Beggar's's Night

The night before Halloween or my Anniversary .....you choose the special occasion....is beggar's night. This year Joe Jasper and I went with the Bottenfield-Biehn's and the Ward's. Between our three families we had an alligator, a fireman, Anakin Skywalker(with two light sabers), two Death like creatures, and a teenager with a tail.

The best joke was not a joke at all, but rather something that put an annoyed look on most adults faces, which in my opinion, made it a keeper.

It went something like this:

Q: If you are stranded in the desert with nothing but your car, how many pancakes would it take to shingle a roof?

A:Purple , because snakes don't have armpits.

Then there's Sylvia. She went Trick or Treating with a friend. This was the first year she hadn't gone with me, it was kind of sad but WOW..........





Seriously, she came home with 176 pieces of candy, two juice boxes and a pencil. Yes, she counted them. Can I put these on FreeCycle?

The perfect cold weather breakfast

Oatmeal.

I was raised on this stuff. My grandpa used to call it greasy grimy goat guts....and yet we both still ate it.



I always use old fashioned rolled oats. That means it's retained more of the beneficial components though it takes an extra 10 minutes more than quick cook. Really, you have 15 minutes to make oatmeal in the morning. If you don't think you do than make a big batch at the beginning of the week and warm a bowl up each morning. Simple.

• Here is an easy way to make oatmeal:
  
  
  
  2 cups oats
  4 cups water
  pinch of salt
  
  In a medium sauce pan with a tight fitting lid bring water, salt, and oats to boil. Then reduce heat to medium high cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 3 minutes.
  
  The things you can add to oatmeal are endless! Sometimes I add them at the beginning and sometimes at the end. With all the different combinations you won't be able to call oatmeal boring any longer.
  
  Here are some yummy options:
  
• brown sugar, cinnamon and cream
• raisins or craisins
• pecans and brown sugar
• add vanilla to the water
• jelly added at the end
• cook in juice like peach juice instead of water
• cook in milk instead of water
• make a glaze of dates,vanilla,cardamon, and water
• add a pat of butter
  
  

You can also use left over oatmeal in bread, cookies, and granola.


Enjoy!

So I know your all tired of looking at John Travolta so here is a new movie to think about. Secretary(2002). It's my favorite love story starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal.Nice.

Staying Awake

Staying Alive(1983) written and directed by Sylvester Stallone was quit possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. Yet, I couldn't stop watching it. It was pointless and filled with horrible acting and bad bad 80's clothing. What it did have though, was something I never realized that I wanted. This:

I can't seem to get the image of a uber ripped young Travolta, dripping sweat and jumping around a 'Broadway' stage out of my ...umm.... head. Of course it was also really late and I was sleep deprieved to begin with.

Perhaps tonight they'll show Grease.

Here are some pictures of my grandparents. I love them.

Pumpkin Carving

Saturday we invited a bunch of friends over for a pumpkin carving party and potluck. Everyone brought delicous food, including a homemade vegetarian pizza , bacon wrapped/sugar dipped little smokies, an awesome potato curry, homemade pound cake with homemade pumpkin butter and a delicous corn chowder. Yum!
The pumpkin carving part was fun too.
Here's some pictures:

Also here are some pictures of a few new bags I just made:

Random updates for those far away.....

Here is a picture of my beautiful and increasingly spirited son. He looks so angelic here. I made some delicious banana bread from a recipe out of this 70 style cookbook. Of course I didn't follow the recipe to a T! Sour cream instead of milk, made them very moist and tasty. I made two separate batches, one with coconut and dates(my favorite!) and one with chocolate chips(Sylvia's favorite).
Sylvia's such a good big sister.
I love my front porch. It's a great place to hang out when it's nice enough. Its full of toys, plants, and a comfy love seat. I'm sad that the weather is getting to cold to set out there.