Apple Dumplings with a Special Ingredient ...Mountain Dew!

So,

I promised in my last post 

that my next post would be of my Valentines Decorations from last year,

the ones I have yet to locate.

And I do dislike going back on my word,

but life is about to get really crazy and busy for the next few days.

But it will be a good and blessed kind of crazy! 

{Lord willing!}

I'll fill you in next week,

...here's a sneak peek!

Until then, I'll be taking a short blogging break,

but I leave you with a dessert so delicious,

it'll make you forget those silly New Year's Diet Resolutions! :)

Apple Dumplings

2-3 Granny Smith apples

2 cans crescent rolls

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1+ tsp cinnamon

1 - 12 oz Mountain Dew (NOT diet)

Peel and core apples, cutting each into 8 slices.

Roll each slice up in a crescent roll.

Place in a 9x13 pan, buttered.

In a separate bowl, melt butter, then add sugar, vanilla, and stir.

Pour over "dumplings" in the pan.

Pour Mountain Dew around dumplings and sprinkle with cinnamon.

(I sprinkle the cinnamon very liberally, my family loves it!)

Bake for 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I've also made this recipe using canned peaches, delicious as well!

I use two peaches per crescent dumpling.

~enjoy!

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Linking Post To:
Be Inspired @ Common Ground
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Creatively Tuesday @ The Rustic Pig
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

Simple Valentines Tree & Burlap Wreath

My Christmas decorations are all down, and have at least made it as far as the garage.

And my house is somewhat in order, at least it appears so on the surface (closets don't count! ha).

That's a good thing, right?

But I still can't quite get into the swing of things,

like organizing (closets, attic, laundry room, garage, etc.)

or remembering where everything is, or should go!

It usually takes me until February each year to get my bearings!  

So, what does this rambling have to do with this post...

I can't find my Valentines Decorations!

nada...nowhere...

And I just refuse to go buy more,

'cause eventually they will show up,

maybe by Easter, or Fourth of July,

but eventually...

So, what's a girl to do in the meantime...

Use what she has on hand ...be creative,  be frugal!

From a large supply of scrap book paper,

I cut simple hearts, and used fishing line to hang them from branches 

spray-painted with leftover white paint.

The "base" of the Valentines Tree was from my Collection of Ironstone Pitchers.

I purchased the one below, at a yard sale of an elderly lady friend,

who said the pitcher was her mother's and well over 100 years old!

The red raffia filler was left over from my Dollar Tree Candlesticks Project.

{previous post}

Next on my agenda for Valentine Decorations was a wreath for my Pantry Door...

For the form of the wreath, I started with Foam Pipe Covers.

{Four in a pack, for less than $3.00}

One foam cover wasn't long enough, so I added about 2/3's of another piece.

I tried hot-gluing the ends together, but the hot-glue literally ate away the foam.

I connected the pieces and secured them with duct tape,

which was probably a better choice all around.

After I completed the form,

I cut long strips of burlap to wrap around it to "pretty it up."

I used Aleene's Clear Quick Dry Tacky Glue to secure the ends,

and did two layers of burlap to cover the foam form well.

Gathering strips of burlap to make rosettes was really easy!

I selected a strand of "string" about 3 up from the bottom of the burlap strips,
and pulled to create gathers.

But beware, pull the string very slowly and gently, or it will break!

Once gathered, I rolled the strips into the shape of a rosette, securing them with hot-glue.

The open-grid burlap ribbon, below, was left over from Fall projects.

The rosettes were hot-glued, along with the bow, to the form.

(The red burlap and ribbon was found at Hobby Lobby.)

Sisal Twine was used to hang the wreath,

and being that the wreath is so light,

the twine was just draped over the door, and duck taped to the back side.

Just in case you're new to my blog,

I'll round up pictures later in the week of last year's decorations and share them.

But in the meantime,

I'm actually quite pleased with my simple, cheap frugal ones!  :)

My search has been suspended and I'm enjoying what I have!

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Linking Post To:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co
Be Inspired @ Common Ground
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Frugal Valentine Decorating with Dollar Tree Crafts

I {heart} a party!

I {heart} crafting!

I {heart} a bargain!

And I really {heart} shopping!

So,

...I raided my local Dollar Tree for items

to create a fun and frugal Valentine's Project to share at

Debbie's and Shannon's

My creation,

Frosted Valentine Candleholders...

Below, are most of the items I started with,

all from the Dollar Tree, "where everything is $1.00!"

Plus, I threw in a can of Valspar Frosting Spray Paint to the mix.

I found the paint before Christmas at Lowe's, and I've been dying to try it on ...something!

First, I cut out a heart, with brand-spanking new, "not dull yet" DT scissors! :)

I traced two hearts on DT vinyl adhesive shelf liner.

Adhered the hearts to the glass cylinders,

{easy, peasy since they were self-stick},

hot-glued the candlesticks to the bottom of each,

and sprayed them as one unit, with the Valspar Frosting Spray Paint.

