking about the pumpkins. Aren’t they adorable?

The best part of all…there was no messy carving, and absolutely NO messy paint. Love-it!

So, we have a pirate and a bubble gum loving princess…just like my two kiddos.

They now have a special place on the stairs. I think the best part of all…THEY are my first Halloween/Fall decoration, and I love that they were made by my two kiddos.

What a Week

I don’t know about you, but I had such a busy week. I’m sorry I was a little removed this week and didn’t get to post, but I was running like a crazy woman all week.

I did my normal routine with taking kids to school, volunteering, and crafting a little. I will say my favorite part of the week was that my hubby had two days off work. He had some vacation to use up, and decided to take a few days off this week. We had a great time. We actually went to lunch just the two of us one day, and the next day we went and had coffee after going to the gym. We don’t ever get to spend time together during the week without kids, and I tell you, it was so great. We weren’t yelling over kids to try and have a conversation, and we weren’t being interrupted every two seconds saying that what we were talking about was “boring”. Ha! that’s kids for ya.

I may not have gotten all that I “needed” to do during the week, but now looking back, what I really “needed” was to spend some time with my favorite guy.

I did make a birthday present for Dallas’ teacher this week. I made her a personalized clip board. I’ll post it next week sometime. {I haven’t uploaded the pictures yet.}

Today we had kind of a busy day on the calendar, but rain set it and washed all our plans away. So, instead of going and doing, we stayed home and worked on some projects. I’m so excited. I finally finished a project I’ve been wanting to do for over a month. I cannot wait to share it with you, but for now, you’ll have to wait.

I will give you a hint though. Remember when I wrote about going to see the Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, GA? Well, they did something I thought was so cool. They had panel curtains hanging on the inside of the front door.

I just love how the curtains really add some dimension and character to what normally is a boring part of the home.

Well, this is unfortunately not my house. This is the all too beautiful Idea Home.

However, I did take their idea and make them my own. I would show you a picture, but that would just spoil the fun now wouldn’t it. Stay tuned because I’m super excited to share them with you.

Well y’all, it’s late. I’ve had a busy day sewing, playing with kids, and pulling for my Bulldawgs…it’s now time to go to bed.

A Road Trip & A Farmhouse

Let’s take a trip, shall we?

I love a good road trip. I must because I do them quite often. But, with family and friends who live hours and hours away from me, there leaves no choice but to pack the car and hit the road.

The first week of August, the kids were out of school, and Eric was going away on a business trip…for the week. Need I say more??? There was nothing left to do, but hit the road ourselves. Seeing that I hadn’t been to my parents’ since Thanksgiving, I figured it was time to make a trip.

It’s a very long and hard trip. It’s about an 8 hour drive, but traveling I-95 and I-20 for 6 hours and then hitting back roads for another 2, it’ll wear a girl {or anybody} out.

We had a great time that week. We got to take the kids swimming at a friend’s house…thanks, Sassy! We got to go catch up with my Great aunt and uncle, whom I just adore, we played with BB – a very close family friend, and we had some nice relaxation time too.

One day we decided to take a little road trip…yes, another one.  This trip would only be about 45 minutes. You see, I get a subscription to Southern Living Magazine. It’s a must if you’re a true southerner…especially a southern lady. I love this magazine. It’s like a holiday for me every month when my new magazine arrives. My world stops. Who cares if there’s dinner to be made, homework to be completed, or baths to give…this mama is going to sit and look, and ooh and aah, and read cover to cover. I have a big ole’ stack of them around my house because I can’t bear to get rid of them…they are my National Geographic.

I digress.

Anyway, if you get this sacred magazine {and if you don’t get it…what’s wrong with you? Just kidding}, you know that the August issue was focused on the Before and After’s of the 2012 SL Idea House.

 

What’s even more exciting about this house is that it’s located in Senoia, Georgia which is about 45 minutes from my parents’…perfect for a day trip.

I didn’t have to do much twisting of arms on Mama and Daddy. They jumped right into my idea, and one morning we took off.

We pull into Senoia, a very small Georgia town. Just precious. There’s a small "downtown” area with adorable shops and restaurants that line the streets. It’s actually a pretty popular place to film movies. In fact, if you’ve seen the recent movie “Footloose”. You know, the remake of the classic? It was filmed in Senoia. Other famous southern movies filmed here were Driving Miss Daisy and Fried Green Tomatoes. {Just a little movie trivia for you.}

Being in a little town, it didn’t take long to find this Idea House. I was beside myself with excitement. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I was going to get to tour this house that looked so beautiful in the magazine. I had studied it to a “T” before arriving, so to see it all in person made me super happy.

