I AM A PUMPKIN PIE ADDICT

I admit it, I have a serious addiction when it comes to pumpkin pie. I love it's yumminess. I crave the pounds of sugar that help make it up. I could eat it for breakfast. I could eat it anytime for that matter. (and I did eat it for breakfast once- shhhhh, don't tell).

Now, I am picky about my pumpkin pie. I do not, and I repeat, do not like cloves in my pumpkin pie. Spicy pie is exactly why 90 percent of the pumpkin pie haters of the world detest pumpkin pie in the first place. All a good pumpkin pie needs is sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, some eggs, milk, and a pie crust. (and the pie crust isn't necessary either- I've had pumpkin pie with out the crust just the other day- yum yum).

This is my pumpkin pie recipe that I tore off of a can of pumpkin a long, long time ago. I've altered it a little over the years.

Ingredients:
1. 2 deep dish frozen pie crusts (or if you are adventurous, make your own- I'm not- so I always buy mine from the freezer section of my local supermarket rather than attempting the difficult task of making a homemade pie crust)
2. 6 eggs (I have used 4 before- didn't change the taste or texture in my opinion- so if you are short on eggs, 4 would probably work for you too)
3. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
4. 1 teaspoon sea salt
5. 1 can of pumpkin ( in supermarkets, it's the larger can - somewhere around 29 ounces) If you make your own- first of all, Hooray you can your own! Second of all, you would use just under 2 pounds)
6. 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
7. 2 cups sugar (can substitute brown sugar if needed)
8. 1-1/2 cans of evaporated milk

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Pour your eggs, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger all together in a large bowl. Beat these ingredients together. Add the pumpkin and part of the evaporated milk. Mix thoroughly then add remaining evaporated milk. Blend thoroughly one last time. Pour into pie shells. Cook for about 10 minutes or so at 450 degrees and then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Cook for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the pie. I say 30-45 minutes because cooking time varies with different ovens. (If your pie crust tops get too dark after 15 minutes or so, cover the crust edges only with thin sheets of aluminum foil to prevent them from burning).

Take the pies out of the oven, allow to cool and then refrigerate over night. Don't ask me why, but I personally think that pumpkin pies taste much better, (and has a better texture) the day after you cook them. If you can't wait, eat up and enjoy yours as soon as it's cool enough.

Mmmmm, I think I'll go make some pumpkin pie now..........

6 x 3 = Lego creation

This is a typical sight on our kitchen table nowadays. To be honest, this is quite neat and tidy compared to most days. Do you see those nice green multiplication table cards there? What I'm working on right now is how to pour the numbers from those cards into Go Cart Boy's head. So far, he has the zero's and one's down. It's the two's and three's that are wreaking havoc in my kitchen.

So what's a mother to do when the two's and three's aren't sticking? They are just blowing Go Cart Boy's mind. Well, I thought hard and came up with a plan. "Hmmm, Go Cart Boy likes Lego's, Go Cart Boy hates multiplication tables. Wonder what would happen if I combined the two?"


The result: 6x3=18 and whatever this is. Hey, it worked and I doubt he will ever forget what 6 x 3 is. (and for those of you that are really astute, the other 4 Lego's are hanging off the back side of the contraption)

Friday Fill Ins

Go to Friday Fill Ins to "fill in" your own!


1. The crickets sing, the frogs croak, the horse neighs, and we all say goodnight.

2. Try to be good wherever you are.

3. I want to get far away from the hustle and bustle of the large city.

4. Having my own farm; this was a dream.


5. But as for me I still use hand sanitizer every time I leave a store.

6. A place where you see people working hard even though they don't have much to show for it, is where I come from.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finish sewing a special order, tomorrow my plans include a church fall festival and meeting with some ladies from my Etsy team and Sunday, I want to try and sew some new items for my Etsy shop (maybe, just maybe) !

One last Garden "Hoorah" and the Forensic Team

School has been taking up most of my free time but I have managed to grab a picture or two or three here and there. I thought I'd share a little of what went on this week with us.


