halloween party 2014

If you haven't already caught on, my husband and I love Halloween.

Not kidding, the last two years we took off the day after Halloween (also known as November 1st) so we could go Halloween-clearance-shopping.

Before we even bought our house, we had already decided that we would throw an annual Halloween party.  This is our third year, and it keeps getting better and better!

After throwing parties, you start to figure some things out.  These are a few of the lessons we have learned:

• Most people will show up 30-60 minutes after the party "officially" starts
• There will be at least one person who shows up on time, or *gasp* early.  Be (mostly) prepared for guests to be at your house when the party "officially" starts (read: don't be in your bathrobe)
• When it comes to alcohol, most people will bring their own.  At first, we would buy tons of beer and such for the party (trying to be good hosts), and end up with more beer leftover than what we started with
• People will leave their leftover alcohol behind.  Be prepared to give it away to friends and neighbors if you won't consume it
• Guests like to have snacks, but unless they are there at meal-time, they will not want heavy food.  We usually stick with finger-foods and snack items that can stay out for a while and not have to be kept hot/cold

Check out some of the additional decorating we do and the snacks we put out!

Each year I try to do a little bit of a different spread.  Some things are repeats because they are requested by others.  New this year: chocolate covered pretzels that look like bones and a cheese ball that looks like a pumpkin!

Find a similar recipe here for this pumpkin cheese ball

I like this post here for a quick recipe to make these pretty convincing "bones" ;)

The first year we had the party I ventured out and made pudding shots, which I had only heard about on Pinterest but never made before.  They were phenomenal.  Everyone really enjoyed them.  So I make them every year now.  They are like little tiny ice cream cups of magical goodness.  There are plenty of recipe combinations online.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• orange creamsicle - vanilla pudding + orange vodka  (or orange pudding + vanilla vodka)
• thin mint - chocolate pudding + mint liqueur 
• root beer float - vanilla pudding + root beer vodka
• pumpkin pie - pumpkin pudding (if you can find it!) + whipped cream vodka

Hope you all had an awesome Halloween!!  What were your favorite decorations or snacks at the parties you attended?

inspire: white kitchen

My dream kitchen is white, with beautiful hardware and tiles that are a mix of glossy, iridescent and stone. My dream kitchen is also about three times the size of the one I have now...  and I think the ceilings would be much taller.  Check these beauties out!

ok so this isn't technically a kitchen, but I want one of these in a breakfast nook

those high ceilings! whoa!

the wood really warms up the space

All of these and more are pinned on my { home + decor } Pinterest page.

Happy dreaming!

homemade applesauce

I've never been much of a cook.  It's not that I don't like to cook.  I am just not very adventurous when it comes to food, and I'm picky.  So, when my husband and I moved in together, he took over about 80% of the cooking.  He is always encouraging me to make things from scratch.  I am usually pretty reluctant because the recipe seems 'hard" or "a lot of work".  So last year after we went apple picking he suggested I make homemade applesauce.  I figured, well, I might as well try to since we have bags of apples to use up.  Let me tell you, it is so easy.  I am super glad he encouraged me to make it!  I look forward to apple picking and making applesauce each Fall now :)

There are tons of recipes for applesauce, but they are all pretty much the same.  This will be more of a step-by-step tutorial, and you can use whatever ingredients you like.

Before we get going, I have to admit that modern technology helps me greatly during my applesauce-making.  We received a Pampered Chef apple peeler/corer/slicer as a wedding gift.  If it wasn't for that thing, I am almost certain I would not be making applesauce.  It does all of the work for you, and quickly too!

Ok, so take your family or friends or significant other or dog (or anyone else that might be fun) and go the apple orchard.  Pick some beautiful apples, go on a hayride and blow up your friends' Instagram feed.  When you get home, make sure to wash all of the apples, as sometimes there is *eh-hmm* droppings and such on them.

Once you have all of the fruit washed, you can begin peeling, coring and slicing.  If you don't have a fancy doo-hickey that does the work for you, I am certain there are youtube videos covering various methods for hand-peeling.

I recommend putting a cutting board underneath your workspace, the apples tend to be messy.  About 7 apples in, I pulled back the tablecloth and actually put a kitchen towel underneath the cutting board - the apple juice was getting everywhere!

Once you are finished peeling all of the apples, you will get a big bowl of apples ready-to-cook and a big bowl of scraps.  While I was peeling the apples, my husband was reading all of these recipes for things you can do with apple peels (make tea, potpourri, etc.).  I decided to compost them (the other recipes sounded hard....)

