Monday, September 30, 2013

Pumpkin Picking 2013 and Our Fall Front Porch

 Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year ! Pumpkin Picking Day ! We pick pumpkins at the same farm we pick strawberries from .
 Saturday was their first day open for the season so we had to be there when they opened !

We got lots of white , blue and pink pumpkins... and of course the usual orange ones! Tons of gourds, and lots of dirt and sweat :) We had 3 generations of pumpkin pickers this year ! My husband, myself, my daughter, son # 2's girlfriend, son#1 , daughter-in-law,and their 2 boys. We had a great morning , but boy were we tired and dirty ! 

So many pumpkins and only so much room in the suburban ! My son and his wife and my daughter split a load.. and we gave my other sons girlfriend some of ours for in front of their apartment.

 You have to pack them in your car very strategically to get the most pumpkins :) This year we have 95 in our yard .. I know ...crazy ! Not to mention the 4 garbage bags of gourds !
 We always surround our front planting bed.. put them on the porch .. put a few in our mailbox planting bed.
 I haven't done a post on our Fall front porch yet , and tomorrow its transforming to A Halloween Porch.
 I used my Fall sign , some scarecrows, wood crates, mums and pumpkins.



 I painted the FALL sign last year on one of my old craft show shelves..They are perfectly distressed from so many years of hard use :) The other side of the board I painted the word JOY and use that on my Christmas porch :) I got the garland above the door at an estate sale last week , The same one I got the dishes for my hutch at ! It was $ 2.00 .. The tall skinny wooden scarecrow I got at a craft show this fall.. Don't mind the hoe handle on the right .. :)

 My Fall wreath was poofed and fluffed from last year.. It has gold decomesh , wired burlap ribbon , animal print wired ribbon , orange sparkly ribbon, sunflowers, copper colored leaf pics, berry pics.
 Thanks so much for stopping by ! I appreciate all your visits and nice comments ! Come back tomorrow to see my Halloween Porch ! Come follow me on Instagram , Facebook, and Pinterest ! Links in the sidebar ..
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Praline Apple Bread



Do yourself a favor and make this ! It is so good ! 

Praline Apple Bread

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans divided
1- 8 0z container of sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 TBSp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 Tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups finely chopped apples ( I used honeycrisps)

Topping
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat sour cream ,sugar , eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined. Add the flour ,bakingpowder, soda and salt beat until combined. fold in apples and 1'2 cup pecans.
spoon into greased and floured pan ( I line mine with parchment paper instead) sprinkle remaining pecans on top and lightly press into batter.
bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes . Put aluminum foil on top after 50 minutes so it doesn't get too brown. Mine took the whole 65 minutes .
Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.
Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat , boil 1 minute spoon or pour over bread.

Thanks so much for stopping by ! I appreciate all your visits and nice comments !



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Apple Pizza And a Corner Hutch


We went apple picking this weekend .. It was honeycrisp apple day , they are so good that we waited in line for an hour to pick them !
We got to the orchard at 8 am and this was the line .. they opened at 9 ..
There are tons of apples on these little tiny trees !


The youngest grandson enjoyed the apples ! I had to make one of our family favorite desserts ( and its easy ) when I got home.. I use a package of frozen puff pastry.. thaw it out ..then roll it out a little bit with a rolling pin.( I don't grease the pan )
I peel and cut up the apples( about 5 cups for 2 pieces of puff pastry ), add about 1/2 cup sugar ( my apples were pretty sweet so I didn't use much sugar ) , 2 Tbsp. of flour ,1-2 tsp.of cinnamon ,1/2 tsp. salt .lay the apples on the pastry and fold the edges up about 1/2 inch. Then add about a Tbsp. of butter to the top just crumble it in pieces. Bake at 400 degrees , start checking it at about 20 minutes ..these  took about 35 minutes . Cool it a little, sprinkle with powdered sugar, then use your pizza cutter to cut into squares. sometimes we use whip cream on top or ice cream or just plain !


Remember last year when I bought the corner cabinet on craigs list ? I was going to paint it and use it in my kitchen , but then I decided to use my old hutch . My middle son and his girlfriend are going to use it in their apartment , so we painted it.


