OMG! Amazing Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread Ring!

You're gonna love it! It tastes just like something grandma would bake!



Here are the ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin ...I used the Libby's brand of canned pumpkin
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon...plus a little more if you love cinnamon like I do!
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs

Nuts are optional (1/2 cup) if you like your pumpkin bread a little crunchy here & there. I prefered to take the 'no nuts' option on the one in the photo.

Easy-peasy... just mix up the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl wisk the eggs a bit, add the oil, then mix in the pumpkin. Dump this into the bowl with the dry ingredients & mix thoroughly...but don't overmix.

Bake in a bundt pan... for about 40-45 minutes at the universal temperature of 350 degrees. Poke it with a toothpick to test it's cooked through.

Note that this is super yummy when drizzled with an icing made with powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla flavoring & splash of milk all mixed together. Ice only after the ring has cooled & is removed from pan.

Enjoy & don't think about the calories! It's made with pumpkin...so you're getting a serving of vegetables ...right?

Indoor Kitty Outside, Clover Jewelry, Photography and LOL Cat Speak...

IM SO FEROSHUS, NOTHIN WILL MES WIF ME!

Yesterday was particularly fun because while I was doing my work out on the front lawn, my 'indoor only' kitty became very brave when he saw me just sitting there on the grass taking pictures of clover jewelry for asluckwouldhaveit & decided to explore the yard a bit. I think I took just as many photos of him as I did the jewelry!

WUTS DAT NOIZE?

I still have about 8 pieces I didn't get shots of due to losing the perfect daylight...but I don't regret it since now we have these gorgeous photos of our kitty! He doesn't exercise much, so no worries about him roaming too far.

IM GOIN 2 GO EXPLORIN NAO! IZ DAT K?

He's like a big purry throwpillow that lays around.
He is not a lap cat... and at 20+ lbs. you wouldn't want that on your lap for long or your legs would go numb!

SOMETHIN SKERD ME OVAR THAR!

I've been working very hard trying to get all my product shots done for the clover jewelry I have been working on this summer. There is a specific look I'm going for in that all my four leaf clover jewelry photos are taken outside...usually on the lawn, but sometimes I move about the yard if there is an interesting patch of sunlight, pretty rock, or some moss under the trees that I think works with a certain piece. I realize that the days are quickly getting colder as well as shorter, and I'm not quite sure what I'll do if I have photographs to take during the winter months when it comes to custom orders and that sort of thing. Perhaps you'll see clover jewelry against a backdrop of sparkly snow! I doubt the kitty will want to join me then.

I had a lot of fun adding the LOL Cat captions to these photos of my kitty...
with the help of this LOL Cat translator: http://speaklolcat.com/ ...where you can translate your own text into LOL Cat speak!

I hope you enjoyed this off the wall post! I have a few recipes I've been meaning to blog, but haven't felt the inspiration. Got to go where the inspiration leads!

O'Hare ...You Made Me Feel Like I was in Tron or the Jetsons' World...

I must not get out enough, because this past weekend I was truly awestruck by this part of one of the terminals at O'Hare...

The weather was perfect for flying & I soaked up the beauty of the clouds from above.


I just had to take a moment to admire the beauty of things both manmade & nature made around me & capture it on virtual film for y'all.

My "I Heart Heart" Treasury Made Etsy's Front Page!

I'm so excited about this... my 'I heart Heart' treasury made it to the front page of etsy at around 1 P.M. est. this past Saturday!

Congrats to everyone!

Thinking about Halloween...

Been working on some new pieces & just added this fun glow in the dark skull n crossbones pendant to the shop this morning.


I'm so torn on whether or not I want to keep using my drawings as the backgrounds for the jewelry. I worry that the drawings may be more attention getting than the actual pieces, however the only times I've had my stuff featured on etsy's front page was with pieces showcased against a doodle background...so maybe this is something that works with the so called 'etsy aesthetic', or perhaps it's more eye catching because it's something I do that other folks are not doing & sets me apart.
I dunno. I love the necklace & I love to draw stuff...so guess I'll just go with the flow & see what happens.
I hate to give up the glitter entirely also...


Please let me know... drawings good/bad ...glitter good/bad ...I'm so attached, I can't judge for myself.

:o)

Sushi Galore! My Big Labor Day Celebration Meal...

I know this isn't your typical 'end of summer' backyard barbeque extravaganza...but we're not always the typical type of folks that go with the norm.
I was inspired to make sushi for everyone because I've been tweaking my skills & have added 'spice' to my menu offerings. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the results & nobody went away hungry...so I'll chalk this one up to a win!



I'm so proud of my babygirl who got the hang of eating with chopsticks.


Is it just me...or isn't that little hand ridiculously cute?

:o)

Babygirl Turns 4!!! Part 1... the Cake

She's a big girl now & there's not much left of that chubby, cuddly, ball of baby that she used to be. Now she's all a go-go. I only get hugs when she's tired or hurt except for the occasional leg hug while I'm working in the kitchen. She had a fabulous birthday even while having a bit of a head cold from starting preschool a couple of weeks ago & being exposed to different things.

She helped mix up her birthday cake batter...not to be outdone by her older brother, but she left the decorating to me thank goodness. I had her cake all planned before our summer vacation, but one day while shopping at Michaels Craft Store for supplies, I saw the Wilton Carousel Cake Decorating Kit on an endcap & knew we had to have it.
Babygirl was turning 4 & there were 4 horses!
She adores carousels & anything having to do with horses, ponies, unicorns... you get the idea. We HAD to have it.

The kit is fabulously detailed & super easy to clean up. The pieces are made of sturdy plastic & are not flimsy. My only gripe with the kit is that the poles do not snap into the casings to hold the roof in place very well. The lid could easily be knocked off & it took a bit of creativity & some scotch tape to get it to work for me. It was worth it though! The look on my little girl's face when she saw it was priceless....not to mention that Mama had the best fun ever decorating it with pink buttercream, sprinkles, edible glitter... yes! That is glitter you can eat!!! ...and of course tinkerbell. The original cake I was going to make would have been fairy themed, so tinkerbell was paying homage to that.



It was fun for everyone! Even my father in law ate the cake!

Labor Day Weekend... Sad to see Summer End

We had a fabulous weekend with some of the family coming from out of town.
The menfolk worked on those last little projects around the house & yard that needed to be taken care of & watched football while us girls went shopping & cooked up some of the best things I've eaten in awhile. We had peach pie, chicken lasagna, and I made over a dozen sushi rolls last night for a huge sushi feed!
The weather was perfect... hot in the sun & cool in the shade and no humidity.
The sad thing about the whole weekend was that it had to end. It's always hard on the kiddos to see their grandparents leave after the fun & games & spoiling. It was the shortest long weekend ever!