Crawfish Corn Soup and Cozy Fall Moments

The bright leaves are falling. 

 

The warm flannel sheets are on the bed. The seasonal sinuses and sniffles have hit us hard and it still feels like the most wonderful time of year! 

The warm nights by the fire and hot soup on the stove are the perfect cure. 

Well, mixed with some of these, of course. 

 

I've put in my good week of puny, sinus mess and now that I'm back to normal, it's Sean's turn. Last night, tacos were on the menu, but I rearranged after getting in and out of the car all day in rainy, cold weather. Crawfish Corn Soup was what we both needed.

 

It was so good for crawfish lovers and even better tonight as we enjoy what's leftover while sitting by the fire and catching up on dvr.

Here's the easy recipe I grabbed via Tastebook.com

Crawfish & Corn Soup

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 can Rotel Tomatoes
• Emeril’s Essence
• salt & pepper
• 2 cans whole kernel corn
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 pound Crawfish
• 1 can Evaporated Milk

directions

• Sautee onions, bell pepper, celery, Essence & salt in butter.
• Add Rotel & cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in corn, crawfish and milk.
• Salt & pepper to taste.
• Heat approximately 30 minutes.

Source: Sheila M. Juneau

 Last week, adorable kids holding their parents' hands traipsed through the fall leaves in our front yard to trick-or-treat on our door step.

But our very first trick-or-treaters were by far the MOST adorable. 

Avery and baby Hadley came to visit in their cowgirl and cow-girl costumes!

 

 How cute are they??

 Avery was such a big girl saying "trick or treat" just like mom told her. And she got the family treatment when it came to doling out the candy!

We played around for a minute while we waited for Seany to get home from work.

Yay, Seany's here!

 

 We ordered pizza and watched movies amidst the doorbell rings from superheros, princesses, and ninjas asking for candy. Since I was sick then, part of me wanted to turn the light out and retreat to my bed, but I didn't have the heart to. The kids made me smile and it was worth it.

 We're both recovering and starting to feel back to normal. Although the days are always long when you don't feel well, having a soft place to land at the end of the day is an absolute blessing.

Autumn Blessings,

The Grays

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Halloween on Beale 2012

Happy Halloween 2012!!

We always have a blast dressing up for Halloween and tend to get pretty creative with our costumes. But for the past 2 years, we didn't celebrate with costumes and parties so we were really anticipating this Halloween.

After I came home from a hair appointment with blunt bangs, Sean said I looked like a little doll. The ideas snowballed from there and we eventually landed on being a ventriloquist and a ventriloquist's doll.

We rounded up our group of friends for a Saturday night Halloween bash on Beale.

 

I turned a polka-dot silky tube top into a skirt by just tying it around my waist. I made the bow-ties from glittery fabric. I pulled everything else from my closet except the shoes, that I found last minute on clearance for $10!

 

I created the doll-face with the help of youtube videos, facial contouring, chin-lines for the "dummy" mouth and over-the-top lashes. 

  

 

 

 

 Logan and Sara were adorable burglars, Devin was Popeye, and Tommy and his plus-one for the night, "Julianne", were caught in bed...hilarious.

 

 "Oops! Was it something I said?"

We met up with Taylor across the bridge, who set us up with rooftop access downtown to pre-game before going to Beale.

The view was awesome. The weather was cold. 

Thank goodness we could enjoy it from the warmth of the party room inside the glass walls!

 

We knew Taylor was going as Peter Pan. We knew Erin was going as Tinkerbell.

...But we didn't tell.

Sneaky Sneaky...

 

I always thought Tinkerbell was a bitch, so I told her to act like it.

Erin manned wo-manned up on  a half marathon in Conway (2 hours away) went to a family event, then drove back here just in time to celebrate Halloween with us. That's a woman right there!

Since she would be gone friday and saturday, I whipped her costume up out of a $3 sequined tank I found, elastic and tulle for the tutu, and slippers.

Sean, Tommy, and "Julianne"

Popeye

The burglars celebrating.

Playing this character was fun!

I'm not sure if Sean had money in his "ventriloquist's suitcase" from our dummy show or for bartending, but whatever it was...he danced while earning it.

 

Then he let his suspenders loose to dance with a criminal and Peter Pan.

But had to get back to bartending when the burglar tried to steal the loot.

Tink sprinkled fairy-dust on everyone...

 

...Even the inanimate lobby statues.

We blared some music...got hyped up...had a drank or two.

 

 

Then the creepy mustache man and his creepy doll were ready to hit Beale!

On the way, we stopped by the ATM for cash.

 

And the burglars busted into Bank of America.

Totally kidding. Obvi.They were just ready to bust some moves.

We hit the Saucer.

(See...I even made her a wand with a sparkly 'E'! It's the little things...)

And 152 for a minute. Nothing blogworthy there, as usual.

Finally at our favorite fun-stop, Alfreds, we were able to get comfy and get rowdy.

 

Cute Sara

We are so glad to have Tommy back home! He's been in the Navy and gone from home for several looong years.

Tink and Sara

My fave pic of. you. ever.

What can I say, I have a knack for paparazzi photography...

Tinker and Peter

(Taylor made his own costume! So impressed)

I smiled occasionally! But not often...it just wasn't right.

 

I love you even with a creepy pedofile mustache...That's some love right there.

