Changing with the Season - Makeover Monday

FALL

to

***W*I*N*T*E*R***

There are B I G changes

happening here in our house right now!


finally getting a chance to play over at Pam's tonight!

Thankful it's Thanksgiving

 The month of November is a bit of a blur.

Actually more like a blob.

I'll spare you the details as we will all be eating ourselves silly today or have just eaten.(those in the US)

We, the entire household, have been thinking of getting some stock in Kleenex brand.

You get the picture.

Sick.

What's a girl to do?

Every year we host a BIG Thanksgiving Feast at our house.

All our friends, who either don't have family, don't want to go to their family's, can't go to their family's or just want to be with our CREATED family of friends, come over, eat, play music, laugh, oh-my-gosh laugh all afternoon until the wee hours of the next morning.

Then we eat some more, after that.

This has been going on for years.

Including the year I had my now 7yo - whose birth actually occurred a few days before Thanksgiving - and consequently occurs each year a few days before Thanksgiving.

OK.

We've been sick.  Couldn't talk sick.

Didn't call anyone.  Didn't make any plans.  My brain hasn't been working through all the fog....so here we are days before the day and I'm like, "Hon, what are we going to do this year?"  He's like, "I don't know.  Do you?"

(that just shows you where our heads were....ugh)

So this is what we did.

Just the four of us.  The most splendid, calm, lovely day.  A day that I could actually feel grateful and thankful in because I could hear myself think and create and move a bit slower, but that's OK.  Slow movement is gentle.  I love gentle.

last minute, grab what's in the fridge appetizers!

on the fly centerpiece

(yes, it's a brown paper bag!)

white table cloth, spritzed with water, smoothed out (who wants to iron?)

light the Christmas tree

place mats & place cards...brown paper bag,

napkins are just pieces of cotton fabric, cut in squares and smushed under the plates

pencils to write on our place mats

what are we thankful for?

We ate roasted free range Turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, sauteed beans, home made stuffing & baked biscuits.

We'll be eating the homemade pumpkin and apple pies (a la mode) after I'm done here!

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you my blogging friends!

Thankful that you're here!  You're the greatest!

French Fry Friday - Modern Day Sweets!

Sweet Potato Fries with a twist!

INGREDIENTS & TOOLS:

Serves Four

4 Sweet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper

Cookie Sheets

Parchment Paper

Preheat Oven to 400

Peel potatoes, cut off ends

Cut each potato length wise, in half

then cut in half again.

Working with a flat bottom potato - makes slicing much easier, less dangerous if the knife slips.

Jazzing up the potatoes with my grandma's cutter makes me smile.

Place the potatoes single layered on the parchment paper lined cookie sheets. 

Misto misting saves on the amount of oil that is sprayed on the potatoes.

As long as your mister isn't clogged.

Mine was.

So out with the PAM.

Spray evenly over the potatoes, add salt & pepper and garlic powder.

Other fun sprinklely add on choices:

BROWN SUGAR

CAYENNE

CURRY

MAPLE SYRUP

(our favorite!!)

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve.

And quite possibly eat the entire bowl!

This version is a great dish to pass....

perhaps for Turkey Day!!!

Henry has something to say....

Thanksgiving Day here in the states is just one week away.

Whether you are hosting or cooking a dish, showing up to someone's home or going out for dinner...

There is always a fair amount of stress that goes along with this event...

I believe because it marks the beginning of the holiday season.

I have made a promise to myself and my husband that I will not allow commercialism to interfere with what I am most thankful for.

LIFE.

LIVING.

FRIENDS.

FAMILY.

