Pumpkin Pie Bars

It's no secret , I love to bake. I could probably have a blog only about baking, but I love to try cooking new things too, and crafting new things, and learning new information etc., so a general blog it is. 

But, this post is about baking. 

You will need:

A large can of pumpkin pie filling or 2 small cans

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed

4 tablespoons of cinnamon, divided into to 2 tbsp portions

2 eggs

1 can of evaporated milk

1 stick of butter/margarine, melted

Butter flavored cooking spray 

The eggs and evaporated milk were what my can of pumpkin pie filling called for, so you may want to see if yours says something different for preparing pumpkin pie. 

To make:

Preheat your oven to 350. 

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and 2 tbsp of cinnamon. 

Add the melted butter. 

Mix till mostly moist. A few dry crumbs or chunks won't matter too much!

Spray your pan (I prefer glass for almost everything) and pour your cracker mixture in. Press flat. 

Spray more of the butter flavored spray on top of the pressed crumbs. 

Bake for 10 minutes. 

While that is baking, mix your pumpkin pie filling, eggs and evaporated milk, and the remaining 2 tbsp of cinnamon. 

Pour it over the baked crumb crust. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes until the edges start to brown.

Let cool or serve warm. I found them to be yummy either way! 

Holiday Cards for Heroes

So, today I decided to try a little project with G1 and G2, making Christmas cards for troops. They love to color, so I figured it would be something that would occupy them for 30 minutes minimum.

G1 backed out though.  She said she was tired and needed a nap, which she did not end up taking. Instead, she 'read' in her bed. 

Although I was an art major in college, I am not a great doodler. I can draw and shade a portrait, but to just doodle a quick image, nope. So, please forgive the not so great pictures that I drew! 

G2 colored a little angel and a Merry Christmas reindeer. 

Clearly, I have a little artist on my hands... ;) 

I wrote a little note inside each card "from"  G2. We thanked the soldier for their sacrifice and our safety. Then I had her sign it. Really, her signature is that a doctor would be jealous of ;). 

We put them in one envelope (per the website) and mailed them to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.o. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD  20791-5456

All of the details can be found at this website: http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes

They need to be postmarked by the 6th to make sure it gets to a soldier in time, so just a few days left! 

Black Friday?

It's Black Friday! 

~ do you know why it's called Black Friday? This is the first day of the year that most companies' profit margines come out of the red and into the black. 

From what I've gathered listening to my friends and family, this date either rivals the opening ceremony if the Olympics, or is hated as much as a speeding ticket. Most go all or nothing!! There are some in-betweeners though... That's where I've tended to fall in the past. 

Were you up at the crack of dawn to go shopping? Did you go out at midnight? Were you already camped out yesterday evening? Then in my book, you're a shopping Olympian, competing in the dining set dash or the toy triathlon.

Maybe instead you view the stores as a speeding ticket... Something you plan to avoid. Maybe you are putting up your Christmas tree and setting up the rest of your holiday swag. Maybe you're at work, wishing this could just be a Thursday-Sunday weekend instead of having to work this one day. Maybe you are watching sports, cleaning, or still trying to come out of your turkey coma!

Or you could be like me. You could take this day or leave it. You might cruise the internet today and see if there are any steals. You may have gone shopping at a reasonable time, knowing you probably won't get the very best deals, but knowing that you'll still find some pretty good deals, without fighting others to get through the doors. 

Well, that's been me in the past at least. This year I'm cuddled in with my 2 month old while The Hubs is at work. My two older girls are recovering from a very exhausting day playing with their second cousins. 

I may do some online browsing, but I try to shop mostly from Etsy shops and other small businesses, including Thirty-One, Pampered Chef, BeautiControl etc.  I prefer to shop knowing that I'm helping a friend with their work from home business, or an Etsy owner who's income is from her craftiness. 

~ did you know that when you shop locally, 68% of what you spend with them goes back into your conmunity?

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!