Santa Claus is Coming!! Santa Hat Chair Covers

It's getting to be that time...

Santa will soon be here...

There has been such a positive

 response from all of our sweet HomeTalk friends!!

If you are a regular visitor to the Blue Ribbon Kitchen blog or 
a new friend from Hometalk or another media outlet...Welcome!!

I hope you find something here that inspires you...
or maybe a great first-place, blue ribbon recipe...

 However you arrived here...
I'm happy you found your way to Blue Ribbon Kitchen!!  
Please feel free to look around and visit.

If it turns out you enjoy the blog, 
feel free to sign up for an email subscription, over
on the right hand side of the page.  
You'll receive each new post...delivered right to your mailbox.
(I try to post twice a month ...sometimes more and sometimes less)

I thought I would share our 
Santa themed dining room with everyone.

If you still need a few last minute

splashes of holiday color...

(It's never too late to add a little holiday magic!)

THIS is the post for you!!

Dashing Through A Winter Wonderland: Yule Log Recipe

Good Afternoon and hello to you!!

Thank you so very much reading

 the blog and visiting my posts... 

If I haven't told you how much I 

appreciate you and your readership...

I do.

I am so grateful and beyond thrilled

 that you are loving

the recipes and finding
 little bits of inspiration

 for your own home
here on the
Blue Ribbon Kitchen blog.

I'm touched and overjoyed

you are here... truly.

(It used to be only my mom reading all these posts...thanks mom)

(My sweet husband was quizzed regularly to see if he was actually reading

--not skimming, every word I lovingly typed —sorry honey)

***

This week...

Dashing through a winter wonderland...
It snowed... which was wonderful...
It was bitterly cold, which was not so wonderful...
and I'm finding, the faster I go...the further behind I seem to be.

After a busy few days with the very exciting, 

and very live, Hometalk Home Tour on Facebook,

with a whopping

 122k visitors...

Yes, that's right...

(I did a double take too...)

One hundred twenty-two thousand views...and counting.

How does someone make sure to have 

enough appetizers for a crowd like that?!
Luckily it was online... so we had enough of everything!!

The Hometalk Video is in this post!!
 If you want to watch... it's all here!

As far as the rest of the week...

I had hoped things would start to slow down...

Well, they have not...

Hometalk Tour Day and Giveaway

Today is a BIG day...

Are you ready for the Hometalk Live Home Tour??!

I am!!

It's here... right here in my house...

inside the Blue Ribbon Kitchen... 

I can't wait to show you a few of our 

decorated rooms...all gussied up for Christmas!!

I have so many fun and exciting things to share with you!!

Top Shelf Elf and Festive Elf Ears: Signature Holiday Drinks

Let me introduce you to Rocky.  

Rocky is our elf.

Here he is meeting our family for the first time... 2009.

I'm sure you might have your very own Ham, Stanley, Snowy, Cookie or Jingle??  

and if you do...

Friendly reminder:

It's almost time for that little elf helper to reappear.

And just between you and me...

I am not ready for all the elf-keeping.

—although, I may have a special something to

 make us all feel better about the whole elf visit... 

Thanksgiving Chandelier and BIG news!

It's not everyday that I use the term 'gussy-up'...

But, that's exactly what I did to my dining room chandelier...

I gussied her right up...

 and she looks ready for a big party...

or a shin-dig of some sort...

Luckily, Thanksgiving is on the way... so it works.

I have some other BIG news...

Which might require (little ol' me) to get gussied up too...

Hello, Pumpkin!

Hi friend!!  

Happy October.... and I was wondering...

Do you remember this nursery rhyme:

Karri Perry, quite contrary, 

How does your garden grow??

(Perhaps the name was slightly different...)

Well, I was as surprised as I could be 

to have to finish my version of this rhyme...

"With vines and leaves, as big as trees

and pumpkins all in a row!!"

Really!!

I could not believe my eyes ...

The other morning with

the sun catching one of the
 orange-yellow blossoms
waving in the wind...

literally, waving to me...

and as if it could talk:

"Hey, here I am...

Come see this!!"

I spied it... 

Think Pink, Race For The Cure Crafts

Psst... It's almost October...

I know... October is a very busy month...

at least for me...and our family... 

It's the busiest month of all.

Not only will October be full of hay wagon rides, 

campfires, and pumpkin patch visits 

but October will be full of pink...

Yes, PINK...

because it is also also Breast Cancer Awareness month.

My friends at FOX19Now, here in Cincinnati 

 are supporting our local Susan G. Komen, Race For The Cure,

 this Saturday, September, 24, 2016!!  

They asked..."Do you happen to have any super-fun pink crafts 

to support this great cause??"...and I said "Yes!"  

Yes, I do!!

Supporting Beast Cancer Awareness month and

 the Race For The Cure is a cause near and dear to my heart. 

 Like many of you, I have amazing women in my 

life who have been touched my breast cancer. 

I'm happy to share that these extraordinary women are survivors... 

strong and beautiful...inside and out...

If there was only one thing my dear friends would 

want me to share with you...

it would be that early detection is critical to saving lives. 

 --So important. 

Be sure to get your annual screening and do 

monthly checks...it can really save your life.

Read on to find out where to get these great PINK crafting supplies
 and how to put together these budget-friendly 
PINK crafts!!

