Bungle Bee and Lady Bug

We have a bumble bee (or as Aubrie says bungle bee) and a lady bug!!  I made their costumes except the wings and antenna



Aubrie was feeding Emilie M&Ms.



"This punkin is heavy!!"

We had fun trick or treating tonight.  The first door she went to was our neighbor's.  She walked in when he opened the door.  Then she took the pack of skittles that we were "practicing" with out of her bucket and handed it to our neighbor instead of him giving her candy.  :)  They actually spoiled the girls and gave them full sized candy bars, bracelets, and a mini barbie doll.  Amanda was here to enjoy the fun.  It was fun because Aubrie definitely understood the concept.  She enjoyed going up to people's doors and yelling "knock knock!" and she kept trying to go in their house.  She liked looking at the pumpkins on porches and other decorations.  We didn't get many trick or treaters because we live on the end of a long cul-de-sac and at the beginning of our street, the street lamps are out.  :(  I'm going to have to find something to do with all our leftover candy!  One man waved at her and said "Hi cutie!" and she waved and said "hi cutie!" back to him.  She really enjoyed seeing people wearing masks and dressed as monsters.  She started rawring like a monster.  She also saw a star wars character and said he was a robot and started talking like a robot.  She cracked us up.  Emilie had fun, too.  It sounded like she said pumpkin at one point.  Her dad held her and carried her around the neighborhood.  She was a pretty cute bumble bee.  Tia flew her around the house and she really enjoyed that.  When we got home, Aubrie picked out a bag of M&Ms to eat and Emilie got to have a pumpkin cookie.  We really enjoyed Halloween this year.  We hope you all had fun, too!  I made meatloaf tonight...but hold on.  Don't wrinkle your nose.  This is the Pioneer Woman's meatloaf that has bacon on top...YUM!  I'll share tomorrow!

Love to all! Pin It Now!

Leaf Pile!

One of Adam's jobs today was to rake the leaves in the front yard.  (I didn't blog yesterday because we laid around all day and then after the girls went to bed, we painted the ceiling in our bedroom)  Our front yard is tiny compared to our back yard and we have a beautiful sunset maple that is putting on a show this Fall.  It must have dropped half of its leaves in the past week and they are beautiful.  I ran to the store to get some groceries and once Aubrie got up, she and dad went out and started raking.  She has a little rake her size.

I got home just in time to snap a couple of pictures and Emilie woke up to join in the fun.  She got a kick out of her dad throwing the leaves in the air.  She has the best belly laugh.  :)

We had a good day together as a fam.  We love Sundays.  We LOVE weekends! 

Well, I promised it a couple of weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting the recipe.  Here is the famous Pumpkin Chili from my friend Jenny.  You are going to LOVE this chili.  It is so delicious and it is actually really pretty with the colors of the pumpkin and the vegetables.  Give it a try!  Thanks Jenny for sharing! :)

Pumpkin Chili

from Jenny Oliver

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium sweet yellow pepper chopped 

1 medium orange pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T olive oil

3 C chicken broth

2 cans black beans-drained and rinsed 

2 1/2 C cubed cooked turkey

1 15oz can solid packed pumpkin

1 can diced tomatoes-undrained

2 t dried parsley flakes

2 t chili powder

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t salt

** If you want to make it meatless (vegetarian) then I substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and leave the turkey out

In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow and orange pepper, and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a 5 qt slow cooker, stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until heated through. Makes 10 servings ENJOY!!!! 

Love to all!

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"The Patch" Pumpkin Specialty Cookies

Before they came to visit last weekend, Granny called and asked if she can make some pumpkin cookies that she saw in the newspaper in South Bend.  Of course I said yes.  I love anything pumpkin.  And I love cookies!  (KOOKIES!)  Boy am I glad she made them and brought them down.  They are delicious!  They remind me of my ginger snap cookies.  The cookie is thick like a bread and has icing on top.  I know you'll like it, too.  The name for the cookie is odd, so I looked up the article in the South Bend Tribune and found that this recipe comes from a pumpkin patch called "The Patch" and they sold these speciality cookies there.  They retired their pumpkin patch this year after 15 years!  You'll definitely have to give these a try.

The Patch Pumpkin Specialty Cookies

"The Patch" on Bertrand Farm

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh (or canned) pumpkin
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
glaze (recipe follows)
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar in larger bowl. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Beat until light and creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until well blended.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Smooth tips of cookies.

Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Drizzle glaze over top.

