Fall Contest & Holiday Decorating

Fall is in the air here and I am enjoying every day of my favorite season!  As the tree leaves begin to put on thier colorful show, I am in the mood for roasts, mashed potatoes, and pie.

While I was shopping for goodies at the Country Living Fair last weekend, I was also shopping for you!  Lynne and I spotted these adorable little pumpkins at a booth crammed along with a million other shoppers!   You could hardly get near the place.  Lynne stood in line 30 minutes to pay for these little guys while I watched guard over our other purchases.  The prize for the winning comment is the pumpkin in the foreground of the picture.  It is made of dried corn husks...too cool!  Don't you love the texture is has?  I think its quite nice in this vignette.

Speaking of vignettes.....years ago when my kids were much younger (a-hem....and me, too!) I used to deck the house out in grand style for every holiday.  No nook or cranny was left empty.  I still love to decorate for the holidays, just not quite so grand.  I don't have the time nor energy to do all of it, so I leave a few crannys bare, and go for a wonderful vignette in each room instead.  It still gives the holiday feel I love with a lot less work!  In future posts, I'll share some of my holiday decorating ideas, not that I'm a Martha, ya know...but a little something here or there might inspire an idea for you!  I know that's how it is for me!

So, to enter the Fall Contest for the cute pumpkin, please comment on how you feel about decorating.  What's your favorite time of year?  Has your decorating style changed over the years like mine has?  Comment before the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, October 9th.  Happy Fall to everyone!

Back from the Fair

Lynne Hagmeier & me

I had a wonderful time visiting the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend!  Country Living magazine hosts this event each year, and boy do they do a wonderful job!  There were thousands of pumpkins, gourds, hay stacks, mums, and corn stalks decorating the fair grounds, which was so festive.  There were approximately 175 vendors who came with their antiques, hand-made goodies, and food in a wide variety venues, but all with a country, folk art and primitive style. 






Julie Hendricksen & Jean Jacobsen


It was a wonderful get-away with my girlfriends, Lynne, Julie and Jean, to shop, eat, and gab.  My roomie, Lynne Hagmeier, will no doubt post more about the Fair on her blog, (http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/), so check be sure visit her blog, too!

While shopping the fair, I didn't forget about you, my friendly blog readers.  I brought something special back for an October contest, so check back with me later this week to see just what I bought for the contest, and see a sneak peak of a new quilt that will be in the next Journey of my club, The Prairie Women's Sewing Circle!  Stay tuned!

The Cook of the Family

I like to eat.  I like to cook.  I like to eat more than I like to cook!  I love to sew.  I love to sew more than I like to cook.  How about you? 

I am the main cook for my family.  My husband Ed has been cooking a lot more, and doing a great job, (he makes the best Double Baked Potatoes ever!) but mainly, the cooking is up to me.  Over the years, I find I want to eat a home cooked meal, but don't want to always be the one to cook it.  Nothing uncommon about that.  When Ed's schedule doesn't allow him to cook, and either my schedule is busy, or more to the point, I'd rather be sewing, I turn to my favorite kitchen appliance, the slow cooker! 

I am on a mission to collect as many yummy slow cooker recipes as I can, so, I am asking you, dear reader, to send me your favorite recipes!  In exchange, I will post my favorites.  I'll also do my best to share your recipes with everyone, too!  Please email your slow cooker recipe to pam@heartspunquilts.com. 

To start things off, here is a new slow cooker recipe we recently tried and thought it wonderful!

STEAK & CREAMY MUSHROOMS
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 cup onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh button mushrooms, quartered
2 lbs. round steak, cubed
1 cup sour cream
cooked noodles
crispy bacon bits, optional

Combine soups, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, paprika, onion, garlic & mushrooms in slow cooker.  Add steak.  Cover; cook on Low 8-9 hours.  Stir in sour cream the last 20-30 minutes.  Serve over hot buttered noodles; garnish with bacon.

What's nice about this recipe is that you don't have to cook anything before it goes into the slow cooker!  I love that...even easier!  Serve with a nice side salad.....dinner!  Those crock pot liners make life and clean-up a snap, too!  Gotta love a good slow cooker recipe!  Look for more recipes in future posts.  More time to sew!  Yea!

Tomorrow morning, my girlfriends and I will be traveling to Columbus, OH, to attend the Country Living Fair!  We are so excited.  I have wanted to do this for years, and this will be my first time.  I'll be sure to take some pictures to share with you next week.  Until then, happy sewing and good eats!