Aleisa's Apple Dumplings

Today is my sweet friend's birthday ... Happy Birthday, Aleisa =)

I appreciate her lots.
She's genuine ... very funny ... & has quite a way with words.
She's extra good at seeing through 'smoke screens' & can sum up most situations with candor,
which helps me cause I sometimes get muddled up in the details.
{There's one other person that does this just as well, & that's my niece, Erica June.
For young ladies, these 2 have a good perspective on things & I'm proud of them for that.}

My favorite thing about Aleisa, she texts me everyday through the week, just to check on me.
I can count on her text saying, "How's your day?"
Seeing as how I was so not a texter {& still not so much}, she can single-handedly take credit
for making me current.
Now that she lives in our area, it's a joy to see her every Sunday at church & watch God working in her life.
She sits right beside me & keeps me in line ;)

A few weeks ago, Aleisa volunteered to bring dessert to our ladies fellowship night
& what a hit these apple dumplin's were!!
She shared the recipe with us & now, I'm going to pass it along to all of you.
We were all so surprised at the unexpected 'secret' ingredient ;)

These are so delicious & perfectly fitting for this time of year.
Take them to your family holiday dinner, serve 'em with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, & trust me,
they'll be requesting for you to bring them every time.

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 12 ounce can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples, cutting each into 8 slices.
Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.
Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar, vanilla, & stir.
Pour mixture over dumplings, making sure to cover the top of each.
{This will give them a crispy top & will help them brown nicely.}
Pour Mountain Dew around the dumplings, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Serve with ice cream & drizzle the sweet syrup from the pan over the top.

**For the apple dumplings pictured,
Aleisa used the 10.1 ounce roll of the larger 'big & flaky' {10.1 ounce} crescent rolls.
I think this makes the perfect size dumpling.
If you choose to go this route, double the amount of apples from 2 to 4.
Put at least 2 apple slices in each roll.


{sharing at Savvy Southern Style}

A Husband's Sacrificial Love to His Wife & Family

On the first Sunday in October, James began a teaching series on the family at our church.
This subject is James' heart, through & through ... & is the heartbeat of our church.
These teachings have been encouraging to us as individuals ... & strengthening to us as families.

The first sermon was on "The Family Picture."
My favorite part of this was the analogy about a camera.

No matter how expensive a camera is, if it isn't focused properly, this picture will not turn out.

As a family, as a man & a wife, we must be focused & committed to God.

We should work on our commitment to Him above anything else.

If we aren't focused on & committed to Him, we will be miserable ...

And miserable people make miserable families.

We must make Him our focus so our family picture turns out just right.

This was my favorite quote from the sermon:  

"We need to become a master swordsman, using the Word of God that is sharper than a two-edged sword!"

The second sermon was on the origin of the family ... "Where Did the Family Come From?"

These are the things that jumped out from this message:

The family is theological ... a replica & likeness of Christ.

All animals & Adam were made from dirt ... only woman {Eve} was fashioned from a man.

She's extra-special ... a little more refined.

I especially loved this quote from James:
"A husband fails if he only brings home the bacon.
He needs to bring home the bacon AND the BOOK.
He should work hard & he should worship hard!"

The third sermon was on "The Husband's Role in the Home."
This one was excellent too.

Ephesians 5:25 ~ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...

The main theme was this:  A husband's love is measured by his sacrifice to his wife ...

not about how much the wife does for the husband.

This quote is sooo good:  "We get what we need {fulfillment} by giving others what they need."

Wow...that's revolutionary!

At the end of sermon, James passed out little slips of paper & asked each woman/girl
to write down 3 things that she wanted her husband/dad to do for her that week.
This activity was to help the husbands to mimick Christ ...to act as a servant to his wife & family.

