Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas Card 2015

Now that our Christmas cards have officially been sent and delivered, I can share this year's card as a virtual Seasons Greetings to all of you here on the blog!


We set up a little photography studio in our basement, collecting old doors and crates from the barn and a local antique store to make our "set".  A huge thank you goes out to Daniel for being a dog trainer extraordinaire. He was waiting in the wings with lots of treats to get them to stay in place and pose for our card!

For the text portion, I knew what I wanted the card to say and decided a Chalkboard would be a cute and fun way to add it to the card. I absolutely love how it turned out!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!


Saturday, December 19, 2015

I'm BACK!

It's been quite some time since I've updated this blog.  With the end of my Master's degree nearing, things at our house just got a little too busy and something had to give.  Unfortunately it was blogging, but there's good news: I'm back now! In a true reflection of the craziness of my past few months, I'm going to post a Five on Friday 
on Saturday.  

Here are Five things that have happened since the last time I updated the blog:

ONE - I Got a Master's Degree!

Image via Clemson University Facebook
I finally did it!  After 2 long years I've reached my goal of getting a Master's Degree and I couldn't be more excited about it!  Working full time and going to school is no joke.  There were some days when I was working on my thesis, classwork, Etsy shop orders, and real job, that I thought I was never going to make it, much less the bed.   A big thank you goes out to my family and friends for being supportive and patient with me!  Now I can have my free time back and don't want to look at a textbook for a VERY VERY long time!

TWO - We Have a New Foster Dog Who Has Stolen Our Hearts!


Meet Chewbacca or "Chewy" for short.  She's an 8 year old Shih Tzu with some special needs that we decided to foster about 2 months ago.  Chewy doesn't make her own tears, has some skin allergies, and has a low functioning thyroid.  Despite all of this, she is the sweetest dog I've ever met and is so easy to love and care for!  She came right into our house like she's always been here and quickly went from sleeping in her kennel to sleeping with us on the foot of our bed (which is her favorite spot in the whole house).  

Chewy had a minor surgery earlier this week and was pretty upset with me for leaving her at the vet where she lived as a rescue for a long time (being adopted and returned several times--which breaks my heart).  She gave me this look when I dropped her off for the surgery that could only be described as saying "Et tu, Brute?"  I have given her lots of treats and snuggles to make up for this betrayal and am trying to convince her that she is 
safe at home here with us!

THREE - We Built a Giant Hogwarts for Halloween!

Daniel and I as Luna Lovegood and Dumbledore!
Our town has an annual trick-or-treating event for the local kids.  This year (in addition to everything else that was going on) I got it in my head that we had to transform the front of my Dad's store into Hogwarts.  Daniel and I used styrofoam sheets from Lowes to build a castle front that was over 12 feet tall and my entire family dressed up as a different character from the book series to pass out candy in front of the castle.  The kids (and their parents) were so excited to see Hogwarts and would jump at the chance to guess which character we were.  This night was probably the highlight of my fall!  I loved being able to do something fun for the kids of our town, while getting my nerdiness out for Harry Potter!  I can't wait to add on to it next year (que Daniel's groan here...hahaha).

FOUR - We Hosted Our First Annual Thanksgiving Oyster Roast!

 



Daniel and I have pretty large families and our Thanksgiving Celebration is always huge!  Many of my extended family members come for Thanksgiving from out of town, joining us on the farm the night before.  Daniel and I thought hosting an Oyster Roast in our backyard (look!  we finally have some grass) would be a fun way to kick of the Turkey Day festivities.  

Since we live in the country, it gets pretty dark out in the fall/winter months.  To help give some light to the party I asked Daniel if he would string up some Italian Cafe Lights over the yard and I LOVE how it turned out.  The effect was so romantic and festive--if only we could figure out a way to keep them up year round!  We had 300 Oysters for our party and all 300 were quickly consumed by our crowd!  It was a fun night of laughter, cozying up by the heaters, and eating.  I can't wait to do it again next year!

FIVE - We Decorated for Christmas and Went a Little Griswold!

