Salt Dough Pumpkins

I am enjoying a slice of quiet at my mom's house for a few hours.  And also enjoying her beloved Mac.  It is her sixth grandchild :)  Steven took Ellie and Luke with him to the airport in Huntsville to pick up a friend.  Andrew is asleep.  And I finished up a quick, but fun visit with my youngest sister, Kate, who was in town briefly before she headed right back to Chattanooga.  Now waiting anxiously for the Auburn game to start.

This week was the letter "H".  We didn't stick to it very well.  Very hard for me not to do things relating to fall and especially pumpkins.  There are so many cute pumpkin projects online.  I found a recipe for salt dough pumpkins.  Super simple and very basic ingredients.  2 cups of flour, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of salt.  Although, I ended up adding almost an extra cup of flour.  The dough is entirely too sticky with just the called for 2 cups.

You just roll into balls and have at it.  We used toothpicks for the indentations.  I usually am very intentional about letting the Ellie and Luke do their thing and not taking over.  But this one was very hard for me.  So I just rolled a few balls for myself and made my own.  Break a toothpick in half and poke it in the top BEFORE you bake.  Bake at 250 degrees (btw, is there something on the computer for the degree symbol?).   Bake for 2 and a half hours.  Let them cool for at least four hours and then paint.  So, really it is two little projects in one.

Can you tell which ones are mine? :)

I would tell you more about our week, but the Tigers are getting started.  War Eagle!!!

I Think I Might Kill a Squirrel

 Or a deer, even.  I really don't want animals to go hungry, but come ON!  Is there really nothing else for animals to eat besides the stuff at my house?  I used to have really pretty sweet potato vine and the deer ate it down to nubs.  It was growing in pots right by on the porch.  Right by my front door!!  They left little deer prints on the porch.  They came each night and ate until there was absolutely nothing left.  My dad said the smell of human hair would keep them away.  But at the end of the night, sprinkling human hair around my porch wasn't at the forefront of my mind.  So the deer feasted.

Then came the squirrels.  This plant was on its way out anyway, so it wasn't as big of a deal, but still.  One afternoon I looked and the squirrel was just sitting in the pot munching away.  I just think the nerve of the little rodents is what made me so aggravated.  But they crossed a line when they went after my owl pumpkin. 

At least we still have Luke's spider pumpkin and I'm pretty sure they don't eat neon pipe cleaners.  Although, they seem very pesky and will probably pull them out just to make me mad.

Behind

Note:  If you are not in google reader, I know my blog looks horrible.  I am wanting to change some things.  Mainly make my pictures larger, but can't figure out how to get a large picture as my header.  Any suggestions? 

There are weeks I feel behind on everything, but lately it has been worse than ever.  Mainly because of the switching of the summer clothes to fall clothes.  I have thankfully been given many clothes for myself and my children but have not quite figured out how to absorb them into our closets and drawers yet.  And then there is the getting rid of old ones and figuring out if people can use them.  So for a few weeks I have had piles in various locations around our house and I am sloooowly getting through them all.

On to much more exciting things, such as the letter "F".  It was last week's letter.  So on Monday we took a visit to the firestation.  My friend Jennifer's brother is a fireman so she so kindly arranged the trip for us.  On the way Luke asked if we were going to see "real, live firemen."  Ellie and Luke were both a little shy about it, but they clearly enjoyed it and I actually learned a few things myself. 

This fall weather is too good to be true.  We have spent so much time outside.  Andrew eats it up.  "Side! Side!" he says.  Ellie attaches a rope to her bike and ties it to the little John Deere tractor and pulls Andrew.  Not super safe, but she tries her best to keep it fairly slow.  He has fallen off several times, but really is so tough.  His legs are covered in bruises and scrapes but it doesn't slow him down one bit.

We are having a fall festival at our church this weekend.  We brought home several pumpkins from the pumpkin patch last week, so I have been at work carving and decorating some.  It's quite an arm workout to clean out a pumpkin.  I got no help from my children, either.  I was ready to let them get messy, but they took one look and said "Eww, gross!"  

I found some adorable pumpkin ideas at bhg.com.  The owl pumpkin was my favorite, though.  So cute and so easy.  Ellie has claimed it as hers.  She wanted it to have eyelashes, I told her maybe we could put a bow on one of its ears instead. 

I am working on a spider for Luke.   I haven't done it in years, but I saved the seeds and toasted them.  Everyone likes them, except of course I don't give them to Andrew. 

This week is the letter "G".  Very behind on most of that.  However, we did make some granola today. You know, "G" for granola? :)  I have never made granola, but have often wanted to.  I thought it would be a fun one for Ellie and Luke.  They could actually measure, pour, and stir since some recipes are really hard for kids to help with.  Anyway, it turned out great.  I put pumpkin seeds in it, but I think if I did it again, I would probably leave them out-it just doesn't really need them.  Found the recipe here.

Luke is having a hard time these days.  He is constantly picking at Ellie, aggravating Andrew, whining, complaining.  It is wearing me out.  Don't you feel as though if it isn't one child it's another?  Not really sure what is going on with him, but I have been praying for a lot of wisdom.  Although most of the time I first resort to raising my voice, and then when that doesn't work, I think maybe prayer would've been a better choice.

Well, after about an hour and a half in their beds with no sleep, I told everyone to get up, which means my time on the computer is over.  I really didn't need to be on it anyway, but I just wanted to say hi!