Glaze Combine 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla in small bowl and mix.

It was a gross, cold, and rainy day.  Two of my volleyball players were playing in the state championship today for their high school and I went to go watch them...WIN!  Congrats Lauren and Nikki on your SECOND state championship!  I'm so proud of you girls and how hard you worked.  I went with my friend Katie and her little boy Higgs.  She is a H.S. coach and got us in with her big time pass.  We met in Murfreesboro and then all rode together over to MTSU's campus. 

We made a Higgs sandwich with two Mark girls.  I had the DVD player right in front of Higgs, so he didn't seem to mind too much.  When we finished watching the game, we loaded the kids up and they all had the stares.  Katie was hoping Higgs would stay awake for the five minute drive to her car so he could fall asleep in her car, but it didn't happen. 

He fell asleep holding Emilie.  So sweet.  Those two were exhausted.  :)  So I drove the three kids back to Nashville and then we switched him over to Katie's car.  They are so sweet. 

We just turned Emilie's seat around the other day.  She didn't say much, but just looked around a lot to see what was going on.  I could imagine that going from seeing everything facing backwards and now seeing it going forwards is a lot to take in!

The girls had fun playing with their daddy tonight.  Adam was in Memphis yesterday and today and we are glad he is home to start the weekend off.  I have to finish knitting a piece of Aubrie's Halloween costume and then we hope to go take a couple of pictures of the girls in their get-ups.  I can't wait. 

Love to all!
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Chicken Barley Chili

A friend of mine and also a great photographer (see Marcie Kindred Photography to your right) told me about a chili recipe on the back of a barley box.  Barley...healthy.  Gross.  :)  But she brought me a box and I said I would give it a try.  It turned out wonderful.  It was so tasty and filling.  It reminds me a little of my mexi-cali stew recipe but I like that the barley helps fill you up.  If you buy a box of Quaker Medium pearled Barley, flip it over, and check the recipe out.  It's pretty easy.  But if you're a planner and need the recipe before you go buy the barley, here it is!

Chicken Barley Chili

Quaker

1 (14 1/2 oz) can of tomatoes, diced and undrained
1 (16 oz) jar or can of salsa or tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz) can of fat free chicken broth
1 cup of Quaker medium barley
4 cups of water
1 Tbsp chili powder (I left this out for the girls)
1 tsp cumin
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used white kidney beans)
1 (15 oz) can of whole kernel corn
3 cups of chicken breast, cooked and cut (about 1 1/2 lbs)

Optional:
cheese
sour cream

In 6 quart saucepan, combine first 7 ingredients.  Over high heat, bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add beans, corn and chicken; increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender.  If upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or water until chili is desired consistency.  If desired, top with shredded cheese and sour cream.  Makes 11 (1 cup) servings

Nutritional info per 1 cup:
270 Calories
4 grams of fat

The girls had fun today.  Adam worked from home this morning and they always enjoy when he wakes them up in the morning.  I like it as well because they come downstairs in the most interesting outfits.  :)  But he couldn't go wrong today because I laid out their clothes.  Today was Pajamas and Pancakes day at school.  They wore their new matching pajamas that their Grandma gave them.  I'm sorry you can't see the top well, it has a cute kitty cat on it.  But it was one of those things that I realized I better get a picture as we were headed out the door.  :) 

Love to all!

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Taco Dip

At Emilie's birthday party we made heavy appetizers.  One of them was Taco Dip.  My mom used to make this for class parties.  Kids would beg me to have her make it.  She layers it on a cookie sheet but you can also layer it on a platter.  It's delicious!

Taco Dip

from mom

Layer on sheet in the following order
1.  29 oz can of refried beans mixed with 1/2 package of taco mix
2.  1 pint of sour cream
3.  1 large mashed avocado w/a little hot sauce added (I cheat and buy the tub of guac)
4.  2 - 4 oz cans of diced green chilies
5.  1 small can of chopped olives (sometimes mom puts this on just half)
6.  3 or 4 chopped green onions
7.  2 chopped tomatoes
8.  1 1/2 cups of shredded jack and longhorn cheese
9.  Alfalfa sprouts or shredded lettuce (I left this layer off)

I hope you try it.  It is always a favorite.

We had bible study today.  Emilie did better, but got pretty miserable towards the end.  She had to join me for the last 30 minutes.  I didn't mind.  She sat on my lap and ate her lunch while I listened to the lecture.  Aubrie came home singing a new song.  But she doesn't know the words.  She's been making up her own songs lately.  I like how creative she is.  I told her daddy would be home in just a minute, so she waited by the front window.  Emilie joined her, but then got pushed away.  Sometimes daddy is a rock star.  :)

head lock or a hug? 

