All the Small Things...

Waiting For The Greding Kids...

I LOVE to surprise the kids with a yummy breakfast treat! Just a little something to ring in our favorite season...

 

Welcome September...

 

It's here!

My favorite time of the year!  

Oh, how I love the Fall.

And yes, I know... it's not technically the Fall, but it's September 1st and that alone makes me giddy!!!

So in honor of September I have a few things going on around the Greding house...

 

A few corners of my home--

This is currently what my fireplace looks like, BUT-- I change things around CONSTANTLY, so tomorrow it could look completely different.  It just depends on what I find that I think will look fun or what one of the kids brings home from school and I want to add. 

The glass jars hold Pretzel M&Ms and Apple Cinnamon Popcorn.

That CUTE owl purse is from World Market and it's Scarlet's, but I'm obsessed by it's cuteness, so for now it will stay on my fireplace.  (remember what I said about changing things up?!?!)

Those white balls that kinda look like pussy willows light up and look amazing at night!  I bought them for Halloween, but my kids died over them and insisted I keep them out, so I added the apple branches to them and now we are both happy!

Oh, and I love a wreath on a mirror.  I actually have a hard time not decorating all mirrors.  It's something about their blankness and a frame.  LOVE that for some weird reason.

This is the THE most transitional spot in my home.  I change this bureau up even more than my fireplace.  It is ALWAYS seasonally decorated. 

Right now I'm loving the garland I just made.  I LOVE Eric Carle and a flashcard makes my heart go pitter patter!  

The ABC wipeboard is from Pottery Barn Kids and I'm loving using it for decorating.

I also like my mini chalkboard with our family math problem on it! :)

 

I'm telling you... it's the little things that make me heart happy.

 

One more thing--

Candles--

I'm burning Apple Pie in my family room 

and Cinnamon Spice in my bedroom

And I must tell you... my house smells divine!  

I'm telling you, the scent of a candle can change my mood in a second!  It's 85 degrees outside and I'm in the mood for sweaters, apple picking and a football game!

 

 

Inspiration--

My favorite inspiration year after year, season after season always seems to come from folk art.  I don't know what it is, but looking a a drawing of a barn with a clothesline in the background, or a wagon pulling a pile of pumpkins sends my heart into a frantic twitter.

I usually always have some kind of folk art drawing as my screen saver and it is usually always a seasonal one.  

Here's my current favorite...

I want to be "there" right now!!!

 

So there you go... a few things that make me happy, right now, in SEPTEMBER!

 

Pumpkin Patch 2009...

 

 

 

Go Warriors!

Friday Night Tradition...

So on Fall Friday nights one of my favorite things to do is make STADIUM MIXES for the next days games.  Sometimes I make sweet mixes with M&M's and other yummy stuff and other times I'm more in the mood for a salty/nutty mix.  Sometimes I do the combo. 

Last night I tried out an Asian Mix.  It's not my favorite, but it's different and still super yummy! I love to hand these bags out to friends and family at the games.  If I make enough, we drive around late Friday night and ding dong ditch friends and team mates with these bags for their games the next day!!!

HERE is a link to another post about my Stadium Mixes.

Asian Snack Mix

3 T. butter
3 T. creamy peanut butter
2 t. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn
2 C. chow mein noodles

Melt butter and peanut butter with soy sauce and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir until smooth.  Set aside.  Combine popcorn and chow mein noodles; drizzle with peanut butter mixture.  Toss to coat; spread on an ungreased jelly-roll pan.  Make at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes; cool and store in an airtight container.  Makes about 12 cups.

Don't forget to put your mix in plastic bags BEFORE putting it into your cute paper bags!

Apple Picnic With Friends...

This was the image that was on the invitations that I sent out.  I WOULD put the invitation on here, but I can't figure out my new Mac yet, so consider yourself lucky to even see this!  :)  I will soon like my Mac... I will soon like my Mac... I will soon like my Mac...

Okay, so the premise for my picnic was for us all (about 10 families) to meet at this gorgeous spot and feed our own families, but bring one apple dish for us all to share.  What serious yumminess we partook of!  We ate apple bread, bars, sauce, pies and cakes.  We devoured an apple sausage dish, apple and bacon salad and apples and yams.  Oh, there was even more and I'm just not remembering.  I'm going to collect recipes later on this week and will post as I get them! 

All the adults sat around and chatted and the kids ran around and built forts and played ball and ran up and down this hill.  Just a fun night with the best friends ever...

   

Tailgating...

On Friday night about 8 families meet up in the local High School parking lot for a good old fashioned tailgating get-together.  Nothing fancy... everyone brings their own food for their own family and we hang out and eat and the kids run around like having the time of their lives.  It was SO much fun and it reminded me how much I love my friends, their kids and our home town!

Stadium Mix

On Friday night I got a bee in my bonnet to make some Stadium Mix... YUM! 

I mixed some up and cooked it and then we delivered some of it to our friends decorated in cute bags.  You KNOW I love a cute bag!  :)

Stadium Mix

• 3 C. puffed corn cereal
• 2 C. corn and rice cereal squares
• 2 1/2 C. mini pretzel sticks
• 1 1/2 C. cashew pieces

6 T. butter

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. garlic powder

3 C. cheese cracker squares

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large roaster; set aside.  Add butter, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and garlic powder to a small saucepan; heat over low heat until butter melts.  Drizzle over cereal mix and toss gently to coat.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Add cheese crackers; tossing to mix.  Spread mix out on foil to cool.  Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.  Makes 11 cups.

 

It's the Beginning...

Today, September 1st, marks the beginning of my very favorite months!  I ADORE September-December!  Can't express how much I just look forward to these months during the rest of the months.

To celebrate my EXCITED mood, I hit Barnes & Noble to purchase a book I saw on GOOD MORNING AMERICA.  It looked SOOOOOOOOOOOO good, I had to have it.  I rarely see something excellent on TV and head straight to the store to purchase it, but this time I knew I need this book.

It doesn't disappoint!   I CANT wait to cook some of the recipes and use some of the fun party planning tips.

Again, I LOVE September 1st!

AWESOME Mail Day...

I seriously LOVE  a great mail day...

Take a looksy at my goodies:

Super cute fall bracelet for Miss Scarlet

3 new books from my FAV mailorder store!

Oh, I got 2 more fun items, but they are presents for my friend's upcoming birthday and since she reads this... mums the word!