Rosemary, Lemon and Gruyere Artisan Bread~

Ok,  I'm back to give a shout out again for Janet's Crusty Bread! (simplysogood.com)  This time I tried the Rosemary Lemon with Gruyere cheese.  (I used medium Gruyere instead of mild or sharp). Also, I read her recipe again and realized I had been using the wrong yeast.  It must be instant yeast, not regular.  The loaves were good before, but now they are amazing!

If you haven't tried this recipe yet, I highly recommend it.  It is super easy!  I just wish you were here to taste it and share it with me.  I'm not sure my kids will appreciate it. ;)

Decorating for Fall

DIY foam “muscles” for costume

Easy Decorating Ideas for Fall/ Halloween

New for Fall!

DIY Headstones!

eeek!

My favorite way to "carve" a pumpkin

For directions on how to make this adorable pumpkin city, visit this link at Country Living.

Easy Halloween kid’s craft~Spooky Silhouette

paper bag brooms

                                                                                                                            source

Popular Halloween Silhouette Repost

In case you missed it last year, I am reposting my VERY popular Halloween home decorating craft!  (6,319 pageviews to date!)

no. 2 and 3 Halloween Silhouettes

Remember the witch silhouette that I showed you how to create here?  I asked if you wanted me to create two more to make a set, and the response was a resounding YES!  So, I got busy and created the witch's cat, and her broom!

blog WORLD

Simon and Tad

"At the end of a winding lane sits a rather queer little cottage.  A little too tall and lopsided,
it stands proudly touting its costume of river rock stucco and moss with its crown of three half chimneys.
The cottage seems to be hiding amongst the trees, but if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse...you can almost see it smiling back as if to welcome you in."

quick halloween project

Here is a fabulously fast $1 Halloween project that I created!

Here are the easy instructions...

masking mona lisa

I picked up Mona Lisa at the thrift store this summer for $2.  I think she adds a bit of whimsy to my decor.  She's great except for the fact that she scares the kids and their friends whenever they walk past her.  My daughter is just sure that her eyes are watching you as you pass her by.

I decided to give her a mask for Halloween.  I put tracing paper over her face and drew a mask around her eyes.  If you don't have tracing paper, white gift wrap tissue should work just as well.  Next,

shopping for fuNkins

Last fall I noticed that my favorite store had the coolest, most realistic fake pumpkins in their window display.  I asked Maureen the owner where she got them.  She said, "Oh, I got them at Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts last year after Halloween ~on sale."  Hoping that Jo-Ann's might still carry them in their store, I set out to investigate.  I found out that they are called "funkins" and although they are fake, you can carve them.  I was determied to get some for myself, until I found out how much they cost!  For about a 10" pumpkin, the cost was around $25.  (for one!)  I don't know about you, but I would never spend that much on a fake pumpkin.

However,  I really wanted some to decorate with (not to carve) and decided to see if they would go on sale after Halloween. 

no. 2 and 3 Halloween Silhouettes

Remember the witch silhouette that I showed you how to create here?  I asked if you wanted me to create two more to make a set, and the response was a resounding YES!  So, I got busy and created the witch's cat, and her broom! 

$3 Halloween project

Here is an easy Halloween decoration that you can make in less than an hour for just $3!  I'm linking up to Melissa's under $10 under 1 Hour party today!  Click read more below for detailed instructions on how to make this.

Deluxe Caramel Apples

Yum.  I love fall, and I've always loved really good caramel apples.  Did you know you can buy these from Williams-Sonoma and other Gourmet shops for $20 an apple?  Or, you can make some yourself like I did today for only $2.57 each!  Click on " Read more" below for the recipe and tutorial.  These make great gifts. (wrap one in a cellophane sleeve from hobby lobby and tie with a cute ribbon) 

click to enlarge