Happy October dear readers! There was a chill in the air, leaves are starting to change colors, and there's pumpkins everywhere. For some spooky season is the BEST season and I've got to admit, I've been bitten by the Falloween bug this year! My porch is decorated and parts of my home are as well, but I still need some cute pieces to tie it all together. That's why I'm giving away a $25 dollar gift card to my newest brand partner, Signature Homestyles! As a Signature HomeStyle affiliate, I now have my own SH shop and I'm in love with Falloween decor! You know who else loves Falloween? Blogger Talk Bloggers! That's why I've teamed up with them to host this giveaway and share the Hawloween blog hop with you.
Showing posts with label
fall
Cinnamon Banana Bread Recipe
in after school, baking, brunch, cinnamon banana bread, fall, Recipe, sides, snacks, by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, October 16, 2018
The temperatures are starting to fall here in middle Tennessee and I’m so ready for all things fall! This is a nesting season for me and lots of you I’m sure, which means I’ll be talking more about cleaning, cooking, decorating and baking! My oldest daughter was home for fall break this past weekend, and we had planned on baking pumpkin bread, so as I hurried through grocery shopping, I picked up a can of regular pumpkin. Or so I thought. Read on to see how this oops became a tasty recipe and a lot of fun!
Cinnamon Banana Bread:
Yesterday found us at a family member’s home, enjoying family, the fantastic fall weather and of course, delicious food. The time for cookouts, corn mazes, pumpkins patches, hayrides, and bonfires has finally arrived! We are excited to dive into all the fun festivities, but I’ve learned from our previous cookouts and bonfires to expect lots of laundry stains. Don’t let laundry stains keep you from enjoying outdoor activities, simply use my secret weapon- Biz Stain Fighter!
Wordless Wednesday: Fall Flowers
in Daisy, fall, flowers, Garden, Mums, wildflowers, wordless wednesday, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, September 13, 2017
There is no mistaking the beauty and allure of a vibrant
Chrysanthemum this time of year. They can
be found everywhere from nurseries, to farms markets and even school
fundraisers have Mums for sale and I am a willing buyer. Mums are one of the
few flowers that can be both annuals and perennials depending on what variety
you buy. If I’m lucky enough to find “hardy Mums” the perennial variety, I’ll
plant them in my flower beds this month. If I find annuals, they will go in
containers. In order to have more variety in my garden this fall, I wanted to
grow beyond Mums and found three plants perfect for fall planting I’d like to
share with you today.
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Sedum Blooms |
We did a lot of back to school and dorm room shopping over the last few weeks, which led to my color of the month post being shared a little later than I wanted. The upside is I discovered the perfect color of the month to share because we saw it everywhere! From velveteen throw pillows to cute dresses, a deep, rich, warm and inviting Burgundy has me longing for crisp fall days.
At the beginning of each season I promise myself that this will be the season I have a garden to be proud of. My flowers will bloom glorious bloom after bloom, my herbs will never wither or go to seed and my succulents will remain perfectly pleasing to the eye. Then reality sets in and I muddle along with an okay garden space- but my succulent game is strong so I can take heart.
If you’ve never known the joy and beauty of a succulent garden, then why not give it a try as our Indian summer days slowly ebb into winter? Maybe it’s already more like winter where you live- all the more reason to start this easy indoor garden full of succulents!
What is a Succulent Plant?
Succulents are fairly easy to identity because of their leaves and stems. The most widely recognized succulent is probably the Aloe Vera plant and my personal favorite the Jade plant. The Jade plant in the photos above is 10 years old and was born from clippings my mother in law took from her mother’s Jade plant. I treasure this Jade plant because it is an heirloom; one that I can pass on to my daughter’s when they move to their first place. I’ve started several pots of Jade from this one and will be doing a quick tutorial soon. Another thing I adore about Jade is it produces delicate white or pink flowers once a year!
Succulents would be a perfect first time plant for teens, or anybody that loves having greenery around them but forgets to water their houseplants because succulents are drought resistant and require very little water or hands on care. Just read the care tag and put your plant in the correct light and you are almost guaranteed success with your indoor succulent garden!
