Wonderful wonderful pumpkin

Fall is my most favorite time of year! I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves and ALL things pumpkin. Speaking of pumpkins, here are two of mine from a few years ago. I think this is one of my all.time.FAVORITE. pictures of my middle son. The face is just priceless...oh that grin.

I picked up a new cookbook about a month ago with some holiday recipes in it and have been trying out all sorts of new goodies. I made these fab pumpkin bars for a girls night in and they were a huge hit!!

So do yourself a favor and make these ASAP!!!

Pumpkin Bars
* Adapted from Southern Living Holiday 2011*

Ingredients:

- 1 (18.25 oz) box spice cake mix
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (I left these out)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate (I used Lindt white chocolate bar with coconut)
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/3 cup uncooked regular oats
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 4 ingredients, mixing well with a fork. Reserve 1 cup crumbs for streusel topping. Press remaining crumbs into 13" x 9" pan.
2. Bake until puffy and set, about 13-15 min. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 min.
3. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or until creamy. Add brown sugar, pumpkin, egg and 1 tsp vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour filling over baked crust.
4. Stir white chocolate, 1 TBSP melted butter, oats and brown sugar into reserved 1 cup streusel. Sprinkle over filling.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until edges begin to brown and center is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (if you want to). Cut into bars. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

So go embrace this wonderful season and go and make these...you wont regret it!!! YUMMMY!

I'm going to try and post some more good eats here now that life is somewhat into a routine. Yes, we moved back in June, and school has been in for a few months now, but I'm just starting to feel caught up. Everything in good time. Until then...

Breaking up

...is hard to do...or so I've heard. But not in this case.

I'm breaking up this blog. Kels Dish will still be around, but mainly just for my crafty/cooking stuff. I really want to make my blog more family centered so that my extended fam and friends all over can keep up with our crazy everyday moments. And because I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, the name of the blog needs to reflect that. SOOOOO...jump on over to Our Life Beyond and check it out...if you want to.

NOTE: There is currently only one post there, and it's the same one I did over here, but I'll be making another sometime today.

heart.overflowing

I can't believe it's been three weeks since she arrived into the world.

She is an absolute blessing and a gift from God. I can't stop admiring her tiny feet, chubby cheeks, and everything in between. I am in awe of the overwhelming love I feel for this little one, just like I feel for my boys. My heart is overflowing with love and happiness. How could it not be?
Life with three has been an adventure - and I've had help. Whoever said going from "two to three" wasn't a big deal must be an expert at managing chaos. I'm stumbling through the learning process, but love every second. I am so blessed that my parents were here for almost 2 weeks and now my in-laws are here for another. And I've got these two.

Of course no one can replace Daddy (we sure do miss him) but they have been so wonderful. Next week should be interesting - sort of a crash course in having three kids, one parent and no helpers. Pray for us!

However, even in the midst of all the craziness, dirty diapers, 2 am feedings and very large cups of coffee, I wouldn't trade it for the world...or even a full nights sleep. It's all worth it.

Welcome to the world my sweet baby girl.

the one and only

Prepare yourselves folks. You are about to see the one and only picture of me from this pregnancy. I decided I should probably take at least one to document the occasion. So here it is, me at 39 weeks and change.

Taken this AM before church.

This is going to be short and sweet. Tomorrow I go in to deliver our little one via c-section. Please pray for me, and our little girl, as well as the doctors and nurses that will be taking care of us. We are SO excited to welcome our little one to the world, but surgery, no matter what the occasion, is always a bit scary. God is so good, and I know He will be with us every step of the way, but a few extra prayers is never a bad thing. Thanks :).

I am off to finish up the last of my hospital bag packing, throw in another load of laundry, and then enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday with my boys. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Until next time...

tick tock

This week is crawling by.

I figured it would - it's like being a kid again counting down the days until Christmas. But we're enjoying the wait. These days our time consists of the following - in no particular order.

1. Games, games and MORE games. Two of our favorites - Wii bowling and dart guns (my favorite being the dart guns). Seriously. SO.MUCH.FUN. We all end up rolling on the floor laughing - it's that fun.

2. Prayer: this one is mostly just me, but I sure am doing a lot of it. Mostly because I am so thankful for all this precious time I have been given to just sit back and ENJOY my family. Of course I am anxious and excited for Monday - who wouldn't be? But this time right now has been such a gift from God - I am so thankful.

3. Laundry: never have I ever stayed on top of my laundry like I have been these days...it's incredible.

4. Breakfast: The hubs has been on leave so once a week, after the boys have been taken to school, we head to Panera and enjoy breakfast together. We talk, drink coffee, and just enjoy being together with nowhere to be. Again - one of the many things I've been thanking God for this week. What a gift!

5. Outdoors: Before it turned cold again (and decided to snow) we were taking family walks and making frequent trips to the park. Sadly this hasn't happened in the past few days because who wants to play outside in 30 degree rain/snow?

6. Stories and Snuggles: I've been soaking up the bedtime routine. We all pile in our king size bed to read to the boys at night. Even though they are "big boys" they still let me snuggle them during story time. It's pure joy.

