Pumpkin Muffins & Printable

"It is the sweet,

simple things of life
which are the real

ones after all."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder ~

Our family loves these

sweet & simple pumpkin muffins!

I made the recipe into an 8" x 10"

image for instant kitchen art...

Here are the free graphic & font
sources used to create the printable:

*Lost & Taken*
Grungy wallpaper texture

*Knick of Time*
Chalkboard texture

*Bumble Button*
Theater program border(4th image down)

*Dafont.com*
Freebooter Script

Vintage Strawberry Tags

"Note on Kitchen Table"

I will be back soon to bake some bread,
But now I'm picking wild berries instead,
Out in the meadows, under the sun.
I know I'm leaving my work undone,
But the wind was soft on summer grass;
The trees stood up tall for me to pass;
And the blue sky smiled and bent down low.
So what could I do but laugh and go?
 
~ Mary Martin Palma ~

   
"Wild Strawberries"

Heavy the air with a fragrance rare,
Strawberries ripe in the meadow,
Luscious & red where the vines are spread
Thickly in sun and shadow.

~ Jean Blewett ~


Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:

*Vintage Images*
Strawberries

*Lilac & Lavender*
Vintage recipe card


Hope you enjoy these cute
Vintage Strawberry Tags!
Thanks for stopping by!

Honey Spice Cake & Caramel Icing

"The bee is more

honored than other

animals, not because she

labors, but because

she labors for others."

~ Saint John Chrysostom ~

It was my intention to scan the

original card and add honeybees,

but while making this recipe,

I soon realized there was an

important ingredient missing.

Flour.

Everything else was mixed up.
Should've paid more attention before

starting! Wasn't going to let a full cup

of honey go to waste, so added one

and a half cups flour first. The batter

still seemed thin, so added another

half a cup for 2 cups...

It worked!

I chose to make cupcakes ~ here's

how they turned out. The kitchen

smelled so good!

Last line of recipe card:

 

(Honey Cake does not need much frosting -

a thin layer of carmel icing is best.)

Original "Carmel Icing"

My version:

Enjoy!

Box of Treasures

The kids and I stopped

by for a visit with our

neighbors, and came home

with a box of treasures...

Was thinking we should stop by for a visit

with our neighbors. Driving by, Glenna

smiled and waved to us from the garden.

It was my sign to take

the kids down for a visit!

We walked down the strip of grass

between the pasture and road connecting our

properties. Soon we heard their dogs barking.

Glenna swung open the screen door. She stood

there smiling, arms open & ready to give hugs!

We sat on her glider and talked as the

kids played with their dogs.

 Soon everyone was thirsty, so we made

our way inside to the big farmhouse kitchen.

Olivia motioned to a small cardboard box,

and Glenna told her it was full of old recipes.  

She looked at me and asked, "Do you want

them? I was going to bring them to you,

but since you're here..."  She told me they

were from one of her longtime friends,

and neither had use for them now.

She seemed a mixture of surprised and

pleased as I so happily accepted her offer.

Later we said our goodbyes and walked

back home. Me with my treasures, the kids

with their candy.   Once in the kitchen, I

began sifting through the hundreds of recipes.

A labor of love... much like the effort it

took to create them in the first place. 

Here are a few:

 The back...

Scanned a plain lined recipe card,

and added aged, torn paper texture

I made with an image from

The Graphics Fairy:

Added a collage I made a while back:
French script & white roses...

... and a yellow Catherine Klein rose.

Cookie Inspiration

Baking Christmas cookies is one of our family's favorite holiday traditions.  You probably have a few go-to recipes, recipes handed down through the generations, or maybe a few you'd like to try out.  I've posted two cookie recipes on here that I came across in a little red recipe box.  The first is for Molasses Sugar Cookies, and the other for Vicki's Chocolate Crinkles.

I happened to see Gooseberry Patch's Recipe Round-Up, where they're featuring cookies, and shared the Chocolate Crinkle recipe there.  If you're looking for cookie-baking inspiration, head on over.  You're sure to find something that strikes your fancy!

Hope you'll check it out...   

Merry Christmas, and happy baking!