The one drawback of succulents is choosing the right one for your personal tastes and your homes lighting. Some points to consider before buying succulents:
- Low levels of natural light and cooler temperatures mean you’ll need to adjust how much water and fertilizer you give.
- Some plants adapt to hanging planters and terrariums better than others.
- Some succulents can even be toxic to your indoor animals.
As you can see, while succulents may be easy to grow, you need to do your homework first. That’s why UncommonGoods, one of Brooklyn’s favorite online retailers of home and garden decor, has researched and compiled a list of 10 best succulents to brighten up your home this fall and winter.
I was happy to see my favorite succulent, Jade second on the list. I think I will add a Mistletoe plant to a hanging basket in my bedroom and I love the look of the string of buttons plant.
I adore growing and spotting succulents wherever I go. I saw this beauty at my grocery store and had to share a pic on Instagram.
A photo posted by Linda Kinsman (@ismilefirst) on
You will find a huge succulent fan following on IG, so hop on over and follow me and UnCommonGoods there.
Please share
in comments: Which succulent plant from the infographic would you like to grow
in your indoor garden?
Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way to share this information today. I just love succulents and UnCommonGoods was kind enough to ask me to share that love via their infographic.
Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden now? Or what are you potting in your containers?
I made these tasty cheesy sausage bites last year for
Thanksgiving and wished I’d discovered the recipe sooner in the year for all
the fun fall tailgates, potlucks and picnics happening from September on.
They
were such a crowd pleaser! I had several family members ask me to make them for
this Thanksgiving too, but I didn’t want to wait that long. Now that the nights are getting cooler, I’m in
the mood for tasty, oven baked goodies! Today I’m sharing a simple recipe I’ve
adapted from a Pillsbury recipe. I think you’ll love taking these cheesy
sausage bites to your next tailgate or family get together too.
With only 5 ingredients, it’s
easy to add what you need to your shopping list and these bites are easy on the
budget too!
Ingredients:
Makes 40 bites (depending
on size of bite you make)
- 1 pound Roasted Red Pepper Sausage (or any bulk sausage flavor you like)
- 2 cups (8oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 can (8oz) Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls (choose your favorite brand)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray, set aside.
- Cook sausage on medium heat until just brown, drain and put in mixing bowl.
- Add cheese and rosemary to bowl and mix with hands or spoon.
- Unroll crescent dough onto floured work surface; coat each side of dough with flour.
- Cut dough into about ¼ -inch pieces with a pizza cutter or knife.
- Mix crescent dough pieces into bowl of sausage mixture in small amounts until well blended.
- Shape mixture into 40 inch sized balls. Place on pan.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
My Cheesy Sausage bites recipe takes about 45 minutes to make from
start to finish, but are well worth the time. They taste fantastic straight
from the oven or room temperature. If your family is a fan of finger foods,
you’ve got to try these sausage bites.
Another great thing about them is you
can make them two or three days ahead of time because they store well in the
fridge. I just lined a large plastic container with a paper towel and put in
the fridge and watched the amount of sausage bites dwindle as my family snacked
on them.
Please share in comments: What is your favorite fall tailgate food?
Do you make it, or does a friend or family member bring it?
Nashville, TN- Come get lost in Shuckles Corn Maze at Fiddle Dee Farms
in corn maze, entertainment, fall, family fun, FamilyLife, kids, Nashville TN, pumpkin patch, by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, September 02, 2016
Happy Friday and happy September dear readers! It was a glorious 66 degrees outside this morning, so I took full advantage of the coolness by spending time in my neglected flowerbeds. The breeze felt so good and listening to all the birds and squirrels in my yard reminded me Fall is coming! I can't think of a better way to spend a pleasant fall day with my family than at a local farm. If you live in the greater metro Nashville, TN. area, you are going to want to visit Fiddle Dee Farms in Hendersonville!
About Fiddle Dee Farms and Shuckles Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch:
"Shuckles Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch located at Fiddle Dee Farms has been getting families lost in the corn for over seven years. Come spend the afternoon and have hours of fun. New this year is our large Fiddle Dee Jumping Pillow (see photo below) and Rope Maze. Pet the animals and ride the 40' Super Slide. Come buy a pumpkin, decorate it and race it in The Great Pumpkin Derby -- new this year at Fiddle Dee Farm. Over twenty-five activities included in General Admission."
