Pumpkin Layer Dessert

Here's the recipe to the pumpkin dessert I made last week. I can't promise that the measurements are exactly correct, because I rarely measure anything. I made the best estimation. I'm not a very good food blogger...I don't have a picture!

Pumpkin Layer Dessert

Crust:

1 1/2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger

Mixed ingredients together and press on bottom and sides of pie pan. Store in refrigerator while preparing the next layer.

Bottom Layer:

4 Tbs. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. milk
4 oz. whipped cream
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add milk until mixed. Fold in whipped cream until mixed. Fold in pumpkin puree and spices until well blended. Spread on top of crust. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Top Layer:

1 package vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix pudding mix and milk together. Add pumpkin puree and spices. Mix well. Spread on top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Top with 4 oz. whipped cream before serving.

Christmas in October

My wonderful parents sent us an early Christmas present this week! I love it and I love vacuuming! It's amazing how much difference a good vacuum cleaner can make. It was pretty gross emptying out the canister the first time. I've been trying to vacuum about 3-4 times a week to help with my allergies, so I was surprised that the floors were that dirty!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 25

Reviews from last week:

The pork chop recipe was delicious!!! They were very easy to put together and didn't take long to cook. I left the feta off of some and they still had a great flavor!

The Creamy Chicken Taquitos were also wonderful! They were pretty easy to put together and bake. I could have used a little more of a kick (possibly jalapeno), but still good flavor.

I didn't end up making the Italian Stuffed Shells, so they will go on the menu for this week.

I also made a pumpkin dessert for church on Sunday that was quite tasty! I wanted to make a pumpkin cheesecake, but didn't have all the ingredients. So, I threw something together with what I did have. Maybe I'll post the recipe later this week.

This week:

Monday: Meatballs, rice

Tuesday: Chicken fried steak, potatoes

Wednesday: Mexican Corn and Bean Chicken

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Italian Stuffed Shells

Saturday: I think we're going to a church meeting out of town

Sunday: Church out of town

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 18

Reviews from last week:

The cheddar sausage balls were REALLY good! They were very easy to make and had a great flavor. I used Jimmy Dean's Sage flavored sausage in mine. They were good hot or cold the next day.

The pumpkin oatmeal was good, but needed more sugar! It worked out really well to make this, because I had pumpkin left over from making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These were really good too! I substituted applesauce for oil, so they were a little healthier. Even after the cookies and oatmeal, I still had a little pumpkin left. So, I made pumpkin pancakes. I just added a few tablespoons of pumpkin to my pancake mix.

The tuscan chicken and beans was OK. I thought it was supposed to be a soup, but it wasn't. I could have added more broth to make it a soup, but I decided to just make it like the recipe. I couldn't find sun-dried tomato flakes at the store, so I left those out. It was definitely missing some flavor! I roasted a tomato in the oven and put it over mine. That helped some, but it was still a little bland.

I also attempted to make an apple pie from scratch this weekend. It didn't turn out so great, but I'll try again another time!

I made this Rosemary, Cheddar and Garlic bread to go with the roast on Friday night. It was very easy and very good!

This week's menu:

Monday: Pork chops, black-eyed peas

Tuesday: Creamy chicken taquitos, quacamole

Wednesday: Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells, garlic bread

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Soup and sandwiches

Saturday: Haven't decided, but something easy!

Sunday: Lunch for church - White Chicken Chili

Find more menu plans and recipes here!

Fallifying

As the weather here in Texas started to get cooler a few weeks ago, I started fallifying the house. Yes, I made that word up. The official definition is: "to decorate, adorn, or embellish with fall related items." I made that definition up too.

Anyway, when I decorate, I like for it to be a process. I don't want it all to be done in one day. So, I've added a little here and there. I still have a couple of projects that I hope to complete in the next couple of weeks. But for now, I will show you the little touches of fall in our house.

Let's start on the outside. This is the main door we use. The silver bucket was a gift from a wedding I was in earlier this summer. I found the flowers at Dollar Tree. The "welcome" sign was something I bought on clearance last year at Kohl's. I made the wreath on the door with scraps and a $1 wreath from Dollar Tree.

Here's a closer look at the wreath.

Now, inside the house, this is the entry table close to the door.

Here's a close up look at a few of the toilet paper pumpkins I made. This was such a fun, easy, and cheap project! I made a total of 7 of them for less than $5.

This is above the couch. You may recognize the window art from this post. I made this wreath with another $1 wreath from Dollar Tree and scraps from the pumpkins. The colors clash a little bit, but I like the way it looks.

