November Craft: Anthro Inspired Garland

So I think we are all in love with Anthropologie and everything they do, right? Last year they had this amazing felt garland strung about the store and I knew I just had to make it. So here were are, Christmas time again and I thought what better for November's craft but this garland.  This craft is very easy it just is time consuming cutting all the leaves.  So grab a cup of tea and some good music or a mindless show. Excuse the low light pictures, it was at night on the couch by candle light I did this craft.  

You will need:
-Scissors
-A hot glue gun
-3 colors of felt (you could use any color you want, I did 2 greens and a brown)
-1 pack of red felt roving, or red balls if your lazy (wink)
-A piece of paper and a pencil to draw your stencil

Draw your stencil and cut into shape. Get your tea and get comfy, you will be cutting for a while. I cut all my felt into squares first and then cut out all the leaf shapes.  

After you have cut out all the shapes carefully fold the top loop in half and cut a small hole. Careful not to cut through, I speak from experience here.. 

So I felt ambitious after making felt craspedia last month, and decided to make  the holly berries but you could very easily buy red balls. I do like the look of the felt ball though. 1 bag made about 18 berries.

Cut strips of brown felt

Loop your leaves through the felt branch alternating colors. I did about 7 leaves per branch. After trying it a few different ways, I found it was the easiest to put the leaves on first and then glue the branches together.

Glue branches together

Cut a small square of brown felt. Glue 3 berries in triangle shape onto felt square.

When glue is dry cut off extra fabric.

Cut off small strip of brown felt and glue into loops where you would want to hang your garland..

Glue berries onto top of each loop.

Hang around your home and enjoy!

Happy Holiday Crafting!

I'll light a candle for you

4 years ago I lost my NeNe.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her.  Miss you everyday NeNe, tonight I'll light a candle for you.

Holiday weekend

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend filled with family, shopping, and way to much food, we sure did. I love this time of year.  Here's a few pictures from our weekend.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents house. So much to be thankful for this year!

Mom and I did our annual Black Friday shopping and Roger's Gardens day. We bought such cute Christmasy time things for our houses. 

It was so nice for Brad and I to have a lazy productive day shopping and getting ready for the coming month. And I finished my book (which I highly recommend, Thanks Tonie!) which always feels good.

We had a fun, busy Sunday. We got our tree, took our Christmas pictures (coming soon), and had sushi with friends.

The pumpkins are gone, in with the christmas stuff. I love how cozy our home feels this time of year. I started a new book, and we had the last of the thanksgiving left overs, panini style. 

Happy Holidays!

We went to Oregon...

I've totally lagged on this post because of the sheer quantity of photos I had to go through.  We were in Oregon the first weekend of November and as always, had an AMAZING time! We are so blessed to have such an awesome family who is always about a good time! Here is our trip in photos, just a few (wink)!

Straight of the plane we headed to lunch and an afternoon of drinking. We stayed at this bar (I enjoyed it so much I don't remember the name) all afternoon telling stories, laughing and taking shots of Pendlenton (when in Rome). We were so happy to be back in our favorite town, with our favorite people!

The next morning Brad, Tonie and I got an early start and headed to the coast.

It was so BEAUTIFUL! 

We rented a lodge right on the lake. We got a fire going before the rest of the family came. We spent the rest of the night partying, dancing in the rain (love you Rene), and playing cards.

The Dunlap Lodge was awesome. The best part was that our deck was right over the lake. Such a beautiful view.

The Family at the lighthouse. I love this picture of all of us. It was a cold drizzly day.  After a big pancake breakfast, we headed to check out the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon's tallest lighthouse

Pic by Brad

114 steps to the top, we made it, breathlessly. 

After all those stairs we needed a beer. We dropped the kids off at the warf and headed to the Rogue Brewery for lunch.

Walking around Newport. 

Back at the lodge to dry off and warm up.  We had pizza and spent our last night playing games and relaxing.

Thank you for the good times. Can't wait to come back soon!

After a fun filled weekend at the coast we came home to a cozy fire and a delicious homemade dinner. Ceder salmon by Kev. It was out of this world! We finished the night with milk and fresh baked cookies, and a good game of dice.  

We had lunch with Brad's Dad at this cute cafe. It was a beautiful fall day in Portland.

My beautiful sister! She's the best!

Podnah's Pit, resturant of the year, according to The Willamette Week. Of course we had to try it. Yep, it was that good!

Our last day in Portland. It always goes by so quick! We had to eat lunch at Brad's favorite pub, The Highland Stillhouse. According to Brad, if we lived in Oregon City he would go there everyday. Thank God we don't. The food is delicious and they know how to pour a Guinness. 

One last stop before the airport, The Edgefield. We got engaged and married here. Part of my heart always stays here, so it's always good to stop by for lunch, or a drink. The grounds are beautiful and Brad always has to replenish his stock of Hogshead Whiskey . 

Half of our hearts are always in Portland. I love that we have such a cool place to go to several times a year  to visit family and make amazing memories. So until next time Portland...

November Recipe: Comfort Food

Hope you had a wonderful November. These fall/winter months are all about comfort food on those cold dreary days. A few weekends back the weather was just that and this meal was perfect. Chicken Pot Pies, and Apple Hand Pies. They were perfect for a rainy night, fire on, and a good movie. Happy Eating! 

This recipe is kind of a combo of a few recipes. Depending on the size of the container you put it in, you will have a difference in the yield.  I used those small aluminum pans cause I didn't have any small baking dishes and it yielded 6 mini pies.  You can always make more topping if you don't have enough.

Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients for pie mix

1 roast chicken

1 bag of frozen peas and carrots

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup of milk

Poultry Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Place Peas and carrots into a bowl.  Add a splash of water and microwave for about a minute and a half. In seperate bowl mix soup and milk together. Add vegis, and chicken to soup mixture and season with 1tbs of poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and microwave for about 4 minutes.

Ingredients for topping

1 cup of Bisquick

1 egg

1/2 cup of milk

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix

Preheat your oven to 400'. Fill you baking dish with pie mix.  Top with bisquick mix.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired my Smitten Kitchen's Apple Pie Cookies. Im sure her recipe is amazing and to be tried.  If you are not in the mood for all of those steps, like I happend to be on that night, this is very easy and just as yummy.

Ingredients

2 Granny Smith apples

1 box puff pastry dough, defrosted

sugar

cinnamon 

splash of lemon juice

1 egg, lightly beaten

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Defrost your puff pastry dough. This is such an important step that I always forget to do. For a quick defrost you can open package, place dough side by side on counter top top for 45 minutes.

Peel, and core apples. Thinly slice apples and place into bowl.  Toss with a squeeze of lemon, a good handful of sugar and a liberal dash or two of cinnamon.

Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and pre heat oven to350'

Roll out your puff pastry dough on a lightly flowered surface. Find a good size circle shape object in  your kitchen, or if your fancy and have a cutter, use that.  I used a coffee mug made 6 circles (or as many as you can make) on my first sheet of dough. Transfer to baking sheet.  Again, roll, and cut out dough to create top for pie.  Cut 4 small slashes into top dough (reference picuture above).  Place a few apple sugar slices onto dough on cookie sheet. With  egg mixture, lightly brush around edges of pie dough and place topper on apple mix.  With a fork go around the pie fusing top to bottom and creating a cute edge.  Brush top of pies with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Serve warm out of oven with ice cream.