Cheery took these two "pizza cakes" to the Cub Scout cake auction and did very well, earning $65 for his pack.

PMM in his cool new dinosaur jammies!

We loved this little path and bridge in a local park. It looked like it was going somewhere important. :-)

We were so impressed with this gnarly old tree against the deep blue sky in a local park, we had to take several pictures of it. I'll bet this tree could tell some interesting tales.

Just found this site today. It predicted, based on dh's height and mine, how tall the boys are likely to get. Their predictions? Perpetual Motion Machine and Cheery will be 6'1". Tallman? 6'7". Really. NBA, anyone?

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

LOL. What is not yet fat is my freezer. I haven't even begun the "goodies" yet this year. Nevertheless, Christmas prep is in full swing this year. I have almost all my soap and candles done, and last night we got the rest of the kids' Christmas gifts decided on. I'll start ordering this week.

For Christmas school this year we've decided to shamelessly steal the idea from my online friend Katrina, and focus on Christmas in different countries, especially countries involved in our family history. This year it is Germany and Austria. I'll be trying to put the things we do and try here.

One fun new Christmas tradition we have is a terrific new game! My dh occasionally visits this website, Familyman Ministries, because it's by a homeschooling dad. He discovered this new game they sell there, called To Bethlehem. It is a combination of learning and thinking about the meaning of Christmas, and hilarious family fun. We laughed last night until we cried. Some of the spaces are labeled things like "Last rest stop before Bethelehem. Go flush a toilet" "You're tired. Sit on someone's lap until your next turn." Definitely a keeper! Interested? Look here.

Pumpkin Bread
Well, I seem to be fixated on food. Not too surprising for me, now that it's November. This is the beginning of Baking Season here at my home. I "initiated" the season Saturday by making my first batch of Grandma's pumpkin bread. I often make a dozen or more batches of it in November and December. I know the recipe well enough that I need to look at it the first time each fall, then I remember it well enough to forge ahead without it.
Somewhere in my ancestry there must lurk a pumpkin grower, lol. My grandmother is just a "pumpkin natural" She can make anything out of pumpkin, and her pumpkin bread and pie recipes are the best I've ever had. I no longer make her pie recipe often, as it involved beating the egg whites separately and folding them in, and I just hate to do it. :-) And I've tried, and liked, many other pumpkin bread recipes (I guess I have a pumpkin gene too) I really enjoy trying to make Grandma's recipe healthier. But, when push comes to shove, Grandma's is THE recipe. Nothing else really touches it, IMO. Rich, tender and sweet, it is a dessert, not a bread. I've collected pumpkin bread recipes from all over, but the ONLY time I ever found the equivalent to Grandma's is in an old Amish book I found somewhere. Grandma made her loaves in coffee cans, and I loved the beautiful perfectly round slices. Being short on coffee cans here, though, I use 9x5 loaf pans; the recipe makes 2 of these. One to enjoy, and one to give away!

Grandma Zella's Pumpkin Bread

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3 1/3 cups flour


Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until creamy. Add pumpkin and water, then dry ingredients. Mix well, and pour into two greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-65 minutes; bread is done when cracks on top of loaf are dry and a toothpick inserted off center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool.

Eat this like a bread, or for a real treat, top slices with vanilla whipped cream with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top. Yum.

Tuesday I also decided to reclaim my heritage and attempt "old hen and potpie" This is an old family recipe that came down from my father's mother's family. We had it at all family get-togethers. It's essentially a stewed chicken with homemade noodles. Why it's "potpie" is beyond me. The first time, after I hit adulthood, that I went to a restaurant and saw "potpie" on the menu, I ordered it and got a BIG surprise! LOL
Anyway, my grandmother steadfastly refused ever to give me a recipe. Not even any help. Just start with eggs and add flour until it looks right, then cook it until it's done. LOL I have been too "chicken" to try it on my own. But last month we had a Relief Society class where a sister shared her homemade noodle recipe. It looked JUST LIKE Grandma's, except this sister rolled and cut them thinner and dried them overnight before cooking them. But it gave me just enough courage to try it on my own.
So, Tuesday night, I made my attempt. I didn't stew an entire chicken for one meal for 5 people. I "modernized" by using canned broth. I made my noodles (for 6 eggs' worth, add 2 1/2 cups flour , 3/4 tsp salt and mix, if too sticky add up to 1/4 cup more flour) I rolled them out on a well-floured dishtowel, but left them sort of thick and rustic looking. I rolled them about the thickness of pie crust; the sister who did our class rolled them thinner. I also cut them about an inch or so wide, and tore them in pieces (this was the job of the oldest granddaughter at my grandma's house!) and dropped them into simmering broth. After they'd cooked, I added a package of shredded chicken I'd cooked and frozen previously, and thickened the broth.
Apparently they were a big hit. I thought they were remarkably good considering this was my first attempt and I skipped the "old hen" part, lol. And my guys kept going back until every last noodle was gone. I liked my "modernization" because it was much faster (this took my grandma ALL DAY!) and much lower in fat than the way she did it. Maybe I'll try it the "old" way once soon when I have extra time. But I surely am pleased with my attempt!

Last night (yes, Halloween) was the TWENTIETH anniversary of my first date with dh. This photo is not from that first date; it is from December, I think. Still, this is how we looked--19 years old, young and thin. LOL
Story behind the blind-date: the guy I thought I wanted to go to the Halloween dance with decided to go dressed as Jesus. I just could not go to a party with Jesus. I decided to stay home, then my friend decided I needed to go out with her boyfriend's friend . . .
He took me to McDonalds, where I ordered a Diet Coke, no food, but ate half his french fries, then to a movie, Legal Eagles, which I don't remember, since I did not wear my glasses around him for several months. All I saw was a big blurry rectangle of light, lol.
We're no longer 19 or thin, but still together.