Tag: fall

family

Hedgehogs

Andi

Guys, theres a little detail about myself you should know. I hate hedgehogs. I know they look cute adorable, but they are secretly mean!

This is not without reason. A reason I will share with you.

A few years ago, I went with a friend, to a pumpkin patch. This was before kids, and we were just there to have fun together. They had several farm animals there you could pet or feed, or just look at. Lots of pumpkins of course. A camel you were able to get rides on. And then there was this hedgehog. It was sitting a small box like enclosure, not really being supervised. You could pick it up and hold it. So we did. My friend held it first and it was calm and relaxed. Then she handed it to me and that tiny cute little furball took the opportunity to bite the daylights out of my finger. This thing has a tiny mouth and thin pointed teeth. It was like being poked with itty bitty needles. I screamed and dropped it back into the box. My finger hurt like the Dickens. That hedgehog showed no remorse whatsoever either.

In retrospect, it was not supervised. It was in a small box. There was only one, and it probably hadn’t been taken away for a break. It was more than likely striking out in stress and anger for being over handled. It was just my unlucky finger that got the strike.

But it still hurt. Listen, hedgehogs have needle like teeth, and they will bite. Be aware.

It’s also worth noting the friend that was with me sent me a hedgehog themed card last Christmas. She’s taunting me at this point.

I still have it.

family

Pumpkin cookies

Andi

It’s still Fall, and I’ve still got pumpkin! I love a good cookie, and I of course love pumpkin, so I made some Pumpkin Cookies. For these cookies, in addition to the ingredients I also used a mixer, a cookie sheet and non-stick cooking spray, a spoon, spatula, my measuring cups and a glass bowl.

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1 Egg Yolk

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 cups Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

14 tbsp Butter

Preheat oven to 350°. My oven takes its sweet time warming up, so I have to do this right at the beginning or it won’t be warm enough when I need it.

In a mixer or large bowl stir together all ingredients except the butter, flour, and sugar. Once everything has been thoroughly mixed, add the butter, one little bit at a time and make sure it gets good and blended in. Then add 1/2 cup of the sugar, setting the other cup aside for later. Now for the flour, slowly add to the bowl allowing each bit to become fully incorporated. This part is where my spatula comes in handy. You know how sometimes when using a mixer stuff gets stuck up on the side of the bowl and doesn’t get together with the rest of the ingredients? Take that spatula and scrape the sides down to reintroduce it to the mixture. Flour does this a lot. After you’ve gotten all the ingredients made into a dough remove, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for about an hour. This step is not 100% mandatory if you are in a rush, but it does make handling the dough 100x easier.

Once the dough is chilled, remove it and grab that remaining cup of sugar. I spray my cookie sheets with a cooking spray to avoid sticking, in this case, that was a good idea. With a spoon, scoop out a portion of dough, roll it into a ball and dip it in the sugar. I put the sugar into a bowl to accomplish this. Then place on the cookie sheet, press down gently to flatten a tad, and that ball of cookie is ready to go. Repeat until you are out of dough.

Place in oven for 10-13 minutes. Once they get good and baked, remove and let cool, then enjoy!

This batch of cookies is a lesson in following directions. I read the description and it said, “pumpkin flavor that is subtle and sweet”. I thought “What? No! I want powerful flavor. I want the pumpkin to reach out and punch me in the nose!” So I scooped extra pumpkin puree into the bowl and stirred it up. They still turned out okay. They did taste good, and the kids ate them happily. Unfortunately they were incredibly dense and thick, more like a squash bread than a cookie. My kids got it all over their hands and faces because they were sticky. It was a mess. All of this I attribute to my winging the instructions and not simply following the recipe. So follow the directions, cookies don’t need extra pumpkin puree.

family

Pumpkin Painting

Andi

One of the most common Halloween activities many families like to do together is Pumpkin Carving. They go to the pumpkin patch, pick out the biggest ones they can find, take them home and carve Jack-o-lanterns. It really is a fun event, and the pumpkin patches love it too because most of them charge by weight or size. But when your kids are too small to properly carve a pumpkin, and you don’t like squash guts anyway, what are you to do? We do Pumpkin Painting instead.

