Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday


Another Tuesday is before us. I am grateful for so many things lately. Like Big Papa for instance! He is the most lovely, hilarious, nerdy guy I know. He is super supportive of any ventures I want to try. Plus he is the funnest person to be around. He has a really weird sense of humor and he makes me laugh every day. He has a big bushy beard and wears big geek glasses both of those things I love! He plays the acoustic guitar and writes kick ass music! He breaks me out of my shell and allows me to be myself. He makes me better and my life better. Plus when he snores at night all I have to do is rub his shoulder and he turns over and stops! HA HA!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday Songs

I love this song! It is The Cave by Mumford and Son's. The banjo speaks to my soul! Which in turn means I like any song that has the banjo in it. Even the country songs which I am not usually a fan of. ENJOY!


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Attitude of Grattitude Tuesday on a Wednesday?!

I am behind on pretty much every post! What is the deal!? Oh I will tell you! I am a mother of two toddlers who works part time. December as you all know is a busy busy month and it becomes even busier when your girl baby turns two! Between the Christmas prep, the girl baby birthday and work I have been crazy busy. Please forgive me! I am going to resolve to be a better blogger! New Year Resolutions are a calling me! SO anyway! Onto what I am grateful for today and yesterday too! I love love little fawn figurines! They make me smile. I love that they capture the way they stand a little wobbly! So sweet. They look like Christmas to me. A happy Christmas Eve with snow falling and cocoa with heart shaped marshmallows! I love them so much that I may have to start up a little collection to bust out at Christmas time! Both of the fawns below are for sale on Etsy!

and here!


Don't you just love Etsy? I may even start my collection with this one! Oh the choices!


Monday, December 13, 2010

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sunday Songs- Christmas Style!

Mele Kalikimaka!

I love this song! My grandparents had an old silver boom box when I was growing up and one tape they had for it was a Bing Crosby's Christmas album. It had mostly super classic Christmas songs but it had a few that were a little different. This is one of them. I probably love this song so much because I remember going to their house and listening to this on that old Boom box. Brings back tender moments!



Saturday, December 11, 2010


I found this over at Jandeecrafts today and had to share! By the way Jandee is dandee! Check out the fantastically talented Emily's blog for sure! She has such great ideas! Oh oh and her Etsy shop! This is something that any believer needs. Any non-believers should be beat!! My parents motto growing up was if you don't believe you DON"T receive! This is a site that makes it so you can make custom messages for anyone from Santa. It takes a just a few minutes to put together and wallah! you have a custom message! It is really well made too. It actually sounds like a true message that was recorded by Santa for your lucky recipient. Both the girl baby and boy baby are going to be getting one. And possibly Big Papa. And to be totally honest I will probably be receiving one as well! Who doesn't want a message from the big guy?
Check it out here!
Oh and it is totally free! Can I get a what what?!

I love CHRISTMAS!!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday


I am going to do a Christmas/Wintery Attitude of Gratitude every week in December! I love winter. It is by far my absolute favorite season. Starting beginning of October til about the second week in January I am a happy girl! Keeping in a winter sprite spirit I am grateful this week for paper snowflakes!!! They truly are little pieces of art. It is a quick and easy way to add some beautiful handmade winter awesomeness to your home. I love the whole process of making them. My favorite part of making them is unfolding and seeing what you created. I think it is really awesome that I can't seem to duplicate them. They are all unique just like we are all unique! I need to remember that. I often times try to push someone who is clearly a star into a heart hole. Not good for them and not good for me. To take this from serious to light I have a cool blog post that gives a little tutorial on folding the paper so you can get acreatin' some paper snowflakes. It is on a really neat blog called
Here's lookin at me kid. She is awesome! She has a great vintage style that isn't overwhelming. Check out the snowflake tut here

And for you crazy's out there that want to go all out here is a tutorial for making

Monday, December 6, 2010

Quick hello!

Everyone head over to Jandeecrafts and enter her give-away for a pillow pet! How can you not love that?! It's a pillow! It's a pet! It's a pillow pet! And a panda one to boot. How
cute is that? Check it out!



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday Songs- Christmas style!

I am excited to do Christmas songs all month long! This is a good one by Owl City. Adam is a very talented kid and fun to see live. Please enjoy!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Chicken Pocket Pies!