Depending on how many apples you have, you may need a very large stockpot.  I should have used a larger one, but we didn't have one, so I just had overflowing apples!

From there, you add some water and whatever sugar and spices you want to use.  I recommend brown sugar over white.  I used a lot of cinnamon and a little bit of pumpkin pie spice - it adds a little spice and zing that you don't get from the cinnamon.

I should have mentioned before, but applesauce takes several hours to cook.  The more apples you have, the longer it takes.  I think this batch took 5 or 6 hours.  You don't need to be standing in front of the stove the entire time, but you should definitely be at home and keeping an eye on it.  Making applesauce is a great activity to pair with watching your plants grow, finding your lost socks, or a Netflix marathon.

Basically, you keep the applesauce at a simmer.  Occasionally give it a stir and taste test, add sugar and spices as you feel necessary.  The more you stir your applesauce, the smoother it will get.  Some people mash theirs with a masher, but this seems unnecessary to me as the applesauce has a nice consistency and texture by the time all of the water and juice is cooked out.

And that is what it looks like when it is done (and you have canned six jars of it and forgot to take a picture before you started canning...).  We ended up with 9 jars of applesauce.  You don't have to put it in jars; we like to because pretty much I am the only one who eats it and I don't want it to go bad.

So that's it, really.  Pretty simple stuff.  And it makes a great side dish for Thanksgiving, plus then you don't have to worry about getting to the store when all the crazies are there!

What is your favorite thing to make from scratch?  Let me know in the comments below!

beautiful savannah

This post has nothing to do with our house... just a quick update from me!

My husband and I went on vacation last week to Savannah, Georgia.  If Savannah were a person, she would be a beautiful, breathtaking, down-to-earth lady who loves to eat!

We had such a great time, I wish we could have stayed longer.  We will definitely be visiting again!  There were many places we didn't get to (read: food we didn't eat) so we just have to go back :)

Check out some of the photos I took during our visit...

Side note: photography is a recent hobby of mine.  I am very much an amateur, but it is fun for me.  My husband also took up a hobby when I started taking a lot of photos, it is called finding the nearest bench and waiting for "Photo Phil" to be finished taking pictures.

River Street

I just loved all of the moss hanging from the trees!

Old stairs so dangerous they have signs saying use them "at your own risk"

This entire month has been a little crazy for us.  My husband traveled out of the country for work the week before vacation.  He unpacked, repacked, and we drove to Savannah.  We got home late Friday evening and spent the entire weekend doing yard work.  This week we will be getting ready for our annual Halloween party!  (Look for a post soon with details about the decorations and food).  So be on the lookout for some new posts coming in November, including a post about homemade applesauce.  And just think, Christmas will be here before you know it!!

halloween home tour

We finally have our house pretty much ready for Halloween!  October is proving to be a very busy month for us, we both are traveling for work and we have a little vacation planned in between.  So, we started a little early this year with our Halloween decorations, but of course we don't mind that at all :)

We decorate throughout the main living areas of our house, and the outside as well.  We have orange lights we put on the roof along with a myriad of other decorations.  It makes me laugh sometimes, the way we decorate for Halloween... it is similar to the costume choices my husband and I make.  I like decorations that are fun and cute and festive.  My husband likes decorations that are gross and bloody and half dead.  So, we have a weird little mix of both.  I left some of "his" decorations out of the photo tour... just know that they are there.  (Our newest addition to decorations this year: a fake dead deer tied up like a dog on our roof... "boys will be boys")

Many of the decorations we have we inherited from my in-laws.  When Brandon lived at home, he was the one who got excited about decorating for Halloween.  When he moved out, his parents figured the decorations would get more use at our house than theirs.  Each year we usually purchase a few new things here and there.  Of course, a few of the items I have crafted myself.  When you put it all together, I think it is a nice mix.

Follow my tutorial to make your own "eek" Halloween frame

I made this monogram pumpkin with puff paint, very easy way to add a little personalization to your decor

You can purchase this set of wood block pumpkins over at my Etsy shop

This would be one of my husband's ideas...  first thing you see when you walk in the door!  The cats love to play with the foot too...

Check out my tutorial for this mesh wreath here

Well, there you have it!  We still have a few things left to do... put up the cornstalks onto the porch columns, carve pumpkins, etc.  I also have a few pieces I put out only for our Halloween party like a "trick-or-treat" banner and a cauldron that fills will fog.

Decorations came from various places, but just to name a few:  Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Gordman's, Pier 1, Spirit Halloween stores, Target

What kind of decorations do you like to put up for Halloween, scary or festive?