Two Manis and A Pedi, Gymnastics, and lots of Pumpkin stuff!

 When my nails are bare, they break and peel. Since  they're a bit long now, I want to keep them polished, but I'm stingy with my spare time these days and want to cover them with something forgiving & quick.

  Pure Ice's "Best Friend" is easy to apply, light enough to hide mistakes and blemishes, yet opalescent enough to catch the eye. It's my fall-back color when I'm in a pinch for time and really need to just throw something on!

 My toes still boast the stunning pedicure that I applied in mid-October, when my sister, Michelle brought with her on her visit to PA, a box of newly-delivered goodies from her mailbox. Illamasqua Prosperity, a rubber finish nail varnish, is the bottle I chose to apply to my toes. Topped with Essie Set In Stones, my toes glitter from all angles! I know, people don't like to see feet. Too bad. My toenails are sometimes the only nails on this girl to ever enjoy nail polish.

Tori is all about the hair these days. When we leave the house, she wants ponytails. Originally, she asked for THREE ponytails on one side of the head, but last week, I talked her into trying one on each side. We even tried the zig zag part.

The next day, we did the same two ponytails on each side of the head, but lowered them behind her earlobes. She was tickled with the new look.

I've done several manicures since my sister left in October. Like I said earlier, it keeps my nails long. Here is one of my other standby bottles of polish- ZOYA! It goes on smooth and dries quickly! And I can't keep my hands off the little embelishments in my daughter's nail polish caboodle. [Actually, they've since relocated to MY caboodle.]

Earlier this week, my husband came home with all the farm's leftovr pumpkins. They were going into the trash, so he rescued them. Free food, he called it. Then he proceeded to suggest we make pumpkin soup 'or something'. So, last night, we baked the pumpkins and pureed them in our food processor. {Jesse was grateful when that was over, because our processor, sounding like a jet engine, woke him every time Rick turned it on- all six times!} Tori has a book called Pumpkin Soup. It's a cute storyline. A cat, a squirrel, and a duck live together and make soup everyday- pumpkin soup. The cat cuts the pumpkins, the squirrel stirs the soup, and the duck 'tip in just the right amount' from his 'pipkin of salt'. There is a bit of unrest on the part of the duck, who desires more than the lowly task of pinching salt... and the plot thickens. Tori knows the story by heart, so when she heard us say we are making pumpkin soup, she quickly volunteered to 'tip in the salt' and 'stir the pot'. This morning, she and  I made  the soup, and here is the end result!  

 

 

 I tasted it, and it is exactly what I was hoping for when I searched for Pumpkin Bisque Soup recipes.  Rick came home for lunch and tasted it. His sentiments matched mine. He hoped for a recipe that would be creamy, thick, pure, and PUMPKIN-Y!  And that is what he got. Can't wait to share it with friends tomorrow.

 Tori is getting in touch with her artistic side in a very big way these days. I spend dollars on arts and crafts instead of toys and books right now. Here is one picture she colored on her wipe board last week. It is Rick's and my favorite ever.

I made a dessert for our friend's get together tomorrow also. These are the ingredients...

It was very simple to make. Melt the butter... Combine most of the ingredients...

 Pour into a greased pan...

 Sprinkle with the cake mix...

 Sprinkle with pecans...

Drizzle with the melted butter & bake for a long time...

Then call your husband to come home for brunch and serve it warm with bitter coffee. It makes for a great treat on a cold day of  hurricane cleanup outside!

Here is the recipe. It happens to come from someone also named Jennifer. :o) I found the recipe in a cookbook from a group of friends.

AND LOOK WHAT LITTLE MISTER DID DURING THOSE 2.5 HOURS OF BAKING AND COOKING! SWINGIN' AND SLEEPIN'.  This is the most of his face you will see on the internet. Hubby would like him to stay off line as a baby. :o)

Tori is lovin' her gymnastics class. Session two started yesterday. They learned this new thing on the uneven bars- some kind of flip. :o)

That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll post again before two more seasons pass by!