11/21/13

Sparkly Snow Trees

I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet... I'm not one to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. In fact, I really love the autumn season and I'm always truly a little sad to see it go, but I also love winter and Christmastime! If I'm going to decorate homemade style, then I have to plan ahead. Life gets busy during the holidays and if I don't start creating early, then I may not get my decorations done at all.

It is rainy and dreary outside my window today, although I'm expecting the raindrops to turn to snow at any moment because it's getting quite cold out there. It's a perfect day for staying indoors and creating.

Step One: Start with a rectangular piece of thin cardboard, such as a cereal, or cracker box, etc. Roll it into a cone and secure using staples and/or glue. I think the easiest way is to use a couple staples to hold things in place, then hot glue to seal it up. Use some sharp scissors to cut the bottom of the cone so that it sits evenly. Once you have your cone, you are ready for the next step.

Step Two: You will need cotton balls, a hot glue gun with glue, and scissors. Cut a bunch of cotton balls in half and use the glue gun to begin attaching them to the cardboard cone. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Try not to leave any spaces between the cotton balls. once you get to the top, take a half a cotton ball and poke/pull the center into a point, so it makes a nice top for your tree.

Step Three: Use a stiff paintbrush to gently fluff out the edges of the cotton balls, then use your hands to press the fluffy stuff smooth against the tree. This step blends the edges of the cotton balls into each other a little bit, to give a softer look.

Step Four: Mix a little bit of water into some glue. Use a paintbrush to "paint" the glue onto the cotton ball tree in whatever fashion you desire. I did some randomly curvy brushstrokes. Then sprinkle with glitter. You can also roll it across a pile of glitter. I did both methods and I think I prefer the rolled way, but they both work well. Let your tree dry, knock off excess glitter, and you're done!
This is pretty simple, but I love how they turned out. I put them away for now and will pull them out later when I do my Christmas decorating. I'm getting excited!

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11/19/13

Name That Critter!

A couple of months ago, we noticed something was digging outside our animal run. Inside the run is where our three Cayuga ducks and three dwarf rabbits live. We were concerned that a predator was after the animals. Although we had predator proofed the run as best as we could, we were still worried.

One morning as I was trying to get a few extra winks of sleep, my husband burst into the room exclaiming that there was a large white rabbit in our garden. At first, I thought I was just having a weird dream, or maybe my husband was talking in his sleep cause he does that sometimes (a lot actually!). I got up anyway and looked out the back window. There really was a large white rabbit in our garden and it was trying to get inside our run! I tip-toed outside, quietly opened the gate, and corralled the ducks inside their house. The white rabbit watched without running away, so I stepped back and it hopped right inside the open gate.

What a relief to know there wasn't a determined predator, just a lonely (and very hungry!) male New Zealand White rabbit. Now I wouldn't have to fill in a bunch of recently dug holes around the perimeter of the run each morning! ...Or so I thought. The next day I happened to be chatting with our neighbors and mentioned the white rabbit. "Oh good! Maybe you can catch the two brown ones now!" TWO BROWN ONES? Sure enough, we noticed the digging continued around the outside of our run.
We tried a live trap, and several other brilliant, but unsuccessful plans. Then one afternoon I saw them outside and quietly opened the gate again... in they hopped! Silly rabbits! These two were large, brown mixed breeds with definitely a little lion-head in them. Another male and a female. We quickly found homes for the two males, but the brown female one we kept "temporarily" to make sure she wasn't pregnant.

Well, here we are, about a month and a half later and she is still with us. I think it's time to admit that she is going to stay with us. We just can't bring ourselves to look for a new home for her.
There is one main problem, however. We can't seem to find a name for her that fits. We just keep calling her "the girl bunny", which is ridiculous. Especially since she isn't even the only girl bunny we have! I would love some great name ideas! Ideas anyone?
I just love the tortoiseshell markings on her face, her fluffy white tail, and long wispy lions-mane. Plus she is so friendly and will come right up to me for treats and petting. ...Just ignore my falling apart shoes in the photo below. I'm not going to wear my nice shoes out to play with the animals! Never mind the fact that I was wearing a dress and striped stockings at the time...

