Sunday's meditation....

Busy planning for my Open House/Sample Sale...

If you are a local reader, please consider yourself invited to my Open House on Wednesday, November 3rd, from 9 to 2!  If you aren't local, then get your airline ticket and come on over!!

I am planning my annual Open House/Sample Sale, and as usual sell samples from my Willow House kit and things that may be retiring or that I can no longer store or share in my kit.  Good deals, and also, any orders that day will be 10% off.  If you are a reader and want to place an order, then I will take 15% off!  Just post a comment or email me to place your order.  Remember my website is southerninspiration.willowhouse.com.  The 15% discount applies to regular price merchandise, but also check out the eOutlet.....some great buys there as well.  There are weekly deals every week that could very well be called "steals"!!!  Check it out!

Also, hubby and I are planning a trip to Boston and would love any recommendations for places to go, things to do, restaurants to check out, etc! 
I'll post my menu later that I'll have at the Open House, but this year, it will be much simpler and much easier as this week is just crazy with much to do! 
I'll also post pics and any leftover samples that I still have for sale.  Y'all have a great weekend, and a great Halloween if you choose to celebrate that!  We always have busy Sundays with several church activities. 
Missing my baby Catherine today......we got the kids a video camera so they can record her growth and share with us!!

See y'all soon.....take care!

Willow House Weekly

A fall tablescape from our Product showcase at Convention

A lovely mantlescape from a fellow consultant

Notice the different heights on the tablescape-adds interest, and look how they tied the flatware up with the napkin!

I will try to do a normal blog post today w/o mentioning the adorableness of my baby granddaughter......now I know/understand why others can't stop gushing about their babies.  She's just so darned adorable!! Last night I held  her after her bath, and with eyes wide open, she gazed so peacefully.  Adorable, I tell you...oh, and I wasn't going to mention it, was I??

So whether you celebrate Halloween or not, do only fall decor or ghoulish, there are so many great ideas out in the world of blogs, aren't there?  I like just fall decor, but there are actually some stylish ways to decorate for Halloween.  I certainly don't go for gore, but I've seen some really CUTE ways to decorate for Halloween.  What have you seen that you like/ or what have you done?  I just have fall decor at my house, and it will last until it is time to decorate for Christmas.  That's always a fun transition, especially after I'm ready for a bit of a change.
Speaking of Christmas, have you begun your holiday shopping yet? All I have are some stocking stuffers and some baby toys for that little bundle I mentioned up above, that I wasn't going to get sidetracked with...it's just so darned hard!! Ha.

The Eclipse Platter

The Villla Server

A fun tablescape for Thanksgiving

So, if you are stumped for ideas, there are SO many places for inspiration...what are you favorites?
You can check out www.southernliving.com , www. bhg.com, and www.realsimple.com for good ideas for every season.  You can go to my website and if you check in the outlet, there are some REALLY good buys for stocking your gift closet, putting together a cooking basket for a foodie friend, decor items at inexpensive prices, and much more!  There are different "products of the week" that are marked down for just that week, so you'll want to check it weekly.  And we all know great blogs for inspiration right?  So many clever crafty blogs, so many inspiring decorating blogs and an overwhelming amount of handy, diy'ers that will gladly show us how to do it yourself!  What are your favs?
Just a few ideas from me:  something like the Eclipse Platter shown above can go from Fall Decor to Christmas decor in a matter of minutes.  For fall, you could thrown acorns or mixed nuts in and add a few pillar candles and you have an instant centerpiece.  For Christmas, simple change out the filler for small ornaments, fake snow, or red/green (or whatever your holiday color choice is) marbles/rock/glass and add a holiday candle.  You can also choose gold or silver and use jingle bells surrounding the candles.  add a few ornaments laying on top, and you've got holly, jolly decor!  In a container like the Villa Server, you can pile it full of pinecones, stick in a bow, or use it for fruits and nuts.....for Christmas, just pile it high full of ornaments with a sprig of greenery and you're good.  Or sit in a Christmas Cactus or pionsettia with some bright green reindeer moss stuffed around the edges.  Holiday Cheer for your centerpiece! What are your ideas for these products?

So I will close with a recipe......I am thinking of what I will serve at my Open House and Sample Sale coming up a week from today (yikes!!!) and what I will serve.  There is an awesome spread to put over cream cheese that many will enjoy.....you get a jar of apricot or peach preserves, put into  a bowl, stir in a Tablespoon (or more if you like a little more PUNCH!) of amaretto, and about a cup of chopped pecans.  Stir together and spread over a brick of cream cheese.  Serve with ginger snaps or wheat thins.....enjoy!  That's an EASY appetizer or treat and looks festive!  What are your favorite simple and easy appetizers???

