Wedding Photos at Last! (Pic heavy Post!)

Thanksgiving 2011 Come and Gone

Thanks to Delightful Order for the free printable sign!

For All These Things I am Thankful

1. Each breath I take
2. The hope of Heaven
3. My Children
4. My Grand children
5. My friends
6. Good books
7. Good food
8. Warmth and light
9. A home
10. Health

We are given each day as a gift, to live, to breathe
to enjoy the place we inhabit.

There are millions who have no hope beyond this life,

no family to love and spend time with, 

and no friends to call or go to visit.

And just think of being unable to read...there are millions who

for various reasons, can't!

There are starving people all around the world, 

right now, today...

who live in conditions I have never experienced-

with no home, no warmth, no light to turn on

when it's dark. 

And there are too many to count who have had 

their health taken from them and live in 

constant pain and fear....

Lord., we who have so much...

let our hearts be broken by the things that break Your heart

and be truly thankful for every blessing!

The first free printable is from Delightful Order
and the 2nd from Graphics Fairy

Bakers Review-Cornbread

I'm linking up with AJ CRazies

for the

Buttermilk Cornbread

(recipe from All Recipes)

1 c.Cornmeal

1/4 c. flour ( I used GF)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. brown sugar

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg beaten

2 T. melted butter

Grease cast iron pan with 1 T. oil and
heat in 425* oven for 10 minutes.

Mix together all dry ingredients 

and add wet ingredients all at once. 

Mix just until moistened.

Pour into hot pan and bake for 15 minutes 

or until light brown on top.

This was the best cornbread I have ever

made using GF flour!

It is not sweet, but fluffy and very tasty,

I will be making this a lot:)

Looking for a Great Christmas Gift?

A wonderful crafty lady I know has a 

new website Duckee Bags.

These bags come with some awesome 

colors and styles and

- the cool thing about them 

is that they are lined with duct tape,

so they won't get wet and can be wiped out easily!

Go check them out, they are available in several sizes too.

Chair Slipcover

I've had this old chair for awhile in a

corner of my guest room.

It had a slipcover on it when I bought it at a sale 

but when I washed it the whole thing

shrunk and faded.

Finally I used some fabric from

a pair of curtains I purchased, (thrift store find)

cut it up and made a slipcover

in the more modern, casual style that

I personally like.

Now it feels like "me"

and only cost a few dollars.

Bakers Review-Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar Cookie Bars

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

 2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix butter and sugar for 5 mins until light and fluffy.

add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Mix in dry ingredients just until mixed.

Pat into a greased 9x13 pan.

bake at 375* for 20 minutes or until very lightly

browned and tooth pick comes out clean. Do

not over bake.

cool completely and frost.

Frosting

1/2 c. butter melted

3 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp almond flavoring

1 -2 T. milk

Mix well and spread on cooled bars.

These were delicious!

They are just like a soft, thick sugar cookie

without all the fuss of cutting out shapes.

I used GF flour and it was not noticeable at all.

Definitely a keeper:)

November Sketch

I'm linking up with the November sketch

@ 123 Challenges

Vintage Coat

I found a wonderful vintage

Pendleton coat at a sale yesterday.

It fits me perfectly, the color is fabulous

and the lining is like brand new. 

I'm not sure what year it is but I do know I got 

an excellent deal on it as I saw a vintage 60's

Pendleton Dress in a magazine for over $200

and I paid under $50 for this.

 

It was a happy find :)

Fall is Fading Fast...

All photos taken at Camas Antiques 

Holiday Open House

Little Red Coat

Pierce-- 2 months old

Bakers Review-Biscotti

I'm linking up with Aimee @ AJ Crazies

for the 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Biscotti

Modified for Gluten free

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. melted butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 2/3 c. flour (GF or regular)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 c. walnuts chopped

2/3 c. mini chocolate chips

Mix egg and sugar well. Add butter and flavorings.

Mix in dry ingredients and add walnuts and choc. chips

pat into a 1 inch thick oval on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325* for 20 minutes or until very light brown.

Take out of oven and cool on pan for 5 minutes. 

Cut into 1 inch strips crosswise. Spread out on cookie 

sheet and bake again @ 375 for 10 minutes.

Cool on pan and store in airtight container.

