Meet Carla Sue

We have a new addition to the family.

We adopted this sweet lady  from another owner (whom I owe tons and tons of thanks) who upgraded. Shh don't tell Carla Sue. We don't want her feelings to get hurt.

We couldn't be happier. I have been loving her from a far for quite awhile. I mean, have you seen her lens.  Stunning.

Now I just need to get to know her better and make sure we let her shine and use all of her vast, vast talents.
We wouldn't want her hiding her light under a bushel now would we?

Hopefully some light ready will help.

P.S. I am the Dummy.

The first picture of the Dummy and Carla Sue.

I love her already.

Hopefully you will see some snazzier photos on the blog soon.

Have a delightful Saturday. We are headed to Yellowstone to enjoy the beautiful Fall weather. Carla Sue will be joining us of course.

Thanks for stopping by friends!

Pumpkin Chili

Several years ago, when we still lived in Ohio, we took ourselves to a local small town festival. Not just any festival though. Mid October if you head to Circleville, Ohio you will find a happy quaint little town celebrating pumpkins. Lots and lots of pumpkins.

Besides the normal fair activities, we were also enthralled with displays of pumpkins of all sizes.  Pumpkins, pumpkins,and MORE pumpkins.

Then there was the pumpkin inspired food. Pumpkin burgers, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pie, pumpkin butter, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin chili.

I haven't forgotten that sweet little Pumpkin Festival. I haven't forgotten that sweet little bit of Midwestern Fall.

Thanks to my reminiscing, I seemed to remember that pumpkin can go in more than just pie and bread. I mean don't get me wrong it I quite enjoy pumpkin bread, as you might recall from my recent recipe for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.

Recently we had a chillier day, which by it's very implication means I must make chili.

Chili+Fall+Pumpkin Festival memories= PUMPKIN CHILI.

This recipe is just my kind of chili. It is a hearty chili but not overly spicy. The pumpkin is just lovely. Then add in a little bit of brown sugar and some pumpkin pie spice and BAM, this chili is brought to a whole new level.

Pumpkin spice and brown sugar, "what is this a pie?"

Don't judge it till you try it. The taste of this chili is great. Just trust me.

Top it with sour cream, cheese, maybe some toasted pumpkin kernels. Oh and don't forget the corn bread.


Pumpkin Chili
adapted from FumilyFun.com

2 pounds ground beef (90/10) or ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto or kidney beans, drained
1 (12 oz) bottle of chili sauce (condiment found in the ketchup aisle)
1 cup beef broth
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, brown beef or turkey with the chopped onion. Drain excess grease.

Add in all the remaining ingredients and stir well to mix.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Serve with grated cheese and sour cream.

Happy pumpkin enjoying.

Thanks for reading, you are grand.

A Pinteresting Wednesday: Planning an Avengers Birthday

Idea from Here 

Have you missed me, er uh I mean me blogging?

Just humor me and tell me that you have. Humor me and tell me that I am a bright and shiny spot in your day and that you have missed my wit and effervescent personality.

Needy much?

Yup, it is the truth.

Today I am not even sharing a completed Pinterest project for this A Pinteresting Wednesday. Shock. Gasp.

I feel like I am in the beginning/middle of a hundred different projects. Not a single one of them are complete. Ugh.

The majority of my projects right now are all about The Avengers. Very fitting don't you think since the movie just came out. LOVE hunky superheros the movie.

In a few weeks there we will be calling the Avengers to assemble out our house for the celebration of Middle's birthday. This theme was a last minute change and I am loving it.

I had a couple of ideas, but when I needed some more I knew right where to go.

PINTEREST, the party planners friend. Not only can I search for ideas, but when I find ideas on the internet I can pin them to my Avengers Party board. I add to this board quite often.

 Thanks to my board I am in the process of making some Avengers felt masks, popsicle stick bookmarks, and a puzzle. I also am now really trying to justify why I need to buy the full-sized cut out of Captain America. Plus I am pretty sure I have to buy several sets of the Avengers Pez containers.

I am also working on the decorations. I grabbed some of this really fun fabric.

I am deciding on which colors to decorate with, you know how I like good color themed decorations. I am excited on how all my ideas are going to play out...the ones that get done anyway...hahaha.

I have a whole list of party games in my head. Now all I need is a BUNCH of cardboard to make it work. Anyone want to give me some???

That last thing I am contemplating for this party is if I should do lunch. This add in my Sunday mailer may have sealed the deal. Do you think I can buy them now and freeze these for the party?

