Fall Around Our House {2013}

I post pictures of seasonal decorating on my blog each year so that when I pull the boxes down for each holiday, I can look back and see how I decorated the year before and remember what worked and what I want to tweak. 

Every year I *think* I like it the way it is…but then I inevitably change it a little every subsequent year. :) Part of that is my tastes changing over time, and part of that is due to new things I find on clearance or at thrift stores or yard sales that I buy throughout the year and place in the attic until it’s time to bring them down again. 

 

So here’s how our house looks right now…
{p.s. I have NO clue why the formatting is so messed up – I’ve tried to fix it 3 times and it still won’t save my changes.  Sorry it’s a little mushed!}

 

    

…pumpkin: thrifted…orange bowl: gift from friend…

 

 

    

…foliage and bowl: thrifted; candle: gift…corn: yard sale; bucket and filler: target dollar spot…

    

…acorn frame: CTS clearance; bowl and candle, gift; pods: Michael’s…
…kids’ q-tip art inspiration: Jones Design Company… 

 

 

…faux leaves: thrifted; grapevine wreath: JoAnn’s…

 

 

Loving this fun and functional chalkboard in our dining room!  Hopefully one of these days I’ll finally get the DIY details up!

 

 

…faux berries: Michael’s…

…fall garland: thrifted…

    

…free printable in thrifted frame…

…garland and banners: DIY…

…tray: Goodwill; plate: Target clearance; berries: A.C.Moore (old); candle: free with coupon at Hallmark (old)…

…garland: DIY…

 

 

…free printable in thrifted frame; bird, lantern, faux fruit: thrifted; pods: Michael’s, runner: Wal-Mart (old)

 

I just love the colors and words of this free printable!  Great for the month of November.

 

 

The wreath is a DIY Ballard knock-off…another tutorial I should have posted ages ago but just don’t have the time right now with these two crazy kids of mine!

 

Well, that’s our house right now!  Hope you enjoyed the little tour! I love fall and get so, so excited for it every year!  And only a few more weeks til Thanksgiving…my very favorite holiday!  Hooray! :)

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

So…I made a fall bucket list this year and we have so far completed all but one of the items.  We have been doing fun family activities every weekend {well except for two weekends we were sick} and it has just been a blast.  We have been having the best fall EVER – there was a period of about 18 months of Luke’s life where he struggled pretty bad with anxiety and social situations and events were so stressful for us they weren’t even worth it.  But we’ve come out on the other side and now doing stuff with our boy is so, so fun.  And having a baby girl to share it all with now, too?  Amazing. :)

I don’t have the energy right now to post our fall photos for you yet, but I did want to stop and share one of my new favorite breakfast recipes with you.  Chocolate + pumpkin = HELLO in my world. 

I’ve adapted this recipe from a recipe I found online.  My version is the way I personally make it {a little bit cleaner}.  If you’re more of an I’d-rather-die-than-eat-whole-wheat-flour kind of person, you’ll probably be more interested in the original recipe found here from Tastes Better from Scratch. 

But my version has chocolate. 

I’m just sayin’.  ;)

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 C milk
1 C pumpkin puree
2 flax eggs {2 T flax and 6 T warm water}
2 T oil
2 T white vinegar

Dry Ingredients:

2 C white whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar {unpacked is fine}
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt

Extra:

Chocolate chunks {I chopped pieces off of a dark chocolate bar I had in the house – but honestly semi-sweet chocolate chips works fine, too.}

 

Combine wet ingredients and allow to sit {the vinegar is basically making the milk into buttermilk so you want it to sit and “sour” for a few minutes.}

Combine dry ingredients and stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine – lumps are good in pancake recipes! You can either add your chocolate chunks now so that the entire batter has the chips in it OR drop the chunks of chocolate onto the pancakes after you pour the batter on the griddle.  This is what I typically do, since Chris doesn’t like chocolate in pancakes {I KNOW} and that way we can do half-and-half.  

