Well, we're off and running to a new week! I hope you enjoyed the weekend! This weather has been just gorgeous, hasn't it!
For those of you who are new to the blog, it comes in 2 parts - the first is a devotional (Roses & Chocolate Mint) and the 2nd is more tips and tricks with a little encouragement tagged in as well. Welcome!! I hope you'll subscribe and keep coming back! Please leave comments as you feel led to do so.
I spent most of this past weekend making salsa. It's become a little bit famous around here and it's fun to make, although my dear kitchen takes a beating with all that chopping, cooking and canning. It's worth it though -- that's why one of the main ingredients is LOTS of LOVE! I've shared the basic recipe with a few folks, but what they don't know is, I'll never give the true recipe away. I've adapted mine just a little bit to make it more personal and something that unless you have an extremely sensitive palate, cannot be reproduced. The basic recipe isn't mine. It came from a lifelong friend who developed it over time herself and I feel quite certain she adds a few touches of her own too! Isn't that how recipes go though? In the words of Paula Deen, "A recipe is just a suggestion."
I've got a few other recipes that are my "go to" recipes when I need a sure thing to make that no doubt will be crowd pleasers. Like the salsa though, I never share my complete adaptations. Sorry, some things I just like to keep a secret. :)
Today, I want to share a few decorating tips with you for Fall. I never spend much on Fall decorations but I like them. I think the reason why is that God's creation provides such beauty and bounty that buying it just doesn't really seem all that necessary. I do have a few items in my seasonal stash though that I've purchased or made that I truly love. One thing I enjoy doing is buying fall decor on clearance just as the stores are putting out their Christmas decor. They have to get rid of it in a hurry so it seems they mark it down more so take advantage of that and purchase some nice artificial swags, leaves, flowers and maybe even a few serving pieces or tableware but don't stockpile - just get a few things and mix it with some of the beautiful things God made.
One item I use from this time of year through Thanksgiving is a burlap table cloth in brown. I made it to fit my breakfast table (wouldn't use it on a dining room table without a sheet under it. But my breakfast table has a glass top, so no fear of scratches. By using brown, I'm able to change out runners, squares, dinnerware and chargers to make my tables very festive and either formal or informal. I'm also able to use my everyday pattern and make everyday meals just a little more festive. Adding fresh twigs and fall leaves to a simple vase filled with mums, sunflowers and fall fruits and vegetables (fresh or fake) makes for a gorgeous daily use table. If you have a round table, just measure the total length of floor to top, top across and top to floor and multiply by 2. Then divide this number by 36 - this will give you the yardage you need for a standard 54" wide fabric. Example: Floor to top=36, top across = 35, top to floor = 36 --- 36+35+36=107 x 2 = 214 /36. If you have a square or rectangle table, simply measure the height x 2, length and width and add together then divide by 36 to get your yardage....I usually add an extra 6 to 12 inches for seams, hem, etc., just to be sure I have enough. Ravel the edges at the bottom for a cute rustic look and don't wash it! Shake it out good or put in the dryer only -- no guarantees as to what it will look like if you wash it! Could be a hot mess!
To make your front porch festive longer, use pottery or heavier styrofoam pumpkins mixed with fresh mums and pots of evergreen herbs like rosemary and thyme (thyme will die back in the winter but will return if not allowed to freeze). When Halloween comes you can switch out your pottery pumpkins for a jack-o-lantern or two and then replace them after Halloween with a more Thanksgiving oriented object or two. We have a darling turkey that a dear friend made from logs and pine cones that we put out. The mums are long lasting, but you might need to deadhead them some -- just be sure to keep everything watered. Typically, fall can be a very dry season.
I've found that keeping my porch/stoop decor fairly simple is much more inviting than getting extremely elaborate mainly because it stays cleaner and what is there is eye-catching and welcoming to a visiting friend or family member. I also don't really enjoy the scary decor for Halloween. While I'm not a prude, I just don't want people to be scared when they visit my home. I would prefer that they feel welcome and loved. It's just personal preference. The Lord showed me in His Word many years ago and again recently that Christians just really don't need to align ourselves with anything that represents sorcery, witchcraft, soothsaying (fortune-telling, horoscopes, etc.) or anything having to deal with the occult (Leviticus 19:31, 1 Samuel 15:23, Revelation 21:8, and more) and so I think a jack-o-lantern that smiles and maybe an owl and a scarecrow can celebrate the season without inviting the evil that goes along with it onto our property. I have all the natural spider webs I can use this time of year so buying fake ones is never necessary! :) I think if you're going to decorate for Halloween, just be reserved with it - stay away from the blood and gore if you are a Christian - and focus on the beauty of Fall and enjoying the children who "trick or treat" at your home.
