Fall Dining Room Tour

Don't you just love fall! I do. Here in the deep south it seems like our summers last forever! The cooler temperatures are such a respite from the heat and I just love all of the colors! Though we have not seen much... yet. But the cooler temps have arrived! And that gets me into the mood of fall decorating. 

New Fall Decor Items

My fall decor items have been around for years and I thought it would be nice to pick up a few "newer" items to spruce things up. 

Using Salt & Pepper Shakers for Seasonal Decor

I love Salt & Pepper Shakers and think that they are wonderful to use as a "pop" of seasonal decor anywhere in the house. I rarely get anything expensive. I want to be able to use them for anything, including a craft. And if it breaks, that's okay. This year, I found 3 sets that I just had to purchase. And one set was from the Dollar Tree! Yes, costing only a $1! 

Owl Salt & Pepper Set From the Dollar Tree

Mr. & Mrs. Tom Turkey Salt & Pepper Set From Ross.
Salt & Pepper Shakers and think that they are wonderful to use as a "pop" of seasonal decor anywhere in the house.

I did use 2 salt & pepper sets to nestle in the centerpiece of my dining table. Turned out lovely amongst all the faux guards and fall silk foliage. I found them both at Ross and they were only about $3.99. Very inexpensive and can be used year after year.

Mr. & Mrs. Owl Salt & Pepper Set From Ross

I love these pasta bowls that I picked up at Tuesday Morning. I am using them with bone colored stoneware and they look so good! I only purchased 6. 2 Turkey, 2 Stag & 2 Pheasant. I only have a 6 place setting of the bone colored stoneware and the bowls, which are shallow, will complement the stoneware nicely. 

Turkey Pasta Bowl From Tuesday Morning

Pasta Bowl From Tuesday Morning w/Stag Image Transfer

Pasta Bowl From Tuesday Morning w/Pheasant Image Transfer 

Don't you just love the images & trim on this transferware? I wish I had storage space for a full set, but you know what, the 6 pasta bowls will do fine. They are shallow and could "do" as a plate and can be used not only for pasta, but for salads, desserts, soups and stews. I will look forward to using them every year! 

Love This Dark Brown Pattern

Bottom Stamp of the Pasta Bowls

I thought I would include the stamp on the bottom of the bowls just in case you might want some for yourself. It will make it easier for you to find.

I also purchased a couple of table runners, some placemats and dish towels to use as napkins. On Insta and Pinterest I have noticed that on several table setting posts where people are using dish towels for napkins and just love the idea. I love an ample sized napkin. When I make napkins try to make them at least 20"x20", larger if I have enough material. If you would like to see those, and how I have them arranged with my "old" fall decor, click on the link below to the Fall Dining Room Tour video.

Video of My Fall Dining Room Tour

Fall Dining Room Tour
Be sure to check it out, subscribe and if you like the video, please give me a "thumbs up"!

Vintage Fall Decor is Okay!

I love watching YouTube videos on decor, scouring Pinterest for the latest ideas... But there is nothing wrong with using the same decor year after year, as you will see in the following photos. I love these items and have some memories tied up in them. And.... you save money using what you already have. 😊

Dollar Tree Pumpkin From Several Years Ago

Remember the Dollar Tree Pumpkins from several years ago? They were all the rage. It seemed like everyone in bloggerville, Facebook, etc were buying them up and posting about it. I went out and bought a few myself, still have them and use them in my fall decor. 

Faux Gourds that I Have Collected Over the Years.
They make great fillers and give a fabulous pop of color.

You can never go wrong with colorful gourds. Faux or organic. The advantage of using faux is that you can use them over and over, which is what I have done. I found mine at different places, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Ross, TJMaxx, Marshall's, Walmart, etc. and always marked down. I pick them up late season or after season on clearance. They make great fillers and give a fabulous pop of color throughout the home. Display them in a jar or bowl and you are good to go!

My "white" display

 And then there is white! It is still really popular. I acquired a few pieces when "white" first became a "rage" for fall decor. And I still use them in my displays. The white really brightens up this dark corner display. 

Silk Flower Arrangement I Have Had For Years

 Silk Flower arrangements are always nice. I will box this one up and will use it again next year. 

Collection of Thanksgiving Decor I Have Collected From the Early '90s to This Year

The Pilgrims & Mr. Tom have been with me since the early to mid '90s. I am not sure how much longer Mr. Tom will be with us as he had really gotten old, faded, etc. But as long as he is around, we will continue to use him.

