Mission Impossible

Lately I have been working a lot.  Between school, my graduate classwork, kids, lunches, keeping up housework... it almost seems like mission impossible.  It really does not leave as much time for the things that I love to do -like playing with the kiddos, cooking, reading and sipping coffee on these crisp days.

Case in point:

As I was sitting down at the computer to do some research, Kale, single handedly, created a disco.  Sometimes you can't fight it.  Homework should be done when everyone is asleep, anyway.  Dance party, anyone?

Kale creating beautiful music while I am attempting research.

It seems like my free time has been consumed with the thought of how I am going to get everything done.  How on earth can I manage it all?  Thankfully, (with the help of sticky notes) we are settling into a routine and by some miracle things are progressing (and getting done on time).  Amazing.  Just as we began to find our way, we realized that this weekend we would host two very special visitors: Sharon and Terry.  What wonderful company for a Friday night and Saturday morning.  On this short visit we went to Imperial Gardens, played in the maze they had set up, and picked some pumpkins.  A pretty darn good Fall day. 

We came home with arm full's of pumpkins.What can you do with a pumpkin?  We usually toast the seeds and carve them up.  This year I want do do more with them and I found the perfect recipe. First, we ate Pumpkin Patch Stuffed Shells, a recipe I found in a Rachel Ray magazine.  You mix pumpkin in a cheezy sauce and hid ground beef and spinich in giant shells and bake the whole thing.  Yummy.  Note to self: next time use a tad bit more salt.

But the recipe I want to share is impossibly easy.  It uses two ingredients - That is the type of thing I need for these busy school days.

Pumpkin Cupcakes
recipe from Budget 101 (thanks Ruth!)
1 package of yellow cake mix
1 large can of pumpkin

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ingredients together.  Line cupcake pan, scoop batter in.  Bake for 15 minutes. That's it! Can you believe it?  The cupcakes are wonderfully moist and delicious, give it a try.

E