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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Handmade Harvest-Time

It's Harvest Time, the time of year crops are traditionally harvested. This coincides with Autumn, the season of colorful leaves, cooler nights, pumpkins and apples, and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The term 'Harvest' came from England and was the name for the season between summer and winter until Autumn began to be used in the 16^th century. In Britain the season is usually considered to be from August through October and in the United States from September through November. The term 'Autumn' is also interchangeable with 'Fall', used mainly in America. Unlike the other three seasons, there does not seem to be a common word for this season in all the Indo-European languages. Autumn and Harvest-Time are my favorite terms to use.

Autumn Themed Crafts

Acorns

Custom Crochet Fall Acorn Beanie

Autumn is a favorite time of year for crafters and the Indie-artists in the fields of art and photography because the lovely harvest-related colors of orange, brown, red and yellow lend themselves to beautiful creations.

Since acorns are plentiful in the Fall, this crochet acorn hat is perfect for the season. A leaf and a small acorn adorn the top of the hat, and are attached to the stem of the acorn. Made in super soft cotton yarn, the hat is available in sizes from newborn to adult large.

Place your order for an acorn hat with Monica of Costa Mesa, California. You can find her in her Etsy Shop "Ruffle Stitch Kids." These hats make a great gift for all the 'nuts' on your list and is perfect for those Fall photos.

Pumpkins

Pumpkin Potholder and Matching Dishcloth

Pumpkins are also perfect for a harvest time decor as seen with this set of pumpkin potholder
and dishcloth combo.

In addition to sprucing up your Fall home decor, this pumpkin set makes a unique hostess gift when invited out to dinner, especially during the Harvest-Time season. Or nice for a wedding gift for a Fall wedding.

More Ideas for Handmade Harvest Time

Sylvestermouse shows us a collection of beautiful beaded cross-stitch kits with lovely Thanksgiving designs to stitch up for the most popular 'harvest holiday' – Thanksgiving Day!

Wednesday-Elf found some really fun and practical handmade harvest-related designs on Etsy by clever crafters who love to create in Autumn themes.

When you think of 'handmade harvest-time', you may consider crafts as the only field that's considered handmade. Not so, in my opinion.

Pumpkin Muffins by Mary Beth Granger

I consider cooking a handmade 'delicious delight', as you can see in this yummy pumpkin muffin recipe by mbgphoto.

And 'gardening' gives us all that wonderful homegrown food. You don't need to have a farm or even a large garden plot in your yard. As Dawn Rae shows us, you can also grow and harvest your favorite foods like squash and tomatoes in a simple container garden on your apartment balcony.

Enjoy the colors of the Autumn Leaves as you 'trick or treat' for Halloween and plan your Thanksgiving feast in a multitude of handmade ways from crafting to cooking to planning your next garden for Spring.

Have an Awesome Autumn and Harvest-time.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Cooking for Dogs

Everyone knows how much we love our dogs. In a way, we treat them like children. If one seems out of sorts, we sit with them, pet them and try to figure out what might be wrong. I have even been known to run to the vet's office without make-up and still in my pajamas.

Any time we go out to eat, we absolutely must bring home a treat for our furbabies! After all, they have had to stay home and guard the house. They deserve a special something for their devotion and hard work, which brings me to our featured article for the day.

Cupcakes for Dogs

Susan Zatautas shared a recipe for Cupcakes For a Dogs Birthday and I can hardly wait to pop some in the oven. Why wait for a birthday?!! My babies deserve a treat today! I just know Merlin will devour the cupcakes in a flash and our prime & proper Daisy will take her time and savor the flavor.

Now, I just need to figure out how to keep their "dad" from eating their cupcakes too. Of course, I didn't see anything in the recipe that would prohibit him from testing these delicious treats too, even if they are labeled Cupcakes for Your Dog.

Bone Appétit Puppies!

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Cooking for the 4th of July

Fireworks photo by Sylvestermouse (cynthia sylvestermouse)

Family and friends gather in our home every year to watch the 4th of July fireworks and celebrate Independence Day. Long before dark and fireworks, the table is always laden with a variety of food in order to accommodate the various preferences, health issues and diets.

Appetizers to Start

Fruit is the one food choice we all have in common and is part of every holiday menu. However, for our 4th of July celebration, we also get to include Watermelon and Cantaloupe. We have several family members who enjoy creating shaped bowls from the watermelon rind and filling it with a variety of fresh fruit balls and berries. Ct_mom shows us all how to do that in her article Fun Carved Watermelon Ideas. She even included how to make a watermelon keg in her article, which is something I have never done before and would love to try myself this year.

Main Course for Our 4th of July Meal

For many years now, I have made my own special barbeque recipe for sandwiches simply because it is my husband's favorite sandwich meal.

For our vegan daughter, we will prepare Grilled Black Bean Burgers. I was rather excited to discover that Black Bean Burger recipe since I am always searching for a meat alternative to serve for our daughter.

Drinks & 4th of July Dessert

My mother always brings the 4th of July Flag Cake. She started making that cake for the 4th of July when I as a little girl. Here we are decades later and it is still a family favorite.

I also make homemade, fresh squeezed lemonade for our gathering. My lemonade recipe is really very easy to prepare and is the most requested summertime drink in our home, but it is always fun to add a little fun to the mix with Mocktails by hlkljgk.

Write & Share Your 4th of July Recipes

The Fourth of July celebration is truly a blast in our home! I am always looking for new ideas and recipes to serve and share.

If you have a recipe for the 4th of July celebration that you would like to share, simply leave your link in the guestbook below.

If you are planning a party for the 4th of July, you will definitely want to visit "Patriotic Party Time" for a wealth of suggestions and tips.

Patriotic Party Time by Our Own Party Planning Contributor, DecoratingforEvents

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Friday, March 7, 2014

I'm the Cooking for the Holidays Contributor on Review This!

I am pretty excited about sharing holiday recipes!

As the Cooking for the Holidays Contributor on Review This, I will not only be seeking and sharing awesome holiday recipes, but I also plan to share the ways we prepare to serve multiple meals during the holidays, our time saving tips, as well as the sanity saving tips, that we all need when cooking for the holidays.

Websites are brimming with fabulous holiday recipes and special treats. Many of which, have been handed down for generations. Other recipes are straight from the pages of our favorite cookbook and they have been tried and proven for years.

I love new recipes and new cookbooks! We all want to be ready for the next holiday by having the right cookbooks on hand when needed. So, I will also be searching for great cookbooks to recommend, as well as reviews to feature.

I would also love it if you would share your holiday preparation articles, time saving ideas, or survival tips for the holidays. If you have published an article on either of those topics, awesome! Simply share that link in our guestbook below.

I am waiting to hear from you!