Pray for Gatlinburg

I'm sure by now most of you have heard of the devastating forest fires that have ravaged Gatlinburg, TN.

Gatlinburg is a place that is very near and dear to me. My husband asked me to marry him in Gatlinburg. I had my honeymoon there and have been back countless more times. I know that place like the back of my hand and almost consider it a second home. It is my special place.

I am absolutely heartbroken over what has occurred there over the past few days. Thankfully, it seems that much of the parkway strip was spared, but there are conflicting reports over the Mysterious Mansion and Hillbilly Golf, among others. I keep checking in on the different news reports hoping for an update.

Even more disturbing are the reports of all the missing people. Please pray for these families that they are reunited soon and that they receive nothing but good news about their loved ones.

Sorry to bum everyone out, but this is what is on my heart and mind today. Pray for Gatlinburg!

Thanksgiving Disasters and Black Friday Deals

How did everyone's Thanksgiving go?!? Any baking disasters? I'd love to hear about them!

Mine started off so good. I was positive this year everything was going to go smoothly and everything was going to turn out perfectly! Who am I kidding? I always think that. I think you have to start out optimistically otherwise you'd probably never even begin.

My first downfall was that I started my baking too late in the day. Like 8pm too late. I always do. Hopefully now that I have it written in stone I can look at this next year and remember to start earlier! (haha, yeah right!)  All I had to make was a classic pumpkin pie and some super delish cranberry fluff. Piece of cake! I wanted to make a pumpkin pie simply because I found some really cute tiny leaf cookie cutters last year and I wanted to try and replicate all those beautiful pies I see on Pinterest with all the fancy leaf work on them. It almost worked.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie (my family's go to) is super easy to make so that part was no hassle. Even doing the leaf-trimmed crust was pretty smooth sailing, especially since I didn't follow anyone's directions, I just made up my own way to attach the leaves and prayed it worked out (It did, for the most part.)

The trouble started when I sliced my finger open trying to make an aluminum pie crust protector since I couldn't find the ones I know I had somewhere. Then, as I was trying to attach it to my fragile pie crust, some of the leaves fell off into no-mans land at the bottom of the oven and immediately started burning-which I somehow promptly forgot to remove and my whole house smelled like it was on fire for two days. Then, I forgot to turn down the heat part way through the baking of the pie so the crust leaves drooped and got charred and the pie itself was looking pretty dry. At least the leaves in the middle of the pie turned out pretty good! Thank goodness I also had a Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie from Walmart to soften the blow. Those things are AMAZING!

I bet even Martha Stewart has had a few baking/cooking disasters in her day. They say practice makes perfect so maybe when I'm 80 I'll have this all down pat!

I removed some of the more burnt leaves on the crust and added my pre-baked leaves for the middle. Those turned out really well! I tried to strategically place them to cover all the cracks! It didn't really work but it actually tasted really good!

Speaking of Martha! I got some awesome Martha Stewart fall appetizer plates at Macy's! They were a steal! At $15 and $17 a piece normally, I only paid about $12 for them both! They had some other really cute items in the collection (like a white and gold pumpkin covered soup bowl!) but I had to limit myself to just these two. I love them and they made up for the fact that nothing else I set out for on Black Friday worked out! The silver (or gold in this case) lining of my Black Friday shopping excursion. Best purchase of the 2016 fall season for sure! Thanks Martha!

Easy Pumpkin Pancakes!

I love IHOP's pumpkin pancakes! I've tried to recreate them at home using several different recipes and nothing ever comes close. Plus, pancakes are really hard to make! It seems like they either don't get done enough or they get burned. Well, fear no more. I have found the best tasting and easiest pumpkin pancakes to make at home-and they may even rival IHOP's!

I was at Meijer the other day and came across Hungry Jack Complete Pumpkin Spice Pancake mix! Yes, complete. As in, just add water. You know I had to try them! I also picked up some sugar free butter flavored syrup, which also just so happened to be made by Hungry Jack, to go with them since we are now doing Weight Watchers (more on than later!)

