Dinner in a Pumpkin!

October 31, 2011 by  
Filed under Featured Content, What's for Dinner?, Yummy Food

This is a Halloween tradition for my husbands family, newly adopted by our little family too.  The kids think it is fun to watch the pumpkin in the oven and then scoop their dinner out of it.  Here is the recipe!  Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 small to med size pumpkin

1 med onion chopped

2 TB oil

1 1/2-2 lbs hamburger

4 TB soy sauce

3 TB worcestershire sauce

3 TB brown sugar

1 4oz can of sliced mushrooms, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups of cooked rice

2 8oz cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Scoop out the insides of your pumpkin, drawn a face on it, and set it on a foil covered cookie sheet in oven to get it started cooking while you do the rest.

Brown the hamburger and onion in oil.  Add the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and cream of chicken soup, simmer.  Add rice and chestnuts.

Then pull out your pumpkin and put mixture inside.  Put lid on pumpkin and put back in the oven to cook for 1 hour or until the inside of the pumpkin is cooked.  Scoop out mixture and a little of the inside of the pumpkin and serve!

Making Home – Stylish and Fun = Me

October 19, 2011 by  
Filed under Decorating, Featured Content, Home and Garden

I was struggling with the big bookcase since I moved into this house 6 months ago.  It is hard to make a rental house feel like YOUR home.  Here is me attempting to make this space feel like it’s mine…for now. :)

I had a nice bookcase I displayed stuff on in my old house, now I needed to recreate something new with my stuff in a new place.  My bookcase in SD had three less compartments and was a bit smaller.  Also since there wasn’t much on this,  it seemed to be becoming the “junk spot.”  The place where all the crap got left during the day.

So…my solution!  Stacking some fun books in a cool way, displaying photos I love of my children in fun colorful frames, putting out some of my favorite things -little frogs I collect, snow-globe of Seattle, photo I took from my first photography class, and a few other fun things that make me happy to look at.  Cuz that is what it is about people!  Things YOU like. :)  I added the warrior man on top, because my hubs needs a few things he likes here and there too. :)

I also added two baskets- one for remotes and the other for library books.  We needed a spot for both, since they both seem to get lost so easily.  :)

I think the blue fabric frames pop and I like that they are different but have a common theme and size.

I love that the things on the have special memories for me.  The vase in the top middle we got on our honey-moon.  The picture of Christ was a wedding gift. The birds on the second self down were a wedding gift to my parents.  The Joseph and Mary carving on the third self down was from my trip to Israel.  The flower picture was from my first photography class.  These things make me smile.  And you want to smile as you walk through your house.  Make the space yours.

The vases are both from my dad.  The tall one he bought for me and the shorter one he made when he was in college.  My mom gave me that butterfly and I collect frogs.  And of course Beck. :)

Books I love.  Basic Art History, The 20th Century, Posters in History, Audrey Hepburn biography, Strange Worlds- Fantastic Places, Eyewitness- 150 years of photojournalism.  Good stuff. :)  In a few of the other compartments we have religious books, year books (I loved looking at my parents year books, I want my kids to be able to look at mine too), books I am currently reading, a few photo albums, and Devan’s families Book of Remembrance.

This bookshelf is a main focal point in my house so I am making it stylish and fun and reflect things I love. :)

Now to spookify it :)

And the rest of my house :)

Find he eek block tutorial HERE

Make the Franky block HERE

Marshmallow Fondant and Nemo Wave Cake

Marshmallow fondant is pretty stink’n easy to make.  My sister in law makes some awesome cakes with marshmallow fondant.  Over the phone, a few states away, she helped me make a sweet cake for Beck.

Here how I made my marshmallow fondant wave cake.

You will need to have:

1-2 packages of marshmallows, big or small.

2-5 tablespoons of water

About 8 cups of powdered sugar. 1-2 bags

vanilla, almond, or any kind of extract for flavoring

If you are doing all one color then go ahead and melt all your mallows in the same bowl.  If you want to do a few different colors, split them up before melting them.  Put your mallows in a microwave safe bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of water.  Stir them around until they are all slightly wet.  Put a few drops of your extract in now.  Add more water if needed, but just a little at a time.  Place in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Open and stir.  Continue microwaving for 30 second until your marshmallows are melted.

My apron says “Got more time for misbehave’n, since I started microwave’n.”  Pretty sweet, I know :)

Once they are melted, pour 1 cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.  Mix until it thickens up.  Spread powdered sugar on the counter.  Take the fondant out of the bowl and start to knead it.  It will be very sticky!  My sister in law recommends putting shortening on your hands to help.  She also adds about 1/2 cup to her fondant, but I didn’t.  You can do it either way.

Keep kneading and adding powdered sugar until becomes a firm ball.  It will still be a little sticky when it is stretched out.  No worries.  Place ball, double wrapped, in saran wrap over night.  It will not be as sticky they next day.

When you roll it out make sure there is flour underneath to keep if from sticking to the counter.  You will not see that side of the fondant.  You might also need a little flour on the rolling pin, but if it shows on your top side just take a damp cloth and wipe it off.

