Happy Halloween!

Thought I'd share with you my old faithful Halloween decoration. I bought this at a craft fair when my daughters were babes. My girl's picked this out while sitting in their stroller. Over the years and three moves later...it's still looking pretty good. Decorations come and go but this one will always remain true to my heart. ~amy

An Apple A Day

Thank you Susan from Between Naps On The Porch for hosting another Metamorphosis Monday.

I made one of those heating pads that you can heat up in the microwave. I cut a design from cotton fabric. Placed and pinned the right sides of the 2 pieces together. Sewed the two pieces together...leaving a small portioned unsewn. Next turn the pieces inside out. The small unsewn opening is where you pour rice, flax seed or spelt into it. I used spelt. Spelt is a grain found in Germany and when heated has an earthy smell to it. It also retains heat and moisture. It's great for an ear ache because of the hint of moisture it produces. Hand stitch or machine stitch the small unsewn opening and presto....you have a heating pad! Place this pad into the microwave for 1 minute and use it for a heating pad or place the pad into a Ziploc plastic bag and put it into the freezer and use it for a cold compress.

After using my new heating pad several times...I thought it would be nice to have a cover for it so I can launder it. I got a little creative and made this cover to go over it. I made it out of fleece and in the back I put a Velcro closure. I now use the original heating pad as an insert for this cover. I put the insert into this cover after heating it in the microwave or cooling it in the freezer.

An apple a day will keep the Doctor away! The great thing about this is that you can make this heating pad into any shape and size. Make it smaller as a 'boo boo buddy' for a child. Kiddies have also been known to cuddle up with this and take this warm pad to bed with them at bedtime. Easy Peasy. ~amy

Colors Are Abundant With The Smell Autumn

Thank you Susan from A Southern Daydreamer for hosting another Outdoor Wednesday.

Monday morning I woke up to our first frost of the season. I ran outside to take a picture of my roses. Indeed this flower is lovely displaying its delicate frothy crystals. As lovely as this rose is...it tells me that the flowers that I faithfully cared for and adored will within a few short days be no more.

Yesterday I loaded up my wheel barrel with my once bountiful planters and
emptied them.

My flower boxes that once attracted hummingbirds are emptied and lined up as if they were soldiers waiting to march back into their barracks for a long winter.

Herbs are being emptied from their pots...cut and dried for cooking this winter.

Amidst my chores...I couldn't help but look around and be in awe of God's grandeur surrounding me.

Everywhere I look...colors are abundant and for the first time this season I smell that familiar scent of Autumn.

Where I live Autumn has almost peaked!! ~amy

Patterns Are In The Making

My Vintage Blankie is in the process of making some of our designs into sewing and embroidery patterns. Here is a sneak peak. I hope to have this new and exciting venture completed by the first of the year. Instructions for the embroidery portion will include hand stitched and machine stitched. Personally...I'm a hand embroiderer only because at this point...I'm intimidated by an embroidery machine. Definitely on my to do list some day is to learn to operate one of those scary machines. Below is a snippet of one of the pattern covers drawn for us by Nancy Ball from Austraila. I think she has such a sweet style. Ahhhhh....look at that sweet baby. You can visit her at Vanilla Plum Studio and see who has inspired her as an artist! I'm still working on the text for the pattern covers.

Woke up this morning and looked out of the window and saw our first frost. I guess mother nature is serious about the change of seasons. Have a lovely day. ~amy

The Mountains Are Glowing

Thank you Susan from A Southern Daydreamer for hosting another Outdoor Wednesday.

I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find in the distance the fog settling. Or is it a cloud? Let me step outside and get a clearer view.



Here we go...actually...it could be a cloud. Either way the tops of the mountains are glowing this morning. In a few more hours all should be clear. Keeping my fingers crossed for a sunny day and I hope your day is lovely. ~amy

I Heart My Coat

Thank you Susan from Between Naps On The Porch for hosting another wonderful Metamorphis Monday.

Last week I was just about to run out the door. When I went to grab my favorite fall coat that I had not worn since last year...I couldn' t believe what I saw before my eyes!

Moth holes!!!! I just about went into a tizzy! Without putting to much thought into scrapping my favorite coat. I decided instantly that I will salvage it some how. I went to the store and bought some fabric and double faced fusable webbing.

I made myself a patch. A heart symbolizing how much I love my coat. I think I love it even more now. No more ugly, hiddious moth holes.! ~amy

Morning In The Valley

Thank you Susan from A Southern Daydreamer for hosting another fun Outdoor Wednesday.

I would like to wish you all good morning from the valley!

The pictures below are views from our front porch.
During the fall here in the valley we are accustomed to a lot of fog in the morning.

As the morning wears on it burns off.

Within the next few weeks the color on these mountains will be spectacular. Wait and see.

I'm Up For The Challenge

I've made up my mind today that I'm up for the challenge. Actually...it's my own challenge and craziness. After a lot of thought.. I've decided to make everyone on my Christmas list a gift this year. I'm not kidding! I'm pretty excited about this and I hope to really feel the spirit of gift giving this Christmas. This will not be an easy task. I estimate around 20 special people I'll be giving a gift to ranging from the ages 6 months to 83 years. I'm thinking the teenagers will be the most difficult to make something for that they will actually like but I'm up for the challenge. From my own little Santa's workshop I'll keep you posted on my progress and I hope to share with you little snippets of some of the gifts I make. After all I don't want to ruin any surprises! For sure after Christmas...I'll share with you each and every gift. I know it'll be a special journey from start to finish.

The fabric below is for an apron that I plan on sewing for myself to wear for my crafty days I've got planned. You know you have to dress for success. I've got a lot of work ahead so I better get to it. Have a lovely day! ~amy

A Fond Memory & Cherry Applesauce

Good morning! It looks like the sun is trying to peep out today. It's been 4 days of cold, rain and gloom. Looking forward to some warmer sunny autumn days.

I had the Rachel Ray show on TV the other morning while I was working in the house and she whipped up this easy cherry applesauce. It looked yummy to me and I liked the fact that by adding the dried cherries created a twist to the whole applesauce recipe thing. So I decided to give it a try. Easy..easy...easy. Recipe is below.

If you notice the blue and white crocheted linen I have positioned in the photos below...it is a pot holder that my grandma (my dad's mom) made. She used to crochet such wonderful pieces. Mostly...bed linens, towels, tablecloths and pot holders. In fact...it was a source of income for her. I remember her always crocheting in her living room...sitting in her big comfy upholstered chair across from the TV console. On the top surface of that TV was a blue glass bowl with a scalloped rim. It was filled to the brim with those orange spongy peanut candies. Do you know which one's that I'm talking about? That bowl was never without candy upon arriving to her house each Sunday after church. All those years I really took her efforts for granted on how she kept that candy bowl full for us. My grandparent's weren't wealthy people so keeping that candy bowl always full must of taken a little bit of doing. She's been gone now for 34 years. It's funny how that little pot holder that I packed away so many years ago...could bring me back to that special place that I hadn't been to for so long. ~amy

Cherry Applesauce

Handful of dried cherries

1/2 cup of cider

2 cups of diced Mac apples

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Keep covered and simmer to the texture that you would like.