Each year, we make a trip to the pumpkin patch. I look for one that has lots of activities included in the price of admission, and specific sections for younger kids. A petting zoo is always a big bonus, and if it has a bounce place, it’s a definite win. We spend most of the day there, and towards the end, we go out to pick a pumpkin. But the pumpkin we pick, probably won’t be the one we paint. This one is for my child to proudly parade around and show everyone. I’ll buy painting pumpkins later from the grocery store where they are much cheaper. The day at the pumpkin patch is definitely a seasonal experience for us. The focal point is to have a fun day. It also signals that its fall, and time for pumpkin season.

After we get home, probably the next day, we get out our paints and our painting pumpkin. If you live further south where it stays warm through the fall, you could keep your kid in just a diaper (or underwear if potty trained) and then give them a bath afterward to wash any paint off. I’d also only do this if you have a fenced in yard nobody can peep into. If you do not, you just don’t want your child outside in their underpants, or it’s already cold and snowing before Halloween where you live, my best suggestion is an apron. Paint is still destined to end up on your kids clothing though, so be 100% sure you got washable paint. Put them in worn out clothes you’re not worried about piant getting on.

I take my kids outside to paint, so the mess is not on my flooring. We had a few younger kids join us this year including my younger child, so I got some baby sized pumpkins for them. I aso let my kids use real paintbrushes instead of those flimsy plastic ones kids paint comes with.

This activity probably won’t last long. The older kids may be more intent on their painting, but even so, a pumpkin is only so big. As they get older it may become a longer activity when they start expressing creativity more. Right now it lasts 20-30 minutes at most, much less for younger children.

I still threw my kids clothes right into the washer afterwards and gave them baths because of course they still managed to get everything messy.

As you can see, kids are messy painters. They like to mix colors and experiment. But they are learning to be creative, as well as some hand eye coordination and dexterity. They are also usually very proud of their work, and feel accomplished.

If you want to do a family activity, but on a tight budget, this is also a good alternative. Like I said, the pumpkins we paint we get from the grocery store, off brand childrens paint, and a brush. Your cost will depend on how many pumpkins you need and how large. Those mini pumpkins came 6 in a bag for $3, making this craft less than $10. If you do want a pumpkin patch experience, look for one with a front gate admission. These usually include lots of things in the price. Patchs that are free admission will probably charge for each activity and spending a dollar here, 3 dollars there, accumulates cost very quickly. You get more for your money when the patch has a admission cost, and many have some kind of deal for purchasing tickets online.

So if you are looking for an alternative to pumping carving, look no further! Pumpkin painting is where its at!

family

Every Girl Needs a Little Black Cat

Andi

We’ve all heard the saying that if a black cat crosses your path it makes you unlucky. We’ve all seen the witches and their black cat companions. Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch was my favorite. But where is the truth and where is the myth when it comes to these sleek creatures?

First, I’m sure you’ve heard, black and grey animals, both dogs and cats, are less likely to be adopted than other colors. While this may be a little bit of a myth there is truth in it as well. The fact that 33% of all cats in shelters are black and 22% grey is true. That’s half of your average shelter being either black or grey. The myth comes from the fact that even though they get adopted at the same rate, when you start with more of one color you are more likely to still have some in the end. So let’s say you have 3 black cats and one orange one and the one orange and one black get adopted, you still have 2 black ones left at the end of the day. The same number of each color was adopted, but there are so many black and grey ones in shelters they are often what is still left in the shelters. This also means they have the highest euthanasia rates of any color as well. This applies to both cats and dogs. So many shelters have started running adoption events and campaigns to get their black animals adopted. One headlining with the slogan Adopt Your Own Mini Panther! And successfully adopting all of their black cats.