I will not allow

PERFECTIONISM to come

between me and the calm of the gray skies and the crisp air.

~~~~

I have given my word that we will NOT over spend or over book.

With my whole heart I am making a difference in the lives of my sons by making the decision to NOT get caught up or turned on by what public relations or marketing media dictate.

I will not.

I have decided.

Decision is made.

Henry would like to say a few words right now:

"An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." 

*****

"Friends... they cherish one another's hopes. They are kind to one another's dreams." 

*****

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."

*****

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." 

-Henry David Thoreau

Bless you all,

Movin' Makeover Monday - a little spot that makes me smile

Ok, we haven't moved YET.

However, we all make the best with what we have and since I'm not moving into another house at this moment, I thought I'd jazz up a little spot in our breakfast room.

It makes me sing.

On with the show:

before

after

Transformation began with her

my first slip cover EVER

you can read about Louisa here

thanks to

Miss Mustard Seed

Polly at MakeMineBeautiful

Pink and Polka Dot

 Angie at Threadneedle Studio

and

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors

 Then my sweet neighbor sewshesews went to the GW and bought these plastic gold things for me. (after I LOVED and ADMIRED hers!!)

Don't you love neighbors who do these kinds of things - unexpected like?

(oh and she gave me the print too!  almost forgot that!  I hand painted the gold frame to a silver)

(Something was goofy with blogger while I was uploading these photos.  It wouldn't take my updated ones.  My apologies for the grainy darkness.)

I spray painted the sconces.  Hot glued glass votives on them and placed a candle in each.  (the one in my hand will be spray painted too! I just found it at the SA and since I didn't have a b4 shot of the others this will give you an idea)

Then I fell deeply in love with our Anthropologie store here.  I wanted to move into it and live there.  Then I went home.  The only thing I could afford was a knob - on sale.  Heh!

So I put it all together and it makes me smile!

Then I asked the boys to go outside and gather ALL THE TWIGS YOU COULD FIND!!!  2 Red Flyers full!  Here's some.

I put a few here.

The others?  Oh man, if I can get that project done...well, you'll know about it!

Have the nicest of evenings!

French Fry Friday

For the next few Fridays I thought I'd share some fancy, unconventional French Fry recipes.

We LOVE to cook here.

EC is a phenomenal and amazing chef.

(I'm gonna buy him one of those chef hats one day.)

He's self taught.

Did you know that you can teach yourself to cook?

You can.

I grew up with a Hungarian grandmother who cooked & baked everything from scratch.

Next to her I stood watching in amazement as she kneaded, churned, stirred, collected and seasoned all of our food.

I had no idea that it had any great "cooking skill" impact on me. I only knew that I LOVED her and LOVED EVERYTHING SHE MADE.

Today.

I cook.

And it's not bad, if I do say so myself.

Now, not all of us cook well at first.

But we really won't know anything about anything until we give it a go.

Just like I didn't know how to make a slip cover or paint or blog.

Gettin' my point?

JUST DO IT.

You will be in awe of what you slide onto everyone's plate.

Then listen.

You'll start to hear humming sounds coming from the table.

That's my favorite part!!!

ONTO THE FRIES:

We eat tofu here.

I can hear the crowd already:

"tofu!  gross!  mushy!  no flavor!!!  I'd rather eat dead bugs!"

NOT HERE

Take a look at these golden babies!

 Very simple.

Inexpensive.

High in protein.

Tofu = soybeans

If you'd like to try these, here is what you'll need:

• TWO CARTONS OF EXTRA FIRM TOFU (makes 4 servings)
• OLIVE OIL or whatever oil you have
• GARLIC POWDER
• SALT and PEPPER
• SHREDDED ASIAGO CHEESE
• CATSUP for dipping
• Paper towel or cheese cloth
• Parchment paper
• Cookie sheets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. DRAIN WATER FROM TOFU CARTON
2. USE CHEESECLOTH OR PAPER TOWELS - WRAP AROUND TOFU TO ABSORB EXCESS LIQUID, PAT DRY
3. SLICE TOFU INTO DESIRED FRY WEDGES OR RECTANGULAR PRISMS (I homeschool, remember?)
4. LAY OUT ON THE PARCHMENT COVERED COOKIE SHEETS
5. DRIZZLE OLIVE OIL, ADD SALT AND PEPPER, GARLIC POWDER and then SPRINKLE ASIAGO CHEESE ON TOP.
6. BAKE FOR 20-40 MINUTES

(we like ours a bit firm with a hard exterior.  if they get overcooked they will be too hard.  keep an eye on them)

GIVE 'EM A TRY AT YOUR HOUSE!

 

coming to you from the Kitchen Table