Caramel Apples

Last Thursday I was in charge of a caramel apple demonstration at church for Relief Society.  I have never made a caramel apple before in my life!  Shocking, right?  I’m sure a bazillion of you have made caramel apples before, but I have not.  I have eaten plenty, but never made any.  This wasn’t just about teaching the women how to dip apples in caramel, it was a gourmet caramel class.  When I was asked to take this assignment, I made sure they all knew that I had never done this before.  They told me it was easy.  OK. 

So now I am here to tell you (those of you that were like me and had never done this before) that it is EASY and so fun!  For years during the fall I have thought about doing caramel apples, but never have for lots of reasons. 

I didn’t know how.

I thought it was hard.

I thought I had to have a perfect caramel recipe.

It seemed way too messy.

It is not hard at all!  It may be a little bit messy, but nothing bad at all.  That should say a lot coming from someone who seriously hates messes.  After doing some research about the process of gourmet caramel apples I was ready to go.  I had a practice day at home first. 

I learned a lot from this site.  My pictures are hit and miss, but I will show you what I learned and how I did it. 

1.  You first start with 8-10 small to medium sized apples.  Granny Smith or Fuji are the best.  I prefer Granny Smith.  Smaller apples are better.  They are easier to work with and it makes the caramel go further. 

2.  You have to wash them very well to get the wax off store bought apples.  This helps the caramel stick better to the apple.  There are a couple of ways you can do this.  Dip them for a second in boiling water.  Lightly sand them, or give them a baking soda bath, which is what I did.  I filled up my sink with HOT water and poured some baking soda in.   Then I scrubbed them with the rough side of my kitchen sponge and rinsed them in hot water. 

3.  I dried them with paper towels and then set them out to finish drying.  They have to be completely dry.  Which is why this should be your first step.  They can dry while you prepare everything else. 

4.  Next, I got all of my supplies out and toppings prepared. 

Supplies: apples, caramel (not pictured) sticks, toppings and wax paper.  You can buy the sticks at any craft store, possibly any grocery store.  I purchased mine at Walmart while I was there getting everything else. They were in the cake decorating isle.  There are short, medium and long sticks to choose from.  I bought the medium ones.  I will get to the caramel in a minute.

As for the toppings…I went with chopped peanuts, M & M’s, Heath Bar bits (these were all ready in a bag by the chocolate chips) crushed Oreo’s, chopped pecans and miniature marshmallows.  View the same site I mentioned earlier for other topping ideas.

5.  Then it is time to put the sticks in the apples.  You want to remove the apple stem first.  Putting the stick in was a little bit tricky.  Sometimes they were really difficult to push in and the stick would bend, but you can bend it back easily.  The palm of my hand was starting to hurt from pushing the stick so hard.  I got about half way through with the sticks when I realized that it didn’t have to hurt me like that.  Sometimes it takes awhile for things to click!  I used the rubber thingy that I use to open glass jars with to cushion my palm.

 

This helped a lot. 

I’m sure a kitchen towel would work too.

Here they are.

The apples are ready, the toppings are prepared so now it is time to do the caramel.

6.  You can melt the caramel in the microwave or on the stove.   There are several different caramel recipes.  Once again, I used this site to figure out which recipe I wanted.  I opted not to go for homemade, but to go for easy.  I bought the packages of Kraft Caramels.

 

Using the Kraft Caramels, you need to individually unwrap 2 24 oz. packages of caramels.  Melt them on the stove at a medium heat with 4 Tbsp of milk.  It says whole milk, but I used 2%.  Just like it says to use a double broiler, but I didn’t.  They worked fine.  If you melt them in the microwave, follow the same instructions only stopping to stir every 30 seconds until melted. 

7. Then it is time to dip the apples in the caramel.  Dip them straight in to get as much apple covered as you can and then turn sideways to get the top edges better. 

I put the caramel in this bowl to dip, but it would actually be much easier to dip them in the pot you use to melt the caramel on the stove with.  The pot has a handle so you can rotate the caramel better and get better coverage plus you can put it back on the stove to keep warm in between apples.  If you melt in the microwave use a big measuring glass or bowl that has a handle and you will be able to rotate the caramel better also.   When you are done dipping the apple, pull it straight up and let the extra caramel drip off.