Heat an oiled griddle/skillet over medium high heat.  Pour about 1/4 C of the batter for each pancake {these babies are thick so you won’t want to make them huge or they’ll never cook in the middle}.  Brown on both sides and serve with butter or syrup or whatever makes you happy. :)

Makes approximately 12 pancakes {but they’re thick!}

Enjoy!  I just know you will love them!

 

 

Okay and here’s one photo for you – this is Livi last weekend at the pumpkin patch.  My girl was soooooooooooooo happy to be there.  :)

 

Croup and Thrifting {aka Miscellany Monday}

Our week started out like this: last Sunday at church I noticed Luke coughing a bit.  He got progressively worse over the day and night {Sunday night being the worst}, and stayed home from school Monday and Tuesday.  By Wednesday he was well enough to go to school, though {this child has a super immune system, I swear}.  But by that time, I had a slight cold from being coughed at in my face over the previous 3 days.  {oh, motherhood!}  Whatever I had, Chris also got and came down with.  Simultaneously, Olivia, who had been teething already and had a runny nose, got a legit cold that turned into croup quickly. 

 

 

 

Friday saw us at the doctor’s office with a diagnosis of croup and a prescription for two steroids.  As of right now {Sunday afternoon when I type this}, she is napping and almost 100% – not quite there yet, but close.  The steroids worked super fast to open up her airways and stop that scary barking cough.  She still has the residues of a cold, and she’s not quite as happy as normal, but we’re getting there.  The steroid she’s on is intense and gives her a lot of trouble sleeping {I was on it when I had shingles and it gave me crazy nightmares} so I’ll be SO happy when she can take her last dose tomorrow!

I posted on Facebook that when my kids get sick like this I truly thank God for the day and age we live where childhood illnesses like this – even big time ones like congenital heart conditions – are not death sentences for my kids.  They are treatable and fixable.  I am sooooo grateful for that!

 

 

Anyway, HOW does this tie in with thrifting?!  lol  By Friday night Luke was going bananas because with both parents sick most of the week {I was better by then – moms don’t really get to get sick, right?!} and Olivia needing waaaay more than her normal care, he was really needing some alone time.  So we went out Friday and then again Saturday, just the two of us, to do some errands and also hit up a church sale, a yard sale, and a local consignment store that I’d never visited before.

I don’t know how to say this without sounding weird, but sometimes when it’s just the two of us, my heart aches a little.  I miss giving all my time and attention to Luke.  I love Olivia so much she makes my heart hurt but I simultaneously sometimes long for the days when it was just me and my little buddy.  I don’t know how to word this without sounding like I wish she wasn’t here, because I love that girl more than life itself and she is totally the sunshine of my life.  So hopefully this makes sense.  Basically, it did us both good to be alone together. :)

 

 

And we had a GREAT time!  Thankfully my little buddy loves going to yard sales with me {he always gets a 25 or 50-cent toy or book, so of course he loves it.  lol}. 

On Friday night we hit up a church sale with some 25 cent books {I am a total book nerd and I LOVE seasonal children’s books!  Allllllmost as much as I love decorating for the season. ;) }

 

I also scored a gingham Children’s Place shirt for Luke for next year {pumpkin patch photo!} and a set of jammies for this year {$2 for all 3 pieces.}  The white plate was 50 cents to add to my white plate collection {you never know when you’ll accidentally drop one!} and Luke’s treat was a Mater car that he is obsessed with. 

 

On Saturday after Luke’s haircut we stopped at a {new to me} kids’ and women’s consignment store.  I found a few things for myself, including a $6 Vera ID case that I am in love with.  I have wanted one for years and I seriously *never* splurge on myself.  This was a great price I couldn’t pass up and it will be perfect for yard sales so I can just clip it to my keys!  Yay!

  

 

This store was also having a 25 cent book sale so we stocked up on some more!  Seriously.  I am such a sucker for kids’ books!

