September happenings...

Our September can be wrapped up in one word… busy. Goodness, I don’t even know what we have done. But life has been a wild and crazy ride these past few weeks.

We have all gotten settled into our daily routines. I’m spending my days with this fabulous group of ladies. #thirdstheword

They make the hard days easier and are always so encouraging and uplifting. I could not imagine having a stronger group of teachers to keep me straight and sane.

As far as my kiddos, they are loving their classes and their teachers. They are learning new things each day and that makes my heart so happy.

How sweet are these four cuties? This was a picture from their first sleepover!

I took a day off of work this past week and I was able to spend some MUCH needed one-on-one with this angel baby.

#babylove

Since school began, I haven’t seen him before school at all, and only for a couple of hours each night. So, we cuddled, napped, movied, and grocery stored. :)

Since this past week marked then first official day of fall, and the girls have been begging to bake some cupcakes, I thought it would be a perfect time to make something that satisfies my love of pumpkin! I was going to start from scratch with a pumpkin cupcake, but a friend reminded me of the goodness of my very basic fall muffin. So, I added three large eggs to the mix for a more cupcake-y batter and baked away.

I did want to make a cinnamon icing from scratch and I found a delicious recipe for marshmallow frosting from Sally's Baking Addiction that I adapted just a bit (and by adapted, I mean I added cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice to it).

This icing might be my all time favorite that I’ve ever made. Buuuuuutttt…. I didn’t follow the “mix the dry, add the wet” rule and it was WAY too thin, so as soon as I piped this glorious wonder onto my cupcakes, it just melted into a blob. The girls still sprinkled them and added a pumpkin on top.

They tasted amazing, but if you’re going to make these, be a rule follower. You might also want to freeze your icing for about five minutes before piping.

I hope you and your family are having a great start to this beautiful fall season!

Oh so thankful...

I am oh.so.thankful.

At this moment I am particularly thankful that I have ONE day of school left for the week. So even though it's Monday, it feels sort of like a Thursday. Plus tomorrow is payday. I'm smiling.

I need to apologize for being absent from blog world. As you all know, life is crazzzyy. I'm hoping to get a few good posts in during my Thanksgiving break. I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking, but it would take four or five posts to fill you all in, so I'll let those come as needed or when I'm simply out of blogging ideas.

Since Thanksgiving will officially be here in 3 days I'll share some of the cute school things we've done in my classroom.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at school this year by having a "snack" and not a actual feast. At first I was really saddened by this because so many children don't get to experience a real Thanksgiving meal, but I can say that my students had a blast today and I don't think anyone went home disappointed. We made quite a few snacks that they really enjoyed and of course finished it off with Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.

#1 TeePees
These adorable snacks were pinterest-inspired and super easy for the kiddos to make.

#2 Pilgrim Hats
These also were incredibly easy. We do a "witches hat" version at Halloween using a Hershey's kiss instead of the Reese's cup. We just used yellow M&M's for the buckle on the hat.

#3 Crunchy Cornucopias
I've done this snack for the past 3 years and it always turns out so cute! I don't have a picture of these (sorry!) and I couldn't find one on pinterest...

You need:
Trix cereal
Ritz crackers
Cream cheese or peanut butter
Bugles

Spread your cream cheese or peanut butter on top of the cracker. Place the bugle on top with Trix pouring out.

Super easy and very cute!

For those of you that are already finished with your cute Thanksgiving treats, save these for your 2012 files. I'll be posting a great recipe for a yummy and easy sweet potato casserole later this week. Also, be on the lookout for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe. :)

Fall Favorites

Wow! It's been awhile. Things haven't calmed down for the Crawford's but that is okay, too. We've been busy going and doing. I've been in the kitchen, but just haven't had time to post much. We did have two of my fall favorites since the weather has cooled off a bit. I'll share them with you in hopes that they might become your fall faves as well. :)

Southwest Soup
I have to start off by saying this soup was an accident. I normally always make Southwest Chili during the fall, which is just as good, but we didn't have the ingredients, so we ended up having Southwest Soup and I can honestly say it ain't the last time.

Ingredients
-Ground turkey or beef (brown and drain)
-1 can Mexican Rotel
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 can dark red kidney beans
-1 can light red kidney beans
-1 can corn (drained)
-1 box beef broth
-1 jar of salsa

I put mine in the crockpot on low for 4 hours. It was wonderful and would be great with tortilla chips and melted cheese. Go for it. Hubs vetoed that decision for our house.

If you want to turn this into Southwest Chili, follow the same recipe but don't use the broth. Instead use a can of tomato sauce.


Taco Soup
Before you skip over this recipe because you think you already have a good recipe for Taco Soup, think again. This really is the BEST recipe for Taco soup I've ever had. Plus, it is a one - dish wonder and incredibly easy. I wish I could claim it, but I can't. I first had it in college from one of my best friends. It was her mom's "famous" recipe. Russ and I honestly make this probably once every other week during the fall and winter. He asks for it in the summer, but I refuse. That is hotdog weather...sorry.

Anyway, it really is AMAZING! Make it, you will love it!

Ingredients:
-Ground beef (brown and drain)
-1 jar picante sauce
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1 can mexican rotel
-1 box beef broth
-1 box rotini (I use whole wheat)
-cumin (to taste)
-garlic (to taste)
-Salt & Pepper (to taste)
-shredded cheese
-tortilla chips

Mix everything together except chips and cheese until it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Put chips in the bottom of your bowl. Pour the soup on top. Put some cheese on that goodness. Eat it up!


