Holidays

Halloween Skeletons and Spiders and Bats, Oh My!

Halloween is here at the Teer household. With the first cold front, I get so excited about putting out the mums, the pumpkins and the grapevine as we move from summer to fall. At this time of year, the kids wait impatiently for my birthday to come and go because they know that means it's time to get out the old Halloween costumes and decorations. With that comes a lot of bargaining with my 8 year old. Did I mention that I have 2 boys? You might know now where I'm going with this. My 10 year old is pretty disinterested with the whole decorating thing but my 8 year old has grand, gruesome ideas of what we can do in the front yard. I love that he is now interested in helping me but it comes with a lot of compromising on both of our parts. Pictured is the end result on the front porch. I'm sure as the weeks approach to Halloween there will be some things added and then hidden by me in the hopes that one might forget that he put it there. Truth be told, I know in several years when my boys are grown and away at college, I'm really going to miss all of this. So, for now, I'm really going to appreciate the cheesy plastic skeleton and the spiders and the bats, Oh my.

Thanksgiving and Fall Decor

Does it bother anyone else that every year it seems like Thanksgiving is getting sqeezed out even more than the last year? I like decorating for Christmas as much as the next guy but , come on, do we have to have Christmas stuff out in the stores before Halloween is even over?!!! I guess I'm so sensitive about Thanksgiving because being from San Antonio, we really don't have "seasons" weather wise except for an occasional cold front. We go straight from blazing hot summer to winter. So, I just want to pretend, even for just a little while, that Fall is here (even though the weather doesn't agree). So,I said my peace and off of the soapbox for now...

After spending the day covered in old gross spider web, I finally removed all of the Halloween decorations and moved right into the Fall transition while the kids were at school. Pictured above is the new Fall porch. I kept the grapevine up and just added some eucalyptus and jute ribbon with floral wire.

The wreath got a makeover by removing the skeleton and adding some giant pinecones and ribbon. The wreath is very simple to make. Before Halloween I attached pumpkins with hot glue and jute rope so that part was already done. I added the pinecones with floral wire and to hide that mess, I added some ribbon.

The hanger for the wreath was just a plain plastic one that I hotglued ribbon on. The previous hanger (for Halloween)was covered with moss so that wasn't going to work.

The lantern on the porch was filled with small pinecones to add a Fall feel.

The grapevine around the door came from a huge grapevine wreath that I pulled apart and attached to the top of the doorway with nails and floral wire.

Tomorrow, I'll show you the Thanksgiving table that I'm working on and the story of the Turkey about which there have been many jokes at my expense. :(

The Thanksgiving table started with the turkey. Doesn't it always? I found this at William Sonoma a few years ago and thought it was so cute. I made the mistake of mentioning to my family over Thanksgiving dinner that first year that I thought the turkey would be something nice to hand down for generations. Well, I haven't heard the end of that since. Everyone now jokes about the, "oh so special, meaningful turkey." Well, guess what? Now it is and we laugh over it every year. :)I was also teased because someone that year had to spend the entire dinner staring at it's butt. Now at dinner "he" goes up in the china cabinet and is replace with flowers the day of the meal.

The gourds next to the turkey came from Hobby Lobby a while back. I decided this year I wanted to do a white on white look so I painted them. The chevron pattern is big this year so I tried that on one and stripes on another. The other two I painted white like the table. The pinecones on the ends of the table also came from Hobby Lobby a while back (They might still carry them.) and I painted the tips of those white.

I added some mercury glass candle holders that I have been eyeing at World Market. They also have some pretty ones at Pottery Barn. The large candle holders stayed on the table from Halloween and I put some smaller pinecones in the center of the table to bring in the natural element there. I made the table runner out of painter's drop cloth which is made of canvas and can be painted. I used a stencil to add some white and a little design to it. Tomorrow I will give a quick DIY tutorial on that.

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble, Gobble!

Thanksgiving Table Setting...



Getting ready for tomorrow...I don't know what I was thinking going to the coast for 4 nights and coming back to cook & clean for Thanksgiving but I'm finally in the home stretch at least for today. The cream corn and mashed potato casserole, check. House semi-clean, check. One of the tables set, check.