I usually don't like anything "sugar free" for several reasons, but my husband insisted we try it since it was only one Weight Watcher point for a quarter cup. One of the reasons why I don't normally do sugar free anything is because it usually just tastes so fake and has a bad after taste. This syrup proved me wrong. It was good! Just make sure you heat it first. I had some cold and some heated up and it was way better hot. And the pancakes...OMG. Delicious! Maybe even better than IHOP. Certainly better than any I've made before! I highly suggest picking some up! It was the perfect fall Sunday morning breakfast! Now I wish I had a waffle maker so I could use it to make pumpkin waffles!

For all you "weight watchers" out there, throw on some whipped butter and (zero point!!!) Fat Free Reddi-Wip for an awesome low point breakfast! Heck, it's perfect this way for anyone, not just fellow WW followers!

And just an FYI...this post is NOT brought to you by anyone but me, myself, and I! Just in case you were wondering! I just like sharing things that make my life better!

Turkey Wreath!

Thanksgiving, for me, is an overlooked holiday in terms of decorations. I have decided to make it my mission to decorate more than just my "left over" pumpkin decor this year. So far, everything I have done revolves around turkeys. Naturally!

I had seen some cute turkey wreaths on Pinterest, but nothing really that I just loved so I decided to create my own design! It's very easy and doesn't take too much time out of your day. I did mine in less time than it took the Colts to play a game of football.

All you will need is:

Tulle-I used five different fall colors that I thought would look good on a turkey. I also used sparkly tulle to add some pizazz, but the colors and whether or not it's sparkly are up to you. I used Red, Brown, Gold, Orange, and Green.

A foam wreath-I used a green one just in case some of it showed through the tulle, it would blend in a little better.

Brown foam board-for the body of the turkey. I found something perfect called Silly Winks foam sheets at Hobby Lobby.

Two colors of felt sheets-yellow and red for the beak and that dangly thing that hangs off (apparently, they are called "snoods.")

Eyes-I found some oblong eyes that jiggle that I liked better than just round ones.

A Glue gun

Let's get started!

First, I started by wrapping the bottom section of the wreath with the brown tulle. I folded the tulle over a couple times to get a good base color then just wrapped it tightly and tied off the ends. I left the two ends tied off to add to the feather effect.

I then took the tulle for the "feathers" and cut it to 17 inches long. I recommend cutting all the colors in the same sitting to make it go faster. I also only used the tape measure once and then based the other feathers off the first cut and used it as a template. I decided what order I wanted my colors in before I started to avoid confusion. I used two strands of each color eight times, with the exception of the brown which I only used once per rotation. So, I used 8 brown strands and 16 of the other colors.

I folded the tulle in half.

Then folded it again. Next, I tied it on the wreath.

Double knot the tulle when tying it onto the wreath for a more secure hold. Repeat with the same color and then repeat the process with the rest of the colors.

Half way done already! Push the knots towards the top and back of the wreath while working and keep them all the same. Push the colors together as tight as you like so none of the wreath pokes through. You can make it looser or tighter, but the tighter you pack the tulle in there, the more tulle you will use.

Almost done! I used a brown strand just a bit longer than the rest at the top for a hanger. This is the last chance to fix any imperfections such as making sure the colors are on the way you like them and none of the wreath is peeping out.

Next, I traced a turkey shaped body on the foam. I traced it on the back so if I messed it up it will be on the back! I made it bigger than I actually wanted it so I could do some tweaking later.

There you go! A turkey body! Don't worry if it's not perfect or slightly lopsided. It's homemade!

I cut out a square of the yellow felt for his beak. Again, I made it bigger than I wanted it, just in case I needed to do some trimming! At this point, I also cut out his snood in a willy nilly shape.