Forgive the blurry picture! I was so excited to eat these babies that I was shaking! These are the definition of comfort food. They were delightful and are now a regular in my rotation. I mean how can you get better than a pocket version of a chicken pot pie? It is mobile people!! They are a little labor intensive but totally worth it. And by labor intensive I mean that you actually make the dough for the crust. That is big for me! I got the recipe off of the shutterbean website who got it from this book. Which is now on my christmas list for sure! Oh how that list grows! The only thing I changed from shutterbean's version is that I added some Emerils chicken seasonings instead of the dill. Plus I left out the peas. Other than that it is word for word. I did find out however that you need about double the dough. As you can tell from my photo I overfilled and had them leaking everywhere. That didn't diminish the wonderful flavor though! They freeze really well from what shutterbean tells me (oh yeah as thought she is talking to me specifically! HA! I wish!) so next time I am tripling the batch or even quadrupling the batch and freezing a ton! Or maybe just the filling. I can imagine that it would be great in a huge pie size chicken pot pie. Please try it! You will be pleased or you are crazy!


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Belated Sunday Songs

I really like this song. And this group for that matter. My husband introduced me to it a few weeks ago. Here is to you Florence + The Machine! Oh and Florence says this song is not about domestic violence. It is about people pushing each other to the extreme psychologically. I say whatever she says! It sounds awful violent to me. Plus it sounds a whole lot like a White Stripes song. Like it may be almost exactly the same tune. But I digress! I still like it!


Monday, November 29, 2010

Bright pink delights!

This picture is so beautiful! Don't you agree? I love the coloring and the styling and the electric pink eyeshadow. I just had to share!




I am not sure where I grabbed this picture. Any ideas? If you know please leave a comment so I can give credit where credit is due!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

popcorns popping all up in my turkey!




I am going to be preachy for just a minute. Buy local first!! I am the first to admit that more often than not it is more expensive to shop local and I sometimes have to choose between feeding the kids and buying local. The kids win out every time! But when I can afford it I buy local. It keeps the money in the community and in turn it immediately benefits our community. I am hopping down off my soapbox now and continuing on!
* Banner and photo are courtesy of A beautiful mess. A great blog!!

Raaad Popcorn Turkey!


I was going to do a totally different post today but when I saw this I had to share it! Check out that turkey!! I am making this for sure tomorrow. And maybe even Saturday. My family gets together on Saturday. It is a popcorn turkey! So genius! It is a snack and a cool centerpiece for the kids table or any table really. And it looks pretty darn easy to make!
For full instructions check it out here. It was a guest post from One Charming Party on the cool blog say YES! to hoboken



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday


It is Tuesday again! I have a really good one this week! I am sure most of you have heard of this blog I am going to talk about but I still love it. Oh boy do I ever love it. A little wonderland called:


She has the most amazing recipes ever on her site. I have used several always with good results. Well except one disaster but we will not discuss that infamous day. It was a sugar lump mess and I am still trying to move on! That is how I learned that she also actually answers questions and comments on comments! That is a great personal touch that makes me like her site even more. She has a little bit of everything there too. Or a lot a bit really! It has helped me out of a cooking rut more than once for sure. The site is easy to navigate and so beautifully done. The pictures are wonderful. I am jealous of how great they are actually. See the one up top? Yeah her picture. I don't think that people appreciate how difficult it is to take pictures of food. It is no easy task! Plus she is pretty dang hilarious. Which I love! I am there every other day if not everyday. Delightful! As a matter of fact I have a recipe that I am posting later this week from her site! Are you as excited as I am? Are you?! Are you?! Maybe not but you will be! Please check it out! You will not regret it!




Monday, November 22, 2010

Pumpkin muffin anyone?

You can hardly even call this a muffin! It is more like a cupcake. I call it a muffin because I can justify eating it for breakfast when it is called a muffin. A cupcake is harder for me to justify but I probably could if anyone needs! It is delish and so so so easy! Did I mention that it is super easy? cause it is! And the icing is tangy and cream cheesey goodness. I like me a good cream cheese icing. Plus the frosting is also super simple to make. Great combo- they are both great tasting and come together really fast.

Pumpkin muffin/cupcake

1 yellow cake mix
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
(I just add cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves
to taste)
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. The batter is pretty thick! Bake @ 350 in a paper lined or greased muffin tin for 20-25 minutes.

* I added a bit of milk the second time I made these just to be able to incorporate all the ingredients.
* This makes 12 cupcakes


Cream Cheese Icing
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add butter a piece at a time beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Spread it on something delicious!

