Fall Decor & The Perfect Storm

A little snippet of our lovely fall decor created by my mother (Needful Things All Natural Home and Body Care) with some of the after effects of the #AlaskaStorm. Some of you may have heard of the lovely storm we had here in Alaska a few weeks ago. Well apparently we are in for another one beginning tonight. Everyone is battening down the hatches. I personally am preparing with lavender tea and getting out my crocheting......and of course praying! A lot of damage was done during the last storm. Many people in the "world" don't understand why Christians often don't freak out about what appears to be impending danger/discomfort. That can be summed up with Matthew 6:25-17

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

I frequently meditate on and recite this scripture, especially verse 27. Worrying will not add a single hour to your life, and in fact due to the negative impact on your health it can have, it may in fact take hours away  from your life! We are able to rest in the love and peace of God despite however bad the situation may seem.
 If anyone in Alaska is reading this, be safe and stay prayed up! God bless you!

Patch NYC, Taylor Swift, & The Laurie Berkner Band

What do Taylor Swift, Patch NYC, and the Laurie Berkner Band all have in common? Well I'll tell you! As you may have gathered, I love all things whimsical having to do with the woods and woodland creatures: trees, owls, foxes, feathers...There's just something cozy and timeless that the thought of being in the woods evokes for me; that may be why Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of my all-time favorite movies. That being said, I am LOVING the Patch NYC selection currently being sold at Target. Below are some of my favorite pieces...

Clockwise from top left: Patch Owl Lamp, $59.99; Patch Deer Cookie Jar, $29.99; Patch Fox Bowl (no longer available online-check your local store for availability); and Patch Feather Coffee Pot, $24.99

*All photos from Target.com*

Below is one of my favorite videos from when my little guy was a toddler. It's the Laurie Berkner Band doing "Fast and Slow" on Nick, Jr. And yes, I was inspired to dress him like a little woodland creature-as if I needed any push in that direction!

A slightly more adult version would be Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" video with the band in weird animal costumes...yeah, I don't know where that came from, but can I say how much I love that yarn wallpaper in her video apartment?!?!

LOVE IT!!! 

(photo below from TaylorSwiftVEVO on YouTube...#hisface!)

Rock-A-Bye Baby

I love rocking chairs. Something about them just brings about thoughts of comfort and creating warm, relaxing memories with loved ones. Here's a little story about a recent addition to my found furniture collection involving a rocking chair found on the side of a the road. Hope you enjoy it!

After totally feasting this 4th of July holiday a couple months ago, we decided to take a walk around the block to work off some of that delicious bar-b-q. Well it pays to listen to God even in the small stuff because as we turned the corner, I saw this dusty, cat-hair filled rocking chair sitting on the road outside a neighbor's house. My little brother asked me if I wanted it and he went up and rang the doorbell and asked if it was being given away, which indeed it was. My brother hauled the super heavy rocking chair all the way back to my house (did I mention how awesome he is?) I was uber excited! I donned some gloves and attacked it with bleach wipes to sanitize it (I'm a total germaphobe!) 

 After lightly sanding it with a fine grain sandpaper, I sprayed it with about three coats of Krylon fusion spray paint in Cherry Red.

 This is the finished product. You can tell from the random clutter around it that I am redoing that room, and my thrifty find will fit perfectly with the new color theme. Upon finding that the red toile cushion that I fell in love with online was waaaaayyyy too small to fit the bottom of the chair, it became a little back cushion. The pillow that I'm using for a bottom cushion is actually a regular large throw pillow. It fit perfectly and is super comfy to sit on.

BTW, this  last picture is a close-up of the red toile cushion and a dollie I made with my mom when I was about seven. She's one of my most prized possessions and therefore has the seat of honor in my new fabulously thrifted rocking chair. One man's trash is truly another man's treasure! Have you recently found a piece that needed a little love and you were able to make it be fabulously perfect with a little tlc?

The Harvest

Fall is my absolute favorite season. The cool, crisp air; cute sweaters and scarves and boots; and of course the harvest! I've been harvesting crabapples, rose hips, and currants to put away for the winter. The crabapples were made into applesauce, rose hips dehydrated for medicinal purposes, and the currants for jam. The house has smelled absolutely divine while preparing all this lovely bounty. Brings me back to my childhood sitting in the kitchen with my mom and Granny while canning and preserving for winter. Below is my recipe for crabapple applesauce, how was your 2012 harvest? What have you been putting away for the winter?

Crabapple Applesauce

1. Peel, core, and slice the crabapples into quarters

2. In a large pot, add water until it almost covers the crabapples as well as some lemon juice

3. Add a little cinnamon and brown sugar

4. Cook the apples on medium high heat until tender

4. After the apples have cooled, use a slotted spoon to put them in a blender or food processor

5. Process until smooth (you may need to add a little of the liquid from cooking the apples)

6. Add more cinnamon, brown sugar, honey, etc. to taste

7. Put in mason jars and refrigerate

8. Enjoy your tasty, preservative-free crabapple applesauce!