I placed all his face pieces where I wanted them before I glued them to make sure it looked good! Then, I took my glue gun and got to work! (Note: If you have never used a glue gun before-they get REALLY hot and can burn you! So be careful! And also, they are very stringy. Just a dab will do and try to get all of the strings off so it doesn't get all over your turkey.) I just glued around the top and sides of the beak and poked it out a little to create the 3D effect! Next glue the body to the wreath at the top and bottom!

All finished and hanging on the door!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Super Easy Fall Floral Arrangement

 It's no secret that I love flowers and I would love to have a fresh floral arrangement in my house at all times, but that's not always possible. Fresh cut flowers are very expensive, and although I usually get mine from the half off bin (sometimes they look just as good as the full price ones!) it's still a luxury for me to purchase them. 

I was at Hobby Lobby when I saw an absolutely beautiful pre-made bouquet. The colors were perfect for fall so I purchased it (with my 40% off coupon of course!) and figured I would put it in a vase and that would be that. 

When I got home, I came across a small, square glass vase that I had snagged from my brother's wedding. I still had the green leaf-like material that went around the outside of the arrangement and I had an idea! My new fall bouquet would be perfect in there! It looked good, but I thought two bouquets would really fill it out so I went back to "The Lobby" and got another. It now looks amazing! Some of those fake flowers look really bad, but this one is made with quality faux flowers and doesn't look very fake at all! And it could not have been easier!
 

Now I have a gorgeous centerpiece on my table all season long-or honestly, all year long if I so desire. It's perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday since it sits so low on the table. You can still pass food over it! And isn't the food the important thing?

All I did was bend the stems of the bouquets to make them fit nicely in the vase. THAT'S IT! It literally takes two minutes to make this centerpiece-but no one can tell! It looks store bought! If you want to make it more secure you can use that green floral foam to anchor the flowers in better, but honestly, it's just sitting on your table. You really don't need it. I made sure to put the flowers in oppositely so each side would be different.

View from the top!

Perfection!

Looking ahead to Spring!

Despite the fact that it is only November, I am already planning ahead for Spring. Well, in my garden at least. I'm a planner by nature and every year around August/September when the bulbs start coming out I like to go around to all of the stores and take stock. I take lots of pictures of all of the flowers that I like and then try to whittle it down from there. I would spend all my money on flowers if I could!

This year I tried really hard not to go crazy and I only bought four new packs of bulbs. I usually tend to go a little overboard and get in over my head. Then I have to race against the clock to get them all planted and I end up getting a little resentful that I purchased so many bulbs. My four packs still equaled out to over 100 bulbs that I had to get in the ground. I didn't want a repeat of last year when I ran out of Muscari to edge the border of my creekside garden, so I made sure to purchase plenty to finally finish it off this year. I can't wait to see it!

Muscari and Daffodils are among my most favorite flowers and I had been wanting some Irises for a long time.

I got two packs of Muscari to finish off the border of my garden. I absolutely love their blue color. There were even a few bulbs left over that I planted in my peony garden where I noticed, much to my dismay, that it looked like my peonies were pushing up again! I don't remember that happening before, so I hope they will be okay. Crazy Indiana weather!

Daffodils are probably my most favorite of all flowers. I saw these gorgeous double daffodils and just had to get them. I hope I got a good mix of all three planted together!

I planted the daffodils in five clumps of five bulbs through out my garden that runs along the creek-I call it the "creekside garden." This is how I decide where to plant them for the best placement.

Here they are nestled in their new home.

I planted these beauties in clumps of five in a few places in the front of my house. They will look great with my existing daffodils and purple hyacinths! We are always looking to add more pops of color in the front yard. I had a few bulbs left over that I ended up planting in a new bed that I am just starting on the side of my garage too.

I also decided it was time to plant this gorgeous deep red mum (well, it was deep red when I originally bought it.) It went into my creekside garden as well, the first of many in the years to come. I like to take my time planting gardens-if I did it all at once, what would I have to look forward to?