This is the top of the TV. After I took this picture, I decided the jars were too much up there, so I moved them. You can see a few more of the pumpkins I made. The jars have acorns, gourds, pears, and the paper balls.

Here's a closer look at those jars. I made them by taking a canning jar and wrapping a wire hanger around the top and bending it to make a handle. I have dried split peas, tea lights, and cinnamon sticks in them. I know the colors are more for Christmas, but I wanted the smell of cinnamon and I like the color of the peas.

Moving on into the kitchen. This is a little corner shelf by the table. The bottom shelf is empty because I put the flower arrangement from the table on it while we eat.

This is the flower arrangement on the table. I think I got the bucket at a garage sale last summer and the flowers from Michael's last year.

Our china hutch/pie safe in the dining area. I love this hutch. As you can see, it's really old. Chris got it from a co-worker who was going to throw it away.

The basket, truck, blue bowl, and pitcher are always up there. I added the leaves, brown metal wall hanging that I got on clearance at Cato for $2.50, gourds, and reed diffuser.

And that's our house fallified. Thanks for going on the tour.

I'm linked up at: Today's Creative Blog

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 11

Here's a recap of last week's meals:

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna: This was OK. The pasta sauce and hot sauce was a weird combination for me. The recipe also made way too much for us. I ended up feeding almost half of it to the dog. He sure enjoyed it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies: These were very easy to make and so good! Although, the filling was tricky to make without a mixer. I did it by hand, but it wasn't very creamy or fluffy.

This wasn't on my menu plan last week, but Thursday night I ended up making a Breakfast Ring for supper. I highly recommend this recipe! I made it with ham, eggs, feta, cream cheese, and garlic. It was quick, easy, and super good!

This week:

New breakfast recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal

Monday: Roasted chicken in crock pot, rice, and peas Tuesday: Goulash

Wednesday: Fellowship supper at church - - I'm going to make Cheddar Sausage Balls

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Roast, potatoes, carrots

Saturday: Tuscan Chicken Soup (I printed this recipe off a while ago, but can't remember where I got it from), biscuits

Sunday: I haven't decided what I will take for lunch at church and we will probably have cereal or sandwiches for supper.


**Tomorrow I hope to post about my fall decorations!!! :)

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 4

Is it really October already? That is hard to believe!!! But that also means it's time to start making soups and other "fall" foods!

I didn't post a menu last week because my computer was out of commission. To be honest, we didn't have anything that exciting or worth posting about. I can't even remember now what we ate for supper most nights!

Here's this week's plan:

Monday: Ham and potatoes (I have left over ham pieces from making beans this weekend), green beans

Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (finally!)

Wednesday: Pork chops, rice, peas
Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Our church meeting starts, so I'll be taking Loaded Potato Salad, White Chili, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Saturday: Church meeting again - - taking mashed potatoes, rolls, cheddar garlic biscuits, Zebra cake, and some time of vegetable

Sunday: Church - - haven't decided what I will take, leftovers for supper

Check out more menu plans here!

The Words of My Mouth

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."


Matthew 12:34 "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."


Matthew 15:18-20 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 20

I finally got around to making homemade granola. It turned out pretty well, except I baked it a little too long. Every few bites has a bit of a burnt taste! Otherwise, it wasn't too hard and I like the way it tastes. It made the house smell delightful as it was baking!

It's nearing time to go grocery shopping again, so this week we're going to be scrounging around and using what we have.

Breakfast and lunch won't be anything special this week. Cereal, toast, fruit, oatmeal, bacon for breakfast. Sandwiches, left overs, and soup for lunches.

Supper -
Monday: Crock pot chicken and dumplings

Tuesday: Pork spare ribs (didn't make last week, so carrying over), mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas

Wednesday: Chili dogs, macaroni and cheese, vegetable

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: BBQ Chicken, grilled potatoes, spinach

Saturday: To be decided

Sunday: Frozen pizza or sandwiches

See more menu ideas here!

Odd Household Tasks

Every Wednesday I do one of the oddest household tasks I might ever have to do. I have to defrost and scrape ice out of our refrigerator.


This is our trusty refrigerator. It's about a thousand years old, but still works like a dream. Except that ice builds up around the "ice box" part. I've tried to ignore it, but then it just gets so bad that the door will barely close. And when that happens, it's a real pain in the derriere to defrost. You have to scrape, chip, bang, and even pull out the hair dryer for hours.

So, to avoid having that big mess, I've just decided to clean it out every Wednesday. This is what it looks like before I begin. Lovely!


Here I am with the necessary tools. I'm thinking of purchasing some gloves to help in this process. My hands sure do get cold!