 

Lastly, we went to a yard sale.  Do you ever go to a yard sale and think, “Darn it, I should have been here when they opened!”  These people had adorable stuff and SO CHEAP.  By the time I got there it was about 1:30 pm and the husband told me they’d had literally hundreds of people stop by.  They live on a very busy main road so I totally believe it!  I can just tell by what they had left that I would have reallllly spent a lot of money at 9 am.  lol

I love when I find organizational things at yard sales!  You can always find a place for them around the house. 

Kitchenaid drawer organizers – 25 cents for the 3 piece set!

 

Necklace was 50 cents, cosmetic bags were 50 cents for both, and scarf was 50 cents too. 

 

Small basket 25 cents,  large was $1 and Tupperware for the bath {to rinse the kids’ hair} was also 25.   Hooks and belt hanger were 25 cents each too. 

 

 

We stayed home from church this morning, obviously, so we’ve just had a nice relaxing day as a family.  My husband let me sleep in, which was SO needed, and then he took a nap, and then I made one of our favorites, Dirty Rice {via Southern Plate}, and my parents stopped by for lunch after their church got out. 

It’s a cloudy fall afternoon here and I’m just sipping my pumpkin spice coffee as I sit and type.  I have homemade bread crumbs in the oven and I have some frozen bananas thawing on the counter to make banana chocolate chip muffins with a bit later.  It’s been so nice to finally have a day where we’re not all feeling like we got beat up and to just be here and relax. 

Here’s to a great, healthy week!

Joining in with Carissa today!

Favorite Links and Recipes {What I’m Loving Lately}

I thought that today I’d share some of my favorite recipes and web links that I’ve either a} found to be delicious,  b} found to be encouraging,  or c} found to be delicious AND encouraging.  haha ;)

Enjoy!

 

{1} Chicken and Dumplings via Take Them a Meal

{photo via Take Them a Meal}

Last night I made chicken and dumplings for the first time EVER in my life.  I know, can you believe it?  I have no idea why I waited so long.  Oh my gosh, pure comfort food!  I followed this easy recipe from Janelle who blogs at Comfy in the Kitchen.  The only thing I did differently was to use my own homemade broth {because I already had it in my freezer} and cook my own chicken {basically I just boiled some chicken breasts until cooked, then shredded it.}  Highly recommend!  Mmmmm!

 

{2} Pumpkin Pie Syrup via Annie’s Eats

         {photo via Annie’s Eats}

 

THIS. SYRUP. IS. AMAZING.  You guys, seriously?  SERIOUSLY.  I’ve made several versions of pumpkin-pie “lattes” before and they always came out gritty and kinda gross, to be honest.  This one has you cook the ingredients together and then strain then (I did it twice and used my hand-held fine-mesh strainer.)  It is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS {imagine Oprah saying that when she announces her Favorite Things show.  lol}  I’ve just been using it in my coffee with some milk…you could make it into a latte if you wanted to but you can also just add it to regular coffee!  So, so, sooooo good. 

You’re welcome in advance.  :)

 

{3} Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza via Kathy’s Kitchen

 

I had never thought to do this before, but it is so clever.  It made a delicious deep-dish pizza and it was a nice change {a nice change? what am I, 65?! lol} from regular pizza on a pizza pan.  Plus I love finding any and all excuses to use my cast-iron. :) We hardly ever buy pepperoni anymore (like maybe once a year?) but when we do I like to buy the Applegate farms version. 

 

 

{4} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins via Beneath My Heart

 

{photo via Beneath My Heart}

I don’t know about you guys, but every pumpkin recipe I’ve ever tried comes out super oily and soggy the next day.  This one DOESN’T.  Winner!  I think it might be the fact that there’s butter instead of oil in it.  Regardless, it’s delish.  {FYI, the recipe makes 2 dozen so half it if you only need 12.}

 

 

{5} Being Faithful in the Little Things by Kelly’s Korner

I don’t know why, but I literally had tears streaming down my face as I read this today.  Maybe it’s the fact that Luke was sick this week and now Livi is, and there has been a LOT of sleepless nights, but it just really spoke to my heart today.  Being faithful in the little things does matter to God.  I hope you can read it and be encouraged!

