halloween. 1986 style.

I shared this photo a couple years ago. So it's an oldie but a goodie. Too fun not to share on this Hallowee day :) This is from Halloween 1986 with 2 of my sisters (my 3rd sister hadn't been born yet!)- I was a magenta crayon. One of my most fave-est memories of getting dressed up to go trick-or-treating. My awesome mama made us Crayola Crayon costumes from poster board. What a treasure of a memory! 

This was also probably the only year I wasn't dressed up as a fairy princess, ballerina or something else that was pink and frilly ;) Go here to see last year's pic from 1985 ;)


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In other news:
30 Days of Thankful starts tomorrow!! November is TOMORROW! Last year I journeyed through the month doing a "30 Days of Thankful" -- won't you join me as I embark on this again? A month of recording little (and big) blessing and gratitudes. Go here to read more about it :)

currently.

Finishing up details for a workshop I am teaching this weekend at my church :) Including making this Gratitude journal for a door prize.

Packing up the entire family for a trip to Hilton Head, SC for a little vacation. Leaving late Saturday. So much to do. So glad to go.

Recovering from a terrible headcold I had this week. Not so much fun.

Glad it is finally chilly out. I love Fall. Love it.

Looking up more recipes for soup and crockpot meals.

Almost done with Holiday Journals. They will be in the shop soon.

Swimming in ideas in my head for new projects.

Grateful for this season.

Food: Betsy's White Bread

My older sis has been making bread for years. I've been making bread for years, (I make all of our bread that we eat - sandwich bread, pizza dough, yeast rolls, breadsticks, hamburger rolls, artisan bread, toasting bread) but have never tried my sister's recipe! This is her white bread recipe, she makes it at our family gatherings, and it's always so, so good. I tried making it the other day and I've already made it twice. Since Monday :) The consistency is perfect. The taste is perfect. It's a winner. And there's just something about knowing all of the ingredients in what you're eating ;)

Betsy's White Bread

3 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour (I used organic all-purpose)

1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. oil or shortening

2-1/4 tsp. yeast

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. very warm water

2 Tbsp. very soft salted butter, divided

Mix 1-3/4 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, oil (or shortening) and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, again scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time to make dough easy to handle (This is when it just gets past being sticky. Do not add too much flour or your loaf will be too dense). Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 7-10 minutes (Kneading this long makes it perfect. It takes awhile, but it's worth it!). Place in a greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm and draft-free place 40-60 minutes or until double in size.

Grease bottom and sides of a 1 lb. loaf pan with 1 Tbsp. butter. Punch dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead 1 minute. Flatten with a rolling pin to about 8"x10". Roll dough up tightly, beginning at short side, to form a loaf. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal. Fold ends under loaf so you have a nice looking roll. The key here is to roll the dough tightly so you don't have big air bubbles after baking. Place seam side down in the pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm and draft-free place about 35-40 minutes (or until right before it starts crawling out of the pan - it will rise a bit more in the oven). While bread is rising, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake 20-30 minutes or until top of loaf is a deep golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Using a paper towel (or your hands), rub softened butter all over loaf (it will begin to melt as your rub it on the bread). Let cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to store.

shop update

I updated the shop a little while ago and have some fun new journals and embellishments now available, as well as an I Love You Journal and a few baby journals (both were semi-retired, I found these in the depths of my workspace during a clean out :)). Go here to check out the new goodies.

treasure hunting: an old recipe box

I was in a thrift store (who doesn't love thrift stores? I mean, really :)) this weekend and came across this gem - a vintage recipe box full of gorgeous recipes - some handwritten, some cut from old magazines and newspapers, some typed (with a real typewriter :)).

I was delighted upon finding it - and even more happy that it was only $.50! Some of the recipes date back to the 1970s. Some are more recent. I can't help but wonder where this little box used to be - whose kitchen it used to sit in, what recipes were used for family gatherings and celebrations. I love finding vintage treasures - such stories behind them, even if they are unknown, still a treasure nonetheless :)

food: baked cake donuts from scratch

We love donuts in our house. I purchased a donut pan awhile ago and we like to make these baked donuts often. A little intense to make, but well worth it :) We like to ice and sprinkle some, and melt butter and dip in a cinnamon sugar mixture for the others.

Baked Cake Donuts - adapted from Wilton's Recipe
Makes about 12 donuts
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2-1/2 tsp. lemon juice (or white distilled vinegar)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray, or use a little bit of butter to coat each donut form.

Combine milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) in a measuring cup. Set aside for 2-3 minutes.

Sift the flour and corn starch together (through a sifter or mesh colander) 2-3 times to incorporate fully (basically you're making cake flour ;)). Add sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt, stirring to combine.

Add eggs and melted butter to milk mixture. Add to flour mixture. Beat until just combined (do not over-beat).

Fill each donut cavity about 2/3 full. I usually put the batter in a large zip-loc bag and snip one of the tips to pipe it into the pan easily.

Bake for 7-9 minutes or until just starting to brown. They can brown way too fast, so keep an eye on them! They will be spongy to the touch (but don't burn yourself ;)).

Pop each donut out onto a cooling rack, spray (or use butter) pan again and pipe in the rest of the batter (be careful not to burn yourself on the pan!). See below for topping ideas. Serve warm. Enjoy :)

For topping:
Cinnamon Sugar
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Place melted butter in shallow dish. Mix together cinnamon and sugar and place in another shallow dish. Dip each donut in the butter and coat both sides, then dredge in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Vanilla Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 Tbsp. milk

Mix sugar and vanilla together. Add milk a little at a time to desired consistency. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl. Dip tops of donuts in icing, place on a plate and let set for a couple minutes.

DIY Fall Roundup

I'm always on the lookout for fun DIY seasonal crafts. I'm loving these fabulous DIY projects below. Go here to see a past Fall Craft Roundup, full of more fun projects for this Fall season :)

1. Felt Leaves Garland by Pam Garrison

2. Twig Votive Holder by Fossil

3. DIY Pumpkin Votive Holders from Martha Stewart
4. The Thankful Tree by Simply Vintage Girl
5. Wax Paper and Crayon Fall Leaves by V and Co
6. Book Page Pumpkin by Craftberry Bush
7. Simple Thankful Bunting by My Fabuless Life

*all images from blogs/sites listed

oh, hey there october

Yay! Happy October :) Another one of my fave months (I pretty much love September-December :)). The air is cooling down, the heat comes on in the wee hours of the morning, and I love it. Hot cocoa mix is made, apple cider is bought, and I'm excited. Pretty much everything on this list from last year is on my list for this year :)

Other than those exciting things, I have a few goals for this month (trying to get back into goal setting :)).
+ Clean up and clean out my workspace - when I work, things get pulled out of every nook and cranny - I love to be surrounded by all of this inspiration, but I also reach a point of needing it all to be surrounding me nice and neatly ;)
+ Document the season - I tried to do this last fall - but given everything going on, I just couldn't - you can see 2011's Autumn Journal here. I plan to be using one of my Gratitude Journals (I have a few left in the shop here!).
+ Get pre-orders up in my shop for Holiday Journals! I have a bunch of the supplies I need, but am waiting on a few new paper lines to become available. The plan is to be making two (!!!) different types of journals this year - one will have a vintage-y type feel, the other will be more in line with my typical style - see last year's and the year before. The journals will be 5"x7" this year and super fun :) I'm also working on a few Envelope Advent Books for the shop - totally fun to DIY, but sometimes easier to buy if time is tight ;)