Cottage Green on the Lake

“Retreat” to Cabin Life and Recipe for Honey Bun Cake

During the cold months of January and February we love to snuggle into our winter nests, warm and cozy in spite of “the wind and the weather.” After a 2 week vacation in the Ozark Mountains our love for all things “cabin” was reaffirmed. Cottage and cabin decor appeals to our sense of comfort by using lots of warm woods, layers of rugs and blankets, and mellow lighting. Whether or not your style is “cabin” you can decorate a nook, cranny, or a wall in your own home that exudes the coddled feeling of the cabin.

Our welcome to the Ozark Mountains, just as the day was slipping into nightfall.I love using cabin and lodge decor in our cottage. According to the dictionary, another synonym for cabin is cottage.

cab·in ˈkabən/noun a small shelter or house, made of wood and situated in a wild or remote area.

synonyms:

cottage, log cabin, shack, chantey, hut;

One of my favorite books on “cabin living” is by Bill Holm, “The Cabins of Minnesota” with beautiful pictures and photography by Doug Ohman.“Cabins are of many kinds …”
“There’s always the possibility of magic …”“Everybody feels at home right away. A cabin’s furnishings are simple, often treasured family hand-me-downs. Its sleeping lofts, tucked under the eaves, evoke memories of childhood. Its fireplace or wood stove provides physical and emotional warmth.” A peek inside our own cottage/cabin walls. Tartan plaid walls topped with crests and a trio of Loon Duck plates “nest” on the walls of our home on the lake. Lots of wood, books and collections exude that cabin-y feeling.The mirrored cubby in our German “schrank” which loosely translated means cabinet, holds another collection of “treasured family hand-me-downs” from the years we lived in Germany … a German music box, crystal decanters and mugs, pottery, a stein from Oktoberfest, hand painted glasses, a wooden “Smoker” and a special gift from our landlord and friend; a decorative piece that says “Stammtisch” which denotes a table reserved for the regulars.“In a cabin retreat, pleasure overcomes duty for a little while.” ~ Bill HolmA rustic blend of frames imbibes that “cabin” feeling … “Home Sweet Home”In this bedroom the Adirondack decor, warm colors, and the quilted bedding adds cabin charm. A little tree “glows a welcome” and stays up all year decorated cabin-style … wooden bobbers, lures, hand-carved canoes, fish stringers, and twinkle lights adorn it’s boughs.Cabin decor … Boat Rentals 1/2 MileA desk with lots of cubby’s and glimpses of “the outdoors” is tucked away in a little nook, perfect for writing or musing.A sweet reminder of our own little fisherman.<3Warm woods and shelves always add cottage and cabin charm.A little twilight and cottage glow …Then, what better way is there to add a bit of cabin coziness to a home than to have a Honey Bun Cake baking in the oven; the smells alone conjure up cabin luxury at it’s best! This recipe is an old standby adapted from a favorite Betty Crocker recipe. Our rainy, cool, foggy day in February seemed the perfect time to get out my mixing bowl. Just as the last of our day was slipping away, the fog lifted and the rain stopped in time for a beautiful sunset!

Ingredients needed:

1 pkg yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream or 1 cup buttermilk (*or 1 scant cup milk w/1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar added)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup heaping brown sugar “… good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over …” (; Luke 6:38
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons milk (more if needed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 13 x 9 pan with butter or shortening and dust with flour or spray with Baking Pam
Mix cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs and sour cream or *buttermilk
Add chopped pecans (optional)
Stir together, about 50 strokes, and spoon 1/2 the batter into the 13 x 9 greased pan
In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon and spread over batter in pan
Spoon and spread the remaining batter over the sugar and cinnamon mixture in the pan
Use a knife to make swirls in the cake mixture
Bake in 350 degree oven 25 – 30 minutes or until edges began to pull away from pan
Remove cake from oven and cool
Prepare glaze using 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and 4 or more Tablespoons of milk
Poke holes in cake using the end of a wooden spoon
Pour glaze over warm cake and serve when cool enough to cut.

After the flavors have a chance to meld, Honey Bun Cake tastes even better the 2nd day! To serve warm, heat in microwave or oven.

