all things pumpkin....

Now, I am not getting paid to say this yogurt from Aldi is very yummy, but I should be. It IS very good. It is a nice snack, and goes well with a piece or two of dark chocolate, or perhaps a handful of chocolate chips, not that I would know that, but I am guessing.

After my walk this morning, I puttered around my silent kitchen, made a pot of pumpkin spice coffee, and a double batch of paleo pumpkin muffins. The muffins are still in the oven, but the yogurt was good:), and I smell those muffins baking! I am not saying they are so healthy you should eat a whole batch of them, but for healthier muffins, they certainly taste good. I made them the other day and the kids just ate them all up, although I did make some frosting for them. Here is the recipe if anyone is interested:

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin. Again, I am not getting paid to say this, but Aldi's brand is 89 cents a can. I bought ten cans.
8 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted with
1/4 cup butter (you can probably use all of either one though)
1/2 cup palm sugar (perhaps honey or maple syrup would be good too)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix it all together, and add this mixture:

a scant cup coconut flour (a bit more than 3/4, less than a whole)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

I bake the tiny ones at 350 for 15 minutes, and the larger ones for 22 minutes.



And yeah, I know that the sprinkles aren't paleo, but...they make they extra yummy. And more appealing to the kids.

They certainly aren't as good as the muffins you make by taking a box of cake mix and stirring in nothing but a can of pumpkin, but they are a lot better for me.

Oh, if I could bottle up the aroma of this moment, the just-out-of-the-oven smell of pumpkin spice.

I also put dinner in the crockpot, some chicken breasts that I froze with marinade and spices, and a package of boneless chicken thighs. I feel accomplished.

And, if anyone is wondering why my kitchen was silent this morning, it's because my oldest daughter Emily is so nice! She took Miss Char and Miss Cam to her house for a sleepover last night! She lives in a big old house with lots of rooms, and my girls simply love to play there. Em isn't one to just let kids sit in front of a screen, either, so they will have lots of fun there. The most fun for them was the getting ready part. They packed their little suitcases, chose some dolls to bring, and then settled in for the Asking Mom Every Five Minutes When Emily Is Coming part.

Jonathan is here, and the other girls. Jon hasn't started his work yet, he is playing with kitten. The dogs haven't killed the kitten yet, so Jon takes that as a sign they probably won't. They like it, Suri loves it, but Duke has had a few questionable moments when the brave little kitten has pounced right on Duke's face. So I try to do kitten therapy with the dogs as often as I think of it, taking kitten and putting it in their faces and petting them and telling them they are good dogs.

I am so thankful that I am able to stay home. I love being able to just make it nice for the family. I like having the time to sit and have coffee with Evelyn, and to trim Sonja's hair. I like that I have time do do the laundry and wash the bedding and read stories and go on adventures. I like that I am available if one of the older ones stops in, or wants to go somewhere. I just like being a stay at home mom. I really always thought that when all of my kids were in school, I would go to school too, that I would be a nurse or maybe even a teacher. I would earn money, making things a little easier financially. (and having MY OWN money would be nice.) But. Somewhere along the line I started thinking about how much time it would take to study, to take classes, and how much my kids still need me. Even teenagers need their mama, as much as they clearly enjoy themselves on those day I am not home when they get home from school, they plant themselves in front of the t.v. with snacks:), then groan when I pull in with groceries to put away. Anyway. I am very thankful I can be home, and spend as much time as I do with my kids.

Jonathan is making himself some eggs for breakfast, to go with the muffins. He pays taxes, he has a library card, AND he can cook.

In a little while, I am going to visit my mother-in-law, who has been sick. She is starting to feel better, but still isn't up for the theater tonight. Evelyn Joy is beyond excited to go. I asked her when she got home from school yesterday, and she was like, "Really? Really?! What do I wear?!" I am taking her a little early, for some dinner some where. It's nice because my other girls agree that Evelyn will enjoy it most, and they aren't too jealous.

Paul is leaving for France again this Saturday, for two weeks. Two weeks is a long time to have him gone. I'm glad he likes it, but to be honest, I am a tiny bit jealous that he lives such an exciting life, and that he is happy about going. (Not about leaving us, but about the destination.) He likes what he does, and the people he works with. Which is nice, but yeah, I am a little bit jelly, as my kids would say.

But I can't complain. I am taking a little trip to visit Samuel next weekend down in Washington D.C. I miss that boy, and can't wait to just spend some time with him. I don't really care what museums we visit, although I am sure I will enjoy them. I just want to see Sammers. He is such good friends with his sisters, and they are SO excited to go...Margaret, Kathryn, and Suzanne, maybe Sonja. Evelyn is staying here with Joseph, to watch the little girls. She doesn't mind, she probably has a stack of books. I am not sure if Aaron is going with me or not, I would like him to. He is a good navigator, and doesn't mind driving in traffic.

Ah well, time to get moving again.