*this is enough icing for 24 cupcakes. Or 12 really really thickly iced cupcakes. I just hate the idea of having half a pack of cream cheese laying around!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sunday Songs

I about died when I heard this!! It sounds like it was recorded from an actual record!! Oh be still my heart. For those that don't know I happen to love Simon and Garfunkel (particularly the Simon part!). They are my all time favorite musical group... well besides a little singer/songwriter formally known as Death Warmed Over. I lurve this song. Please enjoy!


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday

I am sneaking this in before noon so it still counts as Tuesday right? Haha!

I am grateful for Netflix this week!

It has been a lifesaver with the kids. They have old cartoons and Veggie Tales! Oh man! Netflix is the way we watch tv series since we don't have good reception on the tv. You can have it live streaming and have the DVDs sent to you. We have it streaming to our XBOX 360 but it also works with a WII or directly on your computer. I definitely think it is worth the cost. Especially considering that the cost is pretty minimal. I highly recommend it!

Check it out here! It will not disappoint!

On a little side note- I just barely figured out how to add the link to a word! I know- I know- it is crazy easy and you all figured it you forever ago but I am a little computer illiterate! HAHAHA!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sunday/Monday songs


I am in love with this band! Oh Freelance Whales you are dreamy! I will be enjoying you live at Kilby Court the end of this month!






* can anyone tell me how can avoid having the videos from youtube so flipping big? I have tried it both ways I know by actually sharing or by doing the embed trick that Big Papa taught me. Both ways I have gotten videos that take over my page!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday and an apology....


I am so sorry! I have had a three week break from the blog. But I am back now. And I can honestly and proudly say that yes I did keep up with the 30 day from Frumptown challenge. It has really worked for me so far! That being said I have changed how I am going to finish it up. I am going to do a post once a week about it. One everyday was just getting too much for me. I started this blog to have fun baking, sewing, crafting and total randomness and it has gotten away from me already in the short month or so I have been posting. So I am reclaiming my blog! I will still post the rest of the tips and some tutorials for the challenge like I intended all along just in a better time frame for me.

Onward and upward! I want to start a Tuesday tradition. I feel like I need to remember all the things I am grateful for. Not just my family- which is the one thing I am most grateful for but for life's little randomnesses (word? well it is now!) and quirks. Here it is:


Attitude of Gratitude Tuesday!
This Tuesday I am grateful for Pepperoni Scrambled Eggs!

What is that you say? Well it is exactly what it sounds like. Scrambled eggs with pepperoni mixed in. It was an experiment that turned out really well. I made them yesterday on a whim and I made them again this morning because they were so lovely! Oh my goodness they were so so so so good! They exceeded my expectations! We mixed mozzarella cheese in them yesterday and did just pepperoni today. I am glad to add something new to our breakfast menu because it has been lacking as of late! Go out and try them! You will not be disappointed!

Oh just a quick thought- I bet these would be good in breakfast cups instead of sausage! Even with the sausage! they would have a pizza breakfast cup vibe. Oh baby!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Day nine doing just fine!


I am behind again! And not looking so hot in these pictures. I wish I had a good excuse for either of those statements but sometimes you have a bad hair day and bad make-up day and sometimes you are crazy busy. Sorry for being lame but that is my story and I am sticking to it!

My pics YO!:



Close up that should have been farther away! Am I being too negative? Well I am new at this and still learning how to be fabulous!


Not sure what is up with the goofy grin. I may not look all that great but I obviously have a great personality! HAHA!! I have a sweet spirit. Okie-dokie.... I am done with the self bashing!


On to the tip of the day!
Tip #9
Okay this tip is stemming from the fact that I am in desperate need of a shave!! Instead of using expensive shave cream I use cheap conditioner. Like suave cheap! It moisturizes and smells good and is crazy inexpensive. Plus you don't have to use a lot. I have a girlfriend who uses lotion instead of shave cream too. Also shave at the end of your shower because the warm water helps soften the hair letting you get a closer shave. I saw a tip on a blog (can't remember which one- if any one knows please leave me a comment! I want to give credit where credit is due!) that if you dry your razor by rubbing it upwards on a towel it makes it last longer. And who wouldn't love that?! Razor refills are too expensive to mistreat. SO rub away! Not the direction that cuts but the opposite! Does that make sense? You don't want to shave your towel. Ruins the towel and dulls the blade!



Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Day 8 is crazy late!!