Microwave directions … place sliced cake on a microwave safe plate and moisten a paper towel. Squeeze out the water so the towel is slightly damp. Cover the cake slice with the moist paper towel. Heat the Honey bun Cake for about 8 seconds, or “just “til warm.” Do not overheat … bread products can become tough in the microwave.

Oven directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the number of cake slices desired on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Warm, uncovered for about 5 minutes. Serve warm cake, immediately.

With the spicy goodness of this Honey Bun cake filling the house, we couldn’t wait and had a piece as soon as it had cooled enough to cut! However, the cake actually tasted even better the 2nd and 3rd day!

Hope your last days of February are warm and cozy in your own “version of the ten-foot thatched hut.”(: Last blog on “all things winter!” In 2 days, it will be MARCH and the season for all things SPRING … sunshine and shamrocks … bunny’s and The Lamb!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

I’m joining Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

Lisa from Feathering My Empty Nest

Woodland Tablescape … DIY Centerpiece & Napkin Rings

I enjoyed doing some tabletop decorating last week and I combined two different decorating styles in my table setting. I love the look of fragile crystal and goldware mixed with chunky pottery, natural grapevine napkin rings and woven baskets. “Elegance meets Rustic” and “opposites, do indeed attract” (; … as this duo is lovely together and the contrast of styles makes a cozy woodland tablescape.To make the woodland centerpiece I took the plastic covering off of 2 blocks of floral foam and hot glued them into the bottom of a woven basket I had. Then I began filling the basket with a collection of grasses, cattails, pine cone floral stems, pheasant feathers and birch twigs I had “amassed” over the years. The tallest part of any arrangement should be in the center, so after anchoring my tallest pieces I began “fanning down” both sides from the center of the arrangement, inserting my filler into the florist foam. The last addition and focal point I added to the arrangement was a metal art piece … a copper stag among metal fir trees. For my place settings I used pieces of vintage Hull and Pfaltzgraff pottery, a treasure that Richard found and bought for me at an auction he went to with his brother, Bob. The dishes are a sweet remembrance for both of us since Bob passed away this past October. ❤ The pattern on this stoneware is known as “Brown Drip” pattern, a favorite of both the Hull and Pfaltzgraff Stoneware Companies during the 1930’s.These simple, rustic napkin rings are made using mini-grapevine wreaths. I downloaded my free woodland tags from Decorator’s Notebook by Bethan John. After printing and cutting out my tags, I punched a hole in each tag using a standard hole punch. Then I inserted a moss-green satin ribbon into the hole of each tag and tied the ribbon into a bow to the grapevine, making sure the tag was facing out as I pulled my knot of the bow, tight.I love these darling little bean pots and keep collecting them whenever I see them at antique stores. They look charming holding BBQ beans for autumn wiener roasts … filled with Chili con Carne on cold winter evenings … brimming with Stuffed Pepper Soup on breezy Spring picnics … or in the summer, filled with colorful Cajun Beans (recipe coming at a later date!) alongside grilled steaks! Crystal glasses and little goblets from Germany are etched with grapevines and are rimmed in gold and have golden bases. I love the look of the fragile crystal contrasting with the heavy pottery and the comparison makes the crystal seem even more delicate. And this hand painted canoe makes a darling caddy for sweeteners!A mixture of metals … the copper stag and the goldware add gleam to all the forest browns, moss greens and the deep brown dishes. For a final touch of coziness, I added this little lamp that looks like it was made for my woodland tablescape! The golden lampshade matches the carved canoe and also highlights the goldware and golden goblets while the dark silhouettes of the spruce trees and moose on the lamp shade adds more “depth” to my rustic theme.You know how I love using every day objects in unusual ways?! I pulled Richard’s cashmere muffler from the closet and thought it made the perfect table runner for my woodland tablescape! The softness of the muffler contrasted with the rough basket centerpiece and it’s color … the same browns and moss-green colors found in the forest!Juxtaposition/definition by Merriam-Webster: the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect. Hmmm … crystal next to pottery, textured, woven centerpiece sitting atop soft, luxurious cashmere, and rustic grapevines mixed with elegant goldware??? I love juxtaposition decorating! (:P.S. We saw 2 Bald Eagles, yesterday!!! Neither Richard or I had ever seen one except in books or film! Then, we saw 2 in one day! The first eagle we saw around noon just nonchalantly sitting in a tree and the second one we saw in a totally different area, near sunset, also perched in the top of a huge Sycamore Tree. After our second Bald Eagle flew off, our “Blue, Super Moon” was just begin to rise and it was gorgeous! I couldn’t help but think of the scripture I had just read that morning …“Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.” Psalms 104:1-3

