Mossy Rock Designs Spotlight & Giveaway!!

If you've been here much at all, you know we are adopting, and you know I have a passion for adoption.  So much of me wishes I had a big ol' pile of money just sitting around ~ to not only pay for our own adoption, but to help others do the same!  (In my head, my pile of money is much like Scrooge McDuck's and I like to open the door and dive into the gold coins and swim.....anybody else remember DuckTales?!)  Anyhoo....one way I can support others in their adoption journey is bring them some awareness, so from time to time, I'll be featuring an adoptive family and their fundraising adventures!  And guess what?  The first one is today, and it includes a GIVEAWAY!!!

Our first spotlight is (drumroll, please....) Katie Bradley of Mossy Rock Designs!!

Katie is a stay at home momma of two boys, a wife, daughter, and friend.  She and her family are in the process of adopting their daughter from Ethiopia.  Her passion is creating watercolor and ink nursery art, and she has also recently illustrated two children's books (one is Miss Bunny, Mrs Mouse and Me)!  Seriously, this girl has TALENT!!  Lucky for us, she has an etsy shop, and 100% of her profits go towards bringing her daughter home.

Would you like to see some of the items from her shop?  I thought so!

Hair Time

Baby Bear

Boy with a Sparkler

Meeting my Momma

and my personal favorites...

I Love Ethiopia

Small and Large Hand

Beautiful, right?  Let's get on to the giveaway!  Katie has offered up any 5x7 print from her shop to the winner!  And we're giving you lots of chances to win!!  (Please leave one comment for EACH entry!)

MANDATORY:  Visit Mossy Rock Designs, come back and tell me what your favorite item is.

EXTRA ENTRIES (again, please leave a comment for each one you qualify for!):
* "Like" Mossy Rock Design's Facebook Page.
* Become a follower of Katie's art blog (and show her some comment love!)
* Become a follower of this blog, The Cellar Door Stories, via GFC.
* "Like" The Cellar Door Stories' Facebook page.
* Make a purchase from Mossy Rock Designs!  (This one is worth 2 entries, so leave 2 comments!)


This giveaway will end October 7, and the winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good Luck!

Fall Food Favorites: Homemade Applesauce

Ahhhh......fall!  Cooler weather, soon-to-be-changing leaves, apple cider, pumpkins....I love it all!  One of the things I really love about fall, especially this month ~ apples!  We have fun apple picking at a nearby orchard, and enjoy tasting all kinds of apple treats.  I typically try out new recipes each year, but the one tradition we have that must happen every year is applesauce.
When you make homemade applesauce you not only save money, but you know exactly what ingredients you are using, and in this case it's only one ingredient:  apples.  It tastes much better than what you can buy in stores and it's really not as hard as you might think!  I can remember my grandma and mom both making applesauce over the years, but I didn't really learn how until after I was married, when Jon's grandpa taught me.  I'm a little biased, but I think this is the best applesauce ever.  :)

So here's what you do...
Get some apples.  This year I bought 1 1/2 bushels.  Following Gramps' advice, go for Ginger Gold.  To us they have the perfect taste, so you will not need to add any sugar.  We usually wait a few days and let the apples soften up a little bit.  Then wash them, and use an apple cutter to core & slice them.  (There is no need to peel them if you will be using something like a Victorio Strainer).  Fill a heavy duty pot about 3/4 of the way full, and add a little water - not much, just enough so the apples don't scorch on the bottom.

Cook on medium heat for a little while, stirring every so often (do you like my precise measurements?), until apples are mushy.

When the apples are mushy, dump them into the funnel of your strainer and crank that handle!  You will want a bowl to catch the peels, and also something to collect the actual sauce.  If you have added too much water, most of it will come out with the first couple turns of the crank, and you can dump it out so your applesauce isn't too runny.  **My son loves to help turn the crank, but it is important to have your child stand back when you are dumping your apples into the funnel....they are HOT and could easily burn you!**

When the applesauce cools, fill your containers.  I use plastic containers I buy from my local grocery store's deli.  I wash them out and and save them from year to year.  If I ever learn to can, I could can my applesauce, but since I am intimidated by the canning process, I choose to freeze mine.  Here's a glimpse of my freezer...

my fresh homemade applesauce nearly fills the top shelf!  (Yes, I know I need to defrost!)  We'll have plenty of applesauce and will be able to have a taste of fall throughout the year!