So hard to regularly post when I have such a beautiful distraction.

I will get back to normal posts, but I am doing a lot of cuddling baby, so that's all I have thought much about.  Isn't she a doll baby???
I am ready for some of that REAL fall teaser weather we had some weeks back.  I was wanting to make chili....but it seems too hot and humid!  How do you make chili?  Mine is super easy, and involves lots of cans.  I start out with my ground beef, whatever I happen to have.  I don't use 'Made for Chili" large ground beef...just whatever I have.  I brown it with onions, then drain.  I then add a can of tomato paste, a can of water, a can of tomato sauce, a can of ranch beans, a can of roasted tomaotes, diced and a good bit of chili powder, some salt, pepper and some brown sugar.  I know it's not helpful to not have amounts, but that's the way I cook so often.  You develop the right groove for what your family likes, and mostly do it the same way each time...anyway, here's to cooler, chili days!!!! Have a good day, and I'll see you back at the ranch, when I'm not busy cuddling!! :D

Friday Fives!!! and a baby peek!!!

I'm here in babyland soaking up all the soft baby scents, hugs and snuggles.  Ah, there is indeed nothing like it!  I'm not totally responsible for her every care, or for feeding her...wait, isn't that her only care right now???  Anyway, but I get to love on her and give her back when she needs to eat.  This is the life!!!

She is absolutely adorable, and I would say that even if she wasn't my brand new, very first grandchild.....she is hardly fussy, and really sleeps so well.  In fact, her mommy has a hard time getting her to wake up to eat!!
Here she is!

A newborn, taken in the hospital

1. Do you remember YOUR baby's first few days, or is a sleep-deprived faint and far-away memory?  Share something you remember.

Aren't those the CUTEST????

Sleeping soundly

2. What are your weekend plans?  I know what I am doing plenty of while I am here!!!

3. Are you looking forward to Daylight Savings Time going away or do you dread the colder, darker days?

4. What are you cooking since the weather is getting cooler?

5. Is there a touch of fall somewhere in your house, yard, or area?  What do you love to see?
Y'all have a great weekend!!

Willow House Weekly

Well, since Wednesday is almost over, and I am almost out the door to go see my g'baby, I can't resist telling you to go right on over to my Willow House webpage, and to the eOutlet, and see if there are any of these babies left!  Can you believe they are selling for only $3.96 and the rectangular ones to match only $7.96????? What a deal...and can you imagine how smart we'd all look if we had some quick breads and these wrapped together in cellophane for quick gifts for the holidays??? Whoa, girls!  Run right over and see if they are still there!  My webpage is southerninspiration.willowhouse.com. 

And here's the best banana bread recipe I've ever come across....fast, easy and delicious!
All Time Favorite Banana Bread:
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
 1/2 t. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. margarine or butter (1 stick)
2 to 4 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
chopped walnuts or pecans

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  In food processor or blender, puree eggs, margarine and bananas.  Stir into dry ingredients.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.  Test if done.  May need additional 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and set for 5 minutes and remove from pan.  Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves.
Enjoy.
Hopefully I'll be back with some baby pics soon!!!

Excuse me, but have you seen Monday?

Wherever did it go?  I was on the go yesterday, running errands and such....I have some big things coming up, and I am getting ready for them!

So I have my Willow House Open House & Sample Sale  coming up.....and I am working on the menu.  It was have to be a little simpler this year, as I have a million and one things packed in the calendar all around the Open House.  Whoa, however did the calendar get so FULL already?  Do you feel like that sometime, that it doesn't do any good to plan things as the calendar gets darned full whether you plan things or not??? However, I have to say that many of them are joyous things in my life, so I am not at all complaining!
One of them is a visit to see my new grandbaby!! I am over the moon excited!  I cannot wait to snuggle her!!!  The baby smells, the soft baby skin, oh my goodness!!
I realize I am not the only grandmother in the world, and many around me are also having grandbabies, and even their first, but it all feels so wonderful so please excuse any momentary gushing that you may encounter.  I'll just add fair warning, that it may not be quite over just yet!!! Ha!

So some of what I did yesterday was baby shopping....oh my lands, there is a whole new retail area yet to discover.....shopping for grandbabies.  I can tell I am going to have to have a bonafide Baby budget!!!

