Just Make Stuff

Most wonderful (busy) time of the year...

Embracing all things Christmas means there's a lot to do around here. There are all the gifts to buy and wrap, and a bunch to ship. Christmas cards to finish, print out and address. There are elves on shelves, December Daily-ing and merry making to be plotted. There are more gifts to be crafted up and the dessert house to be planned out for our neighborhood progressive dinner. 

I am moving right along with a bunch of this stuff and today I made an extra little list to pop into my planner each week to keep track of everything...and to remind me that I really love all of this holiday busy-ness.

Here's the PDF... The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Planner Page

Happy Thanksgiving...

The tables are all set (there is another one in the living room) and there is so much cooking left to do tonight. 

Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend...Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving tables...2014//2013//2012//2011

Turkey Day...

I sent an invitation last week and today was our third annual turkey day with our nephew and nieces (2013 & 2014). I am hoping they will want to continue the tradition into their twenties and thirties. 

The "Auntie Nora" Pinterest board was stuffed with turkey ideas (pun intended) and we ended up making turkey bowling to play this Thursday, pom pom turkeys and cocoa rice krispie turkeys (although I didn't get a picture until after the carrot legs and reese's pieces eyes were gobbled). Sean used the cake batter recipe again and they were darn good. 

An adult relationship...

Sean had a hat on as we walked out the door and I said that wasn't fair...we were both going all the way with the bedhead as we got out early this morning for the pre-Thanksgiving trip to the grocery store. He decided to then continually mess up his hair more and more. 

Eighteen years ago today we were out on a first date...so I guess our relationship is a legal adult now. Although I am guessing the aforementioned hair story already had you fully convinced about our maturity. 

Honestly, our relationship can still resort to being like a tired, whiny three-year-old. I wish I could say it's all happiness all the time around here, but nothing is perfect. Which is not good when one of us can be a major perfectionist (hint: it's not the guy with the messy hair). If I were grading (and I just was a few minutes ago) I would give us an 88%.

However, eighteen years later, I can thankfully say we both always want to work harder towards that 100%. And I guess, when you think about it, that is what adults do.

Thanksgiving Mantle...

 

So completely and totally excited that it is Thanksgiving break. I cannot wait to go grocery shopping and decorate and set the table and cook and watch the parade and decorate for Christmas and eat leftovers and just enjoy the entire upcoming week. 

Hey, Hey All The Way!

I have obsessively taken photos of every run-through for four years. Maybe because Mac used to want to make them as a kid and so every time I see him standing out on the field with one I want to make sure it's documented. Among the endless photos I snap, I caught this blurry one a few weeks ago. 

"Hey, hey all the way!" is one of the chants from an enthusiastic grandpa we are usually sitting a few rows back from at the games this year. And I really hope he's right since we have a second round playoff game tonight. Last week I cried at the start of the game, afraid it would be our last...and I'll probably be crying at the start of tonight's game too...but I will be cheering at the end because we just have to win. 

Hey, hey all the way!!!

Well Wishes...

Well Wishes...a homemade card shared on Wednesdays. 

Weeks Twenty-Nine to Forty-Four...

There is really nothing else I can say besides how much I love this.

Cranberry Orange Simple Syrup...

Last weekend when we ended up not cooking a Sunday dinner (instead we had it Monday), we grabbed some soup and sandwiches from Panera. As we were waiting, I looked at the menu boards and saw, "seasonal iced tea".

I had no idea what they meant by seasonal iced tea and did not ask, but I mentioned to Sean that I thought a cranberry orange iced tea would be really good. And then I realized I should make a cranberry orange simple syrup...with a little of the mulling spices we had picked up on our afternoon of errands. 

I made a special trip to the store to buy fresh cranberries since I was obsessed with the idea. It came together in about 20 minutes total and when it was completely cooled it was mixed into a glass filled with freshly brewed iced tea. 

Cranberry Orange Simple Syrup 

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 orange; with the rind carefully peeled off to have chunks of zest (not the white part)
• 2 handfuls fresh cranberries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon mulling spices (optional)

In a small sauce pan combine water and both sugars stirring until slightly warm. Add the cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon stick and mulling spices and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes and allow mixture to cool (I took the cinnamon stick out so it wouldn't be that strong). After the syrup has cooled use a strainer to remove everything but the liquid and store the syrup in a jar or pitcher in the refrigerator. 