 

 

{6} Women Living Well Conference – Live Webcasts on Women Living Well

Several bloggers I read came together in August to hold a “Women Living Well” conference in Ohio.  They’re now putting up an hour’s worth of the conference every Thursday night at 9:00 for the next several weeks.  I watched last week and was really encouraged and I’m really looking forward to tonight’s!  It’s all about encouraging women to be great wives, mothers, and Christians.  If you can’t watch tonight, they’ll have it up until 9:00 Friday night if you need to maybe watch during your kiddos’ naptimes tomorrow afternoon. :)

Okay, I think that’s it!  Have you ever tried any of these recipes, by any chance?  Also, am I the only person to never make chicken and dumplings before?! :)

 

I think you should know that I originally titled this post “What I’m Loving Wednesday” intending to link up with a blog party…and I only just realized 2 seconds ago that today is THURDSAY!  hahahaha!  Oh well, one day closer to the weekend, right?!  I told you I didn’t get a lot of sleep this week! :)

Coral and Blue Gender-Neutral Baby Shower

This weekend I had the pleasure of co-hosting {with my mom} a shower for my sister-in-law, Hannah.  She and my brother are due to have their first baby in just a few short weeks…and they’re not sharing the names or finding out the gender before the birth. 

To which I’ve told them about a million times: YOU’RE KILLING ME SMALLS.

lol

I am suuuuuper impatient, plus I just like to plan ahead.  I knew about my kids’ genders at 20 weeks and as soon as the gender was revealed, we revealed our final name selection to our families and friends.  It would have seriously, SERIOUSLY killed me not to know!  But…clearly there is not one right way to do it, and I have to admit, it is a little fun not knowing what the call from the hospital will be in a few weeks!

So anyway, I set out to plan a gender-neutral shower.  I was in charge of decor, and my mom took over the food since it was at her house.  There’s not really a ton of stuff out there {on the internet} for planning gender-neutral showers, since the majority of people find out the sex and also share the names.  Since green and yellow as a combo isn’t really a favorite of mine, and since Hannah’s favorite color is red, I decided to go with a more modern, fun twist on gender-neutral and do reds (coral/orange-red) with blues. 

 

I made a whole bunch of these pinwheels, using scrapbook paper {mostly from Hobby Lobby.}  I had made them 3 years ago for Luke’s party, so I made a whole bunch again, this time in different colors.  They’re super easy to do!

 

 

I scrounged around both my house and my mom’s for any antique books with red or blue bindings, and threw a bunch of baby blocks around the base instead of table confetti. 

 

 

    

 

I also happen to think that tissue-paper pom-poms are still pretty fabulous {thank you Martha}, so I made a bunch of them in different colors and hung them from my mom’s chandeliers (she has one in every room, which worked out really well for me!  lol). 

 

 

Pennant banners are also such an easy – and cheap! - way to dress up a space! 

 

 

I used blue mason jars of different sizes, along with small glass jars I’ve had for ages that I picked up at various yard sales.  The random cow was just something my mom had in the house and it looked babyish.  lol

    

Tip: filling the jars with sugar helps the pinwheels stay in place so you can arrange them the way you want!

 

I also picked up some felt at Hobby Lobby in the shower colors and cut out different-sized circles to decorate the food table.  This picture is before all the food was out but we had 4 quiches, hash-brown casseroles, apple cider donuts, Panera bagels, and a big fruit salad, along with juices, teas, and coffee.  For dessert we had homemade cupcakes.  My mom did a great job with the food – it was delish! 

 

 

I was also SO thrilled that Wal-Mart had napkins, plates, and cups in the exact shower colors!  For 97 cents – I couldn’t believe it!  For the silverware, I took tin cans and wrapped them with scrapbook paper and double-sided tape.  Just a cute little way to add a little extra something. 

 

 

 

I took a vintage chalkboard I already had and set it atop a Coke cup holder I had found at Goodwill a while back.  I love chalkboards so I thought this would be fun.  This is when the party had just started and I was running around like crazy trying to take pictures of everything because I seriously *always* forget to do that.  I think by the end of the party there was maybe 9 boy and 7 girl?  But not everyone remembered to vote.  My vote is totally boy! 

