Lucky Number 7

I have six brothers and two sisters, my youngest sister, Renee, is the seventh child born in the eleventh month on the eleventh day.

Peek-a-boo!

Little Renee was always happy and smiling. I think her love of being a "girlie-girl" began early when Renee would toddle and dance around in ruffled underpants, earning her the nickname "Ruffle Butt"!

1st Grade photo, please note, the ruffles continued.

Birthdays were always lovingly celebrated with gifts, homemade cakes, and singing. Today, on your special day, Renee, let us celebrate the loving, joyful, caring person that you have become. Our family is lucky to call you daughter, sister, and friend.  Happy Birthday!

Autumn Sunset

I was lucky to catch some of the quickly fading red streaks that graced the sky tonight. The crimson colors add a stark beauty to the leafless trees, the trees that only last week wore the same colors that the sky now flaunts. Breathtaking!

Colors of the Season

For the past couple of weeks I have been snapping photos of the changing colors, it has been a nice slow progression.

The leaves have been lingering on the trees, only in the last several days has there been some serious falling foliage.

To the right of this post I have added a slideshow of my favorite pictures. I hope you enjoy the show as well as the colors in your hometowns.

Craft Night - Christmas Ornament

Mom and I wanted to share our crafting knowledge, so we held our first Craft Night. Our guests feasted upon a buffet of meatballs, cheese tortellini, mini cheese pizzas, veggies, and our famous Tuna Snack Spread and then they quickly went to work.

Each crafter created a custom mix of seed beads from our bead stockpile, Mom offered color suggestions to assist the crafters. Using a scooping motion the crafters strung beads onto a fine beading needle and thread. Beautiful, long beaded strands were swiftly created.

The next step required spreading a thick craft glue on a styrofoam ball and slowly wrapping the beads around and around.

This can be a little tricky to keep the rows in place without sliding or lumping up, but our crafters persevered!

These gorgeous ornaments were created in only about two hours. They are all unique and will be stunning additions to our crafters' Christmas trees.

Our crafters also enjoyed a homemade dessert of Devil's Food Cupcakes w/Chocolate Ganache frosting--I shall quote my mom, "Scrumptious!"

Recipe Link: Cupcakes & Frosting

We all had so much fun eating, talking, laughing and of course crafting. As a thank you to our guests, Mom created individual Halloween bowls filled with candy and a light-up pen.

We can't wait for the next Craft Night, thank you everyone!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The sun is shining, the sky is beautifully blue, and our Maple tree is proudly showing off its colors! Today is such a gorgeous day after a long string of cold, rainy ones. We couldn't have asked for a better Autumn day.
Enjoy my friends, enjoy!

I'm still baking!

Today's delicious homemade treat is Pumkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

I had some pumpkin puree left over from my bread baking day and I thought I would try these muffins. I have to say, "yummy"! The recipe yields a spicy, tender muffin combined with a hint of sweetness from the semi-sweet chocolate chips. The muffins remind me a bit of a cookie that my sister-in-law Becca makes, but being muffins they are lighter. The muffins go together very quickly, so if you've got the inclination this recipe is definitely worth making.

Muffin Recipe link Note: the on-line recipe ingredients don't include the chocolate chips, I added 2/3 Cup mini semi-sweet chips.

Tried, True and New

Today turned into a baking day. I started with plans only to make one quick bread and went on to make two more, much to the delight of my family.

Pictured on the cutting board, the Tried loaf  is Banana Bread. I have made many banana breads over the years using several recipes. I recently tried my grandmother's recipe, the first time I made it the center was a little soft but otherwise quite tasty. Adding several minutes to the baking time worked out well, delivering a crunchy crust and a tender interior that was not overly moist.

On the pedestal is the True loaf, my mother's favorite recipe for Pumpkin Bread. My family has been using this recipe for twenty plus years and it never fails to produce delicately spiced bread that is delicious with or without butter. This is a good bread to make several days in advance of a party; just wrap in foil and keep in the refrigerator, allow it to warm to room temperature before serving.

Last but not least is the New loaf of Cherry and Golden Raisin Bread. I found this recipe on-line at Better Homes and Gardens.  The bread is lightly flavored with lemon rind, accented with dried cherries, golden raisins and drizzled with a lemon glaze. A yummy bread you should definitely try and one I will keep in my recipe book. Cherry and Golden Raisin Bread Recipe