trick. or. treat.

this years Halloween has been a little different that the past few. it's so much more fun when there are people actually dressing up in the house. my 'lil sis' is dressed up as a princess scouting around the neighborhood chilled with the cool fall night.

besides watching the charley brown pumpkin special, carving pumpkins is one of the best parts of Halloween, so that's what the 'lil sis' and spent the afternoon doing: carving our adorable pumpkins. my pumpkin normal reflects a theme from the past year {a favorite movie or tv show, or sport team}, and this carving was no different.

crafting corner

last weekend was a crafting delight filled with mod podge and paint brushes, decorative paper and news paper. since it was a little light on the homework load, i was knee deep in my new craft corner.

with winter soon approaching what's better that a steaming mug of hot chocolate or an occasion specialty drink. well with that in ming, what's a necessity for your coffee tables to prevent water rings.....coasters. i got the idea from a friend and altered it to my specifications. this is just a glimps at my new project, can't give it all away just yet.

P.S. i am entertaining the idea of opening my own etsy shop, but i'm still undecided. i just have so many more projects to accomplish and test out before i would be able to start.

latest items of my collection

lately there has been one sight that has occupied a little too much of my time. etsy. if you have never been there, stop. go visit it. you will never be the same. i know I wasn't. it's chalk full of amazing crafters selling their homemade projects online. there's just something about buying items on etsy that makes you feel happy to be promoting their shops, and a little less guilty inside for spending money.

a few weeks ago {after much deliberation} i bought some amazing earrings from Made By Jewls........and a few days ago i bought one of my favorite purchases of all times. i have been waiting to post about these new purchases till my etta hat came in it's lovely package. and behold today it came. and let me tell you, pictures don't do it justice. my head could not be happier sporting it's adorable etta hat from Piper and Paisley. don't know if it's even this healthy to love a piece of clothing this much.

confession

it's confession time.

yesterday I got in my car and was inspired to turn on the Christmas music.

yes, the Christmas music.

I had just heard a popular seasonal song in a department store and when I reached my car the first Christmas song I found was 'Last Christmas' {a favorite of mine, this one was the glee version}. the song wasn't even half over when my iPod decided to shut down. i think it claimed it was out of batteries, but i think it was in rebellion about how early i had started the Christmas madness. as they say in the either-you-love-it-or-you-hate-it movie, Serendipity, 'it's a sign!' maybe they should make pills for this!

waffle cookies

now here's something that i had never heard of and i'm guessing neither have you: waffle cookies, yes i said 'waffle.' i stumbled across this new recipe in my latest scrapbooking ect. magazine {a subscription gift from my grandma Ryan}. i presented this idea to Kayla and her eyes lit up with the prospect of an unexplored & experimental recipe. so we gave it a go and i must say they weren't too shabby. they may not live up to my gandma Drew's recipes, but it's one more thing Kayla and i got to do together.

i thought i'd just through the recipe in just in case anyone wanted to give it a go.

ingredients:
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup flower
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 tsp salt
- we added some chocolate chunks, yum!

{1} mix together we ingredients, followed by dry ingredients. the batter will be very thick
{2} drop {by tablespoons} onto a hot waffle iron
{3} check cookies after 1 minute. when done remove from iron with a fork and let cool on baking rack {don't over cook them}
{4} enjoy with optional frosting, or our house hold favorite, whippy!!

random inspiration

you never know what you are going to find in your e-mail in box or surfing the net. some days you happen upon nothing interesting, but some days you stumble over pure inspiration. today was one of those days and i could help but share with you some of the ideas at one of my favorite go-to sites for inspiration: Better Homes and Gardens. whether it's the magazine {that my mom thankfully subscribes to} or their web site, i get so many ideas that fill my head with projects i would love to do if i wasn't slaving away in school.

this would be so much for for a baby present {spelling out the baby's name} a holiday, or any occasion. so many options.

all of these craft could be done on a reasonable budget. a trip to Micheals or Joans {which ever is your fancy} or your favorite little craft store and you could be amaking these wonderful decorations to fill your home. i jumping with anticipation to have my own home some day. i will be bursting with ideas, can't wait.

the best medicine

i noticed the other day that it had been quite a while since i posted a favorite recipe of mine. today my afternoon started off with craving some soup {seeing as though i am a little under the weather}, so instead of grabbing what ever was in the pantry i found a simple recipe and altered it . so here is my take on Italian Tomato & Pasta Soup:

Ingredients:
- 6 cups water
- 2-3 cups bowtie pasta
- 2 {14 oz} cans crushed tomatoes
- a mix of italian seasonings {parsley, garlic salt, oregano, herbs}
- 1 can tomato soup
- 4 to 6 slices bacon
- 2 to 3 cups spinach {cooked or uncooked}
- graded parmesan cheese

combine water, pasta, tomatoes, italian seasonings, tomato soup into large sauce pan
cook bacon till crispy and crumble into pieces, and add to the pot
chop up spinach and add {uncooked is how i like it}
bring to a boil or until pasta is tender
serve with graded parmesan cheese to top it all off
enjoy your bowl of hot comforting soup on a blistery fall/winter day {i really do think soup is the best medicine}

try it and tell me what you think! if there's a recipe that you love, share it with us! next on my list of recipes to share: ooey gooey butter cake {it's even better than it sounds, if that's possible}

Sara + William

these past few days have consisted of trying to recuperate from last weekend's wedding celebration of 2 dear friends. a group of us took the 4 hour {normally should only be 3} car ride to sunny fond du lac.
it was a weekend consisting of catching up with friends:
seeing the sights of fond du lac:
anyway, lets talk wedding. when every one else is looking at the bride come up the isle, I like to look at the groom. their eyes tell it all.
the couple picked a classy assortment of colors that fit perfectly with the time of year. red + black + white = the theme for their wedding from the invites, to the cupcakes, to the mints on the tables.
Sara + William's wedding: 7th out of the 7 weddings for this summer-fall

one for the books

elements for a saturday that is truly, one for the books:
:starting off the day with a few extra minutes of sleep
:the 7th-8th grade girls unbelievably close volleyball game
:a wonderful visit from a dear friend Jenny {sil to Jessica}
:the most amazing cinnamon buns
:thrift shopping along the leaf colored streets
:a beautiful assortment of fall flowers
:a few episodes of our beloved show: gilmore girls
:an afternoon delight {a can of whippy + 2 spoons}
:some adorable pumpkins, home grown by a few cute little boys

:the pumpkin to the left in mine: Kellan
:the pumpkin to the right is Jenny and sister's: Fredrick
:the pumpkin at the bottom is Kayla's: Pippin

fall photoshoot

fall is here with all it's splendor.
it is here with it's ever changing weather.
it is here with it's slow transition into winter.
it is here to bring changing colors to the trees & changing clothes to our closets.
it is here to bring pleasure to our hearts.

a touch of this & a touch of that

confession: I have always dreamed of creating my own line of hair clips, baby bibs, aprons, head bands, and many other projects up my sleeves. well, this week I took my first steps at putting my designs into tangible items. with a few spools of ribbon, some colorful buttons, lots of patience and a touch of glue this is what I created this week.