October 11, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-More TV Premiere Reviews!

I am really enjoying reviewing the premieres. Here is another round of goodness. These are both brand new shows.

Super Fun Night is a new show starring Rebel Wilson. She is the reason I thought to try this. I loved her in Pitch Perfect, and all the interviews I have seen her in, she is just hilarious. The first couple episodes have been moderately funny. It follows Kimmy (Rebel) who is a lawyer who seems to be an odd duck in most situations. She lives with her two best friends, and when the three are together they really remind me of moments of the Spice World movie (yes I watched this). So it is pretty corny, but it has some good moments. It does connect with me though because you can tell that Kimmy is trying to prove herself and overcome some confidence fears. She obviously does it in a more humorously graceful way. It’s only a 30 minute show, so I will probably keep watching but I am not sure that it will keep going. Don’t quote me on that though; Rebel has a pretty big following.

I am convinced that they attempted to do a spin off of Once Upon a Time too soon. However, that didn’t stop me from tuning into it this week. It follows Alice in her search to find her love, who happens to be Genie. He disappeared and is being held hostage by Jafar. There is some agreement between the Queen and Jafar to get something from Alice and Genie. There are some hints of the original Once, but it is a separate story. This one is a little more fairy talesque and dreamlike with the hues used. It reminds me of a mix between the Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the layout. I think if they continue to show connections to the original, they will continue to keep people coming. It is pretty good, but again, I wonder if they are trying to have too much of a good thing.

There are a few more shows that will be starting back up at the end of October. Goodness my schedule is full!

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

Come back on Sunday for “Autumn on My Mind.” Sunday’s is the last episode, and we want you to make a fall collage. What are the things that you love most? You can see the full schedule here.

October 10, 2013 by Stephanie

Autumn on My Mind-Autumn Creation

Here is another opportunity to link up about fall things! We hope that you join for today’s prompt!

“An Autumn Creation”

What are you inspired to make this time of year? Are you getting gifts ready? Are holiday decorations coming out? Show us your autumn creations!

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

Our front door wreath recently fell to it’s tragic death. And I mean literally fell.

before death

It is not the first time it has fallen, and we have fixed it numerous times. We had surgerized it with fishing wire, gardening wire, hot glue, adding more ribbon to cover tears, and screws. This time, Tom made me realize that it was time to make a new one.

And just in time for this link up.

This is fairly inexpensive to make on your own. I got pieces from Walmart, the $1 store, and Hobby Lobby. I think I maybe spent $15 which is much cheaper than buying a pre-made wreath.

The supplies

ribbon wrapping

I first wrapped with the wide gold ribbon, then spaced out the small purple. This is sooooo much easier than the yarn wrapping because you cover more ground with less. The last one I did was a work out for the arms wrapping all the yarn.

Then I took the flowers and placed them where I felt was the best position. I kept over thinking it each time I thought I was done, but that is the fun part of doing it on your own.

I also added the wooden “W” which is the surviving piece of the previous wreath. I just spray painted it to match this one.

the finished product

I love that fall colors also happen to be Clemson and Phi Sigma Pi colors.

Here is a fall craft that Tom’s Grandma just made us. I hope someday I can have her sewing skills! that seems to be a big deal for the Whitener women.

So what crafty things do you have up your sleeves? Link up below!

We hope to see you return on Sunday for the final link up with the fall collage! You can see the full schedule for our Autumn link up here.

Check out my lovely partner!

October 6, 2013 by Stephanie

Autumn on My Mind-Autumn Activities

Here is today’s prompt!

“Autumn Activities Outside”

With the ever changing scenery, it is hard not to want to spend time outside admiring nature. What are you up to outside? Do you have a fun fall activity to share?

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

These pictures are from last year. This came up faster than I realized and wasn’t able to get something from this fall in time for the link up date, but these are just right anyway.

I went with my in-laws to the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival last year in Missouri. This is something that happens here every year. Isn’t it beautiful?

I like the little girl in the background.

It is a sweet small town festival with booths with food and crafts galore.

Just playing some fall tunes.

And of course pumpkins!

Our niece is the cutest little kid!

This little lady turns 4 this week!

What kind of activities have you all had in your area? Link up here and share!

We hope to see you return on Thursday for an Autumn Creation! You can see the full schedule for our Autumn link up here.

Check out my lovely partner!

October 4, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-TV Premiere Week 3

Here is round three of my initial reactions to season openers!

The Crazy Ones

This is a new comedy staring Sarah Michelle Geller and Robin Williams who run an advertising firm. I was intrigued because of Robin Williams being on a prime time show. I figured I would give it a whirl. It’s not horrible, but it is not a hit yet. There were some pretty funny moments which is to be expected with Robin Williams. But also to be expected the story was kind of all over the place. The concept is fresh, so I liked that it was something new on TV. It’s not about the law or doctors, so it is something different from my usual shows. I am hoping the banter picks up and gets an even flow. I have a three time rule of thumb when it comes to to new experiences, so I will watch again for the next couple weeks to see if I get sucked in or not.

Parenthood

Parenthood

I love everything about this show. The cast, the story, the emotion. I feel like it is the most real show that I watch. There are real problems and the reactions are as real as they can be in Hollywood. There are some dramatic moments, but for the most part they don’t go overboard with the theatrics. I also love the family dynamic going on. You really see how one life can affect a whole bundle of people. It shows the web of family and the quirkiness when they overlap and intersect. I envision my family like the Bravermans-someday. You miss out on this when you are in the military or are far away from family all the time. I am interested to see how this relationship with Amber and Ryan plays out. I wonder how true to the military lifestyle they will be. Naturally though, I was crying at the end of the episode with the homecoming ceremony. There really is nothing like that moment, and it brought me back to seeing Tom for the first time off the plane. If you don’t watch this, you should definitely add this to your list! Just trust me.

