Camping and Carving

Richard and I recently had a few days off together this week, so we took advantage of our time and the beautiful weather that we have been having.

We decided to go camping at Tannehill State Park. If you know Richard, you know that he was incredibly excited about the camping trip. We were able to set up our campsite and then do alittle hiking around the park. I was able to get some really pretty pictures of the changing leaves.

When we got back from hiking we had some daylight left, so we set up both of our hammocks. We roasted hot dogs and s'mores for dinner! It was a little chilly when we woke up the next morning, but we got the fire started again and made breakfast. We made sausage in a cast-iron skillet and biscuits on a stick. It was actually really tasty!

We were also able to carve our pumpkins this week! We both hand sketched our pumpkins and I think that they turned out pretty good! Happy Halloween!

Santa Fe Soup

I wanted to share this recipe because it is one of our favorites, it's delicious and it's super easy! With the weather getting a little bit cooler, this is a perfect meal with lots of leftovers.

Santa Fe Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 cans white shoepeg corn
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
• 2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
• 2 packages Taco seasoning
• 2 lbs ground beef (browned) or chicken (cooked)
• 2 cups water

Directions:

• You literally throw everything into your crockpot and let it simmer for about 2 hours, and your done!
• Serve with chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.

My New Hobby

Recently, I decided that I wanted to try making earrings (which I love!). One day while I was out and about, I stopped by Michaels' to take a look at their earring making supplies. Needless to say, I was completely overwhelmed. There were so many beads and tools that I didn't really know where to start. I left the store a little disappointed, but when I got home, I started checking out different websites that explained how to make simple earrings. I made a list of the tools and supplies that I needed and headed back to the store. I will say that it took me over 2 hours to make my first pair, but I have gotten a little bit faster since then. I love being able to pick out different color beads and put them together to make these earrings. It is a new hobby that I have come to enjoy. I have made about fourteen pairs so far. Here are a few pictures of some of them.

Crafty Fall Wreath

So, I have been wanting to make things lately, so this is my new fall wreath! I got the idea off of another blog that I read.

I started out with a pool noodle which I duct taped together (with Richard's help!).

Then I wrapped the noodle with some inexpensive fabric to hide the bright yellow color.

I used a scrap-booking hole punch and scrap-booking paper to make the circles. I choose to use red, yellow, orange and brown so that I would be very fallish. After punching out all the circles, I used the eraser end of a pencil to form the circles. I applied the circles to the wreath using a small dab of hot glue.

And this is the finished product!! I thought it turned out great! It took some time, but well worth it!!

HAPPY FALL!!!