From my cottage to yours ~ TrendaThank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above .. or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

I’m joining Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

Carol from The Red Painted Wagon

Winter Wonderland Tablescape …

I had fun creating a whimsical tablescape befitting our first wintry weather, complete with snow flocked trees, a frozen pond, and miniature skaters. Little twinkle lights glow in faux white branches covered in glitter while the “real” tree branches loom beyond the window, stark and dark against the twilight sky.

A navy tablecloth covered with white lace is the snowy backdrop for crystal mugs and cherished blue stemware … reflecting sweet “yesteryear.” Memories of our own dear little boy and girl carefully choosing each jewel colored stem and buying them for me with their combined allowances … Momma’s beloved Christmas present! ❤

Christmas Naif dishes by Villeroy and Boch, painted by the French artist Gérard Laplau depict a picturesque village scene with children playing near a snowman … “with a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal” and a horse-drawn sleigh … are perfect for my Winter Wonderland!

“Come to the church in the wildwood” with windows glowing, amongst the twinkling trees and spruce.

Winter evening beckoning in the deepening twilight, within and beyond …

These little skaters, with their magnet pedestals actually pirouette around the iced pond when the music box is wound up and playing.

After dinner coffee and Dutch Almonette cookies are waiting to be served. Crystal mugs, biscuit barrel, and sugar creamer set match the “icicle” look of the frozen pond and snow flocked trees.

“Coffee?” “Yes, please!” (:

White crocheted-edged napkins are tucked inside navy blue napkins and are tied with a simple gold cord which nonchalantly holds the salad and dinner fork. Individual little tealights glow in white holders covered in “snowballs” and personalize each place setting.

Hope you’re staying warm and enjoying this special season with moments … snuggled under cozy blankets … holding steamy mugs that warm your hands … gazing at the beauty of winter through frosted window panes … with family and friends taking “the bite” out of the frost! (:

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining:

Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

EASY RECIPE for Tuscan Tomato Soup … and Winter Weather

When I was a little girl I remember coming in from the cold with cheeks stinging and hands frozen (inside inadequate mittens) and seeing bowls of steamy tomato soup that our mother had made. I loved the flavor of the soup, but I always liked to add a little “flotsam and jetsam” to the broth! (: I would get a slice of American cheese, fold it into smaller pieces and drop them into my soup.

I can remember how scratchy this little wool hat was and couldn’t stand to have it tied under my chin! See the gum in my mouth?!? (:

Just a little detour before I share my recipe. Here are some interesting FUN FACTS I discovered when I was looking up Campbell’s Tomato Soup that I thought you’d be interested in, also. Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup is still the top 10 grocery items that American buy … it has been in the market since 1895 (123 years!) … 85 million cans of Campbell’s Tomato Soup are still sold each year …Campbell’s sent the Tomato Soup to the Paris Exposition of 1900 where it won the Gold Medallion of Excellence which is still displayed proudly on every can of Tomato Soup … out of 100+ varieties of Campbell’s Soup available today, Tomato Soup is still one their 3 top sellers along with Cream of Mushroom Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup! (:My mind still links Tomato Soup and cold winter days together and we had a “snow day” this week which made me want to make “Tuscan Tomato Soup.” (first pictured on my blog “Al Fresco Dining in Autumn”) This soup is just a combination of ingredients I keep on hand … a can of Tomato Soup and a bag of frozen Beef Ravioli (which provides the “flotsam and jetsam” I still love adding to my Tomato Soup!) It’s so easy to make … in 20 minutes or less, you’ll have a delicious soup Mama Mia herself would be happy to serve to her own family! (;

