I am pinning it Wednesday too!!!!

Love this idea for Halloween (use a drill)!  Maybe I'll do it next year....hate to say it, but I've made goodie bags for the neighbors and that's it.  Turning off the lights and pretending we're not here this year!  Kind of scroogey for Halloween, but it's supposed to rain, I'm sick...blah blah blah.


Love the new little royal family...George is adorable!!!!!

You're right, kids are alright.  Counting our blessings.  I LOVE your Divinity blog!!!  Can't wait for tomorrow.  Today's cracked me about her not being a great cook...she wasn't!!!!  BUT, you're right, every breakfast, lunch and dinner at their home was an "event"...down to the crumb sweeper.  We carry on a lot of her traditions...pretty tables, candles, pretty salt and pepper shakers, pretty glassware, but I haven't used the crumb sweeper!  I have it so we'll have to pull that out sometime!

Happy pinning Wednesday!  xo, H.

pin it wednesday!

Don't you just love them! Little Georgy is so cute. Kate is adorable and Will seems interested in his child! Things are changing in the Palace!

love, k :)

miscellaneous...

You've been busy sissy!! No pinning, how can you stand it!! Yeah for Peter! So happy he got his first of many letters! How exciting! The best part, he is so excited. He can't wait! He seems ready for something new, that's when you know they are ready.

Emmy is doing awesome, our little swimmer!! So proud of her and all she has accomplished. Wish at some point Lils, Steve and I get down there to see her. We would love that! Maybe if Peter is in Indiana next year, we could make a stop to see both :)

Fall brings on new projects. I am glad you like the new blog- http://grandmabeasrecipes.blogspot.com/. I had her recipe boxes in a cupboard and thought what a great way to remember her. I don't consider her a great cook, but she loved to make people happy.

Evan is doing good at college....I think. He is not much of a talker. Sometimes he will call and chat, and I like that. I miss him, but he is a man now, and I have to let him go explore the world, make mistakes and achieve new accomplishments. Lily is the Queen of the house, what's new. She is doing pretty good. She loves her friends at school and being social....the school part, she can take it or leave it! Oh god.....she is me.

I do love this time of year. The holidays are fun...but decorating for the holidays is the best! We will miss you all for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. You need to come here in January or February. Then we will be in Madison for the graduation in May!

Have a good week.....and get pinning!!

love, k :)

missing Pinterest, cooking, Divinity (!), book group and needing to catch my breath...

Krista, that apple crisp recipe looks awesome.  Jeremy and Elizabeth are visiting in November and I will make this for them! 

I have a doosey of a cold/cough and I'm not surprised.  I've been trying to "do it all" and, as we  know, we just can't.  At some point, the body takes over and slows us down whether we like it or not.  My life has been full of good stuff at work, traveling to Emma's meets, looking at schools with Peter and barely keeping up with laundry.  We've had a great month, full of fun, but I'm looking forward to slowing down a bit over the next three weekends.  The countdown to Florida has begun.  My plan will be to NOT check work email once.  I can't wait!

I miss Pinterest....haven't had time to just wander around it lately.  Time to get back to some good cooking, putzing and putting the garden to bed.  Although I did make my first batch of cranberry biscotti last week to take to Emma and the swim captains. 

It's my turn to host book group tonight and I decided to send out an email saying we're meeting at Bluephies...I'm buying dessert!  I just can't swing it all today.  By the way, we read Visiting Tom by Michael Perry...his website:  www.sneezingcow.com  He's a wonderful WI author, about our age and he lives up by Osseo, I believe in Augusta.  Such a good book.  I will send it to you.

I LOVE YOUR NEW BLOG http://grandmabeasrecipes.blogspot.com/ - what a gift!  I can't wait to read it every day.  We need to do this for Grandma Veronica too...who has her recipe boxes?  I don't need anything for Christmas from you - this is the best gift!!

So, in a nutshell, it's been wonderful to be at Emma's meets, work is going well, Peter got his first acceptance letter (!) and now I've got a cold.  My next posts will be on Peter's adventure and the family piano :(....
This is my pin for today...for our boys and our husbands and for the men our girls will find.  There's nothing like a gentleman.  xoxo, H.

pin it wednesday

The Best Apple Crisp

You'll need:
For the topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup chopped almonds
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

For the filling:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. bourbon

What to do: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease an 8x8 baking pan.

To make the topping: Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and almonds in a large bowl until well-combined. Add in the pieces of butter and use your hands to squeeze and combine until the mixture becomes crumbly and resembles wet sand. (Alternatively, you can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or place all of the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until just blended. My favorite method is to use my hands, as I believe you get the best crumbly topping that way.)

