Skip to my Shoppe

Grab a Handmade Gift Guide Button here

Grab a Handmade Gift Guide Button here

Yes, you can make it!

Save data...

Archive for November, 2011

Thanksgiving Table Decorations

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  It's time to think about decorating for the feast!  Here are five great ideas that will make your Thanksgiving table look fabulous!  Get busy.... just 2 weeks to go!


These corn husk pom-poms are amazing!  Wouldn't they be fun to hang over the buffet or in a window?  Be careful not to hang them over a candle!

Place cards are so nice to use for a large gathering.

Even though this centerpiece was made for a fall wedding, it would be beautiful on the Thanksgiving buffet.


Love this gorgeous fresh fruit centerpiece.  Simple!

Have you ever seen anything like these cute cardboard fruits?

If you are needing more Thanksgiving table decorating ideas check out these  easy and inexpensive ideas for your Thanksgiving table from Epicurious.

LoadingUpdating...

Free Turkey Trivia Cards

If you are looking for some fun ways to keep the kids entertained at Thanksgiving, these free printable turkey trivia cards  I am showing off at AlphaMom would be great at the kid's thanksgiving table!

Cincinnati Chili

One of my favorite meals to serve for a fall dinner party is Cincinnati chili. It is an easy meal that can be made ahead and it always gets rave reviews!

This picture doesn't do it justice. There is a nice broth that coats the noodles and we load the top with shredded cheese. You can even add a little crunch with corn chips and spice it up with chopped onions on top!

Cincinnati Chili Recipe

4 medium onions, finely chipped

8 cloves garlic (optional), finely minced

4 pounds lean ground beef

8 cups beef broth

2 - 15 ounce cans tomato sauce

1 teaspoon ground allspice

2 bay leaves

4 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 boxes rotini pasta or spaghetti noodles

Chili Spice Mix

Mix the following together to make a paste

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon flour

2 Tablespoons water

 

In large pot brown hamburger, add in onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Drain any fat. Add the beef broth, tomato sauce and allspice. Cook over low heat for about 1/2 hour. Stir in the chili paste mixture.  Add bay leaves, ground cloves, vinegar, chocolate and salt, to taste.

Cover and cook over low heat for about an hour. I like to let it simmer for about 3 hours. Don't let it get too thick. More broth can be added.

This amount will feed about 15 (or more)

Canon Rebel {Giveaway} from Just Ask- Contest Closed

Congrats to Lucky #4944 Kortney Ewing! You won the camera! 

I have enjoyed reading all your bucket list items and SO wish I could have chosen many winners! Thank you, all of you, for sharing  a piece of yourself with me!

It's no secret that I love photography! One of the biggest factors for getting good pictures is the kind of camera you have and I promise you are going to get better pictures with a good camera. That's why I am so excited to share this weeks giveaway with you : A Canon Rebel Camera compliments of Just Ask. {squealing} That's right a brand new SLR Digital Camera valued at $650 to capture your memories?

Our friends at Just Ask asked me to come up with my own bucket list...

I realized when I was asked to come up with this bucket list, that I didn't have one.

Oh sure, there are our places that I would like to visit

Like our dear friends in Australia.

I would love to take our kids back to see the places they lived in Germany.

Visit our friends we met while living abroad in their homes here in the states.

I have a long list of countries to visit that I could add to my list like China and Africa.

There are also things I would love to try like surfing etc...

Lot's of things I would like to learn to do better like photography.

But I realized that when I thought about all of this, while it would be fun and exciting to try to do all these things, not one of these things would I regret if I never had the opportunity to do them (okay except visiting our friends).

It was really a reminder that it is the journey where all the blessings can be found and often when I focus too hard on the end I miss all the jewels along the way. I often have found the destination was not near as exciting or wonderful as the way to get there. So if I could want something for myself it would to be present each day, to make my kids, friends and family feel like they matter to me and share with others all of the blessings I have received.

Our friends at Just Ask want you to stay around for a good long while so you can cross activities and achievements off that bucket list of yours. That’s why they’ve developed a test that could save your life—the BRACAnalysis test—by warning you about your chances of getting breast or ovarian cancer.

Now I get to help you cross something off of YOUR bucket list!

Simply leave me a comment sharing an item from your bucket list. One random winner will win this Canon Rebel Camera

Just simply leave a comment to enter!

For extra entries: Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Four entries max

2. Tweet about the contest! Feel free to use this sample tweet,
$650 CANON SLR Camera Camera #Giveaway from @JustAsk. Comment to enter to #win! http://bit.ly/u7Ls8b Pls RT

or just click this button to Tweet

3. Like Skip to my Lou on facebook.

4. Like Just Ask on facebook.

Contest closes Wednesday Nov. 15th at 12 am Pacific time.

Wait there is more...

Share your list and you have a shot of winning a trip of a lifetime.

The grand prizes are:

  • A family vacation of a lifetime to Universal Orlando® Resort.
  • A Las Olas Surf Camp Safari
  • Ski Lessons and stay at Park City Mountain Resort

To get the full details on how you can share your own bucket list and enter to win those Grand Prize vacation packages, head over to TodaysMama.com .

This is a sponsored giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things the want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of their health.

Made by you Monday

Happy Monday everyone!

Make sure to pop over to my giveaway and enter to win a copy of what women create magazine and some goodies from Decoart.

It is time to link up your crafty goodness!  Show us what you have been making.   Please don't forget to link back! --- a text link at the bottom of your post, or link somewhere on your blog is okay!

Please link up only your own projects, and link to the specific post, not your blog home page. No Etsy shops or giveaways, please!

                  If you are placing a Skip to my Lou button, copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.

 

    And stop back next Sunday for my, "Made by you Monday Wrap up"- I just might be featuring you!


    © 2009 Skip To My Lou