Tuscan Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen beef ravioli (or if you prefer, cheese tortellini) from a family sized bag, cooked and drained according to directions (mine cooked in only 6 minutes)
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cups chicken stock or 3 cups of water with 3 cubes or 3 teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules or reduced sodium chicken bouillon added
1 Family size can (23.2 oz) Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh spinach or kale (I used and loved Trader Joe’s Triple Washed Organic Baby Spinach! Even after a week in the refrigerator, all spinach leaves are still so fresh)
grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper

Directions:

Cook frozen ravioli (or cheese tortellini) according to directions, and drain
Meanwhile, melt butter in another large saucepan or Dutch oven
Add onion to melted butter and saute until translucent
Add chicken stock or water with chicken bouillon added and turn heat to medium/medium-high
Pour in condensed Tomato Soup and stir with whisk, continuing to warm
Add chopped spinach or kale
Add cooked ravioli and warm all ingredients in saucepan until thoroughly warmed, without bringing to a boil
Dish into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled with black pepper

Woodland free printable tags decorate sweet napkins rings made of miniature grapevine wreaths and are tied on with a satin ribbon …
Winter weather managed to push past the borders of Texas earlier this week, and obliged us with a deposit of sleet and snow! We were excited when the weather forecasters predicted the possibility of us getting a wintry mix and began to look expectantly for our guests’ arrival. At 10:00 pm Monday evening the sleet arrived, right on time and entertained us for 2 hours before tiny snowflakes began falling! Snow is always a thrilling sight in our area of TEXAS and Richard and I watched the enchanting display from our opened door until shivering, we reluctantly left our vigil to warm up, before checking again. We finally went to bed around 2:00 am; the flakes were still swirling and our driveway and deck were covered. The weather forecasters deserve a gold star … not only did they get their predictions correct, our winter guests were punctual and came exactly when expected! (;

Front Deck …Side yard and cobbled pathway …Waiting for Spring …Backyard and lake …View from our bathroom the next, sunny but cold day!Hope you have a wonderful weekend with moments enjoyed padding around in warm fuzzy socks, mugs of coffee in hand, snuggled under comforters, comfy within and without!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining: Lynn from The Vintage Nest

Chloe Crabtree from Celebrate & Decorate

Sandra with Sweet Sensations

Christmas at Cottage Green

What a special season Christmas truly is. It’s not just one day, but a culmination of days. Days of … cookie making, shopping and wrapping, decorating the house, watching Hallmark movies, drinking hot cocoa, setting up the manger, being with family and friends, caroling, and worship . Then, hanging up stockings, putting out cookies for Santa, sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn, and finally (there’s a sermon in here!) “joy, comes in the morning.” It’s a season of busyness, frenzy, stress, wonder, love, sadness of “memories of happy years gone by” gratitude, reflection, and marvel. Here’s a last tribute to our Christmas season and moments at Cottage Green. There’s lots to re-cap and lots of pictures, so get yourself a “cup of cheer” and make yourself comfy!

Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright …

“Not a creature was stirring, not even a …” porcupine!

… or a hedgehog! (:

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.”

“The stars in the sky look down where He lay The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

“Angels we have heard on high, sweetly caroling o’er the plains.”

“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays”

“O Christmas Tree, o Christmas tree how lovely are thy branches …”

“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree …”

“Santa Claus is coming to town …”

“It’s a marshmallow world in the winter …”

“I’ll have a blue Christmas without you …”

“The holly bears a prickle, as sharp as any thorn, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day in the morn”

“Here we come a-wassailing …”

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …”

Then … family photos with little and big kids! ❤

“When it’s Christmas time in Texas …”

“It might just look like a summer day There may not be snow in San Antonio But it’s a Texas Christmas to me.”

“Thank God for Kids”

“Thank God for kids there’s magic for a while …

(grand son <3)

A special kind of sunshine in a smile …

(grand daughter <3)

Do you ever stop to think or wonder why? The nearest thing to Heaven is a child.”
“Daddy, how does this thing fly?”

