Homemaking Organized Blog

Archive for October, 2010

This is an updated version of a post I did last year around this time…okay a bit later than this.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s a good time to start fine tuning your plans if your home is THE home this year.

Listed below are some links to free downloads and printables to help you pull off a great Thanksgiving dinner, a memorable holiday time and new traditions to try out.

CRAFTS

Favecrafts free Thanksgiving Crafts ebook

Free Natural Health Ebook: The Big Guide of Thanksgiving Crafts: With some holistic health thrown in here is a big book of crafts for the coming holiday season.

FOOD

Paula Deen – Paula has a great Holiday ideas pdf. Complete with recipes, gift ideas, and decorating tips. Nicely put together. Pick up your copy here (downloads the pdf).

Martha Stewart – Martha Stewart’s Hotline cookbook. Another 7 mb of recipes and a few entertaining tips. Get your copy here.

Ocean Spray – This is a really cool one. Ocean Spray make your own holiday ebook. Just select the features you want and click ‘create’. Get yours here.

Our Own Vintage Thanksgiving free ebook (the download is on the sidebar) : You know I like vintage, victorian, what have you. The old days. I won’t say ‘good’ because I DO know they were hard. Anyway here’s a cute little Thankgiving download with some recipes and tips from the past.

Related articles

• Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (suite101.com)
• 200 Creative Thanksgiving Day Ideas (momblognetwork.com)

Big Breakfasts.

Who doesn’t love them?

In our family they’re called “Gut Stompin’ Breakfasts”

But it doesn’t set well to spend endless hours in the kitchen every day putting together such a meal.

In our household I’ve designated two days a week to make a big breakfast. Wednesday and Sunday.

The cast of characters usually looks like this… sweet bread of some sort, Normally on Sunday it’s pancakes but during the week I opt for coffee cakes, muffins,or cinnamon rolls, along with an egg dish, sometimes an extra meat and plenty of fruit. Juice, milk, and tea.

Usually I do spend a bit more time in the kitchen than I would like on these days so I’ve been searching for ways to streamline a bit and use the freezer to keep some of the items until my designated days.

The other day I came upon this recipe, tried it, and marked it a success. You may enjoy it too..

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls (Out of buttermilk? Use milk with a splash of lemon juice).

Update: I found an easier recipe I like better Pink of Perfection Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Do you ever have a fridge full of leftovers, no desire to cook anew, and not an idea in your head about what to do with them?

Yes this happens to me a lot.

Tonight it was chili. I also have some turkey in there.

So here are a few ideas.

I made chili pie with the leftover chili. Top with cheese and some dropped on cornbread batter (yes technically I had to cook to make those).

For the turkey I make soft turkey tacos. Chop up the turkey, sauté some onions and peppers.  Add the turkey to heat through. Serve with cheese. Delicioso!

October is Fire Safety month and it’s good timing. It’s been community service workers for the last few weeks in my daughter’s kindergarten classes and the fire station was the focus for a few days.

To supplement her learning experience we took her by the local fire station and checked out a cute video explaining the different cars associated with the fire station and what to do when one is coming down the road. I guess there are more in the series.

She’s made her own fireman hat. Seen how a fireman gets in his gear before responding to a call and learned about fire safety in our home (fire alarms, drills, and do NOT play with fire).

Here are some printables to help with fire safety in your home.

Fire Safety Checklist – A Fire Safety printable Adults

Fire Safety Coloring for Kids – Coloring Book

Fireplace Safety – Fireplace And Home Fire Safety Printable

I have to admit to feeling a bit smug as this is how I put on my daughter’s duvet cover after washing.

So I’m redoing the master bedroom the easy way (changing up bed linens, new lamp shades, a new piece of furniture or two, moving stuff around and CLEANING UP!). And I was browsing around The Company Store’s (thecompanystore.com) flannel duvet cover selection, because I REALLY want a flannel duvet cover but having spent so much already I’m just drooling for now, and came across a video for putting on their duvet covers. Now admittedly my daughter’s is a twin size so I decided to do a bit more research to find out if I would have problems changing out ours which is the larger queen size.

I’m came across this delightful decorating and home type blog (and by the way I was going to buy that duvet cover in the picture but I waited too long, because I like a sale, and they sold out in the store AND online!!!). Which of course leads you to this demo for putting on a duvet cover with the nice British accent.

So voila! Have problems no more!

p.s. When I was in college my stylish best friend made a queen size duvet cover from two Ralph Lauren flat sheets. So if you can sew a straight line you can make your own. Tres Chic!

It’s definitely Autumn in the air and even with being a dismal summer as far as gardening goes I’m still picking tomatoes.

It’s time to do all those lovely clean up chores in the garden. So here are some lovely Autumn Gardening Chores for you….

Autumn Gardening Chores (would you like this in a cute printable? Let me know).

1. Clean up excess garden debris. Dead plants. I have plenty of those.  And stalks. Turn your soil over.

2. Clean and oil your garden tools.

3. Drain and store garden hoses. Seriously consider drip irrigation for next year.

4. It’s a good time to do some lasagna gardening. One of my best friends told me about this last year and we’re trying it with a patch of my mother’s yard.

5. Make notes on things you’re going to do better next year. (we’ll do better at staking the tomatoes and organic bug control).

Happy Gardening

October is Apple Month. So get your recipes out. You know the old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and who can afford many doctor visits these days?

I love apples! I used to live in a small town in Washington where apples where plenty. They still are in my new hometown but not quite like before.

I once traded baked goods for some home grown apples. My favorites are Gravensteins and my good friend has a Gravenstein tree in her back yard. I guess it’s because you can make quick and easy apple sauce with them. You peel, cut and put in a pan with a little water and add a tiny bit of brown sugar and cinnamon if you like. Cook a bit and they fall apart before your eyes. Tastes great on oatmeal. Yumm.

My least favorite in the apple world are Red Delicious. I find them boring and the peel tastes awful. But in a pinch they will do.

And  there is more truth to the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” than you may realize. To find out more about the health benefits of apples visit U.S. Apple Association for healthy apple bits and some great recipes.

Happy Apple eating!