*Just a side note: after asking around our neighborhood, it was determined that these rabbits were drop-offs. Sometimes people decide they no longer want their animals and just drive them out somewhere and dump them. As winter approaches, this is more common because people don't want to care for them in the cold weather. Please don't ever do this! This particular story has a happy ending, but that is not the norm. If they don't die from starvation or predators, they can reproduce and begin a feral population which can easily get out of control and cause a lot of damage.
  
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11/13/13

Spicy Apple Muffins

I was mixing up a batch of apple muffins, when I suddenly wanted something spicy. Muffins can be spicy, right? Why not!? These spicy apple muffins will warm you up on a cold autumn day. These are made using more of the one-handed apples that my brother picked for me. I've been enjoying eating them raw and baking with them too! I don't know what variety they are, but they are delicious! 
3/4 C oat flour (Gluten free if needed)
1/2 C brown rice flour
1/2 C yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda
3/4 C diced fresh apples

Mix all ingredients well. Spoon into muffin tins, I set aside a few of the apple pieces, tossed with some cinnamon and placed them on top of the muffins, but that is not necessary, it just looks cool. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

The muffins are spicy, so if you aren't a fan of "hot" stuff, then you might want to skip this recipe. I write about my brother a lot, I know, but I'm going to do it again... When he was little, he was so sensitive to spicy foods, that he refused to drink soda or eat peppermint because it was "hot". He's grown out of that and although he doesn't like a lot of heat in his food, he does enjoy a little spicy flavor. I think these muffins are mild enough that he could handle them, but they do have a bit of a punch to them. If I have him taste-test these, I'll give him a big glass of milk to go with them just in case...

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11/11/13

Last Minute Thanksgiving Decor

Sometimes things sneak up on you. You think you've got all this time and then suddenly you look at the calender and realize that Thanksgiving is only a almost here!

One thing I love about Thanksgiving is that it's kind of the last hurrah for the autumn season and there are so many natural elements that you can use to decorate for the fall. If you're running out of time and you need some ideas for quick and fun Thanksgiving or fall decor, give these a try!
These are all very inexpensive; I just used things I already had on hand. They are also very easy. If you can handle simple tasks involving cutting, gluing, and writing, then this will be a piece of cake (Mmmm... CAKE! That sounds good! I might have to do some baking later today!).

Autumn Leaf Wreath:
The idea is very simple. Glue some fall leaves to a cardboard circle and you're done. There are a few tips though that will make this easier. Choose leaves that are mostly dry so they will keep their shape better and work gently because any dry places will crumble if you use too much force. Also, use larger leaves in the back, smaller ones in the front. I used a variety of maple, and tulip tree leaves. I have neither one of these trees. It has been rather windy lately and these leaves blew into my yard just so I could use them to create fall decorations. How nice!
Autumn Leaf Garland:
All you'll need for this simple leaf garland is string, wire, or ribbon, glue and an assortment of leaves. Arrange your leaves in the order you want them, or grab them randomly. Glue them along your string and hang them up to enjoy. As with the wreath, use mostly dried leaves so they keep their shape better. Some curling will happen and that's ok. If you use completely dried leaves, they will be very brittle. Work gently so as not to crush the drier parts of the leaves. Also, you may choose to cut off the stems or leave them. I cut mine off, but it doesn't really matter.
Thankful Banner:
This is the most difficult of the three projects, but it's very simple also. Cut uniform triangles out of brown paper grocery bags. Stamp them all over with various leaf patterns in fall colors, then use a good quality marker to write the letters. I spelled out "Thankful", but you can choose any word (or words) you please. Next, glue them onto a ribbon. You could also use decorative yarn, string, or whatever strikes your fancy.
There you are! Three simple ideas to decorate for this season. I hope you enjoy them and maybe they will inspire you to come up with some other ideas as well. If you have more time on your hands, consider checking out these other fall decorating tutorials:
Acorn Branches

