Do you like/eat/bake pumpkin bread?

I do!

I bake pumpkin bread every year around this time. I made a batch for Layla's preschool Fall Festival a couple of weeks back. The smell while it was cooking was AMAZING! I wanted to eat a piece, but I stopped myself and decided to wait. They wouldn't have appreciated a bite taken out of the bread I took to the gathering.

Anyway...

This batch is all ours, and of course the neighbors. They usually smell us cooking and so we share...we are nice neighbors like that! Don't you wish you lived next door?

I am changing up a recipe I found on Allrecipes.
I'm gonna make this version this weekend! I hope it turns out good.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour three 7 x 3 inch loaf pans.
Mix oil, sugar, and eggs together in a large bowl.
Mix in pumpkin puree and water.
Stir together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Add to the pumpkin mixture, and mix until just combined.
Divide batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour.
Cool on wire racks.



Now...I am off to get myself/kids ready for a fun afternoon outing!
Hopefully I will have TONS of pics to share with you tomorrow :)

Night-time fashion

Layla loves to dress herself. Bedtime is no exception. I tried not to laugh out loud when I saw her come out of her room last night dressed in this attire. Whatever floats her boat!

Talent

This morning while I was doing the breakfast dishes the kids were playing in the living room. They were playing together peacefully.

They were stacking blocks. Hayden loves to stack blocks. He'll stack them up, stand back, look at them, clap at himself for stacking so greatly, and then knock them over. It is a vicious cycle in our house.

The reason they usually don't get along while stacking blocks is because Layla will have a fabulous master piece built and then Hayden will smack it down. So, as you can imagine, the peaceful play was great :)

I was moving around the kitchen banging pots and pans, but I could still hear what was going on. I heard lots of laughs and giggles. And then Layla said, "Hayden, you have so much talent. I am very excited about that. You should be careful with your talents mister."

We are so lucky to have a talented block stacker among us.

What are you gonna be for Halloween?

Amber wants to know!

Today's Friend Makin' Monday topic is about Halloween.

~~~~~

Miss Layla is going to be Tinkerbell.

She wanted to be a dog and then a lamb. She changed her mind a million times and finally we settled on Tinkerbell.

Whew...thank goodness.

I didn't want her to be a dog or a lamb.

~~~~~

Hayden really can't decide for himself.

Hayden in 2008

Last year Hayden was a turtle.

He wore the costume for all of two minutes and was not feeling the whole turtle thing.

This weekend we were going through old costumes thinking of what he should be. For some reason we just couldn't think of anything sooooo Gary thought about using the turtle costume again in a different way. Since the booties and hat don't fit, it works perfectly that he wears a red cap and bandanna and is:

As for Gary and I~I'm not sure.

We usually dress up, but it is a last minute thing. Layla was a ladybug one year and Gary dressed up as an exterminator...ha! The next year she was a cheerleader and he was a coach. Think I can get him to be Peter Pan this year?? heehee...NO WAY will that happen!

~~

Have a great Monday!!

Weekend in photos

We had a nice weekend relaxing at home.

I took some fun photos.

The kids made hobo stew and



acted like monkeys.



Don't you think you should watch where you are going?



Mums are my fav!

French Onion Soup

A couple of years ago my Auntie & I were exchanging recipes. I wouldn't have thought to make this, and was a bit sceptical. I tried it and I am so glad I did. It is great on a cool fall day! I made it the other night when Gary had a sore throat and it was GREAT medicine!



Here is what you will need:

4 large onions {I used red onions}
¼ cup butter
1 tbsp.flour
6 cups low sodium beef broth
½ to 1 tsp. Tabasco

Toasted French bread
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Here is how you do it:


Saute onions in butter until transparent.




Add flour; blend well. Put in slow cooker.
Add beef broth and Tabasco.
Cook on low 7-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.




Stop and take a pic of random kid posing for
a picture since he sees the camera is in use!


I have such posers!


Preheat broiler

Ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Top each bowl of soup with a slice of bread and shredded Mozzarella cheese.
Broil until cheese melts.




I am loving the wonderful fall weather today...it's cloudy, a bit rainy & about 55 degrees.
I know right?!?! in Texas? IT is fabulous!! The kids and I are off to do some shopping :) If I could only get Layla off the swingset. She is swinging in gloves, boots and however many layers she put on this morning. She is so silly. I guess the weather makes us all a little silly!

Happy Friday Y'all!