The pumpkin seed experiment

Yesterday, we cut up five more pumpkins (just three left!) and cooked the meat. I thought it would be fun to experiment with different flavors for the pumpkin seeds. After looking at some ideas online, here's what I came up with: a batch made with Lowry's seasoned salt, a second batch made with garlic powder and a third batch made with pumpkin spice and white sugar.

Each small bowl-full of seeds was mixed with a couple of tablespoons of butter before the spices were sprinkled on. They each baked for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees. (You can also bake them at 250 degrees for about an hour.) I stirred each batch every ten minutes or so during baking time.

And the results? Well, don't ever try putting just garlic powder on the seeds. This was an idea I found on the web, and I did not like it at all (I threw them away, too.). I recommend using garlic salt instead. Using Lowry's seasoned salt made them taste sooo good, but I think I put a little too much. I would definitely do this again and go easy with the salt.

Oh, and I must tell you that our favorite flavor was the pumpkin pie spice and sugar! This is such a yummy treat. I didn't measure each ingredient, but I think the ratio was one part spice to two parts sugar. You can experiment and see what you like. I just didn't want to sprinkle on the spice on it's own. The sugar gives it a nice crunch and coating....yum!!!:) Below are the seeds right after I layered on the spice and sugar mix....

The next time I do this, I am definitely doing the pumpkin spice flavored seeds again, but I also want to try something new--perhaps a salt and sweet mix, kind of like kettle corn!

Do any of you have ideas for new flavorings I can try? I'd love to hear them.:)

Autumn Blessings

The Lord has been so good to us this season--answering some prayer requests and giving us some unexpected blessings. So I thought I'd share these with all of you.

1. God took care of me while I dealt with a health issue. It was not as serious as I thought it would be.

2. I made it into the Longmont Chorale Singers group, which has allowed me to meet more people and be a witness and testimony.

3. We've been finding awesome deals at thrift stores and with coupons at other stores. The Lord has been providing for our needs and then some!

4. We received some dear meat from our friend, Tony. Do you remember reading about that story?;)

5. Q was given a couple of opportunities to preach in high school chapels. Ministering to the students was a blessing to us.

6. One of the boys in our Bible club got saved recently! :)

7. Two friends gave me a HUGE stash of craft/sewing supplies that I'm already putting to good use.

8. God answered a personal request I've had for a long time. A big burden was lifted.

9. Our background checks and references came back a couple of days ago for our adoption. It happened very quickly and we're so thankful for that. Next week, we have our first home study.

10. Conversations with friends and family regarding our adoption has been a blessing. They have offered clothing and other necessities for our future child(ren) once we know what the gender/age will be.

What has God been doing in your life? I write blessings and answers to prayer a few days a week in my journal. It's good to reflect on how God takes care of us and loves us...even to the last detail.

Our God is good all the time. Always remember that!

Our garden: trying to save the tomatoes...

For a couple of weeks, we waited to hear some news about the weather. The weather has been so nice, but with our tomatoes still growing outside, we knew that frost would kill them. You may remember that these plants were the second round, as our first set didn't make it. We've been able to use a handful tomatoes, but the majority were still green and growing.

So, Q came up with a plan. A couple of days ago, he pulled all of our tomato plants because the cold was coming! He brought them into the kitchen so that I could pull all of the tomatoes off.

I probably pulled off about one hundred or so, all in different sizes. I placed the small ones (about 30-40) in a couple of bowls to use in recipes. I have to learn how to use green tomatoes, but I'll get it.:)

Q and I spent some time last night wrapping up the larger ones (about 60 or so) in newspaper. He had read somewhere that this will cause them to turn a bit red and would stay fresh until we were ready to use them.

Q also found a couple of peppers that made it, so he brought them in, too.

But still outside are a couple of melons who will no doubt die in the days ahead. This is also the second round as the first set didn't make it either.

We made it to the end of this season with some great food. We learned a lot from the failures and successes. Can't wait until next year...

Decorative pumpkins

From the dozen or so pumpkins we harvested from our garden, Q gave me two of them for decorating. I've been decorating the front rooms with fall and Thanksgiving decorations, and these two pumpkins added so much to them.

I saw pumpkins at a craft store that looks like the monogrammed one on the left. Since I did not take a picture of it there, I did my best to replicate it.

The skin of this pumpkin was so soft, that when I wrote on it with pencil, some green coloring came out. I gave it a deeper green color by tracing it with a colored pencil.

To make this monogrammed pumpkin, all I did was use black acrylic paint. Before I began working on each pumpkin, I drew out some ideas first. It's good to do this, so that you're less likely to make a mistake on the real thing.:)

I enjoyed painting on my pumpkins this year and have already thought that it would be neat to come up with some other designs in future years.

Have you made anything for your fall decorating this year? I'd love to hear what you did!

Adopted for Life

Since we've been going through the adoption process, there is a book that has been a big encouragement to me. My friend, Janelle, recommended it on her blog several months ago and I knew I had to read it. She has six kids of her own, five of whom were adopted.

The book is called Adopted for Life, by Russell D. Moore. At the beginning, Moore shares his own story of how he adopted two boys from Russia. He also shares how questions from others taught him more about the Gospel and what God has to say about this important topic.

