the big day

Our friends Jill and Charlie are tying the knot today. It's going to be a big day of setting up and making sure everything runs real smooth for them. With all the planning, it's been long awaited and I'm excited it's finally here!

Here our their invites I designed for them:

like crazy

I can't wait to see this.

 

the catchup

I've been horrible about blogging lately. Max is teething AND carrying on a monster cold for the last few weeks and so life has been, well - not much but trying to keep him happy.

After he is snoring soundly in bed, I have no energy left for much else, but to drool over things like this diddy. I think when life returns to normal, I will attempt to make these. Don't they look like heaven?

The boys and I found this book by super hip illustrator and designer Frank Viva on our latest trip to the library. I love the illustrations, and wouldn't mind adding this to our home library sometime in the future. This is his first children's book, and I hope he does more.

 
Halloween was a blast. The weather couldn't have been more dreamy. Jack, Cash and I took on the neighborhood as PowerRangers, while Max sported a Where the Wild Things are costume I convinced my mom to help me make. Each year we get together to trick-or-treat with all the cousins and then hang back at my brother's house for various home made soups and sugar overloading on candy. 

I'm getting super excited for Thanksgiving. I have all my recipes picked out for the big dinner. Cornbread stuffing, Molasses-Bourbon Pecan Pie... I love this time of year. The boys are getting ever excited for Christmas as well, and when Ryan is not in the car, we turn up the holiday music even though it isn't December yet. 

Shhhh, don't tell.

something like this

Aren't these amazing? Ray Villafane's pumpkin sculptures. I doubt my pumpkin will resemble anything like this. 
Hope everyone enjoys a happy and festive weekend.

 

what I'm listening to

I've been listening to Bon Iver's self titled cd all weekend and it is good. Give er' a listen. You may realize you like it as well.

pearl jam twenty

Just watched Cameron Crowe's documentary PEARL JAME TWENTY on PBS. So rad. Oh I love that band. I miss the summer Ryan and I followed them around Vegas, California and Arizona.

I love me some Cameron Crowe as well. I met him once in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock. It's the first time I've ever been star struck. If you haven't seen Almost Famous, stop reading now and go watch it. If you don't love you some Pearl Jam, repent now and get listening. 

 

more pumpkin

This is one of my favorite and easiest pumpkin recipes. All you need is 1 spice cake mix (any brand - but watch out, come October, spice cake mix goes missing off the shelves - so I usually by several), 1 can of pumpkin, 1 package of MILK chocolate chips. The spice cake mix makes these cookies so light and soft. And trust me... spend the extra 20 cents for the real chocolate chips - semisweet don't cut it on these cookies.

Then pour in the spice cake mix, don't add any of the eggs or water/oil as it calls for, just add the can of pumpkin. At first it will seem extremely dry, but keep mixing with a spoon until both the pumpkin and spice cake are well incorporated. Add chocolate chips, and cook at 350 for 12 minutes. I have a small cookie dough scoop that makes these the perfect size. The dough is incredibly gooey, so I recommend using something similar to that or an icecream scoop to keep the mess to a minimum. 

This is another cookie I have to plate up and immediately distribute to the neighbors or I will eat the whole batch. I often double up the recipe, they seem to go so fast. They are heaven when they are warm.

I wrapped them up with a little Halloween themed card, and thought they looked quite nice.