But does color really matter? About 50% of people say, no, it makes no difference to them when adopting a pet. However 26% said yes, it was important. Some people believe solid colored animals are more anti social and mean than multi colored pets. I do not believe this, but I would fall into that 26% as I only adopt black or grey cats. Unless someday my kids find a pet they adore, I probably won’t be able to tell them no.

And we come to the big myth, are black cats unlucky? Well, I can confirm, it is untrue. I’d be in big trouble if it were based on how many times black cats have crossed my path. This superstition seems to be pretty localized in America and a few other countries. In fact, a lot of places have good luck myths involving black cats. In Ireland and Scotland black cats are very lucky, supposedly bringing wralth and prosperity. In Japan a black cat is believed to bring suitors to a single woman. But in America, they are associated with witches and bad luck. So much so, than some shelters don’t allow any adoptions of black or grey kitties in the month of October. I keep my cat inside the day of and the weekend before Halloween and don’t allow him into the yard where he likes to go and pounce around. This is to protect them from the truly awful individuals in the world who would beat up and be cruel to the cat. 13% of Americans still believe black cats are superstitious. Even if myself and the shelters are overreacting to a sparse few bad stories, it’s a better safe than sorry situation.

But let’s get down to just some solid facts about these beauties. There are more male black cats than female. This rings true in my personal life as all but one of my cats has been male. Some black cats will start to grey as they age and become lighter in color. And most black cats have golden eyes, more rare are green eyes. My cat has these hazel colored eyes, but it’s possible they are golden and I’m choosing to see green in them because I want to see green in them.

I will say, each cat has it’s own unique personality. Some are more withdrawn and aloof, some are cuddly and loving, while others are perky and active. What’s more imprtant than the shade or color of a pet is how they will mesh and fit into your family. Be careful and take time to lovingly bring them into your home. Treat your pet with respect and graciousness. But, based on how many black an grey dogs and cats are euthanized every year, it’s my mission to save as many of them as I can.

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Chicken Pot Pie

Andi

When we got married, I was given a Pioneer Woman Cookbook as a wedding gift. At the time, she was just bursting onto the big stage and had quite the buzz. Being that we lived in Oklahoma then, her popularity was amplified. Everyone loved her and loved that a rural Okie had made it big. Shortly after, she opened her Mercantile and groups of ladies started making trips to visit. She was only a short drive away after all.

I never really got onto the bandwagon. Her kitchenware is indeed pretty, but I wasn’t going crazy over her. Her recipes looked delicious, and the book itself is well designed, but the recipes also looked involved and too time consuming, so I never used it. Until now! I finally used my Pioneer Woman Cookbook!

My husband loves chicken pot pie, and so do I. However, I’m also slightly lazy and would buy those frozen individual pot pies for sudden cravings. But, he convinced me I needed to make it from scratch, because of some unseen magic that makes him persuasive.

I was surprised actually by how simple it turned out to be. I did cheat a little bit though. She made a pie crust from scratch, and I did not. She also probably used fresh picked veggies from her garden, I used some frozen, some fresh. None of them homegrown however. I also doubt I used the right baking dish. It was in the midst of this that I suddenly realized I couldn’t find my deep pie pan and had to opt for a casserole dish instead. I did have to use a pot, to cook the chicken, then a skillet to mix all the ingredients, and then the baking dish for the oven. So clean up was a little intense.

I also forgot to snap a photo before I dug into it. But this way, you can see the yummy filling! And believe me, it was yummy! It had the perfect savoryness and crispyness. I’m going to say, yes, it was more difficult than popping a frozen pot pie into the oven, and more messy as well. But I will also say, yes, this was infinitely tastier too.

So, on the whole, I’d still give the recipe a thumbs up because it did taste so good. It’d loose a couple points for the number of dishes I had to wash afterwards. But for a warm, delicious fall dinner, it is worth it!