Yay! It's CARAMEL season!

May all the blessings of autumn fall upon you!

It's a happy day in the Stertz home when we get to decorate for fall. The scent of maple, pumpkin and cider are in the air as we await something under 90 degrees this month. How do you mark a change in seasons?

Fall is not unlike spring in that it provides a new start. Lots of new fun things took place this month.

 

Texas Hold 'em  watch out! Well I am really good at the negotiating and stoic face part. Now if I could just throw down some chips without any fear then I may have found another career.

This was all in fun to help the Tucson Association REALTORS Charitable Foundation. One couple had to leave in disguise and are now wanted for "Best in Game".

 

Productivity of a different sort was happening in my newly organized studio. Stay tuned for photos of the lovely space but for now the topic was organizing. Thirty years of photographs are now chronologically organized.

 

 

 

 

 Can you imagine my excitment when I got to play with glue sticks AND Olivia at the zoo! Few things make me happier than crafting so having a chance to get sticky fingers together was a blast. Reid Park Zoo has amazing activities for children of all ages. 

 

 

Things move fast when you are two years old; so on we went to visit the newest baby at the zoo.

 

The animal kingdom so boldly demonstrates how babies learn.

Papercrafts took a lighter production path this month as I gear up to knit shawls for our annual  Blue Christmas service at Saguaro Canyon Church that responds to those in our community that are suffering during Christmas.  If you or anyone you know would like to learn to knit or crochet shawls or lap blankets, please let me know. These handcrafted items bless many grieving souls!

 

 

 

 

What do you know! Thirty years of photographs coincides with a special starry celebration with our daughter and son-in-law.  

 

They both hit the big 30 this year and had a September to remember birthday bash.

Maple sugar rims and a star anise were sweets delights. 

 

My guilty pleasure is usually something that includes maple or butterscotch.

 

Think back to your earliest days of learning to cook. Did you enjoy trying new flavors and combinations or do you prefer repeating the same recipes?

 

My kitchen has often been a place to experiment. When a few tasty morsels occur it is usually enough to keep me reaching for more.  I tried to learn how to make a true caramel topping for the salted caramel cheesecake that by comparison was a cinch to make. It was yummy and will be on our Thanksgiving table. 

The quickest way to monogram starts here...

Buy a lightweight letter at a local craft store and cover it with paper. I cannot take credit for the "O" but is was my muse so is included in the photo.

There is just no other paper that has the same effect as money!

This is the back of the "J".

 

Our grandson is many things that would just sound like bragging so I will leave it with he is just a 'happy guy'! 

One REALLY exciting new thing that I did this month was to start an on line Etsy store that will feature some of my handcrafted items. Thanks for checking it out.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handleandhinge?ref=search_shop_redirect

You may remember the vinyl album totes that I made last year for holiday gifts. Well...there will be lots more to come!

Housing values are recovering! The average home sales price in Tucson during August was $ 180,193. Average days on market was 65 and we have 3,564 active listings in the greater Tucson/Marana/Oro Valley area.

Please let me know if you would like a complimentary comprehensive market analysis on your home.

Debbie