I scrape.

I chip.

And 30 minutes later......

And now I must mop the floor!

Living Vicariously

I was working on some sewing projects today and remembered that I never got around to posting about a few sewing projects I finished a while back.

On days when I don't feel like mopping the floor, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, or chipping ice out of the refrigerator (more to come about this later), I sit on the couch and browse the lovely world wide web for crafty projects. I'm not ashamed to admit that I "stalk" a few handfuls of blogs. Most of the projects that I end up falling in love with involve making things for children. Well, since there definitely aren't any of those around, I just make things for other people's children.

One of my dearest, sweetest friends has 2 adorable little girls. Adorable little girls deserve adorable little gifts.

First, I made a crayon roll. I had seen these around on different blogs and just thought they were genius. I used this tutorial to make mine. It was a lot of fun to make, even though I had to take out a few seams here and there!

Here it is all rolled up. I used a hair-band and a button to hold it closed.

Here it is opened up. I wanted to use crayons in a variety of sizes, because it was for a toddler.

Then, I made this little taggie giraffe. Do you know about taggies? They are mostly seen as blankets, but I thought this giraffe was cute. It's simply a stuffed animal (or blanket if you choose to make that) with different textured ribbons around the edge. Apparently, babies love to touch the different ribbons. It's a great sensory toy! I used this tutorial for my taggie giraffe. This took me a while to make. The first one I put together had a really skinny neck. So, I made another one, but it's body was really skinny. Finally, I was able to make one that was reasonably proportioned and somewhat resembled a giraffe.

The fabric on this side is a knit and the other side is a minky micro-fiber fabric.

Ironically, while I was in the middle of making these two projects, my dear, sweet friend asked if I would make her a bag to go over the handle bars on her stroller. I was a little bit intimidated by this, because I couldn't find a tutorial or directions. I overcame my fears and set to work creating something. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned it out. Now I'm thinking of how I can change it a little to make it a purse or bag of some sort that I could use.



I'm linked up at:

Today's Creative Blog

The Girl Creative

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 13

Reviews from last week:

The jalapeno popper chicken was awesome! I've recently found the pleasure in jalapenos and have this strange desire to put them in everything. The jalapeno popper chicken was a good combination between spicy, creamy, and salty. Perfect!

The crockpot peppercorn steak was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was my favorite meal of the week, but it wasn't bad. I put red, yellow, orange, and green peppers in it and I think the peppers gave it too much of a sweet taste. There was a lot of the sauce part left, which I froze to use as a base for soup later.

The stuffed shells were very good. The recipe calls for a 9X13 pan. I made two 8x8 pans and froze one. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare and cost around $5.50. That's pretty good for two meals!

I didn't make the crockpot buffalo chicken lasagna last week, but I will try it soon!

I made tuna salad for lunch one day last week and made the most delicious tuna melt out of mine. I toasted tuna and shredded cheese on some bread, then added extra mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Topped with fresh spinach leaves and red onion. The tuna salad also had jalapeno in it. It was amazing!

Breakfast:
Granola and yogurt (Didn't make last week)
Eggs, fresh pears, toast
Bacon and fruit
Cereal and fruit
Toast and fruit

Lunch:
Leftovers
Chicken salad
Frozen pizza
Sandwiches

Supper:
Monday: BBQ Chicken Quarters, green beans, okra

Tuesday: Crescent Taco Bake

Wednesday: Fellowship supper at church - taking Buffalo Chicken Rice casserole (make Buffalo Chicken Dip and add to rice)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: Pork Spare Ribs, black-eyed peas

Sunday: Leftovers or Pizza

See more great menus and recipe ideas here.

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 6

I tried several new recipes last week. Some we liked and some we didn't. I would highly recommend these breakfast cookies. I mean, who doesn't like eating cookies for breakfast? These were so yummy! I also made this baked oatmeal that was very tasty. I'm actually having some still this morning.

For suppers, I made ham kabobs and country ham and macaroni casserole one night. They were both very delicious.

One new recipe that we didn't care for was smashed potato cakes. I didn't like the flavor of the greek yogurt in the potatoes and making them cakes was one extra step that I didn't think was necessary.

I didn't get to make either of the quinoa recipes last week. The grocery store was sold out when I went shopping! I couldn't believe it! So, I'll try again another time and hopefully make it soon.

On to this week -

Breakfast Options:
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins and fruit
Eggs and toast
Cereal and fruit
Bacon and eggs
Oatmeal and fruit
Granola with yogurt (*I found out last week that Grandma does not like yogurt! So, I will be making this for myself!)

