Daddio!

B loves to spend time with his daddy...

Baking with B

In our first adventure into the kitchen, B helped me make M's birthday cake.  I decided it was time... he's capable of helping :) The Huz has a special cake, orange cake, & it's delicious (incredibly fattening & sugary, but delicious nonetheless).

We tied on an apron ...

grabbed a spoon...

Hy-Vee store brand? Yep, we roll that way... especially since HyVee doesn't pack their cake full of hydrogenated oils & high fructose corn syrup - that makes it a winner for us!

adding the jello & using a whisk...

helping pour... we made two (one for me to take to M & one for B to share at the grandparent's house)

we now have a scrunchy face & he loves to make it when I whip out a camera

last minute touches before it bakes...

And unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the end product- dang! 

Orange Cake

1 box of yellow cake

1 packet of orange jello

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

4 eggs 

glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a greased cake pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Poke holes (with a fork) in the very warm cake & cover with glaze. 

Enjoy! And be happy that I didn't tell you the calorie content :)

Autumn only comes around once a year

It's officially Autumn in our household... 

Pumpkin Spice burning on the counter, 

a few Halloween decorations strategically placed throughout the inside (& outside) house, 

scarves hanging around in my closet - ready to tie on at a moment's notice, 

white summer handbags being exchanged for darker, fall prints on the shelf...

Here are some goals I have for these upcoming chillier months: 

Learn to bake bread.  A dear friend gave me her bread machine, as she claimed to never use it, & I am ready to learn now.  I want to smell the fresh bread & see it on my counter... I want to offer up the delicious taste of real, freshly baked bread. (Anyone out there want to argue that bread machine bread isn't freshly baked? Go for it... I'll give you that, but I'm still excited)

Following in that pattern, I want to cook more.  I do this every time the weather turns cold... there's something about the crisp air & the falling leaves that makes me ready to cook.  When the heat comes back & summer rolls around, I forego much of the kitchen for the ease (& responsibility placed on the Huz) of the grill & steamed veggies.  But now... now it's time for the crock pots to come out from their basement hiding place, for the dinners to get slightly more intricate & detailed & for leftovers to be abundant.  Happily, over the weekend at one of my best friend's wedding, I was let in on the secret of her sister's blog - an amazing piece of food literacy that I can't wait to tackle.

Learn to make a roaring fire... With the Huz traveling so often for work & my house staying at a chilly 65 degrees this week, I'm inclined to start a fire. However, because this house came with a wood burning fireplace, rather than a flip switch gas one, I think I need a lesson first, so the house won't go down in flames.

Give my dog a new attitude & a little less weight.  Yes, I realize this sounds a bit harsh, but the time has come.  We went to our new vet last week & he let me in on a few secrets.  For one, he's a tad overweight.  Someone (I won't mention who, as I love my in-laws dearly) said to feed the Tuckster raw eggs to cut down on shedding.  Well fast forward 2 months & 9 pounds later, he needs to cut weight.  Also, we need to work on his attitude.  The dog barks all the time now (thanks former neighbor dog who was overly aggressive & barked constantly) & he is a little more obnoxious than I like, so some retraining must be done. 

Oh Autumn, you're my favorite...

football parties, going late into the evening, while each of us whoops & hollers for our own team (Da Bears... duh ...Iowa State, of course & Iowa too, as long as they don't play each other ;) )...

careful consideration for which Halloween costume will be chosen this year & exactly what kind of candy B will be allowed to consume

crunchy leaves as the neighborhood bus pulls up & lets off the kids... rushing to meet their moms & siblings...
the promise of apple orchards & pumpkin farms full of warm cider & jack o'lanterns

Oh Autumn, I love you so...