The suspense is killing them!!!

Daddy!!!
(Note:  Beautiful fall colors on our tree behind Adam)

Love to all!
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Happy Birthday Emilie!!

Oh it seems like yesterday.  We went in for our c-section, not knowing who was in my tummy.  Was it going to be a boy or another girl?  As our doctor pulled her out, she was only half way out and screaming.  He said, "Those are some strong lungs!  Let's see if you're a boy or a girl!"

Well, you know what happened from there.  We got our second beautiful baby girl and we were so excited.  She's been so much fun.  She's a good little girl.  She has her moments.  Don't mess around with her food and naps or she'll let you hear about it.  But otherwise, she's an easy-going girl.

She got a lot of birthday calls, cards, and presents and got to spend the day with her friends at school.  She even showed off to her teachers that she can take a couple of steps by herself.  Next Thursday I plan to take pumpkin muffins to her class to celebrate with her friends.  We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and she had her favorite...rice and beans!!  We gave her a plate full of beans and she went to work.  She was in heaven.  After we ate, we went to the park and met up with some dear friends.  The kids played and had a good time.  Overall, Emilie had a pretty good day.

She ended her day today the same way she started her first day of her life...in her daddy's arms.  So sweet. 

Love to all!

We gave her a stuffed cow because that was the first animal sound she made. 



Aubrie helped her open her presents from Gram, Poppy, and Gigi.  (Note:  The picture won't turn out if you leave your fat finger in front of the flash)



Look at the determined face!!  Go Emmie!

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A Normal Monday

Today was the first normal Monday the girls and I have had in a long time.  We did our usual trip to the Y for some exercise and fun and then we ran an errand.  I'm making Aubrie's Halloween costume.  Emilie is wearing the one Aubrie wore when she was one.  I'm glad I went today to get the material because I took the last of the red and black.  I started putting it together tonight. I can't wait to get it done and take the girls' pictures this coming weekend.  We did a photo shoot with Aubrie when she was one.  One of them won the right to be included in a photography display at our church! 




Look at that chubby bumble bee!!



I made chili tonight...compliments of McCormick.  Emilie really enjoyed eating her chili and the fritos.  Aubrie liked it, too, so it was a win at the dinner table.  The girls love when dad comes home and enjoyed playing in the play room with him.  Tonight Emilie grabbed a toy purse and put her arm through the strap and said "Bye!" and crawled towards the door.  It was so funny!  Aubrie always does that with a toy backpack.  She'll put it on, say she is going to school and yell bye while she runs out the door.  Then she'll run back in the room and say "Hi guys!"  I just love watching them grow.

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We've got a walker!

Just when all our company leaves, Emilie decides to take her first steps!!  The most she took was three.  She smiled big, too.  She knew what she was doing.  She's just been in a better mood today.  She slept from 8 pm to 8:30 am.  She usually gets up around 7 but she was partied out!!  Maybe by Tuesday (her actual birthday) she will be walking steadier.  We shall see!

We had a good day at church.  I rang bells for the first time during the offertory.  I was really nervous.  I was actually really hungry.  It seemed like it was forever ago since I had breakfast and I started to feel jittery.  The lady next to me gave me a sucker and I bit off a piece and I felt better.  I also felt better once we were done with the bells!  It was fun and I enjoyed the challenge.  Adam had to get the girls to church with the help of his mom.  It was kind of nice to get out the door all by myself and have some quiet time in the car.  :)

Aubrie has been saying some really cute stuff lately.  Tonight at the table, Adam was trying out some small talk.  He asked her what she dreamt about and asked her if she had fun with her friends today.  She just answered "yeah." to both of his questions.  Then she turned to Emilie and said, "How bout you, Emmie.  What you dream bout?"  "Have fun with friends?  Hmmm?"  She loves to talk.  We had a veggie tray yesterday and she kept stealing bell pepper slices from the counter instead of fruit and other treats.  She probably had seven slices and we had to cut her off.  She would do anything for a bell pepper.  We also had whole strawberries and she looked at her Grandma yesterday and said, "Take off the lettuce!" She didn't like that it had the stem on it.  :)

Adam and I enjoyed a nice relaxing day at the house.  Tonight we had a jam session at our house.  A sweet friend gave us this cute drum with noise makers and tamberine and we marched around the house and had a good time.  For dinner we grilled steaks.  After the girls got up from their naps, we ran to the store to pick up five items.  Aubrie sits in the main part of the cart and Emilie sits in the seat.  I got bread and put it in the cart and we kept moving through the store to get the rest of our stuff.  Well, before we went to check out, Adam noticed that Aubrie was actually sitting ON the bread.  The loaf was smashed!