Finished up...

Earlier today I went to clean up the overflowing second basket in the rolling cart I have under the counter in my craft room and found my 2014 summer scrapbook under the pile...unfinished. The photos had already been tucked into the final few pages, so it just took a couple of hours to finish up the last details...15 months later.

Well Wishes...

I usually don't say anything when I share a card on Wednesdays, but I thought this one might need a little explaining.

Unless anchors, green & purple and 1 Corinthians 13 seem like a logical pairing to you.

The sorority I was in when I attended Redlands includes all of these details, so they all went onto a thank you note I needed to send.

Well Wishes...a homemade card shared on Wednesdays. 

Monday's Sunday night dinner...

With lots of Sunday errands, we did not get home in time to make the rib-eye and asparagus Sean picked up at the store this weekend. So I made it tonight (without burning my hand off) and wanted to share an idea. 

That's why you are, once again, getting pathetic food photography. 

One of my favorite recipes ever has been this brown butter sauce for asparagus. Super simple and ridiculously good.

Um, but then Sean pointed out how good it was with the steak. 

Let's just say the next time rib-eye is on sale, like it was at our local grocery store this weekend, you have to buy it and make the sauce. You just have to.

Add in the apple pie hard cider that was originally going to go with Sunday night's dinner and this Monday night was way better than usual.

Making a custom sized planner page protector...

I was trying out new photo paper last week and printed a photo of Mac from Homecoming that I loved because he looks so happy. I also love it because my friends taught me a couple of years ago that a photo with a orb of light in it is believed to possibly be the energy from a loved one who has passed on. So, now every time I ever see one in photo with Mac, even though it's probably a sun flare or something else that is easily explainable, I like to think it's his twin brother Griffin. 

The printer paper worked great and I thought it'd be nice to have the photo in my planner, but whenever I've tried to punch new holes in a page protector it doesn't really work and there is no page protector size that fits my A5 planner well anyway.

Then it occurred to me to cut off the hole-punched edge and cover the open seam by adhering a piece of folded patterned paper that I could neatly punch holes out of. 

It totally worked, so I printed a couple of the fall prints I bought during a sale in this Etsy shop a couple of months ago and a photo I took of one the bouquets of flowers Sean brought me from Trader Joe's. 

I used some gold polka dotted vellum for a cover and now my planner is extra cute and fallish when I open it.

Favorite wedding gift...

This is the third time I have posted the same idea (2009//2013), but making up cards with our most used recipes continues to be my favorite thing to do when giving a kitchen tool wedding gift.

The wedding gift I shared last week was a chip and dip set with several spatulas and our bridal shower gift was muffin tins with measuring cups, so I created a set for each. 

Here are the cards I put together... Chip & Dip Recipe Card Set & Muffins Recipe Card Set

Well Wishes...

Well Wishes...a homemade card shared on Wednesdays. 

1/2...

It's the evening of November 2nd, which normally would not mean a darn thing to me, but today has the slightest significance. It is my half birthday marking the final decent to the next decade. Forty is really looming now. 

As age milestones go, I did not handle twenty-five well...the "quarter life crisis" stuff I had heard about on Oprah was totally real. Thirty was good...only mildly panicky.

Forty. 

I am going to try really hard not to freak out.

And I totally need to make scrapbook pages again.

Most wonderful time of the year...

I realized last week that I am pretty sure that November is my favorite month of the year. Thanksgiving is my very, very favorite holiday and I love all the building anticipation to Christmastime. November usually brings the first little breaks after the long semester haul. It finally (oh man, do I hope so) gets cooler out. And did I mention I love Thanksgiving?

I added a link in the blog sidebar to the Thanksgivings (and Friendsgivings and Turkey Days) of days gone by. Cannot wait to find more ideas to try this year.

Leftover Containers//2014 Thanksgiving Decorations//Fabric Napkin Rings//Thanksgiving Binders//Pumpkin Apple Bacon Soup//Paper Place Settings//My Mom's Stuffing Recipe//Turkey Wooden Spoons//Fabric Leaves