Happy Birthday to our best Halloween treat ever!

 Scout's 1st birthday, 1996

To the outside world we all grow old.
But not to brothers and sisters.
We know each other as we always were.
We know each other's hearts.
We share private family jokes.
We remember family feuds and secrets,
family griefs and joys.
We live outside the touch of time.
-Clara Ortega

Happy 16th birthday, Scout.  

We love you!

Easy Spice-y Pumpkin Cake

Cooler weather makes me want to run go turn on the oven and bake something wonderful.  Something that will scent the house like Fall...and Thanksgiving...something like this:

Easy Spice-y Pumpkin Cake

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. water

1/2 can pumpkin puree

1/4 butter, melted and cooled (1/2 a stick)

1 egg

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 tub buttercream frosting (or make your own!)

1/2 c. walnuts (with some extra pumpkin pie spice and a little dab of butter)

Heat the oven to 325.  Spray an 8x8 glass cake pan with Pam. Mix the first 6 ingredients.  Stir salt and baking soda into flour, then stir into wet ingredients.  Bake for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed in the middle.  Cool. 

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts:  I crushed mine up a bit, added to a skillet with a sprinkle of spice and a little dab of butter.  Watch it carefully and stir it constantly over low to med heat to toast the nuts.  Cool. 

Frosting from a tub - I cheated today and it worked out beautifully!  I stored the leftover in the freezer.  After frosting it, scatter the nuts on top, perk a pot of cinnamon coffee and serve!

 Don't mind if I do.

Gina

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Front door Halloween

Monday dawned and I was ready to decorate for Halloween.  One little problem, though:  I have no idea what happened to the box of Halloween decorations from last year.  For me, that is huge.  I'm usually pretty organized.  I can't believe I would have purged all of it, so it had to be in the attic.  But since I am deathly afraid of going into the attic, I had to make do!

 I collected some branches from the neighborhood greenbelt,and added some that were spray painted black.

Added a couple of pumpkins from the grocery store...

 And a couple of hairy spiders...which make me jump every time I leave the house, because I'm such a ninny!

The big one is from Wally World, the smaller one from Walgreen's.

Wrapped some Halloween garland around a grapevine wreath and added a chipboard 

hanging sign from Joann's (60% off!)

Something I noticed:  pumpkins from the store are always dirty - clean em up with a bit of Orange Glo and they shine!  Plus the front door area will smell orange-y wonderful...

I like that I was able to use some natural elements - I think I am leaning more 

and more towards that in my home.

 

A little plain, but it will do for now.  I have some lights to string up and I might add a few more branches for drama.  After all they're free!  Plus, eventually, hubby will find that box for me...

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Circling the drain

Lately it seems my little family has been dealt one little tragedy after another.   Mostly small.  But really, it's the small tragedies that will get you down.

Pictured is Bubbie, on the bathroom floor, covered by his favorite quilt, toughing out a nasty stomach virus.  It has wound it's way around our group:  first, me on Sunday; then Scout on Tuesday into Wednesday, now Bubbie.  Who will it strike next?  Hopefully it will skip Firstborn who began his new job on Monday.  This bathroom is quarantined and will be scrubbed down with bleach as soon as Bubbie's fever breaks.  And I am praying for healthier days!

Gina

Closet progress

Small pictures for what seems like small progress...

 

But it represents HOURS of work, cleaning up and clearing out.  There's still a lot to do, but hubby picked up these stainless shelves which will be les likely to gather dust and will keep the radios and other electronics from overheating on wooden shelves.  Smart, I thought.  

Still need:
*Hanging shoe organizers I ordered from Linens N things
*A storage bench he can sit on and store his assorted scout items in; rolling would be nice
*Pretty rug - after I steam clean the carpet
*Light fixture
*plastic bin storage for sweaters, etc.

It's getting there, though....

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