Now that we had the party, we don't have any more boxes that need unpacked...at least not until we get some more furniture.  I am actually glad that her birthday was a couple of weeks after we moved in because it motivated me to get things done and get it over with.  Now all I have left to do is hang some pictures and paint a couple of rooms.  Those are fun things.  :)  But this week I'm going to aim for a normal week.  Get my behind back to the gym, cook some meals, enjoy family play time after dinner. 

I hope everyone else had a good weekend!  Love to all!



The Huhnkes




The girls with their Grandma and PoePoe`

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Emilie's Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated our sweet little Emilie's birthday.  Adam's parents were in town and brought his grandparents (Granny and Gaga) with them.  I didn't blog last night because I had a full day of housework and preparation for the party and I was dog tired by the time I was done.  I baked the cake and put on the frosting, but didn't have enough energy to decorate it so Lana and Granny helped me out and put pretty little flowers on the cupcakes and added detail to Emilie's cake.  I also didn't get any relief at the chiropractor's office.  They just took x-rays.  I have to go back on Tuesday and find out what the game plan is.  I'm looking forward to Tuesday! 

We had a wonderful time today.  Good food, fun friends, lots of laughs, and celebrating my little baby's first year of life.  Her birthday is actually on Tuesday.  We will have a celebration on that day, too. :)  We had heavy appetizers...mini pigs in a blanket, meatballs, cheese and crackers, taco dip, fruit and veggies.  I made apple cake again, but this time I didn't add the nuts.  Emilie really enjoyed a couple of bites last weekend and so I thought she would enjoy it today.  I was right.  :)

Reese, Teague, and Aubrie enjoying cupcakes

Proud moms:  Candice with Grace and Brianne with Eliza

Emilie let Aubrie help her blow out her candle.



MMMMMM!!!!!  Cake!




My little cheeseball.  :)



Max had double birthday parties today.  His first party was a super hero party.  We didn't mind that he showed up as spider man.  And those are his real muscles, not the costume.  :)

We're so blessed with such great family and friends and with two beautiful healthy girls.  Love to all! Pin It Now!

Don't chew your sister

I had 3 repair men at my house today.  I had two guys installing a air filtration system that we brought over from our old house and then 1 man checking all our plumbing.  In the meantime, I had Aubrie running around, teasing Petey with a ball, Emilie whining and wanting to be held and crawling after me, and Petey, trying to bite Aubrie's legs (playfully).  I didn't know he had her on the ground in the entryway and trying to chew her rain boots off her feet while she was giggling, until I walked the plumber to the door.  Thus, "Petey, don't chew your sister."

While all this was going on, I decided to clean our windows.  One paper towel roll later, I finally got them all done.  Adam had to bring in his 24 foot ladder so I could do the upper windows in the entry way and the living room.  It was disgusting.  DISGUSTING!  I don't know when these windows were cleaned last, but it was gross.  My paper towels were black.  I would have to clean each window twice.  Once to get the black grime off, then the second time to clean it and leave no streaks behind.  It was an all day event. 

I'm ringing bells in the church choir this next Sunday.  They recruited me to be in the novice bell choir and I agreed to do so until January.  I'm really nervous about performing in front of the congregation.  We had practice today and since the girls were on Fall break, I had to get a sitter to come over and watch them.  Kelly, one of our volleyball girls, came over and the girls had a good time.  Kelly is always good with the girls.  When I told Aubrie that Kelly was coming, she said, "I want April, too!"  Emilie on the other hand wasn't too thrilled that I was leaving. 

The girls playing outside.  It was cold today.



Emilie getting in her car Dukes of Hazzard style

 The girls then had another visitor tonight.  Tia stopped by and had dinner with us.  It was helpful because then Tia could play with the girls and Adam could hold the ladder while I cleaned windows.  All kinds of wild comes out of Aubrie when Tia is here. 

