Happy Halloween

It's a rainy Halloween here.

What a Glorious Morning

This is the view from my living room window this Sunday morning. Fall and Spring are my favorite times of the year. I think that is because God's hand is most visible at those times of the year for me. The vibrant colors that grace the leaves on the trees are amazing at this time of the year. The crisp air, apple cider, fall holidays, pumpkins and pumpkin spice lattes, my wedding day, the birth of our daughter - I could go on and on. I like these days to last as long as possible because once they are gone, the ice, snow and frigid temperatures will be right behind them. 

A ride through the country

I spent a few days at the cottage and really enjoyed the beautiful autumn palette of colors. Isn't Mother Nature glorious?

Autumn is Here!

Let the fall color show begin!

Fall Color

I was up at the cottage last week and the leaves had started to do their magic and turn the most beautiful colors. I took these photos with my phone so they aren't the best. (Someone was bad and left their camera at home.) But this gives you the general idea of what it looked like up there.

And when I took these the trees weren't even at their peak yet. They probably are at about their best this weekend. (When I am NOT up there of course!) I just love living in the midwest where we can experience all four seasons. One is more glorious than the next, but I must admit that autumn is probably my most favorite. Until spring comes again, that is!

Autumn Splendor

I just returned from a wonderful week at the cottage surrounded by these glorious colors!

Fall Color

~ Photo courtesy of Kelly Green ~

The fun continues over at Joli Paquet. Kelly from Blue Bird Nest shows us how to make this beautiful autumn collage which you can display all season long by clicking here!

And it's not too late to pick up some fun Halloween goodies in my Etsy Shop. I am shipping out items within 24 hours of receiving orders, so you still have time left!

Fall Baking

It's a nippy autumn day here today and I felt like warming up the house by doing some baking.

Our favorite basic cookie around here are Oatmeal Raisin cookies. Over the years I've tried many different recipes for this type of cookie.
Mixed the ingredients all together with a wooden spoon hundreds of time. Using the same wooden spoon I used since I was a newlywed.
And dropped them by evenly spaced rounded tablespoons on a cookie sheet. But throughout all those recipes I've tried, I always come back to the same one.
My secret recipe can be found under the lid of the Quaker Oats carton. I never have to search high and low to find it or try to recall which recipe box or cookbook it is in. I can always rely on Mr. Quaker to keep my favorite recipe safe and sound for me under his hat!

It's a Little Chilly

I can't believe I am saying this, but it's a bit chilly here. Fall has definitely arrived in the midwest. My favorite seasons are spring and fall (Yes, we have 4 different and distinct seasons here in my neck of the woods!) because of the moderate temperatures. I am definitely not a hot weather loving kind of girl! We're down to the 60's here this whole week. But it's not officially Indian Summer because we haven't had a freeze yet. The air is crisp and cool, but good old Mr. Sunshine is showing his face so that helps take some of the chill out of the air.

Thought I would share some more photos from our trip to the Botanic Gardens a couple weeks ago. The various colors and textures were so rich and beautiful.

The photo below looks like my backyard after raking up leaves, but the leaves are still attached to this low-growing plant. Simply gorgeous!

I love the softness of these grasses. . . .they remind me of feathers!

Won't this planting of mums surrounding the tree look gorgeous when they bloom? The buds are just ready to burst open! I wonder what color they will be?

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful autumn weekend!

Last Minute Thanksgiving Paper Crafting

I haven't noticed many blog posts on the subject of Thanksgiving crafts. It seems like everywhere we look, we go from Halloween straight into Christmas. That makes me a little bit sad. So I thought I would show you some simple Thanksgiving tags I've been working on. I made them all this morning, so they really are quick. I always have blank shipping tags in my supplies ready for this type of thing. The tag above is from a stash that I aged using Tim Holtz Distress Inks and water. The beaded ribbon is ChicBoutique Trim from Hobby Lobby's fall trim section.
This one is all set to add a personal message in the bottom section. The velvet leaf trim (and the aqua lace in the tag above) is in a set called Autumn Splendor by Making Memories. The glittery maple leaf in the bottom corner is from a brad set, also from Hobby Lobby.
While searching through Target for some Thanksgiving paper napkins earlier this week, I spotted these adorable little felt stickers. They were too cute to resist and I figured I would think of something to do with them. . . . .

And this is what I came up with. . . .

And this one too!

And while passing the greeting card section, I found this card. No, I didn't need it to send to anyone. I had already mailed my Thanksgiving cards. But the pumpkins, acorns and leaves reminded me of those Dresden die-cuts that we all covet. So I bought a couple of the cards. . . .

and make this tag!

Now I've really got to get crackin' and get some chores done around here. I have some errands to run and also want to make some chocolate dipped pretzels for tomorrow. If you're looking for a fast and easy dessert, be sure to check out the Joli Paquet blog. I posted a recipe there last night for Double Chocolate Chip cookies.....Mmmmmm!

Felted Fun

I recently was inspired by this and this and this. So I went out and collected some acorn tops that the squirrels had left behind after hiding their winter stash.
And last night I made a few acorns in pretty fall colors while watching Dancing With the Stars on TV. And then THIS happened. . . . . .

The moral of this story is . . . DO NOT try crafting things that require using a hot glue gun while watching television!

Nature's Beauty

It is STILL raining here! And foggy this morning too. Everything is wet and soggy. But isn't it wonderful, that even in such gloomy weather, Mother Nature's colorful palette still shines through. The view from my window is like a fine piece of art.