Sparkle Initial = Updated Autumn Wreath

When I pulled this autumn wreath out of the storage box this year, I immediately thought of how I could give it an update. I love the initial trend, and also thought it would be pretty to add a bit of gold sparkle. This would also look great with a monogram.

This plain initial I purchased at Michael's got a quick coat of glue on the top and sides. The next step was to sprinkle with gold glitter.

After allowing the glitter covered initial to dry, attach to center of wreath with some twine. You could also use ribbon or a thin piece of burlap.

This could not be any simpler or faster to make, and I now have an updated autumn wreath for my front door, that will take me through Thanksgiving. The only problem I always forget, is that glitter seems find its way everywhere :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends this week :-)

2805

Full Circle Creations

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Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

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1929 Charmer

I Heart Naptime

Sunny Simple Life

Between Naps on the Porch

Alderberry Hill

Salt Tree

The Dedicated House

Cozy Little House

a bowl full of lemons

Love and Laundry

Kathe with an E

Life on Lakeshore Drive

Katherine's Corner

My Repurposed Life

Craftberry Bush

Live Laugh Rowe

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Cedar Hill Ranch

You Are Talking To Much

Skip To My Lou

And more friends I find :-)

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Thoughts for Thursday...gardening, diabetes, reality tv, etc

Things I am thinking about today...

• One night this week, I made spaghetti squash for dinner. I have always wanted try it, but was unsure how to make it properly or thought it would be difficult. After some research on Google, I decided to prepare it by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds and pulp and then roasting it in the oven. After about 45 minutes, the squash was soft enough to scoop out the "spaghetti" with a fork. With a little olive oil, parmesan cheese, and chopped tomatoes, it was delicious. The texture is reminiscent of pasta, but for me, it so much healthier, because pasta can spike my blood sugar. Usually, a diabetic should only eat 1 cup of pasta, but I ate twice that amount of the spaghetti squash, with no problem when I measured my blood sugar, later that evening. It is always nice to find something new that I can have, and that also tastes great.

• I haven't had much to say about reality tv lately, but this week a few things caught my interest. First, on the Real Housewives of New York, I have been perplexed by Aviva and her need to judge and berate the other women. It has always been a mystery to me why some people feel the need to judge others, when the behavior in question has no bearing on their life what so ever. I am sure we all have had contact with people like that. I always feel that kind of attitude stems from that person's unhappiness with their life.
• Dancing With the Stars started Monday and while I wasn't sure about the All Star season, I feel it may turn out to be a good one. The judges seem to be holding the stars to a higher standard, since they all are experienced dancers at this point. There is some good chemistry between the pairs too. I'm not sure who my favorite is yet, because I like so many of them :-)

• After posting this photo of my mostly dead, perenial garden, I was struck by the lack of color. I started wondering what I could plant to give the garden some blooms in the fall. I found some ideas in red, yellow and orange tones, which would be lovely in a fall garden. Any other suggestions?

Sedum

Tickseed

Gaillardia

Have a wonderful Thursday :-)



Vicki



Linking this post with life of love

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Fall Detail and Color

It still seems a little early to decorate for fall inside, but I couldn't resist bringing some much needed fall color and some fun and whimsical details to the outside of my home. No pumpkins yet, until the weather turns colder, but touches of fall here and there. On the front porch, I added a cheerful, yellow mum in a basket, a pot of orange and yellow pansies and a seasonal welcome sign.

More pansies, and a mum of similar color tones, fill my fire pit, turned planter. To see how this fire pit became a planter, read here.

An unusual variety of a purple mum hangs from a tree, with a inspirational sign in fall colors.

This large metal sunflower hangs from another tree.

A cute statue of a little boy, with a wheelbarrow, is filled with mums in golden hues.

Near the edge of the woods, there is a rustic heart attached to a tall tree stump. A fun detail in an unexpected spot.

A flower pot near a bench gets a pretty mum too.

A sign I have had for years, is given an update with some burlap ribbon.

The pitiful remains of my perenial garden could use some clean up and cutting back, but that will have to wait for another day. Making my outdoors pretty, with color and fall details, was so much more fun :-)

Have a wonderful day!



