Pup is a Princess!!

Pup is a princess this year for Halloween!!! For those of you who don't know...pup is a VERY important member of our family...she's (yes, pup is a girl.) been Cubby's best friend since he was born. Click HERE to get pup's full biography :) With as CRAZY as my Octobers always are Cub always seems to come up with pup's halloween costume idea at the last minute...we carved her pumpkin last week at our streets annual pumpkin carving party..and no, it's not moldy, he wanted to paint it a little bit before he carved it, "pup likes it that way"...and this year she was to be a princess. Well how lucky was I to remember Cindylou had a rhinestone tiara barrette from long ago still in her possesion...this got things off to a great start...so last night while I was watching the Yankees WIN (just had to get that in there :) I finished up her tu-tu skirt....and made a wand. Cub requested that it have "gwitter"...because he still can't say his r's and I still think it's adorable!



Two years ago she was a witch....yes, I made that little felt hat all by myself....I don't see any awards for mommy of the year on my shelf from that one...but I know deep in my heart it was worth staying up until 2am!



And last year she was a ghost. Complete with her own little ghost trick or treat bucket! I know, I know.....it may seem a little crazy to make a costume for a little stuffed dog. But as long as she is Cub's best friend and he wants her to dress up I'll do it!! Trick or TREAT!!

Notes Left Behind

This is Elena Desserich. I was so moved by her story that was featured on the Today Show this morning I had to share it with all of you. She was just five years old when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She battled it for nine months, before losing her courageous battle when she was six. In those few months she managed to spread a message of hope and love.



She knew every day was a gift. She created her own bucket list....to swim with the dolphins, drive a car, a dance her with her Dad. She also left behind a "Kindergarten Survival" guide for her younger sister Grace. She did give her Dad a last dance....all gifts she wanted to give. But during her nine month battle she had and even bigger gift in mind....She was hiding notes around her house...hundreds of them tucked in drawers, books, between the dishes in the china cabinet in the dining room, in the garage...all to be found after she was gone. Each time they found one it was like getting a hug from her. She passed away three years ago....it had been almost a year since they found one....but just this week one more was found in the pages of a book.



Throughout her journey her Wyoming parents kept an online journal to keep her family up to date of her progress. They were astonished to hear that thousands of people were reading it daily....They have compiled the daily journal along with the notes and messages of love from Elena into a book called "Notes Left Behind". They have also created a foundation to raise money to find a cure for pediatric brain cancer. I have not been able to stop thinking of this little girl I have never met or had never heard of for that matter.....but she was the same age as my little Cubby....and like her, Cubby likes to hide notes....I too find them in my drawers, in the folded towels in the linen closet, in the cereal boxes, under my pillow. He doesn't know how to write very much....pretty much just his name, pup, and Steelers....but he loves to draw all of us doing fun stuff....I usually save the little notes I find in the box under his bed with all of his art and papers from school....but sometimes I just leave them where they are....so when I "find" them again they make me smile all over again. After learning of Elena...these cute little notes have become so much more endearing....because you never know what each day will bring...every day is a gift. And this little girl has taught us all to treasure every day with our children.

What is it Wednesday????

'Tis the Halloween season!! And you know I've mentioned before how much I am crazy about when they put a holiday twist on my favorite things....well the Oreo people do it too! How can you not smile when you see these cute black and orange cookies. And it makes me smile when I hear the lid of my pretty jar clinking as the kiddos go in for one...and believe me....I have gotten pretty in tune to that "clink" .....I can hear it from just about anywhere in the house....even when I'm still sleeping and the first one up is getting a cookie for breakfast :)

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Caramel Sauce

Pumpkin. If you're anything like the treatgirl....I'm still lovin' anything pumpkin over here....I'm not even CLOSE to getting sick of it yet, if ever. So here is just one more yummy.yum.yum pumpkin recipe for you. I found this one in my beloved Kitchen Aid cookbook that a dear friend surprised me with this past summer....I keep toying with the idea of doing a Julie/Julia thing with it.....maybe trying a new recipe every week....we'll see....every recipe in it is better than the next......anywho.....I made this yesterday and it was soooooo good!! My family thought it came from a restaurant!??? And super.duper.easy.peasy!!!! Here's the receipe:

Pie:
25 gingersnap cookies, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 Tablespoons granulated suger
4 cups pumpkin ice cream, softened (about 1 quart)

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans...chopped

1. Coat 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. For crust, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl; mix well. Press ontobottom and side of prepared pie plate. Bake 8 minutes.Cool completely on wire rack.
3. Fill crust with ice cream; smooth top. Cover and freeze 1 hour.
4. For sauce.......ummmmmmm I have to confess.....I didn't make the caramel sauce...I had a jar of it in my fridge and I just used that! :) Even easier!!!....but if you want to make your own, go for it... Whisk brown sugar, cream, unsalted butter, corn syrup and salt in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until suger dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat and cool.
5. Cut pie into pieces; top with caramel sauce and chopped peacan.

