Recipe Fun Friday- Decadent Pumpkin Muffins

I found this recipe on my favorite online recipe site Allrecipes.com. Not only does it have a great variety of recipes, but it also has reviews for each recipe as well. I like to see how people adjust things to suit their own tastes or make a dish healthier. This particular recipe was made to be lower in fat, but you really can't tell by the taste, they were delicious! I changed a few things after reading the reviews, which I have noted here. So here is the link for Decadent Pumpkin Muffins.

Things I changed: I didn't have applesauce, so I used 1.5 cups of nonfat yogurt instead. I used 3 whole eggs instead of the egg whites, 1 cup of brown and white sugar each, left out the water and raisins, and added some vanilla extract as well. I wanted to replace 1 cup of flour with oats as suggested by one reviewer, but I was out of those also (yes, a shopping trip is needed;).

If you would like to join in Recipe Fun Friday, stop by Nikki's (Notes) and link up:)

Have a wonderful weekend~

Fall Decorations

I'm definitely not fancy when it comes to my home decorations. Most of my decorations have been picked up at the thrift store, or those wonderful after-season sales when everything goes 75%-90% off, I love those sales! I also love the warm colors of the Fall season, not to mention they go really well with my chocolate-truffle painted walls in my living room;) So I give you some pictures of our home dressed for the season.

And the rain came tumbling down

It appears as if Fall is officially here both by date and the changing of weather. I was surprised yesterday afternoon when a sudden heavy downpour turned my driveway into large puddles of mud in a short amount of time. I couldn't help but think of all those who suffered the effects of the recent hurricanes, and the damage that was caused. As much as I have grumbled about our Northwest rainy season at times, I truly am thankful that we haven't had to deal with any catastrophic weather this year.

On a humorous note, I made sure to give my outside planters an extra-large dose of watering right after I returned home from church. Which was just a short time before the rains hit. My eldest made sure to tell me that my flowers look as if they've all drowned... Hubby was trying to quietly hush him even as he imparted the news to me, lol. I was hoping they would last til the first frost, but whether they will remains to be seen. I had it on good authority from a friend (named Mrs.Darling) that it was not going to rain this week, in spite of the fact that the weather channel link said otherwise. I'm thinking now that was just wishful thinking on her part rooted in her desire for her garden to continue to ripen it's produce. But I wouldn't want to say I told you so... lol :)

Healthwise, the Artist and I are now feeling better. I'm not a huge fan of antibiotics, but I must say they have their place. Or it could be those huge amounts of vitamin C I've been taking. The rest of the family still remains healthy, and hopefully they will stay that way.

I have to admit that I've been reading several of the Jane Austen mysteries lately, and I'm afraid that whenever I do that, strange language patterns start creeping into my posts. I start to use words and phrases out of the ordinary...like impart and such. Just thought I'd throw out an explanation;)

Our co-op for the day has been cancelled due to suspected strep throat (but not ours). I have to say that right now the last place I want to be is near anyone with even a small cold. But the kids have really been enjoying our school day out, so we're a little disappointed for that reason. I managed to pick up a modeling kit of the empire state building at the thrift store this weekend for $3.99 (new in the box) so I may set them to work on that after we get in the 3 R's for the day. It has miniature bricks that are supposed to be cemented together, and looks like something that could keep them busy for a few hours.

And I may finally get to those fall decoration pictures tomorrow. Maybe.

Have a wonderful Monday~

Out of Commission

I thought I should offer an explanation of why I haven't done a post for the last few days. I seem to have a bad case of strep throat. Until a few months ago, our family had never been visited by strep. When we finally did get it, I'm afraid I was the only one who didn't take antibiotics for it, so it has finally caught up with me. Anyway, we still have homeschool to accomplish, so that's taking all the energy I have right now.

On a happy note, I did make a trip to my chiropractor yesterday. He kept commenting that I certainly did need to be in his office, lol. He told me that out of 4,ooo patients he has on the books (no kidding), I'm one of only 40 who need to see him every month... not that I'm proud of that or anything;)

My husband is taking the next few days off, and will most likely insist that I get some extra rest. He is definitely that kind of guy (lucky me). Maybe I can sneak in a real post during that time:)

I wish you all a happy and healthy week~

Weekend activities

I thought I would share a few pictures from our family activities this weekend. My husband will be starting his workshop classes again in about a week, and the extra hours will mean less time together as a family. So we decided to make Saturday a family fun day, and we managed to pack it quite full.

The Northwest is know for being very environmentally conscious. In keeping with this, the Columbia slough was holding their Aquifer Adventure. It was a free activity, so we thought we should give it a try. They had different stations set up where the kids could learn about water conservation, as well as quite a few water-themed activities. We took a canoe ride, enjoyed a liquid aquifer concoction that the kids could make themselves, and took home some earth-friendly cleaning supplies. At the end of our visit, they gave each of the kids a cute T-shirt to take home, and some heavy-duty water bottles for hubby and I. I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the workers, most of whom were volunteers. It was a great combination of learning and fun. And it was free (did I mention that already?).

As a child growing up in Northern Indiana, one of my favorite places to visit was the old Fort in Fort Wayne, IN. I remember how it completely fascinated me. So when I heard that Fort Vancouver (WA) was holding it's annual Campfire and Candlelight Tour, I definitely wanted to take the kids there. It was almost an hours drive from where we live, but completely worth it. I was so impressed with the people doing the reenactments at the fort, they seemed to really enjoy answering my kids many questions. And their knowledge of the histories and times that they were reenacting was incredible. We all enjoyed it so much that we plan to make many more visits there in the future.

