Tuesday, November 23, 2010

It's Pumpkin Roll time


This time of year I am always very busy making lots of pumpkin rolls.  It started back about 4 years ago when a man at my old job heard me talking about my pumpkin rolls and asked if I would make him one if he paid me.  I told him "Sure"...then other people thru the years got wind that I would make them.  Last year I think I made about 10.  This year I made 17 total.   I had 13 orders and then 2 for our thanksgiving..but I had 2 that turned out bad. (one split apart and another burned a bit.)  Let's just say my hubby loves when that happens because than he doesn't have to wait till Thanksgiving dinner to eat one.  I on the other had hardley want to eat one at all.  I did eat a few bites already to taste test them...YUMMY!!!
*just as a note, I have choose for now not to share my recipe..due to the fact that I am selling them*


Pumpkin Rolls cooling


 Beautiful...and YUMMY!!!

 My MESSY KITCHEN! 
(Hey, I never claimed to be a NEAT cook)
 My little girl was AWESOME!!!!  She entertained herself..even by putting herself in her Daddy's shoes!
I was cooking from about 6:30 a.m  till about 5 p.m we took breaks to run to the store for sugar, eat lunch, read books before naptime, and then ate supper together.  (this mommy felt VERY guilty for not playing with her today...but I understand that things got to get done some times.)
 We had some unexpected visitors.  My dear friend Caroline was on her way to her mom and dad Thanksgiving and needed a potty stop for her boys.  She stayed for a bit, and just in time for Katelynn to wake up from her nap and share some kisses with Jonny!  (and Blakey too...he wasnt too sure at first then he started after her with a HUGE smile on his face!  To bad I didn't get that on camera.)
 If you look real close...you can see Powder Sugar on her chin and nose...she was crawling around under the table while I was rolling up the Pumpkin rolls. (I have to put Powder sugar on the towel I roll the pumpkin roll up in..so thus the sprinkling of powder sugar on her.)
 WHEW!!! I am done...and one delivered already!


PUMPKIN ROLL STATS

6 lbs Powder sugar
2 lbs butter
11 lbs cream chees
4.5 doz eggs
8 lbs sugar
6 lbs flour
6 lbs pumpkin




Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Crafting and Cooking

 Ok, so I told you all I was working on some crafs.  Other than making new memories with Katelynn...doing some crafts have been a HUGE thing I have been so excited about.

This little guy was given to me several years ago by my mother in law.  She had extra Christmas stuff and knew I needed some things to decorate my home.   I have used him alot over the years...but never been to thrilled with his painted little vest.  The blue just does not go with me decor...unless he was to be in my bathroom. (LOL)  So after going thru several blogs it hit me...REDO his vest.

So here he is!  I like him ALOT better now!!!



It is so dangerous for me to go into craft stores!!!  I love them and could spend $100's of dollars, if our budget would allow.  Boy was I thrilled to find this vase for $2.97!!!!  Not much better than a GW special!!!
And then the 3 floral stems I bought were 80% OFF!!!!  YEA....so approx final cost...was a little over $6.  I was thrilled!!!


I am not a floral desingner by any stretch...but this is what I turned out.  I am pretty happy.  I was going to wait till after Christmas to put it out!  But I couldn't resist.  I am re-doing alot of my rooms in my house and as excited as I am about Christmas decor...I can't wait to start redecorating  with all my new stuff and good deals!!!

Now for the cooking area in my home...I have been enjoying being able to get back in front of the stove...and not feel rushed!
Jonathan's aunt gave us some FRESH pumpkin...and I made 1 pumpkin roll (which for the moment I am not going to share because I sell them...will be making 14 of them the week of Thanksgiving!!!)

Any how found this receipe on line (on another blog...not sure where at the moment)
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES



1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
3 cup flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin spice
2 c chocolate chips


Beat sugars and butters together. Add eggs 1 at a time.  Mix in  Pumpkin and vanilla.
Sift in flour, soda, salt and spices.
Stir in chocolate chips
Bake 350  for 15-20 min.

These cookies are VERY soft and moist!
Very light in the pumpkin taste.
I tend to like chewy/crunchy cookies...but these were very good!


Monday, November 15, 2010

Homade Christmas gifts!

Well Katelynn and I tried our hand at making some homemade Christmas ornaments!
Here she is admiring some of her shapes all cut out.



Pardon some of the blurry shots...I was having some MAJOR issues with my camera.



She had so much fun cutting out the circles!
And playing in the flour!


The Snowman baking


The Snowman being painted and drying!

Finished...
Some are ready for the tree and the rest just need ribbon attached.


And here is ours hanging on the tree!!!!

You can go Here and see how to do it yourself!!!
It was so easy!!!

Friday, November 12, 2010

My first 2 weeks

Wow, I didn't know that I would love being a Stay-at-home-mom SO MUCH!  It is amazing!  And as much free time as I might seem to have the days still seem to go by fairly fast! 
Katelynn and I are still trying to get into a schedule...for the most part we have it down...but with a bit of improvision here and there.  BEING FLEXIBLE as a mom is something I am continuing to learn! 