These were the only bulbs that I really wanted but did not get a chance to purchase. I think it may be too late because the first frost finally hit last night. Next year!

I woke up to this. The dreaded first frost!

Frost on my beloved limelight hydrangea. This is just the beginning of things to come!

The Apple Festival!

Last month, we went to the Apple Festival in Kendallville. It was a beautiful fall day, warm and sunny with just the slightest chill in the air.

I had never been to the Apple Festival before. Normally, I go to the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne, which is pretty much the official kick off of fall in this area. Since I was unable to go to Johnny Appleseed this year, I thought I'd try something new.

There was a lot of yummy looking food, much of it featuring apples, of course. We ended up getting some ham and beans with cornbread, one of my faves. I also picked up some small, decorative pumpkins and some more ceramic mushrooms to add to my collection!

Perfect fall day for a festival! A country road somewhere around Kendallville.

Beautiful mums and pumpkins at a farmer's market area.

I really liked the cute little vendor shacks they had.

Another cute shack selling apple pie! Love their set up with all the pumpkins, gourds, and hay!

Look at all those pumpkins!

Fall Leaf Pillow

I love a good pillow! This year, I was inspired by several really cool looking fall leaf pillows that I found on Pinterest. (Which, by the way-I have a Sweet Home Indiana Pinterest page that you should really check out!)

Originally, I had thought about cutting out my own leaf shapes from felt, but I then I found some beautiful fall felt leaves at Hobby Lobby. They were perfect for what I had in mind! I also got a 16x16 linen-esque pillowcase and pillow insert from Hobby Lobby. I am all about making it easy! I am also all about making it cheap as I had to go back on three separate occasions so I use coupons on them. When you are a baller on a budget, you do what you gotta do!

I was unsure of what to use to attach the leaves to the pillowcase. The leaves are actually pretty thick and sewing them on just didn't seem like it would work. I decided to glue them and started researching what would be the best glue to use when gluing fabric to fabric. After doing quite a bit of of research, I settled on Aleene's Fabric Fusion. It said it was permanent fabric adhesive, which was exactly what I wanted.

How could you not love these leaves!

My cleaned and pressed pillow case along with the leaves and glue.

I used a cardboard insert from a box of kleenex to make sure that the glue would not bleed through the pillowcase and end up gluing it shut. You learn things like this from trial and error!

First things first, I arranged the leaves in the design that I liked best so I knew where to glue them. Also, notice that I put the zipper on the bottom of the pillow design. There's nothing worse than getting finished and realizing you put everything on upside down! Again, trial and error!

I put a moderate amount of glue all over the leaves and pushed them down with my hand for about a minute to get the glue to start setting before I went on to the next. I also started putting heavy books on top of the glued leaves once I got down the line, so it would help them set up as well.

After letting the heavy books sit on top of the pillow overnight so that everything would really stick, I was so excited to see the finished product! I lifted the pillowcase up to admire my work and a leaf fell off. Of course, that lead to me picking on the others and a few more fell off. I have to admit, I was pretty devastated. I had such high hopes! It was supposed to work perfectly! I have no idea why after all this time crafting and doing other home projects, I always think that everything is going to go smoothly and turn out perfectly. It rarely does!

Never one to give up easily, I re-glued the leaves while cursing Aleene and her stupid glue. I made sure to push down even harder and put even more glue on. After letting them dry, I checked it out again. Success! No leaves fell off this time. I forgive you, Aleene. Excitedly, I jammed the pillow insert into the case and thought, "Hmmm...this looks different than I had imagined."

The finished product. It really does look good. I just had not anticipated that the leaves would be so....not in the middle? Busting at the seams? The middle looked very plain to me and the leaves were further on the edges than I thought they would be when I designed the pillow. But that is life, it rarely turns out how you imagine.

Looking good on my antique rocking chair. I actually love how it ended up turning out. It looks pretty awesome if I do say so myself!