Review

These were just okay,

I'm not sure how they would be 

with regular flour, but  with the GF flour I used 

they were too bland. I did add some salt to the recipe 

now though so that may help.

If I made them again I would 

make them with a different GF flour mixture.
Biscotti are a more bland cookie though because they are 

really for dunking with coffee or tea, and that's what 

I will do with these.

Sketch #3 Loving Plaid and Ruffles

Scrapbooking with Laryngitis

One good thing about not being able to speak 

is that I do get a few things done!

Used Sketch 135 from The Scrappiest

for the one above

Just glad to be feeling back to myself again:)

Great Grandma's Love

This is my Mom and my grandson...

Precious!

A Visitor from Heaven

In memory of Jamison

28 days old, 

who went home to be with 

Jesus today.

"A visitor from heaven 

if only for awhile,

A gift of love to be returned,

we think of you and smile.

A visitor from heaven

accompanied by grace

reminding of a better love and of a better place.

With aching hearts and empty arms 

we send you with a name,

it hurts so much to let you go,

but we're so glad you came.

A visitor from heaven,

if only for a day.

We thank Him for the time He gave

and now it's time to say

We trust you to the Fathers love

and to His tender care

held in the everlasting arms

and we're so glad you're there.

we're so glad you're there.

With breaking hearts and open hands

we send you with a name.

It hurts so much to let you go,

but we're so glad you came.

We're so glad you came.

Twila Paris

Camera Bag

Yesterday I was thinking about a camera bag

 and how it would be great to make 

one that matched my camera strap.

I was looking through my pattens and couldn't 

find the bag patterns I knew I had,

so I dug in my closet and there in a pile of 

stuff was a bag already cut out and ready 

to sew, in the exact same fabric!

I didn't even remember cutting it out at all!!!

 That's the strap I made awhile ago...

And here's the finished bag.

I made it extra stiff and heavy so that

if I set it down the camera won't get banged up.

There is plenty of room for phone, wallet, etc.

along with camera and accessories as needed.

The pattern is Simplicity 2617

with an added closure tab with velcro.

Lucky Brand Inspiration and Questions

I like the Lucky Brand, but can't

justify the cost, so I used some fabric

that had the "look" 

and made a peasant style tunic.

The pattern is Simplicity 2310 

with some modifications.

Get to know me Questions
1. eye color? Blue/green
2. Real hair color? blond w/ LOTS of gray
3. Heritage? Finnish ancestry, Lutheran church
4. Shoes you wore today?
Naturalizer mary janes (see above)
5. My weakness? Sweets
6. My greatest fear? Snakes
7. Country I'd most like to visit? England
8. Fave Christmas song? Rose of Bethlehem
9. Perfect Pizza?
BLT with avocado at California Pizza Kitchen
10. Fave store? Ross
11. Do you like thunderstorms? No
12. What you would eat right now?
a non-gluten free croissant
13. Who is your favorite author? Jan Karon
14. What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
Snorkeling in the middle of the ocean
15. Who do you most want to meet? Jesus

NOW I'd love to hear from you what your answers are!
Let me know if you do so I can check them out:)

Bakers Review Wednesday-Gingerbread Coffee

I'm joining up with Aimee over at A J Crazies

for the Bakers Review Wednesday

 Gingerbread Coffee

 Here is what the gingerbread syrup will look like...

And here is the finished coffee.

Gingerbread Coffee

1/2 c. mollasses

1/4. c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ginger

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix above ingredients together and refrigerate

for 10 minutes or more.

Add 1 T. of syrup to 1 c. coffee and add

half and half cream to taste.

Garnish with whip cream and a sprinkle of ground cloves.

(recipe from All Recipes)

Review

Yummy! I think it has better flavor

than any of the coffee places serve, and it can 

be adjusted by adding more or less syrup to taste.

Also the syrup will last in the refrig for many days

so it's easy to whip up a cup whenever you like.

A+

Sketch 180 & Challenge #31

I'm linking up at Creative Scrappers

with Sketch 180

and also using another challenge

from the "52 more" book,  # 31

"Incorporate book pages or sheet music on a layout"

"Get Picky" Inspiration Challenge

I'm linking up over at Get Picky

for the Inspiration Challenge.

This is the inspiration photo -and you also had

to use some fabric in your layout.

The fabric I used is in the flowers, I used 2

layers of fabric and then paper and a button.

I also sewed the black border.