One night, we returned home to find this bag of garden peas on the front porch. They were from Uncle Bubba. Roly Poly Girl got straight to work on those babies. I bet she ate 2 cups of them- RAW! With what was left, we were able to put up two quart bags in the deep freezer. That's good because "Fire Ant" peas are one of the few vegetables that all of my children will consume without complaining!

We visited the garden one last time this year to see what kind of peanut harvest we would have. This armful was it. The critters got the rest of them. We bundled these up and tied them up in the corn crib roof to dry out for a couple weeks. Not much to show for all of the work that went into planting these. Not much to show for the money the seeds cost in the first place. Hmmph. Well, the kids had fun pulling them up and each one ate ONE raw peanut- just to try. I'm not that brave. If you know what raw, uncured peanuts do to you, you'd understand why I didn't risk eating just one!

The fire ants were at it again. This hill was the largest I'd seen this year. I guess the little cold snip lately has them scrambling. (heee heee heee)

This is my spooky corn photo that didn't exactly turn out like I had planned. The sun was shining so majestically through the trees and dancing on the dried corn stalks. When I snapped the photo, I don't know what happened to the sun (I guess the camera didn't like the light). Anyway, it makes an interesting photo.

What's this? Is that a police car? Why yes, that is a police car. And is that a forensic team vehicle behind that police car? Why yes, that is the forensic team vehicle behind that police car. Why did I take a picture of this?


Because someone broke into this monster. This container is sitting out in the countryside, minding it's own business. Now crooks know where it is. Now, we can't go camping anymore. Now, the kids don't have a spare tv to play video games on. Now, no one can safely ride the go-cart since there are no helments anymore. Now, I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

The ironic thing is, they stole every little treasure that was special to my oldest son. Amongst his treasures, was a Bible. Maybe the crooks will learn something from it..... we can only hope.

Secret Christmas Stuff- Don't tell

The internet is a great place to learn a new hobby. Just ask anyone on Etsy. Sooner or later, you see something that picks your interest and before long, you set out to find, "just how did they do that?"

How do people knit those spectacular creations that you can't find in stores? Is it possible to knit and entire sweater?

Well, I have picked up the knitting needles again. The first time was years ago and I didn't get far with learning back then. Now, thanks to a gift from my sister a few years ago (a knitting kit), and those fabulous You-Tube videos out there on knitting, I was able to figure out at least some of the "knitting mystery". Now, I think I'm addicted. Some ladies on the SHE Team on Etsy mentioned the other day that they thought the sudden desire to knit comes with the impending cooler weather. So, I'm not alone. There may be women all over the country knitting at this very moment- that's pretty neat!


This is a secret. When I make something for someone, it has to "speak" to me. Speak in the terms of who I think it would look good on. This secret (if it works) will go to someone that has a fondness for the Scottish lands.

This is a full sized secret that I finished. My first secret in fact. I'm shocked that it turned out exactly like the video said it would. An undersized model for this secret object volunteered to model this secret for me. This secret object has the name "Me-Ma" written all over it . I just hope Me-Ma isn't allergic to wool!

Hmm, some of us are waiting for a crochet teacher to spend some time with us. When that happens, I don't think there will be any stopping me or my sister!

Friday Fill Ins

Go to Friday Fill Ins to "fill in" your own!




1. So are we going to go or what?

2. Uncertainty is what's up ahead.

3. I love to spend money- the problem is, I don't have any so I can't spend it.

4. I'd love to have a way to bring in some extra money of some sort.

5. I walk a straight line full of valleys, mountains, and twisty curves (doesn't make since does it?).

6. Contentment is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not having to cook supper because we are going to a birthday party, tomorrow my plans include trying desperately (oh, so desperately) to get a facebook fan page up for my Etsy shop, and Sunday, I want to have all of the worksheets run off for the coming week's school work!

Team SC is having a Sample Box Giveaway!

You heard me. G-i-v-e-a-w-a-y!!!! The giveaway takes place today (Thursday, October 15th through November 30th). Click on over to sign yourself up for a chance at winning a gorgeous assortment of donated items from South Carolina artisans. Just leave a comment on The South Carolina Etsy Street Team's blog and you are good to go. Easy-Peasy! One lucky winner will be randomly chosen to win a box of goodies in the photo above!