7. Harry Potter. Don't laugh. Hubby and I decided it would be the perfect time to work our way through the movies in order thanks to netflix. This is how we've been spending our evenings after the boys go to bed.

There is more, but you get the general idea. We're all looking forward to Monday, but very much enjoying our time waiting.

and I'm DONE!

My massive "to-do" list is done! This baby can now arrive and we will be set. My delivery is all set up for a week from TODAY!! We are very excited.

Let's see...well the hubs is officially done with his school, so now we are working on stuff and soaking up every second of family time we can before he heads off to his new job.

We've had a really great weekend here in our little world. For some reason I can't remember much of Saturday...probably has something to do with the fact that my brain is shrinking - seriously y'all...it's true - something to do with the last trimester of pregnancy. Sunday we went to church, and then to a St. Patrick's Day parade. We met up with a few friends, and it was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast and really...who knew there were so many bagpiper groups?? Today the big kid had the day off school, so we took them to this indoor playplace/cafe and let them run around for a few hours. Good times. It was also cold and rainy so after that we spent the rest of the day lounging around the house, watching movies, and goofing around. So nice.

Last weekend I finished up my last sewing project. I decided to make this cute playtime mat that I came across awhile ago. Master seamstress...I am not. But at least it came out looking the way it was supposed to, and if you don't look too closely at the stitching it's not too shabby. I'm hoping my little one won't be too critical of it :). But I do love the fabrics that I found, and to me it just looks "happy".

Here are a few pictures, but you might want to check out the link...their pictures come complete with cute toddler eating a snack on her mat...I currently have no such toddler.

All rolled up

unrolled

With that, I'm off. We're getting the boys to bed so I'm going to go join in on story time, and get some snuggles from my favorite little guys. Hope you all have a great week!

so much to share

I wish I was sharing baby pictures, but she is still "baking" as we say. I'm just now at 37 weeks, so I wouldn't have really wanted her to come any earlier than now, BUT now that I'm here, and considered full term, I wouldn't mind if she decided to make her appearance! But, for now I'll share some things that I think are just too good not to pass on.

FIRST: I've been following a new blog, and LOVE it. It's a Christian blog for women, and I've read so many wonderful posts - they really do lift my spirits and encourage me. There is a button on my sidebar but you can also click HERE to go there. I call it a blog, but it's really a lot more, because they have other resources there as well, like a book club! How fun is that??

The next thing I have to share is an idea I got from Ali's Blog, and I thought it was such a great idea that I wanted to pass it on. It's a daily "list" you make - 3 things you're THANKFUL for, 3 things you WILL do that day, and 3 TO-DO's to get accomplished. She explains it much better than I could, so go on and click HERE to go to the post. I think it's a great way to start the day, and be reminded of all the blessings we have around us that we should be thankful for!!!

And finally, a little project that I finished up yesterday. I got the inspiration for this from a link that Sam posted on her blog - click HERE to check it out. At first I was going to do the project that this gal does, and make it for my recipes and menus, but then I remembered we're moving in few months and my stove top doesn't have cabinets that would work with something like this, so I'm going to put that one on hold until I get down there. BUT I have been looking for a system to keep all the forms, book orders, etc. that the boys bring home organized and in one place (read: not all over my counters or stuck on the fridge). So I took her idea and made it into something that would work for my needs. Here is what I came up with.


For the magnets, I found cute buttons and used my glue gun to attach them. The lettering on the folder was cut with my cricut machine - note to self: use that more often!

Here it is hanging up in it's final "home". Sorry for the bad light, it's in our laundry room by where the boys hang their backpacks.

I have some fabric washing for my next project, don't know if I'll get to it today or not, but I really hope so because I can't wait to see how it turns out. I hope you are all enjoying your weekends, doing fun weekend-y stuff. We still aren't sure what we are doing with the rest of our day...but for now I'm off to fold some laundry and maybe go on a walk to enjoy the beautiful spring weather we have.

A place for everything...

And everything in it's place...I've become even more of an organizational basket-case than usual.

All I can say is I must have hit the "nesting" stage of the pregnancy because I've been doing some very NON-Kel like things. Like ironing...I HATE ironing. I don't even iron the hub's uniforms, he does it - I avoid it like the plague. But yesterday I found myself ironing the wrinkles out of the pillowcases that go on the guest bed. Never-mind the fact that they are going to be wrinkled the first time someone lays down, or that we're not expecting anyone for another 5 weeks (after the baby arrives) but yesterday it was something I felt just HAD to be done.

Odd...very odd indeed.

Then today I continued my trend by washing and then ironing the bed skirt for the guest room as well.

However, in the midst of all this ironing I did come up with a good system to help organize my desk a bit - this is where the "everything in it's place" comes in. My desk and I have a "love/hate" kind of relationship. I love it because it does this.

I can't stand it because when it's open it's a giant mess and there isn't anywhere to put anything and the top of my scanner ends up as a landing pad...blah.

But I came up with this, and it not only works great but I had all the stuff on hand.

To make the folders, I used two file folders, stapled the sides, and covered them with cute scrapbook paper. I joined them together using paperclips.