I was inspired to make these waves from this picture I saw on 6th Street Design School Blog.  Check out this blog.  It has a lot of beautiful stylish ideas for your home.

I love this beautiful wave cake, but I am not yet up to this kind of cake making par.  So, I made just one tier.  I used three different fondant colors.  AND, I used a box to make my cake :)

After making these and letting them cool for a bit; I trim off the tops to make them flat.  I then layered them with frosting and home made raspberry jam.

This handy tip I learned from Sandra Lee.  Place some parchment paper like so on your cake stand.  This helps to keep the cake stand clean and you won’t have to try to move it once it’s iced either.  Place your bottom cake piece down and begin to layer on here.

Once you’ve completely iced the outside of your cake with a thin layer of frosting, you can place your fondant on.  Roll out your fondant (if you haven’t already) and cut it wavy like with your pizza cutter.  Start at the top of the cake and layer going down.  This can be tricky, but hopefully the little layer of frosting you put on the cake will act like glue and hold the waves on.  I also put tooth picks in the back of the cake, until the waves were secure.  Once it is ready for the party remove the parchment paper by gently pulling it out from under the cake.

You can do it!  Make a cool cake for your kid.  Then proceed to do a happy dance. You deserve it. :)

Nemo Party and Fun B-day Photo Idea

My little man just turned two.  He is crazy about Nemo.  We threw him a Nemo themed party and here are some of the fun things we did:

When the kids first arrived they each got their own apron.  (From the dollar store) And we made fish paintings with their hands.  Since most of the kids where little the parents needed to help and we did it one step at a time. :)  We tried not to have too much paint on the table at once.

Beck is so proud of this painting.  He makes sure I look at it at least once a week :)

We then ate some good food!

The hubs used a permanent marker to trace it out then,  craved the watermelon.  Probably took 20 mins.

After eating we had a little scavenger hunt with fish cut outs hidden around the yard that had clues written on them.

It lead us to the “goodie bags.”  The kids were stoked.

Then cake and ice cream of course.  Beck is sooo cute.

Find How I made this cake and the Marshmallow Fondant Recipe HERE.

It was a fun party.  Thanks for turning 2 Beck!

Should say age 2.  But, here is something fun you can do with your child’s picture.  Take a picture of them with enough space on one side so you can do some writing.  Easy to do in Photoshop at a beginner level.  Just choose the Type tool,  front color, and write down what they love.   You can do this :)

Thrifty Pumpkin Find and Makeover

October 13, 2011 by  
Filed under Crafts, Featured Content, Halloween, Holiday Crafts

I found this pumpkin at Savers the other day.  I was a little wobbly, but I figured I could fix that.  Check out the makeover this plan pumpkin got.

Go see what your thrift store has.  It’s like a treasure hunt!

I added a little paint and glitter to my 7 dollar, 2 foot tall pumpkin.  It looked better already.

I had been want to make something like this, that I saw over at TheCornerHouseBlog.com

Very fun idea.  I love this.  I wanted to add a countdown and I loved the “It’s all about the CANDY!”  I couldn’t fit it all on my pumpkin.  So, I just went with the “candy phrase.”

Thanks for the inspiration Corner House Blog!

I cut some vinyl on my Cricut and this is what I made :)

I thought about winding ribbon through all those holes.  I decided my kids would love to see it lit-up at night and went with some Christmas lights instead.  I am pretty sure that is why they are there anyway. :)

TAA DAA!

I love Halloween!

I linked up here!

Nutty Lynn’s Crunchy Granola

October 11, 2011 by  
Filed under Breakfast, Featured Content, Yummy Food

Thanks for reading!

Gallery Wall Welcoming You In

October 10, 2011 by  
Filed under Decorating, Featured Content, Home and Garden

Come on in ya’ll!  Okay, I am no where near a southern bell, but seriously come on in and check out my new and improved gallery wall.

Since I moved to the nice state of Utah I have had to find new ways to display my photos.  I had a place for everything and everything in it’s place in San Diego.  I felt a little lost starting over.  But! I am glad to say I am pulling it together.

First things first- the entry way.  I want people to feel welcome in my home.  And I want to also display what I love and what is important to me.  I am always telling my husband (as I beg for more furniture usually) that I want my house to reflect ME.  I want you to walk in my house and say, “Yeah, that’s Lynn alright.”  LOL it might be corny, but it’s what I want.  :)

Here is where I started 6 months ago when I moved in.

Since this picture I have redone those chairs and I had added a ton of pictures.  The wall felt heavy will all the pictures.  I wanted to add a letter M for our last name, but I wasen’t sure how to rearrange everything.  I was a little nervous to play around.  But! Fear Not! I got some inspiration over at my new buddies BRAND-SPANKIN NEW blog The Rooster and The Hen.  She has a beautiful display wall with a jute clock in the middle. Check out their blog, it’s filled with great home decorating ideas.

