Happy Halloween 2013

 

 

With Love From

 

 

Mimi's Cottage!

Sunday Sayings

 

 

"That best portion of a good man's life, his little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love."   William Wordsworth

Wood and Fabric Pumpkin Crafting

I've been in the crafting mood lately so I've

been checking out blogs and Pinterest for some fun ideas.

 

One of the fun (and easy) projects I decided to make are

these wood and fabric pumpkins.

 

There's a nice tutorial here. http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/10/diy-pumpkin-tutorial.html

 

They were lots of fun to make.

 

 

I already had the wood from our bookcase project.

 

And some of the fabric.  But I did buy a couple of fat quarters.  I love to buy fat quarters.  Well, I love to buy fabric. 

 

The leaves came from

an old arrangement from way back when that had seen better days.

 

(Recycle!!)

 

And the stems came from my backyard.

 

 

I think they turned out pretty cute. 

Sunday Sayings

 

"Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others."  Gordon B Hinckley

Cement

 

Last fall we decided to save the old chicken coop that's on our property.  We installed a new metal roof and everything stayed nice and dry last winter.  Our plan was to use the coop for garden tools, mowers, the rototiller, and miscellaneous storage. 

 

This fall the Mister installed a cement ramp for all the heavy, motorized equipment that needed to get up into the coop.

 

 

He's also working on doors to keep everything dry inside.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished ramp...

 

Since we had to get a yard of cement, and the ramp wouldn't

need the whole yard, we decided to add some cement under the

gate into our vegetable garden.

 

And a walkway to our shed's patio.

 

 

 

 

 

I had to add a little something to the project.

 

This week I'll be enjoying these beautiful begonias.

 

Cause I'm pretty sure their days are numbered.

 

Sunday Sayings

 "What happens in cradles and kitchens will prove to be more effective than what goes on in Congress."  Neal A Maxwell

Pumpkin French Toast

A couple of weeks ago, when we were camping in Idaho,

we ate this delicious breakfast that my adorable friend Janis made.

 

It's mostly made the night before and sits in the fridge until you're ready to bake it the next morning.

 

It has a nice, crunchy streusel top and just a hint of pumpkin in each serving.

 

She served it with buttermilk syrup and whipped cream

 

And it was delish!

 

So good I had to make one for myself when we got home.

 

I even shared it with the Mister!  (and a couple of neighbors too!)

 





 

 

So here is the yummy recipe that will make your house smell great

 

and I'm pretty sure you'll like to eat it too.

 

 

Pumpkin French Toast

 

 

1 loaf french bread (she used french and raisin cinnamon bread)

6 large eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbs vanilla

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

 

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray

 

Put chunked french bread in pan.

 

In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, pour over chunked bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

 

 

Streusel Topping

 

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks

 

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cut in butter until mixture lookes like cornmeal.

 

Sprinkle topping over french toast evenly just before baking.

 

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 



Sunday Sayings

"Fatigue is the common enemy of us all...so slow down, rest up, replenish and refill."  Jeffrey R Holland

The Little House Under the Stairs

 

We have stairs down to our basement, and under

those stairs was the perfect spot for a little

play space.  So the Mister cut out a small square of

drywall for a window  and a bigger rectangle for a door and

trimmed them up.

 

 

 

Of course there'd have to be a window box with flowers

and a mailbox for love letters and notes to tooth fairies and

Santa Claus.

It's the perfect little space for the vintage 1950's (60's?)

Betsy Wetsy

 

that I found at a yard sale.

 



 

 

And a great place to hang a cowboy hat.

 





 

There's a place to store some dishes and have a snack.



 

 

And what would a little house be without a kitchen?

 





The hutch in the little kitchen is a wicker bathroom shelf

turned upside down.  The perfect spot for little dishes.

 

 

Our grandkids (and some of the neighborhood kids)  love this little space. They spend hours playing here.

 

 

And there's not an electronic game of any kind in sight...