Autumn Colors

The Colors Of Autumn

Burnt umber

Burnt sienna

Mars red

Orange henna

Silver grey

Olive green

Naples yellow

Tangerine

A touch of black

But not much blue-

Autumn's down-to-earth in hue.

by Douglas Florian from the book Autumblings

Paper Hand Puppets

Daughter W. loves puppets. I found the instructions for folding paper into puppets in the Family Fun magazine (familyfun.com), and we had to try it. I have been doing the sketching and she colors in the details. We are very happy with the results.

She made this Siamese cat for friend Sissy's birthday.

I love paper crafts and this is a great one.

Fold a sheet of paper into thirds the long way. We glued the open edge closed. You can tape it closed, but then you cannot color over the tape. Double stick tape should also work well along the seam.

Fold the paper tube in half with the seam to the outside. Then fold each half into another half with the bend the opposite way. Decorate, stick your fingers and thumb in the open ends and put on a play!

Skunk Off

Skunk Off

1 qt. white vinegar
1/4 c. baking soda
1 T. dish soap

Mix recipe for Skunk Off and use to wash dog outside far away from the house as soon as possible after the encounter with the skunk. Best if administered by a teen child instead of an adult. Repeat in two days when dog goes after skunk again. Works well!

Goddess Martha Stewart

All hail the great goddess Martha Stewart. It is fall around here, and my thoughts turn to fall crafts. Last year I learned to design fall pumpkins with lettering and designs in black Sharpies. (See old "craft" or "fall" posts.) They make great fall gifts and decorations. Monday I made this one for Mother-I-L's birthday. The excellent design came from Martha's latest magazine, of course.

Start with a clean pumpkin. Be sure there are no soft spots or blemishes to insure your pumpkin design lasts a long time. Wipe the pumpkin skin with a Clorox wipe, without soaking it.
This helps remove bacteria and any wax or preservative on the pumpkin. Let dry. Use a washable marker to sketch design on first, if desired. This can be wiped off with a damp towel after the design is finished. Use a black Sharpie to fill in and draw on your permanent design. While working use care not to smear the Sharpie ink before it is dry. Wipe off any washable marker lines when Sharpie is dry.

Cool Grandma

The tree fort was busy this weekend! It was used extensively during the Weenie Roast Birthday Party, and the great grandkids all came down and checked it out after Gram S's birthday party on Sun. Our most distinguished visitor was Gram G. We have the coolest Grandma. She and O were here and they both climbed up to enjoy it with the rest of us! I aspire to be climbing into tree forts too when I am 75 plus !(l to r: M., L., McK, W., A., Gram G., O., D., Me!)

Cousin fort cleaning.

Mr. O climbs!

Grandma is always game!

Weenie Roast Birthday Party

On Sat. we had some of Daughter L and Daughter W's co-op friends and their families for a weiner roast supper to celebrate their birthdays.

Gathering to pray before roasting.

Tiger and dog play on the tramp.

Waiting in line with the dogs for buns, plates and food.

Exciting gift opening with buddies.

Saying goodbye and thanks.

Blue Funk in a Red Vest

Poor Cohen. His cousin had the truck he wanted.

Blue funk!

Cousin Nick tried to help with another truck.

Just too sad. (He got new glasses and looked totally adorable.)

Grandma's Birthday

Mother-in-law's birthday. She is a blessing to her family.

Here are some of the family. Several more came to eat later.

Glenn's hosted a pot luck. Cohen, Karen, M. load their plates.

Mr. Gus

Al, Gram, Kris, Chad, (Meg, L. Karen), Paul, (guest) Ali and Glenn.

Kid's table: Cohen (glasses, then counter clockwise),Cade, Lauren, W. Burke, Will

New glasses! Uncle K. knows how it is!

Mike, Gaylin, Andrea and Mason with truck.

Bonnie's Oreo Dessert

We are having a little birthday bonfire tonight for W. and L. and we made some ice cream frozen desserts for it last night. This Oreo dessert is delicious, easy and quick to prepare. It has no nuts, so is great for allergies. Not-so-great for diets!

Bonnie's Oreo Dessert

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
32 crushed Oreos (2 rows plus about 1/3 row of the package-save remaining Oreos for topping!)

Mix together and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Cut up one box of vanilla ice cream and lay over the Oreo/butter base. I usually open the ice cream box completely and slice chunks about 1-2 inches wide with a long knife, then smooth the flat layer in the pan with a spatula. (See first picture.) Spoon or drizzle on 1 jar of ice cream fudge and sprinkle with remaining Oreos, crushed or chopped. Freeze several hours and serve.

If you don't want to buy fudge or don't have a jar on hand, here is a recipe for homemade fudge that works well.

2/3 c. Carnation sweetend condensed milk
1 c. sugar
1 T. margarine
2 squares unsweetend chocolate

Mix all in a small saucepan, bring to boil. Boil one minute, stirring. Cool.

Felt Butterflies

We took these little felt finger puppet butterflies along to family camp and had fun making them there for the little kids. Picture 2 shows how we twisted pipe cleaners around the back layer of the body to make antenna. After twisting on the antenna, hand sew on the little finger pocket to the back and then sew the front and back together with a running stitch. We used regular thread or 1 strand of embroidery floss. I freehand cut the design holes in the front layer before stitching together. I found the original idea somewhere on a blog, but can't find the link now. It is amazing how many things there are on the internet about felt crafts.