8.  As soon as you are done dipping one apple, roll it in your topping right away.  The caramel sets quickly.  

I learned to have my wax paper on a plate ready to go in the fridge.  You want to allow to set up in the fridge as soon as you are done topping it.  If you top your apple with something heavy or big, like M & M’s or marshmallows and leave it on the counter to set up it will drip to the bottom and not stick.  That was my experience.  So they all went straight into the fridge. 

9.  After each apple was rolled in a topping and chilled in the fridge I drizzled them with milk chocolate or white chocolate.  I melted the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave and then scooped them into their own zip lock bag and snipped a tiny corner off to drizzle with.  This was the finishing touch. 

Aren’t these so fun?

I was really happy with how they turned out.

 

They were so yummy and delicious too.

My kids were so excited when they got home from school that day and saw such an unexpected treat.  I had all of my practice apples cut up on a plate ready to go. 

They thought I was pretty awesome that day. 

Some other things I learned was to chop up my M & M’s.  I chopped them with my Pamper Chef Chopper.  The M & M’s whole were too heavy.  Also, read the tip on that site for dipping in chocolate after dipping in caramel.  It sounds yummy!  If you are going to do any of this with kids, I would DEFINITELY have it all prepared before you invite the kids to help.  I am talking caramel done and everything.  I don’t think it would be as enjoyable to have the kids in the kitchen for the whole thing.  It actually sounds like a big fat headache to me! 

I think this would be such a fun thing to do with or with out kids.  I loved my day in the kitchen playing and learning something new.  Having said that, I am going to give this a try with the kiddos this weekend.  It’s time for us to start celebrating the holidays and I think this is a great start.   Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a disaster.  It will be interesting!

Linking up to:

  Tatortots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up        

Photography is a never ending journey.

Shortly after moving here I desperately needed a new camera.  Mine wasn’t doing the job anymore and it was time to be replaced.  I had new goals and ideas in mind as far as photography and candid snap shots went.  Except I didn’t have a clue how to go about it or where to start.  I ended up spending lots and lots and lots of time researching cameras and e-mailing questions to friends.  I would visit my local camera store and play the 20 question game with them while experimenting with their equipment.  Only I still didn’t know what I was doing.  After all of my research I did know that I wanted a DSLR.  I didn’t understand what a DSLR really meant and how it could produce such great images, but I knew that was what I was looking for.  Casey knew and understood how much I loved photography and was willing to support and encourage this new investment.  In fact, months later after all of the research and debate, we were at the camera shop ready to purchase my new baby and I chickened out. 

Yes.  I chickened out.

I had anxiety about spending so much money and it was making me sick.  Casey was out of the store for a second tending the kids when he walked back in and saw me getting ready to purchase a different camera, one that was not a DSLR.  He was really confused and asked me what I was doing.  I explained it all to him and he took the camera out of my hands and told the sales person exactly what it was we were going to purchase. 

Can I just tell you how much I really love my husband?   He is so good to me and is always sacrificing for ME.  He knows and understand me so well, even when I am not thinking straight.  He knew how important photography was and is to me and that I would have been miserable with another camera.  I think he also realized that there was so much more to this camera.  Although I don’t think either one of us realized what we had gotten ourselves into.

That was only the beginning.  The beginning of what really?  I didn’t know.  I just knew how excited I was to learn more about photography and to have this camera that could do SO many things. 

We bought the Nikon D40 with a kit lens.  Although this is a great camera, I out grew it 6 months later and sold it to my sister.  After purchasing the D40, my hobby turned into reading my owners manual and photography tips and tutorials on the internet.  We are talking HOURS and HOURS. 

I took a class on line that taught me how to shoot manual mode.  That right there alone is world changing in photography and is how I out grew my D40.  I was beyond excited to upgrade to the Nikon D90.  I had to sit on this decision for awhile too.  The money once again was killing me, but I knew it would be totally worth it.  So we bought it.  I was set for awhile with my D90 and my 50mm 1.8 lens.  Almost a year later I felt like I was being held back again and I couldn’t do all that I wanted to with my camera.  Casey and I researched and researched and talked and talked about a new lens.  Finally we decided that for my birthday, Christmas, Valentines and our anniversary one year (you get the point) I would get the 24-70mm 2.8 lens.  World changing! 

