Huge Favor

Dear Blogging Friends and Followers,

I have a huge annoying favor to ask, it might seem kind of crazy, which it really is.  I am changing this blog’s address over to: 

http://www.stuff-by-ash.blogspot.com/

I will no longer be posting here at this address.  But I can’t figure out how to take you with me without disrupting things.  Would you please come follow/visit me at my new address instead?  Pretty please?

I just posted a new fun Fall Décor project that I know you’ll love!

Thank you a million times for your cooperation and kind comments,

Ash

Cute Turkey and Some “Craft Goodies”

Ucreate posted THE MOST ADORABLE turkey ever!  He looks so easy and cheap (not that he looks tacky cheap but the supplies are inexpensive ;0)). 

 

I was curious to see who was the master mind behind this cutie so I hopped over to Craft Goodies.  Can I just say that I am totally smitten with her cute craftiness!  I was so disappointed when I got to the end of her blog pages, yes I looked at every single last post she has ever made.  So much cute stuff!

A few of my favorite things:

Peppermint Swirl Ornament

 

Hand Stitched Nativity Ornament
(there is a whole set . . . and . . . . wait for it . . . you can purchase them {HERE} at her Etsy shop!)

 

She also has these super cute “Word of the Month” kits that you can buy finished or unfinished.  I am soo excited for this “Frosty” one!

Chunky Monkey Pancakes

{THIS} is what we had for dinner last night.  Tried a new recipe from Our Best Bites, Chunky Monkey Pancakes.  They were a hit, scrumdiddlyumtious!  And the Little Miss had a ball mashing up the bananas for me. 

We skipped making the “Peanut Butter Syrup” and spread peanut butter on the pancakes then topped them with syrup.  (I know, talk about the healthiest dinner ever!  We had fruit, does that make it better?)

{Photo courtesy: Our Best Bites}

Read With Me Wednesday: Pink and Say

I just finished reading Forge, the sequel to Chains by Lauire Halse Anderson.  My wonderfully thoughtful cousin brought it to a family function this Sunday, and I was so pleasantly surprised!  I literally had just finished reading Chains again and was anticipating getting Forge from the Library, but was still on the waiting list!  Anyway, Forge reminded me of another great book, Pink and Say by Patiricia Polacco.  I ran to library to check it out so we could read together for story time!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

Pink and Say
by Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say highlights the brief but intimate friendship of two young boys, Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and Sheldon Curtis (Say), during the Civil War. When wounded attempting to escape his unit, Say is rescued by Pink, who carries him back to his Georgia home where he and his family were slaves. While the frightened soldier is nursed back to health under the care of Pink’s mother, Moe Moe Bay, he begins to understand why his new found friend is so adamant on returning to the war; to fight against "the sickness" that is slavery. However it isn’t until marauders take Moe Moe Bay’s life, that Say is driven to fight. Although ultimately, both boys are taken prisoners of the Confederate Army, fortunately Say survives and was unable to pass along the story of Pink and Say to his daughter Rosa, Patricia Polacco’s great grandmother. As it was told, Pink was hanged just shortly after being taken prisoner, therefore Patricia’s book "serves as a written memory" of him. At the end of the story Patricia bids the reader, "Before you put this book down, say his name (Pinkus Aylee) out loud and vow to remember him always."
One of the more heartwarming moments of the story is when Say tells Pink and his mother that he once shook the hand of Abraham Lincoln. Convinced that his encounter is a "sign" of hope, Say reaches for Pink’s hand, exclaiming, "Now you can say you touched the hand that shook the hand of Abraham Lincoln!" At the end of the story when the boys are separated, Pink reaches for Say one last time to touch his hand.  (The Story (From Leah Polacco))

I {Heart} Thanksgiving Printables

Now I don’t want to be negative or anything, but the other day I was reading through my blogs in my Google Reader and came across a crafty blog where the author was discussing how she thinks Thanksgiving is boring!  I was shocked, maybe I took it a little to seriously, but still was shocked!  I won’t go into Christmas decorations being put in the stores earlier every year, blah, blah, blah, Christmas music, blah, blah, blah, commercialization, blah, blah, blah.  I won’t rant about those, but really Thanksgiving gets passed over.  And I don’t think it is boring, but to each their own. 

Now I am going to get to my point.  There are a ton of cute printables (FREE!) out there in blog land.  I have been waiting for just the right ones to print off and add to our Thanksgiving decorations (which only consists of a wooden turkey my mom just gave me, and some fall pumpkins that aren’t too Halloweeny, so they are staying out for another month). 