We paid our $12 to get in and tour. It was a self-guided tour. I asked if I could take pictures, and they obliged. I think I did a little jump at that moment and started snapping away.

The house was gorgeous. Of course it was…it was done by professionals and by people of Southern Living.

We walked around the house ooh and aahing at all the details that were made in revamping this house. You see, this farmhouse was an old farmhouse built in the 1830s. The house was picked up, moved, and an addition was added. I have to tell you, the designers kept the “old” feeling of the house while updating it and making it perfectly modern as well. It was such a great combination.

Let’s take a little walk through.

I love how the family room was open to the kitchen and dining areas. It was one big, bright space.

I love this stove, and would die to have one myself.

The house rambles on and there are so many rooms downstairs. There’s the “Keeping Quarters”.

I absolutely love a stripe on a wall, and to think this gingham was painted is amazing. I might just have to try it…

Dallas’ favorite room was the laundry room…that’s my girl. I think she only liked it the best because the walls were painted with chalkboard paint.

The master bedroom was very soothing. I LOVE this grey tufted bed, and the pops of orange. Not sure how I feel about the antlers above the bed, but am loving the clapboard walls. It gives the house that old, farmhouse feeling.

The cleanliness of this bathroom is great. I do love the white subway tiled shower. And do you notice the color of the vanity cabinets??? They’re almost an exact match of my kitchen island cabinets.

We rambled on and on throughout this house. Here are a few more pictures of my favorite spaces:

Then there was the outside. This girl loves a porch, and the porches on this house just rambled on and on.

There was a cute little nook outside the mater bedroom with a bench. My daddy and I stopped for a quick pose, and then Dallas got one too. Papa G with two of his favorite girls…

I have to tell you, this Idea House gave me so many ideas for my own. I am going to take ideas from here and incorporate them into my house.

In case you’re in the area and would like to visit this beautiful home, it is still open. It will be open until the end of December. I hear they are going to be decorating for Christmas in October sometime. I’m sure it will be breathtaking!!!

We worked up an appetite went to lunch and walked around the little town for a bit before hitting the road again. And then our little road trip came to an end.

I just have one question for you…

What in the heck is this supposed to say???

“Sun”day “Fun”day

Yesterday was Sunday, but there was no sun. In fact it was cloudy and rainy. We had promised the kids we would take them fishing. After looking at the radar on our old friend, weather.com, we saw that where we were heading to fish, it wasn’t raining…well, at least not as hard as it was at the house.

We packed up the van, and headed down to Clayton. It’s about a 45 minute drive. The kids were very excited.

After stopping for worms {for the fish} and bananas {for us} we arrived at the little pond.

We unpacked and started baiting hooks.

These two cuties were so excited.

The first line was cast and within minutes {meaning less than 2}, Dallas had already caught a fish.

Then it was Hunter’s turn. He was a little skittish at first, but he quickly acclimated himself and jumped into the fun.

When I tell you that the second we cast a line a fish was on, I’m not exaggerating too much. I think the most we waited was about 5 minutes, but that was when I ventured away from the platform area.

Because the fish were biting so fast, the kids were constantly reeling in, and we were letting the fish go, we couldn’t bait the hooks fast enough. “We” meaning Eric.

You see, I grew up fishing…bass fishing in a boat, on a lake. I also fished off the pier at Daytona Beach every summer. As much as I enjoyed fishing as a child there were two things I wouldn’t do…1 – bait a hook and 2 – take the fish off the hook. Nope, not this southern girl. Hey, I had a granddaddy and daddy for that.

Well, that all changed yesterday. The sun wasn’t shining, but I know my granddaddy was shining down on me and my daddy’s thinking, “that’s my girl”… I’m sure they are so proud because I learned how not only to cut the worm, but bait the hook, and take the fish off those hooks.

But that’s where I drew the line….I was not throwing that fish back into the pond. They’re scaly, slimy, and they wiggle and jump. Now don’t think I didn’t try. I did. I tried a couple of times, but those slippery little suckers would jump out of my fingers and fall straight to the rocks below. Eric would have to come and fish {no pun intended} them out and put them in the water. Luckily, we didn’t lose any.