And that is where I am today.  My wish list for cameras and lenses could go on and on and on.  I am happy where I am right now.  Although I would love to get a new prime lens, my next step at this point would be a new camera body before a new lens.  I am not even going to think about it though because I still have not out grown my D90 and there is an incredible amount still to learn.  Photography is never ending really.  It’s funny to remember how much I was freaking out about purchasing the D40, not realizing at all that it would be a small purchase compared to everything else.  Who knew how much I would love and learn and grow… and still are.  Just like the insane amount of camera bodies and lenses out there, there is also an insane amount of photography information to be read and practiced.  HOURS and HOURS. 

My whole point with this post was to share with you a goal I had.  My goal and the majority of the reason I wanted a DSLR was so that I could be my OWN children’s photographer.  For my 3 little kids (at the time). I think that great everyday snapshots are just as important as the professional ones you take every year.  Since moving to a new state and not knowing any photographers (and after spending over $300.00 at a place in the mall for 3 11x14’s, 1 8x10’s and a couple of 5x7’s with out the cd of proofs and not really loving the photos)  I decided that I was ready to learn how to be the photographer for my family.

I did not even think about going into photography for anyone else.  The first couple of times I was approached about taking photos for others, I was shocked with the idea. I still hadn’t even thought about it.  After graciously declining, my next thought was how incredibly nervous and incompetent the idea made me feel.  I had no intentions at all of heading in that direction.  Until about a year later when it literally hit me one morning.  I realized that I felt ready and excited about the idea of being someone else’s photographer. 

And that is where I am today. 

About a year into this new journey. 

Learning, loving and growing. 

Although I am very much a part time photographer and a full time mommy to 4, I am enjoying stretching my talent to the max and learning to balance all things.  Moderation in everything is probably the biggest lesson I have learned lately.  A little here and a little there of each thing goes a long way and is working for me.  And lots of patience from myself, my clients and my family helps. 

I thought I would share a few of the kids back to school photos.  Since moving here I have not purchased back to school photos from the elementary school.  I decided to wing it and do it on my own. 

Here is a little history of photos.

 

Third Grade

First Grade

I love this picture of the two of them together.

   

   

Fourth Grade                   Second Grade                     Preschool

 

These are from this year.  2011-2012

  

It was fun to go back through pictures and see how much the kids have grown as well as how different the photography is.  The biggest difference (I think) is the the first set of Kaylee and Jake, 2nd and Kindergarten.  The rest, as far as photography goes, are pretty close.  One of the things that stands out the most to me is photo editing.  I feel like now I really focus on techniques to get it right in the camera and use editing to enhance the photo just how it is.  The last set of photos are a little bit softer and more natural.  I don’t know…what do you think?

Develop your talents, even if it is scary.  Whatever they are.  We are given them for a reason and you never know where they will take you, although someone else bigger than you does and that is why HE gave them to you in the first place.  It doesn’t matter if you use them just for your little family or share it with others, but do all that you can to develop them.  And then keep at it.  We each have different talents. That is for a reason too.  Wouldn’t it be so boring if we were all the same.  How would we learn from each other?  I can not even begin to tell you how much I have learned about life from others around me.  Timing is everything though and there is a season for everything.  Whatever your talents are and however you want to use them, when the time is right, go for it!

72 Hour Kits

Early on in our marriage we heard advise to update our 72 hour kits every 6 months around the time of General Conference, which would be in the spring and in the fall.  Twice a year would allow for us to make sure we really had what we need in them and around Conference time is a good reminder.  We have tried to stick to that guideline, although there has been years that have gone by with out us even touching them.  This year we were on the ball and got them done before General Conference.  We had a little bit of time to tackle them together before school started so that’s what we did.  I don’t think we had opened any of them since Ady was born.  She still had formula and baby food in hers along with a size 2 diaper.  Those items would not be helpful now if we had to evacuate quickly.  

We store our 72 hour kits in the hall closet upstairs.  There was room in that closet and they should be easy enough to get to.  Here was our process of spreading things all over the floor and replacing the old food with the new food.  

Those are all of the pictures I have.  We were doing it so fast and it was a little crazy tackling a project like this with all of the kids home, but it is DONE (for the next 6 months) and we are very happy about that.  It can be so overwhelming sometimes wondering where to start and what exactly to put in your kits, so I thought I would share what we did and the resources we used to help us. 

