HaPpy HAllOwEeN!

I think Granny is my favorite costume I've seen on line this year. 

Found on Make it and Love it

Of course, the three together are pretty awesome!

Very Cute!

 

SMILE

 

 

“Peace begins with a smile.”

       

   ― Mother Teresa

 

Image from HERE

 

 

Halloween Food and Fun

Fun idea for Napkin Rings ... or not rings ... from Family Chic

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Here's a Shabby Chic Halloween party look with a lot of fun looks from Kara's Party Ideas



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Halloween Confetti ... Popcorn ... from I Heart Nap Time

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Awesome colors ... Black Velvet Cupcakes from Sweetapolita



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Empty Frames and Paper Bubbles?

I think this look is wonderful - the book pages (music) on the wall, empty frames with scattered flowers, great way to combine white and cream colors, the natural wood on the table, even the style and colors of the desserts, ... it sings a beautiful song!  This look comes from Celebrations at Home

 

 

 

Here is another look found on the same blog, here

These colors are beautiful together, the soft tones are lovely to look at, and the backdrop is flowing with paper bubbles to create a very relaxing feel.  Every little detail helps make this overall look irresistibly inviting.

 

 

 

The Fox Shares a Secret with the Little Prince



Image from HERE

In this story,

"the little prince became friends with a fox. Upon parting, the fox shared a secret with the little prince. He said, “Here is my secret … :

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;

what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

One way to come unto Christ is by seeking to learn essential truths with our hearts. As we do so, impressions that come from God will give us knowledge that we cannot get by any other means.

 

Today, surrounded by so much information, we might think that navigating millions of web pages will give us all that we need to know. We can find good and bad information on the web, but information alone is not enough. God has given us another source for greater knowledge, even knowledge sent from heaven.

Our Heavenly Father can give us such knowledge when we navigate the celestial web in our hearts and minds.

 

Iniquity hampers our ability to see, feel, and love others.

 

Remembering God helps us to feel and live.

 

There is no burden that He (Christ) cannot ease or remove.

 

 

Excerpts from Learning with our Hearts  by Walter F. Gonzalez

Ribbon and Ripped Cloth Veil

Okay, I've seen ribbon and cloth backdrops, even made one myself, but here is a new way to use ribbon and cloth strips - check it out at DIY Bride - she tells how she did it.

 

Paper Mate Clicker Pencil

It's Show and Tell Time!

This is not a paid advertisement - it's just a review of one of my favorite things.

This in one of those things that I am grateful for because it makes writing a whole lot more enjoyable.

Depending upon what the need is, sometimes an old fashioned pencil is the best way to go, but I always love a sharp point.  The dulled led is just too hard on me - I'm a bit OCD that way - if I don't have a sharp point then I just can't use it.  I'm shivering as I write this ;).  I do have a pretty good stash of regular no.2 pencils - for when I need to share with students in a class.  They come in so many great colors and designs now - it's awesome.

My all time favorite pencil is this Paper Mate clicker pencil.  I have a few of these too.

They come in several colors and a couple different led sizes ...

  My favorite is no.5 - I don't do 7 because it's too much like that dull pencil led that drives me crazy. It's one of those scratching on the chalkboard kinda things. euh! - is that how you spell that sound? ewe is pronounced like you, so???   maybe it's oooo! or eooo! since it's pronounce more like in moo???

Okay - enough of that!

Have a great day!

Gable Boxes

I am so excited because I finally learned how to use my Cameo!  I've had it for a while but just had not figured it out until now.  Here are my first creations from that machine.

 

Gable boxes made from cardstock ..., except for the striped box which was light weight scrapbooking paper (which I would not suggest using, but I loved the colors and design it made).

 

 

Cutting and folding them was so easy with the Cameo.  I think I'll really enjoy using it.

I had the sticker runners in my scrapbooking supplies and wrapped them around the boxes to give them a fun look. Then used scrap ribbon to tie together to give the finishing touches.