I hope you will give yourself some time to enjoy this most beautiful of seasons. I've added a verse that stood out to me this evening when I was referencing the witchcraft. It is just not something that Christian families should play around with -- use wisdom brothers and sisters and judge right from wrong according to God's Holy Word...Have a blessed week! Amy
For those of you who are new to the blog, it comes in 2 parts - the first is a devotional (Roses & Chocolate Mint) and the 2nd is more tips and tricks with a little encouragement tagged in as well. Welcome!! I hope you'll subscribe and keep coming back! Please leave comments as you feel led to do so.
I spent most of this past weekend making salsa. It's become a little bit famous around here and it's fun to make, although my dear kitchen takes a beating with all that chopping, cooking and canning. It's worth it though -- that's why one of the main ingredients is LOTS of LOVE! I've shared the basic recipe with a few folks, but what they don't know is, I'll never give the true recipe away. I've adapted mine just a little bit to make it more personal and something that unless you have an extremely sensitive palate, cannot be reproduced. The basic recipe isn't mine. It came from a lifelong friend who developed it over time herself and I feel quite certain she adds a few touches of her own too! Isn't that how recipes go though? In the words of Paula Deen, "A recipe is just a suggestion."
I've got a few other recipes that are my "go to" recipes when I need a sure thing to make that no doubt will be crowd pleasers. Like the salsa though, I never share my complete adaptations. Sorry, some things I just like to keep a secret. :)
Today, I want to share a few decorating tips with you for Fall. I never spend much on Fall decorations but I like them. I think the reason why is that God's creation provides such beauty and bounty that buying it just doesn't really seem all that necessary. I do have a few items in my seasonal stash though that I've purchased or made that I truly love. One thing I enjoy doing is buying fall decor on clearance just as the stores are putting out their Christmas decor. They have to get rid of it in a hurry so it seems they mark it down more so take advantage of that and purchase some nice artificial swags, leaves, flowers and maybe even a few serving pieces or tableware but don't stockpile - just get a few things and mix it with some of the beautiful things God made.
One item I use from this time of year through Thanksgiving is a burlap table cloth in brown. I made it to fit my breakfast table (wouldn't use it on a dining room table without a sheet under it. But my breakfast table has a glass top, so no fear of scratches. By using brown, I'm able to change out runners, squares, dinnerware and chargers to make my tables very festive and either formal or informal. I'm also able to use my everyday pattern and make everyday meals just a little more festive. Adding fresh twigs and fall leaves to a simple vase filled with mums, sunflowers and fall fruits and vegetables (fresh or fake) makes for a gorgeous daily use table. If you have a round table, just measure the total length of floor to top, top across and top to floor and multiply by 2. Then divide this number by 36 - this will give you the yardage you need for a standard 54" wide fabric. Example: Floor to top=36, top across = 35, top to floor = 36 --- 36+35+36=107 x 2 = 214 /36. If you have a square or rectangle table, simply measure the height x 2, length and width and add together then divide by 36 to get your yardage....I usually add an extra 6 to 12 inches for seams, hem, etc., just to be sure I have enough. Ravel the edges at the bottom for a cute rustic look and don't wash it! Shake it out good or put in the dryer only -- no guarantees as to what it will look like if you wash it! Could be a hot mess!
To make your front porch festive longer, use pottery or heavier styrofoam pumpkins mixed with fresh mums and pots of evergreen herbs like rosemary and thyme (thyme will die back in the winter but will return if not allowed to freeze). When Halloween comes you can switch out your pottery pumpkins for a jack-o-lantern or two and then replace them after Halloween with a more Thanksgiving oriented object or two. We have a darling turkey that a dear friend made from logs and pine cones that we put out. The mums are long lasting, but you might need to deadhead them some -- just be sure to keep everything watered. Typically, fall can be a very dry season.
I've found that keeping my porch/stoop decor fairly simple is much more inviting than getting extremely elaborate mainly because it stays cleaner and what is there is eye-catching and welcoming to a visiting friend or family member. I also don't really enjoy the scary decor for Halloween. While I'm not a prude, I just don't want people to be scared when they visit my home. I would prefer that they feel welcome and loved. It's just personal preference. The Lord showed me in His Word many years ago and again recently that Christians just really don't need to align ourselves with anything that represents sorcery, witchcraft, soothsaying (fortune-telling, horoscopes, etc.) or anything having to deal with the occult (Leviticus 19:31, 1 Samuel 15:23, Revelation 21:8, and more) and so I think a jack-o-lantern that smiles and maybe an owl and a scarecrow can celebrate the season without inviting the evil that goes along with it onto our property. I have all the natural spider webs I can use this time of year so buying fake ones is never necessary! :) I think if you're going to decorate for Halloween, just be reserved with it - stay away from the blood and gore if you are a Christian - and focus on the beauty of Fall and enjoying the children who "trick or treat" at your home.
I hope you will give yourself some time to enjoy this most beautiful of seasons. I've added a verse that stood out to me this evening when I was referencing the witchcraft. It is just not something that Christian families should play around with -- use wisdom brothers and sisters and judge right from wrong according to God's Holy Word...Have a blessed week! Amy
Isaiah 47:8-10(NLT)
8 “Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
9 Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
10 “You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
9 Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
10 “You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’
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