Tuesday, October 30, 2012

DIY halloween day four: countdown pumpkin.

Use some chalk paint (and tape if you need help with even lines, like me) to make a countdown pumpkin...This is also just an easy way for youngins to creatively decorate their own pumpkin!  They can even change their minds a few times. :)

We got our chalk paint at Lowe's...I'm hoping to use it in the kitchen soon to create a chalkboard........

one of my many projects I have on my dream list of things to complete. :)

Happy Tuesday!

-S

Friday, October 26, 2012

DIY halloween day three: candy corn.

a simple Halloween idea...

Candy corn is just so darn cute, there's no reason why it needs to hide in a bag.  Grab a clear vase/bowl/whatever and display it.  Honestly, I'm not a huge candy corn fan, but I think it looks cute on our coffee table. :) It definitely gets my little boy's attention...
Oh ya, here's a super neat, candy corn inspired idea I found on pinterest, too... 
Here's the how-to:

Enjoy your weekend!

-Stephanie

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

DIY halloween day two: witch pumpkin.

Lookin' for a quick way to decorate your pumpkin?  Get inspiration from Pinterest with scary silhouettes, grab some black paint, and a small paint brush...then, decorate!  I free handed this witch in about 10 minutes (that's all my 8.5 month old allowed), which explains why edges aren't straight and her "bun" is a little deformed, but that just makes the design more distressed and unique. :)

This was way easier than carving.

-S

Monday, October 22, 2012

DIY halloween day one: spooky flowers.

I'm going to try to post some easy, Halloween crafts for the next week-ish.  Would LOVE to send out a daily post each day until the 31st, but we'll see.  I know, I know - I haven't even posted the junk Mom and I have been going through during the last couple of weeks.  I'll get to it....eventually. :)

Below are some spooky flowers I made a couple years ago...Yes, I specially store them in our Halloween bin when it goes in the attic each year.  Look, this was when I had ALL the time in the world and I proudly claimed four-legged animals as my babies.  Who knows if these will last after this year...

These are easily made with crepe paper streamers, floral wire, and tape.  Now, this is my kind of craft.  I got this idea from {Country Living Magazine}.  The key is making sure you keep a good pinch when you wrap the streamer around the wire (you'll see what I mean in step 2 of the tutorial).  

Here are mine:
Yes, you can still see the floral wire...
Yes, one of the flower "heads" is thrown in there - not attached to anything...
but I think they're neat.

Here is the tutorial if you want to make your own:


Like the Ricky Mortis headstone and black bird?  Both came from Dollar Tree...and the vintage photo came from an antique store.  I have no idea who any of the people are, but they are displayed in my home. :)

Happy Monday!

-S

Friday, October 19, 2012

crockin' BBQ chicken.

I have a new best friend.  She's a little hot-tempered, but we get along really well.  I don't know why we haven't met sooner, but I'm just thankful we've gotten pretty close the last couple of weeks.  She is savin' my hiney in the kitchen...Her name is crock-pot.  

Happy weekend, y'all!

-S

*

crockin' BBQ chicken

3 chicken breasts
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce - the BEST & super cheap!
2 dashes hot sauce

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of crock pot.  I would highly suggest making sure you don't accidentally buy the kind that has each breast individually wrapped.  I struggled with both hands trying to get each one open...debated on using my teeth - gross, and then, considered using the scissors, but I didn't want chicken juice all over the scissors.  Way too many minutes later, I did get them all open.  Whoever packages those things means serious business.  

In a bowl, mix together the ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, chili powder, maple syrup, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce until well blended.

Pour sauce over chicken and cook on low for 6 hours.  Watch a movie with the baby or anything else you want to do - best step of this recipe.  Then, shred the chicken, toss back in the crock-pot, and cook an additional 30 minutes.  Serve on some sliced bread or rolls, if you're fancy.  DONE.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

baby frank teaser.

A couple of years ago, a baby bump was pretty foreign to me.  Now, I just want to hug random ladies I see in public who are expecting, touch their bellies, and sit down and chat about ALL things pregnant.  It is such a special (that word does not do it justice) experience, which is why I was so excited I had the opportunity to photograph a friend of mine's bump yesterday afternoon.  She and her husband are expecting their first baby, and they have less than 1 month left for sweet Savannah to arrive!  

