It's Coming!

It's hard not to get caught up in the dress up spirit with all of the halloween things out in stores although dress up is an everyday occurrence in our household (as are probably most with young ones!) Funny, our boy will dress up in anything he can get his arms into from his cowboy costume to his sister's tutu even, and once a couple of paper towel rolls if you can believe that, stuck his arms right through for some serious superhero action! So, in honor of dressing up, here are a few of my faves:

"Giddy Up" sundress by Chew Chews Closet

bunny hat by Tie Dye Diva

party tutu by Lexi Lou Design

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Weekend Inspiration from my Scrap Book

I decided today to just share some random thoughts from a few of the women in my Women Entrepreneur Scrapbook :)

~Failure is good. Babe Ruth failed. FedEx's founder failed. Failure inspires you to be your best.
*Marilyn Lyshoir or Cowgirl Chocolates

~Do not let fear of the unknown stop you from starting.
*Barbara Schriber of Chatillon

~Don't spend so much time preparing that you never get started.
*Louise Driver of Sugar n Spice Inc.

~You don't have to have an MBA to be an entrepreneur. Tap into your life experiences; build a business plan from there.
*Nyakio Kamoche Greico of Nyakio Bath and Body

~Every day is cause to celebrate - but a few days deserve some extra oomph!
*Lily Pulitzer of Lily

~It is great to love one's work. Doing work that you enjoy gives you energy. You are imfused with enthusiasm. Your senses seem sharper. You wake up with new ideas every day and with solutions to conquer the challenges that cropped up the day before. You are always confident that goals are attainable, that creativity and ingenuity and hard work and passion for the work will make it all come together. Build your business success around something you love - something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you.
*Martha Stewart of Martha Stewart Omnimedia

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Kids in the Kitchen - Delicious Autumn Goodness!

Ode to Autumn! My FAVORITE season usually has me in the kitchen a little more -- maybe it's the fact that it's a tad chillier outside and the smells of deliciousness wafting from the kitchen tend to linger, leaving the house cozy and smelling like a dream....

Anyway, this is by far the most requested Fall recipe from my kitchen, so I thought it would be appropriate to share it here too! I don't know about you, but considering the brisk weather and gorgeous assortment of foliage starting to appear, I am experiencing a sudden urge to make the house smell delicious and, most importantly of course, enjoy a yummy pumpkin muffin! My kids LOVE helping me make (and eat) these scrumptious treats!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

One 29 oz. can of Libby's Pumpkin

1-2 cups of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your muffins...I usually opt for about 1 and 1/2 cups just because pumpkin can be bitter)

2 slightly beaten eggs

2/3 cup of butter (approx. 9-10 TB)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups of flour

1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips

Mix the pumpkin, sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs together until smoothly blended. Then in a separate bowl, gently mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon an salt together. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Once blended evenly, add the chocolate chips. Fill greased muffins tins or cupcake wrappers 2/3 full and then bake for 20-23 minutes.

I usually stick the muffins with a toothpick to make sure they are completely done; pumpkin tends to be dense and sometimes they can be "doughy" in the center. I like the muffins done, but moist.

Let them cool completely then top with drippy icing (recipe below)...or leave them plain - they are plenty good just by themselves!

Drippy Icing:

1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar

2-4 TB of milk (depending how thick you like it)

A few drops of lemon juice

The more sugar you add the thicker the icing is. Let the icing set. ENJOY! These are FOOL PROOF!! And absolutely delicious! Super easy recipe too...good thing, because they don't stay in the house for long!!!

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Oh Welcome Fall!

Being in south Texas I realize we are a little late in the game, but fall is just beginning as we are no around 85 degrees versus 100! hooray! My tribute to fall with some super cute EtsyKids finds:

boutique clips from LiliBugBoutique

striped beanie from Nuxie Made

pillow case dress from Butterfly Baby Place

crocheted hats from Rings Around Rosie

Welcome Fall!!!

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EtsyKids Design Challenge for September: The Colors of Fall

Each month EtsyKids Team members are challenged to create a unique item within a chosen theme. This month's challenge, 'The Colors of Fall', was picked by last month's winner asherjasper. EtsyKids members will have until September 19th to submit their entries, and voting will be open to everybody from Monday, September 21st to Sunday, September 27th. So, be sure to come back to the EtsyKids blog for a new post on the 21st to see all of the entries and VOTE! In the meantime, please click here to get a sneak peek at some exciting entries so far!

(photos via Flickr by talented Simon Wong)

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Challenge Yourself!

Hi Diva's! I'm SO late this weekend - its seems my life is a constant whirlwind -
me and the kiddos went to see 9 today (and it was smashing indeed).

I decided that I would chill out for a couple of weeks - I finished up a few orders that had been lingering. But the big change was I cleaned up my topsy turvey house when my brother came to visit on labor day - it had been so long since I had packed up the sweat shop that I had forgotten how cool it was to be able to walk through the house without tripping! LOL! We continued to do a 'clean sweep' before we go to bed at night and so far so good....
well...my friend Gail, who just finished up her degree a couple of days ago decide to celebrate by starting a 365 challenge - yep - you guessed it - that's a full year of creating something every single day! She has been doing school so many years and now that she has time to create - she can't wait! I was inspired by her - so, I to will be participating in the 365 challenge, BUT not the sewing you would expect - I figure if I'm going to challenge myself that I should think out of the box. I will use this challenge as a way to try all those projects that Ive found in magazines, books and online and make them - it's almost like I'm giving myself permission to be 'free'. Instead of feeling like I have to be consumed with keeping new things in my shops - I'm going to be consumed with trying new things and keeping my house in order! Then, when I get an order online - It will be refreshing instead of daunting to sit down and sew! YAY! I'm very excited and I will keep you all posted on my projects! I'm sure everyone can find new ways to challenge themselves and I'd love to hear your ideas! XO

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Kids in the Kitchen

Fall is the perfect time to mix up some gobbly good eats! With the cooler air setting in and the Halloween holiday just around the corner...this delicious treat is sure to please! A yummy combination of cereal, fruit & candy make this goody perfect for your little witches and spooky goblins...they'll gobble it right up!

Trick or Treat!Halloween Chex Mix

What you'll need:

8 oz. white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
4 cups Corn Chex or Rice Chex cereal
2 cups bite sized pretzel twists
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup candy corn
1/4 cup Betty Crocker orange & black candy decors (Halloween sprinkles)


Preparation:

• In large microwavable bowl, microwave chopped baking bars uncovered on High 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.

• Gently stir in cereal, pretzels and raisins until evenly coated. Stir in candy corn and decors.

• Spread on waxed paper or foil until cooled and chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Break into chunks. Store loosely covered.

Recipe Yields: 18 servings (1/2 cup each)


For an extra special treat, fill little cellophane bags with this fun mix and tie with orange and black ribbons for Halloween party treats!

This recipe & many others can be found at Chex.

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