Katelynn is for the most part ALL girl.   She loves her doll and likes to take it to bed with her, to church, in the car and pretty much everywhere.  And the doll changes from day to day.
This day she choose one of the last dolls that I got for Christmas as a little girl.  When I first introduced Katelynn to her, she was about 8 months...she was very scared of her!  Wouldn't even come to me when I was holding the doll...thats how scared!
Now she drags her all over...she's a bit of a bigger doll so its cute to watch her try and lug her around!
Here they are watching a movie together

Need I say again how much of a girly she is???  She gets in my closet where I keep my purses and drags them out all the time.  Plus she has a couple of her own and is getting a couple more for Christmas!

Here she is just before nap time giving another one of the baby dolls I had growing up a ride.  The 1st "Baby Alive"...I loved her as a kid and she was one of the 2 baby dolls I kept.  We had changed her into a little nightgown I had...Katelynn loved going through all of the little clothes and Barbie dolls I had kept.  I felt she was old enough to play with them and was excited myself to get out some old toys that I had played with growing up.  Lots of memories came back!

Our first week home together was cold, but it was sunny and she wanted to go outside so bad.  So I bundled her up and we went out and played for awhile...it was so worth it!
Taking a break sitting on her pumpkin
Mamaw and Papaw Thompson gave her a pumpkin before Halloween, and I wanted to get it carved sooner..but with working and our short evenings I knew I would be more stressed about getting it done and getting the mess cleaned up. And worrying wether or not she would even like it or not and trying to keep her involved and the list could go on as to reasons why I didn't do it.  So I decided we would do it during the day.
She was all about digging the seeds out!  I was pretty suprised but happy that she was not turned off by the ickyness nor the goopiness.  She had so much fun, but I was glad I had put the towels down.  There were seeds everywhere!
Pulling out pumpkins mouth
And the end result!  I was pretty pleased with my cutting skills and keeping a 1 year old away enough so she wouldn't get cut...but could still be involved.
And he's lit!!
(And yes, he is sitting on the toilet!  I didn't have anyother dark places in my house at the moment and I wanted Katelynn to get the whole effect from cutting, carving and lighting him.)
A slide from Mamaw and Papaw!
And we have a Kids porch swing from Mommy and Daddy for her 1st birthday.
And  Kids teter-totter that Jonathan found for FREE when he was running his UPS route, so he drove back the the persons house after work and it was still there...so He loaded it up!!!  (Thank You GOD for little blessings.)  So aside from the fact we do not have that much of  a yard and a pond in our back yard. (mommy's nightmare!!)   She has a LOT to play with!!!
Then Last Sunday my mom was baptised.  Anyone that knows my mom, she is TERRIFIED of water!
I was SO proud of her for overcoming her fear and going thru with a very Special Moment in the life of a Christian.
On a lighter note...Katelynn proceeded to say, "Nana" over and over when she was speaking, and when papaw gave the scripture reading she shouted his name out too!  Cute ( I guess) but we are trying to get her to learn to whisper in church!  A HUGE challange!  Thankfully she is not really talkitive so she is not to bad!
We Enjoyed some time with Papaw and Nana Hilligoss after the baptismal!  She enjoys being with her Grandparents!

2nd WEEK!


We were able to enjoy several picnics this week!  It was so much fun!  I keep telling myself, next summer she is not going to be this little and is going to be alot more independent and I will not have some of these Precious "Little little" girl moments!  I am holding back tears as I write...thinking back on this week and the precious moments I have had.  I am so blessed...when I look at her I can't believe that she is mine!!!!  I have the rest of my life to have so many "moment's" with her!!!  She is so precious!  I am loving that I get those times when she drops what she is doing and comes and wants a hug or a cuddle then she's off running and playing again!  Wow, I never knew how these "mommy/parent moments" would be so amazing!!

We made Banana popcicles!  They were very healthy and pretty good.  Katelynn loved eating them.  ALL BY HERSELF!!!!

I was Thanking God for the beautiful days He gave us!  Due to me working all summer and getting home late...I bearly got anytime to play outside with her.  I was thankful Mamaw and Papaw Thompson made sure she got alot of time outside...but I really missed being able to do it MYSELF!   I think God did it just for me so I could make some memories with her outside!  We had so much time!  And I have her Snow suit and Boots ready for when we get the snow!!!  As much as I kind of dislike HUGE snowstorms...I am so looking forward to playing in it and sledding with her!!!!


So there you have it my first 2 weeks at home.  We also visited "Wiz" (Lizzie Dennis) 2 times and had a mini phot shoot (will post pics), spent time at the hospital with Grandpa Thompson who had Gallbladder surgury, and had "Auntie" Caroline visit us too!  I have also tackled our garage and am almost done with it. (will post pics later) I have organized most of the dresser drawers in our bedroom, Kitchen drawers, and linen closet (Yea, feels good to purge!)   I also have a few crafting things I am working on too! (pics soon to come on this too!)
(P.S.  By the way I made a wonderful Candybar cheese cake (snicker bar) when Caroline came!  Oh My goodness it was so delicious!  I didn't even get a picture!  But it is a do over that is for sure!  but I will probably tweek it a bit.  Due to my hubby not liking all the chocolate.  But Oh man did Care and I LOVE it!!!!)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Oh Christmas tree!

Tree topper!  Love how unique it is!

       Jon and I

 This bell was on my parents tree when they were first married!

  

My tree!







New Homemade ornament, I made them this year!
WIll post more on these later!