As our first official Christmas in our new house, I've gone completely Griswold.  From making Daniel drive an hour to a Christmas Tree farm in the mountains (IN THE RAIN) to cut down our own tree, to going to a million stores to find just the right decorations for our mantle, I wanted to really feel the Christmas Spirit in our new house.  I just love the magic Christmas Decor brings to your home and wanted to do it big for our first year!  I'm sure Daniel thinks I'm just a little bit nutty, but thank goodness he just goes along with it, getting on ladders, hanging wreaths, and getting everything just right.  I will share more pictures of the rest of our decor soon!

So there are just 5 highlights of the past few months!  Tonight, Daniel and I are off to see the hilarious Amy Schumer in Charlotte and I CAN'T WAIT!  
Happy Weekend Everyone!



This post is linked with (AprilKarli AmandaTifAndrea, and Rebecca) for Five on Friday!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Glace


I cannot get over my obsession with Pumpkin Spice this year.  If that is wrong, I just don't want to be right.  Yesterday was your perfect Fall day--leaves blowing around, a slight chill in the air, and some overcast weather.  It was perfect for baking.  This Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze hit the spot and quickly became a favorite fall dessert.  I definitely have plans to make it for Thanksgiving since it's a fun twist on a traditional holiday dessert!  I hope you enjoy!




Ingredients

for the cake

  • Baker's Joy cooking spray (or you could use cooking spray and some flour to prep your pan)
  • 1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature 
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cups milk (I used skim)

for the glaze

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions

for the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Prepare the cake pan with Baker's Joy or cooking spray and flour
  • Combine both types of sugar and butter in mixer, beating until well blended
  • Add eggs 1 at a time, blending them well after each one
  • Add in pumpkin and vanilla, beating mixture until combined
  • Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together well
  • Add dry ingredient mixture and milk to sugar mixture, alternating until all is combined (tip, begin and end with the flour mixture)
  • Add batter to cake pan and bake for 55 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean
  • Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack

for the glaze

  • Heat butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves
  • Add cream, vanilla, and salt and bring to a boil while still stirring
  • Remove from heat and let cool until thickened
  • Drizzle over cake and enjoy!





Linking with BianaKatieLindaErin and Ashley


Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Halloween Murder Mystery Party

Over the weekend Muffin and I hosted a Murder Mystery Party at our house.  My sister Anne is moving to Nashville this week and and we wanted to celebrate her last official weekend at home with a memorable night.  The theme was tons of fun and was probably one of my favorite parties to date!  Below are some pictures of the decor--it was so fun putting everything together!

These centerpieces were SO easy!  Just old wine bottles and "Bag of Bones" found at tons of local stores or online HERE.








If you are looking for a fun party theme for Halloween this year, I definitely recommend a Murder Mystery.  It was interactive, interesting,  and just all around silly fun.  We used Shot in the Dark Mysteries for the storyline and I can't say enough great things about them.  Their customer service was incredible!  Plus, it was great that the hosts of the party get to participate as well (not all murder mysteries do this!).

Even bigger bonus to throwing the party--my house is now completely decorated for my favorite holiday!  Score!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Baked Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts


I woke up yesterday morning looking out at all of the fall leaves and got a serious craving for Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts.  Baked doughnuts at home are incredibly easy and fast to make and this recipe definitely hit the spot!  I hope you enjoy!





Ingredients

for the donuts

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 can of pumpkin purée
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • Make sure you have a donut pan

for the glaze

  • 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 3-6 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Combine all ingredients except for flour and mix until smooth
  • Slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time.
  • Stir until combined.
  • Place batter in a ziplock bag and cut off the tip to fashion a piping bag.  (I usually put the bag in a glass and scoop the dough in)  
  • Pipe batter into a donut pan that is sprayed with non-stick spray
  • Bake for 10 minutes
  • Allow to cool on a baking rack while you prepare frosting
  • To prepare frosting--combine all ingredients in a mixer, whipping until you get a royal icing type consistency.
  • Dip donut in frosting and allow to cool. (The frosting will melt onto your Donut.  Dip multiple times for a thicker glaze).
  • Enjoy!





Linking with BianaKatieLindaErin and Ashley

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Happy 4th Anniversary!


