Decorating for Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year! Usually, I don't decorate for Halloween specifically, just autumn. But, several other blogs with crafty decorations really got me in the mood. I was on a mission to find some fun and inexpensive crafts to decorate my house. Luckily, this week Michaels and Hobby Lobby were having big sales on Fall goodies!
Just so you understand - I'm a total thief...I totally stole similar ideas from other blogs! I love the look of stuff in black frames. This pumpkin is styrofoam - I cut it in half and glued it on a piece of scrapbook paper.

This broom was $1.75 at Michaels. I added some ribbon and a 50% off wooden sign.

I LOVE a beautiful table! I love everything that goes on tables - tablecloths, placemats, cloth napkins, dinnerware, glasses....oh, man, I literally have cabinets filled with all of this wonderful stuff!

Hello, cute little chickadee!

Hello, scary little crow. I couldn't find a scary crow at Michaels, so I just pulled out my trusty can of black spray paint.

Thanks to the blog, Just A Girl, I'm starting to see the charm of decorating in apothacary jars. I filled this one with little black balls (actually black Christmas ornaments - although I don't think black is very Christmas-y) and placed a little skull on them that I found for $1.

I've had these mini Halloween ornaments for about 10 years and never used them. But, today I found a awesome black tree on sale for $6.99! And, the frame??? Oh, man, this is good stuff - I bought some scrapbook stickers and put them on scrapbook paper. I love the way it looks in the black frame!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

The Sweet Life

The Sweet Life...La Dolce Vita...this is a food and wine festival held every year by the Austin Museum of Art. I'm lucky that my sister works for the museum, so David and I were able to attend the festival for the first time this year. Oh, man, the food from 50 different restaurants was amazing!

There were actors that acted out a scene from the old movie, "La Dolce Vita" where they jumped in the old Italian fountain and danced around. I haven't seen this movie, but it sounds like a great movie for date night!

Welcome Home, Chris!

My sister's boyfriend (who is also a Marine that served with my brother) came home last week after another deployment to Iraq. Chris came to spend some time with Grayson this week, so we met them for dinner at the Salt Lick (um, like the best Texas bbq ever), then headed over to a Austin hangout to see Bob Schneider sing (an awesome local musician).

Just Call Me Julia

I've been wanting to tackle Julia Child's most famous recipe, Boeuf Bourguignonne, especially since I saw "Julie and Julia" several months ago. Today was the big day! The recipe looks overwhelming, but is TOTALLY worth it! It's not too difficult, and I think I dirtied every pot in my kitchen, but it just takes most of the afternoon to cook. I just wish you could smell this dish through my blog....mmmmmm

Here is a link to the blog with the recipe I followed - she's even got some great pics.

http://soupbelly.com/2009/09/04/boeuf-la-bourguignonne/

I Heart Granola

I LOVE granola, and I've tried making it myself before, but it's usually turned out into little burned bits of oats. My cousin, Susan, gave me this great recipe for granola, and I think it's better than any granola I've bought at the store or farmer's market! It was very easy to make, but watch it very carefully while it's in the oven - it will burn easily! Here's the recipe:

Granola

6 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup coconut - I like a little extra
1 cup nuts - your choice
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
Mix these ingredients.

Mix Separately:

2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 T. water
1/2 t. vanilla

Pour over mixture - Use 2 cookie sheets (I line mine w/parchment paper)
Bake 300 degrees - 25 - 35 minutes
Turn while cooking - cool
Break up as needed

You can add -
Raisins
Cranberries
Mini Chocolate Chips
Flax Seed

Low-carb lasagna and a dust cloth

Wierd title? Well, these are the 2 things that I created today, and I couldn't come up with a decent title.

I wanted to use the Le Creuset casserole dish I bought a few weeks ago, and I was craving some yummy lasagna. But, we are trying to cut back on the carbs just a bit, because I could totally eat pasta every day of my life. It's a well known trick that some type of squash can easily be a substitue for pasta in many dishes. So, I made lasagna, but instead of strips of pasta, I used slices of zucchini - it's every bit as good! I served it with Caprese salad, because the heirloom tomatoes in the produce section look awesome (and the season is coming to an end), and my basil in my Aerogarden is so yummy with beautiful tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yummmmm....

While we've been spending the last 2 weeks at my grandparents' house taking care of my grandpa, we had plenty of time to just hang out and be together. My grandmother had a sewing room that could literally reflect the current inventory of Hobby Lobby, so we found ourselves some projects. Mimi used to crochet the edges of these little baby blankets, and she had all the materials for me to make my own. But, before I committed to learning this technique on an entire blanket, I thought I'd make a practice piece. I have now created the fanciest dust cloth ever!

