Intro: It's a Wrap!

It's so much fun creating pretty packages. When I have the time, I'd much prefer to get creative with wrapping instead of using a plain gift bag. This year, I've challenged myself to wrap using different and unique ideas for each. This coming month, I'll be sharing a lot of those ideas in my 31 days series, It's a Wrap!

In getting together my posts, I found that all my ideas fit into five categories so each week in October will have a different theme. Each Sunday, I'll post a scripture verse instead of a wrapping idea. 

Some of the ideas are really easy and others will take more thought and effort, but none are exceptionally hard to tackle. A lot of these ideas are for package embellishments meaning you can use any wrapping paper you want to wrap your gift. Others involve using specific paper for the achieved outcome. 

I'm looking forward to sharing my ideas with you this month!

~ ~ ~

I'm joining in with many other bloggers who are writing 31 days series. 

Click ~here~ to see more.

Blog Plans

UPDATE: scroll to the bottom of this post to see the themes for the photo-a-day challenge.

The next two months will be very busy here on this blog.

In October, I'm doing a 31 Days series: It's a Wrap! 

I'll be sharing some ideas to made gift wrapping fun, festive, and personalized.


In November, I'm hosting another photo-a-day challenge.

The other two photo-a-day challenges I did were so much fun and were a big success. I wanted to do a fall challenge and November seemed like the month to do it.

The rules are very simple. Take a photo each day that fits the theme of the day. Please keep your photos family friendly.

There are different ways you can post your challenge photos: post your day's photo each day, wait and post a whole week at a time, or wait until the end of the month and post them all at once. I usually post mine every single day but since November is a busy month and I will have just blogged every day in October, I'm going to post mine once a week. 

You can blog your photos, upload them to an online photo album, put them on instagram, etc.

I'll have a link-up on the first day of November where you can link up all your pictures. It will be open all month long. 

I'll be putting together the topics in the middle of October. If you have any suggestions on themes, please go ahead and comment or send me an email. I appreciate your opinions.

Would you be interested in joining the challenge? If you decide to join in, feel free to put this button on your site. 

UPDATE: Here are the themes for the November photo-a-day challenge...
Feel free to save this to your computer and post it on your site.

Photo Friday: My Own Little Parliament

I couldn't help myself. This week I made a lot of these little felt owls. They are just so cute! It might have become an illness but I ran out of grey felt. I don't have a plan for them so for now they will be going into a basket until they are needed. And just maybe, a few more friends will join them...

A group of owls is called a parliament. 

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Barn Sale Finds

The barn sale we went to in the spring and last fall was this past weekend. As always, I found couple of treasures.

I've been looking for a mirror for my room for a while but I've not been able to find what I was looking for. (If you look closely, you can see the old mirror above my nightstand in this post.) I found a beautiful mirror at the sale! The frame is looks good in my room and the glass is old.

I also found a vintage fan. It still works, too!

Now I can't wait until the next barn sale! :D

Photo Friday: Pumpkin

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Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy Faithfulness

by Thomas Chisholm

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness to
Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

* * *
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-24

Photo Friday: Creepy!

While feeding the cats last night, I saw a large insect run from the side of the porch to the middle of the porch and sit there staring at me. I was a little too far away to tell what it was so I got my camera out with the zoom lens on and take a picture. Upon seeing the picture, I discovered it was a large praying mantis. Seeing it run towards me at an alarming speed and intent look has confirmed my dislike for these insects. I feel like it would like to eat me if I was a little smaller or if was a little bigger!

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Apple Hand Pies

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.” 

 ― Jane Austen

September makes me think fall...even though last week's weather wasn't saying it. Once the calendar says September, I'm ready to start making and eating all the wonderful fall foods. I've been wanting to make an apple pie for over a week so apple pie was what was on the menu for dessert last night. Instead of the traditional apple pie, I decided to make hand pies.  

Ingredients:
5 granny smith apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoon butter
2 15-oz package of pie crust or 2 recipe of double crust pastry

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Peel, core, and slice apples. Cut the slices in half. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add apple slices and stir together.
2. Cut eight 7-inch circles out of the pie crust. Put a spoonful of apples on top of the dough circle. Place 1/4 tablespoon butter on top of the fruit. Brush egg on the outside edge of the circle and fold over. Crimp the edges of the dough closed. Brush more egg on the top of the pie and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Repeat with the other seven circles.
3. Place pies on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Notes:

I only had one package of pie crust so I made four hand pies. Instead of halving the fruit mixture, I took the excess pieces of dough and rolled them together to form a bottom crust and poured the rest of the fruit into a pie dish. 

I used this Nordic Ware Pocket Pie Maker to form the pies. It makes the cutting, folding, and crimping go much easier. 

What fall food are you looking forward to making?

The Last Hoorah of Summer

Yesterday we had the final homemade ice cream party of the season.

These boys were ready and waiting for their cups to be filled.

Everyone was gathered around Dad and Uncle Max as they opened up the freezers. Uncle Max is getting passionate about the fabulous ice cream. :)

We had chocolate and vanilla ice cream to chose from with toppings to put on top. 

Here are my cups of ice cream: one vanilla with caramel sauce, and one chocolate with chocolate coconut sauce. Yum!

While we were out on the patio enjoying our ice cream, Pinky decided to nap in the porch.

Photo Friday: Mystery Insect

This creepy crawly was in our kitchen the other day. I tried looking it up but couldn't figure out what it was. Any ideas?

Note added: After more research and suggestions from friends, I think I've figured out that this is a robber fly. 

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