Great Pumpkin Dessert Recipe- Healthier Version

I was visiting a new bloggy friend, Camille at www.flowersinhisgarden.blogspot.com . She recently posted one of my favorite dessert recipes of all time. It was one of my favorite desserts, but I had actually thrown away the recipe because I didn't think I could make it healthy and taste good since I no longer have boxed cake mixes in my pantry. It just looked so yummy. So, I decided to to give it another shot. I changed a few ingredients around and served it last night at a Healthy Families Network meeting. I got rave reviews! I thought it was so good, I ate two pieces ;0. I actually liked this recipe better than the original because it wasn't so sweet. I think I know what I'll be eating for breakfast this morning. Sorry, Stace, I was going to bring some to your house today, but I really don't think it's going to make it that far ;P!

Great Pumpkin Dessert Recipe (Healthier Version)

Mix filling together in Kitchen Aid:

4 eggs
1 ½ cup sucanat
1 cup buttermilk or whole milk (use 2 cups if using canned pumpkin)
4 cups ground pumpkin (I use frozen pumpkin, steamed and ground – can substitute with canned pumpkin)
1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice (or may substitute for 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, ½ tsp ground cloves)
¼ tsp salt (optional)

Grease pan 9 x 13 pan (I use coconut oil, or if using stoneware, there is no need to grease) and pour filling in.

Mix crumble topping together in food processor or use pastry cutter:

1 cup sucanat
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt (optional)
1/2 cup cold butter

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans if desired and continue baking another 30 minutes.

Once cool, serve with fresh whipped cream (preferably raw and sweetened with a little honey) and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

home

...3, 2, 1 --> BLAST OFF!!!

Even though I do the bulk of homeschooling in our family, Michael does a great job helping me with all the mechanical/scientific subjects. Someone gave us this rocket at a yard sale. There were a couple pieces missing, so Michael went down to our local hobby store and found what he needed. We all went down to the field near the school where we live to launch the rocket.

Michael had bought three medium grade engines to "fuel" the rocket.

We were in the middle of the field, see how far away the fence is? Michael was fully expecting the rocket NOT to work, so was surprised when it did ignite while he was still looking at the battery, not the rocket. We had three shots at this, since we had three engines. This baby went way higher in the air than we expected.

So where did they land? The first launch landed the rocket in the rode on the other side of the fence. The second time it landed on the opposite side of the field in someone's backyard. The third launch landed the rocket back on the other side of the field and in someone's yard, two houses down. We didn't find it until the next day. I think next time we'll use smaller engines or find a wheat field :) Josiah and Michael had a great time, while I stood helplessly by with Hailey hoping we wouldn't catch someone's house on fire. I know, I'm such a typical woman. Boys and their toys, you gotta love 'em!

God Bless,
Jackie

"The Blast Off Song". This song also helps a Bible verse. Any of you remember singing this verse in Sunday School?

Somewhere in outer space
God has prepared a place
For those who trust Him and obey
Jesus will come again
And though we don't know when
The countdown's getting lower every day.

CHORUS:
10 and 9, 8 and 7, 6 and 5 and 4,
Call upon the Savior while you may,
3 and 2, coming through the clouds in bright array
The countdown's getting lower every day.

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
BLAST OFF!

Jesus was crucified, suffered and bled he died,
But on the cross He did not stay
He made this promise true, I will come back for you,
The countdown's getting lower every day.

CHORUS

Soon will the trumpet sound, and we’ll rise off the ground
With Christ forever will we be
Children where will you be, throughout eternity?
The countdown’s getting lower everyday!

CHORUS

"And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3

Consequences Pyramid

So, I was on the phone with my sister last week and we were swapping homeschooling woes. Both of us were complaining about the amount of time we were disciplining compared to teaching and neither of us were satisfied with what was happening in our homeschools. We were trying to figure out how to keep our kids on-task without losing our minds in the process! We were being consistent with the "break system" but it just didn't seem to be enough. Half our energy and brain power was being drained just in trying to figure out what privileges to take away, what would be fair and deflecting the arguments that would inevitably come our way when we would apply a consequence.