We mostly caught brim. I caught the first small mouth bass,

and then Hunter got one as well.

Poor Eric didn’t get much fishing in for himself. I tried to help the kids some so he could cast a few lines, but we were always running into trouble. I was either getting lines unstuck out of the bushes, “tossing” the fish into the rocks, or getting a hook stuck in my face.

Yes, you read that correctly…shhh, don’t tell my Mama; she might worry. It really wasn’t as big of a deal as it seemed in the moment. Eric was about 5 yards from us. I was trying to get one of the kids’ lines out of the bushes. I guess I yanked a little too hard and it jerked out and of course right in my cheek. I REALLY tried hard not to freak out because my kids were right there. I politely yelled, “Honey, there’s a hook in my face!” I was freaking out on the inside! The kids then freaked out. Eric, being my Prince Charming, came to my rescue once again. Luckily it really wasn’t lodged in my skin. It was just kind of stuck there. It didn’t even break the skin…Whew!

He got it out, and I really wanted to cry with relief, but the kids, bless their hearts, were really worried about me. So, I put on my big girl panties, or maybe just a smile and assured them I was fine and everything was ok. I had to get right back on that horse and bait more hooks because by granny there were more fish to be caught.

We had the best time!

I’m so blessed to have had a childhood made of fishing memories just like my kids will. I wouldn’t say it’s “relaxing” as a parent, but it is fun to see the excitement in my children’s eyes as they reel in their “catch” and see how big a fish they caught. The proudness that exuberates from them fills me up.

We might have had a non-sun Sunday, but it was such a Fun-day!

Baking Friday

I love baking especially on Friday. Not sure why. I guess I like starting the weekend off with yummy treats. I don’t do it often, but I do love it.

It’s funny, as I started baking today with Hunter, I had a flashback to college. Every Friday morning I would make muffins for my roommates and me. I had an 8:00 am class. I would go to class, come home, make a fresh {right out of the pouch} batch of muffins before my roommates were even up…or maybe they were studying. Anyway, we deemed Friday as “Muffin Friday”.  To this day, I still like making muffins for my kids on Fridays…

Anyway, I digress. I guess the point of that nonsense rant was to show you that I like to bake on Fridays.

Today, Hunter asked if we could make chocolate chip cookies. They’re his favorite. I agreed and we bought the stuff when we were at the store. I also decided that since Dallas was having a little friend over after school to play, I would make them a fun snack. I recently saw this yummy snack on a blog I follow for making Jell-O Popcorn. It looked so yummy. I decided that would be their fun snack. So, after they got home from school, Hunter and I got busy in the kitchen. and I got my “Baking Friday” fix.

Chocolate chip cookies made by Hunter…I know it’s the dough, but that’s the part that the best part anyway, right???

Orange Jell-O Popcorn. Doesn’t that look scrumptious??? It’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

But, to make it even better, I added…

candy corn

Now that is the bomb-diggity!!!

If you want to make some of this yummy, of the charts popcorn for you or your little ones, go visit, House of Smiths. It’s simple to make and the kids love it.

{Oh, but take it from me, when you’re cooking the jell-o sauce, don’t touch it to see if it’s “grainy”…it burns. That stuff sticks to your finger like hot glue and doesn’t want to come off…OUCH.}

Happy Friday, Y’all!!!

Oriental Beef & Noodle Toss

I want to share a quick and super easy meal with y’all today. It’s one I kind of grew up on, and decided to try it out with my peeps the other night. It was a crowd pleaser. 3 out of 4 of us loved it. Hunter didn’t like it, but he doesn’t really count because he doesn’t like anything these days.

I have to warn you though…this is not one of those meals that’s going to take hours to prepare. So, for all my “one pot” meal friends out there…this one’s for you.

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Lb. lean ground beef

2 pkg. (3 oz. each) Oriental flavor instant ramen noodles {yes people, we’re going back to college days.}

2 cups water

1 red bell pepper – seeded and chopped

2 small heads broccoli – chopped into florets

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

2-4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

** I couldn’t find the Oriental Ramen Noodles. I used the Beef flavor, and it worked just as well.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Brown ground beef. As the beef begins to brown, add vegetables and cook together until meat is done and veggies are tender. After they are cooked, add 1/2 –1 whole seasoning packet, and a couple of splashes of soy sauce…check taste.