I'm busy cleaning and planning for Emilie's birthday.  Adam's grandparents are coming down from Indiana along with his parents to help us celebrate.  I'm trying to make the house look as un-packed and clean as possible.  Adam makes fun of me because he thinks I get some kind of sick pleasure out of cleaning the windows.  :) Tomorrow I am headed to the chiropractor.  Hopefully I'll find some relief.  Adam will be working from home and watching the girls while I'm gone and helping me get ready for the party.  I love when dad works from home.  :)

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Rainy Day Groggy Fun

It was our first cold day this Fall.  So far Nashville has been beautiful with the leaves changing and falling.  We met up with one of Aubrie's school friends, Holden, to play.  We went to Monkey's Tree House and it is an indoor play place for younger kids.  Aubrie and Holden really enjoyed it.  It wasn't a jumper place.  It had dress up stations, markers and crayons, indoor play equipment, a ball pit and soft mats for little ones like Emilie to crawl over.  The girls really enjoyed themselves.  Aubrie loves playing with Holden. 



Aubrie wearing goggles and drinking juice.

 Afterwards the girls and I grabbed some lunch and then went to go get Aubrie some jeans at Old Navy and then party decorations for Emilie's party.  Aubrie has a small waist, but long legs (go figure) and most of her pants don't fit.  She's not a 3T yet.  I don't know if she will ever be a 3T.  After she is potty trained and doesn't have a diaper to help hold her pants up, I don't know how her pants are going to stay up! 

The girls took big naps and I got some work done.  Emilie woke before Aubrie and I got to cuddle with her for quite a while.  I really enjoyed it.  She just laid there and let me rock her.  I don't think she's feeling good.  Her eighth tooth is coming in on the bottom.  Let's hope it is nothing else. 

Adam spoke at a graduate class at Belmont tonight so the girls and I were alone for dinner.  We had a take and bake pizza from Costco and then we had some wild play time.  Aubrie ran around the house and either I would chase her while holding baby sister, or Petey would chase her with a pillow in his mouth.  We had lots of fun.  I have an appointment with a Chiropractor on Friday and I cannot wait to see if he can fix my problem.  Let's hope so! 

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Josie's Apple Pie

For some reason I have a sore neck and I can't figure it out.  My shoulders all the way up to the base of my head are sore and everything from turning to the side, trying to hold a phone between my ear and shoulder, and picking up my girls are painful.  Tomorrow while they are at school, I'm going to Walgreens to get some heavy duty drugs.  Everything I had was expired.  Let's hope it gets better, because this isn't fun! 

Planning is under way for Emilie's birthday party.  Tonight Adam asked "Who wants to go with daddy?" and Emilie raised her hand and said "I do!"  It was too cute.  She had no interest in eating dinner tonight.  I made beef stroganoff and scalloped potatoes.  Aubrie woofed it down and had her eye on the apple cupcakes for dessert.  She's definitely growing because it seems like all her dresses are too short and her shoes are too tight! 

Tonight I'll leave you with the winning apple pie recipe.  I'm copying it and pasting it just the way her mom wrote it out for her.  Josie's mom, Joan, is the sweetest woman and treats everyone like they are her own.  I always enjoy my time with her and hope to see her soon!  Love to all!!

Josie's Apple Pie

Crust for a double crust pie2 c flour
1 t salt
2/3 c shortening

using a pastry cutter work this until you it looks like the size of peas then add about 7 T of ice water - cut this in with the pastry cutter

put some flour on your pastry cloth and on the rolling pin as you roll out your dough    roll out a little more than half the dough for the bottom crust - put that in your pie plate and trim with a knife around the edge of the pie plate. I then roll out the top half and then prepare my filling

Apple pie filling
3/4 to 1 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 T flour
1 T lemon juice
6 cups of sliced apples - peeled and cored

Combine and put into your bottom crust. The put a few slices in your top crust for the steam to escape and then carefully place over the top of the pie - trim and flute edges - be sure to press to seal edges

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes then without opening the door turn the oven down to 375 and bake for 40 - 50 minutes - apples will be tender when pierced with a fork when done

I like golden delicious apples for baking Pin It Now!

6th Annual Apple Pie Bake Off!

Six years ago, my friend Ashleigh challenged me to an apple pie bake-off.  It was a blast.  Andrew burned down one of my old basketball trophies (took the shooter's ball and turned it into a pie) and it grew from there.  Now the tradition is that if you win, you host.  Last year Jenny Oliver won and she was our hostess this year.  She did a wonderful job.  We had pumpkin carving, two kinds of chili, pumpkin spice lattes, and some delicious apple desserts.  I eventually will share everyone's recipes, but I don't have them right now.  I'll share mine tonight, and then we'll start off with the winner of the Sixth Annual Apple Pie Bake-Off......