COUNTRY LIVING FAIR 2016, PART TWO...I Wanted to Tell You ONE Last Thing...

The Country Living Fair...

It's wrapped up for this year here in Ohio,
 but wow, was it special!!

I had so much fun!

...from start to finish, 

it was an

absolutely wonderful time.

The fair is an antique-treasure hunter,

farmhouse decor, DIY lover's dream come true.

I took one of these darling bracelets home with me.

They are from jewelry makers: BelMonili: Etsy Shop

So, you can imagine how happy this place makes me...

If you love Country Living Magazine, this three-day

extravaganza of demos and food and finds...It's made for you...

And yes, it was made for me.
(Me, and thousands of folks)

I always have a lovely time...

this year was no exception.

However...

... presenting, oh my, goodness... this year...

sharing my recipes on the Kitchen Stage, what a treat!!

I LOVED having the opportunity to 

share delicious and award-winning recipes with you....

in person... (my favorite part)

I LOVED answering your questions....

I LOVED giving way some of my 

very favorite baking tools!!

I hope that if you went,

you had just as much fun as I did.  

Most of all...
I hope it's not too late to share with you
 one last thing...that I really wish 
I had remembered to mention...

2016 Ohio Country Living Fair Day One

What a day!!  

What an amazing day full of fun...

Yesterday afternoon,

I had the privilege of presenting

on the Kitchen Stage

 at the 2016 Country Living Fair 

in Columbus Ohio!!

I shared the

'Salted Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars'

It was a hot day, I was wilting by noon...

but we pressed on...

Thank you Joanna and Lisa!! I'm so happy you were there.  xo

So much fabulous shopping...

Lots of amazing treasures to be found.

Look at THIS cute-as-a-button bag that 

a dear friend (Joanna, above) found for me!!  

So happy to get to tote things around in my new blue-ribbon bag!!!

This bag is THE perfect souvenir from this weekend

This bag is from Marlene at:  La Bonne Vie Designs 

For all of you who are cheering me on, 

via your comments, messages and

all of your kinds words, --thank you.  

I love that you are enjoying these recipes and having

 the opportunity to share them with you...
...at the Country living Fair, no-less...

is... well...

  it's absolutely amazing. 

I am thrilled to have this opportunity!!!

 .... just thrilled!!!

 Thank you.

I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy Fuller

 from food Network's FarmHouse Rules!!

Here I am after the presentation being asked to come over...

Followed by Nancy telling me how much she 

likes my rhyming name AND

the salted caramel pecan turtle bars.

Nancy was a doll.

I can't wait to go back tomorrow...

Sunday.

We will do it all over again...

This time...

apple pie.

I have GREAT NEWS about tomorrow!!!

Transitioning to Autumn and The Winners!

Not everyone has a "transition" wreath...I get that...

I do.  

I have a front-door wreath I refer to

 as my "transition wreath".

My sunflower "transition" wreath has been 

up for a few weeks now. 

It's the wreath I like to use when it's way too early 

for full blown orange and black pumpkins...and a 

wee-bit too late in the season for daises...

You know,

 that awkward in-between time...

 Mornings when you wear a sweater and 

really enjoy a hot coffee

 and by lunchtime you are thinking,

 "Is the pool still open??"

It is after all the season of transition, right?? 

2016 Country Living Fair Ticket Giveaway!!

This contest is now closed. 
 Winners and details listed at the end of this post.

This is BIG....

So exciting... actually two times as exciting!!

First, I am thrilled to tell you that I have 

2016 OHIO Country Living Fair tickets

 to give away to THREE lucky winners... 

A set of (2) two tickets to each winner!!!  

These are not ordinary tickets... 

Nope...

better than ordinary... 
extraordinary!!

These are 3-Day, EARLY BIRD passes!

Yes, I know, really great tickets. RIGHT??

You can go each day September 16, 17 and 18...

and you can even go EARLY -Friday and Saturday.

(as in: before the crowds, first, lucky-you)

Before everyone else...get your fill of

all the amazing crafts, antiques, 

and wares the CL Fair has to offer!!

Getting super-amazing 

finds before anyone else...  

Well, that's pretty awesome.

Guess what is even more amazing??

(at least I think so)

I will be there too!!

Yes!! 
 I'll be there shopping and loving the #CLFair...

and BONUS...
 I will be presenting too!!!

Can you even???  

How much fun will this be?!

Friday and Sunday--I will be presenting

amazing blue-ribbon winning desserts

on the Kitchen Stage!!!

 THIS... 

this is going to be so much fun!!!

August Is For Sharing

Summer is winding down... 

Whew, and what a summer it was...

and it looks as though I've taken a summer vacation 

from my sweet little blog... (not really)

I assure you, I am here.

Busy snapping photos,

 trying to soak in all that the season has to offer.  

The many seasons that is...
**

The drippy, sticky-sweet popsicle,
 hot and humid season of summer.
**

The way, way too short season of my children's childhood...

carefree days and new discoveries.
**

and we can't forget the fair season... 

The suspense-filled,
baking marathon that lasts all of seven days.

Lots of seasons...

Right now, I am sitting on quite a pile of photos  

trying to decide how to narrow down ALL the amazing things

 I want to share with you...