Linked to:  Remodelaholic Recipe Party, The Frugal Girls,

RoadKill Rescue Feature

Today my red spraypainted chair is being featured over at RoadKill Rescue!!  I LOVE the idea for this blog...."one man's trash is another woman's treasure!"  All the projects show great transformations....and they all begin with an item that was obtained for FREE!  (Now that is my kind of project!!)  Whether it was a dumpster dive, a curb pick-up, or something you already had around the house - these are the types of things being featured from all over the blogosphere!

Go check it out, and be inspired!!

Fun Fall Activity Repost

Looking for a fun fall activity to do with your kiddos?  I'm reposting this from last fall, back when I was the only one who regularly checked my blog!

Ok, so probably everyone has done this craft.  It certainly isn't original but it came out of the recesses of my brain today when I was trying to think of a simple fun activity to do with Jackson while Carly took her nap.  It's easy, cheap, already had all the supplies on hand, and it can double as some fall decoration - so that makes it a win-win-win-win in my book!

Materials needed:  crayons (preferably old or broken ones), crayon or pencil sharpener (or old cheese grater), wax paper, newspaper, scissors, iron, marker.

Layer newspaper, one sheet wax paper, crayon shavings, wax paper, newspaper.  I used an old tea towel on top of it all, too. 

Iron on low setting just until the crayon is melted.  Draw your leaves (don't be jealous of my sweet leaf drawing skills!) and cut them out.  (For the pumpkins, we drew them first so we knew where to put the orange & green). 

Tape or hang them on a window and admire your new cute suncatchers!



(Yep, it's definitely afternoon & he's definitely still wearing pajamas).



Linking to:  The DIY Showoff's Fall Festival Party

Thirty-One Fundrasier Update & News!

I just wanted to let you all know the great news that our Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser was a success!  We were able to raise $363.25, with all proceeds going towards our adoption fund!  What a blessing!!  Each step brings us closer to our boys!  A very sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU to each of you who participated.  Your name has been added to the tree.  :)

I also wanted to share the news that I had so much fun doing the fundraiser and I'm loving the products so much, that I took the leap and decided to become a consultant for Thirty-One!  I'm hopeful that this will be a way to have fun, continue to add to our adoption fund, and help others do the same.

I am so excited to begin this journey with Thirty-One.....for many reasons.  They are a faith-based business, which I love!  They have great products that they stand behind and are always coming out with new patterns and designs.  Of course, you already know I'm a frugalista, and another thing that played into my decision was that their enrollment kit was only $99.....for over $300 worth of products!  They also offer some of the best hostess rewards out there!!

To celebrate this new beginning, I am offering a limited time only deal!  The first 5 people to book a party will receive a special gift that I guarantee you will love!  This special gift is in addition to hostess rewards that begin at $200 of product sold.  Also, the October hostess special is the Large Utility Tote (normally priced at $30) for only $5 with a qualifying party!  My special "new beginning" gift applies not only to home parties, but catalog/online parties as well......so anyone in the continental US can be involved!  (Friends from my old hometown who are reading....I would love to visit and have a party for you!!)  Please feel free to contact me by leaving a comment, emailing, or visiting my Thirty-One website for more information, to place an order, to book a party, or to find out more about joining my team!

Wish me luck!

Holiday Craft Along!

Just a reminder that today I'm guest-posting over at According to Kelly as part of the Holiday Craft Along!  I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of such an amazing collection of bloggers and ideas!!!  Literally, I was a little nervous that it might be a really well thought out prank when I saw some of the other people participating! 

The Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew Along has gotten me super excited for Christmas this year!  (Ok, I still am like a kid at Christmastime, but seeing all these projects has me itching to start decorating.....must wait until after Thanksgiving!!)  You can check out all the projects using these links:  crafts @ According to Kelly, edible goodness @ A Southern Fairytale, and sewing-inspired projects @ Skip to my Lou.

Now, how early is too early to start decorating for Christmas?  :)

EEK and BOO!

I've been in a funk lately.  A blah sort of mood, where I feel unmotivated, lazy, and let's face it....annoyed.  Anyone watch The Office on Thursday?  Where Pam was all hormonal and crying?  As my husband was sitting on the couch laughing at her, I was sitting in my chair holding back tears.....because Pam........she really gets me.  As much as a fictional character can get someone, at least.  Unlike Pam, I don't have the pregnancy hormones to blame my blah-ness on, but seriously, the ups and downs of adoption, the hurry up and wait, the unknowns.....it's been taking it's toll lately.

Why am I telling you all this?  Really, I have no clue.  I'm actually posting to show off the cutey little Halloween decorations I made yesterday!  I'm typically not a Halloween person.  I don't really decorate for it, because I don't like the witches and goblins and all that spooky stuff.  But yesterday as I was digging through my craft supplies, forcing myself to do something creative to hopefully get out of my funk....I found some black glittery letters that just screamed Halloween!

So, I gathered up some supplies...

The frames were part of a cheapy 3-pack from Ikea.  I painted them with DecoArt Americana's Burnt Orange.

When the orange paint was dry, I gave it a little more character by using a paper towel to rub on a little black paint in spots.  I cut some scrapbooking paper to fit, and put on my sparkly black letters.  Easy peasy.

Here's what I ended up with:

A close-up of the glittery letters...

And again, the end results...

No witches or ghouls, but just a nice little touch of Halloween!

 

Linked to a few of my favorites, including The DIY Showoff's Fall Festival Party

Friday Favorites #4

I've been a bad, bad blogger lately.  Basically because I have not been doing anything creative!  Just 'cause I miss posting, how about a Friday Favorites?  We'll even add another F-word.......FALL that is.  So here's a list of some of my Fall Friday Favorites.....all originally seen on Pinterest, but linked back to their original spot.  (Click on the picture to take yourself there!)

I've already shared this on my facebook page, but aren't these pumpkins adorable?  Made from a dryer vent and spraypaint!  LOVE!

Cutest little acorns ever......these would be a perfect fall treat for the kiddos!

Pumpkin Spice Latte?  Yes, please!  And...you even make them in a crock pot, and you know about my crock pot love affair!

And finally....not fall related, but can anyone else out there relate to this??

Happy Friday, everyone!

Our 4 Year Houseiversary: Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4 Year Houseiversary!  Last time we looked outside; today we're going to take a gander inside around our 1st floor and some of the changes that have happened over the past 4 years.  Two of our big projects early on were installing recessed lighting in three of the rooms (living room, master bedroom, and one of the upstairs bedrooms) and getting replacement windows.  I don't really have any pictures of these projects, but trust me, they were needed.  Our yard is shaded, and our rooms without ceiling lights were sooo dark.  And our windows...some were painted shut, others let a draft in...it was definitely time for some new windows.  Our heating and air conditioning bills are quite happy about that decision also.

I've already given a living room tour, talked about our hideous kitchen, and early on in the life of this blog I posted about our "dog room" turned laundry & mud room, so we'll skip those for today, but feel free to go check them out!

Our dining room served as an office for our home's previous owners.  Here it was back then:

And here it is now (you can also see another view here):

The previous owners had their dining room where we now have a toy room.  Then:

Now.....hello there, clutter:

You can also see more toy room pictures here and here.

Our Master Bed & Bath are also on the first floor.  Here's a bedroom before (yep, it's small for a master bedroom!):

It's looking like this nowadays (wishing I would have fixed the curtains before I took the picture):

We haven't done much to the master bath yet, but just for kicks here's a "before"....

