Happy Halloween!

Little Pumpkin Heads

 

I've gotten back into crochet this past week. These little pumpkin hats were a lot of fun to make while the days were getting cooler. I talk a lot about my love of summer, but October really is my favorite. It's gorgeous outside! Plus I made pumpkin bars today so my house smelled heavenly.

 

 

My littlest pumpkin head. Such a cutie!

 

 

For the hats I used THIS super simple FREE pattern. Loved it!

The stem I kind of just made up, and it shows... don't look to closely :)

For the vine I used THIS pattern. I could have made these little corkscrews all day, they were a lot of fun!

 

 

 

Some Autumn shots of my kids playing in the leaves...

 

 

This beautiful canyon was just a short 10 minute drive from our home.

 

 

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree."

Emily Bronte

 

 

The Blanket Recovery Project

 

Our little C has a "B" that she loves more than anything in the world. About 5 years ago when I was brand new to quilting, I was sorely tempted by some cute fat quarters at the quilt shop I had just started working at.

 

 

I brought home my new purchase and set to work making a quilt for my brand new baby girl. Little did I know she would become very attached (I should have know, my other daughter has a "wiggy" that she still sleeps with every night). Had I known, I would have taken better care to do it right and I might not have ended up with this 5 years later...

 

 

Dreadful!

 

I pieced the top but never quilted it, just tied it. So all those seams started to come undone and lately I've been finding pieces of it around the house. It was time for a facelift. The experienced quilter in me now couldn't stand it any longer!

 

 

I let my daughter watch me do this to her beloved blanket because I wanted her to know it was still her "B". I assured her that "B" would be much happier when all this "itchy" stuff was off her. She even helped me and only cried once when I accidentally ripped a hole in the back. We mended it and got back to work. Then we went through my fabric stash and she picked out the fabric for her new blanket.

 

A full 32oz diet coke gone, a headache, very soar arms, and only 3 hours later... this is what we accomplished!

 

 

"B" before was fun to crawl inside and wear as a toga :)

 

 

"B" after! A beautiful, usable blanket again.

 

 

Our recovery project was a success (I was quite worried the whole time!). She has been carrying it around all day and told me that "B has never been so proud".

 

 

With her new facelift, B might just make it to college someday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Recipes: Soft Sugar Cookies

 

You know those long hours of waiting until the sun goes down on certain holidays... Halloween, Christmas Eve? The kids are going nuts with excitement and you've used up every good idea you had earlier in the month. That's when I like to break out this recipe for these super soft and delicious sugar cookies. They take awhile to make, well at least they don't come from a box, and the kids can take their time decorating them. It eats up a couple hours from start to finish in our home. And they taste so very good. They turn out a lot like those Lofthouse sugar cookies we love so much! There is a reason I save this special recipe for holidays, I eat way to many!

 

Soft Sugar Cookies

 

1 Cup Butter or Margarine, room temperature

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Sour Cream

3 eggs

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla or Almond Extract

6-7 Cups Flour

 

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix. Add the eggs, mix. Add the baking soda and flavoring and mix. Add the flour two cups at a time, mixing after each addition. It is best to refrigerate the dough before cutting.

 

Roll out on a lightly floured board. Keep the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a paper-covered cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake! Do not let them get browned! Cool and then frost and decorate.

 

 

 

Thank you Grandma Franson for this yummy recipe and the family traditions!