Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix

pumpkin pie spice 2 With fall is in full swing, I couldn’t help but notice every dessert I wanted to try to make required pumpkin spice. The problem is, that’s not a spice blend I usually have on hand. So thankfully I was able to find a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice mix in my grandmother’s old cookbook that she gave to me a few years ago. It is always nice when I get to use her cookbook because it feels like we are cooking together even when she is not here.

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Homemade Butter Mints {A Tutorial}

These refreshing homemade butter mints are fantastic anytime. Though we typically eat them after dinner to help digest our food and let us get good sleep. They will also freshen your breath, and that’s always a plus in my book. Cause, I mean, come on. Who likes garlic breath??? Um, no one!

buttermints

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Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Ya know how sometimes you have a sudden craving for cookies….and you want them now not in 2 hours???? I’ve been having a lot of those lately with fall in full swing. These Soft Gingerbread Cookies only take 20 minute to make so they have been my go to recipe. Don’t ask how many times I’ve made it this week. Just don’t…..

I love mixing the dry ingredients together because it just smells like the holidays. Then when those perfectly soft cookies come out of the oven, I can yell”Cookies!” and count on the cookie trays being empties within minutes…..dontcha just love fall (sigh).

soft gingerbread cookies

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10 ways to Get Children to Exercise

Gaining healthy habits as children is very important. One of the more important habits is exercising. It helps to build a strong and healthy body, and self esteem. When I was in middle school I generally had a lousy time due to not being very book smart and not participating in very much class discussion. However when it came to P.E. (Physical Education), I was very confident and proud to say I lapped about half of the class every day when it was time to do laps. Some of them I would lap twice! So I know how great it feels to be able to depend on your body!

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A Hectic Life

I would love to pretend I was some organized, neat, person who is good with the whole time management thing and colors in the lines more times than not. I would also like to pretend that I have a very clean house and a schedule in place with chunks of “free” time here and there.

I would love to.

But I can’t.

Not even for one second.

I am typically very busy, so when I have down time I. Enjoy. Every. Second. Of. It.

There is no exact schedule for me. I have tried to maintain one before, and it just doesn’t work for me. They just never work out.Plus, I don’t like the feeling of being restricted by a piece of paper. I guess I’m just a rebel like that.

I just sort of make mental notes of any major things going on that day and plan for them. like if we need bread for lunch, then I need to start bread by 9:30. Or, if we need to go shopping that day, I need to prep some snack at a free moment, so we don’t get arrested for starving a bunch of kids in a house stocked with food who know how to cook just fine.

Oh, but scratch those plans because the baby (who isn’t really a baby anymore, he’s almost 3, so I guess we should stop calling him the baby) just decided to take a red sharpie to the couch, chest freezer, and front door while you were cleaning out the fridge and making a grocery list.

Yeah.

It’s an amazing life isn’t it????

That was half way sarcastic in case you didn’t know.

Oh, but that’s not all!!!

Grampa’s called saying he was coming over to deliver some corn, and he’d be there in an hour.

Greeeeeeeeeat………..

Well I had no clue how to get sharpie out of the couch, so I asked people on twitter, Facebook, and texted everyone I knew. Some people said eraser would get it off the door, and suggested different essential oils. Unfortunately, our door and freezer now have some “character”. As for the couch, vinegar and a little elbow grease got that sucker right out.

Needless to say we didn’t eat sandwiches for lunch that day. We ate leftovers.

Old.

Unwanted.

Leftovers.

And we didn’t enjoy it, in case you hadn’t guessed.

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