~*AuTuMn AppLeSauCe*~

Several gals have asked for this recipe, so here 'tis! It comes out a pretty hue of brown, just right for fall. It makes a great side dish, and it also works well served over waffles or french toast. I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago while goofing off with my slow cooker and a surplus of apples. Hope you enjoy it! **NOTE: To print this off as a 3"x5" card that is ready for your recipe box, click on the recipe below. When the recipe appears on a new, blank page, right click it and select "Print."

Fall Fragrance Time!

If you've known me for very long, you know I've been a scent junkie since I was a young girl (my mother used to lose me in our small town department store in Greenville, OH, but she always knew where to find me...with my nose buried in the candle aisle!!), and I made and sold candles for several years as an adult. A lot of candles. A whole lot of candles. Actually, so many that it ceased being 100% fun about halfway into it! I stopped making candles when I was pregnant with my oldest son. I sold and gave away all of my inventory over the last five years, so when I tried to find a fall favorite a couple of days ago to burn, guess what? There was not a candle to be had in this whole house! I really can't justify buying any, as I have dozens of one pound bottles full of scent, wax, and all the fixin's. Soooooo, it was time to blow the dust off the melter, and get to pouring! I must say...it's so much more fun to just be making a handful at a time! Looking forward to having a little flame flickering in the kitchen again, and the fragrance of fall wafting through the air!

I plan on making my favorite fall scents: Orange Clove, Apple Cider, Pumpkin 'n Spice, and Coconut Cream Pie, keeping a few, and selling the extras. These lil' guys aren't so little...they're nearly 3" tall, heavily scented with Orange Clove, covered in spices, and wrapped in a vintage Halloween wrapper that has four vintage images on it. I'm selling these at $3.75 each, and they'll be at Midwest Memories in Tipp City, or just give me a yell if interested. I'll set up an etsy store one of these days! ;)



Hope you're enjoying this beautiful fall-ish weather! We're off to Monnin's tomorrow, hoping to score some of the first cider of the season. Yum!

The *Best* Homemade Syrup. Ever.

A few months ago, I was taking a mental vaca in blogland. While I was perusing various blogs, I came across this recipe. Unfortunately, I copied and pasted just the recipe into MS Word to print out, and did not paste the source. So, I haven't the foggiest idea where this wonderful recipe came from, but it's is absolutely delicious, and perfect for the upcoming fall season. It sounds more time consuming than it really is, and it's completely worth it! It makes just enough syrup to fill up one of these darlin' vintage syrup pitchers, and stores nicely in the fridge. Enjoy!

~*Homemade Cinnamon Syrup*~

1 c. sugar (see previous post on vanilla sugar...perfect for this!)
1/8 tsp. salt
2 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
2/3 c. water
2 T. butter or margarine

Mix sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil until thickened. Stir in butter. Enjoy!

Easy Peasy No-Sew Puppet "Stage"

You know the moms out there who blog, breastfeed, homeschool, keep a perfectly orderly house, and craft every day of the week? Let me go ahead and clarify that I'm not one of them. Nope. I do like to take short cuts when I get the chance, and this is one of those deals. All you need are:

• small doorway
• tension rod that will fit said doorway
• twin sheet (think Walmart or Goodwill)
• scissors

Here is the great little secret about this project...the sheet already has the pocket for the tension rod sewn into it. Yep, that's right! Flip that sheet over to the wrong side, and look for the wide seam up at the top of the sheet. All you need to do is cut the long ends of the sheet, and cut the length to the size you want. Here is my primitive diagram - the green is the uncut sheet, and the purple is what you want to cut out. You can make it as wide or as narrow as you want.
Once you get it cut out, all you need to do is run your tension rod through the top, and fit it into your doorway. Taaadaaah!

Daffodil Banana Crush Punch

Daffo-what????

Unfortunately, I have no reason to whip up this yummylicious punch right now and take a pic. I made it for my sister-in-law's bridal shower last year, and I've made it for a luncheon with my gal pals before. However, a friend just asked me to send her the recipe. So, forgive me for not having a pic of this delish concoction. I'm gonna share the recipe sans pic. If you ever need a punch recipe, give this one a whirl!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Did you read about this recipe online this year? It was posted on several blogs, and it is YUMMY!