Could you just die??

I am super excited. Hopefully I will get everything in my head done. I have a lot of projects to do and a lot of things to show you...not just all Avengers.

Thanks for hanging around. I sure appreciate every single reader.

In a Nutshell: My Boys

I am feeling a bit hormonal sappy this week.

Sometimes in the midst of check-lists, obligations, appointments, errands, menu-making, projects and such I forget to stop and notice the really important going-ons around me.

I forget, if you will, to take out my mental camera and capture the precious moments.

My precious moments involving four Little Men gifted to me by a very, very generous Heavenly Father.

Part of this week was spent with Hubby out of town. While there is a bit of hanging on by my teeth and just waiting for him to come home, I have tried to cherish the just Mom and boys time. Besides a few moments of utter chaos and pure desperation, we have had a good time.

I have four delight boys that are delightfully different. I am proud to be their Momma. I am beyond grateful.

Allow me to further the sappiness by sharing pictures I have taken of each of them recently. None of them for project, blog, or portrait purposes.

I took them as a Mom wanting to keep a memory.

Oldest:

I was actually taking pictures for a food post coming soon.

As I was putting my camera away, he said I should take a picture of him

taking a bite of a muffin.

I love that I captured his one dimple.

I love that I know he was making a thumbs up indicating "yum good".

I love that he came up with the idea.

I love that this was his little way of supporting all my blog craziness.

I am glad I let dinner get just that much colder so I could snap his picture too.

Middle:

He is all about being a football player.

His favorite thing to do is put on his Ohio State jersey...

(Yup he is still an Ohio State fan even in Idaho)

and his football shorts.

(That is what he calls his pj shorts)

He sleeps in this outfit.

He wants to wear it all day.

He wants me to sew foam into it so he can be a real player with pads.

I even let him wear this to the store.

Someday the football won't look so giant in his hands. 

Little:

Gah, I LOVE that face.

His little squinty-eyed grin.

I love that you can tell he is saying "cheese".

We were off to preschool again.

This day I was in love with his rockin' outfit and just had

to snap a picture.

He has been so excited to be in preschool.

Every day he asks if he gets to go to school.

All of his new pants he calls his "preschool pants". 

Bean:

Oh that face. 

Can anyone get enough of that face.

I haven't made it a secret to anyone that Bean was a surprise to our family.

What a wonderful, utterly fantastic surprise!

I snapped this picture of him hanging out while I was doing something or other...like I feel I always am.

He sits there content most of the time. I wanted to capture how he puts up with me leaving him in his chair.

Instead I captured this. This is the face he makes when I or anyone else he loves comes near.

Immediate grin.

Which produces more immediate grins from anyone close by.

Can you see those teeny tiny adorable teeth?

Thanks for letting me go on about my love for these boys.

I am a normal Momma and not every second of every day is sunshine and roses. There are days when I am simply commanding the somewhat insolent troops through the trenches.

But they are my troops and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Thanks again for letting me indulge in the sappiness.

Have you indulged lately in what makes you sappy?

I highly recommend it. It will be good for you heart.

Canning Salsa

What? I am canning again...I know shocking.

I just can't seem to help myself. I have caught the canning bug and I just can't seem to stop.

Okay that is not true, there will be stopping soon. I may love the product of canning, but I have about run out of the energy to can.

Plus I am running out of jars.

Before my steam completely ran out we decided to can one more thing.

All thanks to some tomatoes.

See we had a plethora of tomatoes...I know fancy words, right. Yeah, I am all smart and stuff like that. Thanks to my junior year of high school rhetoric.

I am pretty sure plethora is the only vocab word I remember from that course. My poor teacher would be disappointed if he found out. So shhhh, don't tell him.

Anyway, back to my plethora of tomatoes.

With all these tomatoes, I decided it was time I learned to can salsa.

I used THIS recipe An Oregon Cottage.

Not too spicy. Not too mild. Perfect consistency.  The ingredients are easy to find.

The salsa comes together super easy. Even, say absolutely hypothetically, if you don't have a food processor and have to chop everything up with a tiny bullet baby food maker in like four batches. Hypothetically of course.

If you too have a plethora of tomatoes...

AND you like some chips and salsa...

Well, then make some salsa. Heck, you don't even have to can this if you don't want to. Just put a lid on it and store it in your fridge. Have it with some chips anytime your little heart desires.

Ole'.