DIY Thanksgiving Pinecone Wreath

For some reason this past year I have been into holiday wreaths. I really prefer simple wreaths. I was thinking of a Thanksgiving wreath that I could make or buy depending on if I found something that I really liked. I looked and looked and finally saw one online that was a simple all pinecone one. I had every intention of going to the park and picking up pinecones. Growing up I remember seeing pine trees everywhere, but now living in the downtown Houston area I rarely see pine trees in our neighborhood area. I was at Hobby Lobby picking up some crafting supplies and happened to see bags of pinecones for 80% off, so I ended up buying two bags for $2 each (which saved me time) and I bought the wreath form there as well and had a 40% off coupon, so it ended up being just a little over $2 for it. 

It was extremely simple to make. Literally all I did was hot glue the pinecones onto the wreath. It smells good because the bag of pinecones had cinnamon sticks in it as well. 

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Ways to "Green" Your Thanksgiving

There are plenty of things you can do this Thanksgiving season to make it a “green” one.

• When shopping for food bring a reusable bag
• Plan meals ahead of time so you don't over buy
• Try to buy local, seasonal and organic food 
• Shop at farmers markets and support local shops. Houston has a ton of great places to pick up local foods. Some of my favorites are The French Bakery, Revival Market and House of Pies
• Try to buy items that do not have a whole lot of packaging
• Stay at home with family
• If you're hosting Thanksgiving, ask guests to bring their own to go containers
• Don’t use paper plates and plastic utensils. Break out the china, silverware, cloth napkins, etc.
• Try to buy turkeys grown without hormones and antibiotics
• Recycle your glass, plastic and aluminum foil
• Recycle the turkey fat
• Donate leftovers to a shelter
• Compost your scraps
• VOLUNTEER at a local shelter
• Make your own decorations, reuse the ones you have or buy some from a resale shop
• BE THANKFUL 

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Happy Veterans Day!

I know this is coming so late tonight, but Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all the men and women who have served for our country, we couldn't be more appreciative. 

My grandfather, father, father in law and cousin have all served in the past.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!

Bryan and I keep seeing pictures of our family and friends kids all dressed up for Halloween so I thought I would share a picture of our "baby" all dressed up in his Halloween shirt. We have had this shirt for years and rarely put him in anything (sometimes jackets/sweaters in the winter if he'll be outside a ton because he gets cold).

Not many trick or treaters come by, but we are hoping since four families with toddlers/babies moved on our street this year that someone will come by. 

Have a spooky night!

Seasonal Produce Guide

Recently I was talking to a couple of people / clients about various produce that is in season because it is getting hard to find some produce in the grocery stores. I love this seasonal produce guide from Style Me Pretty. I often frequent various farmers markets in the Houston area and love trying new places. Last week I mentioned about pick your own fruit farms. I am still hoping to go to one in Tomball within the next couple of weeks. Froberg's in Alvin has awesome selection of produce.

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BooksApp

I read somewhere about the BooksApp on some blog (I can't remember which one). I love it. You can inventory your books by entering the ISBN number or scanning the barcode. When you do that with most of the books a picture and info about the book is automatically put into the app.You can put notes into the app regarding each book, who has borrowed the book (s), etc. You can export a csv file to your computer and have it for your files. I have a ton of books and love this app. Although, it does take a little time to enter all the books if you have a lot. 

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Pick Your Own Fruit Farms in Houston

Lately, I have been seeing a ton of pictures from people on the east and west coasts that are going apple picking. It looks fun so I decided to research if there was anything like that in Houston. I found out that apples just don't grow well in Houston, but many of other fruits grow well like berries, persimmons, peaches, etc. There are many farms in and around Houston where you can go pick your own fruit. Many of those farms right now also have pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hay rides, etc. I am hoping that Bryan and I can go check out one of these farms sometime soon. 

Here are some local farms where you can pick your own fruit: 

Blackberries of Houston
19531 Cypress Church Road
Cypress, TX 77433
http://www.BlackberriesOfHouston.com
281-373-5357

Chmielewski's Blueberry Farm
23810 Bauer Hockley Rd.
Hockley, TX 77447
281-304-0554
http://www.chmielewski-blueberry.com

Matt Family Orchard
21110 Bauer Hockley Road
Tomball, Texas 77377-5767
281-351-7676 
http://www.mattfamilyorchard.com


Dewberry Farm

7705 FM 362 Brookshire, TX 77423 281-934-3276 http://www.dewberryfarm.com Froberg's Farm (I LOVE this one) 3601 Hwy 6 Alvin, TX 77511 281-585-3531 http://www.frobergsfarm.com

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