DIY Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Each year since Baker was born we've made handmade ornaments to gift our family and friends for Christmas! We always incorporate his handprint, footprint, or fingerprints in some way. Some years we've made salt dough and some years we've made fun paper crafts. This year a sweet friend of mine gifted us THE cutest vintage firetruck wrapping paper and it inspired us to use some of our fire themed cookie cutters to create sweet memories and gifts to hang on the tree!

Cinnamon applesauce dough is super easy to whip up and it smells wonderful!

Nothing sweeter!

All you need is applesauce, cinnamon, cookie cutters, a cookie sheet, an oven and something small to poke a hole in each ornament. (I use a straw!)

I used about 1 part applesauce to 10 parts cinnamon. (I bought the cheapest supplies I could find since we wouldn't be eating them! A 48oz jar of applesauce and about 10-12 small bottles of ground cinnamon.) Slowly combine the two ingredients until a thick, dry dough forms. Don't pour and mix your cinnamon too fast or you'll end up in a cloud of messy baking dust! Keep adding dry cinnamon until your dough is thick and dry enough to stamp. You'll know if it's too runny!

Roll out your dough into about a 1/4 inch thick sheet. I sprinkle a little extra cinnamon onto the counter and rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking. You don't want your dough to be too thin or it will curl and crack once baked!

Use your cookie cutters of choice to cut out your ornament shapes! I also used my imagination and created a few extra special ornaments by hand. (Like the replica of our barn pictured below!) Baker also stamped his hand to gift his grandparents. I used a small, sharp knife to cut out each handprint and then used the broad side of the knife to smooth the edges!

My mama gifted us the cookie cutters but you can find them on Amazon!

The cutest helper!

Before you bake your ornaments use something slender to create a small hole to thread your string or ornament hook through. I use a straw! You could also use a small wooden dowel or something similar.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your ornaments flat. Bake LOW and SLOW at 200 degrees for about 2-3 hours to let them harden. Once you remove them from the oven allow them to cool overnight before handling!

Your home (and tree!) will smell like Christmas! We have so much fun crafting these memories and gifting special treats to our loved ones.

This precious vintage firetruck paper from TJMaxx/HomeGoods is perfectly festive for our fire family!

This little guy is definitely a favorite this year!

Happy Crafting!

-Lauren

Fall on the Farm - 2016

It's nearly 90 degrees here in Sweet Home Alabama and we haven't had rain in months! We're experiencing pretty severe drought conditions and there are burn bans statewide. Brett has been on more brush fire calls than I can count! Unfortunately, no bonfires or sweater weather for us just yet this season, but the leaves are still changing and the farmhouse is adorned for Autumn! We patiently await the transition to crisp, cool air and warm mugs full of goodness. Until then, we'll crank up the AC and pretend we're not sweating to death. :) 

Every season I like to document and share our holiday farmhouse. It's fun to look back and see the decor from years passed and also see how the farmhouse has changed as we continue to restore it. It's sort of our way of virtually opening our doors to you and welcoming you into our home! This year I chose to go with a  pretty traditional scheme incorporating whites, neutrals and some pops of greenery because our temps have remained so mild. I still had lots of summer plants going strong and it would be wasteful not to keep them out!

Fall Exterior

Interior Touches

I typically keep our interior decor pretty simple because clutter stresses me out! We have an informal living room that welcomes guests as they enter the farmhouse through the front door. It's the perfect room to deck out each season! This year has been SO fun because Baker is totally into all the decor and asks me all the time if we can put more "magic" into each room. It makes my heart just beam!

You can find my DIY Chalk Lettering Tutorial HERE!

You can find my DIY Pinecone Garland tutorial HERE!

Baker added these little mini punkins to my sugar mold all on his own! I couldn't bring myself to move them!

Baker's first vignette! LOL!

Baker also helped me decorate a few pumpkins! We used Mod Podge to make this cute kitchen pumpkin with a copy of one of my Gramma's old recipe cards..

My sweet friend Loren Miller (IG @loren_miller) sent me this adorable garland from Target! I set it up just in time for my family to visit! Makes the dining room feel perfectly festive!

