‘Tis the Season.

It is Halloween time at our house.  We have the fun side and then, well, you know..  the “other” side.

The side where creepy pranks are played on one another.  We try to scare each other, not in horrendous ways, just in playful ways. 

Lynn and Ashley like to hide around corners from each other (and me too) to see if they can get a scare out of their intended victim.  It is usually quite funny.  Merrill is always easy to get, me, not so much. I am too used to having smallish people being everywhere I go.  If Lynn gets Ash, there are usually tears, initially, then laughs follow.

Lynn tries to get me.

Tries.

Today, in between doing loads of laundry, I left the light on in the laundry room while I went to put a blanket away upstairs.  She thought she was so sly.  She went downstairs, and I heard her yell, “BOO!”  Immediately following that attempted scare, I heard her footsteps running up the stairs.  She was a little freaked out to be down there by herself.

We laughed when she found me at the top of the stairs laughing at her.

I think she scared herself more than she ever could scare me.

6

The first page of this layout was created for another Jessica Sprague challenge.  I seriously need to get back into the swing of things now that summer is over and the kiddos are back in school..

Supplies used:  Crystal Wilkerson’s “Funky Fresh” papers, “Sweet Vintage Charm” stitching, “Fall Word Art & Labels” for the notebook paper label, “Doodley-Doo” brushes to create the scallop masks, and “November Eye Candy” for the staple.
Fonts used were: “King Cool KC” and “Impact”, both from DaFont.com.

For the love of Peanut Butter! (Peanut Butter Cupcakes)

Have I ever before mentioned how our little family embraces everything peanut, especially when it is paired with chocolate?
Well, we do.  It was a pre-requisite to be in our family.
I set out to find a perfect chocolate cupcake recipe, and went to the most dependable gal on planet earth when it comes to recipes for tasty things (Ina Garten) and I not only found a chocolate cupcake recipe, but an amazing peanut butter frosting recipe.
Now, let me first say that the cupcake recipe, I wasn’t head over heels for.  It wasn’t nearly as moist as her other cake recipes are, maybe I should tweak it just a little bit, I dunno, but I used my favorite boxed (gasp!) mix for these bad boys.
(Fav boxed mix by the way is Betty Crocker Triple chocolate fudge mix, I sub the oil for a stick of butter and decrease the water to 1 1/4 cups instead of 1 1/3.)
The frosting was divine!
Merrill, who is expert taste-tester, and aficionado of peanut butter/chocolate combos, gave this treat two thumbs up (with his mouth full).
Peanut Butter Frosting
(so she calls it “icing”..  whatever..)

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth
And then pipe (or smear) it onto something yummy (like chocolate cupcakes), and prepare to enter heaven.
P.S. I also topped my cupcakes with some chopped nuts, just to let people kinda know what was in them.  Oh, and it looked cute too.

October 10th..

October 9th..

I was lucky enough to take the first family pictures EVER for my little-strike that..  YOUNGER brother and his little family.
They are darling, wouldn’t you agree?
Chace is always on, and Josh was so cooperative!
It was hard deciding which pictures to post.

October 8th..

This one was sick today..

October 7th..