(It was gone the next day and the stubble was all back...Phew) 

 

I hope your Halloween is light-hearted, fun and festive! And I hope wherever you are, you are safe from storms and praying for those who aren't.

 

Everyone be safe!

The Grays 

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Fireplace Accessories

It's fireplace season! Which begins my constant inner debate... Do I park it in front of the fire on a cold, windy weekend and not move all day? Or do something...anything? Once I sit it lures me in...

We've had a fire 3 weekends already this fall. 

Football days...movie nights...potato soup...warm cookies...pumpkin spice cappuccino. MmmMmm.

 We gave our gas fireplace a try for 2 years, but it was lacking in warmth and authenticity. Nothing can mimic the smells, crackles and fireflies put off by an old-fashioned fire. We were able to remove the gas logs and replace them with real wood, but still keep the gas for a convenient, automatic start. Perfect solution!

So with a real fireplace in our future for fall and winter, I put "fireplace tools" on my thrift store shopping list a few months ago. 

And came home with these for $7.

 

 I also had a plan for this fireplace screen, left to us by the previous owner, that was hunter green and gold.

 

I adored this black fireplace screen:

Both the tool set and the fireplace screen took just a few coats of high heat black spray paint to update!

 After:

 

I brought in an old galvanized bucket from the garage to keep our logs in. I love that look!  

I'd like to add a small ladder for throw blankets soon to prop beside the fireplace too.

 

source

We had a project-free weekend and spent it watching football and crafting our Halloween costumes around the fireplace! I hope yours was warm and cozy too.

~The Grays

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Sit and Watch the Leaves Turn

Happy Fall!

Our first fall weekend couldn't have been more perfect. It started with a fountain coke after an early finish on Friday afternoon, followed by joining a friend for her first combine ride! Since the Seattle-girl has lived here, Nina has wanted so bad to ride and I finally seized the opportunity to take her when Joan said that Dad and Uncle Phil were working right on the highway. So easy to stop by for a ride...Why not!

 She asked Uncle Phil every question she could think of, and I relived a piece of my youth. When I realized how long it had been since I'd ridden, I felt the need to slow down a bit...if I can make myself...and enjoy simple moments like that that aren't on any agenda or to-do list. The fun and relaxation...and now the memory... was worth more than any project I would have finished in that time. Lesson learned.  

:: It's harvest time in this little town
Time to bring it on in, pay the loans down
Fill our diesel tank up, make another round
There's a big red moon comin' up in the sky
Combine's cuttin' in a staggered line
The only time of year we miss the church bells chime
It's harvest time  ::

~Luke Bryan

Our crisp, fall weather officially graced us after that afternoon. Friday night a storm came through and we drove through the rain to dinner for Devin's birthday. After dinner we headed downtown. We walked into the bar through mild, gentle temperatures that felt like nothingness on our skin. By the time we walked out it was C.O.L.D!! I spent the weekend finishing up projects and fall decorations, while our first warm fire of the season crackled in the fireplace. I rode the combine cutting soybeans, went out with friends, had dinner with family, watched a scary movie while bundled in warm quilts (Cabin in the Woods...I recommend:), and nested in our festive home. 

 The Front Porch

I bought those little scarecrows for $2 each at a thrift store (my favorite holiday decor is always second-hand!) It was so meant to be because the stick on the boy scarecrow is WAY longer than the one on the girl. No matter how hard I pushed into the ground, the boy stands a foot taller than her...Like another couple I know...

I did slight repair work after I realized that the boy's clothes wouldn't stay up. I looked out our window to see only a head on a stick. Disturbing but funny. I tied his overalls to his hat and he's been decent ever since. 

My mums came back again...Haven't killed them yet! Yay:)

The cornstalks are from my family's cornfield.

I love how in this picture, the wreath on the door looks like it could be a hot-air balloon flying in the sky above the trees...At least in my vivid imagination it does!

The 2 pumpkins on the top step are real, and the others lining each side are plastic pumpkin buckets I got from the thrift store for $.40 each. I removed the handle, spray painted them in Krylon's Pimento, and placed a battery operated flame-less tealight candle in each one.

It was hard to capture on camera, but they glow reeeealy pretty at night!

 

 It's Harvest Time! This old wreath is timelessly cute.

 I love a chalkboard on the porch! I put burlap in an old red country basket and placed my flowers inside.

 

 

 A straw broom, bronze mums, cotton, a cornucopia of woven pumpkins and pinecones, and a mason jar candle of corn formed this fall vingette. 

 

I love fall colors.

Come On Inside

On our entryway table, I put  a pair of unique silver pumpkins I found at Goodwill years ago. I spray painted a pheasant figurine to look like a black crow for fall. 

For the dining room centerpiece, I put a large ceramic pumpkin from Goodwill ($3), small pumpkins from Goodwill I painted white, cotton in vases with twigs from the yard, and a wooden crate of pine cones. All on top of a black and white polka dot runner I cut from a fabric remnant. 

The mantle displays a new (to me) painting I bought for little to nothing at City Thrift on Summer Avenue. It's gorgeous, HUGE, and lights up the whole room. I spray painted the center pumpkin bronze (need I say it...from goodwill) and placed my white spray painted owls beside 2 more thrift pumpkins. 

I'm hoping for more weekends just like that one.

Blessed...

~The Grays

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