Mark your calendars now because the Fall fun starts September 24, 2016 and goes through November 6, 2016!
Important Updates and Savings:
Visit Music City Kids to get $2.00 off Shuckles Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch! Shuckles corn maze and pumpkin patch has moved, but not very far! Come see their new pumpkin town, wild Fiddle Dee kingdom and Fiddle Dee sticks hollow! This sounds like lots of Fall fun for the whole family! I'll be sure to share photos when my family and I visit soon.
Disclosure: My family and I will receive complimentary admission to Fiddle Dee Farms as part of the blogger family at US Family Guide, for sharing this announcenent post and after visiting, sharing our family day! All opinions and love of local fun spots are my own.
As we head towards Christmas and temperatures drop, gray skies like this one seem to rule the day.
But I have found beautiful, abundant, hard to take in colors at sunrise:
And at Sunset:
Which color palette do you prefer?
Acorns, leaves, berries found on our nature walks are displayed on a depression glass pie plate and small vase- making inviting nature into our home a breeze.
This just because bouquet made my day! I adore Sunflowers, Daisy's and Mums!
Adding copper and Autumn toned leaves to this iron wall art makes a happy statement.
If I could wear this perfect fall flower palette- either in my makeup or clothing, I would.
I hope that you have been able to get outside and enjoy this beautiful season!
Please share in comments: How do you invite nature into your home this time of year?
Even though we officially kicked off fall this week, the temperatures
here in the south remain summer like. My teen daughters and I have started taking
afternoon walks again and we usually wind up on the front porch to cool off. That’s
when we enjoy big flavorful glasses of home brewed iced tea. I love connecting
with my teens as we sit and sip together. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we just
rock and listen to the busy birds- either way it’s the time spent together that
matters.
Recently I received a box full of Tulsi flavored teas from Organic
India as part of the Moms Meet program. While I did receive these items free of
charge, I only share products I believe in and feel will be of value to you, my
readers.
Some of you may remember the
first time I wrote about this wonderful company and their story and mission
remain relevant and important enough for me to share them again today.
One of Organic India’s main missions is to
create a sustainable global environment by working with thousands of family
farmers in India on tens of thousands of acres of organic farmland. These are
causes I very much believe in and want to champion.
Tulsi is considered India’s Queen of herbs for more than
5,000 years and has been revered as one of the most sacred herbs in India,
infused with healing power because of its abundance in antioxidants. I can’t
speak to this teas healing power, but I can speak to its flavor.
This week we are enjoying a special blend of home brewed iced
tea using a mix of Tulsi Original tea and Tulsi Raspberry Peach tea. It is a
delightful, flavorful blend my whole family loves. You can also purchase Tulsi in: Sweet Rose, Lemon Ginger, Honey Chamomile, Peppermint, Jasmine and many more by
visiting their website.
Each box of Tulsi tea retails for $5.99 and is certified USDA organic. You can save 20% on your Organic India
products by using code kiwi20 for your online purchases. Also, be sure to visit
Organic India on Facebook and Twitter where you can learn more about their
humanitarian causes.
I invite you to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and get
outside! Go for a walk; enjoy the view as the seasons slowly blend and change;
or just sit and sip some iced tea together. It’s a perfect way to connect with
your teens, your husband, your dog, even yourself.
From our home to yours- we wish you a Happy Fall!
Please share in comments: Which tea flavor listed above you would you like to try?
I can't wait for the seasons to finally change and I can get my true fall on at home and here on the blog. I was looking through some past fall photos and found this beautiful metal Sunflower and just loved the perfect cocoa brown center, so it became my inspiration for this months color!
Here is my Pinterest board for some Cocoa brown inspiration to help you "Fall" in love with this color too. I hope you enjoy it.