Thus, the Consequences Pyramid was born! Ours may look a little differently, but I think we have the same basic idea. We decided that a simple visual reminder and "code system" just might do the trick. This way, everyone is on board and knows what to expect if they aren't able to turn their behavior around. Kind of like how God deals with us adults when we are disobeying Him. He starts chipping at us with a hammer and ends up bringing in the jack hammer if we still aren't "getting it". As you can see from the picture above, I've got my pyramid broken out into five "codes":

Code Blue: Take a break
Code Green: No snack
Code Yellow: No electronics (including anything with batteries)
Code Orange: Take a nap (or one hour rest time)
Code Red: Go to bed right after supper

Infractions include: disobedience, disrespect, bad attitude, arguing, not staying on task, etc...

We decided that our homeschool day would be over at 3pm. If the kids weren't done by then, they would automatically go to code red. A couple of days of that and we knew we'd have the upper hand again. We also having them do their extra chores after homeschooling is over for the day and before they are "released". Same system applies.

So, how's it working? Josiah has only gotten as far as code yellow (once). Blue or green is about the average. We've been getting our homeschooling done in record time (as well as chores) and the attitude has been completely different. My energy isn't getting drained by the constant arguments and goofing off. Stacie reports similar results. She works hers a bit differently because she is disciplining more than one child. When I can tell Josiah is having a hard time turning it around, I tell him he needs to ask the Holy Spirit to help him. I want to teach him at an early age that he can't be "good" on his own. Many times he'll ask me to pray for him. As you can imagine, this has helped tremedously and it is teaching a spiritual truth.

I'm so excited about this new system! I just had to share it with you all. I drew the hearts on my chart to remind both Josiah and I that the reason there are consequences is because I love him.

God Bless,
Jackie

My Fall Princess

I quickly took these pictures of Hailey just before we headed to church yesterday morning. The sweater she is wearing was crocheted for Josiah when he was a baby by his Aunt Abby. Of course I kept it and now Hailey is wearing it. Isn't it darling?

Little Miss Attitude!

Downtown Trick or Treating

Mom and Larry came over Halloween Day to visit. It was nice to have some help when I took the kids trick-or-treating downtown. We've never done that before (usually we go to Mom's house) but since Michael had to work we thought we'd stick close to home. Downtown is a safe alternative, although I was amazed at how many people came out for it. Very crowded! Mom and Larry helped me keep track of the kidlets. Josiah was a GI again, Hailey was a Civil War era child and I decided to be a biker chick. I know, real stretch for me, but it sounded warm and a lot of people don't know I ride a motorcyle, so it would have looked like a costume. I know I'm cheap! The only thing I bought this year was the pattern and material for Hailey's bloomers.

Before we went trick-or-treating downtown, we all went to a local pizza buffet and arcade. When we were done trick-or-treating, we came home and had spicy pumpkin soup. I got the recipe from Kim 's "Homesteaders Heart" blog. It was really yummy. We got a total of three trick-or-treaters the entire evening while we watched "Spartacus". We had a safe, non-scary and fun Halloween, just the way I like it. Hope you all had a good one!

God Bless,
Jackie

Fairmont Fair

Last night we went to the AWANAS Fairmont Fair. Never been there before. It was a wonderful Halloween alternative. No scary costumes and lots of good clean fun. I was the only adult who was dressed up, so I felt a little inconspicuous. Adults really need to have more fun! My kids love it when I dress up with them. Hailey wanted to wear her little frilly, tutu dress instead of her Civil War outfit. I can rarely get Michael to dress up with me. Last night he said he was dressed as a "grumpy old man".

Josiah opted out of being a Civil War soldier at the last minute and instead chose to dress as a WWII GI. We got him an Army pack for his birthday and it came in handy in the candy department. Oh my gosh, I've never seen so much candy in my life! We came away with an enormous amount. I let the kids choose five of their favorite pieces. We're going to use the rest tonight if we get any trick or treaters. If we have any left over, we'll ship it to the pastor we know in Kenya where it is much appreciated since they don't get very much candy there.

