Autumn has been particularly long this year. It has felt like California for over a month! I have loved every minute of it! However, as I write this there is snow headed my way :(
Before I got married I used to hop on political campaigns every year since I was 17 and couldn't even vote! After I got married I became a poll worker. Last year was the first year that I was not involved with the election season and it was kind of depressing. In all fairness I had a new baby though. This year I was able to start up again thanks to my amazing sister, Roxanna. I really could not have done anything without her! It isn't Fall unless you're walking around with numb fingers dropping off campaign literature! It felt really good to participate in some real grassroots efforts again. I really want to raise civilly minded children. Of course, if you ask Paul, Fall isn't Fall unless football is on in the background 24/7 :)
We had a great weekend at home despite catching colds. Paul and James carved pumpkins! It was so cute. James was so happy to 1: be up on the table without being reprimanded, and 2: squish slimy pumpkin with his fingers. I sorted the seeds from the pumpkin. I have one small baggy left (I made two huge cookie sheets worth!) Every year Paul goes to extra trouble to cut out big chunks of pumpkin for me to process and freeze. That way I don't have to buy canned pumpkin! This year I got about 4 big cans worth of pumpkin (at current prices, that's about $12 worth from a $5 pumpkin)!
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| Helping Dad gut the pumpkin. |
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| Um, scary! Poor little baby pumpkin... |
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| Playing with the pumpkin that's been sorted and ready to cook. |
In case you're wondering how to process your own pumpkin, it's easy! Pie pumpkins are best, but not as cheap or fun to carve, so after I get all the pumpkin sorted, I put it in a pot and cook it on low until it's nice and soft. I add a little bit of raw or brown sugar since big pumpkins like these aren't very sweet. For a big pot like this I added 2 Tbs of raw sugar. You don't have to add sugar though, you can adjust your recipe depending on the taste. Then I puree it, measure it and freeze it. See? Easy! You'll notice how much better your recipes will taste, too.
I've been meaning to make a hanging wall organizer for a long time. It's been in the back of my mind every day when there's not place to put our keys...or the bills, or Paul's knick-knacks when he comes home. I picked up a wooden organizer at DI for $1! It was brown and not so cute, but a little paint, fabric and modge podge fixed that! I am working a back board with a cork board and wipe on wipe off that will fill the entire space and get rid of the ugly color of the side of the cabinet. It might take me a while, but you'll be impressed :) But that might have to wait. This week I'm focusing on getting better, aka sitting on the couch with my water bottle and box of tissue.
