link love lately

Fuzz bud has absoultely nothing to do with the links below except that he was a perfect model resting in the fallen leaves. Ok, let us continue with links I'm loving lately...

Homemade Cookie Butter. I repeat HOMEMADE cookie butter. Since the hubster and I have now moved to the land of no Trader Joe's, this officially saves us from cookie butter withdrawals. And you can choose your own cookie base! Even better. 

Roasted Carrot Hummus - I've been waiting until I had some sweet, fresh from the farm carrots to try this recipe. The perfect protein-rich snack!

DIY Crepe Paper Pumpkins - Pumpkin decorations that can used again next year? And made out of paper? What's not to love?! I'd also suggest making them in white and gold for a Thanksgiving table centerpiece. 

I've made it my mission to not stop until I find the perfect shoo fly pie recipe. I'm starting with this recipe that Bon Appétit published from Wendy Jo's Homemade in Lancaster Central Market. 

Gold Tipped Cork Leaf Wreath and Copper Herringbone Pumpkins - Still loving metallic accents especially for the holidays.

Extra Flakey Broccoli Cheddar Soup Mini Pies - The mix of flavors and stellar photography on Tieghan's blog are incredible.  Add this one to your blog feeds if you haven't already!

For your inner-child or your actual child, monster s'mores!

P.S. I'm the Crafty Superstar (eek!) this week on Cut Out + Keep! Thousands of crafty tutorials and inspiration from talented bloggers...need I say more?

rentervating

We're currently in the process of planning, designing, painting and fixing abijillion things in this place. Ok not literally, but it certainly feels that way. My brain has been boggled more than a couple of times since moving in. There have been days of unending painting, but there have also been small triumphs...

The gallery wall from our abode days has made a comeback.

I now have a cozy new home for my spices. 

We bit the bullet and bought an Ikea metal shelving unit for the pantry to hold the all-important baking ingredients.

And then there are the questions (and occasionally answers) that mull around in my head for days... 

How much foaming sealant do we need to rid the basement of secondhand smoke? A lot.

Where is the slow leak from the toilet coming from? The rubber seal. It's been fixed!

Where do we find a bookshelf big (and cheap) enough for all the stuff that still need a home in our office? The re-store! But how in the world do we get it home? 

How many cans of carpet cleaner does it take to eliminate the carpet black lines along the the trim? More than one...

Where are those ginormous spiders coming from and how do we make them go away now? 

What should I plant in a sun-less, weed-infested flowerbed? Is it worth the dozens of dollars in bulbs? 

How many coats of paint does one door need?! At least three.

Should I make a some art or thrift a large statement piece for the wall above the big couch? Thrift.

How is it possible that our trash/recycling company does not recycle cardboard? Who wants all our broken down boxes? Anybody???

hello, October

September was quite possible the longest, yet fastest month ever. I packed in the evenings at the lakehouse while the hubster cleaned and prep walls for paint in our new home. We spent a weekend painting the living room and dining room. We said goodbye to the lakehouse and had a surprisingly painless move. [Thank you to those of you that helped and prayed!] I'm now in the midst of unpacking and organizing while the hubster continues to spend his days helping tweens negotiate the crazy world of middle school. Pretty sure I have the better end of this deal...

And so we now happily welcome October from the comfort of our new home. The screeching sound of guinea hens and honking geese has been replaced by the the clip clop of horses and the wheel roll of buggies on the road. For those of you who have asked for photos, here's a few real-life snapshots of the downstairs:

The kitchen cabinet dresser got an upgrade and is now being used as the entertainment center. We're contemplating taking out a drawer to house the dvd player. It fits perfectly in its new home.

Back in my preschool teacher days, I'd come home with so much junk that my parent's bought me an entry organizer for Christmas one year. The hubster and I haven't been able to use the top part since we got married. So glad to have it up and functioning again. 

Our free kitchen table in it's rightful home. The place mats are covering up the flaking veneer. This is most definitely on our project list!

I've changed the kitchen cabinet set up about eight times so far. But if there's one thing I've learned the last few years, it's how to cook in a rental galley kitchen.

The pièce de résistance - a walk-in pantry! It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's almost the same size as the kitchen. This pantry is going to make life a whole lot easier!

Hope you enjoyed the mini tour! It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint, a thorough cleaning, and furniture does to an empty house. I'm excited to slap some paint on the remaining walls upstairs and churn out some blog projects in the kitchen and craft room (aka spare bedroom aka office aka the room with all the homeless stuff). I've got a list of projects to undertake and some actual time to do them. Get ready my friends - this blog is about to be back in frugalish action!