Michael made me this cloak a few years ago. He used a cheap cloak I bought on Halloween clearance and then lined it and put beautiful old-fashioned hook fasteners on it. I love it! It is one of my favorite gifts he's ever given me.

They had some really unique games at the party. This spoon catapult was really interesting. They tried to fling AWANAS tokens into little buckets. Josiah did pretty good. Hailey pretty much used all her tokens on the cupcake walk. She just loved walking/running around in circles over and over again. Sounds like a typical toddler, doesn't it?

A big thanks to all the workers who helped put the Fairmont Fair together!

God Bless,
Jackie

What Happened to the Snowman's Nose?

You thought I was joking when I blogged earlier in the week that our pumpkin man would soon have a snowman friend, didn't ya? Well, yesterday we had our first snow (the leaves aren't even off all our trees yet) and there was enough for Josiah to make a snowman and for us to have our first snowball fight of the year. Later, I asked why the snowman's nose was missing. Josiah says, "Um, well you see...I got hungry and ate it." That's my boy!

Read a couple of posts down for another Friday Funny.

Have a wonderful, safe weekend!

God Bless,
Jackie

Puttin' It All Together

Last weekend, Michael had a chance to work on his T-Bucket project. It has been in pieces for over a year. He decided to put it all together without bolting it down just so we could get an idea of what it would look like. So here it is! You can see that he's worked hard welding a new skin onto the body. He's going to make a box to go behind the seat. The kids thought it was so cool to get to sit in it (we were sitting on the board that makes up the instrument panel). We are going for the "old fashioned look" again as these pictures were taken before I had a chance to clean my lens :P

View from the front. He didn't have the radiator on there yet, so that is why it looks weird. He's got a Ford Flathead V8 engine in this baby. He found it for free and it even runs - same thing with the transmission. How blessed is this guy? Michael is really good about paying for parts for the T-Bucket from little side jobs he does so that it doesn't come out of the family budget. I really appreciate that about him!

T-Buckets are made for short people! Look how crunched up my legs are. Yikes! Won't be able to drive this thing long distances. It was really fun to get an idea of what it will basically look like after seeing it in pieces for so long. It has been a fun project for him and keeps him busy. Just had to share what my other half has been up to. BTW, his new job is going great. Thanks again for your prayers everybody!

Have a Blessed Day Everyone,
Jackie

Watcha Gonna Do?

So I just have to share this with you all. Josiah got into trouble a minute ago. He was coming back from a "break" and telling me what he did wrong, why it was wrong and what he was going to do differently next time. In the middle of my very serious talk with Josiah, Hailey walks up and starts singing, the "Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do....?" song (she must have heard it while at Papa's house since he likes to watch COPS). Can anybody tell me how you keep a straight face when a two year old is singing that song during a very serious lecture? So was I able to? Of course not! I crumpled up laughing and then I ran to the computer to "record" it on the blog!

Have You Seen The Pumpkin Man?

Martha, Martha! I'm freakin' myself out with all the fall crafts I've been doing this year. Having kids is forcing me to expand my horizons. I got the idea of stacking pumpkins in a Martha Stewart magazine my mom gave me. I decided to make a pumpkin man out of all the pumpkins that Josiah accidently broke the handles off. I added the sticks for arms. I didn't get the right camera angle here, so you can't see the cute cinnoman stick nose, although you can see it on Hailey's pumpkin. We put a light inside the pumpkin man's head.

Here are all the pumpkins we carved. Josiah carved the big one on the left. I carved Hailey's while she was sleeping. I loved the long, twisted stalk on her pumpkin. Of course we saved the seeds to roast and eat for snacks later.

