I get so excited over this darn show! I remember watching it when I was really little. I wasn’t a cartoon kid at all, but I had a special liking for Charlie Brown. So each year when this special is on, I get so excited for the kids to all sit down to watch it with me. David can’t run out of the room fast enough, so this is *my* thing with the kids! Some years it’s been hit or miss if the kids are interested in watching it. I remember one year, we all climbed into my bed and watched it, including my nephew Lane. This year, I really wasn’t expecting much. I told Tanner he didn’t have to watch it, but he said “what if I want to?”… so he grabbed his blanket, McKenzie grabbed hers, Ashlyn pulled up a chair and plopped Bailey on her lap and we all watched it together. Melts a momma’s heart I tell ya!

And, we all enjoyed pumpkin bars for dessert that I made last night. They were delicious!

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I omit these)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×13
pans or one jelly roll/cookie sheet with sides.

Mix all ingredients in order above until well
blended. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely and frost with cream cheese
frosting (which I use 2 sticks butter, softened, 1 block cream cheese, softened,
2 cups sifted powder sugar, a tad of vanilla)

DELICIOUS - I am telling you!!

I have a lot of pictures to share of the kids carving pumpkins last night. They did such a great job. While I always find it hard watching my kids grow up so quickly, I can’t complain at how easy something like carving pumpkins is getting to be. So easy, in fact, that I provided very little help. I made pumpkin bars while the kids “did their thing”. They all had ideas on what they wanted to do, the gutted their pumpkins and they drew the faces. We had to modify Bailey’s just a bit, her ghost was pretty tiny, so we just made it bigger. Tanner’s turned out SO great, the pumpkin was the perfect shape for Jack Skellington’s head. Ashlyn decided to carve “LOVE JESUS” in hers, which I thought was sweet, and McKenzie had a regular pumpkin face but dropped hers outside and the nose fell out, so she says it’s a sailboat instead Dad lent a helping hand in carving for the two little ones and the two oldest did theirs all by themselves. They had the table cleaned up and the floor swept just as I was frosting my yummy pumpkin bars! I am very proud of them!

And onto the pictures!

I know… I know… it’s not even Halloween yet! But, can you believe Christmas is approaching us at what seems like a lightspeed pace! I can’t believe how fast 2008 has gone by. This time of the year is my happy place. I read somewhere once that it is possible for kids that enjoyed school to grow up and really love the Fall season (due to it being back to school time). I did enjoy school, so maybe that has some merit to it. I also hate hot weather, and I always welcome the Fall cooldown with open arms. I love the colors - it is the most beautiful time of the year in our area. And, believe it or not, I love *RAIN* and really look forward to any Fall storms that we get! I also love how festive this time of year is. You go from one holiday event to another. My sister and I grew up with excellent holidays, every single one of them. They were always a big deal and though my sister and I didn’t get along super great all of the time because we are 8 years a part (and she was a pest ;), this is the time of the year that our family was closest. In my opinion. I will always get warm fuzzy feelings about my childhood, thinking back to Fall and Winter.

So you may understand why I’m posting a Christmas Countdown in OCTOBER. Now, I’m not one that is out there shopping the Christmas aisles at Target in August. I sometimes take a peek, but even I have my limits there. I do however like to squeeze every little bit of holiday spirit I have and make it last as long as I can! Christmas isn’t just on the 25th of December for my family… my kids feel the Christmas spirit for two whole months! And while they love gifts just like any other kid, they also love the many fun things we do together as a family even more. If you ask McKenzie what her favorite thing about Christmas is, she will tell you “being with my family”. It really is!

So… with that said, Organized Christmas has started their Christmas Countdown and I thought I’d share a linky to their site! I take what I need and leave what I don’t. I have started my Christmas notebook and will start my planner this week. This year, my finances will force me to look at handmade items for gifts for people we don’t want to eliminate altogether from our giving list (teachers, extended family, etc.) and come up with ways to still give back to our community without having that much leftover to spend. I also do various projects and baking with the kids throughout the month of December and hope to still do so, but in a less expensive way.

One of my favorite shows is Jon & Kate Plus 8… and one episode they show Kate making something called “Monkey Munch”… which reminded me of this recipe I got off of a Chex box when I was a kid… it was for “Puppy Chow”. My sister remembers me making this quite a bit but yet I don’t think I’ve ever made it for my kids. I decided to make a batch tonight for the kids’ snack this week. It turned out so yummy!

Ingredients

• 9 cups Chex cereal (any kind)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Measure cereal in large bowl and set aside.
2. Microwave or melt the chocolate chips on the
   stovetop over medium low heat (I prefer stovetop). Stir.
3. Add peanut butter. Stir until smooth.
4. Add butter. Stir until smooth.
5. Add vanilla. Stir.
6. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until
   coated.
7. Pour mixture into large Ziploc bag and add
   powdered sugar. Shake until well coated. (I find that 1 gallon size ziploc bag
   is just enough room to mix 1 batch of this recipe).
8. Spread on waxed paper to cool.
9. Store in Ziploc bags or large sealed bowl.
   

   

   • 

This recipe deserves it’s very own post because it’s so darn good! I found this years ago on a message board I used to frequent called MyCoupons. I don’t go there anymore, but I had taken away many wonderful recipes from the Let’s Get Cooking forum! I’m sorry I don’t know the origin of this recipe, other than I’ve been making it for a good 6 years and consider it our own now.

Potato Chowder
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 8 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
  
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
• 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup — undiluted
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese — cubed and softened
• 12 bacon slices — cooked and crumbled, optional

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended, I use my potato masher to combine it to my desired consistency. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired.

This makes just enough for my family of 7, but if I want leftovers, I usually will have to double the batch, which just BARELY fits in my crockpot

Do you ever just see something and find it adorable? Like you want to freeze that moment and take a “mental” picture beause you don’t want to forget it? I was watching Bailey put her shoes on this morning and had one of those weird “mommy moments”… where I’d likely be considered goofy if I told anyone something like putting shoes on would melt my heart. Kids grow up so dang fast. I have forgotten little facial expressions they’d make, cute things they said, moments that pass… and you just forget! So I took a picture… of my sweet Bailey… putting her shoes on. Share in my mommy moment with me, won’t you?

This next one is of my nephew Lane and Bailey. They are always so bashful when it comes to taking pictures, but yet they play so cute together and aren’t shy at all. They are sweet. And yes… Lane really IS 18 months YOUNGER than Bailey!!

Plain Grandma gave Bailey this giant stuffed Zoe. She loves her. We have to set an extra place at the table for Zoe, make sure she has crayons when they are coloring, and cover her with blankets at night so she doesn’t get cold. Goofy girl!