The first one is a list we got from church. 

SAMPLE 72-HOUR FOOD KIT

6 (8 oz.) boxes juice
3 (8 oz.) boxes milk
2 granola bars
1/3 lb. graham crackers
5 (1.4 oz.) pkg. sandwich crackers
6 (.5 oz.) fruit roll-ups
4 (2 oz.) pkg. trail mix
5 (1.5 oz.) pkg. raisins
6 to 7-1/2 oz. peanut butter

3 ounce can tuna
7 beef jerky
1 package gum
fork
spoon
knife
18 wet wipes

Pack in an air and moisture-proof container or bag.

Then it tells you how to use the food.  I thought that was helpful.  We made copies of these and put them in each kit.

EMERGENCY MENU

DAY 1
1 milk
2 juice
1 granola bar
2 fruit roll-ups
1 pkg. trail mix
2 pkgs. raisins
3 oz. peanut butter
2 pkgs. sandwich crackers
3 jerky

DAY 2
1 milk
2 juice
1 granola bar
2 fruit roll-ups
2 pkgs. trail mix
1 pkg. raisins
3 oz. peanut butter
2 pkgs. sandwich crackers
3 jerky

DAY 3
1 milk
2 juice
2 fruit roll-ups
1 pkg. trail mix
2 pkgs. raisins
1/3 lb. graham crackers
1-1/2 oz. peanut butter
1 pkg. sandwich crackers
3 oz. can tuna
1 jerky

Emergency Supplies
Prepare these items for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.

• Flashlight

• Radio – battery operated

• Batteries

• Whistle

• Dust mask

• Pocket knife

• Emergency cash in small denominations

• Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat

• Local map

• Some water and food

• Permanent marker, paper and tape

• Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes

• List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers

• List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food

• Copy of health insurance and identification cards

• Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items

• Prescription medications and first aid supplies

• Toothbrush and toothpaste

• Extra keys to your house and vehicle

• Any special-needs items for children,seniors or people with disabilities.  Don’t forget to add items for your pets.

Those two lists were very helpful to us.  We also referred to How Does She post about the subject.  She focuses on 72 hour kits for kids.  We really liked her idea of putting everything in different zip lock bags.  It would make it much easier to rotate things and find what you need if you have to use your kits.  Definitely a great reference.   The closest we have ever come to using ours was during Hurricane Ike.  Although we DID NOT have to use them (thankfully) it was nice to feel prepared. 

I read back through my Hurricane Ike posts.  It was kind of fun to read them again and I am so glad I recorded all of that.

Here is my post on being prepared.

Here is my post on the devastation after Ike.

Crockpot Meals

In hopes to make all things much simpler this year, I have taken full advantage of my crockpot when it comes to meal time.  I have always loved using my crockpot, but recently I feel like it is my secret weapon to having a warm, yummy meal on my table with out feeling inconvenienced.  I am probably using my crockpot 3 times a week.   I have tried several new crockpot meals lately.  I thought I would share a few that my entire family really likes.  They passed the test.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Meatballs – my kids LOVED this one.  They really liked all of them, but this one was their favorite.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches – I added 1 package of Lipton Onion dry soup mix.  So easy and so good.  It makes a ton too.  Great for leftovers or a meal you can share. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup – in addition to topping this with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese, I like to add sliced avocado and cilantro.  I also added Cumin (it is my favorite seasoning) and a can of green chilies to the mix in the crockpot.  Super good!

Tonight we had Pork Chops in the crockpot.  This is a recipe I have been using since my kids were little. 

Mushroom Sauce Pork Chops

4 Pork Chops (or however many you need)

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1 small onion - sliced

2 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup apple juice

1 small can sliced mushrooms – drained

2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta

In a skillet, brown chops in oil on both sides.  In crockpot, place onion, add chops.  Grind tapioca with a mortar and pestle (or just leave this ingredient out.  They will still be delicious.)  Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chops.  Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4. 

Enjoy!