I originally read about it here, and I made it as Christmas gifts for our neighbors.

Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Honey Butter

2 Sticks Softened Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Honey
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Using the whisk attachment in your mixer, blend all ingredients until it is smooth and has an even consistency. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the mixer with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing. Scoop the butter into small mason jars.

I was able to fill 4-5 of these antique mason jars with this recipe. The recipe I used suggested using a Ziploc bag to squeeze the butter into the jars. It IS a less messy procedure this way. However, do plan on smoothing the butter in the jar with a spoon afterward. The butter slightly resembled something my pooch might leave for me in the yard without smoothing, and it is far too yummy of a recipe to have that thought for even a moment. :)

ENJOY!

Warming Up the Winter

As cold as it is this time of year, it has its perks, as well. The holiday hustle and bustle is over, and it's a good time to focus on home and hearth. It's a season for indoor crafts, baking, candlemaking, and just spending some time with those with whom we share a home. I'll be posting some things we do to ward off the cold, and I would love to find inspiration from others, as well. Stay warm out there!

Pampered Pet Bed Project

I'm pretty excited! I am signing on to sell as a vendor nearby. It's a favorite getaway of mine, so I'm looking forward to having an excuse to be there on a regular basis.

Sooooooo, I have this little project. Okay, okay...it's kind of a big project. I picked up this cute, handmade canopy bed frame. It's really quite big! It's waist high.



Wouldn't this be the coooooolest pampered pet bed??? It's definitely sturdy enough, but it's obviously lacking some things. How cute would custom made, machine washable bedding be? The canopy part is kinda tricky, but I have all the fabric picked out. I've been working on it into late at night when I have the time. I'll publish a pic when I have it done.

Wish me luck!

The Coupon Box

One of my financial New Year's resolutions is to get back into couponing. I saved a bundle on groceries this way (at least 50%), but it DOES take time. Does the time pay off? YES Would I rather find a way to make something mundane cute and fun? You betcha!!

Should have posted before and after pics...Sorry!!! Did this little project about a week before deciding to start a blog. Bought a cute, plain wooden mini suitcase at a home decor store that was closing for a whole whopping $6.


Added some vintage clip art on the outside and inside. Finally, I used card stock and scrapbook paper (I don't scrapbook, but I LOVE the paper!) to make the dividers.

If I had to make a suggestion to a new couponer, it would be this: Divide your box up into as many categories as you can think of! It takes more time to make the dividers, but it will be so much easier to use! Check out these favorite sites of mine: www.couponmom.com and www.coupons.com. Also, some stores accept both store coupon and manufacturer coupons for an item, so you can use two coupons at one time for the same item (ex: meijermealbox.com coupons). PLUS, the manufacturer's coupon is doubled up to $1. at most stores.

If you're a coupon mama like me...make it cute! So much more fun to tote around to the stores this way. Happy saving!

Vanilla Sugar

Ever heard of it? Ever used it? It's wonderful stuff!
I made it a few years ago for Christmas gifts. Truthfully, I just let it sit in a jar lookin' pretty for awhile. I decided to try some of it one day while I was making a peach cobbler. Actually two peach cobblers. One WITH the vanilla sugar, and one with regular granulated. I couldn't believe the difference!!! It's so simple to make. I now use it in all my baked goodies, and I roll all my ball cookies in it before placing on the cookie sheet. YUM!

Vanilla Sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

Place the granulated sugar in a mason jar, lidded sugar bowl, or other suitable container. Place vanilla bean (available at bulk spice stores) in jar with sugar, and stir every few days. Sugar is ready to go in two weeks. Add more sugar as your sugar supply is depleted. How simple is THAT?

And so it begins...

It's the start of a new year, and the start of a new blog. I'm vowing for less clutter, less "schtuff," quality time with the kiddies, and making more time to be creative. As for the clutter part, I'm cleaning out the laundry room today. I hope to have more "inspiring" posts very soon.