Texas Tuesday-Texas Girl Taco Soup

It's chilly...It's raining...and unfortunately, today was not a day I could stay home and craft (insert huge crying face!)  I really love those days that it starts out humid and "warm-ish" but before lunch it's cold and I wished I had sent my kids to school with a jacket.  Don't worry...my "mom of the year" award should be in the mail.  That's Texas for you! This weekend we actually had a "chilly" forecast.  I decided it was cool enough for me to whip up my taco soup in the crockpot. During the winter, I could eat this stuff 3-4 nights a week.   I got the original recipe from one of the little crockpot recipe books but it's evolved over the past couple of years.  I took ingredients out that we don't like and added more of what we do like.   That's how it became the Texas Girl Taco Soup!

               

The grocery list is pretty simple for this one:

1-can of pinto beans

1-can of kidney beans

1-11/2 pounds of ground beef

1 can of Rotel

1 packet of taco seasoning (you choose but I prefer mlld)

11/2 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of chunky salsa

Grated cheese and Frito chips for garnish****

1.  Cook the ground beef first.

2.  While the meat is cooking, drain the cans of pinto and kidney beans using a colander.

3.  Once the beans are drained and meat cooked, add all ingredients to the crockpot.  Stir well so that the taco seasoning is mixed well.

4.  Set your crockpot to low and let cook for 6-8 hours

I like to layer Fritos on the bottom of my bowl and add the soup over them.  Then sprinkle grated cheese over the top.  Yum!!!  If you want to add some more tex-mex spunk, add chopped up avocado over the top!  If I make this for a big group, I double everything!!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Make Up Monday-Pumpkin Spice Scrub

Halloween is over and fall is (FNALLY) in full force here in Texas.  At least until next week...  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a pumpkin mask for your face.  While I sat with the pumpkin/honey mixutre on my face, it got me thinking how awesome this stuff would be as a scrub.  I had made some unscented sugar scrub before so I knew it would not be much different.  All you need are 4 ingredients-coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Probably all things you have in your pantry this time of year, right?

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of brown sugar (mine was tightly packed), 1/2 cup of coconut oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  You could add more for a stronger scent.  Make sure to get out the "lumps" of brown sugar.  I used my hands to break apart lumps and mix.  Once it was a "sugar scrub" consistency, I added the cinnamon and pumpkie pie spice, stirring with a spoon.  I put it in a mason jar to put by the sink.  This would make a great gift for your Thanksgiving Day hostess!!  Dress it up with a little fabric and a measuring spoon tied to the side.  Super cute and thoughtful!

           

Make sure to keep a jar for yourself! Your hands will thank you after all that holiday baking!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

 

10 Tips Tuesday- 10 Quick Halloween Decorations

It's 3 days before Halloween and you have no decorations up?!  I am afraid I don't understand where you are coming from since mine have been up since the end of September.  Each week I added more stuff (mostly from the great store of everything is $1!)  Anyways, I have complied some great cheap ideas to instant "Hallloween" to your house.

1.  Spider Webs:  You can go about this two ways.  1) Don't dust or vaccuum your house all year and you should be set next year! or if you prefer a clean house, 2) buy some bags of the fake cobwebs from your local dollar store or discount store.  It's easy to put up and takes no time at all!  I stretched our across the fireplace in the living room.  We have a big brick fireplace that was perfect especially since the fireplace isn't used in Texas until at least Christmas.  Mine did not come with spiders so I bought some big ones, spray painted them gold and stuck them in the web.

2.  Lights:  I use lights every chance I get.  I have a 100 count orange strand stretched across our fireplace under the spider webs. There's a strand of bat lights hanging across a family heriloom.  Mulitple little battery powered sets are all around the house.  Most of the 10 count battery powered ones I got at Dollar Tree this year!!  There was a skeleton set in a picture for Friday Favorites a couple of weeks ago.

3.  Plastic Skulls and Skeletons: I seriously became obsessesed with these this year!!  I spray painted all of mine!  At one time, I had 3 gold skulls (the sweet pup ate one).  I did my kitchen in black, white, silver/grey theme centered around the table runner I made.  So I have 2 skeleton hands that are silver.  I got them all at Dollar Tree!!

4.  Creepy Fabric:  I used this stuff everywhere!!  There are pieces draped across family heirlooms, coffee/sofa tables I even hung some on my porch!  Again, it all came from the Dollar Tree!  I bought the dark grey and black colors.

5.  Easy Bunting:  This was my first attempt at bunting.  I love it and have already decided to use some of my fabric scraps for Thanksgiving and Christmas ones.  You can buy the pre-cut triangles at most craft stores.  I heat pressed "EEK" on mine.  You can use stencils and paint (I am just not that good with stencils!) I then hot glued the triangles to ribbon I bought at the dollar store.  See how easy that it is?!  See the picture above...that's the one I made!

