Pumpkin bread.

This post is inspired by a post my Mom just did about homemade applesauce, which my Dad apparently made last night while watching the Bo Sox kick the Rockies' butts. Making homemade applesauce is a sentimental fall activity and it has yummy results- I just hope I get some of it! Well, another fall delectable is pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread is something Casey has been asking me to make- the way his mother makes it, of course- for a very long time. I had been saying "no" because I think a mother should retain some recipes and food items that only she makes- especially because sometimes the food just can't be recreated the way Mom makes it. Well, that didn't fly with Casey, so when we were home last he had his Mom give me her recipe. When I went grocery shopping this week, I bought the required 100% pumpkin in a can, and last night when Casey came home from work, the smell of pumpkin bread was wafting from the oven. Of course, I only had one loaf pan, so I had to make muffins... and then that was still way too much batter, but the loaf was just very tall! When it came out I tested it and I thought it tasted pretty good, but that it seemed kinda crunchy on the outside. Well, it turns out that's the way Casey likes it! He kept cutting off little pieces, and then after dinner he had a toasted slice with butter for dessert! So, I am proud to say that I can make pumpkin bread the way his Mom does- maybe not as well, but it got a passing grade from the boy and that's all that matters! :)

Morning time.

Lately I've finally gotten into the swing of sitting down in the morning to write (and read my daily Simple Abundance) while I eat my breakfast. It's a simple but beautiful thing. Of course, this requires getting up at 5:30AM when it's still dark out, but really, it's not as bad as I thought it would be! This morning I had an english muffin with raspberry preserves and a chocolate-protein milkshake for breakfast... gots to get my protein! Especially because I've been getting exercise in after work- oh how I love getting home at 4:30 instead of 5:30! It's amazing what that extra hour in the afternoon does for me. So even though I have to get up earlier, I feel like I'm getting a lot more accomplished in terms of the goals I've had set for such a long time. I get my "chores" done in the morning, and in the afternoon I work out, make dinner, clean up, and have plenty of time for relaxing and doing creative things... or just bumming and watching TV. :) I'm glad to be making progress on some of the goals I've been working on. It's a good feeling to be successful and get things done!

And finally, GO REDSOX! Big win last night, let's hope they keep it up!

Busy bee!

So, I've been rather busy lately. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a particulary creative busy. I got done at my old job, had a wonderful week off- which I spent in Vermont, and have worked a week at my new job- which is really great so far! I worked on a few wedding projects at home, which can be seen below. The tree looking thing is an idea for entryway decorations for the white reception tent. This test is very sparse- I will be using more branches- and the lanterns will have tea lights to be lit when it starts to get dark. The hanging items are shells with pearl beads.

This flower arrangement is a centerpiece test- which will pretty much be what the actual centerpieces will be. I love them! It's white spray roses, white snapdragons, and baby's breath (the flowers were used for the engagement party my Mom had for us and then we used them to create this after). The vase is a 4" square vase covered in turquoise napkins to make it the color it will be on the big day- it's actually an orange vase. I found some 4" square vases that are actually aqua/turquoise and I will be ordering those.

Today I went to an invitation workshop at Paper Source. It was a treat from Mom and it was excellent! Some of it was simple for me, but it was still a really excellent experience. I learned some new stuff and got to bring home some great invite examples. Below are some of the invite examples we created.

This first one is just an example of the use of rubber stamps.

This is just a square folded card with layers. I like it because it has a diagonal pocket inside (seen below), for RSVP cards, etc.

Inside- diagonal pocket.This is a pocket style envelope. The invite is tucked inside and has a bookmark style ribbon for pulling the invite out. This also utilizes a pretty paper wrapped around the center of the envelope.

So, although I haven't been doing very well in the creative department, I think once I get into a swing with my new job and new job hours, I'll find more time to work on some projects- trust me, there is a list for the wedding that I am excited about working on! I've got plenty of ideas, I just need to get into the stage of executing those ideas as projects and finally, finished products.