Shared at these blogs:
Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do
Monday Funday at Lines Across My Face
What'd You Do This Weekend at Tumbleweed Contessa 
Manic Monday at Serendipity & Spice 
Link Party Tuesday at A to Zebra Celebrations
Tuesdays with a Twist at Stone Cottage Adventures
30 Day Holiday Linky Party at The Shady Porch
Cottage Style Party at Lavender Garden Cottage
Down Home Blog Hop at Tilly's Nest
What We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow Pond
Work It Wednesday at The Happy Housie
Lovely Ladies Linky at Life With The Crust Cut Off
Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts
Home & Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
Four Seasons Blog Hop at Easy Life Meal & Party Planning
Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick
Sunday Linky at Suburbs Mama
Silver Pennies Sundays at Finding Silver Pennies
Creative Home and Garden Hop at Little Homestead On The Hill


 
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11/5/13

Apple Pecan Crumble

My little brother is great! I occasionally mention him in my blog because he is one of my trusted taste testers. As I've been experimenting with this new (to me) gluten free way of life, it's been nice to have his opinion on many of my trials. I can always count on him giving me an honest (but kind) review of my food.

Recently he broke his hand in two places and was stuck in a cast for three weeks, but he didn't let that keep him down! While in his cast, he brought over a whole bunch of apples that he had picked himself... one-handed. The following recipe is using some of those yummy apples! I might be posting a few other apple recipes in the future, not just because I have apples to use up, but because I love apples!
The Apple Layer:
2 C diced fresh apples
2 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TB molasses

The Crumble Layers:
1 C brown rice flour
3/4 C pecan meal (Easy to make in a food processor. Just grind up some pecans!)
1/3 C sugar
1/1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 TB olive oil
4 TB water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir the apple layer ingredients well until the apple pieces are evenly coated and set aside.
Mix all of the crumble layer ingredients together until well blended. It should have a crumbly texture to it, but if pressed together, it should clump. Evenly and gently press about half of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a greased (or parchment paper lined) 8x8 baking dish. Pour and spread the apple layer mixture on top of the crumble layer, then evenly spoon the remaining crumble mixture over the top of everything. Using a fork or other implement, evenly press the top layer of the crumble mixture so it is nice and even across the top. This will also allow the mixture to push down into the apple mixture and help hold things together once cooked. Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Let cool before serving. Serve warm or cool with or without ice cream.
After making those delicious Maple Pecan Pancakes last week, I wanted something else with pecans and I decided apples and pecans should be friends. I was right, this turned out great and while my little brother hasn't test tasted this one yet, others have and the responses have been good. I do need to have my brother over soon though so he can enjoy some of this.

My husband liked his best warm, but I liked mine cooled. Either way it was delicious! It tends to be more crumbly when warm, and although I would recommend a fork, when served cool, these do hold up fairly well! I admit to just grabbing a slice by hand and munching it that way too, then licking the crumbs off my fingers. Such bad manners! Ha ha!

This post was featured here:
AllergyFreeWednesdayshttp://www.scratchmommy.com/mostly-homemade-mondays-linky-party-week-55/
Recipes and Ramblins with the Tumbleweed Contessa

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday at Poor and Gluten Free
Allergy Free Wednesday at Tessa the Domestic Diva
Gluten Free Wednesdays at The Gluten Free Homemaker
Lovely Ladies Linky at Life With the Crust Cut Off
Work It Wednesday at The Happy Housie
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
Four Seasons Blog Hop at Easy Life Meal & Party Planning 
Gluten Free Fridays at Vegetarian Mamma
Home Sweet Home at The Charm Of Home
The HomeAcre Hop at Black Fox Homestead
BFF Open House at The Answer is Chocolate
Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick
Sunday Linky at Suburbs Mama
Silver Pennies Sundays at Finding Silver Pennies
Creative Home & Garden Hop at Little Homestead On The Hill
Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do
Monday Funday at Lines Across My Face
What'd You Do This Weekend at Tumbleweed Contessa
Gluten Free Recipe Linky at Musings of a Housewife
Mostly Homemade Mondays at Homegrown & Healthy
Manic Monday at Serendipity & Spice
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