I am in the mood for pumpkin!

I have had a busy couple of weeks, between working and shuffling BubbaLou around to fall fun events, there is just so little time to express myself! But today, after the drama of the morning, which was walking a limping BubbaLou to school (Yes, the drama queen has sprained her ankle, or so she says. It looks fine, but I am teasing her about the Halloween that wasn't), I decided I was in the mood for pumpkin. We don't even have our jack-o-lantern yet, that is on our list TO DO today, but I did have a can of Libby's pumpkin on my shelf. Pancakes! Pumpkin Pancakes! That sounds like a mighty fine breakfast for me! I whipped them up and savored each bite! They are not Mimi's, with the yummy apples on top, but they aren't as fattening either!

Pumpkin Art by BubbaLou

Pumpkin Pancakes

I made just enough for me and Thomas the dog

1 cup of Heartsmart bisquick

1/3 Libby's pumpkin

about a tsp, or maybe a Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

3/4 cup of skim milk

Stir, pour your pancakes the way you like them on the griddle, and cook.

I used SmartBalance and Hungry Jack Lite syrup

YUM!!!!

Friends are Friends

My memories have been working on overtime the last few days. I was invited to join Facebook by a friend from church, I thought, why not? I will give it a whirl. So, I joined, and have been tripping over people who I lost contact with 20 years ago. Okay, 21 years ago. I feel really old sometimes!

I found myself smiling as I found each person, because I had missed them. You share such big chunk of your life with people as a child(especially when you are an only child) and into your teen years, and then you grow up and move away. These friends were your support system, and all of a sudden they are far, far away.

When I went off to college, I didn't go to far. I could always be home in about an hour. I didn't even notice that I missed anyone at first, I was too busy making my place on campus. All is new, and I didn't even realize that I was in a new world without all my friends who had similar values. I got married, move 800 miles away, and then I noticed. Ooops, where did everyone go?

I had such a hard time acclimating to Florida when I first moved here 18 1/2 years ago after marrying the love of my life, Popsaroo. I had him, but I was missing my support system of my friends from youth group and school. I had a hard time finding a church family because, they weren't the ones from Nashville. You don't just make those types of friendships as adults, at least, if you do, they are rare.

So, joy! I have touched base with several friends that I had lost all contact with. Their smiling faces have really soothed the edges of my stressful life lately. So thanks friends, I have missed you and am so glad to have a little slice of you back in my life!

Count your age with friends but not with years - Anonymous

Packing up the dreams God planted

But we'll keep you close as always

It won't even seem you've gone'

Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them ~Michael W. Smith

Here, the fall leaves are brown!

Fall is here and pumpkins are popping up everywhere! This is a super fun time of year for young and old. BubbaLou got to pick out her costume tonight! She is going to be a.... sorry, top secret information. If I tell, she might have to insist on a whole new outfit! We can't have that, now, can we?!

I love watching the leaves change, but I don't get to see to much of that anymore. There is one little spot, as you round the corner to my house that has a few trees that actually have other colors than just brown. It took me four years after moving down to Florida to figure out what month it was. I see the subtle changes now, like pumpkins in roadside stands and leaves beginning to turn brown, but it is not a true golden and red leaf fall that sets your soul to wonderment and awe. So, I have to rely on memories of my beloved Tennessee falls...

memory fade in

The last 2 weeks of October were always my favorite. This is the time in Tennessee when all the leaves were at their most beautiful. I even had favorite streets to drive down in which the trees canopied the road, leaves would fall as you drove under them. The air was crisp and fresh with an intoxicating breeze, my eyes filled with the beauty around me, and my heart praised God. When I find myself prompted by nature, I am always reminded that He will not let me forget that He made it for us to enjoy because He loves us and is glorified!

memory fade out

Isaiah 45:18

For this is what the LORD says-he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. Not only did he make it for us, but he filled it with his glory.

Isaiah 6:3

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Turtle Encounter

We have had the pleasure of sharing our land with a few turtles over the last 12 years. Turtles come and turtles go, but we have one turtle Lucy, that we see every so often. She has moved her hole all around the yard (we have 3 acres). We never know when she is going to pop up and walk in our path, or is it that we are in her path?

We have found little baby turtles before, no larger than a 50 cent piece. This one was bigger than that, but quite young. We were very excited to meet our new neighbor!

Welcome, Sally, or is it Rick Springfield?

The Chalk Artist meets New Turtle

Happy Spot #5

"Try to be like the turtle -- at ease in your own shell..." - Bill Copeland

Happy Spot #6

A drawing a day keeps the cobwebs away.

~Robert Genn

BubbaLou's Favorite Pizza Slices

BubbaLou is a picky eater. She doesn't like just anything thrown together and called pizza. Mums had some great idea not to long ago-quesadilla pizzas. Didn't fly with BubbaLou or her friends. So, back to the drawing board for an easy to make snack.....