Together Forever

After my grandmother, "Mimi", died 18 months ago, my poor PawPaw was so lonely. When I called to check on him, he would always tell me, "Oh, honey, I'm doing just fine. I just keep pretending she's in the sewing room doing her thing, and I'm in the living room doing mine." I knew he was staying strong, but my heart broke for him that he didn't have his greatest love with him every day. We all knew he was ready to be with her again, and now they are - together forever. I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of them, as well as some photos of his funeral this week. Since he was a veteran, and was being buried in the Houston National Cemetery, we had a funeral with full military honors. The flag that was draped over his casket was the same flag that he was presented at my brother's funeral. That flag was folded and presented to my mother, and my 2 uncles received folded flags as well. It was very difficult to go through another Marine funeral, but it was an honor he deserved, and I am very proud of him for his service to our country.

I'll Miss You, PawPaw

My grandfather's health has been declining over the last year or so. He's had Pulmonary Fibrosis for several years, but it's really been beginning to take its toll on his body. Finally, a few weeks ago, I went to Houston to help admit him to home Hospice. My aunt and uncle moved in with him back in June, and the rest of us have taken turns visiting with him and caring for him. My mom was there and called me at work to tell me that she thought he had likely had a stroke. We decided to keep him at home, because that's what he had wanted, and I headed to Houston that night. We got him a hospital bed, and over the next 8 days my mom, uncles, siblings, cousins and I stayed in the bedroom with him. We all slept curled up in different corners of the king-size bed, layed sleeping bags on the floor, and took turns sitting by his hospital bed and holding his hand through every hour of the day and night. We read beautiful love letters between my Mimi and PawPaw from when they were engaged, we looked through old pictures, and we listened to some of his favorite old 40's music. Finally, at 4:36 this morning, with his family surrounding him, he took his last breath. He went to spend eternity with his bride, and rejoin his parents and grandson who went before him. I will miss my grandfather so much, but the last 8 days were a really beautiful and unforgettable experience. As a nurse, there is no greater joy than being able to use my knowledge and skills in caring for those I love most.
One of the things I loved most about this time was holding my PawPaw's hand and thinking about all of the things those hands have seen and done in their 86 years. They played as a child during the Great Depression, they bandaged wounded Marines during WWII as a Navy Corpsman, they wrapped around his true love as they danced at "Sock Hops" at TCU, then later held her hands as they pledged their vows to each other in marriage. These hands held 3 children and 12 grandchildren, and these hands received a folded flag at his grandson's Marine funeral. Though my grandfather was barely conscious and couldn't speak, these hands held ours for the last 8 days. One day, as he was holding my mom's hands, he knew without seeing that he was touching the wedding rings he gave his bride 60 years ago, which my mother now wears. With these same hands, which were now so weak and unsteady, he pulled those rings off my mom's hand and put them to his lips to kiss them. It was the sweetest moment I believe I've ever witnessed, my grandfather loved my grandmother so much and was the most wonderful husband to her. I will miss these strong but gentle hands.

I Got One!!!

I've been researching and studying and saving all my pennies, and David and I finally went to the Le Creuset outlet mall today to get the Dutch Oven I've been wanting! They were offering a 40% off coupon this month, so we just had to take the plunge! My commitment-phobic self had great trouble in deciding which size and which color I wanted to be married to for the rest of my life (this is a total investment, trust me), but I finally decided on the 5.5 quart Kiwi Dutch Oven. Ahhhh....ooooohhh....I came right home and cooked our first meal - Pork Chops with Creamy Cabbage - thanks to Martha Stewart. It was delicious!

The girls loved it, too!

I Stole from Sur La Table

Well, I didn't actually steal this, but it was such a great bargain that it totally felt like I was stealing! I have been wanting to make my first Le Creuset purchase for quite awhile! I covet these amazing pieces of cookware everytime I watch Food Network ("hello, my name is Kristen, and I'm a Food Network addict.") and I found an awesome deal on a covered casserole dish at the most fabulous store ever, Sur La Table. The piece was on the clearance table for $49.99, then the sign said to take an extra 20% off, and then I had a coupon for $10 off my purchase! I basically got this $80 casserole dish for $30.00!!! Whoo-hoo!!!

Now, I have to decide between retirement or the covered 5.5 quart Dutch oven I would like to purchase. Watching Food Network is total peer pressure.