Believe it or not, my house is only half decorated for Christmas!
WHAT?? The girl who begins her countdown in June? The girl who starts listening to Christmas music in October? The girl who watches Christmas movies every night in December?

Yes, all that is still happening.

I had to postpone my decorating this year.
But don't you worry, it'll get done.
And when it does. I'll show it to you! Yippee!

On the bright side, the tree is up! It shines brightly in our front window.
And I remembered something cute and crafty I did last year that I almost forgot about!!

Drum roll please......


These are my scrapbookie ornaments (for lack of a better name).
I rolled up 1/2 strips of paper, stuffed them into clear glass ornaments and voila!!

They'd probably be even cuter if I tied fabric strips on the top, huh? Maybe I'll do that. When I finish decorating...

Ooooooo. Ahhhhhh!

Apple Pie

So, I have this super talented friend named Shelly.
She sews and crafts and refashions clothes.
Oh, she also MAKES PIE!!!

She recently did a pie crust demonstration, which unfortunately I was not able to go. I was bummed.
However, she was kind enough to take the time to personally teach me how to make her famous pie crust!! At her house!

I don't know if you realize how big of a deal this is.

She made pie for weeks practicing for her demonstration. She probably never wanted to make pie again! And yet... she did.
Thank you Shelly.
I have never felt so accomplished in my life! She was even patient with my baking insecurities.

In my futile pie making past, I have attempted two pies. Yes, only two. And they both flopped miserably.
You can imagine my excitement when I tasted my first successful pie! I was giddy!
I have a bag full of apples just waiting for my second attempt... by myself.
Wish me luck!

Hi.

Yes, I realize it's been a while. {Cough}.
I'm hoping, if anyone still reads this, you will forgive my slacker ways.

Especially since I have been up to some awesome Halloween decorating!

Something about this chilly fall weather got to me. I have been holed up in my house going crazy with the crafts and the sewing!!! Yahoo! I LOVE it!

Oooh! Isn't it festive? I have been inviting all the neighbors over to look because I just can't hold in the excitement. Woot woot for Halloween and being such a fun holiday!


Believe it or not I painted the creepy little house on wrapping paper that I wrapped around a picture of the Salt Lake Temple. Don't worry, it's only temporary.
And that witch??? My mom made that years ago. It has always been my favorite Halloween decoration. She gave it to me because she loves me. I would like to get a cauldron for the witch so she can brew up something...



I love my spooky sign. I just printed those letters on the computer and cut them out. Easy peasy.


Given my past bunting experience, this actually didn't take too long! And I'm loving the color combo.


I got these dead little guys at the dollar store! I have a fourth skeleton that I think I will put on a wreath.


Embroidery hoops with fabric tucked inside. And when Thanksgiving and Christmas come, it will be so easy to swap these out!

I promise to be better at showing you my projects!!! I've been busy working on a bunch because it's crafty season for me!
Check back for more!

Yard Sales

I may have started something bad.
I went yard saleing in for the first time on Saturday.
I had a few bucks in my purse. Why not?

I'm already counting down the days until next Saturday when I can go again!
Bad. Bad. Bad.

But can you blame me?
I found all these great toys for 6 dollars. TOTAL!!!
Do you have any idea how much this would all cost me at the store?
I cleaned them up and they are as good as new.
I am still giddy about it.

Come on Saturday, come on!

Summer Bag. Just in Time!

I just felt like making a bag.

A bright, stripy, summery bag.
Though I don't really need another bag...

Perhaps I can use it for going to the park. Or the Zoo. Or the Libary...
Nope. Too small for the library.
How about a quick trip to the store! I could easily fit a can of Pringles in there.

See? There are so many uses for my lovely tote bag.


By the way. I got this cute idea off of Ayumills Pink Penguin Blog. If you haven't seen her blog before, you should. She makes some of the cutest stuff I've ever seen. And all of her patchwork is so perfectly straight.

The Couch Needed a Little Sprucing

The couch was looking and feeling a little blah. I had some throw pillows on there, but the colors
just didn't match and they were so very boring. So I whipped up these
little pillowcases for them!

So much better...

I've been busy...

As you can probably tell by the lack of posts. So, today I think I'll spoil you. You're welcome.

A recipe:

Sour Cream Cheese Potatoes

This is my Grandma's recipe. She is an amazing cook, so hers taste 10 times better than mine, and mine are really good!

8 (approx.) Sliced, boiled potatoes
1 c. Butter
½ c. Chopped Onion
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pt. Sour Cream

1 c. Corn Flakes (or potato chips)
3 T. Melted Butter
1 c. Cheese

Slice potatoes, boil for 15-20 minutes and drain. Meanwhile, melt butter, onions, cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Add to potatoes. Combine melted butter with Corn Flakes. Top potato mixture with grated cheese and Corn Flakes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

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A Garden Update:

The garden is flourishing. We are so lucky to begin our gardening experience in Pittsburgh. This weather makes gardening easy.
This is our beans. One day they were tiny little sprouts, the next day they were full fledged leafy plants!
We love our garden and yard. It is so rewarding to us. Which sounds totally dorky, but I don't care. There is just something about planting a seed and watching it grow.

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A Project:

More darling little Kidlets! I made these for Brinkley's room. She has one of those cubical shelves (that she and I built together! How cute is that?) and I'm going to hang these little cuties above the shelf. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get that project all done.

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A Cutie:

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And a little Inspiration:

These were our shoes on Sunday after church. What a cute little family of shoes. Dad, mom, baby. I love it.

But if you really want to be inspired, you should check out these photographers:

Green Island Studios
Bloom, Grow, Love
Dripstick
Futurowoman Fotographie