Monday, October 31, 2016

Halloween Blog Hop Features AND $100 Winner Announcement

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Happy Halloween! Welcome to the final night of our Halloween 2016 Blog Hop. What a fun party this has been!  A big

THANK YOU

to everyone who joined us!


  Each host picked three features to share with all of you. It was hard to pick my favorites - I had so many of them. I love all things Halloween! Pin the features and make yourself a collection of cool ideas for next Halloween. Don't forget to check out the winner of our $100 giveaway!

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MOST VIEWED
 
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Halloween Vignettes @ A Vintage Green
 
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HOST PARTY FAVORITES
 
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halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveaway-winner-mistie

Mistie's favorites | Burlap Accordion Pumpkin | October Halloween Free Printable Planner Stickers | DIY Pumpkin Magnets |

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Lacie's favorites | Spooky Spider Halloween Wreath | Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Halloween Cake | Halloween Motley Crew: Halloween Figurines |

halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveaway-winner-erlene

Erlene's favorites | There was a crooked house | Styrofoam Spider | DIY Creepy Halloween Dreamcatchers |

http://craftylumberjacks.blogspot.com/2015/10/there-was-crooked-house.html

Marci 's favorites | Candy Corn Fairy Costume | Thrifty Last Minute Costume Ideas | There was a crooked house |

halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveaway-winner-gail

Gail's favorites | Halloween Paper Mache Houses | Halloween Gourd Garland | Fabulous, Frugal Flowerpot Costume (no sewing required) |

halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveaway-winner-beverly Beverly's favorites | Not So Spooky Halloween Party | Halloween Gourd Garland | Styrofoam Spider | halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveway-winner-kim

Kim's favorites | Raven Halloween Wreath | Halloween Sugar Skull Couple | Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Halloween Cake |

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Donna's favorites | Halloween Spider Cake | Oreo Spiders | No Place Like Home - Halloween on the Front Stoop |

halloween-2016-blog-hop-features-plus-giveaway-winner-megan
 
 

Halloween 2016 Blog Hop Giveaway Winner

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Thank you for joining us for the Halloween 2016 Blog Hop. See next year on October 1, 2017 for a hauntingly good time!
 
;-)  -Marci

Link Party Feature!!

Today, my little post showing our
 
 
 
 
 
is being featured at the
 
 
 
 
How exciting!  I hope you have time to join the party!
 
;-)  -Marci

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Outdoor Autumn Vignettes

My 2016 Gourd Harvest was shown in this post right HERE!  Even though only three packets of seeds were planted, there were plenty for sharing with our family and friends.  Of course I kept some for our Autumn decorating.  Here are the outdoor photos. 
 

One of my favorite features of our stone cottage are these little flower boxes built right into the rock!  Aren't they pretty?
 


Depending on the season or holiday, there's no telling what might be tucked inside.
 


Of course flowers are my first choice.  These pretties are pink Portulaca, common name Moss Roses.


A few Jack-O-Lanterns are tucked here and there.



They add a lovely splash of orange!  After Halloween, they will be pulled.


 The scarecrow, gourds and chrysanthemums will remain until our first frost.
 
 
My scarecrow is getting a bet scruffy, but I love him anyway!

What are your favorite ways to transition Fall décor from October to November?
 
Happy Autumn, Everyone!
 
;-)  -Marci

Saturday, October 29, 2016

My Great Deals from Pickin' Time on 59

 Pickin' Time on 59 has become a family tradition.  You can read the previous posts

HERE and THERE

All of the towns along Highway 59 have antique, craft, bake and yard sales.  You never know what you might find along the way!  Some of the vendors bring seriously cool craftsmanship.  Other booths and sales may have junk, but you know the quote, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

These are my favorite shopping buddies!  My sister and our aunt!


We have such a great time together!  I love these girls!
 

This little table and chair set was my bargain of the day!  Both chairs AND the table were only $25 total!  ;-)  And it fits perfectly in front of my window.  Kati Cat has taken over the chair on the right.  ;-)  I'm not sure why she doesn't like the chair on the left.

 
 Most of the furniture in our living room is gray.  It's nice to have a bit of burlap in there, too!

  
 Notice the rooster and the two coasters?  The coaster set was only 25 cents and the rooster was a whopping 75 cents!  The candy canister was a gift from my gorgeous friend, Gail and the birdhouse was purchased long ago. 
 
 I did buy lots of other things, but these are my favorite ones.  Our daughter and son-in-law are foster parents.  When they come over, we are never really sure how many children might be with them.  This will be a nice little spot for additional seating.  We never want anyone to feel left out!



This pretty little chipped dish was FREE!  Yep!  One vendor had a table of FREE stuff!
 
 What are your family's favorite shopping traditions?
 
 ;-)  -Marci

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Garden Guest: Bird on a Wire

 The north side of our front yard is a certified  National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat.  Really!  We have a certificate!  You can do the same by providing food, water, cover and places for wildlife to raise their young.  It is so much fun to see all of the critters that stop by for a visit.  I have a series of posts to show you our Garden Guests.
 
If you would like to see more, please take a look at my Garden Page   
 



Another photo series of a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird from late Summer...




This wire runs near our back porch




and was a favorite perch all Summer for these little beauties!




Is it just me or is she looking right at the camera?  ;-)




This tiny sweetheart landed, and then seemed as intrigued with me as I was with her!


 
 
 What's happening in your back yard?
 
 ;-)  -Marci

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Tuesdays with a Twist #184 Time to Party!!

Our News This Week...  The weekend weather was absolutely stunning again!  Lots of work was done on our kitchen, more stripping and sanding.  I'm almost to the fun part...  PAINTING!  ;-)  I purchased some new baby chickens.  They are so cute when they are just little puffs!

