Butterscotch Chip Challenge Winner

Thank you so much for all those who took on the challenge this month! :) It was a very, very close call. Infact, I almost had to call it a draw. But, there can only be one Iron Chef Champion of the month.





The Happy Homemaker Iron Chef Champion
for the month of November is...




drum role please

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RICHARD SORENSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


With his homemade butterscotch chip ice cream!!!!
Congratulations Rico. :)


Again, thanks to all who made something for this.


A 2nd place prize goes to Corinne Sorenson with her homemade
applesauce butterscotch chip bread. Very tasty.

The contestants did a great job this month. I am very pleased with the creativity I saw. For the month of December, I want more of you to take the challenge! Remember, the Champion gets a prize!! Stay tuned until December 1st to get next month's challenge.

Black Friday

Its coming up! Black Friday...the day after Thanksgiving! AMAZING deals, only draw back.... waking up in the middle of the night!! :) Just think how much you could get done!

Christmas shopping....done. Now thats a relief. Plus, great prices! Clothing stores aren't the only places giving deals.

Some furnishing stores are as well, and it just so happens one of my favorites is in! IKEA!!!! That's right. They are selling gift wrap, bags, and ribbon for really cheap, as well as other furniture.

Take a nap after Thanksgiving...you'll need it!

Iron Chef Update

I hope you are all doing the Iron Chef challenge! The challenge: Make something with butter scotch chips. So far I have heard from a few of you that you will be making something for this, and one persone has already completed this and given me a sample of their food. However, I cannot tell you what it was yet until I get everything in.

Remember, the winner will get a brand spaken new kitchen item!!!

Home Accents

Home accents are in a way, more important then the big pieces of furniture. What would your house look like without its clocks, mirrors, candles, rugs, picutres, vases, plants, and all the other little accents? Well it would look really boring. They add so much to a home.

So now, take a look around your home. Is there any completely blank walls? Does the end table have too much stuff on it? Is there anything you can move to another room? It is a very crucial home detail. Have some fun with it! There are all sorts of cute mirrors and vases, you just have to look!

Sorry there are no pictures, the program is not uploading photos right now.

Acorn Wreath

I found this fun craft at kaboose.com. It looked really simple and fun for kids!

You will need

acorns

wicker wreath

hot glue gun

glue sticks

newspapers

flowers

or other decorations

How to make it

First, spread the newspaper on a flat surface

Lay your wreath down flat

Heat your glue gun

Next, starting in the middle of the wreath, begin gluing bottom of the acorn. Place the glued part of the acorn in the middle of the wreath and stand the acorn straight up.

Make one row in a straight line going all the way around the wreath.

Repeat the process from top to bottom with the wreat laying flat.

Then decorate with flowers, bows, or even holiday ornaments. Be sure not to leave any open spaces exept in the back. The back of it shouldn't have any acorns on it so when you lay it down its flat.

TIP. A wreath hanger is recommended because its heavy.

Iron Chef Cookoff

This will happen once a month on my blog. If you have ever seen Iron Chef, you know that the cooks are given a specific ingredient and can make anything out of it. I will tell you an ingredient, and you can make anything you want with it! I would really appreciate it if everyone who reads this participates. :) Thanks!

The secret ingredient for the month of November is: Butterscotch chips!
I look forward to seeing what you make!

The winner will recieve a kitchen gift of some sort. You have until the end of this month to make something. Thanks!

Try this New Recipe

I have a new idea for my blog. Who wants to try this recipe out? I will have readers try out some recipes if they want it, and then give me feedback. I think it would be fun.

This is a recipe for Pumkin Cinnamon Chip Scones. They look really good. If anyone wants to make these and then post your feedback as a comment, that would be great! I found this recipe on mybakingaddiction.com

Ingredients
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 large egg
1/2 cup mini cinnamon chips

Powderered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Lamps

Lamps make a room warm and cozy. Table lamps and standing lamps, both are great. It's a small detail, but can make a big difference in the room. There are lamps for every style! Retro, modern, traditional, - you name it! They are great for reading too. Sometimes it's nicer to be surrounded by dark and have a light just by you. I will show you some different styles of lamps.

This one is more of a modern lamp.

And this one, more traditional

As for table lamps, well they come in all shapes and sizes.

Then theres "accent lighting". These are a bit more fancy, but if you place it in the right spot, it looks super!

While you probably already knew all of this stuff, its just a quick little reminder on how to make your home look that much better.

Scarves

I love scarves. They can be worn in so many different ways! They can be used for style and/or keep you warm. :) Fall is the perfect season to wear them too! For example, one way to wear them is something like this.

(JC Penny)

OR THIS

(Charlotter Russe)

You can even wear it as a belt!

Thanks! Go get some scarves!

November

It's November 1st!!! Another great month. Oh the things you can do to your home in November. :) Turkeys, acorns, leaves, pumpkins, cornocopias, - all sorts of November 'symbols.' Looking for new decorations for this month? Well I would suggest hitting Pottery Barn. They have very cute dinner items that would be great at Thanksgiving. Like this acorn salad plate!

Or you could decorate the top of your piano, mantel, or coffe table with any of these selected at Pottery Barn.

DO NOT over decorate though. Too much decorations make the room feel crowded, but just enough is warm and cozy. If you ever find yourself in the situation where you are about to buy a decoration, but can't quite make up your mind, consider the following.

Ask yourself, "Where will I put this when I get home?"

If it replaces something you already have up, ask yourself which one you like more, which one is better quality, if you can move the first decoration somewhere else, or give it away/throw away.

If you don't have room for it, don't get it!!!!

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!