Once finished, place topping in the fridge and begin making the apple filling.

To make the filling: Place butter and seeds from the vanilla bean in a medium saucepan, and turn heat on medium. After a couple of minutes the butter will begin to crackle and foam—make sure you whisk consistently during this process! Another minute or two, and you will notice the butter turning a slight brown (caramel) color on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent it from burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

While the butter is cooling, place apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and bourbon in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the brown butter to this apple mixture and toss again to combine. 

Take a heaping ½ cup of the topping mixture and toss with the apple mixture. Place the apple mixture in prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with topping. It may seem like a lot of topping, but the apples will cook down and the topping will provide an excellent crunchy exterior.

Bake the crisp on a baking sheet (just in case the filling bubbles over!) for 55-60 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Notes: Feel free to use different nuts instead of almonds—or leave out nuts completely. If you don’t have bourbon on hand, you can use whiskey, or replace with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

waiting....

Love all your Trader Joe's ideas! Fall and Christmas brings out the best in TJ's inventory. I am waiting for my favorite cinnamon tea to come back. I made it every morning last winter, and it really made my day! Love it! Also waiting for cinnamon branches, you told me about. I can hang it in my kitchen and it makes the whole house smell wonderful!! 

All summer and early fall Lily and I have been enjoying Tazo Chai tea. So good! 

It's chilly and cold. Time to make soup! Last night we had wild rice soup. Lily got hooked on it from Panera. I need to find some new recipes, and get an emulsion blender. Happy baking sister....you and the Pioneer Woman....such bakers!

love, k :)

pin it wednesday

171 repins and 42 likes! Emma's graduation table is a popular post!! Doesn't it seem like yesterday. Now we have Peter coming up this Spring! Wow, time flys! 
love, k :)

this and that....

Last night I did a crazy Trader Joe's power shop and brought chicken pot pie home (from the refrig. section)...not sure it was exactly this one...just look for a rectangle box/tray.  It was so good.  I bought two of them and we didn't even eat an entire one between Chris and me.  Flakey, yummy phyllo top crust and yummy insides!  The carrots actually tasted fresh and so did the peas (they were bright orange and green)!  I also bought pumpkin everything...crackers, soup (it's new and I'm anxious to try it and see if it's as good as mine;), pita chips, bread and scones.  Oh my!  I also bought pumpkins there for fall decor...will snap some pics later!

October is overwhelming me.  It's tied with my other favorite month, November, but this October, I feel like I am spinning my wheels.  So much going on with my job because we're hosting a health care forum with two congressmen in November (fundraisers too) and there is so much to be done, which is fine, BUT my office is SWELTERING. The hallway of offices where I reside, face full sun all day and by noon my office is pushing 80.  Well, you know how well I cope in heat....I am brain dead by 3!!!  And, everyone just seems to accept it because "the building is old."  Then why was my office comfortable all summer when it was 90 outside?  It's really becoming an issue for me...I dread going to work. My boss, and all but one other person, are in and out of their offices all day so they don't seem to notice, but when I am IN, I'm in my office all day.  Anyway, it seems like a little thing, but it's not.  I hate to be a complainer, but...I AM RIGHT NOW!

I miss long walks and putzing in my garden.  I do love my job, but I miss my freedom.  I am lucky to work two days from home, but I'm working!  Therefore, my house seems to be in a chronic state of messiness and my office and closet look like disaster zones...all very un-settling.

Happy is not what I'm feeling lately and that bums me out, which is not a good response!  The mess our country is in is horrible and both sides are to blame.  Our President is not a leader and it's destroying America.  We need term limits for all!!!

However, there are good things:

going to see Emma swim in a meet in southern IL on Saturday with Chris - a date day!
Chris never complains about anything...even when he is desperate for clean shirts, etc.
Oliver has settled down a bit
George is healthy and happy.
Peter is excited to be working on college apps
came home to see that Peter had blown the driveway of leaves and had walked George :)
Peter makes us smile all the time - he is such a good young man and we will miss him so much next year...can hardly think about it
Emma is truly a sophomore...focusing on swimming and school...a lot less "candy store" this year!
counting the days until our week in Florida!
tomorrow IS Friday
we're having a gorgeous autumn...I just want to enjoy it.

xo, H

pin it wednesday...thursday !

It's October, time to decorate for fall!! Here are a few of my favorite Fall decorations found on Pinterest. I really need to create some new decorations this year. I may start with the Halloween banner made from burlap, so easy!!
love, k :)

not sure which is trashier...kim or this

help her.....

love, k;)

Fake and trashy

Seriously tacky, vulgar and just yuck.  Please make the Kardashians go away....H.