Turned up Turkey Tetrazzini recipe and $10 giveaway
in dinners, fall, family, leftovers, mealsandmains, Recipe, tetrazzini, turkey, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, September 09, 2015
By the Labor Day weekend, my family and I are ready to switch up our dinner fare and start adding some of our fall favorites to the menu. My family loves my classic Turkey Tetrazzini that I make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, so when my husband smoked a turkey breast for our holiday, I decided to make turned up Turkey Tetrazzini as part of the #PublixFlavorExcursion, which showcases several brands my family loves.
The great thing about making this Tetrazzini dinner is you may already have several of the key ingredients on hand. I was fortunate enough to have ample left-over turkey for my dinner, but you can purchase deli turkey for this recipe and shred it too. Here’s what you’ll need to make this tasty and quick dinner.
Ingredients:
Makes 6 servings
- 1 box spaghetti pasta, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
- ½ cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked Turkey
- 1 can (10 oz.) Ro*Tel Original diced tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
- 1 can (18 oz.) Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup Milk (2%)
- ¾ cup Kraft Natural Italian blend shredded cheese
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Add olive or canola oil to large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are lightly brown and fork tender.
Next add Turkey, undrained tomatoes, soup, water, milk to skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine all ingredients. Heat until mixture is hot, and then simmer until pasta is done. Add half the cheese to skillet to melt. Drain cooked pasta and add to skillet. Gently mix all ingredients until pasta is covered. Top with remaining cheese.
I served my Turned up Turkey Tetrazzini with French-style green beans and sourdough cheesy-garlic bread. This dinner was ready and on the table in just 40 minutes and my family loved it saying it was different in a good way. They really enjoyed the slight heat from the Ro*tel green chilies. If you love heat like I do, you can take it up a notch by adding pepper flakes to your serving.
Win It:
This giveaway is sponsored by #PublixFlavorExcursion and participating brands because they want to help you take a culinary trip from your everyday menu! Entering is easy using the Rafflecopter form below.
Terms:
No purchase necessary to enter. Open to U.S. residents who are 18+ years or older. My WAHM Plan is responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners will be notified by email used on entry form and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is not associated with nor endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or any other social channel.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure:
My thanks to Publix and participating brands for sponsoring today's recipe.I received monetary compensation for my thoughts, however, I only share content I feel will benefit my readers. I’m disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
I have been making headway on my fall cleaning checklists and hope you have too. If you aren't as far along as you'd like to be, I've got you covered! Start with Week One Checklist then come back here. This week to expedite our Fall cleaning efforts I’ve
compiled a roundup of some of my favorite Fall Cleaning Checklists to share
with you. Let's keep going through the mild days of October and get our homes sparkling clean!
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To me, nothing says welcome to my home and my kitchen like a sparkling clean kitchen sink. Scrub yours today and see how awesome you feel! |
Fall Cleaning Checklists:
From RealSimple.com. The great thing about the RS checklist is you can save your
progress online, or just print it out and check the boxes as you go.
To use this checklist visit Real Simple here.
From MarthaStewart.com:
Homemakers everywhere love Martha and I'm no exception. She makes everything seem
do-able.
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Source |
MarthaStewart.com has an endless supply of homemaking checklists, so
be warned: you may need to pry your fingers from your mouse when you visit this
site.
To use this checklist visit MarthaStewart.com here.
Now let’s take our cleaning efforts outside with these two
handy checklists.
From ThisOldHouse.com:
I enjoy watching This Old House with my husband
on weekends when we have the time. I’ve come to enjoy their website as well. If
you haven’t visited This Old House.com let me be the first to share this site with
you starting off with their Fall Landscaping Checklist.
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Source |
Each of the 11 tasks on the list are broken down in quick,
easy to follow directions and the why behind doing it, so you get so much
more than a cleaning check list here, you get easy to digest tutorials as well.
To use this checklist visit ThisOldHouse.com here.
From BHG.com:
Next, we head over to BHG.com for their Fall Cleaning
Checklist that covers everything from cleaning your gutters to inspecting your
driveway for wear and tear.
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Source |
The thing I love about this checklist is Better
Homes and Gardens has added a link to a step by step guide on how to do each
task.
To use this checklist visit BHG.com here.
