Pumpkin Patch

I want to thank everyone for your prayers and sweet comments for my kids this past week.  The kids are all feeling better.  Thank you Lord!  My internet has been messed up for a few days now and I wasn't sure why, but after Hubby had a chance to check it yesterday, he found that our modem died.  So, he got a new one and got it installed last night and all is right with my internet now.  YAY!  Boy, that was a tough 48 hours with no internet! 
Friday, my son L, had a field trip to the pumpkin patch.  I thought I would have to stay home with my C, since she was still feeling sick, but my aunt offered to come stay with her so Hubby and I could go with him.  We had the best time!

We played in the hay.

We rode the cow train. 

We picked a pumpkin.

We posed for pictures (yes, I know he looks like Justin Bieber.  He needs a haircut!).

and we went on a hayride, not that you can tell that from this photo. 

We had a great time and had zero meltdowns.  YAY!

Our town decided to trick or treat tonight instead of Sunday, so I better go get ready for costumes and trick or treating.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I Won! and Sewing With Sick Kids

Hello friends.  I now have three sick babies at my house so this post will be short and sweet. 

After having a few days of being cooped up in the house with sick kids, I was delighted when my mailman  delivered a package to me.  You see, Richella had a giveaway last week and I WON!  Can you believe it?  Looks what I won!! 

Aren't those Halloween towels the cutest???  My oldest, who LOVES Halloween, was so excited about the cute pumpkin.  Also, Richella included two of her favorite candles, which are leather scented.  I didn't even know there was such a thing.  They are fabulous!  Hubby loooooves them!  Thanks so much Richella!!!

Also wanted to share a couple of things I got made while cooped up the last few days. 

E in her new outfit.  She's feeling  better today, as you can see.

and

Yes, my house is a wreck and I have no idea what's for supper, but I got some sewing done.  YEA! 

Okay, gotta go figure something out for dinner and dispense some meds. 

Don't forget to visit my Willow House Party and Giveaway.  Click here for details.  Tomorrow is the last day!

Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake

So, I may have mentioned before my love of chocolate.  I. LOVE. IT.!!  Chocolate makes me happy.  In fact, I've already finished off a bag of Kit Kats that were meant for trick-or-treaters.  You do that too, right?  Ya knowwhat I mean.  You buy bags of candy like a month before Halloween, explaining that it would be awful if they ran out of chocolate before you bought trick or treat candy and then you eat it all before Halloween arrives and have to buy more anyway.  And, by the way, as far as I'm concerned, candy is a waste of my time and calories if it doesn't contain chocolate.  Just sayin.  Anyway, yes I finished off a bag of Kit Kats, that I am quite sure are laced with crack or something because I CAN NOT quit eating them.  Hubby, on the other hand, is not a chocolate kind of guy.  He can take it or leave it.  If he leaves it, I generally take it, hence my wide back side.  Anyway, he is more of a fruit dessert kind of guy.  He loves Lemon Supreme Cake apple pie and stuff like that.  So, Sunday when he said he had a hankering for something sweet, I offered to make him something.  I got out my favorite cookbook, The Southern Living Cookbook, and came across this recipe for Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake.  And, I have to admit that even though it doesn't contain chocolate, it was pretty darn tasty.  So good in fact, that as of Monday night, it was more than half gone. 

Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 1/4 c. fresh blueberries
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking solda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (8 oz) carton commercial sour cream (do people make homemade sour cream?)
2/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
Glaze (recipe follows, but I changed it)

Combine bluberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly.  Set sauce aside. 

Cream butter; gradually add 1 cup sugar beating at medium speed of an electric mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. 

Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Stir in almond extract. 

Spoon half of batter into a greased 10 inch Bundt or tube pan; spoon on the half the blueberry sauce, swirling partially through batter with a knife.  Repeat with remaining batter and blueberry sauce.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until done.  Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Invert onto a serving plate and drizzle with glaze.  Yield:  one 10" coffee cake. 

Glaze:

3/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine all ingredients, stirring well.   Yield:  1/4 cup

** I made the glaze as directed and Hubby hated it.  It was too almondy, if that makes sense.  So, I made a new batch and used vanilla instead of almond.  Much better.

By the way, I want to wish a Happy Birthday to Mary Joy @ Seeds of Encouragement. 

Also, my Willow House Party and Giveaway is still going on.  Click here for details.  Have a great day!

A Little Bit of Everything

So, I had a wonderful weekend.  Hubby and I got very spontaneous and packed a bag and hopped a plane to NYC for the weekend.....yeah right!  In my dreams!  What did we really do?  Not much.  My weekend consisted of taking care of my sick babies.  L was sick last weekend and apparently thought it would be a good idea to share his germs with his little sister.  Fever and pukey kids always make for such an interesting and exausting weekend.  Poor baby!