At the last minute, I had to think of something for beneath the candle holders. While away my painted pumpkins molded. Luckily, I'm a saver and I found these wine corks. Even though I don't have nearly enough, they'll do. (We need more happy hours over here.) I couldn't find my place mats at all but the tablecloth will serve that purpose. Every year I get out "the good stuff" and things are always missing. Glasses broken from the year before, silverware that looks like it got the disposal treatment, etc. It's a good thing that I like to mix and match...three different types of glasses and two different types of inherited silver. It makes it more interesting.:)

I wanted fresh flowers for the table but just ran out of time so the infamous relish tray will have to serve as the centerpiece this year. How can I be 40 something and my mom still makes me do things that I don't want to do? I hate that relish tray! I REALLY do! Well, the silver is pretty. I mean I hate the relishes... picture to follow. Also coming tomorrow, the trick to making the bird pretty. I need to post this more for myself than anyone else because every year I forget how to do it. That way I will be prepared for Christmas at least. You'll see what I mean. Until tomorrow...

How to tuck the wings to make a pretty bird...





OK. This wing hanging out (at least I think it's a wing, I don't want to know) is not very attractive. The first year that I made a turkey myself, my mother tried to explain to me over the phone how to tuck it under. It's easier if you can see it instead of having it explained to you, so the following are pictures of how to do it. Ever year I do this, I don't think I'm doing it right because you really have to force it sometimes and it feels like it's going to pop.

First, pull the wing towards you while lifting up the main part of the bird.

Start forcing it under the bird. It might fight you a little here...

Now that it is under, repeat on the other side.

Now put the back side of the wing under the leg and you're ready to oil and season.



My husband and I have done a little experiment every year. We make a breast and a whole bird and we switch off on each using either butter or vegetable oil. Every year the vegetable oil is the favorite and it's a lot easier to spread over the bird too. If you usually use butter, you might want to try it out and see what YOU think.

Then we season with salt and pepper and in 3-5 hours it will be ready to go.YUM! The house smells great!!

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!



I'ts begining to look a little like Christmas...

The Thanksgiving dishes are finally put away and it's time to pull out the Christmas decorations. I have a few little projects complete but just don't have the energy to face the crowds today although I'd love to go get our tree. I starting snipping some greenery from outside earlier and was dive bombed by some poor insect that I inadvertently brought in with me. We had a brief fight in which I was the winner...I think I've had enough for today. The turkey must be kicking in so I think it's time for a nap. Happy decorating and shopping to the rest of you.

Christmas Finds 2012

I wanted to get this post out today in case anyone still has some Christmas decorating purchases to make. Home Depot has fresh wreaths and 15' pine garland for $5.00 each. Bargain! ( I added the bow. )

The greenery is just what my little armoire needed.

These are two finds that came from Hobby lobby. I love the mossy bark and I knew that I wanted to do something with it. One of my projects is below.

I also used the greenery to hide some extension cords. My house has a severe lack of outdoor outlets so every year I have to get cords from one side of the porch to the other.

The door needed some jingle bells too.

Wreath Crazy

OK. So I'm going a little wreath crazy this year. I admit it. I need help. That's the first step, right? In all honesty, I tend to focus heavily on something when I am avoiding something else. The Christmas tree...every year we think about getting a fake tree because there is always drama with the real one. Just getting it from the lot to the house in a mad rush that it doesn't dry out before we can get it in to water. There have been years where I have refused to light the lights because the tree looked so dry that I was sure it was going up in flames. Then there was the year that we brought in what I like to call blister beetles with the tree and just when I thought we had gotten them all, another one would attack out of nowhere. Then another year when I was up on the 10' ladder and a lizard jumped out at me when I was stringing the lights and I nearly broke my neck. It was like something out of Christmas Vacation. We actually looked at fake trees last year and I was horrified at the cost! I think we are going to go with a real one this year despite the impending drama. I can't wait to see what new challenge that will bring. Anyway, on to more wreaths...

As you can see, I go with a pretty simple look. Just a bow and maybe some greenery or pine cones, not too fussy.

The mantle will probably change a little once all is said and done. I have something that I want to add if time permits. The antlers are a new addition from the D.R. Horton ranch. I love them!

Last but not least, the front door wreath. My $5.00 Home Depot find. I just added the bow.

 So, I've done all I can do and I'm going to have to force myself (and my husband) to go get the tree. Wish me luck.