I relectantly let Josiah carve his own pumpkin this year with great supervision. He did really good. Once he started carving, he didn't want to stop. The mouth on his pumpkin kept getting bigger and bigger. I thought he did an excellent job for only being 6 years old. As we were carving the pumpkins, he kept telling me, "This is the funnest day of my life, Mom!". I thought that was so cute.

I just had to throw in this last picture of Hailey since she wasn't in on the pumpkin carving. Yesterday morning I was putting together my slow-cook garlic chicken recipe (see sidebar for lables-->recipes-dinner) and she was helping. I gave her a piece of garlic to "chop" with her safe cutter knife, I turn around and she had eaten half the clove. That's our girl! We love garlic around here. I was just surprised a two year old would eat a raw clove of garlic. Very healthy for her.

It was snowing this morning when I went to Curves. First snow of the year. Not sticking, but we are supposed to get more throughout the day. Maybe our pumpkin man will have a snowman friend soon?

God Bless,
Jackie

Civil War Kids

This is why I was making the bloomers! For Halloween this year, I'm dressing my kids up as Civil War era children. I also got some old time photos taken last weekend through a MOPS fundraiser. So I'm getting my money and time out of making these bloomers for Hailey. Plus, she wore them to church on Sunday. I made them big, so they will fit her next year, too. I tried to take some pictures of the kids before the professional photo shoot, but I wasn't having a lot of luck. Hailey was not cooperating since I had to wake her up from her nap early. Therefor these pictures aren't that great. I don't know what is going on with my camera. I seem to have an annoying glow about all my pictures now. Anybody have an idea? I'm wondering if the lense got scratched or there is condensation in the camera.

This adorable bonnet was made for my niece, Darienne, by Michael's late Grandma Viola. She made a precious outfit to go with it, but the outfit is too big. Next year, we'll have pictures taken with her in it. My SIL graciously let us borrow the outfit. The bonnet fit perfectly. I wish I would have taken a picture of the back of her head. The bonnet is open in the back, so it really does look old-fashioned.

Yeah! One really good picture of Hailey doing her "thing". I can't remember where she got this sweater, but it is the cutest thing. It is really thick, so perfect for winter. I think it looks kind of old-fashioned, too. Hope you all had a great weekend!

God Bless,
Jackie

Beautiful Fall Craft - Roses Out Of Maple Leaves

These maple leaf roses make beautiful fall decorations. I'm not a crafty person, but even I can make these. These are super simple and cheap to assemble. All this takes is maple leaves and a little floral wire. The kids and I enjoy going around the neighborhood picking up leaves. Older kids would have no problem making these and younger kids love gathering the leaves. Just make sure they aren't brittle. I attached this "bouquet" to my door last year. You can go to this website for step by step instructions.
http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-roses-from-maple-leaves/

I know I posted this last year, but because I have so many new followers, I thought I could get away with posting it again. Just click on the link above for visual/written instructions. These make fun gifts, too! I saved all the roses I made from last year and have them strategically placed all around my house. If you do end up making these, please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

God Bless,
Jackie

Pumpkin Patch Rides

While I'm waiting for my cheese to brine, I thought I'd slip in another post of this weekend. After we went to Dufur's homecoming parade, we loaded into Diana's mini-van to go see Papa and Great Papa at a Pumpkin Patch event in The Dalles. Wow, you should have seen the line for the miniature horse rides! My parents have two minis, this one is Baker Man. Yes, he's adorable and has a sweet temperament. He takes both horses so he can trade them out so as not to overwork them.

Check out that 'stache! I swear it gets longer (and more grey every time I see him). Dad used to have a very long red beard (see, red does run in the family). I remember trying to find his chin when I was a little girl. When he finally shaved it, I was traumatized because he looked so different, LOL!

Here is a picture of my grandpa and his wife, Regina. They were giving Hay rides. Everyone looks like they are having a great time!

No, this is not my husband, but don't panic! Even though it was Dufur's homecoming weekend, when I went to the pumpkin patch in The Dalles, it felt like homecoming weekend for my class. I saw so many classmates I hadn't seen in years. This was my commencement walking partner, Robbie. It was so great to see him and catch up a little.