Remove meat and veggies from pan and set aside in a bowl. Cover to keep warm.

In same saucepan, combine water, noodles {broken into several pieces}, ginger, and 1/2 to whole packet of the other seasoning packet {this is all about your taste preference}. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover, and simmer 3 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

Return beef and veggies to skillet. Add garlic, salt/pepper and more soy sauce {to taste}. Heat through. Stir in green onions before serving.

It’s so light and really good. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Friday!!!

I Remember…

I remember the day. I was sitting in a 5th grade classroom completing my observation hours. My advisor walked in. She leaned over to me and said, “You may go home, the University is closed.” Confused, I asked why. She began to explain, but I swear to you her lips were moving, but no sound was coming out of her mouth…I was in complete shock.

I remember racing home trying to get in touch with my parents, and with Eric. We were dating at the time, and he was on a business trip  to Kansas City, MO.

I remember being scared.

I remember sitting on the floor of our apartment with my roommates watching the coverage.

I remember thinking of Eric’s family up north and being scared for them.

I remember the faces on TV, covered in ashes and soot. The heroes of the firefighters and police men of NYC. The courageous people of New York who fought to help one another.

I remember the flag being put in the rubble of what once was The World Trade Center.

I remember when for a moment, the world stopped.

I remember that after that moment, we as a nation joined as one. It didn’t matter what nationality or religion you were. It didn’t matter if you were a Republican or a Democrat, a Conservative or a Liberal. It didn’t matter what economic class you were in. For a moment, We the People joined as one. We held hands, we united, and we were determined to kick the enemies butt.

That moment ceased and just like that 11 years have gone by. But, I tell you, I still remember. I remember all those emotions that I felt and we as a nation felt. I remember how after that day, our country as we knew it changed. I remember.

And since that moment 11 years ago, we have fought against evil. Our brave and strong men and women of our military have fought long and hard to keep our nation safe, so we don’t have to fight a war on our ground. They put their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe, just as those heroes on 9/11 fought to help others to keep them safe.

To all those families who lost loved ones, and who’s whole world stopped on that moment and may or may not have completely started back, I will always remember the sacrifice you and your loved one made.

To all those heroes in New York, you are true super heroes. You are our Supermen {and women}. I will always remember seeing how hard you worked day in and day out and I thank you.

To all our military, I will always remember the countless hours, days, nights, months, and years that you have fought since to keep us safe on our soil. And I thank you.

It’s been 11 years. So many things in my life have changed, but that is one moment I will always remember…

and I will NEVER FORGET!!!

Comfort Food

For some reason, yesterday I was in need of some serious comfort food. You know that kind of food that your Mama always made you when you were sad or sick and somehow it just made things better. My Mama still makes comfort food for me. Not because I’m sick or sad, mostly because I actually come home for a visit and just need some Mama cooking. So, I’ve got a long list of what I consider comfort food.

Yesterday I was in the mood for some comfort food….just needed some to food to soothe my soul.

I even decided I was in need of a dessert. I try not to bake or make desserts around here very often. I love baking, but the problem is I’m the one who ends up eating all of it…not good – not good at all.

Hunter loves to help me bake in the kitchen. I think he just likes to help me so he can lick the batter off the mixer paddle. I’m not asking questions because I love that he helps me.

We made a Coca-Cola Cake. I don’t think I’ve had one in years. It was just as good as I remember. I actually like it warm, but it’s good either way.

Doesn’t it just look yummy? If you want to try it yourself {which I think you should} you can get the recipe HERE.

While the cake was helping with my need of some “comfort food”, I was still in need of something hearty. Something good and yummy for supper.

Nothing says comfort food in the winter to me as Chicken n’ dumplings and chicken pot pie. Both sounded really good to me yesterday, but I didn’t have the time to make them. I happened to be thumbing through the new Kraft Foods Magazine and came across a recipe for Skillet Chicken and Dumplings.

Well, as usual I made the recipe my own. It was pretty simple and very yummy.

Yup, it was all made in the skillet!

So, the next time you’re in need of some comfort food and don’t have a ton of time to stand over the stove, make dough, chop veggies, all that fun stuff. You should try this recipe. You can find it HERE.

I have to say both of them really helped last night in my need for comfort food. They may not have been my Mama’s cookin’ but they were good and hit the spot!

What are some of your favorite comfort foods???