Trick or Treat~

 

 

Off to hand out candy~ Happy Halloween!

~Sara

Happy Birthday to a beautiful women, and a winner

 

 

Happy Birthday to our oldest daughter Lizabeth.

 

You have grown into a beautiful, wonderful, amazing women! ♥ Love you!!

 

 

 

 

~A daughter is just a little girl that grows up to be a friend~

 

She has grown into an amazing mom herself.

 

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Thank you all for your constant support. I appreciate each and every one of you. You are always so uplifting and encouraging. I wish I could send you all something.

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The winner of the “Daily Bread” board is

Kathy Starling. Please send me your info Kathy and I will send this right out to you.

Please join me in praying for all of my East Coast Family and Friends this week as they are hit with yet another October storm. Also please remember our other blogging friends that are dealing with some major  issues and loss in their lives.

Blessings~Sara

"Stress wouldn't be so hard to take if it were covered in chocolate - Anonymous.

 

Chocolate~ it fixes everything, doesn’t it??!! And Peppermint??!! Oh so many things that peppermint helps!

promotes digestion

calming

helps insomnia

soothes tired, sore, aching feet

it also helps ADD~ I used to spray my sons pillow with peppermint before bed when he was younger

 

"I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?" - Author unknown

 

 

A few pictures for some customers and some swap friends.~

"Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don't need an appointment" - Anonymous

The wonderful smelling wax goodies were from a swap with Dana. She has a website where she sells her creations.

www.homespuntreasures.net

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This book came in the mail this week. If you are looking for Primitive or Colonial decorating books,  Judy Condon has an amazing variety to choose from. This is her latest Christmas book.

It is time to prepare for all of the Christmas shows~ I will be having an open house sale  next weekend. I am trying to get some things created for that, but I have been so busy that I am not sure how much I will be able to create that is new before then.

Some of these creations are on their way to Shirlee for our swap. Hope that you like them Shirlee!

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If you haven’t entered my giveaway, do it quickly. I will be picking a winner tomorrow.Click the pic below to go and sign up~

Blessings~Sara

 

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." - Dave Barry, American humorist, columnist

My favorite Chicken Soup and biscuit recipe and the winner is…..

 

 

I have had several requests for some of my recipes lately so I thought I would take a few minutes and get them written down for you. As I have gone through the years of busyness, raising children and caring for ailing parents, I have found that food can be delicious without being fussy and  a lot of work. There are some recipes that are just so good they are worthy of the extra time and effort and then there are others that are just better …well…. simple.

Through the years I was always pulled in all directions, with four children there was always someone to pick up at sports practice, or drop off at a friends or to work, then there were homework projects, Dr. appointments….well you know…LIFE Happening! Oh and let’s not forget decorating my home. I used to decorate for every season and holiday, as well as birthdays. We had birthday banners that we would hang on everyone's  birthdays as well as a birthday flag that we hung outside, and always homemade cake. It was fun as the children got older and when I awoke on my birthday to find they had hung the banner all by themselves for me.

 Good memories and always great food!

 

 

So food needed to be good and needed to come together fast (teenage boys don’t like to wait for a gourmet meal LOL)!! So some of my recipes are born out of necessity. This chicken soup recipe is like that. When someone is sick, it takes more out of you caring for them, so the extra energy is needed other places and not in the kitchen. Below is a pic from my archives, so a little out of season, but I wanted to show you the brands. They do matter! I have tried others and these are what work best.

Chicken Soup~

You will have to adjust this according to the size of your family and needs. And remember my recipes are never set in stone, always adjust according to your own tastes.

Ingredients~

Add the following ingredients to a large pot~

Chicken~ either a pre cooked rotisserie chicken or 2-3 chicken breasts baked (The precooked chicken works great and is a time saver. Lately I have been buying a large package of chicken breast and bake it all at the same time and then divide it up and freeze in individual size serving bags til needed. This soup is so fast and easy  when you can just take a bag of the frozen cut up chicken out of the freezer and put it  into the pot.)

2 cans of Swanson chicken broth

2 tablespoons of Spice world minced garlic

Mrs Dash to taste~ Lots of this will clear the sinuses

salt to taste

For a fast soup~ add 2 cans of carrots and a bag of noodles and cook until noodles are cooked to desired texture and you are DONE!

Simple and easy and soooo good!!

If you desire you can add fresh carrots and celery and boil til desired tenderness. Some times I a cup of rice instead of noodles, and this time I used 5 potatoes instead of the noodles.

 

Recipe card holder that I have designed to fit into my kitchen décor. Works great to hold recipe cards. This is available on etsy.

Now for the biscuits~ This is my Dad’s recipe. He used to be the biscuit maker and never measured too much. I did get him to tell me one time, so this is it.

