Happy Pumpkin Day:)

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Night

Some years we host a party with friends and some years we simply have a family night, but we always have a pumpkin carving night at the end of October. Its just one of our traditions. This year it was a family night that included my parents and sister.

We almost always have the same menu each year, too, but whatever the menu is it always includes white chili. Tonight's menu was:

Bread Pot Fondue
with Spicy Saltines Roasted Pumpkin Seeds White Chili Cornbreadand
Butter Cookies

Boy, was it yummy! I'll have to share that Bread Pot Fondue with Spicy Saltines with you soon. And maybe the Butter Cookies, too. Those are one of my all-time fave cookies.

After the food, we got down to business with the carving.

The Princess with Aunt KariMr. B and Vince

Nana and Papi chilled out with *It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown*. Bless their hearts, they just got home today from an almost-24-hour trip back home from Alaska. They were a little tired, to say the least.

And without further ado, here are our family pumpkins for 2009:

Vince's *Toothy Guy*:
My *Mickey Mouse*:

The Princess' *Pumpkin Snowman Stack*:

Mr. B's *Fib*(as in Larry-Boy and the Fib From Outer Space:)

How about you and your family? Do you enjoy carving pumpkins? Leave me a comment!

This post is linked to Show and Tell at My Romantic Home.

My Hands-Down-Most-Favorite-Potato-Soup Ever

Years ago~as in, before I was married~I worked in the historic downtown Van Buren, AR, in an adorable little gift shopped called Betsy's. The other ladies who worked there and I loved to order take out from a nearby diner called The Pie Plate. On Wednesdays they had the most wonderful potato soup served with homemade rolls. It was just amazing! Sadly, The Pie Plate closed its doors one day and the potato soup was gone. Until I discovered a recipe that seemed to have very similar ingredients (as I was avidly searching for one), so I tried it out making an addition or two and a couple of adjustments and...voila, I had recreated that delicious soup that I loved so much. Today I made it for my kiddos~yes, they loved it~and I wanted to share it with you. Its just that good!

Lora's Potato Soup

4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup celery
1 cup onion
1 cup sliced or chopped carrots
2 tsp. salt
2-4 cups water (enough to cover the veggies)
1 cup milk or half & half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbls. butter
1 Tbls. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
white pepper, to taste
*****
Combine potatoes, celery, onion, carrots, salt and water in a large soup pot. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Mash mixture several times with a potato masher, leaving some vegetable pieces whole. Stir in remaining ingredients; return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until soup is thoroughly heated. You can add shredded cheese as you serve it, but I prefer it without.

A Little Housekeeping...The Real Kind

Lately it has become apparent to me that with all the balls I'm balancing~homemaking, parenting, homeschooling, blogging, life in general~I have dropped the house cleaning one majorly. Please don't tell my mother! I looked around the other day and couldn't believe the dust on everything, the floors that needed to be vacuumed/swept, all of the stuff piled around, not to mention the toys I was tripping over... You get the picture.

Now don't think that I'm of the opinion that my house needs to be perfect at all times, just maybe once in a while. LOL Seriously though, I like to have a relatively tidy house. One that can be picked up fairly quickly if there's unexpected visitors and, to be honest, it's usually like that. But homeschooling this year has been all-consuming for me--and I don't apologize for that. But I do think I can structure my days better and manage my time more efficiently so that I don't become overwhelmed with it all. So this past week that has been my mission. And I think I'm coming along nicely.

But for some reason I'm scared to talk about cleaning my house. The last time I mentioned it on my Facebook status I was berated (in a joking sort of way) by my friends telling me to "let it go", "don't worry about it", "that dust isn't going anywhere". I said "yeah, that dust hasn't been anywhere in a long, long time!" haha Since then though I've been wondering, why is it not *socially acceptable* (for lack of a better term) to want to have a clean, neat house? Why am I made to feel like a OCD freak if I mention cleaning? Personally, I think it's because we all want to know that our friend's and neighbor's houses are just as messy as ours, because it makes us feel better about letting our house go. I know when my house is a wreck, I sure don't want to hear about everyone else's photo-ready homes.

But on the other hand, channeling a little June Cleaver once in a while isn't necessarily a bad thing. I want to have a clean house, not just for my personal satisfaction, but for my husband and my children. I want them to have a cozy, warm, safe haven to live in. One that they're comfortable living in, comfortable inviting their friends into, one that they can be proud of and one that's a place they want to be. Home is where we spend the majority of our time. Especially for our family right now since my husband currently has a home office and I am homeschooling. Home should be a comforting sort of place. And when it's in complete disarray, that doesn't happen.

So I'm striving to stay more focused and follow some easy tips that I've picked up here and there along the way. It really makes my life easier and I feel good when I get into bed at night instead of thinking of all the stuff I have waiting for me the next morning. It's not an overnight process and it will always be one of those balls that occasionally gets dropped, but that's okay. That's life.


