Howdy Santa

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can't wait to start decorating for Christmas!!! Up first is my son's room, done in a cowboy theme. The denim curtains I purchased at Target and added a red cowboy print on the inside edges. I made a patchwork quilt and two pillows out of the same fabric. During the Christmas holidays two years ago when I was very pregnant, my husband and daughter painted the room a primitive mustard and the little dresser and an old pine bookcase I had in a wonderful red. His little tree is outfitted with cowboy ornaments...all of them at clearance price last year from Peebles. The little red lantern I found at Target along with the denim rag rug. I have had the little blue chair and the dresser for years and never really knew what to do with it. I think the good Lord had a plan for them all along!!

Plum Cake

I first tried this cake at a school luncheon. A friend that baked it said it was made from baby food plums. My first thought was "no way am I going to eat that". I did try it and much to my surprise it was wonderful. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!!
Here's the recipe:




2 cups of self rising flour
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 jars baby food plums
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a bundt cake pan at 350 for
1 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cake is cooled

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!!! The "wildman" is at daycare so this morning no one was under foot and I was feeling quite domestic so I thought I would do some pre-Thanksgiving baking. I found this recipe online for pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese filling. They were scrumptious!!! The recipe called for a streusel topping which I did for the first batch and decided to leave it off for the second batch. I prefer no topping. The recipe makes 18 muffins. Here goes:

Filling

8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Muffins

2 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons soft butter

2-3 tablespoons chopped nuts

Preparation:

line muffin pan with paper baking cups or grease and flour the muffin pan

heat oven to 375

Filling: in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth and put aside.

Muffins:

*In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 and 2/3 cups of flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add eggs, pumpkin, oil and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until blended.

Topping:

*In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, butter and nuts. Work together with fork.

*Fill muffin cups about 1/3 full with the muffin batter, then put about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each. Top with 1 more tablespoon of the pumpkin batter or until the cups are about 3/4 full. Sprinkle muffins with streusal topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm.

First time trick or treating

This is my little pumpkin and he went trick or treating for the first time this year. Last year we dressed him up as Tigger, but for pictures only, no candy. He still doesn't eat the candy, but we went anyway. Its funny how he knew what that plastic jack o lantern bucket was for. He inspected every piece of candy that went in there. We made it to five houses of friends and former neighbors before he had had enough. If it were not for the Kai lan DVD playing in the car we would not have made it that far. Thank goodness for portable DVD's!!!

fall flowers

This morning I brought home a few fall annuals from the high school's greenhouse....pansies, dianthus, dusty miller and snapdragons. Although they are technically annuals, all but the pansies tend to behave more like perennials. I have snapdragons and dianthus that have been in the ground for several years. The pansies will look great all the way through next June. I can't wait to get them in my pots. All I have to do is wait for my husband to come up out of his "hole" (man cave/basement) and watch the "wildman" (son).

Its the Great Gray Pumpkin

I found the most amazing pumpkin this week at Glass Farm Nursery in Rising Fawn, Georgia. Its completely gray. It has deep grooves and an interesting texture. The nursery owner gave it to me because it has a bad spot on one side. I wouldn't dare carve it up for a jack o lantern...its much too pretty. I'm going to save seeds for next year and hopefully have a whole patch of great gray pumpkins.

Construction Project

My daughter is building a playground for her little brother. She needed a project for her agriculture class at school (she's in my class) and came up with an idea to build her little brother some sort of playground. Her dad decided we did not have the skills or time to build it from scratch so he found this playground from an online auction that benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Chattanooga. We won the "Chesapeake" model from the Swing-N-Slide Company for just $650.00. Regular price for these models are $1600.00. Her little brother is inspecting her work and is thrilled with the progress. She still needs to add the picnic table, monkey bars, climbing wall and landscaping. My daughter has done an awesome job and learned several new skills (how to use power tools, how to read and interpret directions and how to measure using a measuring tape. Most importantly she did this for her brother, afterall, she waited 13 years for him.

Samplers

Sampler, sampler on the wall, whose the fairest of them all? This is a small part of the collection I have done over the years (a few of them are really old... 1863. My college roommate way back when taught me to cross stitch and samplers on linen are my favorite. The first one was in 1986 and the last one I did in 1993....I can't believe it has been 17 years since I have done one!!! Its funny how life interrupts some things...not that I have minded. Before my daughter was born, I was working 6 and 7 days a week. After she was born I couldn't quite find time to sit and do another. Just when I thought I could have some time to do the "crafty" things I like to do...at age 45, our "wildman" was born. So many of you in blogland are true inspirations. I don't know how you do what you do. I have really enjoyed browsing the cross stitch creations of Jen at Taylor's Farmhouse Attic. Who knows...in a few years (if he would stay in one place long enough) I might have a few more samplers on the wall.

Rain and the hummingbird vine

We finally had some rain Sunday and again yesterday here in North Georgia. It's amazing how a little bit of moisture will make the blooms suddenly appear. This is a picture of a hummingbird vine or cypress vine as it is commonly called that has been rambling on my porch steps and across the rails all summer. It has not bloomed very well until Monday. I don't put out hummingbird feeders (I forget to fill them up and really have no time). I would rather rely on plants to bring the hummers in. Be careful though, it can certainly take over a small area but what a show it can put on!