Chalk board tags were crafted,

from pre-cut DT Wedding Paper Tags,

and Chalk Board Paint.

The white ribbons were removed from the tags, and replaced with DT red rafia string.

The candle holders were filled with Jasmine scented Bath Salts.

I checked the package to see if the salts were flammable.

I didn't see a disclosure,

 so personally, I would use with caution and not leave unattended while the candles are lit.

{Use at your own risk....}

But even when the candles aren't lit,

the Jasmine Salts have a wonderful, clean fragrance.

My husband remarked how the house smelled of clean laundry,

{and there was none! ha!}

The cute little scattered hearts were from Dollar Tree, as well!

I included a few shots of alternative ways to use the candleholders,

...first, without the tags, and with a few hearts dropped inside...

...or for a more streamlined look,

keep the tags, but use white candles!

For more super cute and budget-friendly Valentine Ideas,

head over to Fox Hollow & Debbiedoos' Party!
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Also Linking Post To:
Tutorial Tip and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change
Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Beat the Winter Blues ...Go Green

After Christmas has passed,

and all the pretty, merry festive decorations have been stored away for another year,

my home turns into one

 sad, 

pitiful, 

depressing dwelling.

And with the children returning to school,

all is eerily quiet,

 lifeless,

and dull!

{So maybe I'm being a just a tad melodramatic,

but you catch my drift, right?}

Maybe you're in the same

sad,

 pitiful, 

depressing boat {home}?

Fortunately I found the solution to remedy 

the January Winter House Blues several years ago!

...Go green!

As soon as my decorations are tucked away and out of sight,

I head to Lowe's and the local plant nurseries for new, healthy house plants to liven my spaces!

House plants are also budget friendly!

The Bromeliad combination in the urn above,

was only $5.00, marked down from $29.99.

{from Lowe's}

I swapped the original planter, which was too modern for my home,

for the urn I had on hand.

Another great idea that will add interest and life to a space,

think outside of the box for interesting containers,

such as the fish bowl below, with fern and rocks tucked inside.

How about bringing other elements of nature inside for the long winter months,

such as bleached white shells!

{Found at Lou's Flower World, Wilmington, NC}

They will surely make you think vividly of warmer beachy days!

Pair the shells with a beautiful variegated Ficus Bush (also found at Lou's. $14.99),

and create a beautiful vignette...

Alternate the sizes and heights of house plants for more visual pleasure.

It's a documented fact,

that "bringing the outdoors in,"

with green house plants really does lighten one's mood.

And despite the stale indoor heat of winter,

plants help to purify and clean the air!

So live life happy,

any time of the year!

...Go Green!

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Linking Post To:
Masterpiece Monday@ Boogieboard Cottage
Mop It Up Monday @ I should be mopping the Floor
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change
Be Inspired @ Common Ground

End of Tickle's Journey 2012, The Elf on the Shelf

"Clean Up on Aisle 10,

under the Christmas tree..."

That's where we awoke to find Tickle on Day 17...

Day 18,

Tickle wasn't to be disturbed,

as he read a vintage rendition of...

.... Santa's Toy Shop.

I suppose he must have been getting homesick at this point.

Day 19,

Tickle visited with a Santa Elf! 

Day 20,

Tickle observed "The Reason for The Season,"

by the Nativity Scene.

He made a pretty cute wise man....

Day 21,

Tickle found a dazed and confused Easter Bunny at our door...

The poor little rabbit had come a little too early...

three months too early!

For the next few days,

our family was busy with holiday festivities, and traveling,

so Tickle rested on the mantle!

And then came Day 25,

Christmas Morning...

Tickle hung from the chimney as Santa's look-out...

making sure no children were awake, regardless of their ages,

before the big man in red headed down the chimney to deliver presents! :)

Later on Christmas day,

the biggest{slash}oldest 21 year old kid got in on the "Tickle fun"...

Josh hung the Carolina Elf from the second story railing,

"cause he disrespected him!" ha!

For a family who didn't want to participate in an Elf on the Shelf for years,

for fear they were too old, and way too cool for such,

sure have one-by-one hopped on the bandwagon this year! ha!

On Day 26,

the kids begged for Tickle to stay a few more days.

And on that day,

the bills starting rolling in from Santa...

On Day 28,

Tickle played a spoof of  "Tickle from Moonshiners."

...which is where Tickle our Elf's name originated from!

(per David)

I know, I know,

that sounds so tacky,

but guess what,

it was that or Honey Boo Boo! ha! 

Day 29,

Tickle was getting really homesick,

{and my creativity and ideas were waning}.

Below, Tickle searches for a route home...

...to the North Pole!

"I'm leaving on a jet plane,
don't know when I'll be back again..."

Day 30,

Tickle's journey at our home for 2012 comes to an end.

He bids farewell...

We'll miss those bright, cheerful blue eyes.

The little fellow is some kind of silly, but he really grows on you,

...and makes even those most resistant to his charm,

smile in the end! :)

Who knows, maybe next year he'll have a little (girl)friend to join him!