“And a hundred other where’s and whys …”

(dear daughter-in-law DDIL <3)

“You really don’t know but you try, thank God for kids …”

(grand daughter and daughter <3)

“When you look down in those trusting eyes that look to you, you realize …”

It’s a love that you can’t buy thank God for kids.”

Thank God for kids, there’s magic for a while …

A special kind of sunshine in a smile …

Do you ever stop to think or wonder why? The nearest thing to Heaven is a child

When you get down on your knees tonight To thank the Lord for his guiding light And pray they turn out right, thank God for kids Thank God for Kids” ~ songwriters: Edward Futch/Edward G. Futch

(our kids <3)

Oh, I hope you enjoyed seeing our Christmas at Cottage Green and I hope you had a wonderful, blessed Christmas filled with moments that will warm your heart throughout the year. Our grand daughter told me, “Grandma, I’m sad Christmas is over” … I’m sad Christmas is over, too, but I promised God I am keeping Christmas in my heart, all year long! ❤

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining:

Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane

Christmas Tablescape “Up on the Housetop Reindeer Pause …”

The table is set and ready for a Christmas Brunch with Fitz and Floyd “Florentine Christmas White Stag Reindeer” dressed and ready for their important flight on Christmas Eve! Saddles are trimmed with holly and tassels and lie cushioned on the reindeer’s back atop cheery red and green blankets (that look like they were made by Santa’s elves!) Encircling their necks are pine branch harnesses festooned with pine cones, holly leaves and bows.

Antique snack sets are stacked and ready to be filled with finger foods. Christmas punch or Percolator Spiced Tea will fill the matching cups that set in special compartments on the glass trays.

A gauzy runner with beaded edges weaves around a pine garland with tiny twinkle lights that add a touch of Christmas magic.

Shimmering gold is repeated in the brass stand holding a carafe … a shiny picture frame, … and a line of dessert spoons. The colors in the picture “Noel” are a perfect match to the colors of the reindeer and serving pieces, so it became a bit of “whimsy” and a part of the tablescape, propped on a golden easel. Nearby, a sweet little creamer and sugar bowl are nestled close and adorned with Christmas bows.

. NOEL … From Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ, from natus, past participle of nasci “be born.”

Gold forks and linen napkins edged in lace are lined up for easy buffet-style serving.

This Fitz and Floyd “Florentine Christmas” Canape Plate will hold Peanut Cluster Blitz-ens! (; topped with Christmas sprinkles!

Fitz and Floyd “Snowy Woods” stacked serving platter is waiting to be loaded with Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels shortly after the Christmas guests, arrive.

Fitz and Floyd “Jolly St Nick” platter awaits Delicious Yuletide Appetizer – Chicken Enchilada Dip

Everything is set and ready …

“Ho-Ho-Ho who wouldn’t go …” ??? (:

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

I’m joining Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

Christmas Advent Calendar “Countdown to Christmas” DIY Project

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to,

"Deck the halls again now...
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
And we need a little Christmas
Right, this very minute
We need a little Christmas now."


~ written by Jerry Herman for the Broadway musical Mame

The countdown to Christmas has begun and these miniature envelopes you make yourself (use free link below) are a charming way to mark off the days until Christmas.

The Last of Autumn … “Something Told the Wild Geese”

As I was taking a picture of this glorious Ash Tree, I recognized a sound above me, like the whoosh of a wave approaching the shore. I hurriedly snapped the picture and was thrilled when I saw I had “captured” these pelicans in flight! As I stood there and marveled, phone still poised and ready, 3 more “squadron” of pelicans flew over! I felt like I had just been presented with a gift … as indeed, I had! (: NOTE: A group of pelicans have many collective names … BRIEF, POD, POUCH, SCOOP, and SQUADRON … are all names for a group of pelicans.

As I stood there reflecting on what I had just seen, I thought of this poem …

Something Told the Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese

It was time to go,

Though the fields lay golden

Something whispered, “snow.”

Leaves were green and stirring,

Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers

Something cautioned, “frost.”

All the sagging orchards

Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened

At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fly,

Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

~by Rachel Fields

Here are the pictures I promised I would share with you of Autumn in November at Cottage Green on the Lake.