(Nope.  It clearly wasn't enough that nearly all the trim in the entire house was painted blue.  The toilet paper had to match).  We have gotten a new toilet since the "before" picture was taken during our home inspection.  There's just something that wasn't working with the faux wood look....plus I kept thinking I could get a splinter on my....well, you know!

Disclaimer:  I'm sure the previous owners probably loved their home, and this post isn't meant to diss their style (is "diss" still a word?)  Everyone likes different things, and some of you might be thinking I'm crazy!  That's okay!  Life would be boring if we all did everything exactly the same.  I just enjoy seeing the changes and progress we have made in making our house ~ our home.

*********

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about my 31-gifts fundraiser, with all proceeds going toward our adoption??  The good news is:  I'm sooo excited about how well it's been going!  The even better news is:  we've decided to extend the fundraiser until Wednesday!!!  Need some great Christmas gifts?  Head on over and check out the fundraiser....click here for a direct link.  This month's special:  For each $31 you spend, get 50% off specified items.  

Looking for a great deal?  Zipper pouches (9"Hx7.5"Wx1.5"D; available in 8 different patterns) are normally $12.  Buy 3 and get the 4th one for only $6!  Stuff them with some treats and they would make a great gift!  Think....school supplies for teachers, makeup for your sister, a manicure kit for your babysitter, or maybe it's just a really great way to give a gift card!

Linking to a few of my favorites ~ check them out!

Our 4 Year Houseiversary: Part 1

Yay!  It's our 4 Year Houseiversary!!!  We moved into our 1961 Cape Cod four years ago, knowing our home would be a work in progress for quite awhile.  Sometimes I forget that was the plan all along, and get frustrated thinking of all the projects that still haven't been completed.  We are committed to not going into debt (unless there would be an emergency) for house renovations, so the "big projects" take some time to save for (especially now with an adoption and two trips to Ethiopia in the not too distant future!)  Anyway, when I sit back and think about it, we actually have done quite a bit in the four years we have lived here.  Interested?  Keep reading.....and stay tuned for our "inside" updates, coming soon!

Today we'll start with the outside.  Here's what it looked like when we moved in...sorry for the poor quality pictures....they were taken with an old camera in a rainstorm....

We started by pulling out lots and lots and lots of ivy.  I wish we would have kept track of the number of hours spent ivy-pulling....it was insane.  We also took out all the shrubs in front of the house - we wanted to be able to see our cute house, not have it covered up by a hedge!  We reseeded the lawn and took out some of the trees (and the fountain/birdbath).  Just this summer we painted the shutters from the country blue color to "Lincoln Cottage Black" and redid the porch swing.  Here's what our house looks like currently....

Still a work in progress....I'm still wishing for that new red front door and we need some landscaping on the left side, but it's improved, don't you think?

Here's the front porch before....

and currently....

Woohoo for being able to see past hedges!

Moving around back...picture life deep in the Amazon jungle.  Add some chainlink fence in random places, and you've got our backyard.  Seriously, it was bad.  I even entered it in an "Ugliest Yard" contest and I'm pretty sure I didn't win because whoever was choosing the winners probably thought it was just a joke.  Here's some "before" pictures (although most of the random chainlink was gone by this point, and we have kept what was around the perimeter)....

 

Pretty, huh?  Yeah, I was scared to walk back there because of all the creatures I knew were lurking in the weeds.  Our little dog actually caught a mouse in the backyard the first week after we moved in.  Not cool.  Well, it was a little cool that our dog caught a mouse, but not cool at all that I had certain proof of rodent life.  And the shed?  I pretty much feared for my husband's life every time he walked in.  On the brighter side, demolition was quite easy - a few kicks and it was down!

Lots more weed & ivy pulling, a landscaping crew, a firepit (blocked in the following picture by trees), a swingset, and a new shed later....

We do still plan on putting pavers or stamped concrete in the firepit, but again, much better, don't you think?  Come back later this week to see some of the changes that have happened inside the house!

Click here for a list of parties I may have linked up to!