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Last night Stew and Natalie attended the Girl Scout Father Daughter Barn Dance. It's a western theme hence the hat and bandana. :) They do square dancing and all. So Cute. I just wish I could see it for myself...but no mommies allowed. LOL! Wow! This weekend went by way too fast. No? And, I have off Fridays from work so my weekends are always 3 day weekends. I am just glad that this week is a really short one. I only work Mon and Tues. But, my kiddos have school on Wednesday. That'll give me the day to finish up some last minute gift buying. I still have my Mom and Dad, brother & his fiance and a few more things for Stew. I also have to take a count of what I got the kiddos and make sure I have equal the number of gifts. Can't have Dylan opening up 6 when Natty only opens up 5. :O Today, I'll be hitting Joann's to pick up 101 Hip Handmade Gifts and hopefully all the supplies needed to make button trees. I had hoped to do it yesterday but we were h...

Pumpkin Pie Bars 1. Ingredients 1 1/3 cups flour 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 3/4 cup cold butter or margarine 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked 1/2 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 3 eggs 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 2. Cooking Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil lining. Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup of the oat mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 25 min. Lift from pan using foil handles; cool comp...

First, I want to thank all the very brave men and women that have fought for my freedom. Thank you! Second, I attended my first Veteran's Day parade yesterday. It was only my small town's parade but it was wonderful. Natalie marched with her troop. The high school band played. Local Veteran's and politician's spoke and partook in a graveside ceremony. And, finally, here are some photos from yesterday's parade. Enjoy! It was cold..brrrrr... Lizzie and Nattie... Veterans marching... The high school marching band.... The girls from our troop who marched. We were missing a few...

Gotta Love her! I know I do. :) Ginger Pumpkin Bread Serves 12 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups) 3 large eggs Sugar Glaze, (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (6-cup) loaf pans (see note, below); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs; add flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pans and transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely. Glaze, if desired.

Gingerbread Cupcakes Prep: 10 minutes Bake: 15 minutes 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon baking soda Dash salt 1 slightly beaten egg white 1/3 cup molasses 1/3 cup water 3 tablespoons cooking oil Sifted powdered sugar (optional) Directions 1. Line eight 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, soda, and salt; set aside. 2. In a small mixing bowl stir together the egg white, molasses, water, and oil. Stir molasses mixture into flour mixture just until blended. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups. 3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when pressed lightly in center. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or cool. Makes 8 cupcakes (8 servings). Make ahead tip: Bake and cook cupcakes but do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. Pack in an airti...

I love this holiday. And, this year was a really fun one. At preschool, the teachers are required to dress up. I donned kitty cat ears, a tail and even wiskers. I was a hit with all the little girls. Then, I made these sweet tombstone cookies for Dylan's class party. (See photo above) We even carved 4 pumpkins after school. First time they did them all by themselves. yay! And, before trick-or-treating, we had a little photo shoot on the front lawn. The weather cooperated as well. It was a balmy 68 degrees!!!!!! :D I hope you got lots of treats and no tricks this year! :)