Take a Risk

*Excuse the format, troubles with blogger, but I don't want to leave out this yummy fall recipe.

Fall, pumpkins, falling leaves and caramel apples go together. I love caramel and apples but I don't want to risk needing a new crown from biting into caramel and apple. This recipe solves that risk.

Spiced Caramel Apple Cupcakes

1 box of spice cake mix

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup Caramel topping

1 granny smith apple

peeled and grated

2 egg whites

1 egg yolk

Directions: Put all ingredients into a large bowl and either mix by hand or use a mixer until well blended. Bake cupcakes with liners in a muffin pan at 350 degrees for 22 min or until tooth pick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for about 10 min. then turn out onto a wire rack, and let cool completely before frosting.

At this point I'm thinking this cupcake is like health food, no oil, unsweetened applesauce and only one egg yolk.

Well folks, at my house dessert is not about health food so thankfully there is frosting. Frosting and some extras, like sugared pecans and caramel sauce.

Frosting

1 1/2 sticks or 3/4 cup butter

2 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp.vanilla paste or extract

2 T milk

Directions: soften butter and add the rest of ingredients. Turn on mixer and beat until well combined. Whip, whip it good. Then pipe on the frosting. Or if you don't pipe just frost thick.

*Garnish with sugared pecans and caramel sauce.

Nope, there isn't anything healthy about these cupcakes. I think we took care of that risk.

My Winter Plan

Last evening Hubby and I attended the Haggen's Be Our Guest Food & Wine Festival with Brian and Holly. It was a delicious experience. I have the holiday season entertaining ideas swirling through my mind, including some amazing cheats.

As we tasted, if we liked the wine, we had our card scanned. Now I have a "wine cellar" at Haggen's. I can easily refer to it. This is amazing stuff for the over 50 crowd. I can never remember which wine and what year that I actually liked.

A ballroom of wine and food, another of beer and snacks and a dessert room with dessert wines, Twin Brook Creamery eggnog and chocolate milk, desserts to die for and my favorite of the evening, Sandeman 20 Year Old Tawny, Duoro Valley, Portugal.

Sipped slowly, with the fire roaring, snow falling, and Chocolate Meets Olive from Haggen's Market Street Catering. Mmmmm, crazy good! It's my plan for the cold, harsh winter that is in the forecast.

Thanks Brian for the invite, we loved our night out with your sweet wife, Holly.

Wednesday...

We had such a nice evening out with our friend, Adelene on Monday. I may have fallen off the Eat Less, Move More. The burnt cream was worth every calorie. A lot of calories and even more laughs. Thanks Ad!

Our addition is moving right a long, framing inspection is coming up, plumbing and electrical rough ins are finished,the furnace is connected, the windows are in and the dry wall is stocked for Monday morning. Hubby is off tomorrow so lots of progress will be made then.

Today I am calling and coordinating, and trying to choose carpet. I'm also working on a cute teacher, family, little buddy Christmas gift. Jerrie and I have been like little elves getting the Lynden Pioneer Museum gift shop ready for our Shoppers' Night on November 18th. Save the date. We are offering our usual great sales plus a showcase of crafty gifts ideas...

Super fun stuff!

Hawley thinks the addition is a new dog house. I just let him think that for now. He has a bed in there and loves all the subs coming to visit.

Shhhh, don't tell Hawley but when my bed goes in, his goes out.

Fun with Remodeling

Okay, this is fun! Anthropologie has a feature on their website that you can slide the knobs and handles to a cabinet to see how they look. I pick a cabinet, "paint it black" and then slide my hardware choices over to see how it will look.

Uhmmm honey, I may need a bigger remodel budget, I just found wallpaper, bedding, and doo dahs at Anthropologie. They have four home types and you can find yours and then shop IT! I found mine.

Lots of fun, that Anthropologie...

Martha is Amazing

This morning is busy, the electrician is here finishing the rough in. The drywall is being stocked. Huge truck with wrong address, so I've chased them down the road twice, then they barely fit on my bridge to the house. Jason is coming to measure the bathroom cabinets and after everyone gets started I need to make a lot of calls. Then I need to run some errands. I'll be ironing and baking in between, two good filler chores.

We have a fun week at our house. Busy. Tonight we are going to Anthony's with Ad. Max is telling his coaches that he has to leave football practice on time tonight because he is going for dinner with a senior from our church. Ad thought that was funny. Max invited himself along after Ad invited Hubby and I.

*Wednesday night is more fun, involving wine and food and Brian and Holly. Some of my favorites!

*Friday Night Lights are in Seattle this week.

Football game is at Kings. Go #83 and Lyncs!