I did manage to get a little sewing done, which I'll share later in the week when I'm done.  The rest of my weekend consisted of my Hubby hogging the computer so he could keep an eye on his fantasy football league (both of them) and a HUGE pot of chicken 'n dumplins.  My sis and BIL went to the Arkansas game and I guess they were good luck, because we WON!  WOO HOO!  WOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOIE! 

Does everyone have their kids' Halloween costumes in order?  Here is my dilemma with Halloween costumes.  I'm cheap.  I don't want to spend $25 on a costume they'll wear one night.  I used to buy my kids a new costume every year, back when I only had two kids.  Now that I have four, I just can't spend $100 for one night of wear.  So, I usually end up transforming real clothes into their costumes.  J was Mario last year.  Instead of buying the $20 costume at Wal-Mart, we bought him overalls and used a red shirt and hat he already had.  This year he decided he needed to be Luigi.  I found a green shirt at Target for $5, but I couldn't find a green hat.  So, my Hubby suggested I dye a white one.  I found a white cap at Wal-Mart, but the only dye they had was Lime Green.  Hmmmm.  So, I decided to paint his hat with craft paint that I already had.  It's not perfect, but it's gonna be dark anyway, right?

Again, not perfect, but cheap!  It does need a few touch-ups though.

I have one more thing I want to share with y'all today.  My new friend Julie sent me this picture of the Witchy Feet shirt she made for her daughter, Lindsey, after seing my Witchy Feet Tee. 

Didn't she do a great job?  It's sew cute and Lindsey is ADORABLE!!!!  Thanks Julie for sharing this with me.  I love it!
Hope everyone has a great day.  I'm off to stalk my little one with the thermometer.  Don't forget the Willow House Party and Giveaway is still going on.  Click here for details. 

What did y'all do this weekend?

Willow House Online Party and A Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to be hosting an online Willow House party and….wait for it….my first giveaway! WOO HOO!


My friend Carmella, from Southern Fried Dreams, is a Willow House consultant.  Willow House has beautiful decorative accessories, kitchen items, serving dishes, and LOTS of awesome deals to offer, including an Outlet right on the website offering as much as 75% off many items. Wanna see what I mean? 

This is a picture from Carmella’s blog. Don’t you love her Lady Jane vase?  It’s gorgeous with those branches in it, isn’t it? Love it!

Are you planning a party this holiday season?

This is the Ornate Iron Two-Tiered Stand.  Wouldn’t this look beautiful on your serving table piled up with cookies, cupcakes, or other holiday goodies?  It just happens to be 25% off right now.

Also, y’all know how I love polka dots, right? Check these out:

These are the Gramercy Polka Dot Bowls.  Oh how I loooove these bowls!!

So, what do you love? Willow House has something amazing for everyone, from decorating items, to outdoor items, to beautiful serving items. Wanna hear about the specials?

If your items (from either regular priced, sale or outlet items) reach $39.96, you then qualifty to purchase an item from the Willow House store valued under $40 for 50% off that item.

-OR-

If your items (from either regular priced, sale or outlet items) reach $59.96, you qualify to purchase an item from the regular store valued under $60 for 50% off that item. Isn’t that awesome?

Click HERE to go to Willow House site. Click Shop Online and Browse around. When you check out, you will be prompted to “Find My Party Host”. That host would be ME, Mrs. FFB! Under Party Host, my first name would be “Frou Frou” and my Last Name would be “Britches”. Then click “Search For A Host”. From there, you will receive a confirmation notice.



Now, for the giveaway! I’m so excited!!! The winner will receive:

Fix It and Forget It from Oxmoor House.  Oh, how I love a good crock-pot recipe.  They make my life sooooo much easier!  In fact, the photo on front is making my stomach growl.  YUM!  Wanna know how to win it?



1. RSVP to let me know you will be joining the online party (1 entry)

2. Invite others to join the party (send an email, facebook, twitter, blog post, etc. - then let me know how you shared (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Carmella’s newsletter here (1 entry)

4. Inquire about hosting a home party (local) , hosting an online party (remote), or our business opportunity for 5 entries!!! Use this form for the inquiry and mention frou frou britches in the notes.

**Don't forget to leave a comment for each thing you do to be eligible for the giveaway!!**

So, come party with Carmella and I and see what your favorite thing is.  The party will be open through next Thursday, October 28th.  Good luck on the giveaway my bloggy friends! 