I have to say that every time I visit an early American exhibit, I am amazed at the difficult way of life our ancestors endured. It's so easy to take for granted the many luxuries that we have today: running water, inside bathrooms, and electricity (to name a few).

I'm afraid I did a poor job of detailing our visit to the Fort, but I have a pinched nerve in my neck presently, and I have a hard time thinking at times in that condition. So I guess I'll be making a trip to my friendly neighborhood chiropractor within the next few days;)

Have a great day~

I'm back

Not exactly an original title for this post, but it works. I should say I think I'm back, as I'm still expecting to hear a loud crack and see sparks shooting out of the back of my computer tower. Which is just what did happen a few days ago. Suffice to say, there was no more life left in my computer after that;)

So I'm hoping the new power supply was the needed fix. But I have definitely learned a lesson from all this: always have your computer files backed up. I (or rather my hubby) was able to save nearly everything, but just barely. He always told me I should have everything backed up; so between you and me (and since he won't be reading this), I'll admit he was right:)

So hopefully I will be back in action this Monday. You would think I'd have a lot to post about after my long (non-voluntary) absence, wouldn't you?

Hopefully I'll come up with something between now and then;) Have a great weekend!

Back to School

Today was not only the first day of homeschool for us, but also the first meeting of our new homeschool co-op (started by none else than the notorious Mrs.Darling;) It meant a very busy day, but also a great beginning to our school year. The kids are excited about adding the variety of the co-op classes, and I'm happy they will be getting out a little more during this school year.

In other news... I feel like I am falling off the edge of the blogging world! I am not voluntarily giving it up; my computer is not being an easy fix, and since I do not have a ton of money to invest in having it fixed (or buying a new one), we are piecing it together little by little. Which means I can only be on it for about 10 minutes at a time before it starts to go haywire; that is, if it decides to boot up at all;) I am planning to make fast stops at the blogs on my roll tonight after I post if it holds out. But that's a big IF. I really do miss being able to stop by your blogs each day lately. Hopefully we will be able to plug in all the right spots to fix it soon.

Have a wonderful week~

Surprise Canning Session

I didn't post my Fall decorations today because of a sudden change in plans. My dear mother-in-law had asked a few days ago if she could pick up the kids and I for a visit to her house today. I have to admit, I wasn't very keen on the idea, as I still have so many things I need to take care of before the start of our home school. However, I called her last night and told her we would be able to come after all; I thought that was the least I could do considering she had taken the day off of work (that's called a guilty conscience;)

When we arrived at her house, I was delighted to find that she had everything ready for a canning session, including 3 boxes of Peaches she had picked that morning at a local fruit farm.

We had such a great time canning together, it made me quite happy I had made the right choice. And not just because she sent every single can of halved Peaches and jam home with us;)

Here is a picture of some of the "fruit" of our labors:)

I also wanted to say that we did not fix our computer problem after all; it wouldn't boot up this morning when I tried to post. Which means it may not tommorrow either. So if I seem a little fickle in my posting and commenting, I just wanted everyone to know I really am trying to get to all your blogs. Hubby will be changing out the motherboard on it this weekend, and hopefully it will fix the problem (fingers crossed;) EDIT: When I tried to post this late last night, my computer suddenly shut down right before I clicked on Publish! I was surprised to see that Blogger evidently saved it- score 1 for the Big B!! LoL

ALSO, please pray for those recovering from Hurricane Gustav, and in the possible path of the coming Hurricane Hanna. I can't imagine trying to prepare for such an event. Our prayers are with all of you.

What I did on my blogging break:)

I have to say, it was so nice to have hubby home for an extra two days this past weekend. That meant, of course, that I could put him to work! :) Really though, having a pair of extra-strong arms (not that I'm a weakling myself;) at my disposal made my jobs go much faster. I'm not very patient about waiting for his help with projects during the normal week, and I'm forever lifting and moving things I really shouldn't; which would be fine if it didn't mean a visit to the Chiropractor more often than not. And why do they (the Chiropractor) always insist on asking you how you pulled your neck or back out so badly?? I'm thinking they're hoping for a good laugh;)

Hubby had been wanting to take the kids to one of our biggest tourist attractions around here, Multnomah Falls. It is the second highest waterfall in the United States (not sure where the highest one is). You can hike a narrow (yes, I'm afraid of heights) trail up to the top where they have a platform which you can look down from... which we did not do. It's quite steep, and after about an hour of hiking, we were ready to go back down. The kids played in the creek there afterwards, which they enjoyed as much as the hike. All in all, we had a very nice time, and it was free... one of my favorite words when it comes to family outings:)

I did manage to get most of our school room organized. And also did some major de-cluttering (not sure that's a word) of various rooms.

I also pulled out all my Fall seasonal decorations. I had been chomping at the bit to do this, so it was quite a bit of fun. I have more decorations for this time of year than even Christmas. I plan to post some pictures tomorrow of my fall splendor, Lol. Nothing fancy I assure you, but it just makes it feel so warm and cozy inside.

And speaking of warm... it was quite chilly here for the Labor Day holiday. It's funny, I remember in the month of May when temperatures near 70 felt downright warm; but I guess it's just hard to go back the other way. It was overcast in the 60's here, and I am back to sleeping with my heating pad. They're forecasting we'll be going back to warmer temps soon, but I admit that I kind of like the cooler temps because they make it seem more like Autumn.

I think that brings things up to date here. We're not starting our home school year until next Monday when we have our first co-op meeting. If that seems late to those of you in the South, it actually isn't. Most of our local schools start today, and the public school takes so many days off during the year, that we always end up with more school days than they do anyway. I'm sure none of the kids are complaining;)

Have a great Monday!