On a crazy day where I'm preparing for a million events at work, writing survey questions for my masters research, and it's pouring rain outside....I want to wish a happy 4th anniversary to my sweet Muffin.

I love you more than words can say and am so lucky to have you in my life.  I think this picture sums up our relationship.  You fill my days with laughter and make my burdens so much lighter.  Here's to another year of marriage!

To see pictures from our wedding and read about last year's anniversary click here!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Five on Friday...have you missed me?

It's Friday...so we know what that means.  I'm linking up again with all sorts of fun people (AprilKarli AmandaTifAndrea, and Rebecca) for Five on Friday!

ONE


Ok...so I've been a bad blogger lately.  I went on vacation for Daniel's birthday and kinda lost my momentum for a minute.  Work gets so crazy in the fall when the students come back and I found out that I am going to graduate with my Master's a semester early.  While this is SUPER exciting, I'm also in full-on stress mode.  I have a capstone/thesis project to complete and very little time to do it.  I've been spending tons of time reading articles, writing survey questions, and doing tons of research.  To sum it up, I've been pretty darn boring!

TWO


We finally started planting grass!!!!  We've been cultivating some gorgeous dirt in our yard since March, and while this really isn't that big of a deal, my dogs keep tracking in tons of mud and it is driving me insane.  Apparently September is the magic month for grass growing here in South Carolina, so last weekend Muffin hopped in the tractor to start tilling up our yard.  It took about a day to put out all the seed and we've been watering it like crazy all week.  I really hope the grass seed takes because I can't wait to see green when I look out the windows (and cut down on my sweeping and mopping time each week).

THREE

Daniel and I are heading to San Diego tomorrow and I'm SUPER EXCITED!  He has a conference and I'm tagging along.  It's not exactly an ideal time for me with a bunch of work events coming up, but who can resist an opportunity to go to the zoo?  I can't wait to see the Pandas!

FOUR



I have decided to start offering hand drawn chalkboards in my Etsy shop.  For those that follow me on Instagram, you might know how much I love creating chalk art.  I've had lots of people message me about it, so I thought it would be a natural fit for the Farm to Fete Shop!  I'm going to try to add a new design each week and keep it updated for seasonal decor items!  Be sure to check back for my new chalk creations.


FIVE


I'm offering a sale in my Etsy Shop through Sunday to celebrate the crips fall air we've had all week.  I just can't wait to pull out my fall wardrobe and Halloween decorations!  This sale is offering 50% off of everything but professional printing in my shop!

Happy Friday Everyone!


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Happy Birthday Muffin!

Happy Wednesday Blog World!

While today might seem like your ordinary Wednesday...to me it is my sweet Muffin's 30th birthday and is therefore a National Holiday! To celebrate, we are in Mexico (hopefully with margarita in hand) as you are reading this.  I hope to be relaxing and toasting what an amazing guy he is.


For those who don't know, I met Daniel when I was 16 and fell in love with him instantly.  It took me some time to convince him that he was in love with me too (he's a little stubborn sometimes), but he eventually realized that he did in fact think I was kinda cute (I can feel his eyes rolling at me saying this) and that we were made for each other.  We  finally started dating when I was 17 and have loved each other ever since.


We've been through lots of important birthdays together, but for some reason this one just feels so much more momentous than the rest.  In the past 11 years we've shared joy and tragedy.  We've built a home and made memories.  We are finally settled and are entering the next decade of our lives.  It feels so special (and important) to celebrate this amazing guy who has been by my side through a huge portion of my life!

  


Daniel is the most hardworking, kind, loving human I have ever known.  If he sets a goal, he achieves it (trust me...I told you earlier he was stubborn).   His loyalty and friendship are truly unmatched.  He is tenderhearted and loves animals even more than I do (he once tried to save a baby bird's life).  Daniel gets into holidays and festivity just as much as I do, clearly making him perfect for me.  Daniel loves adventure, and makes sure that I'm always trying something that scares me and puts me out of my comfort zone.





To quote one of my favorite songs, sweet Muffin..."I love you, I love you, and all of you pieces" Happy 30th Daniel!