This will surely get rave reviews and become a family favorite.

We're Going to the Superbowl!!!!!!!!

Way to go Chiefs!!!!!!!! We're sooooo proud of you!!! We had a huge game today over PR White....We had two losses this season...this is one of the teams that beat us.



We came fired up and ready to play.



This team has made it to the Superbowl when they were 8 year old Braves and didn't win....two years later when they were 10 year old Warriors they made it again and lost....a heartbreaker that went into overtime losing by inches!!! Well......this is our last chance!!!! We are cheering hard for a win next Saturday!!! Go CHIEFS!!!!

Pumpkin Dip

You may remember the Caramel Apple Dip I make......click here to see that one......every year I bring it to the annual pumpkin carving party on our street. This year I am breaking tradition and bringing this pumpkin dip my soul sister Jennifer Juniper sent out as a tweet last week.....try doing that...a complete recipe in 120 characters or less....I was impressed! Anywhoo....it's super delish....and of course anything pumpkin I'm TOTALLY into!! Here it is:

1 1/2c. confectioners sugar
8 oz. softened cream cheese
16 oz. can pumpkin
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
ginger snaps

Just mix it all up!!

I'm even going to bring it to Cubbys Halloween party for kindergarten....I've been upset for weeks about what to bring as our "healthy snack" for the party...and this will be it......I know there's powdered sugar in it.....but I don't give a hoot!!!! Let me know how you like it.......it's a wonderful fall treat!!

P.S. Sorry about the quality of the picture...Chip took Cindylou to her first karate tournament this weekend, it's in the Poconos....and he took our really good camera with them so I had to use my pink spy camera from my purse and it doesn't do so hot in the evening.

P.P.S. This little pumpkin dish I have the dip in is one of my absolute favorite fall things.......I forgot to mention it last week when I did the run-down on my fall favorites.....I'm almost afraid to bring it down the street to the party...if I break it I will be soooooooo upset....but how can I NOT??? It is just perfect!!!

There's Some New Candy Out There!

I have to confess.....I have a soft spot for "seasonal" stuff.....those marketing people really get me when things are available for a "limited time" or when it something I regularly love and they put a new flavor out just for the holidays....Such is the case with this new candy I found last week on my way to an all day scrapbook crop...I just ran in to get me some carbonation...a.k.a. my big fat Diet Coke!! ...and there at the check out were these fun seasonal candies. OF COURSE I had to try them...I loooooooovee me some fresh, soft, chewy Dots...the candy corn was a given...but "ghost" flavored??? What was that about??? Well, they were both fresh and wonderfully chewy.....but the candy corn didn't pack a big flavorful punch....and the ghost flavored really just taste like a mild lime.



On the other hand.....these Caramel Apple Flavored Sugar Babies scored a home run!! ( Yes, I'm in full Yankees mode over here!!! Go YANKS!!!!!!!!) Don't let the color of them scare you...when you open the box they are glowing neon green. And just pop one in at a time.....they are a bit tart...but ooooh so addicting! You can't stop! Hope you enjoy this candy review....I haven't seen any Halloween candy out there in a while...it was fun to taste test them!

What is it Wednesday??

This week my lovely jar is playing host to candied apples!! I have to admit I didn't make these...duh.....can't you tell!?? And I also have to admit I have NEVER made them!!! I'm just not a huge fan....I guess it goes back to when I had braces and couldn't bite into them...and even now if I do have a bite I cut pieces off with a knife. My sister got these for the kiddos when we were at the pumpkin patch on Sunday. There are three different flavors.......the tradtional ones with nuts, caramel with nuts, and chocolate with nuts and chocolate chips. The kids have been working hard at trying them all....and when they can't finish them they leave them on the counter on a napkin...what a treat!