The Price Tags Are Still On Mr. & Mrs. Pilgrim

And I still have the price tags on Mr. & Mrs. Pilgrim. I cannot remember where I got them. It seems like it was TJMaxx or Marshall's when they were in the old location on highway 31. 

I hope that you enjoyed this post. To see the whole fall dining room tour be sure to click on the YouTube video link below:

Fall Dining Room Tour

Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and if you like the video, please give it a "thumbs up"!

The fall season is one of those special blessings from God and one of those...

...Little Things in Life

Hugs,

Missy

What's For Supper? Beef Tips & Rice

Don't you love cooking with a crock-pot? I do! So easy and so delicious. Years ago, most of the recipes that I had for a crock-pot called for cheeses and canned foods. I started searching for ways to make my crock-pot meals a little more "healthy". 😌 And really, not hard to do if you use your basic knowledge of food and nutrition and a little common sense. 😉

5 Healthy Tips About Food For Your Crock-Pot Meal

Before we get started, just a few things to remember when it comes to cooking healthy:

• Use fresh ingredients as much as possible. Fresh frozen is a good second option.
• Limit your creams, sauces and canned foods.
• Limit your fats.
• Use lean meats (some people braise the meat before putting it in the crock).
• Limit your sodium

Recently we became "empty nesters". That means I am no longer cooking for 3 and whoever(s) shows up at the door (at dinner time) or comes home from band practice with our daughter. (Side note, we LOVED those days and miss them.) I am also not revolving & planning around a busy school aged child's schedule. I am having to plan and cook smaller meals so we do not have left overs for days. 😄 After 4 days of the same thing, well we are tired of it. And lets be honest, do we want to "freeze" everything? I would just rather adjust and prepare accordingly. 😌 Freshly prepared food is always better. Which brings me to my most recent purchase. A 2 Quart Crockpot!  You see, to get the most efficiency out of your crock-pot it needs to be at least 2/3's full when you use it to cook a meal. I have one huge crock-pot and one standard. I found I was using the standard more and more and still not filling 1/2 full. So for less than 10 bucks I decided to invest in this little jewel. You can prepare 2-4 servings, perfect for empty nesters and takes up very little space. 

My Most Recent Crock-Pot, 2-4 Servings

By the way, all the photos in this post are made with my cell phone and a little "spruce up" in Lightroom. So please excuse the "lack" of professional quality, not that I have ever made that a priority. 😄 Below is my Beef Tips & Rice Recipe:

Beef Tips & Rice

Beef Tips Served Over Brown Basmati Rice

You want to start with lean beef cubed. It can be from a roast, sirloin, flank steak or even tenderloin. I used "stew meat" I bought at Costo. They cut it up from one of the meats that I recommended and it is very lean. Some people like to braise it, but I don't. Using enough beef tips to fill up a 1 pint ziplock bag, I just add a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch in a bowl with it and mix it well. (Seems to make a nice gravy.) I also like to slice up my veggies and have them ready. 1/2 small - medium onion, 1/2 sweet bell pepper and 1/2 of a pint of mushrooms. Add the beef and the veggies to the crock-pot. Next you want to add 1/3 cup of red cooking wine (I am sure reg wine is fine if you have it), 1 teaspoon of Braggs Amino Acids (You can find this at most health food stores like Sprouts and sometimes Publix will have it in stock.), a tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic. Give it all a good mix.

If you notice, I did not add salt. I am on a low sodium diet and rarely add salt to anything. You could, but we find it plenty salty with the Amino Acids and red cooking wine.

Place your lid on the pot and to cook all day turn it on the low setting. To cook 1/2 of a day cook it on the high setting. 

The Meat is Tender & Juicy and Using the Cornstarch, Makes It's Own Gravy

Brown Basmati Rice

You will want to take 1 cup of brown rice, put it in a sieve and rinse it off before cooking. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil and add 1 beef bouillon cube (adds flavor) and  the cup of  rice (rinsed). Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low-simmer, and cook 40 minutes. Remove from heat (with lid on!) and steam for 10 minutes.  (I purchase my brown basmati rice in bulk -small bulk- at Sprouts.)

When your rice is ready, plate it up! Add a salad or any green vegetable and you will have a wonderful, healthy meal. Comfort food (I think this qualifies) can be Healthy! One of those wonderful...

Little Things in Life

Hugs,

Missy

Opps! Almost forgot the recipe card!

Printable Link:

Beef Tips & Rice ~ Crock-Pot

If you try it out, please let me know how you like it! I love comments. Especially nice ones. 😊

Harvest Moon

A couple of weeks ago we had a gorgeous, full Harvest Moon. The night sky so clear and the moon was so bright that outside lights were not necessary. I had to make sure that I photographed it. 😊

Another one of those...