 

 

 

A vintage frame I already had…again with another pennant banner!  Can’t get enough of them.  Josh and Hannah were such cute little kids!

 

 

We ate, played two games and then she opened all of her gifts and we had dessert.  It was a really nice time and I laughed a lot! 

 

I had to grab a quick picture with Hannah - isn’t her dress fabulous?!  Seriously, Olivia was only born 8 months ago and already I catch myself saying, “The clothes are so much cuter now!”  haha!

 

Well, hopefully this post might inspire some of you if you ever need to throw a gender-neutral shower for someone!  I love party planning but I am a *little* relieved that I no longer have to spend my nights crafting pinwheels or tissue pom-poms!  lol

 

Have a great start to your week!

Homemade Ivory Soap Laundry Powder

{If you can, please scroll all the way to the bottom to read a little “p.s.” about this post from me, okay?  Thanks!}

 

You guys. 

This laundry powder (aka detergent, but that was obvious, right?) is soooo easy to make.  When I say 5 minutes, I literally mean 5 minutes from the time it takes to get the ingredients together, measure them, and put them into your jar.  I timed myself.  Seriously!

 

 

I went to a seminar in the spring at a local health food co-op about how to make your own laundry soap.  The presenter used 3 ingredients – Dr. Brommer’s Soap, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda.  I tried it that way at home, and it turned out great.  I used the almond scent (my fave!) and it smelled deeeelish. 

Except….Dr. Brommer’s bar soap, while awesome, is $3.99 a bar.  Plus you still have to buy the other two ingredients.  I’m sorry, I love our planet tons, but if I can easily get regular old detergent for $1.99 on sale at the grocery store, the price is going to win out for my family. 

Enter…Ivory soap.  This is the soap I used growing up, and we still use it in our house now.  It regularly goes on sale at my local grocery stores, it’s super cheap, PLUS there are frequently coupons for it in the paper.  I’ve gotten it for free or close to free many times before.  It’s unscented and super mild, so I knew it would be safe for my kids’ clothes. 

 

And it works great! 

Here’s how you do it:

First, grate your soap.  Seriously, this took me less than 2 minutes.  I timed myself.  Watch a YouTube video while you do it if you really need some incentive. 

 

 

 

Just make sure if you leave it on the counter nobody in your house mistakes it for shredded coconut.  lol

 

 

 

Then, measure your baking soda and washing soda (you’ll need 1/2 C of each). 

 

 

Add your baking and washing soda mixture to your shredded soap.  I like to dump everything into a gallon-size ziploc to mix it all in and shake it around. 

 

 

 

Then pour it all into a jar (or you could totally just leave it in the bag, if you prefer!).  I like to keep mine in a mason jar.  I have a thing for those vintage zinc lids! 

 

 

That’s IT! You’re finished! And you may or may not feel very accomplished and a little like Laura Ingalls.  Or maybe that’s just me.  lol

 

Here’s the “technical” recipe:

1 bar of Ivory soap, grated
1/2 C of washing soda
1/2 C of baking soda

Add 1 T to a full load of laundry (modify more or less for smaller loads or heavily soiled loads).   **I doubled the recipe for myself, so your mason jar will not be as full as mine if you follow this recipe as-is.*

 

Helpful hints:

- I like to start my washer and then sprinkle in the powder as the water starts, in order to help it dissolve a little. Then I add my clothes.

- I wash all of my kids’ clothes and some of my clothes on gentle cycle.  Occasionally on gentle cycle I will notice a flake or two here and there of Ivory that hasn’t dissolved after the cycle has completed.  Just flick it off – no biggie!