I figured out the way to BubbaLou's tummy tum tum! Pizza made from croissant dough! Thank goodness for tubes of reduced fat croissant dough! These little slices are the croissant triangles. One tore, so I sort of wrapped it. It was her favorite one.

BubbaLou's Favorite Pizza Slices

Croissant dough- reduced fat

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Turkey pepperoni

Throw it in the oven, and walla, pizza slices with no cutting. Just be sure to spray the pan!

Oh, and by the way, Thomas the dog loves them too.

Have you met the Simpson's?

Happy Spot #4

Popsaroo and BubbaLou took me on the Simpson's ride. Finally! I have been waiting long enough! They tend to go ride it while I am at work, so I was long over due!! The other times we had visited, it was too crowded and the lines to long. It was just right this time! Pretty much, we walked right up, and met the Simpson's. It is sooo fun, it even smells like a baby's butt! I think the Simpson's are up to their necks in soy sauce, but at least they keep you laughing!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.”

~Albert Einstein

October glee

Happy Spot #2

A spooky schoolhouse with the first pumpkins of the season!

Happy Spot #3

Popsaroo's shoulders that hold BubbaLou up high!

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau

Blowing off steam!

Our wee family needed to go find a happy place Friday afternoon. It had been a long and stressful week, we needed to bond. So off to Orlando we went, Universal passes in hand.

Happy Spot # 1

BubbaLou was determined to blow off some steam by pummeling those crazy clowns on CityWalk.

I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! I won! I won Edwardo! Wow!

I just can't believe it! ~BubbaLou

Mums is a packrat!

Mums is a packrat. She likes to keep everything that she may possibly need. I jest because I can, I love her dearly. She has vision. She has hopes for fun and games, good times and stories, hugs and laughter.

Pappa Bobby and Mums got me this parachute when I was but a wee child. They got it for me to play with my friends. I can't be sure how many times it has been used, but she held on to it. For my child, her grandchild, and the friends that she would have one day.

Well, that day is today. Squeals and laughter resulted.

I have to say, she has vision! So, I take back what I said about Mums, she is not a packrat. She is a visionary!

Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture.

It is not enough to stare up the steps. We must step up the stairs.

~Vaclav Havel

Lucky Dawg!

"Momsaroo, I am just one person, I can't save the rain forest!" BubbaLou protested earlier this week. She had brought home a reading assignment about the rain forest and was most distressed. We looked up ways to help save the rain forest and one of the ways was to click daily on the rain forest button. You will now find that button on my sidebar, so before you leave, please click!

BubbaLou had made posters 'to save the rain forest' in the past while at Mums house, she scattered them through the neighborhood. She knew she had done this, but still wanted to do more. I told her the posters were a great idea and that she was very smart and active to have done them. Posters work, getting the word out works! I think she believes me more now than she did the other day, I will tell you why.


BubbaLou, is a lover of animals, hers and everyone's animals. She befriends them and they love her. She has many animal friends around town that she looks forward to visiting. One little puppy named Lucky lives in Mum's neighborhood. Lucky got lost the other day, but BubbaLou and her friends Banana and Kenzer made posters and passed them out to people in the neighborhood. They were even looking in the drains down the street.
Later that night, someone who had gotten a poster, found Lucky!

That is what I call one Lucky dawg!!!!

BubbaLou for President!

Car rides home from school are always so interesting. You just never know the things that are going to come out of BubbaLou's mouth, because you have no idea what is going through her head. Let me tell ya, there is lots of stuff in that noggin of hers!

BubbaLou announced today that she has decided that when she is President of the United States of America, she is going to be changing LOTS of things.

Now, this isn't the first time BubbaLou has spoken of her aspirations to lead this wonderful country, but I thought I would probe her for her platform. I was just curious. She has not by a long shot addressed all the issues, but there are several things she feels very strongly about. Trees and animals. I think those are age appropriate!

Here is a sample of this eight year old's musings of how things should be run...

A ban on cutting down or burning trees, unless she says so.
"Next thing you know, a squirrel will be in your tree popping you in the head with acorns!"
addendum: No squirrels will be allowed to pop people in the head with acorns.

No hunting rabbits, or polar bears in the Arctic, or any other animals unless she says so.

Tight Spider Control! Only pet spiders should be allowed to live.

Extra houses should be torn down and more trees should be planted.

Oil prices should go down so you could fill your tank for $14.
She remains undecided about offshore drilling since there are lots of sea creatures that may be hurt. She is against drilling in ANWR. She is concerned about the animals.

She has decided that dollars would become dollops and that they would only be used in stores, everything else could paid by a toy brought to her.

She has the crazy notion that kids should be able to show up at school anytime they want!
And of course, NO HOMEWORK!

BubbaLou says, Vote for me and you will be on the right path!