6.  Pumpkins:  Seriously?!  The easiest of all!  Go the grocery store, home improvement store, craft stores... everyone has pumpkins!!  I like to use real pumpkins.  Get them in all shapes and colors.  I even found a couple of black glitter pumpkins in the dollar bin at Target back in September.

7.  Free Printables!!  I made some of my own.  But I also visited several blogs and found super cute ones that I could just print and frame.  Some of my favorites came from "Tatertots and Jello" and "Yellow Bliss Road."  

8.  Candles:  Again super easy!  We all have them.  I use a mix of scented, non-scented and battery powered.  I like to light candles at night and turn off all the lights in the room.  The ambiance of the candle glow just makes me feel warm and fuzzy (on 85 degree "fall" nights).  Make sure to get pumpkin scented or something that reminds you of fall!  Right now I have candy corn scented candles!!

9.  Witch's Hat:  I bought a couple of cute ones.  If you have a chair or bench on yor porch, hang the hat on the back of it (or sit it in the chair).  You  can add a witch's broom and it looks like a well-mannered witch came over to visit!

10.  Paper Silhouettes:  You can buy pre-cut ones, have the kids cut them out or use your paper cutting machine.  I found a pack of 15 pre-cut spiders at The Dollar Tree and taped them to our front porch doors.  It looks like a pack of giant spiders are parading across the french doors.  You cut out bats and place them in the windows. 

                         

Mom Monday-Halloween Fun with the Old Lady!

What do I love more than Halloween?  Kids' Halloween books!!!  They combine my love of Halloween with my love for children's literature and my passion for bringing literature to kids.  As you may know I am a pediatric speech pathologist by day.  I love using books in my therapy sessions.  Today's blog is brought to you by the mom and speech therapist sides of me.:)

                           

Who doesn't love the old lady books?! I have one for just about every season or holiday.   If it was written and published, I have it! These books are greatness and the kids love them!!  Over the years, I have come up with some fun activities to do with this book. All have been kid tested!

1. Bat Puppet:  You could always make an old lady and "feed" her all the characters.  But sometimes that is more labor intensive than just getting out glue, wiggle eyes, construction paper and a paper bag.  Plus kids love puppets!! I like simple easy crafts!!  This puppet can be made with toddlers all the way up.  To start you need: brown construction paper, white construction paper, 2 wiggle eyes, a lunch sack and glue.  I use "tacky" glue for the eyes but all the other pieces get regular glue.  Cut 2 wings and two triangles (ears) from the brown paper.  Cut two small triangles (teeth) from the white paper.  Glue the wings and ears to the back making sure they are visible from the front.  Glue the teeth under the flap and the eyes go on the flap.  There you have it!  It's done!

      (I made mine a little different.}

       

2.  Bat Hunt:  This actvity is perfect for rainy or cold days.  You can do it with just about anything!  I picked up some plastic bats at the Dollar Tree.  Last year, I found at package of 10 glow in the dark bats at Walmart.  You can set this up a few different ways. One way is like a scavenger hunt.  Give clues to find the bats.  The other way is just hide the bats in the living room or kitchen (or the WHOLE HOUSE) and let the kids find them!  Be sure to count how many you hid.  Otherwise you will be finding bats while you're hiding Easter eggs!

3.  Bat Count:  This one is for the little ones.  Use bat erasers and work on counting.  You can make it a little harder and hide some in a big bowl of uncooked pinto beans.  Kids love to dig with their hands!  For early elementary kids, you can use the erasers to solve hands on math problems.  "I have 3 bats.  I gave you two. Now how many do I have?" is just one example.

4.  B for Bat:  Cut a large bat from a piece of black construction paper.  Then cut out pictures from magazines that start with the letter "B." 

5.  Night or Day? Talk about bats!  Kids are never too early to learn!  Talk about animals that sleep at night like us and ones that sleep during the day.

  

I am sure there are a ton more ideas but this is a good start!  Enjoy being a mom and have a little fun with the kids.  The laundry will be there tomorrow!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Friday's 5 Favorites: Cute Pumpkins with No Carving!

Carving a pumpkin is not everyone's cup of tea. It's gross, messy, time-consuming, and, if you don't like pumpkins, it stinks! But it's fall and there is some unwritten rule that I need cute pumpkins in my house (Pinterest pressured again!) My dear sweet lab (yes there's sarcasm there) keeps eating my pumpkins outside so I needed some small ones inside. As much as I love white pumpkins, they need a little pizazz too.  I worked this week on decorating a few to add to my extensive Halloween set up in the house.  Here's what I came up with.

