Pumpkin Muffin -

Low calorie muffin alternative.  No milk, oil, or eggs, just yellow cake mix, a 15oz can of pumpkin, a dash of pumpkin pie spice (optional) and that's it!  Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

For cupcake version, top with a vanilla or cream cheese frosting.  For a maple twist, add maple extract to taste.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together...there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”  

-- A.A. Milne

Though I have three little chickadees, the very first stole my heart and all my attention.  For a wee one (4lbs 3oz, to be exact) who should have been stillborn you fought from day one for this life, and 24-years later you are still a fighter.  I am always proud of you, and I will forever be.  I love you "Little Nutbrown Hair."  

German Apple Pancake

One of my things to make on a Saturday morning, and well worth the effort!  A dash of confectioners sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup, along with a hot cup of coffee...yummo!

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                                                        

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 12 ounces Golden Delicious apples (about 2), peeled, cored, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• Powdered sugar (optional)
• Maple Syrup (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl until well blended; add flour and whisk until batter is smooth. 
3. Place butter in 13x9-inch glass baking dish; place dish in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. 
4. Remove dish from oven; place apple slices in overlapping rows atop melted butter in baking dish; return to oven and bake until apples begin to soften slightly and butter is bubbling and beginning to brown around edges of dish, about 10 minutes.
5. Pour batter over apples in dish and sprinkle with brown sugar (I sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg on top). 
6. Bake pancake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes, remove from oven.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and drizzle with Maple syrup, if desired.  
8. Serve warm.

Gerber Daisy Hair Clips -- I love Gerber Daisy's so much, I thought I would make hair clips out of silk daisy's and wear them! 

Handmade Citrus Scrub -- super simple and easy to make, and is a great gift.  Take a large craft stick (tongue depressor-size), drill a small hold through one end, and run thin jute twine through it, tie off in a knot.  Makes a great applicator.  This scrub is in a small jelly jar and wrapped in a hand towel ready to gift!

Pacifier Clips -- These clips are for the Avent Soothie pacifiers.  You slide the ribbon through the hole on the pacifier, then run the clip-end through the ribbon to secure the pacifier.  These are made from 100% cotton, and are machine washable.

Burp Clothes -- Made from 100% cotton, and machine washable, these burp clothes are every moms lifesaver.  I pair them with a paci-clip for a sweet little baby gift.

Burp Cloth & Pacifier Clip -- This is my most requested baby gift.  Both are made from 100% cotton, and are machine washable.  

Baby gift basket with homemade hooded bath towels, wash clothes, burp clothes, and pacifier clips.  (This basket was made for Baby O' -- Kayleigh)  All sewn items are made from 100% cotton, and are machine washable.

Hooded bath towels with burp clothes, and pacifier clips.  This can be gifted in a gift/laundry basket, like above, or boxed.  Also available are little bath sponges that can be in the shape of a duck, letter (for baby name), bear, etc.  Will post pics of those soon!

Ribbon embellished, or flower embellished hooded bath towels.  Made from 100% cotton, and machine washable.  Perfect for after bath or, also available, hooded beach towels.

Hooded Bathtowels

Handmade hooded towels for your little chickadees!  You can custom order these hooded bath towels in any combination of colors.  Towels can be plain-coordinating (like the yellow one - this towel has yellow stripes down each side that coordinate with the hood), or you can have them embellished with ribbon, flowers, buttons, etc.  Also available are hooded pool/beach towels.

Mini-Meatball Italian Wedding Soup

This is the soup that Little Man and I love to make together!  He loves helping out, he loves to cook, and he loves getting his hands in the "mooshy" meatball mix and rolling meatballs.  Like my other cooking posts, because I love to taste a little bit of everything in one bite, I dice the carrots (not chop), as well as the onion and celery.  Because I am not a fan of veal, I don't bother with the "trifecta" of meats.  I use a very lean ground beef.  You won't notice the difference because the parmesan and nutmeg make every bit of difference in the world.  They become the basis for the flavor in the meatballs.  The best pasta to use in the small macaroni (small salad-style) ring pasta.  For the spinach I never seem to use one whole pound, I'm afraid it might take over the soup, as well as take away from what it is.  I use whatever amount I feel like, rolling it and slicing it into thin strips.  

Bacon and Potato Soup

This soup was everything I had hoped it would be...and more!  It is that wonderful, hearty winter fill on a cold night.  Like always, I follow the recipe but look for ways to save time, here's how I do it on this one -- I dice, or chop really, the bacon BEFORE I cook it, and I buy the shredded carrots in a bag and use my hand chopper to make them small bite-size pieces.  I use my hand chopper for onion as well, because I hate chopping onions, and I like every bite to be proportionate.  

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, and my first official post as a "blogger."  I hope that this blog brings out a creative side in all of us, because it is never too late to learn, explore, grow, create, and even re-create wonderful things...including ourselves!  Feel free to check in, read, share with us, share with friends, and be a part of my little chickadees!