That’s it for our Fall Cleaning Checklists. I hope you find them helpful. The weather is
supposed to be perfect in my area for getting lots of these chores done this
weekend. I can’t wait to open up our windows and air out the house one last
time before we hunker down for cold weather.
I hope you are enjoying great fall weather
too and please stay tuned for my organizing tips next week as I start
working on closets and pantries. Plus, I’ll be adding a Giveaway for some amazing Eco
friendly cleaning clothes soon!
Please share in comments: What one Fall Cleaning chores do
you want to tackle this weekend?
I have been a busy little bee around the home office this week, but now it's time for me to turn my focus back to domestic pursuits, cause folks, you just can't decorate an unclean home anymore than you can entertain in one.
I've looked at several Fall Cleaning Checklists, but found them to be to generalized, so I decided to make a weekly checklist of what I'm doing and share it here with you. I hope you find this list helpful. If you do, please feel free to print out a copy for yourself and pin it for others to use. Now, let's roll up our sleeves and get some fall cleaning done.
Inside: Bedrooms:
- Clean ceilings, walls, ceiling fans and light fixtures
- Flip mattresses
- Wash mattress and pillow covers
- Bring cold weather linens out of storage, wash if needed
- Vacuum baseboards
- Vacuum behind beds and dressers
- Clean window treatments as needed (don’t wash windows yet!)
- De-clutter nightstands, recycle reading material as needed
- Hang/put away all clothing
- Find proper home for anything out of place
Helpful Tips:
- Wrap your broom with an old tee shirt and secure with a rubber band to clean ceilings and walls.
- Always clean from top to bottom going clockwise around the room.
- Put a laundry basket at the door to place “found* items in to take to their proper home later.
- Turn on your favorite upbeat music and go!
Be sure to check back next Friday for week two's Fall Cleaning Checklist where we will tackle the living room and other common area's of your home and start working on some outdoor fall cleaning projects.
Are we friends? Be sure to follow My WAHM Plan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I'd love to see your Fall projects, so be sure to tag me or leave a comment here on your recent Fall posts.
A Fall Garden Promise
in fall, gardening, hospitality, Mums, pumpkin patch, pumpkins, southern, by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, September 29, 2014
October is knocking on the door and I for one am thrilled to
see summer fade away. Good bye hot and humid days, good bye endless mowing
sessions, good bye weeding… oh wait; I still have to weed in the fall.
Goodbye ugly, over grown flowerbeds, goodbye stringy tomato
vines. I bid you all farewell with an apology for not doing what a garden
loving lady should have in summer.
I neglected you and
it shows. I was too busy in here, writing and growing my business to take care
of you. I would be appalled if company were
to saunter up my walk today and see the state of my flowerbeds; so please don’t
come over just yet.
I’m going to get things whipped into shape for fall. Then
you can come over! I’ll scrub the front porch and rockers and I’ll plant Mums
in my pots and allow my poor, worn out wave Petunia’s to finally rest.
I’ll weed and pull up that old Rose bush I keep saying I’m
going too. I’ll turn over the mulch and add some new and I’ll put in my new
solar landscape lights. The front yard is going to look great when I’m done.
I’ll clean off the back deck one more time and invite you to
sit, have some tea and chat a while. And while you do, you can see my lovingly
tended shade flower beds, full of neatly groomed Azalea bushes and Hosta. You
may even catch the faint scent of my Rosemary, still doing well in her pretty
blue pot.
Once our cups are empty, we’ll take a leisurely stroll
towards my pumpkin patch, the one crop that seems to thrive without any love
and care from me. Okay, sure, it is an accidental pumpkin patch. One we never
dreamed would take root right on the fringe of our burn pile/bone-fire spot.
We chucked our old pumpkins there last year and voila! Here
it is, producing small little pumpkins of happiness. We were able to cut one,
tie a pretty bow on it and give it to our new neighbors in a true show of
southern hospitality. Thank you accidental pumpkin patch for coming through!
Hopefully, these pumpkins and my fall gardening efforts will
be enough to make up for my summer of garden laziness. Now that fall is here, I'm going to be ready for company.
Please share in comments: Did you have a productive and happy
summer gardening season, or did you get
too busy like me?