Neighborhood Fall Fest 2016

It's Fall and it's time for our neighborhood to celebrate.  In previous years we have gathered for a fun dance party in someone's converted garage.  We watched each other limbo, break dance, conga, and all sorts of other fun and funny dance moves.

This year we thought we would change it up a bit and have a street fall festival.  It was a total blast!  Number ONE priority was to bring our neighborhood friends together before the snow puts a damper on our outside activities.  Number TWO priority was to allow the youth to earn some money for their summer youth conference trip, girls camp and scout camp.  

One of our talented young women water-colored this flyer for us.  The same young woman led the group in preparing the back drop for our selfie station.

All of the youth were involved in one way or another.  We also delegated responsibilities to the different auxiliary groups within our church organization.  That shared the prep work among a lot of willing people.

We throw wet sponges at the clowns in our neighborhood!

Booths- each of the youth volunteered for shifts

Bake Sale

Silent Auction Baskets

Hot Dogs and Lemonade (free for all)

Popcorn (1 ticket)

Sno-Kone (2 tickets)

Cotton Candy (1 ticket)

Clown Sponge Toss (1 ticket for three throws)

Pumpkin Decorating (3 tickets)

Bobbing for Apples (1 ticket)

Donuts on a String (2 tickets)

Storytelling (professional storyteller)

3 legged race (1 ticket for 2 people)

Potato Sack Race and Pumpkin Bowling (1 ticket for 2 people)

Jail (1 ticket to put someone in jail-2 tickets for bail)

Cupcake walk-(1 ticket)

Food Eating Contest (4 tickets)

Scarecrow Updos (2 tickets)

Selfie Photo Station (free)

Facepainting (2 tickets)

Pie Throwing Contest (1 ticket)

All tickets were $1 and purchased at the ticket booth.  The "cost" of each booth depended on the materials needed for the booth. 

The activities were a lot of fun.  The free hot dogs and lemonade brought in the crowds!

If you didn't have your fill of free hot dogs you could enter the hot dog eating contest...now that was fun to watch!

Another great money maker for the youth were these silent auction baskets.

Each Auxiliary gathered and donated one basket

The Bake Sale had a lot of repeat business.  Lots and lots of amazing donated baked goods.

Everything was gone by festival end.

It was a beautiful evening and everyone, young and old, had a great time.

We couldn't leave out the traditional dance party so when the sun went down we headed for our neighbor's tennis court and for the next few hours DANCED!

Happy Fall Ya'LL

Halloween Decorations

Crystal Ball Candlesticks

My crafty friend Candice and I made a new Halloween craft this year. I saw these over on flamingotoes and was in-love! These are so cool and super duper easy. It takes less than an hour. Here is the link to their tutorial.

These look even better in person! 

Here are a few other Halloween Decorations from my home. Happy Halloween!!

My front porch

 "I've got my eye on you" Wreath

 For the black pumpkin, I bought a plain pumpkin at Michaels and used my silhouette to cut out vinyl images. 

Dining Room:

 More pumpkins from Michaels that I put vinyl messages on

The Living Room

 The entry way. I made those cute little ghosties when I was a little girl with my mom. I still have them after all these years,

Pork Tenderloin

I have a yummy recipe for you today!!! I have made this delicious dish many times since I got the recipe from my friend Heidi. Her daugher Jess once said she felt like she could swim in the sauce. I get it....I feel the same way! This is best when served with garlic mashed potatoes. 

Pork Tederloin

2-3 lbs Tenderloin

3/4 cup Lemon Juice

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

6 Tbsp Honey

1 small Onion

1 tsp. Garlic

2 Bay Leaves, Crumbled

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Dry Mustard

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Puree all marinade ingredients in a blender and pour over meat. Marinate overnight. 

Bbq meat. Save Marinade! During the last 5 minutes of cooking the meat, boil the marinade. Use to pour over meat and potatoes or as a dip.

Enjoy!!

Fall Bucket List-Apple Cider Tag

Happy October!

Just visited my favorite little Amish market and thought these little jugs of apple cider had that fun FALL feeling.

I thought my neighbors (and visiting teachees) might like a little surprise on their doorstep this morning.

Added this fall bucket list tag from simplykierste

and attached to the cider jug with jute.

Right click on picture of tag to copy and paste.

And Happy Fall Y'All!

The Insomniac's Delight-Label Quilt

Have you ever seen a label quilt?  Do you even know what it is?  I didn't until my mom started creating.

It's the coolest quilt ever!  Look close for some amazing, unique labels.

My mom has created hundreds and hundreds of custom quilts over the years.  And I have been the happy recipient of many of them, along with other members of my family.    

She is an accomplished quilter unlike me who can tie a quilt...if I have help.  My mom's hands are always busy doing something.  She thinks TV programs are boring unless she has a quilt in her hand, and then they are just tolerable.

I'm not sure if the label quilt was her idea or something she saw and said, "I can do that!"  And she usually can.

Like the tag says, she started gathering labels in 1996.  She would remove labels from clothing, shoes, packaging materials, flour bags...anything with a fabric label.  She would then cut the label carefully out of the article and place it in an envelope for safe keeping.  

They are from all over the world.  From her travels and anyone else that wanted to give up their label.  After a time she had several people gathering for her.  They would bring her over handfuls of labels they had saved for her.

  

Once she felt she had enough labels she started creating the quilt square by square.  Over the years she continued creating the squares and by 1998 she had enough squares to make a very large quilt.

The completed label quilt hung in her entryway for years and as people would enter they would stand at the quilt (in awe) for what seemed a very long time.  Many of the labels had stories attached to them..."We picked up that label from..."  kind of like the touristy tea cups you collect from different countries.   

Since that first label quilt was created, several more have been made and given to my sisters.  I'm thinking I will hold out for the original.

Many of the clothing companies now do not have labels, instead they have the company names "stamped" in their products.  But every once in awhile we come across a really great one.  It goes into the envelope, waiting to be sewn on the next square, for the next label quilt.

Go check your closet...