Thanks for continuing to check out our blog! Lots to share as Thanksgiving is fast approaching. If you are looking for a fun craft project, take a look at our “Thanksgiving Tree”, which is pictured above. Like most folks this time of year, a big focus of ours is FOOD. This week, we are sharing two of our recipes for variations on cranberry sauce. Enjoy!

THANKSGIVING TREE

We were brainstorming about what sort of Thanksgiving decoration we could create and came up with our “Thanksgiving Tree”! It is a great way to combine holiday decorating and giving thanks. It’s also a fun way to get kids and guests thinking about all the things they are thankful for this holiday season.

You will need a vase or coffee can, a branch with no leaves, fall-colored cloth large enough to wrap around vessel, raffia (or twine or ribbon), plastic or real leaves (about…

This week, try our turkey chili, and check out our decorations, gift ideas, garden update, and, of course, the bears!

TURKEY CHILI

This easy, money-saving chili recipe makes a big batch and stretches a pound of ground turkey or beef. It’s a warming, make-ahead meal and leftovers freeze great, too! You’ll gobble it up!

Ingredients:

• one lb. lean ground turkey
• one large onion, chopped
• one tablespoon minced garlic
• one tablespoon olive oil
• three 15.5 oz. cans each of black beans and red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• one 16 oz. can fat-free refried beans
• one 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• one 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilis
• two cups water
• one quart box (32 oz.) of reduced sodium chicken broth
• one lb. bag frozen pepper strips
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• one tablespoon cumin
• one teaspoon oregano
• one tablespoon red pepper flakes
• one tablespoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons masa flour (in a pinch…

“Gratitude is the best attitude.” – Unknown                                                                                    Source: Quotegarden.com

Happy Thanksgiving! As Turkey Day approaches, we revisit updated versions of a couple of our favorite side dishes, a hostess gift idea, some of our favorite Thanksgiving things, what we are thankful for, the garden (now patio) update and, of course, the bears!

FAVORITE HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

Sweet potatoes with bananas

Check out the recipe here!

https://funclesarts.com/2014/11/22/thanksgiving-the-third-blog-post/

Cranberry sauce with jalapenopeppers

This zingy favorite is sure to surprise!                     Heat one 14 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce over medium heat until it liquefies. Finely chop one jalapeno pepper (remove…

This is our 3rd Halloween post for the year. We are still learning and having fun, creating new things and sharing a few ideas. This week we are focusing on the Happy Halloween Banner and some other random yet (hopefully) interesting Halloween and fall related things.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN BANNER: We saw a banner in a store not too long ago, and we decided to design our own and put our own twist on it. The banner we came up with is simple to make. We made ours out of things we had around the house, but if you were to buy the items, you could probably do it for under $10.00  Let’s make this a banner year!

You will need: 15 5X7 inch rectangles of burlap, 5-6 feet of Jute or ribbon, acrylic paint; black and orange, 15 wooden clothespins. tacks to attach banner to wall.

To make the banner: 

PUMPKINS AND SCARECROWS AND GHOSTS -OH MY!!

 Post number 2!  We had fun putting up the last post and are still learning about this blogging stuff.  Anything worth learning is going to take some time. We are just starting the process of creating a routine for getting more of these posts out with better and better content.

Last Sunday we decorated our place a little bit with the contents of the buckets of Halloween items we have collected over the years  We used that as inspiration for the few tips we are sharing this week. The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns are so simple and affordable. The scarecrow ideas we share make use of household items and thrift store finds. We hope you like these ideas and are enjoying this magical holiday season!

ADD A LITTLE PUMPKIN SPICE TO YOUR DECOR!

Decorating tip: The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns shown here is a…

A year ago today, we decided to start a holiday blog and do one post a week from mid-October through New Year’s Day. Once the ball got rolling, we didn’t want to stop. The blog has been a lot of fun to do and it has inspired us to be more creative. Thank you to everyone who has followed and contributed to our the blog. We’re looking forward to another crafty and tasty holiday season and a fun 2016!

PAPER

For wedding anniversaries, the traditional gift for the first year is paper. With that tradition in mind (sorta), we share two crafts made from paper. The first paper project is a clip-on Halloween witch made from construction paper and a clothespin. The second project is a banner we made for Kevin’s brother’s family, wishing them luck on their upcoming move to Florida. Additionally, we offer a recipe for broccoli rabe, a…

In this blog, we share a monster craft and our tasty reduced calorie mashed potatoes with cauliflower and parsnips and, of course, our garden update.

PAGING DR. FRANKENSTEIN!

Halloween is a time when monsters run amuck, but these easy-to-create monsters are fun and functional.

We made these funny monsters with coffee cans, fabric fur scraps and googly eyes. Fun and easy!

You will need: furry fabric; googly eyes; cans, jars, or other containers; craft glue (we use Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue); rubber bands; felt, pompoms; cloth scraps; construction paper; chenille rope; and anything else that will create the perfect monster!

To Make:

• Wrap fabric around can and secure at the top and bottom with rubber bands;
• Glue eyes onto fabric to create face;
• Add a nose and mouth if desired;
• For feet, we cut out 2 egg shapes, which were approximately 2 inches by 1.5 iches and glued them to…

“No living thing is ugly in this world. Even a tarantula considers itself beautiful.”

– Munia Khan (poet) Source: Goodreads

For our second mini-blog, we created a spider out of pine cones and mini pumpkins. A fun project to do with your kids. Perfect for Halloween!

You will need:

• Six 5-inch pine cones
• One 3-inch mini pumpkin
• One 4-inch mini pumpkin
• Black spray paint (Satin finish)
• 1 black chenille stem (we used Jumbo Fuzzy Sticks from Target) cut to 5 inches
• Craft glue
• Two 1/2-inch googly eyes
• One 14-inch platter

How to create your spider:

• In a ventilated area, spray paint pumpkins and pine cones thoroughly. Use newspapers to protect surfaces.

• Allow to dry.

• Place 3-inch pumpkin upside down below and in front of the 4-inch pumpkin on the platter or whatever you choose as a base.

• Add googly eyes with craft glue. (Some come with adhesive backs, use…