1.  MONOGRAM PUMPKIN:

This might be my favorite!!!  I painted this pumpkin with chalkboard paint.  You can spray paint it any color; I just liked the look of chalkpaint.  I spray painted a wooden "W" with gold spray paint.  Once everything was dry, I took my glue gun to adhere the "W".  This pumpkin is sitting on our bench on the front porch.  LOVE IT!!

                  

   

2.  SPRAY PAINT AND PEARLS:

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my Halloween color scheme in the living room-black, cream and gold.  I took the small pumpkins (also called gourds) and spray painted them gold.  Once it dried, I took my glue gun and some flat backed pearls, and went to town! I love the way it turned out!!!  I have a few more fake pumpkins that are about to get the same treatment! Seriously it took longer for these babies to dry than it did to decorate them.

                       

3.  WASHI TAPE:

Another easy 5 minute pumpkin idea the kids could do!  I found a pack of turquoise colored washi tape at Hobby Lobby on sale.  Since our sitting room off the kitchen is brightly colored, I added a few bright, non-traditional Halloween colored items like lime green skull head.  This pumpkin would fit perfectly in that room once done.  I chose a white pumpkin (the only one the dog did not completely eat!). I started my strip of washi tape at the stem and went down toward the bottom of the pumpkin.  I did this all the way around with different strips.  My pack came with chevron, polkadots and a solid turquoise roll.  I added a gold bow to the top.

                             

4.  RIBBON:

This pumpkin is so easy, a monkey could do it.  I used another pie pumpkin since I was putting it on the mantel.  I bought to two spools of ribbon in black and gold.  One ribbon was wider than the other so that I could layer them.  I wrapped the wide ribbon around the pumpkin and hot glued it to the back.  I took the thin ribbon (polkadots!!) and wrapped it around the gold ribbon, making sure that stayed in the middle of the gold ribbon.  I put a few sporadic dots of hot glue to hold the thin ribbon.  That's it!!  I did add a bow around the stem to hide it a little.

       

5.  PUSHIPNS:

The last super easy , non-carving alternative is to use pushpins (or thumbtacks).  I found a box of 100 at Hobby Lobby by the counter.  I took my last white pumpkin and stuck pins every place I could.  I started with a pattern but that got out of control quick.  It gives it a nice polkadot effect.  And we know how much I LOVE polkadots!!!

                           

 

There you have it folks!  5 alternatives to carving pumpkins that won't break the bank or take up an entire weekend!  Most of these ideas that kiddos can do too!!  Just be careful with the glue gun!  Then when you are done, enjoy the pumpkin recipes from Wednesday and the Cheesecake Pumpkin Martini from yesterday's post!  Happy Friday friends!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

   

   

 

Thirsty Thursday-Pumpkin Anonymous

Is there such a thing?  You would think so right? I would suspect that a meeting might go similar to this:

Suzie:  Hi, I'm Suzie.  I am addicted to pumpkin.  I drink 3 PSL a day.  And my sandwich is made with pumpkin bread. AND a side of pumpkin pie.

Group:  Welcome Suzie.

Well, in celebration of pumpkin week on the blog, I am bringing a delicious pumpkin drink.  No, it is not the copycat version of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I would say this one is better-it has alcohol!!  I found this Pumpkin Cheesecake Martini  recipe over at A Beautiful Mess.   I can't wait to make this drink to go with the pumpkin recipes from yesterday's blog!
  The grocery list is pretty simple. I posted the grocery list here but the "how to" is in the link.
You need:
Vanilla Vodka
Pumpkin SPice Syrup (she has a recipe for it)
Puumpin Pie Filling
Half and Half
Vanilla Extract
Ground Cinnamon
Sugar
Jello Cheesecake pudding mix
Whipped Cream

Doesn't that look yummy?!  Imagine sitting on the couch (after the kids have gone to bed) with one of these and some pumpkin pie fudge... (see Wednesday's blog).  Yea, if you need me tomorrow night, you know where to find me.

                         

Hope you enjoy your thirsty Thursday!!

Hugs y'all,

LSG

 

Wonder Woman Wednesday- 5 Pumpkin Recipes to Get You Ready for Fall

Fall in Texas is usually a privilege.  It is not a given that just because the calendar flips to October, that cooler temps will move in.  Sometimes we go straight from summer to winter in a couple of days.  This week we have been able to enjoy cool mornings (55-65 degrees) and pleasant afternoons (low to mid 80's).  I guess you could call that our fall.  This is the time of year that I start looking for new things to bake.  After a good search and review, I think I have found some that I can't wait to try out!! These are for all you pumpkin addicts out there!!

