Pumpkin Pillowcase Dresses

My newest creations are pillowcase dresses.  

I make these lovely dresses with your little girl in mind.  They can be almost any design and pattern and most come with an applique.  They are great for gift giving or for your holiday dress up fun!

Sophie models this cute custom tiger print pumpkin dress. 

 Sizes come from infant to size 14.

Tiger pumpkins are great for fall, Thanksgiving and

 even for your team spirit of  Orange and Black OSU. 

Retro polka dot pumpkins are so fun and cute,

 just what your little girl needs for the fall and beyond.

Fall and winter dresses are all lined and have adjustable ties for your when your child grows. 

Custom order your dresses here: Heartnsow.com or email me here: Heart & Sow Designs

Peaceful Thanksgiving

Peaceful Thanksgiving Plan

1. Remember what its about.  Really reflect on what you are thankful for.  Its not about who brought what food or who is seating where but its really about getting together and being thankful.  Go around the table and let each person share what they are thankful for.

  

2. Grandparents, know your limited role.  Grandparents need to know their boundaries and not contradict the parents.

3.  Choose not to fight.  Make it a plan ahead of time to choose not to fight.  Let things go, its a time to enjoy each other not to pick fights or get angry over little things.  Most fights are usually over little things anyways and its just not important to ruin a holiday by being angry.

4. Don't miss the innocent moments.  Take time and enjoy the innocent moments with the little ones. A smile a first impression.  Look for the special priceless moments.

5. Delegate.  Mom or grandma doesn't have to do it all.  Let others help in the cooking and clean up.  Share the work load and the mom/grandma won't be overly tired and they can enjoy the company in the kitchen.

6. Keep your focus.  Don't dwell on the problems in life you experiencing but instead be thankful what you do have and enjoy each others company.

7. Curb you high expectations. Don't expect things to happen a certain way, allow for the unexpected and go with the flow.

8.  Challenge tradition.  Don't stress yourself out by over committing to travel, over committing time, money you don't have.  Give yourself permission to make changes.  Its nice to see your parents or grandparents but if you don't have the time or money its okay to just call them.

9.  Don't set the bird on fire.  Remember to take the bag of giblets out of the turkey before baking.

Drunken Turkey Recipe

This year we are trying a new recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner.  It's a drunken turkey,  haha!  No really it's  called a juicy Thanksgiving turkey. This turkey will get drunk on Champange!  For all of you who don't realize this alcohol is burned off when its cooked so its not really drunk.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons dried parsley 2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary 2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage 2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves 1 tablespoon lemon pepper 1 tablespoon salt 1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and

giblets removed 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 orange, cut into wedges 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
2.	Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
3.	Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Source: Allrecipes.com

Decorating with Placemats

Here's a look at my table decoration for thanksgiving.  I used to not use placemats but table cloths with a clear plastic vinyl cover to keep it clean.  The vinyl cover looked great for awhile but it got dirty  too fast with grandkids.  But the problem with this cloth was it just wouldn't come clean when washing it.  I tried several times to scrub and clean it.  So I bought a new one and started over, once it was dirty tried and tired to clean it, the surface looked clean but when held up to the light it still showed finger prints.

I finally gave up the idea of using the vinyl cloth and just use fabric cloths and decorations to make it look nice.  Now, my idea was to use a table runner with placemats. I like the look  here above.  Now the question I pose to you is,  are placemats for look or for use?  My daughter uses her's only for looks and I use mine for looks and use.  I want the kids to use the mat so the table cloth will stay clean longer.

Share you opinion on do you use your placemats for decoration or use them as a function to keep the table cloth clean or table clean?

Thanksgiving Day Sale

I have decided to add Thanksgiving Day as a sale day for all my Facebook Friends and Fans.  Besure to check out the items in my shop.  Heart & Sow Designs over at Artfire.com That's a 20% off.  My facebook page:  facebook.com/heartandsowdesigns

Giblet Stuffing with Raisins

Ingredients:

1 bag seasoned bread crumbs
1 yellow onion chopped
2 cups celery chopped
1 cup turkey broth, from boiled giblets or chicken broth
1 cup raisins
1 T sage
1 T poultry seasoning
¼ cup butter
chopped giblets including neck pieces (from one turkey or chicken)

Directions:

Sauté in butter, onions, celery, raisins (about 10 minutes).Boil giblets in water. When giblets are done then the water will be a broth too. Chop gibblets. Add broth to bread cubes until lightly moist, add vegetables and giblets. Take off of burner and add other ingredients and stir. Put in 13x9x2 dish. Cover in foil and bake at 325°for 45 minutes. Take off foil brown another 15 minutes. This is also best placed around outside turkey when it is baking the juices add a wonderful flavor. (It's great to stuff turkey with this just make sure you remove it from turkey immediately when done, so bacteria can't grow)


This is my family traditional recipe, but due to my children I no longer make it because they don't like the raisins. Now we make a cornbread stuffing. I love all stuffings but this one here is by far the best.