- I continue to use Shout as spot treatment for stains (I’ve always done that).  As long as I do that for tough stains like food from my kids, this detergent woks just as well as any other detergent I’ve tried!  I made sure to test it thoroughly before sharing with all of you.  :)

 

So, there you go!  A super cheap, clean, much-more-environmentally-friendly method of cleaning your clothes.  If you try it be sure and let me know how it works for you! :)

 

-----

Okay, so on to my little “p.s.” You might notice that every so often I’m going to have pictures up on my blog that have text on them.  Aka “The Pinterest-Worthy Pictures.”  Unless you’ve been off Pinterest for a while, you’re probably well aware that the site is FULL of pictures like this.  It’s a little obnoxious, I’ll admit it.  And sometimes super annoying.  (Aka a blogger I really like once had a picture of her son’s face and text around him saying something like, “How to talk to your kids about s-x.”  Really?!  You want that picture of your son with those words going around the internet?  So yes, people take it a little far.  I will 100% agree with that. 

BUT.  This blog makes my family a {small!} amount of side income, thanks to the ads on the side.  I am soooo grateful to God for allowing this little bit of money to come in to help us out as a one-income household.  So I figured why fight Pinterest – just embrace it.  Kinda like pointed-toe shoes in college.  I swore I would never own a pair because they looked like witch shoes, but lo and behold I caved and my short little legs had never looked longer or better.  I ended up with multiple pairs.  But I digress.  haha!

Anyway, these Made-for-Pinterest photos aren’t going away, so I’m going with it.  I’m trying out posts here and there to see how they do in the Pinterest world.  So if you see one from me every now and then, you have every right in the world to roll your eyes and refuse to click through.  Or you can {bless your little heart} use the “Pin-It” button that hovers over my pictures, and bring it to the big wide world of Pinterest.  But just know that I’m just a stay-at-home mom of two trying to make a few extra dollars for my family and trying my hardest NOT to annoy anyone in the process.  Really. :)

 

Okay, I hope that all made sense!  Thanks for sticking with me! :)

Little Bits of Happy

We spent the majority of our weekend in New York City {Manhattan and Staten Island}, seeing a friend from college get married.  We got to spend time with two other college friends and had a wonderful time.  I treasure these few and far-between times with college friends, because life after school has thrown us all around the country.  And honestly, we’re running out of friends getting married and giving us an excuse to see each other!

Today is one of those days I’m just so happy to be home, in my space, loving on my kiddos and enjoying puttering around and being here.  I love when times away (even super quick trips like this one!) reinvigorate my love for the life I have and the three precious people in my family.  It is no secret I absolutely 100% love the life and vitality of big cities – I had an amazing time and loved every second of it, to be sure. 

But home is good too.  My life is SO far from perfect or problem-free, but I still wouldn’t trade my life with a single other person I know. 

So today, I am grateful for…

 

…great memories with my husband and two dear old friends.  Makes me happy that we can still connect and have a great time even when the time between visits has been long {annnnd a dress that only cost me $2 at Goodwill – still super excited about that deal!}…

   

 

…my beloved Pike Place roast this morning {thrifted mug, still love it} and homemade cinnamon swirl bread, thanks to my friend Amber sharing her recipe.  {Is there anything happier than homemade toasted bread covered in salty butter?!}…

 

 

 

…a fall-weather-is-creeping-in chill in the air…

 

 

…coupled with the beautiful view from my back door of our freshly-mowed yard looking out onto the farm this morning… 

 

…a happy, chunky, healthy little girl playing with her toys (someone gave us these jammies for her, and every time she wears them we laugh that she’s in baby prison)…

 

 

 

…a silly, sweet little boy in mis-matched jammies because Mommy is behind on laundry from the weekend, wearing a hat sideways as the sunshine floods our living room…

 

…new earrings and a *delish* new candle {Hot Cider by Yankee Candle} from Kohl’s that cost me all of $.63 since I had a $5 coupon for giving them my e-mail address {thought I had done that before but I guess not?  You should totally do it if you haven’t yet!}…

 

…glimpses that a precious little girl actually lives in our house this fall…

 

…fall decorations, that I wait all year for, finally out of the attic and around my house…

 

…the spicy, warm smell of chocolate-chip zucchini bread fresh from the oven…

 

…one-on-one time with my baby girl (with serious bed-head – love it!) while big brother is at school…

 

I am grateful for these simple gifts today!