Also, I need to get back to my Get It Done party that I had back in September! I don't know how much I got completed from that list, but I do know that I got a great start on getting the upstairs bathroom done.  The painting and de-wallpapering got done, thanks to my neighbor.  Just some minor repairs, and the trim painting and replacing the fixtures...and it will be complete.  Hubby will help get those things done. 
The rest of that list will be put on temporary hold.  I have a baby to rock and visit!!

Ingleside Luminaries--aren't they adorable?

I will leave by saying that there is a cool giveaway going on.  Our WH design team has a blog called Plate and Pattern, and every Tuesday, they have a giveaway from the Prop closet!  Go check out today's giveaway: in fact here's a sneak peek!  They have such fun things over there, so make it one of your favs!!!

Well, enough rambling for today....come back tomorrow for Willow House Wednesday!  See you soon!

Friday fives......

Friday Fives today!! Yay, I love hearing from y'all!  I will do it with a twist today!

1.What is the neutral color in your home?  We have a lot of neutral builder beige, which I would slowly like to change! What about YOU?  Here's a link to Plate and Pattern blog that talks about gray being the new neutral and how to incorporate it!

2. Do you manage to cook healthy meals for your family and/or kids?  Here's a link to a website that addresses both!  KitchenBelleicious-- I'm advertising over there, and she is a La hometown girl, so check her out...she's adorable!
She also has a kids bellicious site you'll want to check out. AND she has a Lisa Leonard giveaway going on!  If you visit, please let her know that I sent you over!

3.Can I ask you a favor?  Would you "LIKE" my Facebook business page?  I am trying to build up my business page, and I would love to get the word out...if you pass it on to your friends, I would be delighted....yes, that's a selfless, selfish promotion, but you'll excuse the new grandma, won't you? Now, I realize some of you are not even on Facebook, so you can tell me you like me in the comments below if you want !! :D  I'd SO much appreciate it!

4. Do you have a baby shower coming up? Do you keep an idea of  files for just such parties? or do you know someone who does?  Check out this Diaper TRICYCLE that Southern Fried Dreams made....is that not adorable! Go ahead, I'll be here when you come back! http://southernfrieddreams.blogspot.com; she is a soul sister that sells Willow House, too....and a blog friend!  Let her know I sent you over to see!

5. Do you shop online? What is your favorite shopping site?  Have you ever shopped Zulily?  I am just beginning to discover how fun shopping for grandbaby is!! If you want some beautiful baby bargains, check out Zulily, and sign up for their site, via my referral and we BOTH get good deals!!
http://www.zulily.com/invite/sjoffrion496

Also, you can get an adorable black owl vinyl decal today at Wonderfully Wordy thru GroupDealz for only $5 

Well, that's enough for today's Friday Fives....hope something here has inspired you.....even though it's like flipping back and forth, I hope I haven't lost you to one of those other sites!! Do please play along and answer the questions!! Pretty please!
See you later, chicas!

Willow House Wed. was obviously interrupted!

so I will bring that to you today instead....a grandbaby trumps Willow House ANYDAY, right???  Thanks for all your congratulations messages and for joining in and sharing my joy!!
I am praying today because they make the transition from hospital to home today.  They have two large dogs, and bringing the baby home will be BIG news to them. Here's what Heather's mom did, which was a fabulous idea!  She visited the hospital and brought home some clothing that baby Catherine had worn, and took it home to  let the dogs sniff it, and then put it in the baby swing so they could get used to it before the baby comes home....isn't that a great idea???

Oh, well, on to Willow House Weekly (on Thursday ) this week!  I wanted to let you know of a sale that we are having for October, which can be seen on my webpage....southerninspiration.willowhouse.com!  It is October Bonus Days here at Willow House!  We have a dozen or so products that are 25% off!  Here's a sneak peek:

For our regular customer special, which is if you buy merchandise worth 39.96 or more, then you can take a product valued up to $40 (reg. price) for half price; in October, the bonus is that if you spend 59.96, you can take a product valued at $60 (reg. price) or less for half off! Sweet deal, isn't it?
And remember that we now have an eOutlet to shop from as well.....your Christmas shopping can begin right now! If you decide to order, please put my name in the hostess field when checking out, if you don't mind.
Here's a picture of an idea for the Roxy Cheeseboard....put a vinyl message on the board and give it as a gift or hang it on the kitchen wall......

At the Willow House Convention, in our Product Showcase, the took the Jolly Christmas Runner and used it to make a window treatment for the kitchen....isn't that adorable?  And the stockings that match it hang nearby!