I decided jute was the answer.  I also had “The Hen” come over and she suggested adding mirrors. Great idea, I was off to search for jute, a letter, and mirrors.

Well I could not find a letter I liked anywhere.  I made my own out of a piece of card board then wrapped it in jute.  Probably cost me about 50 cents with the jute, hot glue, and free card board.

I used a ruler and a piece of mail with the letter M I liked, to reference while I drew it out.  I cut it out, then started wrapping the jute around it.

My search for the mirrors was rough too.  After trying Ross, Pier One, Hobby Lobby, ect. I came up with nothing.  Savers.  Yup, I love me a thrift store.  I walked in and the first thing I saw was these three mirrors.  Sweet-mother-of-pearl! So I wrapped those bad boys in jute too.

Here is how it all looks

Jesus AND Buddha welcoming all 😉

I love this sign that says, “This is our happily ever after.”  Says it all :)

My favorite two people are front and center. :)

The Road to LaLaLand

October 7, 2011 by  
Filed under Crafts, Featured Content, Kids Crafts

We have a huge unfinished basement that was being unused.  A total waste of space.  The hubs and I decided to make it into a playroom for the time being.  We put up half -wall dry wall all the way around the room, to keep the kiddies safe.  And now we are beginning to make it a fun room.  The first step so far was our road.  Now that we live in Utah and won’t be able to play outside everyday like we could in San Diego; I wanted a place to ride bikes in winter.  Hence, “the road.”   Here is the duct tape road I made in the basement.

Making my space work for me and my fam-a-lama.

There’s a curvy and straight side to the road.

Utah Houses with Halloween Style

It’s time to decorate your house for Halloween!  These houses have style without their Halloween decor, but they are even more amazing with a pumpkin or two or ten.

I drove around the other day to photograph two houses that I think have style.  When I got to both of the houses their Halloween decorations where up.  It was even better.  I then decided to find more cute houses.  So… here are some of the houses around me that I vote stylish and fun.  Enjoy the pictures! I hope you feel inspired, I know I do!

This first house was simple, two pumpkins sitting on beautiful teal ceramic planters.  The colors where amazing together, loved it.

Simple green wreath with burlap.  This is a classy-clean look.

This second house is one of my favorites in my area.  Whenever anyone is in the car with me I have to point out it and it’s green shutters.  I think this house has tons of charm!

I love old houses, especially when they are taken care of so well.

I love the black and orange sheer strips of fabric hanging from the front porch.

This house is a beautiful bungalow.  I would love to have an old bungalow to fix-up someday.  Houses with character are the best in my opinion.

I am going to find me a cute flower pot this weekend and stick a pumpkin on it.  So fun!

I loved all of the pumpkins and hay bales on the porch of this house.  Lot’s of clever little touches.

Even the bird feeder was ready for Halloween.

Putting little pumpkins in the window box was one of my favorite touches.

This house was simple and classy too.  Just decor on the door and those fun aqua chairs.

Now that I am inspired I need to go bust out my own Halloween decorations!

Big THANKS to all the homeowners that let me take pictures of their houses. :)

Making Envelope Pillows

October 4, 2011 by  
Filed under Crafts, Featured Content, Sewing

Today I made two envelope pillows and I am going to show you how to do it too.  It is easy! And no zippers to bother with. I have been putting this project off because I was a little intimidated.  But, thanks to my new sewing machine and my sewing classes that came with it I am feel’in good ladies!  These pillows took me 3/4 of Toy Story 3 to complete.  Sooo…. yes, I bribed my children with a movie today, lol.  No worries I took them to the park before nap time.  It’s all good.  :)

Here we go!

I like to buy pillows at Ross then take out the insert.  It is a cheaper way to buy a nice feather pillow and you get a cover to use at a pattern.  I can then just lay down the original cover and cut around it about 1/4 wider that it is.  If you already have a pillow insert, measure it and cut your fabric 1/4 inch wider as well.

I cut the front piece following the cover.  Then for the back fabric I cut them the same width, but added 8inches to the length.  I then cut these pieces in half making them 19.25 by 13inches.  I have 2 of those per pillow.

On the sides of the back envelope pieces that will be showing I folded them under and sewed them to have a nice finished end.

Now I laid down my front piece face up, put the trim on that sitting inside the pattern, and then laid the back envelope pieces face down overlapping each other.

All the parts you want to see when you are finished will be hidden inside your little fabric sandwich.  Pin it all the way around. Make sure your trim stays in place.

Sew all the way around make sure you are catching your trim evenly.

Then cut  your corners down just a bit.

Flip right sides out.  Insert your pillow.

I if you have trim like mine, make sure you pull out the tread that it is holding the little treads together.  Best to do this after you sew; to keep it from getting sewn under in the wrong places.  You can just snip the tread and gently pull it off.   Then play with it a little to get it to be fuzzy.

And… da da da YOUR DONE!

These pillows will go on different chairs, but I am not done with the chairs yet…  soon hopefully! :) Check back to see where they will be going.


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