31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 20 Pumpkin Dump Cake

Okay, I haven't actually tried this recipe.  But come on, how could this not be amazing?!  I just stumbled upon this little gem, and I will definitely be gathering ingredients soon to try this out.  Find the recipe here.

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31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 19 Pioneer Woman's Apple Pecan Blue Cheese Salad

This salad rocks my world.  I made it a few weeks ago, and served it with this pork.  I followed all the directions, but subbed dried cranberries for the cherries.  The dressing was simple to make, and I love the idea of making it in a mason jar and keeping it on hand in the fridge.  Find the recipe here.



thepioneerwoman.com

31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 18 Apple Jack-O-Lantern Stamps

I had good intentions with this little craft.  Unfortunately for me, good intentions don't always equal good results.  I saw this idea online and thought Izzy would love it.  Even better, we had all the supplies we needed.  That almost never happens, so this craft was a no-brainer. 

To make the jack-o-lantern stamp, I cut an apple in half (vertically) and carefully carved out little triangles for the eyes, nose, and mouth. I'm guessing where we went wrong is with the paint (maybe we put too much...maybe we didn't use enough...who knows), because when Izzy stamped it, the first words out of her mouth were, "That doesn't look like a pumpkin." I had to agree with my 3.5 year-old. It sure didn't. But she didn't really seem to mind, and she kept on a stampin'. So, this isn't exactly the cute fall craft I envisioned, but she had fun doing it.  That's all that really matters anyway.

31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 17 Fall Mantel

I finally remembered to take pictures of our fall mantel.  I kept all of the usual decor up, except for one piece, and basically just added some pumpkins here and there.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

Looks pretty festive, right?

Thank you Tarjay for this $4 banner.  And thank you to my friend Tracy for telling me about it.



See this post for more info on how I made this guy

This pumpkin was an after-season Hobby Lobby clearance find last year.  I think it was 80% off.  Holla.

This basket with balls is always out on the mantel.  It's from Kirklands.

Another one of my Hobby Lobby steals from last year

I found these pumpkins at Hobby Lobby this year.  Love them!
 

Take a look at my house (and some really bad pictures) decked out for fall last year here.

31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 16 Fall Tablescapes

Let me be clear.  My current tablescape includes a pack of baby wipes and a toddler placemat.  Setting a fancy table just isn't practical, or even possible, in this season of my life.  But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a nice tablescape when I see one.  Maybe one of these days I'll be able to entertain like this.  Or maybe I'll just throw some chinet out and call it a day.  I'm already leaning toward the second option.

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31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 15 Painted Pumpkins

We had ourselves a nice little fall afternoon last Sunday, complete with a trip to purchase some pumpkins and a mum.  Hubs and I each painted a big pumpkin (he made have had a little coaching on the creative side), and Izzy painted a small one.  Harper supervised the operation while inspecting her own baby pumpkin.  Beautiful weather and fun family time.  Doesn't get much better than that, my friends.

 

Oh, this girl makes my heart so happy.

 

This careful technique certainly did not last long

She quickly moved on to body painting

See what I'm dealing with?

The finished products.  The polka dot masterpiece belongs to hubs, and the chevron beauty is mine.  That thing was a b to paint, btw.  This little fall scene makes me smile every time I come home. 

31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 14 Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

Welp.  It's past my bedtime and still no blog post.  Gonna keep it simple and share another recent recipe that I loved.  This pork tenderloin was delicious, and it's a perfect substitute next month for those of you who aren't into turkey.  The best part is how simple it is.  You know I love a good crockpot recipe, and this one does not disappoint. 

Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix 1 cup water 3/4 cup red wine

3 tablespoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons soy sauce freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.

Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.