Biscuits~   bake at  450 for 10-12 min

!/2 cup Crisco shortening

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

combine flour, baking powder, and salt then add shortening and mix til well blended. Add milk til it forms a sticky mess. Do not over mix! Gently dump out onto a floured board, sprinkle flour on top and GENTLY pat out. Do not over work. Cut into rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

 .

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Now for the winner of this adorable Sleigh Bell Tree Gathering~

Trace of GrannyTracescrapsandsquares

Click on the pic below to go over to the rusty thimble.blogspot and see all of the winners. Thank you to Brenda for putting this all together! I have heard there will be another giveaway soon so keep checking. Also thank you to all of my new followers. I appreciate each and everyone of you.

 

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If any of you are interested in purchasing any of my tree gatherings please email me, or you can also check them out on etsy or my Facebook.

Ok if you have made it this far……… I have a giveaway for you!! It is almost  Thanksgiving and time of year to reflect on what we are thankful for. I am so thankful for each of you who so faithfully visit me here on my blog and have encouraged me and prayed for me and my family. Thank you all so much. I want to give a little something back.

I would like to send someone one of my new creations. This is a mustard breadboard with “Our Daily Bread” on the front. It measures approx 11” square.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what you are thankful for. Simple and  easy! I will pick a winner this week sometime and get it in the mail with my next batch of orders going out.

Blessings for a great week!

Sara

The good life~ and winners…..

 

 

‎"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."
~ L. M. Montgomery

 

  We took time for a day like that…..

 

 

We spent the day with the grandchildren decorating their playhouse…..

 

We picked the pumpkins that we grew in our compost. We had tossed the old pumpkins last year and this year they grew all by themselves.

 

And then we decorated the play house that we had built for them in the spring.

 

 

…..and then we enjoyed a warm cup of hot chocolate~ with a huge marshmallow of course

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Off to make chicken soup and biscuits for our son and his girlfriend they are a little under the weather. 

Hubby is still dealing with some breathing issues and a slight fever. Not sure how long this will last him, but it has been a long time.

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I don’t like to get to political but I am watching the debates. I am so concerned about where our country has been heading lately.

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If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

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The winning post is up!! If you would like to see who won this tree and all of the other wonderful creations go on over and see. Click the pick below!

Blessings for a simple day~ Sara

Natures Beauty

 

Natural beauty, it is all around us……..

God has provided such beautiful color for us to enjoy~

 

 

 

 

 

It is the simple things that make the world go round

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only a few days left to enter~

Head on over and enter to win one of the amazing prizes by some very talented artisans!!

Good luck to all who enter!

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and always something new in the works~  a custom order for a customer

Blessings~Sara

Autumn is here and Winter is on it’s heels; Winter giveaway, pics, recipe….

 

"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."
-  P. D. James

 

  "Autumn is the hush before winter."

 

  Autumn is here and soon winter will be approaching. Time to get cozy in the house, build a fire, do a little baking.

 

 

  This is a recipe that I found on the internet, either Facebook or Pinterest. It is called two ingredient pumpkin cake.

 

"Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze" ...

For the Cake:
1 Yellow Cake Mix

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
For the Glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.
Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set. You know, the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces. Finally, you have a use for it.
Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.
Make the glaze while you're waiting.
Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

This was a yummy cake. I am usually a snob about baked items. I find nothing is ever as good as what I am used to, but this was good with a cup of warm  spiced apple cider.

Autumn Fires~ Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

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If you haven't entered this winter wonderland giveaway yet, click on the pic below to enter to win one of 24 different prizes as well as a drawing for a $20 gift cert.

You may win one of the wonderful items as seen below~

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A Few of  my Creations to Offer~

I have a few of these different Tree Gatherings I will be offering through the Christmas season or until they are gone. I only have a few left. I have sold so many of these already. The Tree Gathering includes a 24 inch primitive Christmas tree, ornaments, and your choice of stenciled and hand painted box that it sits in.

Below are a few of the ones that have already sold, as well as a list of other suggestions of ones that I am working on. You may prefer a box that you can use all year round, or one for a specific season. You can switch out the ornaments for different seasons as well. I have already had requests for other season ornaments.

This is my new favorite~ A Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

 

 

And a few that are still in the works~

If you are interested in one of  these or want more info please email me. (You can also find them on my Facebook or my etsy)

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Thank you all that have been praying for hubby. He is still fighting  pneumonia. It has been a long battle and he is a young man(young is determined by how old we are isn’t it?? lol) He missed leading worship at church today so he could rest. Not good. One day at a time. Thanks for your prayers, and for all of your concerns and emails. I appreciate you all so. I have been getting discouraged but you all have helped so much. HUGS

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Thanks for stopping by today

Blessings~Sara

 

"Thoughts of love like falling leaves...
Swirling in the Autumn breeze."

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More Fall Decorating pics with the link below~