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends ~

A Southern Daydreamer

Raindrops and Daisies

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Rural Journal

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My Repurposed Life

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Pompon Parent Tailgate at MSU

Saturday morning we headed to East Lansing for the MSU Pompon parent and alumni tailgate. It was a cloudy and chilly day, but we were looking forward to seeing Melissa and spending some time on campus. Since we had decided not to attend the football game, Megan was able to go with us, and we even took Cooper.

There was a large group of pompon girls and their families and lots of yummy food. Everyone brought something to share (see the Oreo Brownies I took here) and set up the food under the tents provided by the team. It was a great opportunity for the families to get to know each other.

We usually tailgate in a soccer field near the stadium, but this tailgate was in the middle of campus surrounded by the beautiful old buildings.

Before everyone left to go home or go to the football game, we took a group shot of all the family members and pompon girls. There were over 100 people, happy to support this remarkable team. Even a few family dogs came to the party.

Melissa was happy we came and it is always a special day when we are able to spend time on the MSU campus. They won the football game too :-)

 

Vicki

 

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Oreo Brownies - Pinterest Success #2

These brownies are from a recipe I saw on Pinterest and was just waiting for the right time to make them. I was asked to take brownies to the pompon team tailgate at MSU on Saturday, and was looking for a brownie recipe that was easy to make, different than the norm and delicious too. I ended up taking two kinds of brownies; my usual brownies, with chocolate chips and these Oreo Brownies. Both were gone before the end of the tailgate and the pompon girls and their families loved them.

The Pinterest inspiration came from this source, but I wasn't sure about the recipe, so I tweaked it a little bit. It seemed like it would be better to layer the Oreos in the middle of the brownies, instead of on the bottom. The Oreos become soft after baking and are a delicious surprise when you bite into the brownie. And, this recipe couldn't be any easier :-)

Oreo Brownies

1 box brownie mix for 13x9 pan (oil, eggs and water as directed)

1 package Oreos (update - use red Christmas Oreos for the holidays)

Prepare mix as directed on box. Pour 1/2 of brownie mix in 13x9 pan. Place Oreos in rows, on top of brownie mix, then top Oreos with remaining mix. Bake as directed. Allow to cool and cut in squares.

*note - I line the brownie pan with non stick foil. Just lift out foil after baking and brownies won't stick to pan.

Here is a sneak peek from our day. This cute little girl got her Spartan spirit going at the tailgate too. The groomers gave her a haircut last week and she looks so different than the last time I posted her photo here. She absolutely loved being there with all the game day fans.

Have a wonderful start to your week :-)



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends this week :-)

Gooseberry Patch

Rattlebridge

Stonegable

This Gal Cooks

Back For Seconds

Must Try Mondays

Serendipity and Spice

Funky Junk Interiors

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a bowl full of lemons

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Craftberry Bush

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Keep Calm and Carry On

And more recipe link ups I find.

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Burlap and Glass

There is a lot of inspiration to be found on many blogs, and I saw a version of this glass block at Alderberry Hill, that I just had to try. I love any kind of decoration that has lights and wanted to make one for my kitchen, that would add a warm glow to the fall nights ahead. The burlap bow, adds a rustic, harvest feel to the glass block.

This project took less than an hour, and is easy enough for even the most craft challenged! All the supplies were purchased at Michaels. The first step is to add the lights through the bottom opening of the glass block.

Next, add words to front of glass block. I used stick on letters in a variety of fonts and sizes. Because I wanted to use this decoration throughout the fall season, the words I chose have a harvest theme. This photo does not show all the words clearly, but they do show up better than this portrays. If you make a mistake, or don't like the placement, just peel off the letters and start again :-)

When finished with the words, add a ribbon and bow around the outside of the glass block, plug in and enjoy the shimmer of the orange light. You could use clear lights, colored letters and any color or variety of ribbon - the possibilities are endless.

This is a fast, easy project that I will enjoy all the way through Thanksgiving. I usually wait until October to decorate for fall, but the success of this turning out like I envisioned, makes me want to start a little early. This weekend is busy, so I will hold off until next week at least, but the inspiration is there.