I wrote down "Be sweet, be thoughtful, & take me on a date night!"
The sweet & thoughtful thing, well, he's got that down pat ;)
And date night, he promptly took me to O'Charley's & I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Now, the extra-special part of the activity is that James & the boys had the opportunity
to be an extra blessing to our dear friend, Aleisa,
She attends our church, & having just relocated here recently from Virginia, has no family living close.
She's also a single sweetie, waiting on Mr. Right, so James asked her to write down a list
that he & our 3 sons could do for her.
She only had only one request...she wanted to learn how to change a tire.
Very practical & something everyone should know how to do.
Since our boys & I didn't know how to change a tire either, we all got in on the lesson!

She pulled her car into the garage & they got started.
Here they are looking for the tire & all the accessories needed to change it out.

James demonstrated first, as everyone paid close attention.

Aleisa made quick work of it ... she's a fast learner!
She did the whole thing, start to finish with no trouble at all.

Next, the boys each took their turns taking it off & putting it back on.
Gunnar was determined he would change it in the fastest time.
Somehow, all the pics of Riley were very blurry, but he changed the tire too.

Now, the interesting part to this story:  Aleisa wrote on her paper that she wanted to learn
to change a tire on Sunday.
On Monday, she discovered she had a nail in it!
So, not only did she learn how to change a tire, she learned how to patch one too!
God's timing is impeccable!

God is soo involved in the details of our lives ... each & every one of us.
When I really get to thinking of it, it literally takes my breath away.
The God who created the heaven & earth, the galaxy, the stars, the human race, the animals, the trees,
knows me, sees me, cares about me.

He's not a burden ... I'm compelled to serve Him.

"There is nothing under heaven that can constrain a soul like a sense of redeeming love" 
- Charles Simeon (1759-1836) 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve God in the capacity & with the people He's placed us with.
What a wonderful family of God!
I have grown in spiritual strength & wisdom as a direct result of the direction & the burden 
that God has placed on my husband, James.
He's just a man ... just a messenger being used by God to share Biblical truths that are ever so
relevant {& often overlooked} in today's time.
It's a very humbling & serious responsibility. 
We are strengthened for the task & reminded of the resolve by these verses:

Malachi 4:6 
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers ...

Luke 1:17 
...and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

John 13:35
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Comfort Food: Beef Potpie

This is delicious, comfort food at it's beefy best!
It's quick to put together especially if you use the "Cook once, Eat twice" method that I so love!

It's basically this:  If you are using the crock pot, throw in 2 roasts instead of one ...
or double the chicken you need for your recipe to use for the next day's meal.
If you are using the oven, do the same.
Bake off twice the amount of meat while the oven is hot & save the rest for meal #2.
We love to grill out a big bunch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to use throughout the week.
This method saves time & money ... what's not to love?!

Ok ...so back to the Beef Potpie recipe.

Here are the ingredients you need:

• 1 beef roast, approximately 2 lbs, cooked & shredded
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of reserved beef broth, cooled
• 1 box ready-to-bake pie crust {use both crusts}
• 2 cans mixed veggies, undrained
• 1 can peas, undrained
• 1 can carrots, undrained
• beef bouillon cubes
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• black pepper

In large pan, add all the canned veggies, 2 beef bouillon cubes, & a generous sprinkling of pepper.
Cook this until liquid is almost gone & veggies are tender {approx. 15 minutes}.

Add in shredded beef.

Stir to combine.

 

In mixing bowl, combine approx. 1/4 cup of cornstarch to cooled reserved beef broth
& wisk thoroughly making sure there are no lumps.

*I forgot to snap a pic of this step, so this lovely yellow cornstarch container will have to do.
Talk about keeping it 'real' ;)
{BTW, I HATE the feel of cornstarch!  Soo glad for these containers instead of the boxes!}

Pour the broth mixture into the veggies & meat & stir to combine.
Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish.
It will fill it to the top.
Now, if you want to go more of a rustic, homey style with this dish, just lay the pie crusts on the top,
somewhat overlapping, & stick it in the oven.
This also translates to 'didn't have time to make it all 'Pinteresty' looking, just trying to get food on the table!'
Needless to say, I chose the rustic approach with this recipe.

But, if you wanted to get all fancy, you could cut the pie crust into strips & weave them together
for a really pretty looking Beef Potpie.
These ready-made crusts are very versatile.
Either which way you choose, it needs to bake for 12-15 minutes on 450, til golden on top.