And just for fun, here are Martha Stewart's top 6 daily things. What do you think about them? Are they things you do? My responses are in italics.

1. Make the Bed
Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things -- such as clothes and papers -- pile up around it.
(I do this everyday, or my husband does this~whoever is out of bed last is the one who has to make it at our house).

2. Manage Clutter
Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same. (I do try to do this. Everyone else, not so much. I'm working on that because this is a great tip!).

3. Sort the Mail
Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing. (I love looking at my mail~I'm weird like that. So I never let it pile up).

4. Clean as You Cook
Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal. (This one I'm not very good at, to be honest. I do try to put things in the dishwasher as I go, but if it's something that doesn't go in there, my sink gets really full and then I feel overwhelmed after it's all over. But my hubby has majorly kicked in lately on helping do dishes. He's AWESOME!).

5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh
Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately. (Yes, yes, yes!!)

6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor
Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker. (I'll just tell ya, I hate sweeping. I can't wait until my kiddos are big enough to do this job~since they drop most of the stuff that's under the table anyway. haha I'm trying to be more regular with this though, because waking up to a clean floor is just so nice).

This post is linked to Works-For-Me-Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Just a Little Window Shopping

This past weekend my sweet husband surprised me with an impromtu date night at PF Chang's. Yeah, he's pretty awesome! The restaurant is actually located in a town about an hour from where we live, so we had some great drive-time talk. I love that! Even after 12+ years we still have tons to talk about:)

After our very yummy dinner, I tricked him into letting me do a little window shopping (only I actually went inside the stores..heehee). I only checked out two faves: PotteryBarn and Williams-Sonoma--they were just too tempting. In my defense though all I bought was a tube of tomato paste. I've been wanting a tube of that for-e-ver. And now I have one. :)

I did see some great stuff though and thought I'd share some of my *finds* with you. Just a little fall inspiration for you...

the cutest acorn dish
(Pottery Barn)

really cool tiered serving piece

(Pottery Barn)

don't you just love pottery?!
(Pottery Barn)

cozy sweater pillows...I want some!!:)

(Pottery Barn)

I {heart} acorns!! And muffins!!
(Williams Sonoma)

I want the kits to make these adorable hand pies:)
(Williams Sonoma)

Love this turkey platter!!
(Williams Sonoma)

There you go! Now you, too, can be tempted:)

Menu Plan Monday: Oct 26th~31st

I know you may be saying, "oh look, Lora's menu planning again...", but I love doing this post every week. I don't know how I ever survived before menu planning. If, for some reason, I don't get my plan made by Monday--or, heaven forbid, not at all--its a very bad thing. My whole week is off. So if you've never tried menu planning, I highly recommend it.

In the past I've shared some of my frustrations with my kiddos *picky-ness*. I am still searching my recipes each week for dishes that everybody will eat (since I refuse to be a short-order cook!). This week I was very plesantly surprised at the kiddos' response to one of mine and Vince's fave comfort foods: pot pie! I had some roasted turkey in the freezer and thought that would be a great way to use it. The recipe I use is from Among Friends: Just a Matter of Thyme. I've been using it for years, its so easy and good. I've made more complicated and fancier pot pies, but this one is just a classic.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 whole chicken, cooked and deboned
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 recipe for double crust pie crust
*****
Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix with the soup, vegetables and broth. Heat and stir until smooth. This may be done in the microwave or on the stovetop. Pour mixture into a 9" unbaked pie shell. Top with another 9" unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes or until crust is light brown. Serves 4-6.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust
2 cups flour
8 Tbls. shortening
8 Tbls. water
dash of salt
*****
Cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles crumbs. Next add in the water and salt; mix well and shape into a dough ball. Divide in half, roll out each half and there you have your two pie shells.

So here's what's cooking this week:
Monday: Mac-n-cheese with mixed veggies
Tuesday: Baked chicken, baked potatoes, veggie
Wednesday: my favorite potato soup
Thursday: Pumpkin Carving Dinner~
white chili, cornbread, cookies, cinnamon apple cider
Friday: Homeschool Co-op Potluck~
pigs-in-blankets
Saturday: Stromboli

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

*Lions and Gazelles*

Here's Vince's latest video. He hasn't done one for a contest in a while, but he definitely hasn't lost he touch:) I think you'll enjoy it!

I'm sorry that its not showing the full-screen. The video is in high definition and I think that's a problem for my blog:) Here's the link to YouTube for the full effect.

An Apple A Day...

As part of our Autumn unit study we've been learning some fun facts about apples. We really enjoyed this book on Johnny Appleseed~the illustrations are beautiful! And since we all love apples, one of our fall traditions is to make our favorite apple cake. Today seemed an appropriate day to do that:)

The Princess had a blast cracking her first egg and helping with the mixer. It was fun making this recipe with her. She's the fourth generation in my family to make this cake~the recipe was handed down from my mother's mother.

