Santa is on his way

Make This! Pinterest inspired craft.

What I love about this project is the pure ease of it! And the price. I had all but the dry erase markers on hand, a collection of old frames, some left over burlap. Did I not say this was simple?

I came across this nifty idea on Pinterest and immediately pinned it to my Crafty Ways board. Jill Ruth & Co. blogger has made several for her home and I just loved the simplicity of it. 

Autumn Breakfast Hash

Really this could be anytime of the year hash, but as the leaves are still falling and it's November, I'll go with Autumn Breakfast Hash. My medical leave saga continues and I've been watching daytime T.V., one of my favorite programs is The Chew, a talk show, crafts show, foodie show. Perfect. This recipe is my take on Daphne Oz's Turkey Sweet Potato Hash -- you really can't go wrong with hash, it lends itself to adapting to the ingredients you have on hand. Daphne used apples and sweet potato's in hers and this intrigued me. I've used sweet potato's before, but never thought to add apples. A quick inventory of my fridge yielded fresh Kielbasa. This Kielbasa is the best, it's from Piekutowski's European Style Sausage shoppe, which is located in North St. Louis City, 40 or so miles from our home in the burbs. Our son was in that area yesterday and bought us some Kielbasa and other meats. So yum! Thank you son! 

Back to the hash. Here are the list of ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 Idaho potato cubed
• 1 sweet potato cubed
• 1 apple cubed
• 1/2 red onion chopped
• 1/2 pound kielbasa
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, melt butter and add a tbs of the olive oil, add to this the garlic. After a few minutes, add the potato's and continue to cook until they are browned. Add additional olive oil if necessary. Now add your onion and continue to cook. Last, add the apple and kielbasa. The kielbasa is already cooked and only needs to be warmed, continue cooking until the apple is warmed through, but not too mushy. 

Cook your eggs in your preferred method--I cooked mine up over easy--plate a serving of hash and add your egg on top. 

This is a new breakfast staple for our house. Love the tart sweet bite of apple, along with the smokey flavored sausage. 

Enjoy!!

Sharing at:

blessedwithgrace:tempt-my-tummy-tuesday

33 Shades of Green: Tasty Tuesdays
mizhelenscountrycottage:full-plate-thursday-11-15-12

Memories

Memories, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

Thanksgiving Mantel Inspiration

I'm currently housebound, as I tore my Achilles and had surgery two weeks ago. My knee scooter allows me to zip around, but simple things like hanging a picture can be problematic. The Halloween decor is being packed away and now it's time to dress the house for Thanksgiving. Get it, dress, like in dressing? I know, pretty lame.

I want something different this year for my mantel, so I've culled some Pinterest and Blogger finds here for inspiration:

Source: midwestliving.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: thefrugalhomemaker.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: shelterness.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: potterybarn.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: thebungalowblog.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: thebungalowblog.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: athoughtfulplaceblog.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: adventuresindecorating1.blogspot.com via Diane on Pinterest

Source: thenester.com via Diane on Pinterest

PicMonkey.com Tutorial Featuring: Collage, Labels, Blending Tools and Text

Hi all, 

Here is another fun Picmonkey tutorial, in this one I show you how to create a collage, add background color, a label overlay and text. Did you know that Picmonkey has an easy peasy facebook banner collage? There are so many things you can do with your very own photo's, come on, let the fun begin.

Click below for today's tutorial.



Let me know how I"m doing, leave a comment with features you'd like to see.

Most of all, have fun!

di

Picmonkey Tutorial: Basic Edits and Clone Tool

Hi all,

As you are aware, I absolutely love photography. And what you may not know, I love free things. Who doesn't? Full fledged editing software, such as Photoshop CS6 costs $700 and the basic Photoshop Elements can go for around $100. Although both offer more bells and whistles than a free editing site can offer, chances are those same bells and whistles would go unused...same as all the menu options I neglect to use on my Rebel xti. Insert chagrin here.

Welcome to my inaugural Photoshop, er, I mean Picmonkey.com tutorial featuring basic editing and the clone tools.

Let me know what you think and what you'd like to learn. Most of all, have fun! 