Little Things in Life!

Hugs,
Missy

Hummingbirds

Entertainment that God Created for Us to Enjoy!

Oh how I love these little creatures! They show up around April and stay around until October. I saw the last one a week ago. I still have a feeder out just in case there is a late straggler coming through. The last week in September and the first week in October I think we had about 2 dozen in our yard. Of course, they were migrators headed south. I try to do my part in getting them ready for the trek across the Gulf by keeping all my feeders full for those few days and do tend to go through a lot of sugar water for those 2 weeks. 

I believe that God created them for many reasons, the main one being for our entertainment. 😂 I can watch them for hours! And when they are used to you sitting there, they tend to have no fear. They will chase & fight each other! Oh my lands! how fun it is to watch! In late March/early April I will start putting out my feeders and say, "let the battles begin!" Actually, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird is quite territorial. I have watched an adult female defend as many as 3 feeders, even from her mate and her fledgling young! They can be quite mean to each other. 

Another good thing about having them around, they also love mosquitoes! And let me tell you, if you make your yard a hummingbird highway you will have very few mosquitoes. I say the more hummers the better and that means less mosquitoes!

These little creatures are brave and fearless
ISO 800 ~ 200mm ~ f/5.6 ~ S1000 ~ Nikon D200

I hope that you enjoy some of the photos that I have taken of the hummers. For me it takes some patience to get decent ones, and I have seen some much better than these taken with an iPhone! I shoot manual, use a tripod and a wireless cable release. The more recent models of cameras will show less grain at higher ISOs. I have had the D200 for about 10 years. That technology has been around for a while and has been surpassed by much better technology, but hey, this camera is paid for. 😉 (I have included some exif info in these photos.) These guys are fast. As you can see in the above photo, a shutter speed of 1000 is not fast enough to freeze the movement when they are zipping by. 

My hummers prefer for me to keep a distance when I have a camera in hand.
ISO1100 ~ 200mm ~ f/4.5 ~ S250 ~ Nikon D200

Another reason for me to use the D200 is because it has a smaller sensor that gives me more reach with the zoom lens that I used. Hummers do not love for me to get too close with the camera and they certainly do not love the tripod up close and personal. Once I got my camera all set up, I even covered it with a red bandanna, which seemed to make them less shy.  

A shutter speed of 250 is too slow for photographing hummingbirds. You can see a good deal of movement in their wings, tails, etc. I did not love the photos where I had my aperture wide open as I lost all depth in the birds image. So in using the D200 I sacrificed ISO and shutter speed in order to get more reach with the lens.  The bird in the images above and below are sharp (in the head & body) because of the their decreased speed as they approach the feeders. Still, a lot of fun to observe and photograph. 

Always use sugar water in your hummingbird feeders
ISO1100 ~ 200mm ~ f/4.5 ~ S250 ~ Nikon D200

Hummingbird Food

God provides nectar in our colorful flowers planted and self sowed in our landscape. He also provides plenty of bugs like... mosquitoes. One way to attract Hummingbirds to your yard is by keeping 1 or more (I have 7) feeders in your yard filled with sugar water. Red & yellow are colors that attract them as most of the flowers with the sweet nectar that they love are red & yellow. However, you do not need to add any food coloring to the sugar water. The color in the feeder is all you need to attract them. Commercial hummingbird foods & mixes are usually full of preservatives and dyes. Not healthy for our little guys. So you will not want to use them. I use a sugar/water mixture that I make up myself using pure cane sugar. It gives my nectar an amber color and the hummers seem to love it! Because there are no preservatives or chemicals in the sugar water, I do have to clean the feeders and refill them every few days. I start out with just a little in each feeder, then increase the amount as the summer goes on. Usually during the fall migratory season I am filling them up and refilling a 2-3 days. 

Hummingbird Food Recipe

I use the standard recipe that has been around for as long as I can remember:

• 1 Cup Sugar (I use pure cane or raw sugar)
• 2 Cups  of Boiling Water
• 2 Cups of Iced Water

Remember to change out the food every 2-3 days. The sugar water will get cloudy, fermented... And then you will have drunk or sick hummers flying around. LOL! Well, sick hummers are not funny. 

I will miss them over the next few months. If you live south of the equator, they should be showing up at your feeders. Enjoy them as they are a blessing from God and one of those...

Little Things in Life!

Hugs,

Missy