Nursery Magic

Baker's room got BOOed this year, too! He kept asking me over and over again when we were going to put "magic" in his room. So we got creative and used some gauze, twine and construction paper to make this fun mummy garland and his bat family.

Consequently, he also named every single bat Boo... 

So, meet Boo, BooTwo, BooBoo, BooThang, HoneyBooBoo, BabyBoo, and BootyBoo. #boys

And despite the hot weather, we've still had our share of warm drinks and yummy treats! You can find the recipe for these fun Candy Corn Rice Krispie Pops HERE! 

We also got the opportunity to head to Nashville for our third shopping trip with my sweet insta-friends! Brett's parents came along this time and we had a fabulous time shopping the Nashville Flea Market, exploring Franklin and just having a blast laughing, eating and having fellowship with our dear friends. Hop over to my friend Stephanie's blog to read more about our trip! I so badly want her to write a book! She has such a way with words and I loved her post about social media friendships and the evolution of our relationships. It's a good one..

My Flea Market Haul! All for about $100!

And last but certainly not least..

I can't give a family update without mentioning my honey's big news!

Brett was recently named Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Columbiana and we are so, so proud of him! He is so passionate about his career and sets such a wonderful example for our little boy. His work ethic and dedication are unmatched and the awesome crew at Columbiana are like family. I know he will do a great job! Congratulations, Brett!

We had so much fun at the 2016 Fire Prevention Parade! Every firetruck loving kid's dream!  We are so proud of you, Chief Ashworth!

Ashworth Family Reunion - Palisades Park - October 2016

Best Wishes for a Bountiful Season,

-Lauren

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Happy Halloween! Our Radio Flyer Fire Truck

It's no secret that we absolutely love Halloween! Last year when Baker was only a few months old Brett traveled out of state to a Fire Conference and brought home the most precious little fire fighter uniform. This season it fit him perfectly and this costume just fell right into place! He ADORES everything fire related (no surprise!) and we can't seem to keep him out of his new ride. The first time he saw it he kept telling us Thank You over and over and over.. It just melted my heart! We've joked that maybe we should just turn it into a toddler bed since he loves it so much. ;) The fire truck fits right over his Radio Flyer wagon and it's going to make Trick or Treating around town so fun and easy! Especially if he gets tired! We've had so much fun this season already with fall festivals, Boo at the Zoo, and Trunk-or-Treating. We can't wait to hit the streets this weekend for some more festivities around town. The City of Columbiana hosts "Monster Walk" this weekend plus Baker will get to Trick Or Treat for real for the first time! We absolutely cannot wait!

Happy Halloween from Chief Baker!

Direct Link to purchase your own Radio Flyer wagon at the bottom of the post!

My inspiration for this actually came from a fire truck wagon made of cardboard. And of course Brett wanted to upgrade the idea! I headed to work one day and a few hours later he was sending me pictures of his progress. I literally gasped out loud when I got his photos! It was everything I wanted and then some! HE KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. HOME RUN. Once I saw the initial design he came up with I started to envision a little wooden fire truck toy. Similar to the miniature handmade trucks and toys he's built before.. I wanted it to look like a life size replica! And I was so excited to finish it that we started on the detail work as soon as I got home that day. We were up pretty late but sometimes when my creative wheels start turning and we're knee deep in a project the adrenaline hits and I just don't want to stop until I can physically see what I've been dreaming up in my mind. It's an addiction! A DIY addiction! We used all scrap wood from the wood shop, as well. The overall cost was minimal. Nearly free!

God Bless America

Happy 4th to you and yours! We had originally planned to host a big farm party to celebrate the holiday with our family and friends. The good news is that Brett received a promotion recently that he's worked so hard for! We are so proud of him! The bad news is that he had to switch shifts and fire stations and because of the shift change he had to work today and our party plans were put on hold. But it's ok! We still pulled out all of our patriotic decor and partied with our families a few days early.

Anyone who works in public service is probably used to these kinds of circumstances. We just roll with the punches. :) We're hoping to kick off summer next year with our First Annual Summer Shindig at the farm!

Link to purchase this bunting at the bottom of the post!