PUMPKIN SEEDS:

If you follow my blog, you know that we carved a pumpkin on Tuesday.  My little guy insisted that we cook the pumpkin seeds.  So that is just what we did tonight! First, we cleaned the seeds and let them soak for about 10 minutes.  I covered a cookie sheet with foil and spread the seeds out on it.  We drizzled EVOO over the seeds and sprinkled sea salt on them.  The seeds cooked for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  You  could cook for less time (maybe 10 minutes) for less crispy.  But my family liked the crispier seeds (and I forgot the seeds in the oven while I was decorating pumpkins outside!!)

           

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE MUFFINS:

If you combine anything with cheesecake, I am there!!  I found these yummy looking muffins over at Sally's Baking Addiction These are going to be on my weekend menu for breakfast.

                

Pumpkin Pie Fudge:

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!  You had me at fudge!! This great little recipe would be perfect for a fall party or Thanksgiving!  Holiday Cottage Page had this tasty recipe on their page.  It makes 56 servings!!

              

 

CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN BREAD:

This is another yummy one I cannot wait to try!  I love a good bread but when you add cream cheese, even better!!  Eat Cake for Dinner has several great pumpkin bread recipes.

                        

 

PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST BAKE:

I love this one for Thanksgiving morning!!  Seriously thinking about putting it on the menu that morning.  I don't make french toast very often but with all the great recipes floating around, I have several I want to try out on my family.  The Minimalist Bakerdefinitely scored big with this one!!  Can't wait to serve it up for breakfast this weekend!!

                 

Grab a pencil and paper to make that grocery list!  You have new recipes to try out!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Texas Tuesday-The Lone Star Jack

For today's Texas Tuesday, I wanted to do something different.  Usually I blog about some great place in Texas to visit.  In this blog, I wanted to bring two of my favorites together: Halloween and Texas!  So that brings us to this guy!  Yes, the sticker says it's Oklahoma grown!

              

It's been a few years since I carved a pumpkin.  The last time I carved a pumpkin, my daughter was 4, and accidentally called 911.  Cue the policemen at the door and mama answering with a pumpkin knife in her hand.  Yea, that was a fun afternoon!  Now that my kids are older (and we no longer have a house phone), I thought I would give it a try.  But I did not want a traditional jack-o- lantern.  I needed a simple design.  I needed a cool design.  I needed one that represented our family.

First, we cut the top off and cleaned out all the goop!!  We saved the pumpkin seeds to roast later!

              

              My lovely assistant for 2 handfuls of pumpkin guts.  Then he was done!

Once all the goop and seeds were out, I traced the face on the pumpkin.  I let the little guy help pick the design.  I had a few ideas that he could pick from.  When I finally got the design traced, it was time to start cutting. The lovely assistant did not want to touch the pumpkin anymore but he had PLENTY of opinions on how I should carve the pumpkin.  However, I blocked the 8 year old's opinions on how to carve and.... this is what we ended up with.

            

              

I still need to preserve our pumpkin.  He is staying inside since our dog loves pumpkins!  To preserve the pumpkin, you can find various ways online.  I am going to soak ours in bleach water for 1-2 hours.  I will add a teaspoon of bleach for each gallon of water.  You  can also put one of those silica packets (like those packets that come in new shoes!)to keep away mold. I used a votive since that was what I had but candle heat dries out the inside of the pumpkin.  Tomorrow I will be going to look for a battery operated one!

Hope you enjoyed my pumpkin carving journey.  This one inspired me to think of other ways to incorporate Texas into other pumpkin pojects!!  I think I might feel another blog coming on!l

Hugs y'all!

LSG

  

   

Make up Monday- Hey Pumpkin Face!

        

     

With Halloween coming up and pumpkins at all the local grocery stores, I thought I would make this pumpkin week!  So why not start make up Monday off with a pumpkin mask?  I am not a pumpkin fan but for the sake of research purposes, I gave it a try.  There were several different variations floatng around on the interweb (yes, I said interweb).  I did not have almond milk or greek yougurt, so my mask consisted of puree pumpkin and honey (Texas honey that is!)  I mixed 2 teaspoons of pumpkin and 1/2 teaspoon of honey in a bowl.  This is enough for one application.  Leave it on for 15 minutes then rinse off with cool water.

So here comes the part that tells you all the good stuff in that pumpkin mixture smeared on your face.

Pumpkin:  This seasonal fruit (vegetable/whatever) has tons of great uses!! The enzymes in the pumpkin puree helps to dissolve dry skin cells (which I DEFINITELY had dry skin!)  It contains tons of great vitamins (like A, C, K,E) and minerals (magnesium, potassium, and iron) that is great for acne skin. Pumpkins also have zinc which is awersome for controlling hormone levels and and oil production.  (WHERE WAS THIS STUFF WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL??!!)  Another plus to pumpkin is it has little ninjas that fight inflammation and age accleraters (that's code for "makes you look younger). 