In other news:

The Texas A & M football game on Saturday was so much fun!  We went with 3 other couples and left the kids with a babysitter all day long.   Literally.  We have never left our kids with a babysitter for nearly 10 hours before.  We are so lucky to have a babysitter who ROCKS and that we feel comfortable leaving our kids with for so long.  We love her family too.  That always helps.  Anyway, it was the biggest and loudest stadium I have ever been too with the most school spirit.  It was fun to be a part of that and spend the day with friends…with out our kids.  Between all of us, we would have had 15 kids. 

And, I got a new calling at church today.  I am now the second counselor in Young Womens.  That means I am with the Beehives. I am excited!  I have been in Activity Days for 2 years now and a lot of my girls have grown up and moved into the Young Women program, but now I get them back.  That is going to keep me busy for sure.  

Around Here {Kaylee’s Room}

This week has been a busy one.  A good one, but a busy one. Lots of errands and misc. things to do.  I had to take my brand new Toyota Sienna in to get fixed, for the second time.  We have only had it for 3 months and it has been in two minor accidents.  I have NEVER been in a car accident where I have been behind the wheel and then we get a brand new van that we have been waiting to buy forever and I rear end someone after having it for only a month.  Ugghh…the thought still makes me sick.  It was minor, no one got hurt and my bumper got replaced shortly after that.  I swear, I probably only had it back for maybe another month, when someone came inside Kid to Kid one day while I was shopping to ask if I was the owner of the Grayish Toyota Sienna outside.  Ummmm….I didn’t want to answer and my heart sank, but I said yes, knowing what she was going to tell me.  Sure enough, she had backed out of the parking spot next to me and hit the side of my van.  However nervous I was to call my husband and tell him about this, I was just as grateful that she came in to tell me.  That would have been awful to go outside and find that for myself!.  I can’t even imagine. 

So this week started out with me spending an entire morning taking my van in to get fixed and battling the insurance guy for a rental car.  Fun.  I have felt lost with a tiny rental car and being with out my van  all week.  My husband is actually on his way to pick it up while I type this.  Woo-hoo!  The rest of the week was a Dr. appointment and lunch with Kaylee, visiting teaching 3 of the women in my ward another morning, taking my kids back to school photos one evening, having Activity Days at my house with the young girls from church one night, scheduling and preparing things for holiday photo shoots and preparing for a caramel apple demonstration I taught last night at Relief Society.  It was so fun and they turned out so cute!  I will have to share about that next week.  BTW, have you seen the free monthly printouts for visiting teaching on Pinterest?  I loved that!  So easy and cute.  Also, I made a Photography/Wardrobe inspiration board for my clients to view on Pinterest.  Can you tell I love Pinterest?  I do.  So many of them ask me what they should wear, so I thought I would gather up several ideas  and help give them a head start.  Tomorrow we are going to an A&M football game.  It is an all day event and it will be my first A&M game.  The boys go all the time and love it.  I’m excited to see what the hype is all about.

Alrighty, on to the post.  I thought it was time for another “Around Here” post.  This time I thought I would share Kaylee’s room.  We re-did her room for Christmas last year.  The whole idea of it has been finished since then, but I just barely added the finishing touches, like printing and framing photos.  To see what her room was like before go here. 

Here it is now. 

We both agreed that we wanted it to be a little bit more streamlined and grown up.  She loves.  I love it. We are happy.

The bedding is the Shabby Chic line from Target.  I think I even got the zebra throw there too. The sheets are also from Target.

As are the pillows.  I love Target!

I took down the quilt that was hanging on my shabby board and tied some picture frames around the rod with tulle.  The lamp is from Hob Lob.

 

The two black frames I already had.  We just spray painted them black.  The pink frame was a find at Marshall’s Home Goods, but it was in the room before.

We replaced her old knobs on her dresser with glass ones from Hob Lob.  The lamp is also from there as well as the frames. 

So far, maybe you can tell my favorite decor stores are Target, Hobby Lobby and Marshall’s.  Love them all!

I printed a photo of Kaylee on this old car in a 20 x 24.  I love the texture the car brings to the room.  I bought a canvas in the same size and spray painted it black.  Then used craft spray adhesive to glue it on.  If you haven’t done this before I would advise you to have someone help you.  It is a two person job, for me anyway.   I took the vinyl “Dream” off the wall and placed it on the photo.  I was happy it worked so well for me to re-use.