Ah, yeah ... a rustic comfort dish that's warm & hearty.

Next time you are making a roast in your crock pot, throw in some extra so you can make this dish.
As with most of my recipes, there's no exact science ... more of a method.
So, change it up some, if you like.
Use fresh veggies if that's your preference.
Leave out the peas if you like ... or add in onion.
You could even half the recipe & bake it in an 8x8.
You get the gist.
Just try it out.
It's definitely one I'll be making through the cold season.

Here are some additional recipes using the "Cook once, Eat twice" method:
Corn Chowder with Potatoes & Ham
Beef Brisket in the Smoker
Beef Brisket Tacos w/homemade Pico de Gallo


Blessings~

Paid $15 for $50 worth of Goodies!

Here was my super duper transaction at CVS on Thursday!

I went with one thing in mind:  Getting the Jergen's lotion
& potentially using the $10 off $50 coupon, if I could pair it with additional coupons for a good deal.

Ok ... guess that's 2 things ;)

The red coupon kiosk kicked out some nice coupons & I was able to pull this deal together!

2 Jergens lotions {found 2 on the shelf that were the 25% more bonus bottles}
1 CVS lotion
1 Essence of Beauty lip butter
1 CVS packet of makeup remover towelettes
1 Cover Girl pressed powder
2 Gillette shave gel {2 separate transactions}
1 Schick razor
2 {2 lts} Sierra Mist
1 Honey Bunches of Oats

Total $50.40

I just barely eeked over the $50 amount!

Here are the coupons I used:

-$10 {off $50 cvs coupon}
-$10.49 {free Schick razor coupon that came randomly in the mail}
-$1.50 {kiosk coup off any cvs makeup remover...made them free + overage}
-$1 off cereal {manu}
-$2 off lip butter {cvs beauty club coup}
-$2 off cvs lotion {cvs beauty club coup}
-$2 off Jergens {manu}
-$1 off Jergens {manu}
-$2 off any Cover Girl {kiosk}
-$1 Cover Girl {manu}
-$.50 {bonus cvs coup}


I had no ECB's to apply towards this, so my OOP pocket cost:  $15.42!

AND I got back $9 in ECB's for next time.
{If you deduct that, it's like paying $6.42 for this whole transaction!!}

My second transaction was on my hub's card ...bought the shave cream for $2.37,
paid $2 with an ECB, paid .37 cents OOP & got a $2 ECB back ...no coupons necessary!

Pretty decent deal this week ... & that was without using my 20% off that came later that day.
I got a raincheck for 2 Gillette stylers which were sold out.
CVS is helping me stayed stocked without spending much money!

Life Lessons From The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Politics according to Linus ~ he was way ahead of his time ;)

Pumpkin patches can & should be sincere.
"Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see."

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Little girls are mean.
{Especially the ones named Lucy}
Never trust 'em, even if they have a signed document.

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No one, I repeat, no one should give rocks in tricks or treats bags!
  

    Lucy: I got five pieces of candy! 

    Kid: I got a chocolate bar! 

    Another Kid: I got a quarter! 

    Charlie Brown: I got a rock.

    Kid: I got a candy bar! 

   Another Kid: Boy, I got three cookies! 

   Lucy: Hey, I got a package of gum! 

   Charlie Brown: I got a rock.

    Lucy: I got a popcorn ball! 

   Kid: I got a fudge bar! 

   Another Kid: I got a pack of gum! 

   Charlie Brown: I got a rock.

Good grief ... poor Charlie Brown.

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Sisters, even when they think you're crazy for sleeping in the pumpkin patch, can be caring & kind.

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Music is a powerful influence.
It moves people ...it even moves dogs.
Turn up the volume & watch this clip!

And this inevitably raises the question, why on earth did someone not write any pumpkin carols?

All of us should have child-like faith ... an unshakable belief in something ...
even if it is the Great Pumpkin!