I'll share more pictures in the next week or so, but these are 2 of my favs...

Congratulations again, Haley & Joseph!  Y'all are in for some good times. :)

-S

Friday, October 12, 2012

fall, boxes, & an 8 month old.

Oopsie.  I just found this post as a "draft" in my blog posts listings...better to post late than never, right?  I'll add a few more recent, instargram {@stephatcreekjunk} pics, too, so it's not completely old.  Hope you have had a beautiful, simple fall week.  Doesn't that sound better than just a "good week?" :)

Oh ya, my Mom is cleaning house and clearing out.  Well, actually we both are trying to go through our junk.  Stuff that's in boxes and never seen.  Y'all know what I'm talking about - don't act like you don't have any of "those" boxes.  Anyway, I'll try to post some pics this weekend of the stuff we're possibly selling.  Kinfolk, I know y'all read this, so we'll sell to y'all first before anyone else. :) Don't freak out.  We're not getting rid of everything and moving into a hole.  We're just trying to declutter.  And seriously, it feels pretty darn good to clear out some junk.  Try it.

happy weekend.

-S

fall can officially start.
smoke is puffin' out our chimney.

my blue eyed, creek bottom boy turned 8 months old on Wednesday!

country back road.

corn from the back farm.

Mase tryin' to eat the decor!

sittin' in a nook & playin' w. Granny's motorcycle boots.
{John Deere outfit from cousin Melody!}

last, but not least:
8 month birthday gift.
pumpkin shoes for the nug.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

easy squeezy, crock pot chili


I made this last Sunday for lunch, and it was very yummy.  The hardest part was getting up at 6 a.m. to cook the meat and throw everything in the crock pot...but once that was over, there's nothing else left to do!  Crock pot meals are the best.  I'm planning on trying lots and lots of new recipes during the next few BUSY months...

Happy Thursday!

-S


*

easy squeezy, crock pot chili

1 lb. beef
dash of garlic salt
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 (15 oz) cans ranch style beans

salt 
pepper

little bit of flour

cook your meat.
mix all ingredients into crock pot, except flour.
cover & cook on low 6-7 hours.
uncover, gradually add some flour, & cook another 15 minutes.
done.

Friday, October 5, 2012

front porch.

So, I'm averaging 1 blog post per week.  One word can explain this...mid-semester.  I don't even want to get started on this topic.  Well, all I'll say is that after one of the presentations last night, I wanted a nice, red, tall glass of wine.  Since I'm still breastfeeding nugget, I'll just to stick to apple cider.  Anyway, I have managed to tie up some cornstalks, pot some mums, and throw some random, spooky stuff in the house.  

One of the things I love most about this time of year is to see how people decorate their yard/deck/front doors (I HEART wreaths).  Several of my friends have posted some of the cutest pictures on FB, including one of my friends who is celebrating her first fall in their new home with a porch.  Those last 3 words cannot be understood unless you have, or have had, a porch.  Our old house in Shelbyville didn't have a big ol' area to walk around, sit, chat, eat, stand, drink, decorate, watch the cars go by, etc.  A few years ago when we briefly lived in downtown, St. Louis, our front door opened up to a carpeted hallway.  I missed my porch.  It's one of my favorite things about this farmhouse.   

So, I decided to snap a few pics of it with the fall garb this afternoon...and a couple of hams just HAD to be in the pictures.  Daffy is typically very, very camera shy, but today, she was posing like a celebrity.  And Duke, was his typical self...
Oh ya...my cornstalks.  Last year, I tied them with something (I can't remember what...I was pregnant, so last fall was a blur), but they weren't too sturdy.  This year, I tied them with some craft string stuff.  I'm sure there's a proper name, but that works for now.  Then, I wrapped some scrap burlap and just tied a little knot.  It's some burlap that Michael and I cut from burlap bags, because we couldn't find burlap ribbon.  We got the bags from one of the best, local redneck stores, Rural King, for super cheap.  So, I think they're pretty sturdy this year.  

Happy weekend, y'all!

-S
sneak peak.
craft string stuff+diy burlap ribbon