Domestic Engineering at its Finest

recipe below

I don't claim to be a baker. In fact, I'm terrible at it, but this time of year does something to me. Suddenly I want to start baking cookies, cinnamon rolls, and anything else I can think of. Pumpkin brownies initiate fall for me. I had some chocolate chips and a can of pumpkin left over from last year and decided that this was the week to make them. I love the aroma of  pumpkin and cinnamon as they cook. The timer went off and when I pulled them out of the oven, they looked a little funny.



The color was off. These brownies aren't supposed to be yellow. I mean, they're supposed to be more orange, but definitely not yellow. We cut into them after they had cooled and from the first bite, I knew what was wrong. I forgot one important ingredient. Brownies don't taste very good if they don't have any sugar in them! The funny thing about this is that right before Brandon ate one has asked, "You didn't forget the sugar, did you?" "No!" I replied without even giving it a thought. Then I remembered. I did the same thing last year. You'd think I would have remembered something like that! Our much anticipated treat ended up going bad. Real bad. So much for our fall initiation. At least we had a nice smell throughout the house.

Speaking of smells, Caleb has started to read simple words and this week we were working on "ar" words. It was so fun writing words on the magna doodle and having him read them out loud. So fun, in fact, that his brother and sister got in on the action as well.  Brandon was excited to point out another "ar" word that Caleb could spell, and looking back on it, I should have seen it coming. At least he stuck with the "ar" root. Needless to say, Caleb has a new favorite word. I can't describe the pride I'm feeling right now.


The kids have also been saying some pretty funny things lately:

We overheard Kelsie saying to Brandon in the car, "You have a really high voice for a boy." It reminded us of something a friend pointed out previously: "It's not so much the decibel as the pitch."

Caleb, pouring a package of oatmeal into his bowl for breakfast said, "Now that's what I call a bowls-eye!" when it all landed in the bowl.

Caleb also has been saying things like, "Well looky here!" and "Well, what do you know?" a lot lately.

Brandon, before his first soccer practice: "I can't wait to show everyone my skills!" (Maybe he needs a slice of humble pie?! On the other hand, he did score 3 goals in his first game!)

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Here's the pumpkin brownie recipe if you want to try it. It's really good and a huge family favorite (as long as you don't forget the sugar!):

Pumpkin Brownies

1 1/2 C sifted flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 C melted butter
3/4 C cooked pumpkin
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C nuts (optional)

Sift together dry ingredients. Stir eggs, butter, and pumpkin together. Add dry ingredients. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into 9X9 greased pan. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

Tummy Trouble

Caleb has been noticing my stomach growing bigger and bigger and has started asking me a lot of questions about it.  We had an interesting conversation about it on Saturday.  Luckily his older brother was there to help answer:

Caleb:  “Mom, where did you get that big tummy?”

Me:  “What?  Where did I get it?”

Caleb:  “Yeah, did you get it at the tummy store?”

Me:  “No, umm, Dad gave it to me.”  (I didn’t think there was a need for further explanation here.  He is only 3 after all.)

Brandon: “Caleb, do you know that Dad planted a special seed in Mom and it grows into a baby?”

Caleb:  “Oh, cool!”

A couple minutes later, after I thought we had moved on from the subject:

Brandon:  “Mom, where does Dad get the seeds to plant?”

Me (caught off guard, just a little):  “Um…(trying to figure out the right thing to say)…he got the seeds when he became a man.”

Brandon:  “I’m a man!”

Me:  “No, you’re not.”

I guess I need to give the explanation a little more thought for such inquiring minds!

All in the Nose

I just love the funny things my kids say. This one was from breakfast this morning:

Brandon: “Dad, you have the longest, pointiest nose I’ve ever seen!”

Dad: “Well, you have the flattest nose I’ve ever seen!”

(Unfortunately for Brandon, this is true.)

We then spent the next 5 minutes comparing our noses.

Good Morning!

Here's a little something to brighten your day!

Brandon also informed me the other day that Caleb is no longer a baby.

He's a "tobbler".

His What?

"I can't wait to meet my destiny with Darth Maul and Darth Vader."