{Domestic Diva in the Making}

Awhile back my friend, Marilee, made a list on her blog of things she wanted to accomplish, things that when she finished, she would have earned the title of Domestic Diva! I'm far from considering myself a Domestic Diva, but I'm working on it.

When I posted my Halloween table runner, my friend Tauna wondered what I was going to come up with for Thanksgiving. She was expecting something, and I couldn't disappoint her. After a bit of thought and scrounging through my fabric stash, I decided to try a rag quilt style runner. I had most of the fabric I needed and only had to get some batting and the fall-ish leaves fabric.
I also stitched up the same pumpkin from the pillow I made last month on each end.... not to shabby, if I don't say so myself!
Have I ever mentioned I love my little town? Well, I do. I was gifted with some pumpkins from a family here. When I said I'd like some, I was totally planning to set them on the porch to decorate with. When they were delivered (yep, they even delivered them) I was asked if I was going to bottle them? Hadn't crossed my mind, but maybe? Hmmm? Maybe I shouldn't just waste them. I guess I could freeze them? So I cleaned them out, cut them up, baked them (for what seemed like forever) cut off the rind and mashed them a bit before sticking them in the blender..... where I learned,

that my blender HATED my favorite plastic spoon.......
and a pretty good wooden one too! I also, learned that my blender STINKS! Thankfully my mama lives just a hop, skip and a jump up the road and hers is a tiny bit better, but I still had to add some water to the pumpkin.

After much blending, I poured some of the the puree into muffin tins then freezing them to make perfect 1/2 cup bricks, I also did some larger bags. I can't wait to pull some out and make cookies. I ended up with at least 25-30 cups of frozen pumpkin from ONE medium pumpkin?!? What on earth am I going to do with the other THREE?

Seeing as how my sewing machine was still on my table (a week or so after I finished my table runner) I decided to finish up a pillow I'd cut out for Carlie's room.... months ago! TA-DA! (Pretend if you will, that it has a cute fabric covered button in the center, that sinks the center in and makes it look all cute and puffy, cause it will as soon as I can find the fabric button kit and get that done!)

Do I consider myself a Domestic Diva now? Not by a long shot (my kitchen is a mess and I have to step over piles of stuff in the office, so I've got a ways to go). Do I feel like I accomplished a few good things this week? Sure do! So, we're good!

{A week of C's}

It's been a week full of things that start with C around our house. A good week, a busy week, a fun week, and an uplifting and motivating week.

#1 C.....Canning

My kids love bottled peaches. I canned a bushel last year and we ran out. This year, I ordered 3 bushels or 74 pounds of peaches.... I'm not sure that was a smart thing to do. But whatever, I had peaches coming out my ears and that meant work to do. I spent most of Saturday listening to LDS general Conference, blanching peaches, pealing peaches, cutting peaches and finally canning peaches. I took a break on Sunday and started again Monday. Things were going great, until we noticed there was a big puddle of water by our meter? Derrick ended up digging up the line to see why and there was a leak, so off went the water. Canning was officially done for the day.... you just can't can without water! We finally got the water back on Tuesday afternoon, and back to canning I was.
I ended up with 37 quarts of peaches, 4 pints of peach pit jelly, and 14 pints of peach raspberry jam! That was a lot of work, but it sure looks pretty on my shelves.

#2 C..... Canyons

We took a drive Sunday afternoon up the canyon. I have the best memories of Sunday drives and fall leaves and hopefully my kids will too. I'm always sad to see fall go, it's one of my favorite times of the year!

#3 C.....Conference

Conference.....it always seems to come around right when I need it the most. It's funny, I used to dread it when I was younger, now I look forward to it. I love to be spiritually fed, uplifted and motivated. What wonderful leaders we have who live by example, and who serve, not only the Lord, but each of us. I didn't get a chance to hear all the talks that were given, but I've set a goal to not only read each one, but to study them.

#4 C.....Crafts

It's been quite awhile since I've had either the time, or a clean work space to craft in. Well, I got motivated, why? I'm not sure, but my craft room/office got a good cleaning an organizing session. So good in fact, I didn't go to bed until almost 3 a.m. Anyhow, now I had a clean space, I was ready to craft. I added Halloween pictures to the ladder, but it had to have something cute at the top.

SO, I whipped up a cute something to go at the top!
I just got the Textured Impressions Manhattan Flower from Stampin' Up! and had to play with it a bit. I thought this card turned out cute!

And last but not least, didn't my flower pin turn out super cute? I'm gonna whip up a few more of these for my sisters booth at the craft fair. Some will have pins and others hair clips. I can't wait to see what other colors and combinations I can come up with! The best part, the flower is a die cut that I used with SU!'s Big Shot.... I'm in love! Too, bad it's Lisa's and not mine....oh well, she's a good sharer.