I just uploaded these two puppies at Sam’s and cannot wait to go pick them up tomorrow afternoon!  So excited!  I have empty frames just waiting to be filled.

{THANKSGIVING SUBWAY ART} by Bunch of Craft

 

There is also {THIS ONE} from Craftily Ever After, but I felt like other matched our décor a little better. 

 

The {SECOND ONE} I am printing, is also from Craftily Ever After:

 

I think I am going to print some of these off for my the sisters I Visit Teach to give to them this month!

Larry the Turkey Cupcakes

This is another one of my favorites from last year.  Honestly probably the fanciest and funnest (I know, not a word) cupcakes I’ve ever made.
I originally found the idea HERE at Duncan Hines.
I somewhat tweaked the decorations, here’s a little break down of what I used:

It is looking like we might be having Thanksgiving at our house this year, I am wondering if I’m going to be crazy enough to make these . . . maybe . . . we’ll see. 

Oreo Turkeys

It is only the fifth day of November and already my “Thanksgiving” bookmark folder is bursting with fun ideas!  I can’t wait to try them all out!  First I wanted to share one of my favorites from last year.  I made these cute little Oreo Turkeys from Cookies and Cups with my friends’ little boy who was about three at the time.  We had so much fun, even though a lot of our “Turkeys” turned into spiders, but still a fun project!

Oreo Turkey

For complete instructions click {HERE}

 

And I can’t help but share a fun song for the kiddos about a turkey named Albuquerque.  My students last year loved this one!  It is even more fun (if your kiddos are old enough) to have them try to spell “Albuquerque”!

Albuquerque Turkey
Sung to: "My Darlin Clementine"

Albuquerque is a turkey
And he's feathered and he's fine
And he wobbles and he gobbles
And he's absolutely mine!
He's the best pet you can get yet
Better than a dog or cat
He's my Albuquerque turkey
And I'm awfully proud of that!
And my Albuquerque turkey
Is so happy in his bed
'Cause for our Thanksgiving Dinner
We have spaghetti instead!

Song Found: www.canteach.ca

Winger’s Sticky Finger Freakin’ Amazing Sauce

Did you survive Halloween?  We did – barely!  We visited family in Oregon and had a blast Trunk or Treating in the drizzly Oregon weather, but my daughter LOVED it.  I don’t know which she loved more getting candy, or handing out candy with her Nana.  Hope your Halloween was fun and safe also. 

Before we move on from Halloween and into Thanksgiving I have  a question for you.  My Sister-In-Laws (Sisters-In-Law, I don’t know which it should be??) and I were having a discussion and I couldn’t help but wonder what y’all thought.  She pronounces Halloween, “Hall-o-ween”, like you walk down the hall.  But I pronounce it, “Hal-o-ween”, like your Uncle Hal.  We finally came to the conclusion that this was because she is from Oregon where they talk weird, have no mountains, and don’t pump their own gas.  And I am from Utah where we talk perfectly normal but sometimes spell things differently than we pronounce them (ex.  Huntington, is pronounced “Hunnington”.  And Hurricane, is not like the hurricanes that are tropical storms, but “Hurra-kin”)

Ok I really have a blog post for you, actually a recipe!  I stumbled upon this while looking for something new to try out for dinner and it has become a favorite of ours.  Bonus:  it is sooo simple!

 

Winger's Sticky Finger Freakin' Amazing Sauce
by Family Favorite Recipes 

For the sauce:
**Covers about 8 sticky fingers
3 Tbsp. Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce... no other sauce will taste as good)
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
Heat up hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a saucepot until all the sugar dissolves (we actually doubled the recipe and it was the perfect amount for the chicken and for dipping).
That's IT for the sauce! Isn't that easy?? We like to dip popcorn in it :) Mix it with a little bit of ranch to make their creamy amazing dressing.The possibilities are ENDLESS with this sauce!

For the Sticky Fingers:
1 c. oil
1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken fingers
In a frying pan, heat oil and cook chicken fingers until crispy and warm. Pour sauce over (or put them in a Tupperware with some of the sauce and shake it up until the chicken is completely covered in sauce). Serve with ranch (we like to make the Hidden Valley Packet Ranch prepared with buttermilk instead of milk) or blue cheese dressing.
PRINT RECIPE

 

When I make these we have them on whole wheat wraps, you can get them in the tortilla section at Walmart, with sandwhich fixins.  I am so lazy that I don’t even make the chicken like the recipe says, I just grab a giant bag of Tyson’s Breaded Chicken Breasts and Tenderloin from the freezer isle at Sam’s Club.  The chicken and sauce are also yummy in a salad, if you are a salad kind of person.