Are YOU looking forward to decorating for Christmas???

So I will leave you with a tip and a recipe for this edition of Willow House weekly!
The tip of the day: Have you heard about.....www.fancyflours.com-a vast emporium of cookie cutters (per Real Simple magazine), toppers and gift packaging will inspire even nonbakers to turn on the oven!  Not a cook, how about wrapitup-enter your gift box's measurements and find out how much paper and ribbon you'll really per present! Even has step by step tutorials for non-wrappers...not rappers, wrappers!

and so I leave you with a recipe for that first nippy evening

S'mores Hot Chocolate (found in Southern Lady Holidays magazine)
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 (4oz) bar semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 cups milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1 (8oz) container frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed
1 (7oz) jar marshmallow creme
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
Garnish: crushed graham crackers, chocolate shavings

In a large saucepan, combine cream and chocolate over medium heat, whisking constantly, until chocolate is melted.  Add milk, sugar and vanilla, whisking until smooth.  Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently; do not boil.
In a medium bowl, combine whipped topping and marshmallow creme.  Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add graham cracker crumbs, beating until well combined.  Spoon or pipe cream mixture on top of hot chocolate.  Top with additional crushed graham crackers and chocolate shavings, if desired.
Doesn't this sound like a fun dessert????  Enjoy!

Oh GAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am in love already!

Would you look at this?  One of her mamma, just beaming!  She looks beautiful, doesn't she? and that baby Catherine.....how precious!

Does she LOOK like she just had a baby???

And my son, here, holding his daughter for one of the first times......makes a mamma's heart bursting with pride!!!

Catherine was born today about 12:28 or so and weighed in at 7'12" and was 20 inches long!  We are so excited to welcome her to our family!!! 

Looks like Miss  Char was the guesser who guessed the closest to Catherine's real live birthday!  I will have to send her a prize!! Thanks for joining in the fun, all you blogging friends!!!

Edited to add: I am bursting with joy, especially looking at my son holding his own child.....that is just the best feeling!  I so love my daughter in law, also, so it is so sweet to see her so happy!  And to answer Debbie's question......my grammie name is PEACHES!  Heather decided, even before they were married, that she would have to come up with a grammie name......since she has always called her grandmother Bitsy.  So somehow Peaches came up...maybe because at the time Russell was living in Atlanta, not sure I remember, because it just seems like it's always been!  So when my friends, the quints, came along, and I was volunteering over there once a week, they all started calling me Peaches to sort of "break in" the name and it worked quite well...and Heather was thrilled!  Long story short, my grammie name is Peaches.  I don't know what my husband's grampy name will be, but we will come up with something!  It's been suggested that he be Cream!! Ha!  What do you think???? 

Tuesday's terrific topics!!!

First off, I am praying for my daughter in law Heather today, as it looks like baby Catherine will be born today!  She is being induced today, so if you join me in praying, please pray for a safe delivery and happy, healthy baby!

We'll see who came the closest to guessing the delivery date back on this post.   Some of you thought Catherine might actually come on her due date.....well, NOPE.  Some did guess the 12th, but at night.  Maybe we won't have to wait the FULL DAY!!!!!  Hopefully her birthday will be 10/12/10!  Did I mention just how excited I am????

Heather's mom has the honor of the first shift of being there with them, and we get the second.   I can hardly wait to hold her!!!  What about you? Are you a Grandma yet?  Are you a Mom?  What are some of your favorite Mom or Grammie things to do?  How do you handle being a long distance from your children/grandchildren?  Give me some ideas, those of you with experience!! :D

For those who missed out on the Baby Pool on the date, let's have one for Baby Catherine's stats...how much will she weigh, and how long will she be?  Join me in the fun, while I wait this long, long day!!!

BIG, BIG EDIT!!!
I got a text from my son saying she is born, weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz, and 20 inches long!!!  I'll post more when he is able to send me pics and more info.  I"m guessing he's preoccupied at the moment!! :D

Be inspired and enjoy God's creation!

Have a blessed day, my friends....see you Monday!

Paralyzed by complexity...????