What are you waiting for? Tell your friends and spread the word- everyone wants a chance to win a freebie!

Anticipation and Dirty (Filthy, Nasty) Socks

Boy, has it been busy around my house. With all of the "plumbing" problems we have had (I'll spare you the details), we did manage to throw a birthday party for Go-Cart Boy, work very diligently on schoolwork, fill a couple of sewing orders, and I managed to make a few things for Christmas gifts. Woo Hoo. Good for me, bad for my shop. Sewing will soon be in order so don't worry. People are wanting more options in my money/coupon organizers so, it looks like I've got to get to work soon. Anyway, here are a few photos from this week that I wanted to share.



It all started the other day with this. Yes, kid's shoes were littered around the yard. Where were those kids that belonged to those shoes?

After awhile, those shoes were not alone and filthy, muddy socks, were then littered around the yard.

What does this have to do with shoes and filthy socks? Well, this photo should be named, "Anticipation".

This photo should also be titled, "Anticipation" Have you figured it out yet?


Yep, this little jewel was the object of the neighborhood's affection for over 4 hours last Saturday. It was also the object that will forever go down in our family history as presenting us with the birthday party that can never be outdone. You see, Balloon Man set this wonderful contraption up for Go Cart Boy's birthday party. Guess what? It got dark before any kids realized that Go Cart Boy had not opened his presents or even sang "Happy Birthday". Can you believe it?

So what did the grown ups do while the kids played on the inflatable? Well, they littered the yard with their own little toys. I'm not sure what you call this object but you will see what it belongs to in the next photo.

The older folks played Ladder Ball. They had a blast. I don't even know who won. Overall, it was a great day and everyone had fun. That makes me happy. Go Cart Boy had so much fun and everyone slept like a bear that night from sheer exhaustion. It was all worth it.

Maverick's Basement made Bird House

Our old oldest son (whom I will call Maverick- not his real name) started a neat little project today. This is where it all began......


Ok, technically, it all began at The Home Depot. That is where I spied this pattern for a birdhouse. Hey, when you homeschool, your eyes are always on the lookout for a learning experience for your kids.


From time to time, I stepped down to the basement to see what was going on. (By the way, those red free publication boxes that are in every single one of these pictures are for sale- cheap- I want them out of the basement!)


Way to go Maverick! I was so proud of how fast he put this little jewel together and what a great job he did. I told him to beware. The next time I went to The Home Depot, there was no telling what pattern I might pick up next time. I don't think he was worried. He discovered that he liked working with wood today. Hooray!

Go to Friday Fill Ins to "fill in" your own!

1. Sweet dreams my little one.

2. Sometimes a person feels that they are placed out of their "element", I find this is true, especially for me.

3. Silliness sometimes makes the world more livable.

4. I'm not ready for this Halloween.

5. Outstanding or not I don't always agree with the winners of major awards.

6. A break from unexpected stresses is what I want right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having school done for the week and the house cleaned, tomorrow my plans include shopping for and throwing a birthday party and Sunday, I want to have the next week planned out and to have survived the party from Saturday!

School is in full swing- Finally!

I am so thrilled that school has been going wonderfully. I'm almost afraid to say it out loud. That first sentence is something that I don't say often each year. This year, I've tried some different things and so far, they are working. We all are still sitting at the kitchen table but I have staggered subjects some so that no two people are working on the same subject. Kind of doesn't make sense but I have found that when I'm working with one person, the other is constantly trying to get my attention so that they can get done and move on to the next subject before the other person can. I fixed that now so there is no, "unspoken" race to finish one subject and move on. Hey, little things make big differences!

Kindergarten is going well and Roly Poly girl is happy.


See how fast Roly Poly girl moves that pencil? Naaaah, just kidding- too little light, blurry picture. I just thought it was funny and had to share. (By the way, K-5 kiddos were allowed to wear pajamas on their first day of school too- how's that for fun?)


This is what you get when your husband catches you running off a clock template from the internet so that you can make your own cheap clock for 3rd grade math.