Glee

Much like Grey’s Anatomy, I am not really into this show anymore. I have watched it since the beginning, so I feel the obligation to stay until the end. I really only come back to see what covers they do. I love the music, but the story isn’t so hot. It is so unrealistic. I mean really they make it seem like Ohio and New York are a 5 minute drive from each other. They all just need to get over themselves and stop being primadonnas. The music though is phenomenal. I love some of their renditions better than the originals. I am interested to see what happens to Finn’s character, which I guess is revealed in the third episode of the season. So we’ll see how this goes.

Once Upon A Time

I constantly have to pick my jaw off the floor when I watch this show. I am in awe of what is happening on the screen, and have to ask myself what just happened all the time. This is such a magical show. They make the fairy tales I grew up with come alive again, but with a very different spin. I love how they are all intertwined. How they make up these storyboards is beyond me. So creative and original. Every week it is like they are peeling off a new layer of an onion, and you aren’t really sure how thick it actually is. It is weirding me out that Pan is bad though. Peter Pan was never my favorite story, but he was always portrayed as a happy boy, not a sadistic lying kidnapper. They have sucked me into Storybrooke, and I want to see them have a happy ending. I don’t even know what to say about the awesomeness that is this show. I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around what is happening, but I know in my heart it is marvelous and addicting.

Scandal

The Gladiators are back! The show is full of sharp turns showing the deception and corruption in politics. I heard it described once that West Wing is how we want the White House to look like and Scandal is how we fear the White house actually is. Pretty much. First of all, I love Olivia Pope. Her clothes, her smarts, her can-do attitude. I could live in her closet and be a happy camper. We were left off last season thinking that her dad wanted to kill her, at least that’s what I thought. After the premiere, I am still not really sure what his role is in everything. All I know is that he has a funny way of showing his affection for his daughter. It seems as though she has been a burden to him ever since her mom died. This first episode was full of people trying to cover things up and how to make the media believe something new to make the American people look the other way. It is full of word play and how powerful the display is, which I find facsinating This is a show that you can’t blink otherwise you will miss something. It’s like I am in a trance for an hour while watching all the scandals and Olivia’s team trying to be fixers. What do you think Cyrus saw in that folder in the last 5 seconds? President Grant might not be the dreamboat I had always thought. Bummer.

I am still trying to find a balance with not controlling the TV every night. The bonus with Tom committed to the hunting season is that I can watch all the shows he doesn’t like while he is out sitting in his new tree stand. The downside, I have to avoid social media so things don’t get ruined before I watch them. Problems of a T.V. junkie.

Come back on Sunday for “Autumn on My Mind.” Sunday’s episode is about fall date activities that you can do in your community. You can see the full schedule here.

October 3, 2013 by Stephanie

Autumn on My Mind-Fall Food Must

We have a few more episodes of Autumn on My Mind! We hope that you enjoy!

Today is about the yummies in the tummies!

“A Fall Food Must”

We love fall foods! Let’s expand our recipe books by sharing go to foods that we have at fall get-togethers or tailgates!

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

So here we go.

I think most people associate pies with fall.

I am going to let you in on a little secret. I am not a big fan of pie. Actually, I am not a fan at all. The texture of pie crusts is just icky to me, and I just can’t get over it enough to eat it. I know most of you are probably shaking your head.

But.

I do love pie filling.

So whether it is pie or cheesecake, I usually scrape all the guts out and leave the crust.

I was in search of finding a recipe that I could make a “pie” without the gross crust part.

Enter “apple pie sugar cookie cake.” Or what I am calling Everything It’s Not cake.

I saw something similar to this on Pinterest and made some adjustments to make it my own recipe.

Everything It Is Not Cake

Ingredients:

4 packages of pre-made sugar cookies

2 cans of apple pie filling

4 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 cup of sugar

a whole lot of sugar

You will mix the Cinnamon and sugar together to “dust” the layers you are about to make.

you may not use all of this

I couldn’t find my cake pan, so I used a bundt cake pan. I think my rectangle pan may have disappeared in the move…

The cookies in my package looked like this but you can use the ones that come in rolls too.

I may have eaten a few of these raw…

You will take approximately one package of cookies and knead it into one layer on the bottom of the pan.

Smooshed cookies

Then you take the cinnamon/sugar mix and sprinkle it over the dough.

Take one can of apple pie filling and layer it on top.

Then dust another layer of cin/sugar mix on top of the apples.

pie filling

Then you put another layer off the sugar cookie dough on top of this. You will have to flatten out the dough and lightly smoosh or just lay it on top. It doesn’t need to be perfectly covered.

second dough layer

Then you repeat with the “dusting” and apple pie filling.

Once you have two layers of the dough and apples, then you put on your remaining layer of sugar cookies.

On this one, I just sort of flattened the cookies. This made for a thicker layer of sugar cookie. Then you add a final layer of the cinnamon/sugar mix.

ready for the oven.

You will keep this in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Your oven may vary so check it at 35 minutes.

The top layer will harden faster than the rest of the layers. I also don’t recommend using the bundt pan if you have a regular pan.

This is definitely not a healthy recipe, but it will satisfy any sweet tooth.

The middle layers will be gooey so just be aware of that. I like it because there are a variety of textures, and not one that resembles pie crust.

This is a treat that would be great with ice cream.

This is a yummy recipe and super easy to do. You can only do one layer if you want, which will change the consistency of the middle layers. You would just need to cut the recipe in half.

As I said, you shouldn’t do this is a bundt pan. The filling will seep through. Just so you know our fire alarm does work in our house. Whoops.

Do you have a go to fall recipe or something you were itching to try? Link it up here!