Honey:  This is a natural antibacterial.  It is great for people fighting acne because it is full of antioxidants.  It opens your pores and helps clean the "gunk" out.  Plus it is great for moisturizing!

I tried this mask out tonight.  My face was DRY!!  I use a facial scrub daily that has been a little tough on my skin lately.  I smeared a little pumpkin/honey mixture on my face and left it on for 15 minutes.  As it dried, i could feel it tightening.  Once I rinsed it off, I could tell a big difference.  My face is smooth and soft.  The  dry patches are gone!!  I am so excited about it, I can't wait to try it on my 13 yearold  daughter!!  She's going through what we all did at that age...ACNE.  Not a bad case, but enough that it bothers her.

I do have some changes I want to make so that it can be used a scrub.  I am thinking a little coconut oil and a pinch of brown sugar should work. That will have to be for another blog post though.

Hugs y'all!

LSG

"What did I Miss?" Saturday

It's been a week since I have returned to the blogging world.  When I started this blog, I had names/ideas for each day. During my blog break, I decided I wanted to reformat some things.  I wanted to add more DIY stuff, more recipes, and  more ideas to make our lives easier.   Make up Monday may change from time to time and become Mom Monday or Make It Monday (craft projects). I am hoping that the new ideas will work and make people want to read this blog. Feel free to leave comments letting me know what you think about a particular post! 

What Did I Miss Saturday is coming to you today as a recap of the week.  We have a giveaway going on too!!!  You  didn't miss much on Monday.  I introduced the ginger behind the blog to our new readers and followers.  Tuesday was by far the most popular post of the week!!  My daughter and I had the chance to stay in a shabby chic camper for a girls' nght out. We were the first ones to try it out!  Wednesday was simple Halloween cookies that were cute and tasty!  Thursday  had a recipe for caramel apple cider.  It is delicious!! Make sure to check out the individual blogs for details.

                

Make sure to visit Friday's post and enter the FIRST giveaway for the blog!!  You could win store credit, a custom koozie, LSG leather tassel earrings and some fall goodies!  Have a happy Saturday!!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

         

Friday Favorites-Falll in Love with Fall Giveaway!!

Lone Star Ginger is proud to annouce the blog's very FIRST giveaway!!  I started out small with a few of my favorite fall things.

       

           

1.  Custom Koozie:  With the weather cooling down, there's nothing worse than your hand going numb from the crisp air and a cold drink!  Your koozie comes with either a Texas (or your home state)or Star and a monogram.

2.  Black Leather Tassel Earrings:  My new favorite product in the Etsy store!!  Black is perfect for Halloween.

3.  Gold Owl Salt and Pepper Shakers:  Seriously....these are so cute, I bought myself a set. Owls are perfect for the fall and the gold just adds  "bling" to your table.

4.  Pumpkin Cupcake Hand Sanitizer:  Cold and flu season will be here before you know it!  Here in Texas, we are on "Ebola" watch espcially if you live close to the Dallas area.  Quick easy way to kick germs to the curb!!  Plus it smells good!

5.  I just added some cute ribbon beause I liked them!  I used some of this same ribbons around my house.  The orange has black polkadots....so cute!!  

AND a $10 store credit to LSG boutique!!!!

Now that you have the run down on the goodies, be sure to enter!!!  Good luck friends!!

Hugs y'all,

LSG 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thirsty Thursday-Add A Little Spice to Your Fall

                                              

                      

                     

With the chilly mornings we have been having lately, it puts me in the mood for the popular coffee chain's warm drinks.  However, I have been little bothered with their menu lately.  It's wonderful that the pumpkin spice drink is back.  I am so happy for the people that get their drink back.  But what if you're not the pumpkin spice type?  What if you are the simple girl who just really wants a tall caramel apple spice cider?  I understand there are not very many of "us" around.  The ones that order the drink as is...not extra whipped, not with skinny milk but extra sugar, not with 2.73 oz of creamer...AS IS! When fall comes around, I want my apple cider, not the pumpkin spice thing that everyone is drinking.  I don't like pumpkin that much!

Since my yummy apple cider is not on the menu yet, I will just have to make my own! And just maybe, I will add a touch of vodka to really spice up my day!  The grocery list is pretty simple: A jug of apple cider (makes multiple cups), brown sugar, ground cinnamon, whipped topping and caramel sauce.

                   

                     

Steps for making a single cup of caramel apple cider:

1.  Heat 1 1/2 cups of apple cider in a small sauce pan.  I made sure not to boil mine; just heat it.

2.  While the pan is still on the heat, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.  Stir well, making sure the brown sugar dissolves.  Before removing from the heat, add a pinch of cinnamon.

