Roast Beef Rolls

So if you've been wondering what you're going to take to that up-coming Christmas potluck, wonder no more! I make this recipe for nearly every potluck, and no matter how many I bring, they are always one of the first things to go.  They are even easier than their ham-and-cheese counterpart that you're probably familiar with - only 6 ingredients! And even more delicious :o) I also always make these to serve with my Loaded Potato Soup (recipe to come). Promise you'll love 'em!

Darlin' Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

 

If you're looking for a super delicious and easy dessert for this Thanksgiving, I definitely recommend giving these darlin little pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese icing a try! They are heavenly! I adapted this recipe from a bundt cake recipe I found on www.cdkitchen.com. I added the cream cheese icing, which I think kinda makes them, but you could easily leave the icing off and just call them Pumpkin Muffins (which is EXACTLY what I did when I ran out of icing.)

 

It's Fall Y'all

These pics are a compilation from my last few events.  Hopefully it will inspire you for Thanksgiving - just a few more days!!!  I LOVE Thanksgiving - it just might be my favorite holiday.  I'm kind of a food fanatic, so of course, that's at the top of the list, but I also love that it's the beginning of the Christmas season.  It gets me excited about decorating, shopping, baking, listening to Christmas music, eating on Christmas dishes, watching the 25 Days of Christmas....I'm giddy just thinking about it!  You know I'm looking forward to an entire month of Christmas posts ;o)

First, a fall-themed wedding.  Those bright-colored nosegays would be precious nestled in some white pumpkins sitting all in a row down the center of a table!

For Better or Worse

Ok, so let me start with a disclaimer - what you are about to see are NOT before/after pics, they are only progress shots.  Things have been moving slowly around here lately.  There's just so much for two of us to do, and really my poor hubby has been doing the bulk of it alone for the past few months.  But, hooray - back to work today!!  We piddled around, caulking, fixing gutters, hanging hooks and toilet paper holders - nothing big or exciting, but enough to motivate me give you all another little peek into the chaos that is currently our life ;o) 

So, let's do this.  If you will remember, here is the "before"

Stuffed Shells

If you like lasagna, you will LOVE these shells. They are so much easier than their layered counterpart, and AMAZING!  I'm salivating just looking at the picture, and can only assume you are, too - you might want to make these right away!

Something Old

I'm sorry to say these pictures don't do these flowers justice - they really were lovely. Simple, clean, elegant, just enough color. I say it all the time, almost everytime actually, but this really was one of my favorite weddings.

Oh, Vanity!

I refinish quite a bit of furniture - not enough to open a shop or anything, but certainly enough to furnish a house.  This little habit started out of necessity, but I think even if I won the lottery that I don't play I would still try to make treasures out of trash just because I enjoy the challenge. 
When we bought this crazy house it came with some equally crazy vanities that had been retrofitted from dressers.  You might be thinking, "oooh, that sounds great!"  No, it wasn't great.  They were too short to start with, the finished was ruined, the sinks were too small, the faucets were akwardly off-set, the drawers were broken, and to top it all off, none of them worked because all of the traps had been removed - just crazy!

I Scream, U Scream

So I have been puttin my new kitchen to good use this week, as it is the 10 year anniversary of homemade ice cream cakes for the hubby's birthday.  I combine all of his favorite treats - ice cream, oreos, Reeces, and cake - for a dessert that is in no way healthy, or even "lite," but quite delicious and I always say, "everything in moderation." So save up for a moment of indulgence and treat yourself to this little delicacy (but do it when you're feeding a crowd, because this recipe makes 2 cakes)!  Keep in mind, you could alter this to any number of flavor combos, but of course, I'm gonna give you the recipe for this little taste of chocolate-flavored heaven.

What's Cookin'!

