this is for cinnamon/sugar lovers

We made this recipe from Pinterest for sugar sticks. It was SO GOOD! I tried to take a picture of my finished product, it wasn't this pretty but it was the gooiness of the center of a cinnamon roll. I will be making this again.

All I could think about was all those in my life who have a sweet tooth (um, my sister...) and I know that they will love this!

a visit to our favorite pumpkin patch

We recently were able to go to our favorite pumpkin patch with Ryder. This place has a very special memory for us because I took Kit home to meet my family and we went to the pumpkin patch and carved pumpkins. Who would have thought that several years later we would be bringing our little man there, and have a baby girl on the way... Such fun memories!

So it's a pick your own and this was Ryder's first time.

Here is the one we picked:

He of course wanted to carry it. That lasted a few steps...

It was really warm, but that didn't stop me from trying to get an occasional picture with his pumpkin beanie.

Some family shots. Man am I looking really pregnant! Baby girl is growing like crazy! (I can't put it all on her... though I do blame her for all my salty cravings...)

It was a wonderful memory and we loom forward to bringing Ryder and his baby sister back next year. I think I will have to make another beanie for her to wear too!

Pumpkin Cookies and Lattes

These cookies have been a Fall holiday favorite in our family for years and this is the first time that I have made myself in charge of making them. I wanted to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as our family does!

Preheat the oven 375 degrees.

Cookies:

Cream 1 cup of shortening , 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (libby's), and 1 egg.

In separate bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the cream mixture.

Stir in 1 cup each of butterscotch bits, walnuts, and raisins.

Spoon cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for

10-12 minutes.

Frosting:

Combine 3Tbs. butter, 4 tsp. milk and 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a saucepan and cook until sugar is dissolved. Let mixture cool then stir in 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 3/4 tsp. of vanilla.

Frost while the cookies are still hot.

On Another Pumpkin note:

I don't usually go to Starbucks and get fancy drinks, but when they come out with their holiday blends, I get so excited!

I stopped by and picked up an iced decaf pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream. (It was in the 90's so iced seemed appropriate...

It was delightful!

Turkey Chili

We had a cool evening the other night so I busted out this turkey chili recipe. The only changes that I added were a 15 ounce can of black beans and we topped it with cilantro, because Kit is not a huge raw green onion fan. It was very tasty and it definitely made me feel like fall was here.

I chose a turkey recipe since I always buy the 4 pack at Costco, so we always have it on hand. I think it would work great with beef too...

Weekend getaway (a.k.a. our baby moon...)

This last weekend held some very special milestones for Kit and I. This was the first time that we went on an over night since Ryder has been born, and it also marked the date that we started dating, so we celebrating being together for 13 years... It was a wonderful time of connecting and just being together!

Arriving at the Esmerelda in Palm Springs:

Hanging out by the pool

(Such great conversations!)

Can you tell which one is mine?

(Can you tell which one I WISH could be mine...?)

After the pool, we headed to one of our favorite mexican food restaurants called Armandos, on El Paseo. It is such good food and any one who knows me knows that I am such for a sucker for a tasty crunchy chicken taco...

We had the best time talking and laughing and we really came away with an appreciation and gratefulness for each other, our friendship and our marriage. We are so thankful to have each other and I am so excited to celebrate many more years with this AMAZING man!

Kit Rae, I could not love you more... I really adore who you are and I am so thankful that 13 years ago you asked me to start this journey with you. Thank you for being my best friend and for living life with me!

my little pumpkin

I finished Ryder's hat in time for some pumpkin patch photo shoots that will be coming up!

I love my little pumpkin!

My mom and my aunt made a matching one for my cousin Melissa's daughter and so OF COURSE we had to get the together for some pictures:

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend...

Kit and I are going on our first over night since Ryder has joined the family. Ryder will be hanging out with my parents who I am sure will make it so fun that he won't even realize that we're gone.

We can't wait!

A tasty new favorite...

I have been wanting to make more fall food, things like chili and soup and things that warrant it being cooler than 90 degrees outside.

Well, I made this spiced Ragu that I saw on the Nate Berkus show and all three of us loved it! I know it's pretty much a pasta sauce but the flavors, and the tastiness just felt like Fall to us, so I wanted to share it with you. I hope you are getting to share some amazing meals with your family.

Note: I used ground turkey and it turned out great so if you don't eat beef, it makes a good substitute.