All I need to do now is fill them with some fun stuff for a few of my friends.

 

 

I made a few with some glitter cardstock and really loved the look they created for a little bit more of a vintage style without the true Halloween look. 

 

 If I changed the decor around they (and the one orange ribbon) I could put them with a Christmas decor quite easily, and even later with Valentine decor.   But for now, I love those glitter boxes with my Halloween/Fall decor.

Happy Day!

Paper crafting can be so much fun - I wonder what I'll create next?

 



Pinteresting Pumpkins

I saw something on Pinterest 

  

 I liked the look and wanted to do something like it, using only things I already had -

I salvaged some 2x8 wood pieces out of a box we save for fire wood, trying to find just the right sizes. I didn't want to do much cutting. :) 

Well ..., I didn't have enough of one color of orange paint, so I used a few colors of browns and oranges and yellow.  This photo doesn't show the true color, but it does show some truth, in that I wish it was a bit brighter, but even then, I like the rustic look.

I sanded it (but it wasn't dry as I would have liked it to be when I did sand it and it added too much of a dusty look to it, but I was in a hurry).

I also rubbed it with some antiquing liquid, wrapped it with some burlap looking ribbon ...,

and glued some berry strands and flowers on it.

Oh yes, I glued a stem (or broken piece of wood I found) on top ...,

with some moss around it to hide where the stem meets the pumpkin.

Other than wishing it was brighter, I like it. 

It's a bit rustic looking and it was fun to make.

...

As I was preparing this my husband asked why we didn't stand the boards vertical so that they had ribs like a real pumpkin.  So, I got some spray paint and tried it. 

Again, not true to the color, these really are more orange than they look here, but the spray paint didn't seem to be a great idea to cover them completely, since the wood just soaks it right up, being old weathered pieces, not fresh cut 2x4s.   However, it did give a rustic look that I was looking for, especially after I rubbed it with antiquing liquid.

To add to the rustic look I pounded in a few used and bent nails that came out of all of these pumpkin wood pieces.  They just seemed to look like a fun stem when I picked them up and bunched them together, so they became useful again and added a fun touch.

I wrapped a ribbon around it and wallah!  It's a pumpkin ?  ... a petrified pumpkin !?!

(I think I'm going to cut that ribbon shorter though.)

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Other fun pumpkins found on Pinterest :
(I've added the source site for some, and extra looks to save from those individual sites.)

You Craft Me Up

There are a lot of fun ideas from that blog (You Craft Me Up), like this next BOO!

(There is a cute pumpkin in that too.)

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Now some not found on Pinterest :
(maybe they are there, but I didn't find them there.)

This is a great look - from Perfectly Imperfect

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Great ideas out there!  So many creative people!  Thanks for creating and sharing your ideas with so many others.  

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Pretty Pink Party ...

There are some great looks at this party from Celebrations at Home

I love the colors ...,


the buttons ...,


the tea cup bouquets ...,


and the table setting ...


There are just so many fun things in this party look.

Big Fringe Backdrop

A fun look and great color combo

DIY at Oh Happy Day

Recipes using Leftover Oatmeal and some Oatmeal Recipes

With warmer weather coming up I make oatmeal a little more often. 
It's not really a favorite at our house, and I haven't figured out how to cook exactly what we'll eat, so I always have leftovers.  I have usually just tossed the leftovers out if we have dogs or cats to share with, but - well, we don't have dogs or cats any more and I don't want to encourage other dogs or coyotes to come around, so no more tossing it out. (If cats come around - which we welcome - we want them to eat any mice that might be lurking about.)

It seems such a waste to throw it out, so I searched for recipes to use leftover oatmeal and found a few.  Here are our findings and opinions of each:

Pancakes here

These tasted fine, but seemed a little gluey for our liking.  I don't suppose we will make these again, but we know someone out there likes them.

Cookies here

Some of us really liked these, others not so much. They were nice and soft. I thought they needed some nuts and even Craisins or other dried fruit in them, though I'm not really a fan of raisins.