*Saturday night is pumpkin carving in the party barn. I'll be cooking up some ghoulish treats.

So, with all that I am giving thanks this morning for Martha Stewart. Home Depot now carries MSL carpet and paint. I used Martha's paint when we bought our house nine years ago. Now, she has carpet and here is the BEST part. Next to each paint color is a small symbol, next to each rug sample is a small symbol, just match the symbols and everything will coordinate. There are apples, leaves, moons, stars etc. Brilliant! I'm leaning toward the asterisk symbol. Creamy grays, rather than tan creams.

I need something easy in this building project. Barely, just barely, keeping up. Long list today and then a fun, busy week, thank goodness for Martha or I might not make it.

i {heart} martha stewart living...

Ferrying to Friday Night Lights

Last night the Friday Night Lights were in Friday Harbor. It's a fun day/night/day. Hubby and I left around noon, stopped in Burlington at Lighting Universe and then caught the ferry with the team.

Barely...

It took longer than we thought to get there and Max and Tyler needed Mc Chickens and McDoubles, so we stopped at Mickeys and got the goods. It was a little tense, we were hurrying and getting texts from Max, "best hurry", "where are you?"...

Getting your stinkin' burgers, kiddo!

It was gorgeous on the ferry ride over.

At boot camp on Friday morning the Ball Boys' Moms were a little worried about sending their guys along with the team. Their Dad's are coaches and are busy with the game. I told them I'd check on them once in a while. Not really committing myself, just going to be mindful.

Max gave them a little end of the season thank you gift. Sugared them up! They work hard and deserve a little appreciation. They are fun to watch during the season. Dylan, Sam and Jake take their job seriously and make the Lyncs look good.

The Lyncs won, we had no rain, and the ball boys were on the ferry on the way home. I checked.

Upholstery Classes Anyone?

We have this chair and matching love seat. I've loaned it to the Snapsisters for a wedding shoot, hence the photo. I'd like to have them reupholstered and new cushions made for the new master suite. Our current bedroom will be a sitting room.

Neat idea?

I think so.

And then I got a bid for the labor.

Uhm, yeah, I had to pick myself up off the floor.

The bid didn't include fabric, she quoted $40-100 yd. and I'd need 7 yards plus the labor.

Any ideas?

Should I take a class and do it myself?

Forget about it?

Hubby really wants me to have these re-done for sentimental reasons. I had them in my apartment when we dating and they are kinda groovy.

Ideas?

Edited to Add: Shelly texted that she'll take a class with me. How about instead of me and do them for me, Shell?

Saturday Field Trip

My sis, Kathi and I went to Burlington, Mt. Vernon and Ferndale on Saturday. Home improvement stores, furniture stores, lighting stores, we hit them all. We stopped in Burlington and celebrated eddie's birthday at the outlet mall.


Too many choices... I know what I want I just need to justify the cost.

Officially Fall

We are busy with the addition. The roof is 90% finished, the plumbing is roughed in, bids are coming in, the electrician and sheet metal guys are scheduled for this week. The windows were delivered yesterday. It's clipping right along.

Meanwhile, Fall is officially here. We lit our wood stove yesterday for the first time this year. The temp didn't go above 50 degrees yesterday and it felt damp and cold. It was warm and cozy inside and a hot, hearty dinner was ready for the guys when they came in for the night.

It was nice and toasty inside and I tried to muddle through some of the paperwork that goes with being your own contractor. The piles grew as I have been outside picking up the old wood shakes from our re-roofing project.
I know it's Fall when I've been ghosted. Last night there was a knock on the door and when Hubby answered no one was there, just a treat bucket filled with fun things left by one of my favorite little ghosts. BOO!

I Did It My Way

I did it all! I got the museum Open House started, snuck out and flew to Meridian for the game. Good thing I went, it was a loss and I had to pick up the pieces after the game. I knew it would be bad, and when I got there it was already 21-0. Hey, at least the Lyncs scored.

Special thanks to Sandy for the little balls of evil. Sandy, you know how important they are in a tense situation. Thanks, it was a little tense. And special thanks to my boss, Troy! And I'd like to thank Anna Greta and Susan for being me.
Today I am going south and can't come home without lighting fixtures. Wish me luck!

Mom or Museum Job?

Just when you think your teenager doesn't need you anymore... there he is with need, need, need!

Tonight is the Lynden Pioneer Museum Open House. The 34th annual, I have been at 13 of them, making tonight the 14th for me.

I find the participants, like the spinner, the shopkeepers, the Dairy Ambassadors, the music, the wood carver, train engineers to name a few. I also coordinate the food. It's one night of the year I have to work. Everything is ready and it should run like clock work.

