Wow.

If there's one thing that bothers me in bloggyland, it's seeing a deserted blog. Like this one. Wow.

Buuut....I'm becoming acquainted with Pinterest (goodbye, free time!) and feel that if I can spend time browsing there, I can take a few moments to update here.

Not much going on in the way of DIY/craftiness lately, which saddens me. But lots and lots in the world of educating the girls. First and Second grade is a challenge! We are learning lots and overall enjoying a different pace with homeschooling this year. It has its days, but doesn't everything?

Gearing up for Christmas...just 13 days! Trying to find time for a few ornament projects with the girls, and cookie-baking of course. If Pinterest ever lets me go....

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Fall is coming! I'm breaking out my favorite pumpkin recipes, and trying some new ones too. This week's new recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. I found this recipe at Allrecipes and followed it without making changes. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the frosting. I think if I make these again, I'll go with a buttercream frosting instead of the cream cheese. The cinnamon was definitely a good addition to the frosting though. Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2.Beat 1/2 cup of butter, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4.While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.

Slow-Cooked Barbeque

This is one of my standby recipes. Easy to throw together in the morning and finish up in the afternoon. I started this before we left for church on Sunday morning, and was able to come home and have it ready for a late lunch that afternoon. The best part is that it makes a lot for a crowd!

So here is the recipe:

4-5 pounds of pork (you could use beef or chicken, but I always use pork)
1 cup broth
1 cup strongly brewed coffee
1/3 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper

Place meat in crockpot. Mix together broth, coffee and brown sugar, and pour over top of meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-5.

Remove meat from slow cooker and shred (remove any bones at this point too, depending on which cut of meat you used).

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of liquid, and discard the rest. Place meat back in crockpot. To reserved liquid, add:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
garlic powder

Stir together well, and pour over meat. Stir meat and heat on low for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with buns or bread. We like the standard bbq fare with this-- coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, etc. If you have leftovers, this freezes well for an easy meal in the future.

Happiness...

 

is seeing your younger sister getting ready to be a mom. Absolutely cannot wait to meet my little nephew!

Surprise, I'm Back!!

I don't know if I even have any readers left at this point. I feel horrible, because I just logged on and found a list of comments needing to be moderated-- family and friends who have visited over the past months and I didn't even know it...because truthfully if the password wasn't the same as my gmail account, I probably wouldn't even remember it at this point.

Whew. Trying to make a comeback, people. We'll see if it sticks this time around. If not, see you in 2012 :). Just kidding. Maybe.

Something I love seeing on other people's blogs is a list of their favorite things. I have a list of things I have found to be wonderful over the summer and thought I would share them with you.

First of all, chalkboard paint. We had a blank wall in the dining room that was just right. I applied three good coats of paint and let it cure for a week. Then we covered the entire thing with chalk to "prime" it, wiped it and it was ready to go. It gets a lot of use!





Next on my list is Mrs. Meyers cleaning products. I think I am the last one to catch on to this great cleaner, but better late than never right? I buy the all-purpose cleaner, and use it for mopwater, washing walls, etc. I also bought empty spray bottles for $1 each, filled them with water and then a capful of the cleaner. Pennies a bottle-- can't beat it! The bonus here is the smell-- they make the place smell great!





Now for some food....for the kiddos, we are loving Clif Kids Bars and Twisted Fruit Ropes. Snacks you don't mind them asking for :).






And finally, the Lara Bar. Have you tried these? Divine! The chocolate chip brownie is phenomenal. I can't get over how good they are with only six ingredients! So yummy. Like candy but better for ya!

Alrighty, there you have it. My foray back into the blogging world. :) I'll try to be back soon!

Instant Heirlooms

We have a joke in our family about "instant ancestors". You take an antique photograph of someone who is a complete John Doe (Victorian era works really well), pop it in a frame and hang it up. My Mom has several of these... I remember hearing her say things like "She could have been in our family... I think I really see a resemblance."

Well, I have taken it one step further. Instant heirlooms!

We don't have one of those close-knit families (haha. Pun totally intended) where all of the aunts and grandmoms make afghans for each other and babies. I still love the look of afghans though, and the hours of labor that has been poured into them. I found this one for $7 and couldn't pass it up. Really loving it!

Now I just need to come up with a great family story to go with it....

I tried. Really, I did.

My Dad would call this two ships passing in the night. I was hoping to get a good picture of the girls as a Valentine's gift for CJ. This is only about a third of the pictures; needless to say, I didn't end up with that sweet shot I was hoping for! Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you.

They started out not wanting to sit next to each other, and arguing about the bench.




Then they moved to seeing who could fit their entire upper body into their shirts. Perfect.


This was the best shot. Seriously.
Maybe not gift-worthy, but definitely giggle-worthy...even though it took me about a week to laugh about it. Maybe CJ will get a picture for his birthday...maybe.