Pumpkin Cupcakes

I saw this recipe in my Real Simple magazine and wanted to try it out. I am in charge of all the food at our Halloween Dance the YW are putting on so I am hunting for fun, tasty food for the youth. They turned out really moist and good with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor...here is the recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix (plus ingredients called for in the package directions)

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

2 8-ounce bars cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powder sugar
24 pieces candy corn

1. Heat over to 350F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following change: Add the pumpkin pie spice and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water called for in the package directions.
2. Divide the batter among the muffin tins and bake 18-22 mins. Let cool.
3. Using your mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy
** I added about another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla to the frosting**
4. Spread on cupcakes and top with a piece of candy corn

Spooky Stuff

Halloween is right around the corner! I am not the Halloween type that gets into all the crazy decorations; I just like the nice and simple ones. I saw this pictures in one of my favorite magazines Good Housekeeping, (it has the best ideas) and I ripped the page out. Whenever I find a cute idea, picture or recipe I always rip the page out so maybe I can look back on it for inspiration. Here is the page I saw

I think the wreath on the door is so cute and looked way easy. I showed the page to my favorite crafty friend Cristina and she gave me confidence that we could do it! And we did! Here is your list of supplies:

1 brown stick (?) wreath- Garden Ridge it's $4.99

1 pumpkin- Garden Ridge $2.99

1 can matte black spray paint- WalMart $.96

1 can glossy black spray paint- WalMart $.96

1 bag of cobweb and a black spider

In total the project is $12 bucks or less and took less than an hour. We couldn't find the spider, so that will be added later. Here is our project in progress...

Here is the finished product! Mine is the first picture and then Cristina's.

It was so fun to make- thanks Cristina for making them with me! I can put it up in a week and now I just need some cute pumkins- maybe on a bale of hay? Where do you find those?

Mommy Moments

You know you're a mom when.....

you have only been awake for 30 minutes and find yourself in the bathroom dry heaving... not because you are pregnant- because your child's diaper explosion was so horrendous.

That about sums up my morning.

Here is a picture to remember when things were a little less stinky....

..but the mischievous smile makes me think he knew what I was in for.

YUM!

White Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies

I tried out this cookie recipe that I got from one of my new favorite cooking sites called Picky Palate and they were super good. Here is a link to the recipe! Enjoy!

What BABY?!

I still look at my little guy and think he is such a cute baby, until I saw this pic

There is NO baby in this picture! Where did he go!? Someone help me out!

I wanted to share a few funny moments of the week...

1. I went to go see Julie & Julia with my fav movie-goer, Sally. In the movie Julie turns 30 and she starts to talk about how amazing turning 30 is. I lean over to Sally and say, "you know when I turn 30 Austin will be 10!" She just looked over at me and started laughing hysterically and responded with, "it sounds like you had a teen pregnancy!" When Sally turned 30 Kate was only 6- don't be jealous Sally that you are old and crusty! I told her it was worse, when I turn 40 he won't be there- he will be on a mission. She thought that was even better.

2. I spent Friday driving all around the Galleria at interior fabric stores with Cristina and Austin. While we were sitting in traffic we kept noticing Austin yell something and Cristina figured it out. Whenever we would stop he would yell, "GO!" or "MOVE!" I realized he learned that from me and felt a little embarrassed he was repeating it. Then 30 sec later I obviously got over it because when I got cut off I yelled, "MOVE".

Here are some cute pictures...Austin helping feed himself and then helping me do the laundry!

New Blog Ideas

Now that I am a cooking, couponing and full-blown housewife I wanted to start sharing some more mom-ish things to the blog. So I will start having more cooking tips I find, great recipes and best of all- great coupon deals in the Houston area. I have really gotten into this whole couponing world and want to share the savings with all! So I will try my hardest to post my weekly couponing grocery list with all the deals I find and the coupons I use to get the deals. I also add tips to help you get the most for your buck and meals I am cooking with the deals I find. It sounds like lots of work but I am going to try it out. Here is my first tip:

I like to buy big bags of chicken at WalMart for $5.43 (maybe a few cents off). It comes in a 10lb bag- so that is about $.50 a lb! Looks like this

Then I throw it all in a big stock pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil I turn the heat down to a low boil and leave it on the stove for an hour. No salt or seasoning- the chicken seasons itself. Here is what it looks like done

Dump it in a strainer- LET IT COOL! Then start shredding. I have 2 bowls- one for the meat and one for bones and yucky stuff. When you're done, divide the chicken into freezer baggies. Our little family can stretch it to 3 quart size baggies but if you have more kids it might be better to do 2 bags. Throw in the freezer and then it is so easy to make into a great chicken dinner. Here are some recipes I use it in:

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Pot Pie
Any type of Chicken Casserole
Thai Chicken
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Tacos
There are many more but I just love pulling out the cooked chicken, letting it thaw and making a quick, yummy meal!

My Favorite Bachelorette!

I threw a Bachelorette party for Mandy recently and it was so much fun! We have been close friends all through high school and I am so happy to see her get married. His name is Scott and he couldn't be anymore perfect for her. He is so sweet, smart and CUTE! I stole a picture of them from her facebook...



They are getting married this December in Salt Lake (boo!) but will have a reception here around the first of the year. While she was in town I got to meet her man and have a great party for her. Scott was a good sport and let us steal her away for the night; I reminded him that he will thank us later. We all met at Cheesecake Factory and then went back to my house. Here are some picture of the night, but nothing too embarrassing..


Mandy reading us some great advice from a book she got



Mandy, Sara and I
Thanks Sara for driving down from Austin for the party!



The cute sash Sara got for her and we all made her wear!


Everyone at dinner

It was so much fun to get together as girls and celebrate Mandy's big day- I just love her! We also gave some great advice and tips. Poor Nick was kicked out of the house but wandered in around 11pm and he was immediately ordered to our room. He told me he just kept the TV up real loud till he fell asleep because he didn't want to hear any details. Thanks for letting the girls take over for a night Nick!