Lunch Options:
Leftovers
Tuna salad
Sandwiches
Frozen pizza

Supper:

Monday: Jalapeno Popper Chicken, black-eyed peas, cornbread

Tuesday: Crockpot Peppercorn Steak, corn

Wednesday: Brats, grilled potatoes, okra

Thursday: Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna, green beans

Friday: Chris is going to the football game, so Grandma and I will probably just do something easy.

Saturday: Dinner at church

Sunday: Stuffed shells, garlic cheddar biscuits, peas, lima beans

Go here for more menu ideas!

Only in Texas...

As I went out to check the mail this morning, I questioned whether I was having hallucinations. No, I was indeed seeing a massive Longhorn in the road. But that wasn't the extent of it. There was a lady riding the Longhorn down the road. With a calf tied to it. I couldn't believe my eyes!

In true Northerner fashion, I quickly went inside to grab my camera. I did my best paparazzi moves and snapped a few pictures.



A few weeks ago I saw a goat walking down the road in front of our house. That was unusual, but not too surprising. This, however, really had me speechless. I wonder if it's a pet? Or maybe it's going to be supper sometime down the road? Either way, it would save on gas!

Welcome to Texas!

How I Plan a Menu

I'm a bit crazy about making lists. I make them all the time. It's just how my brain works. It helps me to be more organized and productive. I make lists of things to do, things to buy, things I want, things I don't like, and even lists of things to make lists about. It's an obsession.

For me, menu planning involves a lot of lists. It's a bit of a tedious task, but one I enjoy very much. Here's a little look into how I go about planning a menu and grocery shopping.

First, I make a list of all the meals that I want to make. I've been planning for a month at a time, but this month I decided to only do 2 weeks at a time. I make a list for breakfast, lunch, and supper, sides, and snacks. Some of these are new recipes and some are old tried-and-true recipes.


Once I have my list compiled of all the recipes I would like to use in the two weeks (or month), I start planning them out by day. Sometimes I use an actual calendar, but this time I just use a scratch piece of paper. I try to include a variety throughout the week: chicken, beef, pork, grilled food, etc. I also try to plan the meals so we don't have the same kind of meat two nights in a row. That doesn't always work, but I do my best.



Once I have the meals assigned to specific days, it's time to make a grocery list. I go through each meal, check the recipe (if I need one), and write down everything I'll need for that meal. I do this for each meal and just keep a running list. If something is a repeat, like cheese or meat, I make tally marks by the item on the list to indicate how much of it is needed. You can see this next to the cheddar cheese on my list.

Now, I could call it done at this point. However, if I did, I would be one disorganized, stressed, and chaotic woman at the grocery store. (Please be aware that this is usually the case regardless.) Once I have my master list of groceries needed, I start organizing it into categories. I created this handy-dandy shopping list that is broken down by aisles at the grocery store. This took a few weeks of going to HEB to get everything in the right category, but it makes life at the grocery store so much easier!

The final step is to go through my coupons and highlight the items on my list for which I have coupons. I have found that once I'm in the store and focused on trying to get everything, I usually forget that I have coupons. By highlighting the item, it causes me to pay extra care to actually use that coupon. I clip all my coupons to my list and as I put the item in my shopping cart, I put the coupon with my wallet.

And that, my friends, is how I menu plan and make a grocery list. Aren't you glad you know a little bit more about how crazy I am?

CVS and Walmart Deals

I love a good deal! My sweet friend, Liz, has been telling me about all the good deals she gets at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc for quite some time now. I've read about other people getting those good deals as well and it always excited me. However, I had this idea in my mind that it took a lot of work to cut out coupons, plan the shopping trips, and go to the store. Well, last week I finally decided to join the bandwagon!

I was so excited to see the newspaper out on the driveway Sunday morning! I eagerly started looking through the ads and coupons. With the help of Liz, Money Saving Mom, and Common Sense with Money, I created a plan of action.

I set out yesterday afternoon to shop at CVS, Dollar General, Walmart, and HEB. All in all, I'm very excited about my good deals!

CVS

2 bottles of Dawn dish soap, Phillips earbuds, Venus Embrace razor, 2 Energy Chews, 2 King Size Snickers
Total Spent: $11.34
Total Saved: $21.54
Total ECB earned: 5

Wal-Mart


2 bottles of Gain dish soap and 8-pack magnets
Total Spent: $0.48
Total Saved: $3.46

I won't post a picture of everything I bought at HEB or how much I spent. I will tell you that I saved $49.81 just by using coupons and shopping sales!