Now I have two pocket folders to store all my papers that I can't file away yet, but I don't need ALL the time. These papers usually end up, A. stuck to my whiteboard making it all messy, or B. floating around my desk and driving me insane.

For the clear pocket I used a page protector. I cut off the side, and now it's the perfect size to hold my monthly calendar that I print out, and it's easy to swap one for another.

The lettering I did myself with a sharpie. To attatch it to my board I used these command strips from 3M. That way I can easily remove the folders if need be.

And I still have a little room on the whiteboard to jot a few things down. Best of all...

I can see the top of my scanner!! Ahhhh...

Now if only the cute fabric I ordered would get here so I could get to work on my next project. Maybe I'll come up with another clever idea while I wait. Only time will tell.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

checklists and countdowns

It seems like we've been doing a lot with both of these here recently.

Last night it hit me that our little girl will be here in ONE MONTH!! That's right folks, we are at 4 weeks and counting. So I figured that it was time to make a checklist for all the things that need to be done before she arrives.

As you know I've been sewing a bit recently and I talked about making a nursing cover a few weeks ago after my trip to the fabric store. I finished it today and I am happy with the results. Who knew I could make such a thing?!?! Here are a few pictures of my little project. It was fun, and only took about two hours start to finish. Can't beat that!

pieces pinned and ready to sew together

close-up of strap that goes around neck

all finished
here it is on me, excuse the bad picture. I took it myself in a mirror, and with my shirt it sort of all blends together, but you get the idea.

I have a few more projects on my list - I think next up will be a play-mat. We also finished getting her bed together. She now has a mattress and all the bedding has been washed and assembled.



We had another great weekend. We took a trip up to Newport yesterday - so.much.fun!! We rode a train, went to an aquarium, took a ride in a fire-truck, made a quick beach visit, drove past the amazing houses...it was wonderful.

Hot shot with his Daddy

the Munchkin riding the carousel

Today we went to church and have been enjoying family time. I've got dinner cookin' and a fresh batch of sweet tea ready to go - things just don't get much better. Hope you all have had a nice weekend!

blueberries with love

I was so ready for this weekend! Nothing big or huge going on, but I have done nothing but spend quality time with friends and family - bliss.

We had our "big brother" day for the boys yesterday, and we also had a little send off breakfast for our neighbors who left to move to VA. They have kids the same age as ours, and we have all become good friends, so we wanted to send them off with full bellies knowing they would be missed around here. Here is my little (soon to be middle) and their middle one enjoying some Saturday AM cartoons.

These two share a birthday and are only hours apart age-wise. Jennie (mom) and I have already decided it would be the perfect arranged marriage...hehe.

I got a little daring and tried THREE new recipes for this, and I have to say they were ALL wonderful. Baked french toast, an egg casserole dish, and THESE wonderful blueberry muffins. I picked up fresh blueberries when we were out the night before and had been craving some muffins, so I whipped these together Sat morning and they didn't disappoint!

When it comes to menu planning I tend to go a little overboard, but in this case it worked out. The eggs and french toast were all but gone, and the rest (muffins and fruit) we will enjoy for ourselves this week. My perfect way to start the day.

After we said our "see ya laters" we got things cleaned up then left to celebrate the rest of the day with the boys. We took them duck pin bowing (a new favorite for the boys - and new to us southerners) and then to dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe (at the boys request). Then we surprised them with a stay at a hotel with all that comes with it - movies, jumping on beds, and of course swimming in the pool. They had a ball and it was a nice little get away. And as a bonus for me, this AM at the pool if you were sitting in the sun, it was so warm and bright in the room you could almost imagine it wasn't 20 degrees outside!! I didn't want to leave!!

We're back home now, enjoying more family time. It's pretty cold today so we did movies, more Wii Bowling, and as soon as our dough finishes rising, we're making pizza. YUM! This weekend with the people I love was truly the best thing EVER - and just what I needed! Hope you are all enjoying your weekends - and seriously, if you like muffins - give those a try!

tickeld pink

Happy St. Valentines Day everyone! Anyone out there doing anything special today?? We usually stick pretty low-key around here for the Valentines Day. This AM I made my two little Valentines pancakes to start off the day, and the hubby got his choice of what I made for dinner/dessert tonight. And of course lots of hugs and kisses all around, but really that's not any different than any other day here.

I've been a busy bee at the sewing machine these days.

I still haven't started the nursing cover, I need to make another trip to the fabric store before I begin, so I started on some bibs and burp-cloths - and I have to say they turned out REALLY cute.

They are not quite done, but here is what I have so far.

The bibs

The burp-cloths

Cute no? I still need to find something to cover up the clips that go with the bibs, but that's just a matter of getting out the glue gun. I'm really excited about these, and they were actually pretty easy. If you are interested, you can find the pattern for both HERE. My sewing machine and I don't get along all that well, and I swear it has something against pretty stitches, but other than that, I think they turned out pretty cute.

Alright, well that's it for me today. My little projects are pretty much all I have been doing in my "free" time. We had a nice weekend as a family, and this coming weekend is when we have the boys big brother day planned! I can't wait, it's going to be a lot of fun.

Hope you are all doing well out there!