Have a great fall weekend :-)



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends this week :-)

2805

Serendipity and Spice

Full Circle Creations

Savvy Southern Style

Handy Man Crafty Woman

The DIY Dreamer

The Charm of Home

Simple Home Life

Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Serenity Now

Funky Junk Interiors

1929 Charmer

I Heart Naptime

Sunny Simple Life

Between Naps on the Porch

Alderberry Hill

Salt Tree

The Dedicated House

Cozy Little House

a bowl full of lemons

Love and Laundry

Kathe with an E

Life on Lakeshore Drive

Katherine's Corner

My Repurposed Life

And more friends I find :-)

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Thoughts for Thursday...healthy muffins, books, etc.

Things I am thinking about today...

• I made these healthy Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning with some overripe bananas I needed to use and blueberries from the freezer. The muffin's healthy ingredients include whole wheat flour, oatmeal and honey. They are a very dense, moist muffin and not overly sweet. There is just enough natural sweetness from the bananas, blueberries and honey. They were perfect with my coffee, on this chilly morning. The recipe can be found here.

• We had our first fire of the season in the fireplace and it is one of my favorite things in the fall. I love the gas logs in my fireplace. It is so easy to turn the switch and have a roaring fire any time of day. Many times, I will have a fire in the morning to take the chill from the house and then again at night when I am ready to relax. There is a comforting ritual when the days are shorter - lighting candles, turning on the lamps and lighting the fire.

• Traveling with my daughter, Megan was a wonderful experience and a lesson learned. She drove us to the airport, figured out the system for printing the boarding passes and generally was that other adult, you can rely on when traveling. Somewhere along the line, we changed - I used to be responsible for getting us there - now we were a team, traveling together.

• I read several books last week, all different, but I enjoyed each one. First, I highly recommend What Remains by Carole Radziwill. I found this book so well written and was caught up in the story and the details of her life with the Kennedy family. The deaths of her husband and John Kennedy, Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette were heartbreaking and deeply moving. The other book I can recommend is A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball. It is a light read, but is interesting in the details of the renovation of a one hundred year old Virginia farmhouse and the three friends who undertake it. There is gardening, cooking and furniture renovation - all with successes and failures.

Happy Thursday!



Vicki






Linking with life of love

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Pool Days in Florida

Sometimes when we go to Florida, we have a list of places we want to visit and things we want to do while we are there. This trip was different. Megan and I went to spend some time with my in-laws and also spend some time with each other, and that is exactly what we did. We spent the past four days, laying on lounge chairs or swimming in the pool and reading and discussing books ( I read three and Megan read two).

Sometimes it is good to just spend some quiet days, reconnecting with family. We didn't need to drive to the beach, when we could just step outside to the pool, every morning. We didn't need to visit Disney World or Busch Gardens. We talked and read and relaxed, just a mother and daughter, being still and spending important time together, in a beautiful setting.

Sometimes, it is important to not have a schedule for the day. Nothing more important than the book you are reading and the sun on your face.

Sometimes just noticing the little things is the best way to spend the day - drinking your coffee outside in the morning, watching the butterflies flutter near the flowers and the lizards climb playfully on the pool screen.

Sometimes we realize the blessings we have when we take the time away from our daily distractions and concentrate on what is important.



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends

A Southern Daydreamer

Raindrops and Daisies

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Travel Day

It is so nice to get away from home for a change of scenery and fun in the sun, but I do not enjoy the long travel days. Getting to the airport on time, parking, checking in bags and going through security are all stressful and annoying parts of travel. When I fly, I always wonder how people do it, who travel for business every week. It would get old, very fast.

Also, today I am traveling from Tampa, Florida with many palm trees in the airport, to Detroit Metro Airport with no palm trees in the airport - lol. Leaving a beautiful destination is always hard because you know you are flying back to reality.

While the break was very relaxing and enjoyable, I really do look forward to seeing my husband, my house and my puppy. I also look forward the wonderful fall days ahead. Once I get through this travel day and all the inconveniences, I will be home and that is the best feeling of all :-)





Vicki

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