Menu Plan Monday: Aug. 30th

Last week I followed my menu pretty well. The only exception was Friday. Chris had to go out of town, so Grandma and I just had an easy supper of PB&J and soup.

With Grandma living with us again, I'm taking extra care to plan breakfast, lunch, and snacks in addition to supper. We have to be sure to keep Grandma eating several times a day to keep her weight up.

Breakfast (no particular order, I just pick something each day):
Cereal and fruit
Breakfast cookies and fruit
Eggs and bacon
Yogurt and fruit
Baked oatmeal and fruit
Bacon and toast

Lunch:
Leftovers
Quesadilla
Soup
Chicken salad
Sandwiches

Supper:
Monday: Tacos, refried beans, guacamole
Tuesday: Ham 2 ways (Ham Kabobs & Country Ham and Macaroni Casserole), green beans
Wednesday: Cheeseburger Turnovers, oven fries, peas, lima beans
Thursday: Chicken and veggie packets on the grill, grilled potatoes
Friday: Pork steaks or pork chops (depending on what is on sale at the grocery), quinoa risotto, broccoli
Saturday: Chicken pizza
Sunday: Crockpot peppercorn steak, smashed potatoes, corn

If you're interested, I'm planning a post for later this week on how I go about planning menus and organizing a grocery list.

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas!

Peanut Farming at 12:30 a.m.

Our days caring for Grandma are often filled with laughter. There are hard days and nights, but we try to focus on the moments of laughter to help us get through the hard times. A lot of the funny moments revolve around the bathroom. I'm not sure why. Maybe we just have a weird sense of humor.

There are also a lot of funny moments that come about in the middle of the night. Except, they don't seem so funny when I'm half asleep, stumbling around trying to keep Grandma from stumbling. It's usually the next morning when I think back on what happened and then I find it funny.

Last night Grandma woke up around 12:30 and wanted to talk about peanut farming. Yes, peanut farming. I like peanuts and all, but I wasn't really in the mood to talk about peanut farming at 12:30 a.m. She was having a dream that her Granddaddy was talking to her about peanut farming. He was telling her about how the first people who lived in this country survived on peanut farming. According to her, he went on and on about it, "like old men tend to do."

You see, most of the time when she wakes up in the night she's been having a dream and thinks that the dream is really happening. For example, she wakes up many nights thinking she's on a train. Or, one night last week she woke up and thought one of the members of church was there with her. Earlier this week she wanted to know what happened to the birthday cake. (Birthday cake in the middle of the night DID sound like a great idea!)

So, last night she thought her Granddaddy was there with her and still telling her about peanut farming. She thought I was a little girl who wanted to hear about peanut farming too. So, while trying to get her to the bathroom and get that business taken care of, she filled me in on Granddaddy's lesson on peanut farming. She was still talking as I put her back in bed, turned off the light, and crawled back in my bed. She was done with peanut farming by morning.

I have no idea if her Granddaddy really was a peanut farmer. I will find out about that.

Bathroom

Did you get tired of waiting? I did. I figured that the bathroom might not ever get completely finished, so I should go ahead and post about it. It looks finished in the pictures (unless you look very closely). There is just some touch-up painting and a few pieces of trim to put up. Otherwise, it's great and I love it!

Here's looking into the bathroom before.
The sink was directly to the left of the door, with the water heater next to it in the corner. The toilet was across from the water heater. The bathtub was straight inside the door.

Here's another shot looking at the corner of the bathroom. You can see the cabinets hanging above the toilet. This was basically the only storage in the bathroom.

This is another shot of the bathtub.


You can't see the floor very well in any of these pictures, but it was a cheap blue linoleum. It was coming up in most parts and just looked nasty, regardless of how much I cleaned it. The paneling was white with pink and blue flowers.

And looking into the bathroom now:
This technically is looking towards the back corner where the bathtub was before. We put up white beadboard about 5 feet up and painted the rest a smokey blue color. Because the bathroom is so small, we decided to go with a pedestal sink. I love the glass shelf above the sink! The toilet is directly in front of the door and the window is in the same place as before. The hardwood floor is the same as what we put in the laundry room.

Another shot looking towards where the toilet, water heater, and sink were before:
As you know, the bathtub was in the bathroom before. We did buy an attachment to make it into a shower also. The shower curtain was a bit of a splurge, but we had trouble finding one that Chris and I both liked.

For storage, Chris found this piece at a used furniture store. It was an antique white color, but I painted it bright white. It works really well in the bathroom. It's to the left as you walk in the door, across from the sink. (So, if you're standing at the sink, the cabinet is to your back.)
And that's the new bathroom, folks!

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