  We took this bookshelf from Ady’s room and gave her Kaylee’s dollhouse bookshelf.  Ady’s room is different now too.  I will have to share that soon.  This bookshelf is perfect in Kaylee’s room.  Casey made this for the boys years ago.  It has been painted several times. 

My sweet girl.

 

Her desk area got a minor makeover.  The mirror and chair were painted.  My aunt gave Kaylee a new creating memories organizer.  She loves it.

I love her grouping of K’s.  Here is a tip: If you have a couple of similar, small things like this, it makes more of a statement if you put them all together. 

 

And that is that!  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping by. :)

 

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Life’s Journey {what has helped me}

I mentioned a while back that I was having a hard time with life.  There are two things that changed everything for me.  I know that there were many little daily things that needed to change and things I needed to view differently, but two distinct things changed my view on day to day life dramatically.  I will share those two things in just a sec. 

I believe that technology can be a blessing in our lives just as much as it can be an invader and time stealer from ourselves and those around us.  A couple of weeks ago I learned what a huge blessing it can be if I use technology and my time the right way.  Because I was doing this, I was blessed by stumbling across two articles that I needed to read.  I know that I didn’t actually “stumble” across them at all.  They were there for me to find at that particular time. 

The first one is from Brooke Snow.  She writes an amazing blog about Photography and life in general. I always learn something from her.  Every week she posts about things she has found on the internet that have helped her or she has found uplifting or interesting.  I look forward to these posts from her.  She titles it “Best of…my weekly discoveries.”  Don’t click on these links yet, but this particular Best of led me to this amazing article about our to-do lists and time-management.

I want to get the background set up for you.  This article changes the focus of our to - do lists from the list itself to the actual how and why we do things.  Something that I really needed to learn.  The part that made me stop and really contemplate this perspective was when he said we are creating our Legacy with our daily to-do’s.  Now go back up and click.

Wow!

Legacy has always seemed like such a big word.  It is full of so much meaning!   To use it in a day to day context really made me think.  What he says is so true.  What do you think?

The second one is from a new blog I found.  Cajun Joie de Vivre.  Amy Bayliss is a Christian blogger who writes about so many different topics, including recipes and organizing and crafty projects, which is how I happened to “stumble” across her.  I was organizing a few things on my Pinterest boards.  I was sorting through my For the Blog board, printing some free printables, one of which was from her.  One thing led me to the next on her blog and I found myself hooked reading so many wonderful things that I needed to read.   This is the article that was meant for me.  She sorted out everything that was all jumbled up in my head and put it into words.  She made sense of everything for me.  The concept she writes about are things I already have been taught and know to be true, but I needed to read her words.  I’m not even going to try to explain what she says because she does so perfectly.  Her article is lengthy, but it really was life changing for me so if you feel like you don’t know what you are doing anymore, your days aren’t making any sense and you are pedaling your wheels and getting no where, read her post. 

Just thought I would pass some very good reads your way and a little bit of my own life lessons.  Maybe it will help you like it helped me. 

Wrapping up Summer – 2011

I have been cleaning out pictures on  my computer a little here and there.  I came across so many fun summer pictures that I hadn’t done anything with yet.  I thought I would do one last post about our summer in picture form.  Here ya go…

These two photos SCREAM summer!  Nothing like a hot day and water from the tap outside.  Yuck if you ask me, but such a summer kid thing.

Our summer started out with a visit from the Swenson’s.  Amongst all the other fun things the kids did, we went berry picking.  Definitely one of the highlights of our visit. 

Shortly after they came to visit us, we took a trip to Arkansas to visit them.  On the list was a trip down town to the Peabody Hotel to see the March of the Ducks.  We explored a lot of other fun things while we were downtown.  A visit to the sno-cone shack and lots of free time at home to let the kids get creative while Andrea and I chilled.

One of our favorite outings at home was a trip to Galveston with the Dickamore’s and the Stingham’s.  A trip to the beach each year is mandatory. 

We had lots of these kind of days.

I wish we had more of these kind of days.

Fun times and great memories!  We are so blessed to have such awesome friends to do fun things with!

Around Here { Entry Way, Heritage Banner }

Complete picture overload, just so you know. :) I’m surprised my computer didn’t crash with this post.  I am running out of room on my computer so badly.  It gets worse every day.  For every 50 photos I delete, I upload 300.  Not good at all!  My disk space is always in the red.   