Its so simple and yet so incredibly delicious, the kind of cake that gets better each day.
We thought it would be fun to take it over to share with my parents before they leave tomorrow for a trip to Alaska. It was a fun evening: eating cake and listening to my dad read stories to the kiddos. Its one of their favorite things to do together. I have to admit that I love to sneak in and listen to them, too~especially when its a story that he read to me as a child~wonderful memories!

A Perfect Fall Day

This week we started a new unit study on *Autumn*. We're enjoying learning all about the seasons and much more! The study guide we're using is a freebie unit study that I received from The Old Schoolhouse magazine (love them!) and its really fun. Each day there are tons of fun outdoor activities suggested, so we decided that *nature walking* at Nana and Papi's house was in order. Yesterday was the perfect fall day, the weather couldn't have been nicer.
My parents' house is built on a lot that is less than an acre in size, but you would not believe the trees they have! Literally hundreds! So there are leaves in abundance~much to my children's delight!

Every fall they talk about how they can't wait to jump in the leaves at their Nana and Papi's house. And jump they do!! Besides walking in leaves, jumping in leaves and picking leaves (I have a project I'm working on that I'll show you soon), we also did a little gathering of acorns and even checked out some *walking stick* bugs. After that it was nature journal time. The journals that they're keeping are turning out great! They really enjoy them and I love looking at them. They're going to be a great keepsake from our year. I can tell this will probably become a project for each year from now on.

What are some of your favorite fall outdoor activites? I'd love to know!

The War of the Marshmallows

PVC pipe & electrical tape: $12.18

1 bag of mini marshmallows: $1.00

One man-vs-5 kiddos in marshmallow gun wars:
PRICELESS

Our plans this past weekend did not go as planned. We had originally planned to take the kiddos to see *Where The Wild Things Are*, until we read the review on PluggedInOnline.com. Then we thought we'd take them to the mall to see some local student robotics teams compete, except when we got there the show had just ended. So, we were feeling a little less-than-successful in keeping any promises to our children in the way of fun for the weekend.

Then my awesome husband had the greatest idea!! He headed for Lowe's and got supplies to make some marshmallow guns while I went to Aldi and picked up some mini marshmallows.

A couple of weeks ago when we were at the apple festival we saw some of these "guns" and Vince said "I could make those!" Apparently he hadn't forgotten about it, because he certainly whipped up some of those guns.

The neighbor kids came over, entranced by what was happening, so he made them some simple marshmallow shooters with the left over pvc pipe.

Then the wars began. I have never seen so much fun happening in a front yard. It was quite the spectacle.

Needless to say, the day was totally redeemed!

Menu Plan Monday: Oct 19th~24th

Whew...we made it through last week! It was a busy one! Thank goodness for meal plans, I have no idea what I ever did without them. Now if I could just get the planning down for breakfast and lunch, too. That would be nice.

This week should be a little slower (hopefully!) because I am in desperate need of some time at home. Talk about being behind on housekeeping, I've got quite the *to-do* list going.

Things that really, really need to get done this week are:

• finish changing out the clothes for the seasons in our closets
• clean, clean, clean!
• iron what's in the ironing basket

I'm so glad that the menu plan in good to go for the week:

Monday: Potato soup for the fam; Moms' nite out for our homeschool group
Tuesday: Fish stick po'boys and baked potatoes
Wednesday: (meal at church)
Thursday: Turkey pot pie*
Friday: Chili dogs & frito chili pie
Saturday: Quiche Lorraine*
*I'll be sharing these recipes later in the week

I'm in the mood for some good comfort foods this week, so I'm making some old faves. What are some of your comfort foods?

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

A Fun Start On My Christmas Shopping

I have been looking forward to this week ever since I knew that we were moving back to Arkansas this year. Its the week of the War Eagle Fair in NW Arkansas!! Before I moved to Alabama for three years, I went every year. And how I have missed it. I haven't found anything to compare.

War Eagle is a tiny community near Fayetteville. You have to drive way off of the highway on this picturesque little road until you get to these huge cow pastures where you park:) There is an old grist mill there beside the river with an old bridge. It's gorgeous in the fall, with the leaves turning their many colors.

my sister & me

I have no idea how many vendors are at this fair each year, but there have to be hundreds. They have everything imaginable: decor, jewelry, pottery, antiques, gourmet foods (I think I hit every sample-heehee)... Its just so much fun! It always gets me in the holiday spirit and I even got a small start on my shopping for this year. I took my mom, sister and aunt with me and we had a total blast! Lots of laughter all day long!

my mom and aunt

Today I just wanted to share a few of the little treasures that I picked up. I won't mention if they're for a special person, just in case that special person is reading this. By the time Christmas rolls around, maybe they'll have forgotten. LOL

a handpainted Christmas frame

a handpainted Christmas plaque

an inspirational wall hanging

another plate for my collection

handmade burp cloths

the best spicy relish I've ever tasted!

I realize this is a very small start to the holiday shopping, but a start is a start, right?! Have you started shopping yet?

This post is linked to Show & Tell at My Romantic Home.