Pumpkin Muffins
I've written about this recipe before. Two ingredients: Spice cake and pumpkin. Mix, bake, enjoy. But, I have discovered a new amazing muffin mix that makes these easy muffins something I want to serve for every meal. If you have a box of Cinnamon Streusel Muffin Mix and a can of pumpkin, make these muffins. They truly are wonderful.

 Maybe because it is a muffin mix and not a cake mix, but these might be the moistest muffins I've ever had. Seriously, I can't say enough about how amazing they are. And easy. Bonus!!

Finally, Halloween has come and gone. My girls were adorable as a bumble bee and a ladybug.

These are the only pics because sweet little Lyla fell asleep about 10 minutes into the Trick-or-Treat extravaganza.

I will share these cute little treats I sent with LR to school. I made these before as easter pops, but just coated them with Halloween sprinkles instead. Two year olds love sprinkles and marshmallows, so it was a hit.

I hope you and your family are enjoying some fall favorites this year as well. :)

Cutest Idea Ever!

Okay friends, I came across this idea tonight while I was searching on Classroom Freebies. I stumbled upon one of my favorite blogs and I found this idea from The Inspired Apple. I honestly think it might be the cutest idea ever. Get ready....

The Candy Corn Bandit.  Read her blog for the details. I'm also becoming a little seasonally overboard in the classroom and I honestly can't wait to get this going in my classroom!!

So thankful for the land of blogging!!!

Fall=pumpkins

For those of you that read yesterday's post, you know that I'm a fan of fall and all the cozy goodness that accompanies it.

Pumpkin is one of my most favorite foods and I love it in just about anything as long as it's on my plate between the days of October 1-December 1. None before, none after.

To welcome the arrival of fall temperatures, we went a little pumpkin crazy today. I have two WONDERFUL recipes to share and I can assure you they will be made multiple times before our December 1st deadline, in which I switch to solely mint chocolate recipes.

We started our morning with drum roll please....Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup. Yes, it was as good as it sounds, maybe better. You can find the recipe that inspired me here. But, I changed things up a bit so we didn't have heart attacks before 9am and so the hubs would actually eat them. Basically, I substituted the flour for whole wheat, omitted the butter altogether, and only used the egg whites, no yolks. The recipe also says to separate your dry and wet ingredients and do crazy things like beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Well, I have children and don't have time for stiff peaks, so I piled it all in the bowl, mixed it, and put in on the waffle iron. It was still TO DIE FOR. Perhaps the extra steps would have changed the texture, but I didn't have time for that today.

My recipe is as follows:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice.
2 egg whites
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoons oil ( I used smart balance)


Mix and pour into a hot waffle iron.


You can follow the syrup directions as stated on the website. But please, use a 5oz can of evaporated  milk. I only had a 12oz can and didn't realize it until it was too late, so I had to go back and add more corn syrup, etc. and the syrup part ended up being an epic fail. But, I can tell that it would've been divine if I had followed instructions. :)

I also made a two-ingredient cake today that was equally as grand as the waffles. I use the same two ingredients when making the best pumpkin muffins that my friend Beth first introduced me to. I found the inspiration for this recipe here, but adapted it just a bit by using spice cake instead of yellow.


Apple Cider Pumpkin Cake:
1 box spice cake mix
1 can of pumpkin


Mix together, pour in cake pan, muffin tin, bundt pan, whatever suits your fancy!
Bake as instructed on the box.


Apple Cider Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons apple juice/cider
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice


Mix until well blended and drizzle over cake. Let it set before serving. I took this cake to a family get together tonight and it was a BIG hit!!! 

 (please ignore the over-pouring of glaze) :)


I leave you with some pics of my cuties playing outside in this wonderful weather.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Fall Weekends...

Much needed.

Fall, not the date, but the weather, couldn't have come at a better time for me. Work has been incredibly overwhelming this year. I can't get my head above water and I'm spending my nights planning the next day's lessons because I don't have time during my work day. I told Russ one day this week that if it wasn't for Jesus, I know that I would be crazy by now and probably on 10 kinds of anxiety meds and sleep aids. Thank goodness for sweet Jesus who fills me with hope and purpose for each and everyday.  Long story short, the weather and beauty of today came at a perfect time.

Lily Rain and I stepped outside this morning to go on our weekly excursion to Publix and were greeted by the most refreshing, crisp, cool weather. Even Lily Rain made the sweetest comment when she said, "Jesus gave you this beautiful day!" Yes, He did and Mama sure needed it.

Fall is simply wonderful. I love all the seasons and what they have to offer, but you just can't beat the coziness of fall.

Right now the girls are sleeping, I'm curled up on the couch (putting off next week's lessons), sipping coffee. My "sweet cinnamon pumpkin" candle is burning and I'm "pinteresting" for fall recipes. Tomorrow I am making an Apple Cider Cake that I found here. If I can get my tired tail out of bed in the morning, I'm planning on making these pumpkin waffles that I found here. 

Stayed tuned. Right now, I'll leave you with a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that the hubs and I both found wonderful.

Easy & Cheap Chicken Parmesan


1 Package Chicken Breast or Tenderloins
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
Grated Parmesan
Italian bread crumbs

Put the spaghetti sauce in one bowl and the bread crumbs and parmesan in another. Dip each chicken breast in the spaghetti sauce and then dip into the bread/cheese mixture. Place each piece in a baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes. We served this with long grain rice and steamed green beans. It was great for a weeknight dinner when you need something quick and easy.

For my teacher friends that are equally overwhelmed, head on over to this devotional website for teachers. My friend, Leigh, at Precious Perks first introduced me to this website and it's very encouraging.

Enjoy this wonderful fall day!