Mmm ~ Smells Like Pumpkin!

I love the smells of Autumn, especially when it's baking, filling every crevice of your home with mouth watering scents!  Who needs Yankee Candles?!!?  We opened a large can of pumpkin yesterday morning and went to work...

Pumpkin Spice Latte (for Mommy only!)
~Mix together:
1/8 c pumpkin
1/8 c sugar
1/2t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
pinch all spice
pinch ginger

~add 1-2T of mix to mug, add 1/4c of milk and stir
~fill mug with hot STRONG coffee
Stir, garnish with whip cream and a sprinkle of your favorite spice.  ENJOY!

Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:
8 ounces butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1egg
1t vanilla extract
1c pumpkin puree
1c rolled oats
1t baking powder
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t salt
1c raisins
2 1/2 c flour

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
~Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
~In a seperate bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, raisins and flour.
~Stir into pumpkin mixture.
~Drop cookies by the heaping teaspoonful onto cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.
~Remove from oven and place on cooling racks. Frost with your favorite powdered sugar glaze or leave plain.

Notes:
For a variation add 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts to recipe.  We like pecans and mini chips!  :O)

Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2c of sugar
1c oil
2c canned pumpkin
3c flour
1/2t salt
1/2t baking powder
1t baking soda
1t cinnamon
1t ground cloves
1t nutmeg

Directions:
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, thoroughly mixing.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake at 325 for one hour. Test with a toothpick or knife, adding time in 3 minute increments if needed. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire wrack them remove from pan.

Note: Next time we will make an icing sugar glaze to pour over the top and then sprinkle with finely chopped nuts.

Do you have any favorite pumpkin recipes that we could add to our collection?  Feel free to drop me an email or leave in the comments!

Overwhelmed or Renewed?

I am overwhelmed with sticky notes, 'favorite' websites, rss feeds, want-to-do lists! Spam emails, media messages, peer pressure (self induced), bookmarks! Food requests, laundry, dirty dishes, fwd'd emails I do not care to read, IDEAS! It seems like I just get things under control and not a moment later I am up to my eyeballs in these 'things' again. What is a girl to do? Meditate on one of the few scriptures I have committed to memory?

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV

Or perhaps I should memorize this as well?

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 NIV

I will do this and I will pray.

Lord, forgive me when I get consumed by worldly things, the things that compete for my love and attention, my passion. I pray that you will renew my mind and my spirit and help keep me focused on you Lord, always on you.  Amen

To-Do List

Since Cowboys Fan has started his second job, the kiddos and I are home alone - a lot. The downside is that we are missing him so much, the silver lining is that I have been getting many things crossed off my to-do list!  

Things to-do done Today:

~organize recipe folders - really organize them, not just tidy the piles

~bake 10 lbs of potatoes - they were on sale!  now I have skins in the freezer ready for a quick snack

~finish planning and phone calls for Little Man's 16th Bday celebration

~clean up desktop on computer & sort through docs

~clean kitchen after Little Man made choc. chip cookies all by himself for the first time - the deal was if he cooked, I would clean...I will think carefully before agreeing to this again!  lol

~cross another book off my Fall into Reading Challenge list

~sort and remove blogs from Google Reader - at over 1000 new posts unread I think I have too many

~create a new smoothie recipe with Angel & Sunshine; we are coming up with some great combinations  :O)

~try to figure out why the blogs I am following don't show my blogger profile anymore - still working on this, I have no answer! 

A Funny Thing about Homeschooling...

Picture this:  Costco on a Tuesday morning at 10am - about 50 adults, and a few toddlers and babies, all waiting around for the doors to open...walking up with your 9, 12 & 15 year old children...and seeing the look of concern/curiosity/wonder/confusion on everyone's faces!!  It cracks me up every time!  

Life is good when you can find joy in the simple things, don't you think?  *wink*

Music Monday ~ NY2LA

Happy Music Monday!
I can't believe that a month has gone by already.  On one hand, I have been counting the days until I could share this video with you, on the hand, it is October already, where have the days gone?!!?
Today's song is NY2LA by Push Play.  I first heard this song on the radio, don't you love top Christian music countdowns?  If you aren't awake yet, you may want to come back later, or this just may take the place of your second cup of coffee.   It will get you jumping!

Thank you for joining me for Music Monday, if you would like to link up please take a moment to read the guidelines I have posted here and grab the button from my sidebar.Until next time, (November 1st to be exact!!) I hope you take a moment each day to enjoy the music.  Have a blessed day!