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

He gives insights to adoptive parents on the paper work, finances and the "waiting game." The one thing that he really stresses is the importance of the church to help with adoptions. Not everyone is led to adopt, but fellow Christians can aid in prayer, support and perhaps help financially.

As you can see, this book is for everyone--not just those who are thinking about adoption or are in the process. Your heart will be blessed and encouraged as you read about what you can do in regards to this ministry that is so close to God's heart.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

Finally, an organized sewing nook!

For months, I've not liked the looks of the shelf in the craft room. And lately, it's become more disorganized and has been driving me nuts! It has not been very "workable" as a lot of my tools and notions were hidden in a couple of clear storage containers. I had to do this in our condo, as the kitchen table served as my sewing table. I could just pull out what I needed and set to work.

But now, in a bigger space, with more notions and patterns and things, I've needed to do something with all of my sewing stuff.

Here's the before picture:

And here's the after--much better, I think!

I found the collapsible crates at my local Dollar Tree. Only two of the sizes worked for this shelf. At close to three feet wide but only 7-1/2 inches deep, I was limited to the boxes I could fit on there. I'm still happy with the results! Everything has its place. In fact, my patterns which were hidden in a cupboard, are now easily accessible.

Each of the boxes holds the following: top row-- extra notions like extra elastic and maternity panels, second shelf-- thread and bobbins, ribbon, tools (tracing paper, measuring tape, pins, needles, etc.), third shelf-- zippers and quilting/sewing kits, bias tape, lace and eyelet trim, bottom shelf--fusible web/iron-on transfers and two boxes of patterns.

These canning jars add lots of color with the contents they hold. They hold rick-rack, buttons, small embellishments, scrap trim and ribbon, velcro, elastic, snaps and fasteners, and my scissors.

After organizing all of my tools and notions, I had to do something with my fabric! With all of the fabric that a couple of friends recently gave me, I had to find room in one of the built-in cupboards in that room. I moved all of the craft and knitting supplies into another cupboard, and was able to fit all of the fabric (except for the big bolts of satin) into one space!

Take a look...

I organized by color for the most part. There were a few pieces that just didn't fit into a color category, so they are stacked neatly on top of the denim, black and white pieces. The bottom area also holds some flannel and fleece. One box contains current projects (or ones I want to do) and the other one is full of scrap fabric. I'm so excited that I now can work with my stash more easily. Before, most of it was stashed into boxes--no fun!

Hope this gives you some ideas on organizing your stash of sewing supplies. If you already have organized your things, what ideas can you give that I haven't already? I'd love to hear them.:) Happy sewing!

Monkey story time

I started back up again as a story teller for the library. Each month, I'll do two story times at the local recreation center's day care. I had so much fun with the kids this week. They are a cute bunch!

This month's theme was monkeys. I found a new "hello" song to sing with the kids when I arrived.

"Hello Time" (to the tune of "Oh, Susanna")

Oh, it's time to say hello, hello

Hello and how are you?

Oh, it's time to say hello, hello

To everyone of you.

Hello friends, a big "hello" to you!

We will sing and read and laugh today,

Yes, this is what we'll do.

The first book I read was the classic, Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. A peddler rests by a tree and discovers that his caps have been taken by several monkeys. I won't tell you the end, but it is a fun one to read if you haven't done so already.

I pulled out Marvin Monkey out of my bag to greet the kids. He also helped me tell the poem, "Jonathan Bing."

Poor old Jonathan Bing

went out in his carriage to visit the King,

But everyone pointed and said, "Look at that!

Jonathan Bing has forgotten his hat!"

(He'd forgotten his hat!)

Poor old Jonathan Bing

went home and put on a new hat for the King,

But by the palace the soldier said, "Hi!

You can't see the King; you've forgotten your tie!"

(He'd forgotten his tie!)

Poor old Jonathan Bing,

He put on a beautiful tie for the King,

But when he arrived, and Archbishop said, "Ho!

You can't come to court in pajamas, you know!"

Poor old Jonathan Bing

went home and addressed a short not to the King:

"If you please will excuse me, I won't come to tea;

For home's the best place for all people like me!"

The next two books I read were Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett and Five Little Monkeys sitting in a tree, by Eileen Christelow. After that last book, I used a glove puppet with five little monkeys and a crocodile to retell the story with the kids.

One by one those monkeys disappeared as I told the poem...

Five little monkeys swinging in a tree.

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me! You can't catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, as quiet as can be and he... (the children use two hands with palms together to clap shut like a crocodile's mouth.)

SNAPPED that monkey right out of the tree!

Continue the poem, but begin the succeeding verses with four, three, two, and finally, one little monkey. The last verse is said as follows:

No more monkeys swinging in the tree,

Only Mr. Crocodile

Happy as can be!

As I ended the story time, I brought Marvin Monkey back out to give the kids a hug. I sang the same good-bye song as last year. It's sung to the tune of the "Mickey Mouse good-bye song."

Now it's time to say good-bye,

good-bye to all of you,

Have a great day; read some good books

And I'll see you real soon.

I can't wait until next month--I'll be sure to tell you about it. Hope it gives you ideas on a story time you can do with the children in your life. :)

Until next time...