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DIY Lamp Makeover #2 ~ Burlap Rosettes

On Tuesday, I told you about my old lamp...the 21 yr old one.
It's first makeover came a couple years ago when I spray painted the metal part black
& the lamp shade heirloom white.
{If you've never tried spray painting an old lamp shade to spruce it up, go for it!}
Sorry, no 'before' pics of it.

Remember how I stripped all my glamorous shades of all their bling?
Bling, Be Gone!

Next, I put Shabby Bowtique {my in-home business} to work & created a beautiful trio of burlap rosettes,

accessorized with vintage buttons & pearls. 

Instead of hot gluing to the shade, I decided to mount the rosettes on a pin 

& simply stick it into my lamp shade.

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This way, if I am tired of the look, it's easily removable.

I can take it off & add it to another accessory.

I am completely in love with this ... so shabby chic ... so me.

This old lamp is looking pretty good for 21 years old ... new coat of paint & an accessory ...

what more do you need?! ;)

It lights up this corner of our living room just fine.

~Blessings

lamp ~ so old I've forgotten where it's from

shelf ~ flea market

potted plant ~ flea market

'He Shall Be Called' pic ~ Hob Lob

hat hanger ~ Old Time Pottery

James' hats ~ SteinMart

*If you'd like to order one of these burlap accessories for a lamp, pillow, or denim jacket,

stop on over at Shabby Bowtique & place an order.

Great prices!

DIY Lamp Makeover {#1}

This couldn't be simpler.
And often time, simple is just right.

As promised from yesterday's post, here is a step-by-step to achieve this cute makeover.

I first decided to cut off all the hanging bead fringe, on not only this lamp,
but every.single.lamp in the house with beaded fringe.
Not one was left out.

Looking better already.
{No offense to beaded lampshades ... I was just ready for a change.}

I decided I was going to copy this Hobby Lobby beauty to the lamp that sits
on the console table in my living room.
Here's the Hob Lob lamp:

I decided not to completely recover my shade in burlap, instead using the idea to thread a bow
through the lamp shade.

{I save a similar look in our master bedroom, only I tied a grosgrain ribbon completely
around the shade & tied it into a bow...another idea inspired by a lamp at Hob Lob a few yrs ago}

I spread my burlap out on my work station {aka floor} & cut off a strip
about 2 inches wide & 12 inches long {tooo short...you need about 18 inches}.

I cheated a bit with the holes ... no grommets ... only a knife to make the small holes needed.
Very technical process, huh?!

Next, thread the burlap through.
Easy peasy.

This is precisely when I discovered I hadn't cut my strip long enough.
Cute look, but I was going for a bow.

The next strip was too long, but that's an easy problem to fix.
As you can tell, there's plenty of flexibility to this project.

I really liked the longer bow, but again, not the look I had in mind.
After clipping the ends, it was just right.
And for the reveal:

I love my little imperfect, somewhat crooked burlap bow.
Kinda reminds me of ... me ;)
My newly made-over lamp sits here on this console table in the living room.

BTW, you've probably noticed the new paint color on my walls ... such a drastic change.

On the table is a fall floral swag, 2 wooden candlesticks, & a clay leaf made by one of the twins
several years ago as a fall art project.
It's the only one that has survived through the years.

The family picture collage is from fall 2010, taken on a trip to Apple Works, our favorite orchard.
{Walgreen offers a free 8x10 collage quite often ... I get one every time.
I always make it seasonal & switch it out in this frame.}

This sconce is an attempt to hide the wall thermostat.
I change out it's contents seasonally.
For fall, it has orange leaves, feathers, sticks & branches.
Course, the scarecrow is the cutest feature.

Last year about this same time, I took pics throughout our home in an attempt to host a 'Home Tour' ...
but sadly, as with so many of my aspirations, they never made it to the blog.
I am doing it this year though, I promise, I am!
So, stayed tuned ... I would love for you to visit & enjoy the fall decor =)

Blessings~

console table, lamp, mirror ~ Lowe's

sconce ~ Old Time Pottery

swag ~ old piece from Home Interior

frame ~ Hob Lob

candlesticks ~ flea market