We couldn't wait to hear the winner!!!  And the winner is...

 Josie Hackworth!!!!

We were so happy for her...

Congrats Josie!  :)  She said she had a hard time making homemade crust, and she had a lot of coaching from her mom over the phone.  But she pulled it off and made a delicious pie.  There was only one slice left when the night was over. 

I also can't wait to share with you Jenny's recipe for Pumpkin Chili!!

We had a great time and it is always fun to be around such a good group of friends.  For those who couldn't make it, you were missed.  There's always next year.  :)  Today was a good day for the Mark family.  We had a nice time at church and everyone had a good nap before we went to Dan and Jenny's.  We have this next week to prepare for Emilie's birthday party.  We've unpacked a lot of boxes this weekend and hung a lot of pictures.  I love how the house is finally coming together.  Congrats to my mom who ran her first 10k this morning in El Paso!  She was first in her age division!  Way to go mom!  I'll leave you all with my entry for the bake-off this year.  The rules were anything apple and my mom made a delicious apple cake when she was here one time.  So I decided to make cupcakes and put little apples on top.  I bought the red frosting at Kroger and then used sour gummy worms and cut them up to make the stems.  I knew the kids would at least enjoy having a cupcake.  :)  Love to all!

Raw Apple Cake

from mom

Mix together:
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Then Add:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
and stir in 3 cups of grated apples (about 3 medium apples) and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts.

Bake at 375 in greased and floured oblong pan for 40-45 minutes or do 3-8" round pans for 35 minutes.  OR for cupcakes do them for about 20 minutes. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Blend together until smooth, gradually adding the sugar. Pin It Now!

Horse Races and Pumpkins

YEHAW!!  Emilie has learned a new word!  Not only can she say Yehaw, but she says it really loud and high-pitched and I love it. 

And Yes, Emilie is wearing Christmas pajamas.  It happens.  :)

Today was a fun day.  We went to the pumpkin patch.  We always go to Walden Farms which is out by Nolensville.  It's simple and has the basics.  It's just enough for the girls to enjoy and not be overwhelmed. 

First we played in the corn trough.  Both of them tried to eat it.

This is the first year that Aubrie went through the children's hay maze.  She usually chickens out, but she found some friends her size that were slow enough for her to follow around.  She was funny.  When she didn't know what to do next, she would smile and do a high-pitched squeal.  She had fun!

Emilie had fun at the play farm tables.  They had a lot of fisher price farm animals and barns that the girls could play with.  Like her nose?  Poor princess.

The wicked witch was flying around while we were there.  It was the coolest thing.  She flew around in circles and would swoop down.  Adam wanted to go over and see how it worked when the guy landed it.

The girls got to pet a baby goat (kid).  He was a show goat.  His name was Roger.  He was really soft and cute.  I liked his floppy ears.

Here are the baby calves.  Emilie pointed at them and called them Petey.  She also called the goats and chickens Petey. 

They have candy dispensers and you can pay a quarter to buy a handful of chicken feed.  While Adam was showing Aubrie how to put the quarter in and get the feed out, a little girl about the age of 4 came up and screamed she wanted some and started to throw a tantrum directed towards Adam.  He didn't know what to do.  I looked around and didn't see her parents.  So then she started to try to grab the feed out of Adam's hand and he quick grabbed the feed and walked away.  It was so funny. 

 Here is Aubrie on the tractor.  The picture on the left is Aubrie when she was 8 months old and the one of the right is last year.  Sigh.  So cute, but getting so big!

Here's Emilie's first tractor picture.  :)  She is so sweet.

Aubrie got to carry a couple of pumpkins around out in the patch, but we picked our prize pumpkin out of the pile by the register.

Dad taught them how to use the water pump.  Dad is so super and handsome!

Emilie wants this pumpkin, but it is too big!

This is our prize pumpkin that went home with us.  It was just right!!

We had such a good time.  Sorry there are so many pictures, but there weren't many bad ones.  :)  Adam and I got a lot of work done.  I hung some more pictures and we put some things away.  I'm about to go cook my award winning dish for the apple pie bake off.  I can't wait to share with you all the contestant's dishes.  I hope you all enjoyed this fall weather like we did.  And if you're lucky, your husband got you a decaf pumpkin spice latte to end the day on!

Love to all!

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