Aqua on the inside and white on the outside. We made the homemade chalk paint again ..what a transformation ! I paid $80.00 for the cabinet and we used paint we already had .We painted over all the hardware ..love how it turned out !







They have a white dining table so this will match perfectly !

This Saturday is our annual Pumpkin Picking Day ! I cannot wait ! You can read about last years pumpkin picking here !
I would love for you to follow me on Instagram , Link in the sidebar..I am sure I will have lots of instagram pics on Pumpkin Picking Day !

Also next week I will have my first of 3 posts for Joann Fabrics ! I am so excited to have been chosen to create 3 projects for them ! Look for a special coupon from them also !


Thanks so much for stopping by ! I appreciate all your visits and nice comments !




Monday, September 23, 2013

Fall Table Runner and Changes in the Dining Room

 Good Monday Morning ! Hope you had a great weekend !
I decided that I needed something on my dining room table, so I made this easy table runner.
 I used some plaid homespun fabric, and cut two strips of burlap to fit . I sewed the ends together and turned it right side out and sewed the hems on each end . Then I sewed the burlap on.
 I cut felt oak leaves ..I found a pattern on the internet and then enlarged it to make the shadow. I used 2 different bron colors.
 I took gold puffy fabric paint and used it for the veins on the leaves and to make swirl designs on the burlap.
 Now for the changes in the dining room, on Thursday my daughter and I went to 2 estate sales.
 At the first one we didn't get much , she got a candle stick and I got some Christmas floral pics and red check ribbon.
 At the second estate sale there was a set of the exact dishes I wanted for my hutch ! I tried to resist but they came home with me ! :) I also got that copper bucket $ 2.50 ! , and stuck the rooster and some fall berry pics in it.
 They were $30.00 for the set of 8 place settings plus 2 large serving bowls, 2 small serving bowls and a platter. They are off white with a little antiquing around the edges.

 On our way home I googled them and I got a fabulous deal ! The platter and big mixing bowls are $22.00 a piece .. A place setting is $55.00 ! I was so excited we had to come home and immediately fill up that hutch !
 It was so nice to find exactly what I wanted at such a reasonable price!
 Love estate sales ! And the Good Will! And church rummage sales :) Ok.. all thrifting !
 They look gorgeous in my hutch and I am already deciding what I am going to do with them at Christmas Time !

I have been stitching this Beggars Night by Threadwork Primitives.
Have a wonderful day ! Thanks as always for stopping by and your nice comments !
http://www.jannolson.blogspot.com/
 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Fall Dining Room and Two Cross Stitch Finishes


Good Morning.. Hope you are all having a great week so far!
 
When we remodeled our living room / dining room , we got a new dining room set. I hadn't decorated the shelves of the hutch until yesterday .. My daughter was digging around in our basement and found some of my old dishes. They are cream colored  Pfaltzgraff  with grapes and leaves..I wanted plain cream ones to display but these are free :) .
 
 I added the decomesh garland I had made for over our foyer mirror, but that got taken down with the remodel , so it fits perfectly over the hutch. Its dark brown decomesh, burlap ribbon, sunflowers , berries and leaves,,
 I moved the Pumpkin cottage cross stitch piece from the foyer and added a silver tray with a glitter pumpkin , sunflowers and dried hydrangea.


 I added a couple pumpkins, pumpkin plates , a vintage blue mason jar, and a basket of dried hydrangeas to the inside of the hutch.

 A little fall vignette on the server.. plates stacked with a pumpkin, ivy, sunflowers, and those green floral balls, in a wrought iron basket.


On the table is a big cloche with pumpkins , lace, dried hydrangeas and berries on a silver tray.
I had finished stitching 2 fall cross stitch pieces , I found the frame below at the good will, for $3.99. I took out the glass and just left the frame and matting in . II then attatched the stitching to foam board and glued it to the frame mat. I wrapped a piece of twine around the bottom and glued twine to a button to make a flower.This stitching is a free pattern from with thy needle and thread blog . I love how it turned out.