Any one miss me?! I am back and blogging it up! I am re-committing to my 30 day challenge. I found out that posting everyday can be hard! And all I am doing is taking my picture and posting. However, I will be doing some tutorials this week. Tutorials are a lot of work I found out- even simple ones. Putting every step into pictures and writing it up takes 2 or 3 times longer than making the stuff! They are crazy easy even- that is how I roll! I hope you all like them. Speaking of liking stuff! Here are day 8's pictures:


This is my favorite dress! And my chucks! Who doesn't love chucks? I am not sure if I am really wearing them appropriately but there you go!

Yeah that spot on my nose is what happens if you go crazy trying to get a black head out! I do not recommend it! I have issues! LOL!

Here is Tip #8
Again these tips are totally for me so you can take from them what you will! I need to remember to think outside the box with my clothing choices. Hence the Chucks with a black dress. Wear a scarf as a belt or wrapped up in your hair! Use brooches to dress up your hair! Wear a color that is totally off the wall for you. Pair colors that you wouldn't normally put together. I like to wear bright colored socks with my black ballet flats and jeans. Usually I don't even match the color of socks to my clothing. I don't want to lose what personal style I have but I need to incorporate things that I love but wouldn't normally wear. It is sad that I haven't worn things that I love because I am too fat or too skinny (HA!) or too short or people might look at me funny. I need to remember that as long as it makes me happy then I should do it! That is what matters! Well that and not totally embarrassing my husband and kids. HAHA!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Day seven! I am in heaven!


I am almost caught up! WOOT! This post is my seventh. One whole week down three more to go! I thought this 30 Day from Frumptown challenge that I made for myself was going to be officially over after three days. I have surprised myself! Oh how I long for my loungey yoga pants though! I will persevere and keep it up! I need this challenge so so bad. It should be a habit after 30 days right?!



One thing I love about this challenge is that I forced myself to look in my jewelry box and see what pretties are hiding in there! Now when I say jewelry box I mean a paper covered card board box. I think that I need to find a new way to display my stuff. Maybe if I can see it I will actually get some wear out of my jewelry!

You know what else I love? Peoples hand me downs! I loved that sweater when we first got it in at work but I couldn't justify buying it and now it is mine all thanks to my sister! Gotta love that!


Tip #7
Wear jewelry!!! Even just a pair of earrings can complete your outfit and take your look from drab to fab! I love love costume jewelry! It can get rather expensive though. I buy most of mine at Target or Stein Mart. Both places have great costume jewelry that is pretty inexpensive. Plus clearance jewelry RULES! Stein Mart will often have coupons on clearance so it is even cheaper! (I have a confession to make! I work at Stein Mart. That is not why I am plugging them. I am plugging them because they really actually do have some great prices! On clothes and jewelry and shoes and house wares.)

Day five and six check out my pics!

Okay so I must explain for the lack of the last two posts! I would say apologize but I had very good reason for the delay! On Saturday I chose to go on a hot date with Big Papa instead of posting. Yeah yeah I know but we rarely ever get to go out without the kiddos! It was way fun and we laughed a ton! Thanks for the date baby! As for Sunday? I had to work. So when I wasn't at work I had guilt about ignoring my kids to post. But I am back today with a weekend catch up post!

On to the 30 day from Frumptown Challenge!



These first two are Saturdays pics:

Am I the only one who loves these sunglasses? Maybe yes! HA!
They cover my whole face but I swear I am wearing make-up! At least mascara and a swipe of eye shadow!

I love my jeans! I turned them from 70's style huge bell bottoms into skinny jeans. They are far from perfect but they were my first try! And for sure not my last!



These bad boys are my Sunday Pics:

My girl baby! Isn't the back of her head adorable?! And her skirt that is way waaay too short. I need to retire it or add a little ruffle. I think she needed a diaper! Oh man I am mother of the year!

Self portrait close up!

On to the tips!
Tip #5
Buy a flat iron! Even a cheap one. They come in so handy! You can smooth your hair and make it look a little more sleek. Or you can use it to do curls. I may have to have my niece teach my how to do that! I am not hip and happening like her! The flat iron I am currently using was a hand me down and only one plate heats up! Oh yeah it is a delight to use. But it gets the job done! I may need to replace it. When I have money.

Tip #6
This tip is a reminder to myself of how to treat my jeans. I have read that you should wear them 3 to 5 times in between washings. Well unless you do some major stuff like yard work, hiking or things that get them grimy. Plus they say (who is they? yeah I don't know either!) you should turn them inside out when washing and then hang to dry. Jeans that are air dried feel like you are pulling sand paper on so throw them in the dryer for ten or so minutes and it softens them. To be totally honest though I dry them about 90% of the time. Hang drying definitely extends the life and prevents the shrinking though. So maybe I will be trying to that in the future!