Getting To Know You Thursday....My First Car

My oldest child turned 13 last month.  C is....well, she's a lot like me and by this I mean, she's a little accident prone.  Hubby keeps reminding me that we only have three years until she starts driving.  EEK!  The thought of this terrifies me for several reasons, the first being my own history.  I have a little secret to reveal......I am not the best driver in the world, but don't tell my parents.  I used to hear, "You're following to close" every time they rode with me.  My sister applies her "imaginary passenger brake" everytime she's in  my car.  I have had a few accidents in my time, although not all of them were my fault and luckily none of them were serious.  Let me give you an example....the night before my driver's test, I begged my mom to let me take her car to the grocery store to pick up a few things for her so she wouldn't have to get out.  The store was about 2 miles from the house so she finally agreed (after 20 minutes of begging) to let me take her car.  I backed out of the garage and somehow crossed the driveway and backed into the side mirror on my dad's truck.  OOPS!  These are the kind of minor fender benders I have had my entire driving life.  I hope and pray C is a better driver than me.  BUT, the realization that her driving test is right around the corner, got me to thinking about my first car. 

Isn't this Jeep gorgeous?  This is what I wanted, but my parents said it was too dangerous. 

Ahhh, an '84 Toyota 4 x 4.  I'm a small town girl in Arkansas and I love muddin on four wheelers and big trucks!  My dad said girls didn't drive trucks.  Hmmm.  Shot down again. 

BUT, my Dad did take me with him to pick out my first car.  What did I end up with?

A 1979 (I think) Mercury Capri.  Since I picked it out, it wasn't a surprise, but that was okay.  I loved that car.  My dad insisted I got a standard, which this was, so I would know how to drive one in the future.  Very Smart!  Now, if I'm ever on The Amazing Race and in the backroads of Germany and race to my car and it's a standard, I'll know how to drive one.  Thanks Dad!

So, what was your first car?  Was it a big surprise or did you gete to pick it out?  Did you get surprised in some really cool way?  Did you walk outside and find it in the driveway with a big red bow?  Did you unwrap the keys in a gift box?  Did you pay for it yourself or was it purchased for you?  I'd love to hear about it!

Emmaline Peasant

So, as I may have mentioned before, I am obsessed with fabric.  I love it.  I stalk visit my favorite designer websites and/or blogs frequently.  I love to see what's new in fabric land.  I tend to get hooked on a favorite fabric and use it over and over.  My obsession last year was this fabric:

Yep, it was an obsession.  Okay, I'm still obsessed with this fabric, but I have a new obsession to go along with this one.  Emmaline.  Wanna see? 

I am soooo in love with this fabric.  I see a very busy future between us!  Gotta go get the kids off to school so I can sew!  Check in with y'all later!

I'm linking up to: 



      



Halloween Touches

So, I've mentioned before that I'm not real big on the whole Halloween decorating thing.  Usually by the time it starts cooling off and I get in the mood for fall, it's almost time to put up the Christmas decorations.  BUT, today it's 60 degrees, overcast and stormy at times.  I got to wear jeans and my rain boots today.  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  I think this is what got my in the mood for Halloween decor.  Sooooo, first I got a candle and Modge Podged on some orange tissue paper and some ribbon.  Hmmm.  I decided it needed a little more color.  I found some cute Halloween fabric from my stash and cut out a little spider and used a little MP to add it to the wrapped candle. 

Then I popped over to Graphics Fairy to see what Karen had for Halloween.  SO MANY CUTE THINGS!  I clicked on Halloween Clip Art and found this skull.  So, I printed it out on some old ivory resume paper I found in the filing cabinet.  I printed it out, aged it with a little burnt umber craft paint mixed with water and put it in a frame.  Hmmmm.  Too big, so I tried to cut it down, WITHOUT measuring. DUH!  I know better than that!  I cut it down too much.  So, I decided to burn the edges.  I realize that I could've done this with pair of scissors and a brown ink pad, but not me.  Nope.  I took out the candle lighter thingee and went to town on the edges - probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I DID do it over the sink. Glad I didn't set off the fire alarm. 

Pretty cool, huh?

Also on Graphics Fairy, I found this cool bat silhouette.  I pulled it off and traced it right off the computer screen.  DON'T TELL HUBBY!  He hates it when I do that!  Anyway, I wanted to trace and cut the bats out of an antique book, but I don't have any antique books, sooooo, I cut them out of the newpaper that's been sitting in my living room floor for over a week.  Let me tell ya, it's not easy to find print with no pictures on either side.  Too much advertising!  Anyway, I cut out a few bats and stuck them in my wreath. 

What do ya think?  It looks a little more Halloweeny, right?  I'm really getting in the mood for Christmas though.  I'm on the verge of popping in White Christmas and putting up a tree. 

Have a great day!!!

I'm linking up to Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous and
   




 

Weird Things Kids Do

Do your kids do really odd things?  I mean, obviously, my 6 year old autistic baby does weird stuff, most autistic kids do, but all my kids do weird stuff.  When my oldest "C" was little, she used to run around with socks on her hands.  Everytime we walked into the house, she would take her shoes and socks off and put her socks on her hands like mittens.

Weird!

E has taken to wearing her older sisters bike helment around.  Isn't this lovely? 

She is also obsessed with her new lunchbox and wearing these toy goggles.

Nice, huh?

Do your kids do weird things, or is it just mine?