Golden leaves on this young Eastern Redbud and more golden leaves on our Ash tree down by the lake contrast beautifully with the red bark and the red roof on our boat dock and stand out brilliantly against a backdrop of green.

The red leaves of the Sweet Gum Tree and the golden yellow leaves of our Ash trees blaze against the blue of the lake and autumn sky. Fallen leaves cover the lawn in gold!

Chartreuse Sweet potato vine rambles over a treasured hand pump that Richard’s mother used in “days gone by.” ❤

Flowering Kale and Cabbage and sweet-faced pansies line the the paved sideyard.

Azaleas, Coleus, and Impatiens in varying shades of vivid pink.

“It was November … the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate winds songs in the pines.” ~ L.M. Montgomery

” … let the whole earth be filled with His glory.” Psalms 72:19

Today is the last day of November and Autumn. I hope you enjoyed seeing “The Last of Autumn” on Cedar Creek Lake! Tomorrow is the beginning of Winter and December and I will be showing you how to make a fun and nostalgic Advent Calendar to begin the countdown to … C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S! (:

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

This week I’m joining:

Lisa from Feathering My Empty Nest

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered directly to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece and Autumn in November

by Trenda

Today was a cool day with gray skies that made the autumn colors so vivid, they almost glowed! I went outside to “gather” some cuttings from our yard to make our Thanksgiving Centerpiece and afterwards, I walked around just taking pictures of beautiful Autumn in November at Cottage Green on the Lake! (: And those yard “gatherings” I clipped and snipped from our yard made a lovely and grand arrangement on the dining room table that only took minutes to make; my only cost was the fresh Eucalyptus I bought from Trader Joe’s, for $2.99!

If you want to keep this arrangement on your table throughout the Thanksgiving season you will need to use soaked floral foam (protect your table by placing the floral foam in a container!) or use floral vials to insert your live clippings into. Both the floral foam and the arrangement vials are available at your florist or any craft store on the flowering arranging aisle. However, this arrangement is so easy to assemble, you can do it the day of your Feast!

Much like setting out and marking your serving dishes with what you will be serving in them … set the preliminary stages of your arrangement. I placed my table runner down the length of the table, set my candlesticks where I wanted them, then interspersed my pheasant and pumpkins down the length of the runner so I could easily come back and tuck in my Loropetalum and Eucalyptus, later.

Any time you want to make an arrangement like this, just clip your branches the morning of “your event” and keep any live branches or flowers in a vase of water until you are ready to make your arrangement. Then dry the ends of your branches before placing and tucking them along your table runner and light your candles!

Fresh Eucalyptus in a vase filled with water awaiting placement on table runner.

Here is a great picture showing how I mixed the “faux” garland with autumn leaves with the live burgundy leaves and branches of the Loropetalum and the fresh Eucalyptus. Even as I look at this picture I have a hard time distinguishing what leaves are real and fake! I love making arrangements and since we serve our Thanksgiving meal buffet style, we only need enough room on our table for the plates and glasses, our Fitz and Floyd Pilgrim salt & pepper shakers, a basket full of yeast rolls, and a beautiful Golden Carnival Glass compote filled with ruby colored Apple-Cranberry Salad

A brass pheasant matches the brass candlesticks I used in my arrangement and looks at home among the autumn foliage.

Tiger striped miniature pumpkins are nestled among the burgundy foliage of the Loropetalum branches.

Carved wooden pilgrims bring gifts of vegetables to the gathering.

Nestled among the real and “faux” flora and fauna, this miniature pumpkin looks so perfect, it almost looks unreal and reminds me again what a Master Artist and Creator the Lord is!

Candles glow in the lengthening shadows and “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart.” ❤

AND those pictures I told you I took after gathering my clippings for my Thanksgiving centerpiece … I’ll share with you in my next blog, but here’s one I particularly love, this sweet moss-covered cherub pondering in our birdbath.

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Thank you for reading my blog! To have all my posts delivered directly to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining:

Carol from The Red Painted Cottage

Courtney with Feathered Nest Friday

Halloween Tablescape “Trick or Treat … Give Me Something Good to Eat!”

