Amy Butler's Lark Collection is now in stock!

On this lovely Friday, I am enjoying admiring some of the brand new fabrics to come to My Little Sunshine.

Can't wait to brainstorm all the fun things I can make with these!  

Check out these beauties here & in the shop! 

Hello there...

It's good to see you again.

The Hubs, Bob & I have been gone for quite some time--about 10 days or so, for a little trip around Texas to see family and friends.

It was quite the whirlwind.  But definitely full of fun & lots of sweet memories.  

Really sweet ones, in fact...but more on those later.

While visiting the quaint little town of Blanco, Texas, Ben & I stumbled upon quite an interesting find.

One of the sets of True Grit.  Who knew?  Well, apparently my mom did.  

Ben could not in good conscience leave the little town before visiting a little piece of one of his favorite films.

so much happiness going on in this picture.

and here it is...the famous staircase.  anyone know what i'm talking about?  jeff bridges walks down from court, the little girl is waiting to hire him & rolls his cigarette for him at the bottom of the stairs.  (it's ok, i had to be told too)

Fall Dish:: French Apple Tart

Beautiful, crisped apples on a warm buttery tart? Can you tell I'm in the fall mood?

I was craving a little something sweet (but not too sweet) with a fall flavor (other than pumpkin..no offense to pumpkin) and stumbled upon this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa...a few minor alterations (a little less butter & sugar, seriously--you'll never know the difference) and this dish was good to go!

For the pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 9 tablespoons (~1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, small-diced
• 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam (see note)
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

And in the Barefoot Contessa's words, here are the directions:

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10x14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Patch + Friends

Pumpkin Patches are fun.  Especially when friends are involved.

Last weekend we had some sweet friends in town for a little visit which consisted of campfires, s'mores, pumpkin picking, tractor riding & wii tournamenting.  With an event list like that, it's pretty obvious- we had a great time!

Hildi the horse

 love this family :)

Claiming his pumpkin...or maybe he just needs a break ;) 

 Our first real pumpkin patch.  All the pumpkins were grown right where we stood!

 I think we've found "the one"..just needs a little dusting off.

 tractor rides are fun when you're 3 years old...or 25.

 friendlies :)

the pumpkin patch has been conquered & pumpkins acquired. success.

Giveaway Winner Announced

Thanks for participating in the UPrinting Giveaway!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Lisa at Lisa From Scratch

Congratulations Lisa! Email me at: mylittlesunshineshop@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Chicago Trip :: Day 2 & 3

**DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR FREE LABELS IN THE PREVIOUS POST**

Day 2 in Chicago, was spent mostly at Renegade Handmade, which I blogged about here.

On my third full day, Anna had to put on her big girl pants & go to work--so I went sight seeing & shopping!

I braved the city & the trains all by myself, and only got lost slightly disoriented a couple of times.

 pretty church with the morning sun behind it :)

biggest Forever 21. EVER.

I made my debut trip to Bloomingdales & Michigan Ave.

Oh & that night we had a delicious dinner, made from scratch by Anna & even had a surprise visit from our long lost friend in the Azores. We missed you, Jacki :)

Perfect ending to a perfect trip!