Super Cute Jack O'Lanterns

I came across this adorable craft last week over at Ordinary Miracles of Life.....Happy Mamma's kiddos made the cuteset Jack o'Lanterns out of jars and I thought Cubby would enjoy this craft as well. Click HERE to see her post....All you need is:
1. a few clean jars......you know I love jars!! I have quite the little stash down in my craft room :)
2. Mod Podge...every well stocked crafty home should have this stuff!!
3. brushes
4. Orange tissue paper
5. Green acrylic paint
6. a little bit of black construction paper
7. scissors
8. tea light candles



Okay.....let's get busy. I was happy T. wanted to get in on the crafting :) You paint the Mod Podge all over the jar. Then you cut the tissue paper into strips about the size of the jar. Place the strips all the way around the jar covering it really well. Then put another coat of Mod Podge over the whole thing.




Cut your Jack o'Lantern face out of black construction paper. Happy Mama let hers dry before adding the Jack o'Lantern face...but I forgot that part and we added ours right away. Then put a little bit more Mod Podge over the black face pieces to seal them. This is when we let ours dry ALL THE WAY.....After they are dry add a bit of green craft paint around the top.



CindyLou is doing a great job too!



Look at how cuuuttte they turned out!!!!!!!! REALLY, ANYONE can do this!! They are THAT easy. I just loved that my older two sat and made one too.....just like the old days....it warmed my heart.

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

What a beautiful day to visit the pumpkin patch!!! My sister was in town for just one day....and we made the most of it. It was sunny and a bit chilly...but it was just perfect. We've been going to this little local pumpkin patch for a few years...it's just so quaint. You almost feel like you're on the set of a movie. Every year I take Cub's picture by the big ruler.



I am sucker for these kinds of lawn decorations with the circle cut out to take your picture. We have to stop at EVERY one!!! Luckily the kiddos think they're corny and cute too :)



There is a little petting zoo here too....we always stop to say hi to all of the little cuties.



Sister had a terrific day.....she travels ALL.THE.TIME....She was stopping on her way home from working on projects in Dubai and New York. She isn't married and doesn't have any children....she just loooooves to spoil mine....she is the perfect Auntie.



Seeing these kinds of pumpkins always remind of Martha Stewart....



And look at all these cuties.



We rode the hayride like we do every year....it was just so wonderful to look around and enjoy the moment. What fall traditions do you have???

What is it Wednesday??

Acorns.......and can I just tell you how happy I am about that!!! Believe it or not I have been trying to get a quantity of acorns for TWO years!! I just can't seem to find the perfect spot to find them...before those scurrying squirrels get to them and stash them away....or they are really itty, bitty...or all of the tops are knocked off...so for the most part I was able to gather up 4 or 5 of them. I considered looking on ebay for some fake ones....but I just really wanted the real deal. I happened to mention it for the umpteenth time over the past several falls when we soul sisters got together a few weeks ago.... and one of my dear soul sisters chimed in that she had TONS of them on her deck and she would save them for me.......SCORE!! Don't they just look so cute??? My SIL said the Pottery Barn had tons of them in an assortment of glass canisters too.....WHAT?! ....were they peeking in my windows?????

Some of my Fall Favorites

'Tis the season!!!....my beloved Pumpkin Spice creamer is now available...yeah!!!!! I happened to be in the store right when they were putting it on the shelf...It just makes those chillier mornings so much cozier....oh, and you may remember that I looooooove the pumpkin milkshakes at McDonald's....well, they are here too. Yuuuuummmm.



Cindy Lou and T. made the two little pumpkins on the left when they were 3 and 4 years old...every year I put them on my kitchen window sill. When Cubby came along I got one for him to paint too. I treasure all of the things the kiddos make...there comes a day when they don't make these cute things anymore....



Fall is my favorite season....I look forward every year to getting my favorite things out to decorate our home. Cubby also loves to decorate...when I get the bins out he can't wait to help....maybe I have HGTV on a little bit too much :) I can't get enough acorns and pumpkins...here let me show you around....



Here is my fall mantle...the scarecrow was a little project T. brought home from school in 2nd grade. I framed it and I put it out every fall.




In my dining room another over-sized acorn and framed kid-art. That's Cubbys hand print made into a turkey with a little prayer...he made it in 2 day pre-school.



Some spooky skeletons Cindylou and T. made several years ago hang on the door to our office.