Just in time for Halloween night S’more Ghost Peeps and Candy Coated Pretzel Wands are easy to make. These festive looking treats are perfect to grab “on the go” or to serve after your Halloween dinner and they are “something good to eat!”

S’more Peeps – The best part of these adorable treats … there is “no baking” required! Just “gather” ingredients and put them into treat bags!

Ingredients & Supplies:

graham crackers
fun size Hershey bars
Ghost Peeps
favor bags (I used Wilton’s small, clear, favor bags from the baking aisle in Michael’s)
Halloween ribbon
package of blank gift tags or tag punch (I used my Recollection tag punch)
Halloween stamps
ink pad
standard hole punch
Halloween plastic rings (I bought mine from the Dollar Tree)

Instructions:

Open gift tags or punch out gift tags, using a die-cut punch
Stamp each tag with a Halloween stamp of your choice (since I was adding spider rings to my treat bags, I stamped each tag with a picture of a spider
Using a standard hole punch, punch a hole in the top of each tag
Break a graham cracker sheet into 2 squares and slide both squares into a clear favor bag
Place 2 fun size Hershey bars on top of the graham crackers
Top Hershey bars with one Ghost Peep
Tie top of bag with Halloween ribbon in a simple knot
Slide tag onto ribbon and knot again
Slip Halloween ring over knot

Candy Coated Pretzel Wands

Ingredients & Supplies

1 bag of Salted Pretzel rods
Wilton vanilla baking chips (I used bright green and purple)
Halloween sprinkles and nonpareils
large treat bags, large enough to cover entire pretzel (I used Wilton’s large favor bags located on the baking aisle in Michael’s)
Halloween ribbon
black tulle
Halloween plastic rings (I bought mine at Dollar Tree)

Directions:

Melt baking chips according to directions on package (I used a tall mug to melt my baking chips)
After baking chips are melted, insert pretzel rod into candy and swirl to cover.
Place candy covered pretzel on wax paper placed on a cookie sheet
Repeat until pretzels are all covered with candy
If you are only coating your pretzels with one coat of candy and one color, sprinkle the warm candy coating with decorations and nonpareils. Do not sprinkle decorations on the pretzels that you want to coat with a 2nd layer of melted candy. (See picture below)
Place cookie sheet in freezer to speed up hardening of candy
If you would like a 2nd color of candy coating on your pretzel, repeat process of melting baking chips and dipping pretzel, after the first coating has hardened (10-15 minutes in freezer)
Sprinkle 2nd coating of candy with sprinkles or nonpareils
Cool until candy hardens. NOTE: I placed my cookie sheet filled with pretzels into the freezer to harden. If cooling in freezer, do not place pretzels in favor bags until coating has reached room temperature to prevent condensation from forming in favor bag!
Slide candy coated pretzel into favor bag and close the opening by tying with a 7-8″ strip of black tulle and Halloween ribbon.
Place Halloween ring over the knot in the ribbon

Ready to eat!

It’s Halloween!!! Time to …

“Unfurl the tablecloth, set out the plates!

Put out the punch bowl, if tarnished, that’s great!” It’s Halloween Night! by Trenda

Glitzy Spider Napkin Rings add a little bling to black and white napkins covered with bats.

Little Ghost S’mores don’t scare anyone, but they look so cute standing upright on a antique relish tray, next to a twinkly gazing ball. Candied Pretzel Wands are tucked into a copper canister with Boo! tags, spiders, and bats …”oh my!”

Dangling from spooky branches painted black our Treat Bags are filled and ready to be “picked” by our kids and grand kids, coming for Halloween dinner.

Hope you have a spook-tacular Halloween with plenty of “sweets” and even sweeter moments to look back on.

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

	cottagegreenonthelak… on Thanksgiving Tablescape……
	sbowie1229 on Thanksgiving Tablescape……
	cottagegreenonthelak… on Thanksgiving Tablescape……
	inspiring22cfac651d on Thanksgiving Tablescape……
	Richard Toops on Thanksgiving Tablescape……

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by Trenda

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Cottage Green on the Lake