3.  After adding the cinnamon, stir one last time really well.

4.  Pour the cider into a mug.  Add a scoop of whipped cream and drizzle caramel sauce over it.

I made some to go with my dinner tonight.  My kids were stealing sips while I made their plates!  So after dinner, the kids got their own small cup (and a promise to make more this weekend!).  I am thinking the next time I make a cup for me, I made add a dash of caramel flavored vodka.  I did not have any on hand tonight.  If I give it a try, then I will let you know how it is.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Wonder Woman Wednesday-Easy Halloween Cookies

One thing you should know about me is that I love to bake!!  It's also not something I get to do very often.  I bought two chocolate cake mixes this past weekend with the full intention of making the most delicious triple layer chocolate cake with orange icing and Halloween sprinkles.  After they sat on my kitchen table all weekend, I finally put them up in the pantry last night as I whispered "Maybe next weekend."  

With "Pinterest pressure" running rampant (yes, it's like peer pressure except you're not in high school and random strangers are unintentionally pressuring you to be a rock star mom), I am sure many of us have a Halloween board full of yummy treats we will never make.  Am I right?  So I am here to give you my favorite "easy peasy" cookie recipe that can make it look like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen. I have been making this cookies for years!   They  are so super easy.

You can start this recipe however you choose.  You can use the "pull apart" cookies that you slap on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes (GUILTY!).  You can use a mix, which is what I am doing today.  OR you can be supermom and make your own sugar cookies from scratch.  Any way is fine.  If you use the pull apart kind, at least sprinkle flour some on your shirt to make it seem like you have been baking all day.  So if you go with the prepackaged mix, chances are you will need some water, butter and an egg or two.  But other than that, this is all you need. Make sure to have a couple of toothpicks handy too!!

I chose cream cheese frosting because well, who doesn't love cream cheese frosting on their cookies? But you can use just plain vanilla/white frosting.  After the cookies have baked and cooled, slather a little frosting on each cookie.

Take your black icing and draw 3 circles (think the Target symbol!)

Start a toothpick in the center dot and pull toward the edge of the cookie.  Do this all around the cookie.  This should pull the icing causing a spider web look.

You can add a cute little plastic spider.  I didn't have any small enough.  Now you have cute little spider web cookies that look like you have been in the kitchen all day.  No one has to know they took 10 minutes! 

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Texas Tuesday- Shabby Chic Getaway

Texas Tuesday is back on the blog!  I am so excited about this one.  I have written before about my favorite lavender farm so it should be no surprise that it is back on the blog!!  They have a new feature on the farm that is tons of fun for a GNO or a mommy/daughter trip.

Gwen had told me of their plans to renovate an old camper trailer a while back.  I knew if anyone could make it greatness she could!  When it was just about ready, she invited my daughter and I for a stay.  Let me say it did not disappoint!  The sweet little camper sits back in some trees.  The area has been cleared for the camper, a patio set and a hot tub.  The camper is situated perfectly under a huge tree.  Gwen had a custom paint job done on the outside but inside, it is all Gwen (with probably some help from Mike;)

My lovely daughter doing her best "Vanna White" impersonation.

Now remember this is a 1969 model.  It's not a 24,000 square foot penthouse.  It's a camper.  It's meant to be compact.  To make it more comfortable, things have been reconfigured.  The bathroom has been removed but there is one close by.  Both my daughter and I were worried about that but it ended up not being an issue.  Gwen provides a flashlight just in case you need to make a midnight bathroom run.  In the spot of the old bathroom is a comfortable bunk bed set.  We laid in bed all evening and watched movies on the TV that faces the bed.

Red chilling on the top bunk before dinner.

The view from the bed.  This was the morning after.  Unfortunately, we had to get out of this cozy spot to get back to reality.  

There's even a cute kitchen complete with a microwave and fridge!!

This little gem is perfect for a few friends to have their girls' night there.  If you don't want to sit in "Gwen's Grotto," you can sit outside under the beautiful tree, try out the hot tub OR walk about the property!!  It's a beautiful farm with lots of things to see.  They are working a new treehouse too!  Sit out front of the silo and enjoy the sweet breeze of the blooming lavender (which is my favorite thing to do there!). As you walk the farm, see if you can find fun little photo booths. 

This one was tucked in the trees!

This one, I have noticed, changes places.  I love that they had the frame facing this way.  Love the lavender in the back!!  I wished I had brought our good camera so that I could capture the true "cuteness" of Gwen's Grotto.  The phone camera just doesn't do it justice.

So get a couple of friends together and book your night!!! Or do like I did and make it a mother/daughter night!  Make sure to visit the silo and load on your bath salts, sugar scrubs, and lavender essential oils!!  Every time I go, I get my jar of sugar scrub!  I big puffy heart that stuff!!!!