This post was intended to be about my entry TABLE, not my entire entryway.  hahaha…but while I was taking photos I realized how much has changed since we moved here and I haven’t really ever documented or blogged this space before, so I thought I would take you on a virtual tour.  Here is my interpretation of a virtual tour. 

Welcome to my home.  This is the view you would see from the front door.

If you turn towards your right you would see the dining room.  You can go here to see before and after photos of this room.

I really like my coat tree in the entry way.  I think it feels cozy.  When I first put it here, I didn’t have anything hanging on it.  Awhile later I added our monogram frame.  Just recently I added these keys.  They were hanging on a different wall in the entry, but I like them here.  Even though I have accessories hanging on our coat tree, we still use it for normal things.  Backpacks and coats are here when we are waiting for car pools and when friends come over after school. 

I used to have a shelf with some other decor on the wall below.  I decided it was time for me to frame some family photos that had been hanging out on my computer for far too long.

(The bathroom I shared recently with my gallery wall is behind that door.)

This summer when I went stir crazy in my house re-doing everything, I found this frame at a local antique store.  I love old frames, remember?

Also, here is a fave printing tip.  I print all of my photos at mpix.com.  I can’t say enough good things about them.  I REALLY like the metallic finish they offer.  I don’t print everything in that finish, but I always love how it turns out when I do.  This photo is printed in that finish. 

If your back was towards the dining room, you would be back to the center of the entryway.

Across from the dining room is the office/study.  This is the view standing in the dinning room.  Don’t look to closely at my husbands desk.  It gets a lot of use and I don’t touch his papers. 

The sconces are a recent addition.  Hobby Lobby – 50% off.

This is the view from inside the office.

I have had this clock since my days in Providence, UT.  and I still love it. 

 

Here are a few details of the entry table.  I changed everything pretty much but it is similar in style to how it was before.  I wish I had a before, but  I don’t.  I’m not always the best at remembering that.  I get to eager to pull it all apart. 

I sanded the top of the table and re-stained it.  I absolutely love this!  It is such a simple thing, but it is one of my favorite re-do’s from the summer.  It used to be a light pine, glossy colored top.  It had to go.  I still liked the style of table and the neutral color.  The new stain fixed everything for me.  I added the glass knob too.  You know me and hardware.  I found the matching lamps at the same antique store I found the frame.  This was my splurge!  I even had to go home and sleep on it for a night or two before I bought them.  I couldn’t get them out of my mind and we all know what that means.  They had my name written on them.  I have not regretted this purchase once.  They are nice heavy duty lamps that I will not get sick of.

I decided to keep it simple on the table top and reuse what I already had. 

  

I ripped the covers off a few of my old books.  I had to think twice about that.  I really like the look, but once you do that it’s a done deal.  Old books are hard to come by sometimes and they aren’t cheap anymore.  It was so worth it.  I am TEMPTED to do this to all of them.  Tempted.  I ripped pages out of these same books and rolled them up inside the glass jar.  Tied it with some vintage ribbon and it was complete.  

I printed a new photo for this frame.  I like the pop of turquoise.  I LOVE that boy.

This was what I really wanted to share.  It was the inspiration for this post.  My Heritage Banner. 

I have inherited so many old family photos.  My family on my side as well as Casey’s side, knows how much I really do appreciate photos.  I have collected these through out my married years.  I used to have them framed through out my home, but when I re-did things recently I decided to make a statement with them all in one place.  I usually have some type of banner or holiday accessory on this mirror.  I really don’t like it when it is empty.  Probably because I am so used to seeing something on it.  This was the perfect place to display something like this.  Everyone walks through here and everyone will see it.  It also goes well with the vinyl words above the mirror. 

I used some of my vintage ribbon I stocked up on during my last trip to McKinney.  I hot glued each end to the mirror and then used small clothes pins I bought at Hob-Lob to clip the photos in place.

  

I added this photo of the Salt Lake Temple that Andrea took a long time ago.  Casey and I were married here.  That is where our family started.  Temples represent Eternal Families.  Even though not all of our ancestors are members of the church, temple work is what will bring us all back together again.  This photo completes my Heritage Banner.  (If you have any questions about Temples please ask).

And this view completes my virtual tour of our entryway.     

 

 The End. 

Thanks for stopping by. :)