I looooooooovvve this Yankee candle shade and plate a dear friend gave me a few years ago....I keep it on my kitchen table and love it's glow every evening.



I had to share a few of my favorite serving pieces as well...I entertain a lot in the fall with it being my favorite season....and 2 of my kiddos and husbands birthdays all in the first week of October.



And this big huge Turkey platter is from Lenox. I always get compliments when I show up with goodies on it. Enjoy this fall season...Everyone should take time to enjoy natures fall colors.

It's Jennifer Juniper's SITS day!!!

Hey Everyone.......you have to check out Hope Studios today......it's one of my soul sisters, Ms. Junipers SITS day!!!!! This is a big deal if you follow The Secrets in the Sauce blog........I knew her turn would be coming up soon....she is a loyal and fabulous follower. She even spiffed up her cute blog with a terrific make-over...so why are you still here???!!! Just click HERE and check her out!!!!!

Check it out! Tiffany Cupcake Charm Giveaway!!!

WooooWWzzzaaaaaaaaa!!!! Check this out!!! I am soooooo excited to share this with everyone!!! Unless you haven't noticed I am a cupcake crazed person over here...and I can't stand how cute this is!!!! Check it out and get the word out....I sure did!!! Good luck everyone!!! If you win....let me know!!!!!!! Click here to check this fun new blog.....Party Cupcake Ideas.

What is it Wednesday??

Today I have Gala apples to share with you. The apples around here are really great right now....so many yummy ones....and of course lots of great apple recipes too!!! I'm dreaming of a warm apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream. Apples are just the perfect snack for my kiddos too.....they all love them and they are so easy to have after school or in a lunch. Cubby's favorite treat is to put peanut butter on them.

Happy Birthday Cubby!!!!

Happy 6th Birthday my little Cubby Cub Cub.....you are 6 on October 6th!! It was a gorgeous sunny day the day you were born....all the days we were in the hospital you and I were just tucked in our room....we never left. I just loooovved it being the two of us....getting to know each other, not another care in the world...just holding you. Each year on your birthday I take your picture in Daddy's big plaid flannel jacket. Here you are on your first birthday...it was a day just like the day you were born. Sunny and beautiful. I looooove the way you're checking out your piggy wiggys.



Those big beautiful blue eyes make my heart melt. What a darling three year old you are.



Here you are when you turned 4. For most of this year you were TOTALLY into Thomas....Thomas EVERYTHING! Jammies, toothbrush, big boy pants, snowboots, DVD's, books, bathing suit, trains and miles of track, umbrella and these rubber boots. You have a thing for rubber boots....when you were little you even wore them in the summer. with shorts. without socks!!!




And as much as you were into Thomas.....you were then into Cars. Same thing....Cars jammies, big boy pants, gloves and hat, toothbrush and toothpaste, cars, DVD, books, bathing suit, puzzles and these boots. You love it all. How faaaaassst five years went by :(



This year it was all about Mickey!! We went to Disney World TWICE! Once last Thanksgiving and again this past May. You love to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and wanted a Mickey Mouse birthday party. You wore this hat every minute we were in Disney and this is the little Mickey you got as a friend for pup while we were there.




This was also the year you learned to ride your bike. You just looooove to ride. Look how big you're getting....it breaks my heart at times to let you go....I just want to cuddle with you and keep you little. You're so good at still being my baby....you know when I need a hug and a kiss. Thank you for that.



You've been wanting your own "What is it Wednesday" jar. You've borrowed mine once or twice to pile in your own stuff. I found this one with Mickey and Minnie on it a while ago at the Goodwill. I knew it would be perfect for you this year...your year of Mickey Mouse. Happy Birthday Cub......I love you so much, Mommy xoxoxox

Taylor Swift update

Just a little Taylor Swift update....CindyLou reports it was THE.BEST.CONCERT.EVER!!! Here she is with her two friends outside the arena in front of one of the tour busses.



Taylor changed her outfit TEN times!!!



Their seats were incrediable....and at one point Cindylou and her friends all made their hands into the shape of a heart to Taylor...and she leaned out to them and said "Thank You".



She must have hugged 400 people and was terribly sweet. What a terrific night....except for the ride home. Tons of construction in the middle of the night...and they only got home at 1 am....lots of sleepy girls in school the next day all wearing their new Taylor Swift t-shirts!!