Savannah's Meadow, LLC

4473 FM 903

Celeste, Tx

www.savannahsmeadowllc.com

Check them out Facebook too!!!

Tell them the Lone Star Ginger sent you!!

Hugs y'all,

️LSG

Meet the Blogger Monday!

I know...usually this is make up Monday.  But today, I thought I would introduce myself to the new followers to the blog, Facebook and Instagram.

I am Melissa.  I live in a small Texas town with my husband and two kiddos.  Actually, I live in the town I grew up in...and in the same house I was raised in.  The hubs and I are (SLOWLY) remodeling the house but everyone knows that's a process!  From time to time, I might show off a project or two on the blog (only if it's easy!!).  As for my kids, "Red" is 13 years old and "Chief" is 8 years old.  I had given them names in my first blog post but "little red" is now taller than me:( and "Pistol" asked for his to be changed to "Chief."  Red plays volleyball, basketball and runs track.  She is quirky and has a dry humor that I have never seen in a kid her age.  Chief plays basketball and baseball.  He runs his mouth literally 24 hours a day!! He thinks in order to breathe, he must talk!  Unfortunately, that gene came from my side of the family.  And me, I am a pediatric speech pathologist by day.  I own a small private practice that allows me to visit the children in their home or daycare.   I love working with the families!  It is an honor to work with them.

So in all of this, you are wondering "What is Lone Star Ginger?"  LSG is a side business that allows me to flex my creative muscle. I love making stuff...especially for others!  LSG has been open since April 2014 on Etsy, facebook and instagram.  I started out with handstamped jewelry and custom shirts.  I hope to add more products before Christmas like leather cuffs and metal cuffs.

My links are on the side so feel free to click on them.  Have a great Monday!!

Hugs y'all,

LSG

Friday Favorites!!- Cheap and Easy Halloween

I freaking LOVE Halloween!  It was difficult to narrow down my favorites for today's blog.  But I opted for easy and low maintenance ideas.  I started decorating the Lone Star Shack (aka my house) the last weekend in September.  My reason?  Because October 1st was on a Wednesday and I can't take off  from work to decorate for Halloween.  When one decorates for Halloween, one must snack on candy corn and those little pumpkins.  At least that's my reason for eating bags of both the weekend I put up spider webs, bats, and skeletons.

#1 favorite-CANDY!!!  I usually always buy bags (and bags and bags) of candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins.  I am pretty picky about the brands so I only buy Brach's (no they are not sponsoring this blog post!  I just really love them!)  BUT this year, I added a new fav...White Chocolate candy corn M&Ms!!!  They are "shut your mouth" yummy!!

#2:  Candy Corn Candles!!  Of course, why would I not buy this candle?!  Candles by Carol makes a yummy Candy Corn candle that I love.  She's a local candle maker that I make sure to check out a few times a month. Supporting local small business is where it's at!

#3:  GOLD Skulls!!  This year in a our living room, I went with a gold, creme, black color scheme for Halloween (with a touch of orange).  I adore cheap but cute Halloween decorations but then again, who doesn't?  I found skulls at the Dollar Tree and bought a can of gold spray paint.  I loved how they turned out.  I think I painted at least 3 to place around the house.

 

#4:  My homemade "EEK" banner!!  Since the hubs has all our TV "accessories" on the mantel, I could only decorate the front of the mantel and below.  So I layered homemade banners/ buntings/ pendants (whatever you want to call them).  Keeping with my color scheme of black, cream, gold and a touch of orange, I made a cardboard banner of 5 triangles.  I HUGE heart polka dots so the cardboard banner has big gold dots with smaller black dots.  I found cute spider web ribbon on Dollar General and placed it through the pendants to hang.  Then I took 3 cream colored triangles and sponge painted big gold dots.  Using my "letter cutter." I cut "EEK" in black glitter vinyl and heat pressed it on the triangles.  (Yes, I warmed up the heat press to press 3 letters because I was too lazy to paint them on with stencils.  Don't judge."   More adorable Dollar General ribbon (orange with black spider webs) is holding this banner up.  Last but not least, I found the cutest black spider web banner in the dollar bin at Target.  I have a chalkboard sign to add but it hasn't gotten done yet.

#5:"Hello Clarice...":  This sign was a must!!  My teenage daughter and her friends were OBSESSED with "Silence of the Lambs" during the spring time.  I lost count on how many times I heard "it puts the lotion in the basket..."  While my daughter was gone one day, I printed this little sign up.  I found a Halloween font on Pinterest, downloaded it, (googled how to spell "Clarice") and typed it up.  I don't have a doll of Hannibal Lecter laying around, so I used another gold skull, a small skeleton (Dollar Tree find painted gold) and another lime green glittery skull.  The little lights are skeleton heads that were also from the Dollar Tree.  The sign is in a 8x10 white frame from Walmart for less that $4!  I am still pondering what else to put with these guys.  Maybe some creepy cheesecloth for them to sit on...