I'll be the first to admit it.....I just cannot multi-task like I used to.  Is this what happens with age? Is this what happens with age and menopause?  Is this what happens when you couple age, menopause and thyroid disease?  I don't know the answer to that, but I know I have all three and sometimes they kick my butt.  In my younger years....well, let me just say that if you are reading this and you are 35 or less, you may have no blessed idea of what this crazy women speaks.....but just wait.  If you are still reading this, one day you will want to know, as I do, did God really mean for us to have to deal with being the mom of teenagers AND go through menopause at the SAME time???? That's on my list to ask Him when I get to heaven!  Seriously, though, menopause really does change your life, so it wouldn't hurt to read up on before you get there....oh, back to where I was.  And aging, though better than its alternative, is something with which to be reckoned as well.  I am slowly getting used to it.....well, each day I am dealing with it, and each day we each get a little older....geez, that's a lot of "eaches"!

So I have been feeling like my list of to-do's.....well, it's a long one! Is yours? Sure, it is.  We all have a boat load of things we must do to keep our households running, to keep kids coming and going, to do whatever jobs we are called to do, even if they are strictly volunteer jobs.  We each must live before God in a way that pleases Him, we must each do what keeps our own bodies healthy and functioning, we must each have a running list of things that demand our attention. And then there are the extras.  Email to read, creative ideas to flesh out and carry out.....friends to have coffee with, meals to take to a sick friend, or to a new mom, or to someone who just needs a little loving.  We have relationships that need our attention.  Life is complex, is it not?  And sometimes that complexity can be overwhelming.  The list, especially if it gets sidelined by life, or ignored to do some project, or lengthened  as we procrastinate......well, it is ever present.  And we fit it in, among the laundry and the errands, and the soccer games and the music lessons.  But it certainly complicates things, doesn't it? 
Life is just complex.  Even if you could live on a mountain top alone, there are still things that are ever present that you cannot avoid. 
Life is complex......yet God calls us to be still and know that HE is God.

 "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps. 46:10

Where do we draw the lines?  When do we decide to turn off and be still?  When do we decide that we cannot add one more thing to our list, to our plate, to our "to do" jar?  I'm feeling a little of that right now....and the holidays loom just right around the corner, and expectations are high.  We long to have the perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas for our families, and we sacrifice what it takes to aim at that goal.  But sometimes it is way too much to expect our families to endure rather than to enjoy. It can become way too complex so easily, can it not?
I've been later than usual getting out the pumpkins...but the snap of cool weather brought on the urge to "fallify" my surroundings. I LOVE fall, but if I had listened to Hobby Lobby and Michael's, I would have been thinking about my fall decor back in July.  I was still sweating, not thinking about pumpkins.  I understand retail, and thinking ahead for the season to come....but sometimes it's a little too much for me.  I don't multi-task well, so I surely cannot think yet about Christmas when I am just getting my fall decor out.  And so the complexity continues. Juggle this, think about that, wash a load of laundry, call this person, etc.  KEEP my list going, otherwise those tasks get lost for sure.

Or I do nothing, because the complexity paralyzes me.....it renders me useless such that it's even hard to get a meal on the table, or pull the weeds in the flower bed.  So I fall back to the basics.  I narrow down my expectations and do the needful.  There are days when I have to limit my reading of emails and blogs because they contain such WONDERFUL ideas, but they skew the view.  They taunt me to have unreasonable expectations, and live in a land of "what ifs".....what if I had a maid, I "could" do all those craft projects, and if I had a nanny, then I could re-do my house, and if I could just be like her, then I'd be liked......the land of dissatisfaction......the grass is greener on HER side.  And it either sends me into a tizzy to do whatever I can to try to be all of that, or I  have to take a step back and realize what's truly important to me.  I have to JUGGLE.  I have to discriminate ,with wisdom that is God-given, as to what I truly CAN do, and what is a good idea, but doesn't work for me now.  I have to decide to admire it and either toss it in an idea file, or admire it and enjoy it from afar. And walk away.  Choices to be made everyday, but ones that must be made.  What about you?  Are you paralyzed by complexity?  How do you decide what is reasonable for you to do?  How do you turn off and take time to be still?  Do you keep a running list, do you keep an idea folder, do you manage to do it all?  If there was indeed a magic equation for us all to figure out just how much we can do, how much we can handle, we could probably sell it !  We must juggle though, in order to be intentional to do what we know is right for our families. If we don't intentionally deal with our children and train them, then someone will.  Someone will fill their minds with things that skew the view, that keep them focused on number one.  We must be intentional...so we must decide what is important to us and deal with that first. First things first.  Simple things and then be able to add in the rest.  Do you agree?  Do you sometimes feel paralyzed by the complexity of life and just unplug to get re-centered?  Surely we are all alike....so share what you do.  Let's encourage one another here.  Thanks, if you're still with me, for all the encouragement you pass along to blog friends.  It's  invaluable!!