Have you joined the Halloween Blog Hop and $100 Giveaway I am co-hosting?  This is the last week!  It's been a lot of fun!  The winner will be announced on Halloween Night!  What a sweet treat!!






 
How has your week been?  I can hardly wait to see your links today!

 



Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being chosen.  Be sure to check all of our blogs!

No features for me this week.  Boo!
 
  
If you have been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

We all love comments!  Please hop around and show some love!

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Friday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

All family friendly links are welcome.  Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!
*Pictures should be your own* 
By linking up you give us permission to use these photos
 (with proper link backs) in our features. 
And now for the party!

;-)  -Marci






Saturday, October 22, 2016

Apple Pie Granola Recipe

I've been playing around with granola recipes for a while, looking for high nutrition and low calories, but also great taste!  There have been about four fails so far, but thankfully, we can eat just about anything so nothing has been wasted.

This recipe though...




Mmmmm...  This one is not a fail!  ;-) 

High protein, no processed sugar or flour.  Well, except for the coconut.  When I got home and realized the bag was sweetened coconut,  GAH!  I used it anyway.  Another trip to the grocery store was not happening on that particular day!

Apple Pie Granola Bars

1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped {minus one slice because, ya know, I ate it}
enough lemon juice to cover apple
1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds
1 heaping tablespoon flax seeds
1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt


Does anyone else smile when their kitchen gadget matches one of their ingredients?  ;-)


Stir together all wet ingredients, then all dry ingredients.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!


 

What's cooking at your house?

;-)  -Marci

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Book Review: A Woman's Shed

by Gill Heriz
 
Photography by Nicolette Hallett
 
A Woman's Shed
 
 
A Partial Synopsis from Book Depository:  Every woman deserves a shed of her own, somewhere to retreat to for some quiet time, to create or grow, to write or paint, or just to contemplate the view. Gill Heriz has interviewed over 80 different women, and Nicolette Hallett has photographed their sheds inside and out, to collect together this unique insight into why women have sheds, and what they do in them.
 
 
My Thoughts:  This book caught my eye on a gloomy day after surgery.  (Have I mentioned lately how much I love my public library?)  The photography really makes the book come alive.  I loved seeing each shed, whatever its intended purpose and was especially curious about lighting and storage.  My indoor creative spaces are my greenhouse and my craft room.  I definitely have some new ideas on arranging and organizing my space.  This little gem of a book certainly brightened my gloomy day!
 
What have you been reading?
 
;-)  -Marci

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

LINK PARTY Tuesdays with a Twist #183

Our News This Week...  The weekend was absolutely beautiful.  We were able to do lots of yard work and I finally got my front porch decorated for Autumn.  Stay tuned for that post!  ;-)

Have you joined the Halloween Blog Hop and $100 Giveaway I am co-hosting?  It's been a lot of fun!  The winner will be announced on Halloween Night!  What a sweet treat!!



 
How has your week been?  I can hardly wait to see your links today!

 



Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being chosen.  Be sure to check all of our blogs!

Choosing features is so very difficult!  How * C U T E * is this DIY Personalized Bucket
 



 
from Christine at Little Brags?!  I love it!

 
  
If you have been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

We all love comments!  Please hop around and show some love!

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Friday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

All family friendly links are welcome.  Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!
*Pictures should be your own* 
By linking up you give us permission to use these photos
 (with proper link backs) in our features. 
And now for the party!

;-)  -Marci




 

Saturday, October 15, 2016

It's Autumn! Time for Making Apple Butter {Slow Cooker Recipe}

We have sweet friends with an orchard!  They recently brought us two tote bags running over with apples!  Yummy!  We were so excited and grateful for the gift, it never occurred to us to ask what kind of apples they were.

Red.  Sweet.  Mostly crisp, but some were a bit over ripe.  That's really all I know.  I am sure there is some wonderful science behind which apples are best for certain recipes, but we used the lovely gift we were given!


 
 
We've had this recipe for quite a while.  I'm not sure where it originated.  It's in our big folder for favorite recipes in my Handsome Husband's handwriting.  There are only four ingredients!
 
Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe
 
12 - 16 Big Apples
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
 
Wash, core, and rough chop apples.  There's no need to peel the apples with this recipe.  Place all ingredients in slow cooker and toss to mix.  Cover and cook on high for 4 - 5 hours stirring occasionally until soft and cooked thru.  Pure' in food processor then place back in slow cooker.  Cook until the apple butter is as thick as your family likes.

Enjoy your apple butter just like you would use jams or jellies!
 
 Happy Autumn!

;-)  -Marci

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Gourd Harvest 2016

I love gardening and decorating gourds.  So, of course I grow gourds!  ;-)  Here's a bit of our 2016 harvest.

 
 
This year, three little packets of seeds produced enough gourds for me, for our daughter, along with a basketful for my aunt AND our favorite neighbors! 



 
See why I love gardening!  Sharing is such a delight!





I don't want to tell you what seed varieties were purchased or where I found them because they were not true to the packets.





Cross pollination is very common with gourds.  If I were a buzzing bee, I don't think I could resist such a pretty flower!  Shapes and colors can also become distorted depending on growing conditions.




This particular seed company must have had a lot of varieties very close together.




At first I was a bit disappointed, but honestly, aren't they beautiful?
 
  
 
 
We have cattle panels along the outside of our garden. 
 
 
 
 
They are perfect for supporting heavy climbers like gourds.
 
 
 
  
How often are you photo bombed by chickens or other pets?  ;-)  I think the cream colored ones might just be my favorites this year.  'Can't wait to show you my Autumn vignettes using gourds!
 
 ;-)  -Marci