Those are a FEW of my favorites for Halloween.  I chose cheap, easy, low maintenance decor ideas that can be copied with little effort.  So make your way to Dollar Tree and load up on skulls!!

Hugs y'all,
 LSG

Texas Tuesday- 3 of my favorite spots

How on earth do I narrow down my favorite places in Texas to 3?  It was not easy as one might think.  So don't be surprised if in another year (or month), I come up with another list of favorite spots.  What if I venture to somewhere else this fall or next summer that becomes blog-worthy??  So for today's blog, here are 3 of my favorite places as of today.  These are in no particular order.

1.  AUSTIN:  How can you not put our beautiful capital in this list?!  How un-Texan of me if I had left it off!  The capital is a gorgeous structure that just makes your drop jaw when you think about the history and beauty of the building.  

But a couple of my favorite places in Austin that are family friendly were the reasons for choosing Austin.  First of all, the University of Texas campus!!!  How could you not take a walk around and wait for the bells to ring (they ring a lot)?!  Music from the top of the tower fills the air on Mondays, Wendesdays and Fridays at 12:50.  The large bell rings every hour while you can also hear he pealing of bells every 15 minutes.  Maybe because I am a longhorn fan is the reason I find it amazing.  We like to take our kids to different college campus grounds just to look around.  The UT campus has been my favorite so far!  Pictured below is the tower that stands over the campus.  If you stand at the tower and look down the street, you can see the capital.

Another fun family activity is to watch the bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge.  It is an amazing sight!!  The Ann W. RIchards Congress Avenue bridge is home to at least 750,000 Mexican Free-tailed bats every spring to summer!!  During peak bat watching season, there could be 1.5 million bats!!!  The bats stay from approximately March to October.  Who can say they have witnessed North America's largest urban bat colony?!  This girl can! The beauty of this activity is it is FREE!  Take a camera with good resolution!  Ours did not take a good picture...you couldn't even tell there were bats!  I promise there were bats in this picture!!!

2.  SHINER:  No, not the beer!    But the town is absolutely adorable!  Don't drive in to town expecting a huge metropolitan city.  This is a tiny town full of local businesses and, of course, the Shiner Brewery.  It is a sweet little town with buildings that have history.  We stopped in at a small bar/gift shop called Antiques, Art and Beer.  It is totally unsuspecting from outside.  But once you step in and hear the original wood floor squeak under your feet, you know you've found a cool place. I walked around the gift shop probably 50 times...each time, I saw something I did not see the first time around.  The sweet lady who owns the place is a pleasure to be around.  We went several years ago but I still remember her sweet hospitality.  She popped popcorn for the kids and served me Root Beer since I don't drink beer.  Don't worry, the hubs drank my part (haha). So make sure to pull up a bar stool and take it all in.  Be sure to drink a Shiner (you can get a "diploma-like" document certifying that you drank a Shiner in Shiner!)

3.  Savannah's Meadow:  Now, I haven't stayed in many treehouses or been to many lavendar farms...but hands down, this one is the best!!!  It is perfect for a family or just a getaway for the mom and dad.  We've done both!  The first time we stayed it was just the hubby and I for our anniversary.  We immediately booked two more nights-one for the summer and one night in the fall.  We took the kids both of those times.  What is Savannah's Meadow?  It is a lavendar farm located outside of Greenville, Texas.  This is not just any lavendar farm.  You can stay in a beautiful, fully furnished treehouse!!  When I say fully furnished, I mean there is a fridge, oven and all the other comforts of home...EXCEPT A TV!!  Staying there separates you from the world!!  Trust me, it is a wonderful feeling!!  You can walk the farm and observe nature.  Enjoy the peace that nature brings.  One of the best things is waking up and being able to catch the sweet smell of lavendar growing in the fields. (www.savannahsmeadowllc.com) Pictured below is the walk up to the treehouse.  Pictures just do not do this place justice!

The master bedroom "wing" is unlike any other!!  The walls actually roll up letting a cool breeze blow through!

The kids love to sleep in the loft at the top of the living room.  The view is amazing!!

I like to include family friendly places.  We rarely go anywhere without our kids.  If a place is not kid-friendly, then it is usually not a place we want to be.  With everyone having their own schedules and busy all the time, it is nice to go somewhere, be together and share memories.  The kids won't be kids forever!

 

Hugs y'all!

LSG