Friday, October 8, 2010

Day four! SCORE!

Day four is upon me. The pictures aren't great today. It was bright outside. I should have put on my rad sunglasses! They are huge and pretty space like. Any whoo! I only have 26 days to go. Not even the downward slope yet but I already feel like I have accomplished a lot. I am wearing mascara people!! That is a big step for me. Lets take a look at the pictures, shall we?



Bright sun! I had a vest on but my children goobered me before we even got out the front door today. So typical. Momma is a human napkin.






Another self portrait. This one is not so great. OH well! HAHA!

So my tip of the day includes a crazy easy recipe!
Tip #4
Use a sugar scrub to exfoliate your skin! Oh man it feels luxurious! The sugar exfoliates and the oil moisturizes! I hate lotion so this is a perfect solution for me!

The recipe is:

about a cup of any kind of sugar
(I like turbinado sugar for a body scrub and brown sugar for my face however you can use whatever you have on hand)
And about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup olive oil. EVOO as the Rachel Ray says.





Mix well and use.






It keeps for about a week in your shower or a bit longer in the fridge. That is why you make so little. You don't want to be rubbing rancid oil on your body! Could you imagine? I have also added essential oils before too. You just add a few drops at a time until you get the strength of scent that you want. I like orange oil- it invigorates you. Or lavender- it relaxes. Make sure you research the oils though because some burn really bad when put directly on skin. It is great just like it is though.
I think I might do this as Christmas gifts for my girlfriends!




Thursday, October 7, 2010

Day three! Look at me!

It is a bit late today! I had a pretty full day. Full does not necessarily mean fun I found out! I had to work. 'Nuff said! I shouldn't be like that really. I only work 20 or 25 hours a week. So not too bad and I work with great people mostly but I still hate leaving the kids. They boy baby came and sat in my lap before I went to work and when I told him I had to leave to head to work he said no. I waited a few more minutes and then told him again that I have to go and he again said no. Finally the third time I said it he said "no momma!". Well that may not seem like a big deal to anyone else but he doesn't speak. He is a three year old who speaks gibberish that sounds an awful lot like Korean! But usually not a lick of English. So when he said "no momma" it broke my heart to leave him. It was a rough day for this me.

Lets move on to happier thoughts! It is day three yo! To tell the truth though all I did when I came home was change my shoes and pants. I usually don't wear my work clothes at home but they are some of my prettiest clothes. My play clothes need a make over! I need them to be half way between work and scruffy clothes.



Self portrait time! I need to try something new with my makeup. I need a refresher!

I just loved this picture! I am vain! HAHA!

Being a little more serious and not quite so vampy!


Tip of the day!

Tip #3

I need to learn how to do this better actually so my tip for myself is to layer! I did a little today. Not a whole lot but some. Did you know that layering is really chic and in style in Australia right now? Well now you do. Lol! The thing I like most about layering is that you can take pieces off if you get too hot. (being too hot is a common theme for me!) I feel like it also brings more dimension to your outfit. It takes it to a whole other level! So I will make the effort to remember to layer it up!


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Ninja Power!!



You have to enter this give- away! These little ninjas are so flipping cute!! Enter at link below!




Day two woo woo!!



Hiedi ho! Day two has arrived. I am showered (its a miracle!!) and ready for the day. I let my hair do its own thing today with the help of a 2 inch curling iron just to smooth out and define some of the waves. The surprising thing is that my hair is down! That is huge for me! I never wear it down purely for the fact that I get so blooming hot! Here are my pictures of the day!




Extreme close up!! Please excuse the blemish on my chin. I have never figured out a good way to cover them. Any tips?


My outfit! A little boring but not sweats! I heart that I was able to roll my pants up because of this beautiful weather! WOOT!


And so comes my tip of the day!
Tip #2
I love flip flops! So so much that I have been wearing them everyday so this is a kick in the pants to stop with the flip flops everyday and wear the million pairs of flats I own! I won't ever stop wearing flip flops totally but I think that ballet flats look a little more polished and are just as comfortable. A little side tip- Target clearance is the best way to buy flats! I buy tons there for 6-8 dollars! Oh and thrifting them! Just make sure you smell the thrift shoes before buying them. If there is a funk then put them back!

Oh a little side story- I picked up my sister from work yesterday and she said Oh where you going all dressed up! Yeah I was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a vesty thing. Definitely not dressed up! Maybe my little 30 day from Frumptown challenge was a little late coming!



Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Day one is so fun!

Welcome to day one of my 30 days from frumptown challenge! I almost didn't get up this morning and get dressed! I quickly remembered this blog and the challenge I committed myself to and got up and got dressed. Before you look at the pictures just keep in mind that I am not trying to be a diva or be all glammed up. I am simply trying to get the motivation to get out of my sweats and ratty t-shirts. Also I am a mother so please be forgiving when you see the greasy hair and messy bun. Yeah a bun! No awful rats nest ponytail! So without further adieu here are some pictures!


We love the self portraits around these parts!!





I might need to work on my posing! HAHA!

I swear that I actual enjoyed getting dressed in spite of the awful look on my face!



Now on to tip #1:
Wear Mascara!!!
This may seem simple to most of you but not to me! I am stuck in such a rut that I have to be reminded! So this is my reminder! It is such an easy thing and it makes such a huge difference. It only takes two minutes so I will be pulling out my magic mascara wand and brushing on!



Monday, October 4, 2010

Frumptown USA






There is a little place that is known as Frumptown! I am the mayor and only citizen of this place!! You all know what I am tallking about.




I have become a frumpy frump lady. I allowed myself to get like this because I figured I had already caught my man and I have a couple kids under my belt so what is the point of putting in the effort of being attractive and sexy. What is wrong with me?! It should be the exact opposite. I got so involved in cooking, cleaning, changing diapers and all the day in and day out job of being a wife and mother that I let myself fall to the wayside. Well no more!! I am saying no to mom jeans and messy ponytails with stickers and cheerios stuck all up in it! No longer will I go out in public sans mascara and wearing my husnbands old sweats!!

Thus begins my 30 day from frumptown challenge! For the next 30 days I will make every effort to be chic (or at least more presentable! HAHA!). I will be posting a daily picture of what I am looking like so there is proof! PLus I will be posting an anti- frumptown tip daily. I also have some fun easy tutuorials that I am pretty excited about. SO check back and give me some love! I will definitely need it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!





This is one of my favorite recipes to kick off fall! They turn out just like store bought ones but with much better flavor!! I wish I had a picture but we ate them too fast! *edit- we found a picture!!


4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1 16 oz solid pack pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl combine flour, both sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs, milk and beat on medium speed until mixed well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased (I use parchment sheets instead of greasing the cookie sheet) cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-14 minutes or until edges start to brown a bit. Let them sit on cookie sheet for two minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

So easy! They are great the first day and a million times better the next day!



Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sunday songs #3. Death Cab for Cutie

This song is a favorite of Big Papa and mine. We love Death Cab for Cutie and totally love this song!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday Songs# 2


This song is so great. Sometimes I wish I had a wish right NOW! There is a version with eminem that I like even better but I didn't want to look for it! HAHA!!


Thursday, September 23, 2010


I have to tell you about a funny little thing that happened last night! Big Papa Hemingway (the hubs) got home from work at about a quarter to midnight last night. After he got settled into bed and we were both dozing off there was an awful annoying sound coming from somewhere. In my half asleep state I sat up and asked him in a very annoyed voice if he had set the alarm on his phone. He said no crazy- that is a cricket! A flipping cricket had we presume hitched a ride into the house with one of us. Well this was just freaking great! I got up and shined my cell phone light over where the sound was coming from and it promptly stopped. I figured I had it running scared and it was done for the night. Oh boy was I wrong! It started almost immediately back up with its singing. Nick got up and started searching for it by cell phone light. I am not totally positive why we didn't turn on the light but the whole time we searched using our cell phones as flashlights. I vote that it is because we were so tired and unaware of how idiotic that was! Anywho... We thought it was in a basket so Nick took it out in the hallway and shut he door. We thought we were home free!! Not that that would have actually gotten rid of the cricket- but you know what they say out of sight out of mind or in this case out of ear shot out of mind. We get settled back in and start dozing and lo and behold it starts back up! So Nick jumps up and starts hitting a stack of bins with his shoe. The cricket stops and starts with every thump of his shoe! It is mocking us now!! Much cursing and thumping and shaking of things ensued! This may seem like a bit much but one lone cricket singing in your face is not charming like it is out in the woods with all its buddies singing in time with him. It is like Chinese water torture!! Crick crick crick! It will break you. Finally we fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Just to get up and get Big Papa to work by 6.
Current score:
Cricket- 1
Us- 0