Willow House Weekly!

My fabric pumpkins I made last year, nestled in the Cyprus Footed Bowl...it's hammered metal, dark copper colored.

Don't you just love white pumpkins?  This one sits on the Barley Twist Pedestal.  I got that leaf garland last year at Pottery Barn after the season, so it was a bargain!!!  It's just gorgeous! The pumpkin was from Hobby Lobby several years ago.

the retired Brimfield Tray holds some copper acorn bells that I got at Hallmark long ago....love those, as well as a copper wire pumpkin that likely came from Hobby Lobby!

Today is Wednesday and time for the second edition of Willow House Weekly.  What do you think? Did you enjoy the first edition last week?  I talked about Hurricanes, specifically the Galveston Hurricane and its many looks and uses.  Today, I am talking about a few items, and showing some of my fall decor that I worked on yesterday.  Since it is the first day after having worked on the decor, I can pretty much predict that some of it will be further tweaked, like the Galveston Hurricane that I put Indian corn in......I like it ok, but it needs a little oomph.  Do you do that......live with the first pass, until you decide to tweak it again and make it a little better? Or do you say to yourself, " I have only enough time to get it right the first time, and then will just live with it thru the rest of the season, and feel no need to tweak.."  To each her own, I guess!  Anyway, I also want to make a wreath for my family room to hang over a large mirror, so hopefully I will get that done, and have that to show you in coming days.
First I have a bit of Willow House news to tell you about.  Remember last week, I was so excited to tell you that now you can go directly to my website to shop? There are several fabulous products there that we are running on special.....as in a % off......GREAT products, so go check it out at southerninspiration.willowhouse.com .  And remember that if you buy $39.96, then  you can get a $40 or less product for half price? Well, for October , a bonus is that if you spend $59.96, you can get a $60 or less product for half price!! So those Galveston Hurricanes?  You can buy the large one, and get the small one at half off!! Cool, right?  Also, the eOutlet is up and running and is chockful of GREAT products.  Start your Christmas shopping today and it will be shipped directly to you! How wonderful!!
So a few pics of my fall decor.......and then a recipe. Sound good to you?

The Filigree Iron Candlestand on the retired French Quarter Tray adorned with fall leaves...ahhh...

Drake Lantern dressed up for fall!  A candle in sand and some tiny plastic pumpkins around it; tie a rafia knot around.

Well, gotta run today to a Willow House accountability group meeting.  Here's a quick recipe for you for a fall get together.....
Creamy Pumpkin Dip

2 (8oz) pkgs. Cream Cheese, softened
1 (16oz) pkg. powdered sugar, sifted
1 (16oz.) can pureed pumpkin
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg

Beat cream cheese at med. speed with mixer until creamy, gradually adding sugar and beating well.  Stir in pumpkin and spices.  Serve with apple slices (have you tried Honey Crisp apples?? YUM!) and/or gingersnaps!! Makes 5 cups, so you have lots to share!!!  Enjoy!

And the countdown begins.......

Baby day is coming up!  We are so excited that Baby Catherine will soon be here. Bless her heart, I know her mamma is SO ready...she's pretty uncomfortable, and ready to deliver a baby!

So this Peaches (my Grammie name) was on her way to the grocery store on Friday, and lo and behold, I saw a sign for a children's consignment sale going on at a church in our neighborhood.  Stop the presses...never mind that I had a list a mile long of things to do, I just HAD to drop in! Yes ma'am......there was baby bargaining to be done.  This main building was chockful of all things kiddo, from newborn  all the way up to preschool, I guess.  I only really stayed in the baby section and didn't venture much further.  I just wanted to show you the things that I did get.  It's so hard to know sizes and seasons, so I just picked a few from each size, trying to guess what size she would be in each season.  You will see that I have an affection for adorable sweaters and jackets....not to mention the three sweaters I bought her already in her closet!! Oh, well, wouldn't you have bought these, too?  She will be adorable in them, don't you think?  Oh, and I got all this for around $38!  I will surely plan to go to their Spring Sale!  You can go to JBFsale.com and see if there are JBF sales in your area.

So who's in for the Baby Pool? Catherine is due next Sunday on 10/10/10 and if she is late, will be induced on the 17th at the latest....I'll come up with a prize for the person closest to the actual birthday....maybe we should say a time, too since there might be some ties with the date....so what do YOU say???