Also, I didn't get one picture (too busy talking - who me?:), but on Sunday I visited my good friend from high school, Leslie, at her ranch near where I grew up. Josiah and her son hit it off immediately. They kept getting into trouble together, so we had to confine them to the house so we could visit. They really had a good time. On the way home, I stopped off at my grandmother's retirement home and visited with her. It was wonderful to see so many family and friends all in one weekend.

Well, better get my queso fresco in the press. Have a good one everybody!

God Bless,
Jackie

Homecoming/Cute Cousins

This is going to be kind of an eclectic post of some more happenings this last weekend. It was Dufur's homecoming and since my dad and step mom are Dufurites, we met them at the volleyball/football games on Friday night. It was the first time the kids have ever seen any high school sports. They did better than I thought they would. In this picture they are sitting on Dad's lap just taking it all in.

The next day we went "downtown" to the small town homecoming parade. They had a story book theme going. It was great. Diana's 2nd grade class was Wild something or other. I can't read the banner in this picture. It was cute! Diana is the one waving. The kids got an enormous amount of candy that we are mostly going to give to some an African church we help support in Kenya. Since we try to do as little refined sugar as possible, at parades and such, I tell the kids they can pick out five of their favorite pieces and the rest goes to Kenya. Works great for us.

Here's a picture of Hailey holding her cousin Lily. She just loves holding her and petting her hair. Lily is simply delectable!

Here's the other cutie pie of the family, Noah. My brother, Jerry and his wife Sonya, have the such a little sweetie. I could seriously take this kid home. Do you think they would notice? Josiah asked to hold Noah in a rare moment of actually holding still. He was so cute with him. Noah looks a lot like Josiah when he was a baby, only Noah has more baby fat on him than Josiah did. He even has some red in his peach fuzz. That's our boy! Fits right into the family. Just had to show my newest niece and nephew off a little. Stay tuned, got more pictures of this weekend comin'!

Bloomin' Good weekend!

My hubby had drill this weekend so I decided to spend it with my parents at the ranch. My step mom is a seamstress, so I decided to enlist her help to make a pair of bloomers for Hailey. This is my first time making a garment. Hey, this looks simple, right? This is how not crafty I am. I would have never figured out how to do this if I hadn't had hands-on, step by step instructions. Reading directions seems to confuse me, so hands-on demos are right up my alley. All was going well -we had everything cut out and had it halfway sewed together. We took a little break to say good-bye to my brother and his family (Jaws theme). I came back into the sewing room just as Hailey snipped a good 2 inch gash into the bottom of one bloomer. Yikes! I admit that I did freak out a little, but according to my step mom, I did good. My very level-headed step mom saved the day by using some interfacing to pull it back together, thank God it ended up being on the inside of the leg so I can just put a small zig zag stitch on the cut. Also, the lace I used at the bottom was white and didn't go at all. I'd seen people dye Easter eggs with tea, so I decided to try it with this lace. It turned out great! It looks very vintage. I can't believe how long it took me to make this, but it was worth it.

I really liked sewing on Diana's antique sewing machine. I have a modern day, cheap Brothers machine at home. It does the job, but I really loved using this machine. Thank you, Diana, for taking the time to teach me! I really had fun with you.

Nope, I didn't sew these aprons. I bet you were just about to get impressed! I found these for only $19.98 in the Victorian Trading Post catalog. I showed Stacie what I was thinking of getting, so in a rare "twin moment" we decided to both get one. I think as we get older our tastes are merging. This picture doesn't do these aprons justice (I'm hoping Stacie has a better one that she'll post on her blog), but I promise you, they are simply delicious! I got mine in the mail on a day that I was wearing my motorcycle clothing. My hubby cracked up when he came home to see his motorcycle mama in a frilly apron with motorcycle boots on! I've got more pictures to post of this weekend, but that is all I have time for at the moment. I'm so behind on catching up with my blog list. I'm hoping to stop by some of your blogs soon.

God Bless,
Jackie