Scott, said, "Wait, don't waste paper, we have a clock in the basement that (Go Cart Boy) he can use instead." It didn't have all of the numbers but Scott fixed that. (hee hee). Roly Poly Girl decorated it too. I'm sure Go Cart Boy appreciates all of the work that went into it. (hee hee) Hey, whatever works. He can practice telling time and that is all that matters.

Stay tuned for further homeschool adventures.....

A Wordless Wednesday- Scenes from around the yard

I couldn't resist........ "Anyone have some calamine lotion?"

Distractions this week.......

I did not make this but I wish I knew how.......

My incredibly talented sister-in-law was informed of my ill attempts at crochet. I showed her the pattern that I had wanted to try. There was one problem, the instructions looked like some foreign language to me. To her, she picked up that crochet hook, and got to work. From the time it took me to walk to the kitchen, heat up the left over spaghetti, and get the food on the plates, she had this little jewel above finished. I guess it only took her 45 minutes tops! Here and there, I popped into the living room to watch and ask questions. I'm just not sure that my brain comprehended the answer to those many, many questions. We will just have to see. The good thing is, there are quite a few of us in the family that are wanting to learn how to make these dishcloths (pictured above). We have a "crochet party" planned in the near future.

I made this and I'm thrilled that I know how.....

When I discovered that crochet was just not going to happen without further instruction, I picked up the knitting needles. My sister in law said that crochet was, "sooooo much easier than knitting." Hmmmm, I somehow managed to make this little jewel by knitting. Do you reckon that I learn backwards? Anyway, I'm quite proud of this accomplishment. I was shocked that it came together so fast. I started it three days and ago in my spare time and now, it's done! Woo Hoo! Now, I need to find someone or some site to show me how to make hats- instant Christmas presents- you can't beat that!

I play this too much but it's so addicting....

This is my other distraction. The Sims. Yes, I have a family named the "Who" family. If you know anything about Science fiction, you will get it. If not, you'll think I'm just as nuts as you usually do. To give you a little background, my Sims family is comprised of Doctor, Gwen (from a Doctor Who spin off show), Martha, and Merlin (our newest favorite show until Lost comes back on in January). Doctor, Martha, and Gwen all have steady paying jobs and Merlin is unemployed. He lives in a shed beside the main house and practices magic. You know, turning people into frogs and such.

It's all good fun and quite a distraction if I may say so myself.

So there you have it, my distractions this week.

The Hammerhead Worm (Don't look if you are squeamish)

A Homeschool moment in time......

One day this week, during a brief break in the rain, we spotted something creepy- crawling up foundation of the house. I had seen these things dried up in the driveway before and I had thought that they were "snake worms". Ewww, the mention of "snake" sends shivers up my spine. Anyway, this creepy guy (or gal?) was inching it's way up and I noticed it had a flat head. Ewwwwwww.

I can't believe I'm blogging about this.

Anyway, I looked on the internet and quickly found out that this guy is called a Hammerhead worm and he is bad news to earthworms (which are good news to farmers and gardeners). I found this neat article on these guys so if you are interested, just click on over here to find out more.

Apparently, they devour earthworms (rather slowly and painfully by the way) and if you chop them up, each little piece multiplies into a totally new hammerhead worm. Blechhhh. Top get rid of him, you have to "dissolve" him. Hmmmmmm, that kind of creeps me out too. What to do.....?.....

By the way, Roly Polley Girl calls him a "pop" worm. She says they pop...?.... Even she didn't like him or he would have been named "Bob" like most other critters.

There you have it, the hammerhead worm or land planarian. A new critter found in my neck of the woods. I hope I don't see him again either.

Either way you look at it, we all learned something new today, how about you?

To Crochet or To Knit........

I recently figured out that I can't sit still. I'm not hyperactive by no account. It's just that if I sit still, I quickly start thinking of all of the things that I could be doing that need to be done and I feel really guilty for wasting time. Know what I mean? Anyway, I figured that if I was going to sit still, maybe I should be doing something somewhat constructive. Hey, my mother in law was wanting to learn how to make dish cloths so I figured I'd give it a try and maybe we could practice together. The problem is, neither of us have a clue as to where to begin. Maybe crochet is the "constructive" thing that I could do while I sit still (if that happens very often).