I have been lookin forward to writin this post for over a year - seriously!  Now don't go gettin too terribly excited, the kitchen is NOT finished, but it IS functioning - so no more cookin in the laudry room (and that's not some crazy joke you're not privy to - my super-resourceful Daddy installed a 2-burner cooktop in the laundry room.  The microwave and coffee maker were stacked on top of the dryer, and most food prep occurred on top of the washing machine).  But no longer!  We now have a fabulous gas cook top, a dishwasher (probably my favorite part!  I can't tell you how many sippy cups we lost during hand washing - just couldn't get those little plastic parts clean enough), and a HUGE farmhouse sink.  We are still working on hardware, lighting, a backsplash, and more drywall touch-up and paiting, etc etc etc.  Also, keep in mind we are still under construction, so random tools, ladders, and supplies are in the pics, too.  These aren't true "before and after" pics, but enjoy these progress shots!

Lemon Drop Cookies

These cookies could also be called the ULTIMATE Cake-Mix Cookies.  Seriously - they are everything you ever wanted in a cake mix cookie, but could never quite achieve.  The other day the mood struck for some lemon cookies.  I happened to have a cake mix, so I started a recipe search.  A girlfriend of mine has a recipe for cream cheese cookies, and they are the softest, most adorable little cookies that you ever did see.  So I thought, surely someone has mixed these two things together before - and yes, they have!  So I took one, gave it my own little twist and now I'm gonna share it with you fine people!  Enjoy!  They delicious!  Soft, slightly chewy, fluffy, sweet, tart, and super-cute! 

Soft and Sweet

a little PUNCH of color

Something New

Because this crazy house is still a total train wreck, I am vainly attempting to decorate it in an effort to maintain sanity.  I have spent the last week seeking fabric for curtains, pillows, bed-skirts, table skirts, shower curtains, etc, etc, etc. All that I currently have to show for it is this lovely little before-and-after of a slip-covered couch.  And while this post may not stand very well on its own, I am in the process of decorating this house in light variations of grey (green-grey, blue-grey, taupe), where my last house was more variations of gold (gold, green, chocolate brown), so this is just one step in helping my existing furniture to fit into my new color-scheme.  The pillows and curtains are really going to make a WORLD of difference, and I can't wait to show you the before-and-after of that!

Something Blue

Progress Shots!

Below is the original post of dining room and living room progress shots, PLUS the newly added "AFTERS"!!! yay!! If I ever get all of the extra furniture out of the office, those will be the next set of before & afters that will debut.  Thanks for checkin' it out!

Spicy Sicilian Soup

Tile - and what other dreams may come

before                                                                                      during

Peanut Butter Hearts

These peanut butter cookies are beyond fantastic!  They

Shabby Chic

Finally, Paint!!!

So, we finally got to start painting today! I bought some paint for the girls' rooms,  and some quart-sized samples for their bathrooms.  Well, the samples went ok, but I didn't like the blue I chose for the girls, too gray, so I decided to try it out in the master. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

Just Gimme a Little Trim

So, we've already taken out some trim, and put up some beadboard (again, sorry posterity). Now we need to put some trim back in. I wanted to show you chair rail, just to give you a start-to-finish look at the half bath, since I did the beadboard tutorial in there but alas, the hubby was too quick for me, so I'm gonna show you some extra crown moulding that he put in that bathroom instead.

Caulk Covers a Multitude of Sins

Since hubby has been workin so hard puttin up trim everywhere (as if this house needed any more), I've had to take up the task of caulking. This is pretty important since caulk is the magical little ingredient that makes your trim run seamlessly into the wall and flawlessly into another piece of trim.

Fruit Tea!

Without any doubt, this is by far the recipe I am most frequently asked for - and when you try it you'll know why. It is SUPER easy to make, but a little difficult to explain the technique, so I'm really excited to finally get to do this using pictures, rather than over the phone. Now, not only is this southern delicacy irresistibly delicious, it's actually quite healthy (minus the sugar, ha!) because it is LOADED with vitamin C and antioxidants....definitely make this for a sick friend when you take them some chicken soup!