Muffins here
These were crumbly but the flavor was okay. We thought we'd probably make them again if we had leftover oatmeal we needed to use ..., until we made the next recipe.

Chocolate Cake here

This was very moist (I love moist) and is a heavy cake rather than a light fluffy cake.  Of course the chocolate chips made it delightful. One of our taste testers suggested that this cake reminded them of Costco's chocolate muffins.

The recipe calls for 1/3 cup applesauce, which I didn't have at the time, so I opened a can of pears and mashed them to use instead.  It turned out great and was eaten very quickly. We did not frost it because it didn't seem to need any other sweetness or flavor to distract from what it was on it's own. This wins my vote - it's a great recipe for leftover oatmeal!  We will use it again!

Bread here 

 We didn't make this - don't have the bread flour and just don't want to make this recipe - but I may try to add leftover oatmeal to my own bread recipe ... someday.  We'll see.

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Now, how about some flavored oatmeal cereal recipes?
Check out this site for a few ideas

or HERE for pumpkin oatmeal

And I also like to use apple juice instead of water and add chopped fresh apples and a couple shakes of cinnamon when you are cooking it. Add a bit of cream to your bowl of oatmeal and enjoy (I like cream with any oatmeal).   Maybe someday I'll try some chopped nuts sprinkled on top.

Of Regrets and Resolutions

The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets.

- Let us resolve to cherish those we love by spending meaningful time with them, doing things together, and cultivating treasured memories.

Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence.

When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be.



Image is a page I made to display in my home.

 

You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.

... no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials.... There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.

Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts.

 

 

... many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today."

Full message by Dieter F. Uchtdorf   found HERE

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Pastry

I think I should try these, but then again ..., maybe I'd better not.

Recipe HERE

Edible Mummies

I think these look so cute ...

 

 

Learn how to make them at Pizzazzerie

EZY Riders

It's Show and Tell Time!

This is not a paid advertisement - it's just a review of one of my favorite things.

This in one of those things that I am grateful for because it makes my children and grandchildren happy.

EZY Rollers

Image from Amazon

This is much like my last show and tell item, the plasma car,
but this is propelled by the riders back and forth motion with his legs and feet.

They include longer bars to extend the roller for a taller person.

We got a couple of these for our children the same year we got the plasma cars, and they have been great fun. 
We have not used this indoors (like the plasma car) but it works great on pavement and cement.





 

Halloween Decor

Candles in Bottles look great on this table found at Tiny Prints

 

 

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This garland has the sweetest eyes watching all - from Landee See, Landee Do



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Cute paint chip candy corn garland from My Sister's Suitcase

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Paint a glistening pumpkin like this one from Ruffles and Stuff

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I think these next pumpkins are so cute!
Wouldn't it be fun to go on a scavenger hunt to find cute items to create fun pumpkin faces like these from My Salvaged Treasures?  Salvaged Treasures is exactly what these pumpkins look like.  It looks so much more fun and so much less messy than carving pumpkins, and they are so adorable.



and this one



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 Or more simple - just paint them the color of your decor and add a bow like these blue pumpkins from Landee see Landee do



 

Just look at this chair from Jolly Goode Gal

This chair is unique and colorful and kinda fun to look at. I'm sure it would be perfect for just the right place.  I think if I owned a yarn store it would be my dream chair.

 

Tassels on a Stick

I love tassels and these are a look to save.  From FleurLux

 

smile

From HERE

Brass Bowl to Brass Lamp Shade

This is awesome! 

From The Hunted Interior

 

 

 

 

 



Mistakes?

 

“The heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth.”

-  Dieter F. Uchtdorf  (Click on his name for the full message)

 

 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

―   Winston Churchill

 

Image from HERE



“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

― Thomas A. Edison

 

Paper Chains and Pinwheels

There is so much color here - I want to remember this idea, with my own choice of colors.

I wish I could have seen this in person to see if it really looked this colorful. This is from Green Wedding Shoes

and the night shot ...