Happy Halloween!

From our goblins to yours - have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Zebra and Cheetah Cupcakes

I will admit that with everything else going on this year I just did not have the energy to tackle the unique birthday cakes that I love to make for my kids.  I wanted to for my daughter's zoo party because the possibilities were endless but there just was no time.  So when I saw these fun animal print cupcake wrappers with picks and then found Duff Goldman's zebra cake mix I was thrilled.  

Davy Crockett Cookie Bars

Oh how I love to have something warm and scrumptious baking away in the oven on these chilly fall days.  I am often scouring my recipe collection for something I can make out of whatever is on hand.  I recently discovered these Davy Crockett Bars while searching for something sweet and rustic in a Bar Cookie Bonanza recipe booklet produced by Country Magazine (at the time of its printing in 1982 it was called Country EXTRA newspaper).  Many of my recipe books were passed on to me from women in my family and this one came from my grandmother.  I was partly drawn these cookie bars right off the bat because of the name - I was a big Davy Crockett fan after watching the Disney movie as a kid.

Safari Birthday Party

This is one of the most fun (and easy) parties we have had yet - planned around a huge adventure any girl (or boy!) would love.  My animal-loving daughter jumped at my suggestion that since we were in the middle of getting settled at the new house, perhaps a trip to the zoo with something smaller at home would be fun.

Things I Want to Teach My Daughter

Things I want to teach my daughter:

To take risks.

To get your hands dirty.

To not to be afraid to play with the big boys.

To have hope and compassion.

CHARACTER

There are those moments when you fear that the lessons you are trying to teach your children about life may not be sinking in.

Then there are those other moments when you learn from the rest of the world about how your child is teaching them.

You've read here before about bullying and my feelings about it - when it comes to kids and when it comes to adults.  You may have read the stories about bullying situations and my problems with the schools before.

My daughter knows first-hand how it feels to be on the receiving end.

Her school implemented Rachel's Challenge this year and my daughter has taken it very seriously.

When her teacher asked them to write an acrostic poem using the word CHARACTER, above is what she came up with.

Her teacher was impressed and wrote a commendation and sent her to the office to show the principal.

The next day I got a call from the assistant principal about how proud they were of her and how they were brainstorming ideas on what to do with it next.

My next project is to make a wall hanging with this on it - 

talk about words to live by...

Country Crabapple Jelly

I just love discovering new things I can use on my own property.  I was mowing along the property line and discovered that hidden in the "wild" corner that we have been happy to turn over to the birds and bunnies, a crabapple tree sprung to life and was full of ripe fruit.  It took me back to the days of my aunt and I spending the summer riding our horses all over the county.  

One of our favorite spots was an abandoned gravel pit a few miles away on a sparsely populated dirt road.  It was one of those spots hidden between roads where, if you didn't know how to find its hidden little trail, you would never know it was there.  Because of the distance from my grandparents house, we often disappeared down there for the whole day - just coming home at dusk after all the big hills and valleys had been conquered.  Rarely did we prepare for the day with food but the tart little wild crabapples, black raspberries and sweet purple clover heads were just enough to keep us satisfied....

Can We Ladies Be Real with Each Other for a Minute?

Can we have a talk, dear ladies?  

I saw a few things this week about women having to defend the roles they have chosen in life that caught my attention and really kinda bothered me.  

Let me be the first to admit that sometimes I can be a little (or a lot) defensive of my roles in life as a woman.  Sometimes I say things about myself and I don't realize that other ladies take it to heart.  

I have seen so many posts from some women bloggers that I truly admire for their creativity, ingenuity and steadiness as they go about building lives around homesteading and focusing on their work inside their homes.  They possess traits and qualities that I really look up to and find inspirational.  

And so many times I have seen defensive posts from these same women who, while intending to convince their readers why they feel its important to do what they do, cast negative assumptions and broadly group people into the same sorts of categories they do not like.  

A Cheerful Treat to Start Fall!

I'm back!!  Life has just been very full lately and I have not had a chance to get my thoughts in writing lately.  I hope you have all been having a lovely start to fall.  Its certainly starting to feel like it around here with cooler temperatures, football, fuzzy critters and changing leaves.  We are finally settled in enough at the new house for me to get back to being creative in the kitchen so I have spent the last two Sundays baking nearly all day.  That is something I truly love - a Sunday with a house full of football cheering, snuggles and the smells of something tasty in the oven or simmering on the stove top all day!  I had a sweet tooth and decided to make some Rice Krispy treats but I wanted to do something special so I come up with these sweet little pumpkins and they were a hit!  My daughter has already asked that I make them for a class treat for Halloween - seeing as they were so fast and easy I am happy to oblige.

We Will Never Forget

Reposting from last year because it feels the same today as it has for the past 12 years.

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photo credit: Sister72 via photo pin cc

I was reminded today by a friend who was there, that we all experienced 9/11 a bit differently.  For her, it is not a day of honor but it is people that she knew, a tragedy that she survived, comrades that were lost.  Those people she honors and remembers every day.  The hoopla that surrounds the anniversary date stirs up harsh unwanted memories.

For me, it was a knot in the pit of my stomach that grew as the day progressed.  I remember being at work when the first plane hit and racing to turn on televisions and pull up news feeds online.  Then, as we watched live, the second plane hit and we were all sent home.  After checking in with my husband and mom, I raced home to sit glued to the TV as the news continued to pour in about the plane at the Pentagon and the on in Pennsylvania.  My friend was in the Pentagon.  I sat for hours with the phone in my hand awaiting a call from my friend's mother telling me that she was OK.  As the news grew more and more frantic and gruesome and reports on the terror attacks became more defined, the implications for my brother began to set in.  He was a Marine sitting at Camp Pendleton just a few months after finishing boot camp.  I was terrified about what this might mean for him.  I felt powerless to do anything for any of them beyond praying.  

Then the images and messages of support around the country began to play.  Everyone I knew did every patriotic thing we could possibly think of.  Every flag in the area was put proudly and defiantly on display.  Everyone asked people around them if there was anything they could do to help them.  Yellow ribbons and red shirt Friday's appeared.  Songs of strength and pride began to play on the radio.  And it made me feel even more pride in this country and her people.  

No matter what your feelings about this day, whether you were there at one of the sites or home praying for those who were, remember that it is tragedy that brings us together and makes us stronger and emotions that make us human.  Honor those who were lost, honor your country, your community, your neighbor, your friends, your family in your own way and treasure every moment you have together.  God Bless America!