Two weeks ago I mentioned to Max that I had Open House coming up and wouldn't be at the football game against Meridian. "Whhaaa- huh? Mom, no you will be there."

I wish I had my camera ready when I told him. It was a freak out face like I haven't seen before.

I had coverage for the museum, they bailed, I got more coverage, good coverage for myself. But if something goes wrong at the museum tonight I feel responsible. If I don't go to the game, Max will either score a touchdown or get hurt. It's true, the only other game I ever missed, he scored.

I've gone back and forth. I have a stomach ache. What should I do?

Good and Bad

I started my day at 6 a.m. wanting to get ahead of the construction. By 8 a.m. it felt really out of control. My list grew and by 8:30 I had to go to Bellingham for the roofer. I also stopped at Lowes to pick up the medicine cabinets. They only had one in stock, it had been opened and the box had a dent but I took it. We needed the measurements for framing. When I got home, the roofer was unhappy with what I picked up for him, and yes, the mirror on the medicine cabinet was shattered. I'll deal with it later as by then I was two hours late to work.

I then quickly jumped in the van, took it to the car wash and then to the shop for an appointment. It has a squeak. I walked to work, stopped at the bakery for a cup of soup to go. The gentleman behind me treated me to an Oreo truffle. Crazy good. Random act of kindness from a stranger.
I flew around at work since tomorrow is the Lynden Pioneer Museum's Open House, then walked back to the shop, the van wasn't ready. I walked to the bank and the library. I knew some of the books I had ordered were in. I had to call Hubby to meet me as I started walking home, they were so heavy. I do have all the new 2010 Christmas books! Just may not have time to look at them.
I came home to a Happy Mail Day! Michele. my blog friend, sent me a card and a book, Sunday Dinner. I love it. I got a Halloween card from a sweet MO friend.

Thanks ladies, you made my day!
Oooooh! Another package! It's chandeliers that I ordered for the bedroom. Not happy mail, disappointing mail... no wonder they were such a bargain. I should have known.

The shop calls that the van is finished for today, we have an expensive appointment next week.

Highs and lows today. Good and bad. If only I could keep up, but the faster I go, the behinder I get this week. Hubby tells me next week will be better.

Hand Nailed and Ready for Subs

Hubby has been busy. In between his real job and real life he framed me a new master suite. This week the roofer is scheduled, the plumber is coming to do the rough in, more bids are coming in for gutters, cabinets, flooring.

Hubby pretty much has the framing finished.

Not only is he handsome and all mine, he is pretty handy with a hammer too.

pic-the Snapsisters

Our Soldier

That Sam I Am, that Sam I Am, I miss him. A. Lot.

Pics by the Snapsisters

Camano Island Photo Shoot

After our photo shoot with the Snapsister that is my sister

the guys started hitting rocks out into Elger Bay.

Over the years I have watched them hit rocks for hours.

It always surprises me that there are any rocks left on Camano Island.

Jodi, we love the family pics and the shots of just the boys. Thanks from all of us!

A Busy Saturday

When Hubby got home from work on Saturday he and Danny got the trusses up and set. Danny was our kiddo that was always up in a tree. Rock climbing, tree climbing, roof climbing, that was Danny. He remembers us telling him that he wasn't allowed to climb higher than the roof. Boundaries.

We had an impromptu dinner party at our house on Saturday evening. I had made Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings in the afternoon so I had a dessert ready to go.

This is my favorite Pioneer Woman recipe ever. These little dumplings are like butter and sweetness amped up to a whole new level.

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples

2 cans of crescent rolls

2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

cinnamon

1 small can of Mountain Dew -1 cup

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple in a crescent roll. Place in a buttered 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir and pour over the apples. Pour the Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauce from the pan over the top.

Yes, those wrapped up apples are swimming in butter and sugar! And it's okay. Actually, it's better than okay. Trust me.

Enjoy!

It's A Win!

The Friday Night Lights were ON last evening at LCHS. And they were BRIGHT! The Lyncs needed a WiN and got one over Friday Harbor. Danny drove up from Seattle to watch his little brother. The aunts, uncles, grandparents were out in full force as Wyatt played for the JV team earlier and then Max for varsity.

In between the games we had a pizza delivery from my favorite pizza guy. It works well to call from the game and then meet the delivery at the gate. Thanks Levi!
I had my camera on the wrong setting for Max and Kassie's picture so I'd like to warn them that they need a retake next week.

The best part is hearing "Rylaarsdam, #83, on the stop," over the loud speaker. We love that.