Things I Love Thursdays: Autumn Doorways

TILT Autumn Doorways, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

I begin decorating for Autumn in mid September. A pumpkin purchased at the grocery store is placed by the door. The summer items: a vintage water cooler, a red rubber crawdad (crawfish for some of you), and my red lanterns are stashed away for next year. A visit to the pumpkin patch brings a variety of pumpkins home, heirloom greens, whites and warty lumpy orange ones. An elongated, yellow-orange squash from the farmer on Hwy N, and a Turks turbin squash from the weekend farmers market find their way to our front porch collection too. Cornstalks are tied to the porches columns and grapevine garlands with colorful leaves dance along the eves and twirl around our door. Autumn, its smells, textures and glorious colors all represented in this annual homage.

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
~Elizabeth Lawrence

My entry for Flickr Group: Things I Love Thursdays (TILT)

The photo's in this mosaic are from the following talented Flickr members:

www.flickr.com/photos/mbgrigby/3028814563/
www.flickr.com/photos/7597456@N07/443016905/in/faves-piwo...
www.flickr.com/photos/orb9220/6422111461/
www.flickr.com/photos/souloyster/6247962000/
www.flickr.com/photos/meggallucci/4104082669/
www.flickr.com/photos/omggirl/2979994392/
www.flickr.com/photos/missmaya/4401952001/
www.flickr.com/photos/30391341@N02/6811784108/
www.flickr.com/photos/starycat/2952471685/

Make this: Pinterest Inspired Craft

My Inspiration. You can purchase on from Etsy vendor Heidie With an E

Gabriel's Good Tidings, Rolled Felt Flower Tutorial

Fallen Leaf

How beautifully leaves grow old.  

How full of light and color are their last days.  

~John Burroughs

One of my favorite fall decorating items are the grapevine roll's I purchased this from Michael's several years ago. They come plain, all you need is some fall leaves to tuck into the vine.  

No glue, or wire required. Simply unroll and tuck into the edge of the door frame.

Autumn bowed to place a beautiful crown on the Queen of Morning,
and her velvet robes sway merrily in the chilly breeze.
~Terri Guillemets

I like how they frame my view.

Youth is like spring,
an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes.
  Autumn is the mellower season,
and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. 
~Samuel Butler

My Ugly Concrete Pineapple find--now sporting  a chalk-ware look  blends with the fall theme.

The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
  ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Party's

meet-me-monday-linky-party-17
From My Front Porch to Yours

oops, I did it again

oops, I did it again, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

Last year a broken left ankle with a strain on the right. This year, drum roll, a torn achilles. Outpatient surgery last week-on my birthday--next year I need to do better. ;)

odd one out

odd one out, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

Things I Love Thursdays: Pumpkin Humor

Things I Love Thursdays: Pumpkin Humor, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

A bit of pumpkin humor captured from fellow Flickr members.

Enjoy!

Stranger 3/100 Rock

Stranger 3/100 Rock, a photo by DiPics on Flickr.

Sunday my family went to Rombach Farms pumpkin patch. While my son, daughter and I picked our pumpkins in short order, my husband was still undecided, and continued to look for that elusive perfect carving pumpkin. His pumpkin hunt brings to mind a certain Halloween classic, doesn't it?

While hubby was in search of the great pumpkin, I zeroed in on this fellow as he was restocking pumpkins off of a flatbed farm truck. I asked him if he was a Rombach, he replied, no, he wasn't one, but he had married the only girl. I then asked if I could take his picture for my 100 stranger Flickr group, and he wasn't so sure--I reassured him my intent was to take photo's of people I didn't know, not "strange" people. This brought a chorus of laughter from the other workers up on the farm truck. He allowed the photo's, and when I asked his name, he simply replied Rock. So, stranger number 3 is Rock of Rombach Farms.

www.rombachsfarm.com/



This picture is #3 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Rock, stranger, no let's say, new friend number 3, restocking the inventory.

Rock taking some good natured ribbing from the photo shoot.

My crew, on the annual hunt.

Yes!

Bonnie and Clyde made their annual appearance.

Still on the hunt.

KEEP OFF means....??

Now these are some Great Pumpkins.

I can't tell you how long he looked, but I can tell you I took most of my photo's while he was in search of the  Great Pumpkin. Too much Charlie Brown as a kid, oh Linus....

My selection, it smelled just like watermelon when I carved into it.

A mountain of pumpkins, it looks like a large lumpy piece of candy corn, doesn't it?

Time to head home for some pumpkin carving.