I started my learning process at my local Walmart by picking up a book that is "supposed" to teach you how to crochet. I say supposed because I'm wanting to blame the book for my mistakes (and there are a gazillion of them). The book probably does a good job at explaining things. I'm the one that is not understanding those instructions at all.

Things started off pretty good. This is a chain stitch. So far, so good.

Still doing OK here.....

This is the finished product. I'm really good at making something look good when it's not, don't I? I folded it over to hide where I tried several different stitches, got stuck doing a chain stitch again for no reason, and totally bombed when it came to "finishing". And yes, this dishcloth would give even a geometry teacher a headache if you saw it lying flat. I guess that I shouldn't complain since it is a first try, it took two days to make, I answered the phone a total of 6 times during the making of it, I had to get up 19 times each time I got started, and I almost burned supper (twice!).

Will I try again, maybe. Right now, I've switched back to trying to learn how to knit. So far, I can cast on easily. Let's just see what happens next.....

Friday Fill Ins

Got to Friday Fill Ins to "fill in" your own!


1. I have a history of doing too much for everyone else and not myself.

2. How to play the piano is something I wish I knew.

3. I'm eating (or recently ate) brown rice and my special ground beef mixture with some soy sauce.

4. I don't like eating on the road.

5. So that's it, that's all you have to do? (The phrase you say when you try something new that you had thought was too hard in the first place and it turned out not being difficult).

6. Five minutes of free time is better than nothing!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the septic tank guy finally showing up (don't ask), tomorrow my plans include going to the Tram Art's festival and Sunday, I want to have school planned out for the new week!

The Week In Photos

While I was gone this week from blogging, a lot went on in the background that I thought I would share with you.

I sewed up these little toddler bags for a special order.

Scott and Go-Cart boy came home with this little guy, set him up on the kitchen table, and told me to take a picture of him since they knew that he would fall apart at any moment. I take it they went to Arby's for lunch that day.


While taking my compost out to the bucket, I passed under the volleyball net. Something caught my eye.


All I did was put my hand down at the pole on the ground and I was swarmed instantly. Thankfully, these are what we call in the south, "sugar ants". Let's just say that Scott came along shortly after and took care of these little pests. Unfortunately, they quickly found their way into the back door shortly after. Just so you know, a few drops of tea tree oil , a scoop of Charlie's Soap, and water in a spray bottle kill these guys instantly. We discovered this safe concoction after trying to develop something to kill fire ants. The bad thing is that it does absolutely nothing to fire ants. Sugar ants, instant kill. Don't ask me why, I'm not a chemist. All I know, is that it is a safe pest controller for sugar ants. Fire ants just get a nice bath with it and that's all.

It got quite chilly here the other day so I decided it was time to switch out the girl's summer clothes for fall. The boy's closet wasn't so hard. This is the beginning of the "mess". It took two trips to Walmart to get more clothes hangers to sort this out. I have 5 grocery bags full of goodies to give away or donate to Goodwill now. .........Now, if I could just figure out where I put my winter clothes in our container, I'd be alright......

And now for the number one thing that I've been busy with this week- getting school more organized. One thing that I have found that works for me (and the kids of course!), is Spelling City. You take your spelling words, enter them in a list, and the kids can play all sorts of spelling games and can even get tested. Here is a link to Spelling City (just click on the photo)- I highly recommend it for any kiddo that needs a more fun way to learn to spell those spelling words!




And last but certainly not least, the biggest news of the week.......

********** Insert imaginary photo of two fang marks on Scott's leg***********

Yep, I made a promise to Scott that I wouldn't put any goofy pictures of him on this blog and so far, I've lived up to that promise. To make a long story short, Scott was bitten by a snake this week. Yes, I did take a picture of his "fang" marks but, I'm not going to show them here. Luckily, the snake didn't penetrate his skin too far down and even more luckily, apparently, it wasn't a poisonous snake to begin with. Can you say fortunate? My hard working man was weed eating in the dark (don't ask me why?) when his little slithery episode took place so he had no idea as to what variety of snake bit him. He is doing fine and the bite marks are shrinking every day. I think I have had a few new gray hairs show up on my head since that night.