Sweet little gifts

My sweet 6 year old girl likes to bring me little gifts of flowers. Sometimes she will pick a few and hand them over but my favorite is when she makes these amazing little creations. She found all of these in the backyard, put them all together and laid them inside a big mussel shell we found at the beach and gave it all to me. Last year during baseball season during some of the many practices for her brother's team, she would bring me little pieces of holey wood stuffed with tiny daisies or other tiny flowers stuffed into pinecones. I love these little gifts for how beautiful they are and for how much they speak of her creative little spirit.

That time again!

Lord of the Gourd 2008! It is an annual party that we hold. We get lots of the neighbors and lots of friends growing pumpkins in the spring and then one October day we all get together and eat food and do silly games and weigh pumpkins. Someone said there was about 60 people this year which is fun. We played pumpkin ball- small pumpkins being shoved around a course with a broom and some other games for the kids. #1 game again this year was the one where you hang apples from twine and then you have to eat it without your hands. The kids love that one every year. I have to say there are some kids around that age where their front teeth are so huge and you think that would help but it really doesn't. The winner of the heaviest pumpkin this year brought it on a wagon, under a black cloth so that it could be properly revealed. They were first timers to the party and were quite thrilled when "Fat Bruce" took home the prize.

I always try to make some sort of fall inspired dessert and this year it was Buckeyes. People positively swooned over these and they were one of the easiest things I have ever made. I made a ton of them thinking that I would take some to work to share but I had to keep refilling and they were gone in no time. It was one of those desserts where folks come up to you with their mouth full and their eyes huge and spew all sorts of "i love this!" noises at you. Here is how you make them:

16 oz. jar of peanut butter

stick of butter

box of powdered sugar

Mix those three things together, roll into small balls and place the balls on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Put a toothpick into the center of each ball and freeze overnight (or atleast until they are good and hard- 4 to 5 hours?)

Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler and roll the balls around the chocolate leaving a little bit at the top so they look like Buckeyes (or Horse Chestnuts if you are from around these parts). Put them back on the waxed paper. After you are all done with the chocolate step, the toothpicks will probably slide right out so remove them and smooth the hole over with the back of a spoon. Put the in the fridge for an hour or two until the chocolate is hardened and then try not to eat too many in one sitting.

Here is the entry for one of our less green thumbed friends. It is the blossom of what could have been. It was my favorite because I got to have the lovely flowers in the house all week and they smell great!

The kids are at school and the hubby is at work so I have some sewing to do!

Thanks!!

A big Thank You to Meghan for bidding the highest on the doll bed and a big Thank You to Kim over at Camp Whimsy for helping to spread the word! Since she was the only one to link, she wins the necklace! I will email you for your info so I can mail it out to you. And I will email you, Meghan, with the details on how to pay and all that.
Thanks so much for helping me to raise this money for such a wonderful family!