Gettin' on the ball for fall

We have had a great week, spent with my parents who are visiting from Idaho. The grandkids got their fair share of spoiling, and I got my fair share of free babysitting. :-)

Because they were here, I set my online life aside for a few days. I found a few fall events and fun things to share, but I decided to enjoy the parental units instead.


Here are the things I wanted to share--enjoy this fall weather!

1) The harvest fest at Colorado Christian University......we go every year--it is great! Lots of fun games and prizes for the kids, in a non-Halloweenish environment.

2) Denver-area fall festivities......this is a huge list of scary/non-scary activities to do in Colorado this month

3) Free admission to Bronco's trick-or-treat party.......If you sign up for this Bronco booster club, you get lots of free stuff, including admission to a Halloween event. (Our kids won't be doing this because Daddy doesn't promote anything having to do with the B-word. ;-) But it sounds like a fun deal!

4) Free kids' item at Old Navy.......this isn't necessarily for fall, but it IS a good deal! :-)

As soon as school is done tomorrow, I am off to dig around in my fall decorations. I love decorating for this season--the colors are so comforting. Plus, I have to decorate so my house looks fabulous for my Pampered Chef party on Saturday. (If you need anything in the way of kitchen stuff, check out the party online!) And if you live in the area, feel free to drop by at 1 pm!

Pumpkins put me in the mood....

I have really been slacking off all summer, in regards to crafts and fun projects with my kids and my daycare kids. You know, kids are so creative on their own, who needs to provide extra opportunities for creativity, right? ;-)

But I have been feeling guilty.....and since I am trying to make myself be more fun and creative and stimulating and "teacher-ish", I figured I should start doing a craft time at least once a week again. And fall always makes me want to create cute little projects for some reason. Maybe all of the gorgeous colors? I don't know.....

What projects do you like to make with your kids, esp. in the fall?

Here are a few sites I have found helpful......

#1: Cute toddler ideas
#2: Fun fall projects.....this is my favorite one!
#3: Great site for all kinds of kid stuff
#4: One of my all-time favorite sites for ideas and coloring pages

How are you going to celebrate the beginning of fall today? I may have to go out and get a big mug of pumpkin spice yummy-ness somewhere.....or just stay home and snuggle with my own little pumpkins.

A day late and a dollar short......

I had to check on what that phrase actually meant. It didn't mean what I thought it did....unfortunately.

I thought it would be a good self-description. You know, like a slogan I put on my business cards.

Because it seems to be my life motto.

Take today's post for instance......it was supposed to be posted yesterday. I forgot. And now none of you had a fabulous dessert made for Sunday dinner. I am so sorry that I let you all down. I hope that I can make it up to you somehow. Perhaps when you make this cheesecake and taste it, all will be made right.

It would work for me! This cheesecake was heavenly. So heavenly that I even forgot to take a picture before it was gobbled up. Oh well, you will just have to make one for yourself.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients: (makes 12 to 16 servings)

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups (12-oz. package) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• Three 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups (16-oz. can) solid packed pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto bottom of greased ten-inch springform pan. Sprinkle with one cup chocolate chips.

For the cheesecake: In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt remaining one cup chocolate chips, stirring constantly until smooth. In large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Beat in pumpkin. Beat in eggs and evaporated milk. Beat in cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Remove one cup pumpkin batter; stir into melted chocolate. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Spoon chocolate mixture over top, swirl.

Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 60 minutes or until edge of filling is set. Turn oven off. Allow cheesecake to stand in oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Cool completely. Cover, chill for several hours.

Provided by Susan Aude

Stud-muffins

I love it when the weather starts to get cooler. WHY? Because of the kinds of food that I can make. :-)

Fall and winter give me a reason to make all of the thick, warm, (fattening) foods that I love. Mashed potatoes, meatloaf, hearty soups, mouth-watering breads.....the list could go on and on!

One of my favorite recipes to welcome the cold weather involves one of my all-time favorite ingredients: cranberries! Pumpkin-Cranberry Bread....this bread is a perfect blend of sweet and tangy. I frequently make mine into muffins, and freeze them for quick breakfasts. I always cut down on the sugar, and substitute half of the oil for applesauce (it makes me feel healthy....)

Enjoy!

(Oh, and I found this article about making healthy lunch choices. It just happens to be by one of my favorite t.v. personalities. It was interesting--check it out!)

***EDIT: If you click on "pumpkin-cranberry bread", you can see the recipe. I didn't know if you all figured that out. :-)

Fall is here!

I cannot say which season is my favorite.....I like something about each of them. It is so exciting to sense the first signs of a season!

But I especially love moving into the fall season.

I love to dig out my sweaters and flannel pjs....I love to search through all of my apple recipes and start baking....I love to make pumpkin crafts with the kids....the list could go on.

Here are my FIVE favorite signs of fall:

1) Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks

2) my pumpkin table runner (from my MIL), laid out on my island
3) the changing leaves....and collecting them with my kids

4) caramel apples!

5) being able to wear these every day

What are your favorite things about fall?

Fairies and Tigers and Cats---oh my!

A friend (from the daycare where I used to work) hosted a costume party last Saturday. I allowed the girls to choose what they wanted to be. I wasn't sure if that was a wise choice or not, but decided to see where it took us.

Big E, of course, chose something girly and feminine--a fairy. But it couldn't be just any fairy--it had to be a fairy PRINCESS. Nothing is complete without a princessy touch, don't you know.....

Middle E, being the independent and free-spirited child that she is, decided that she was going to be a black kitty. But she too had specific requirements for this costume---it had to be an alley cat, not just a regular cat. Since I do not know the real differences between alley cats and the common feline (other than their level of tameness, which I think is debatable due to the fact that I cannot stand cats), I just played along and convinced her to buy a sparkly pair of ears, tail and a bow tie that came in a set. *Note: I think the costume was actually a character from "Cats" or something, but it worked.....* We picked up a pair of black stretch pants (they had little silver hearts on them, which only completed the "show cat" appearance), paired them with a black hoodie and she was ready to go.

Little E was the easiest of course. At this age he does not have an opinion and was content to be shoved into the tiger costume I had bought on clearance for $3.99 before he was born. :-)

It was a nice party and the kids came home with candy and stickers galore. There were other prizes also, but some of them "happened" to end up in the garbage. Mommy is on a cleaning/ purging kick.....

My little pumpkins :-)

I love the fall!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

Growing up in the West, I did not experience a true "fall". Trees turned colors, but not to the extent that they do out here in the Midwest. Autumn is one of the things I have grown to love living out here. I love the crisp feeling in the morning, telling me that I need to dig out one of my sweaters. I love taking the kids to an apple orchard, going on a hayride, and picking out the perfect pumpkin. :-) I love raking leaves--I know that sounds crazy but I never did it until my freshman year of college. (That was also the first time I ever talked to Josh, but that is a different story.....) I am so thankful for the seasons--another aspect of God's creation that fascinates me!

"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance." Psalm 65:11