Absolutely delicious muffins

I have to share this recipe with you because it is sooooo very yummy!


Country Pumpkin Muffins (from allrecipes.com)

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture; blend well. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

*I omitted the walnuts because I don't care for them...


So sit back and enjoy some country pumpkin muffins with me!!

Fall Fun

I have been meaning to blog for a few day's now, but just got around to taking the pictures off of the camera. We have had a lot of fun this fall and figured we would share it with you!

We had a picnic on just the right day. I say this not only because the weather was perfect, but because it has rained every day since...Kylie was so excited and picked out her favorite blankets for the event. Cooper was just a crazy man and wanted to drink everyone's "soda".


After our picnic, we collected some leaves to iron....For all of you who don't remember how to do this, you just put the leaves between two pieces of wax paper, cover with a kitchen towel and iron on medium heat.


This weekend, we had a tea party with our friends Felicity and Elizabeth. We even baked cookies as you can see the remnants on Cooper's face.


HAPPY FALL...

Funny stuff

I have an addiction

Yes you heard me right...I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the last few years, this is the most entertaining TV show in a long time. AND...tonight is the season premier. So for any of you who would like to join me tonight, you are more than welcome. Just know that I will not be available for converstaion between the hours of nine and ten tonight;o)

Marker vs. Cooper's face

And being the disciplinarian that I am, I had the camera at hand while he was sitting in time out!

my closet threw up!

So those of you who know me (or have read the blog below), know that I am not the most organized when it comes to drawers and closets... so pretty much anything that one cannot see when they walk in my house. My new "resolution" is to TRY to stay organized. Now we all have our "junk" room or drawer! Here is my first project...closet! Oh and if you are wondering, I couldn't find a specific pair of pants recently (bet you don't know why) so that is why there is an abundance of clothes on the floor!!

And here it is after a long nap by the children...

6 awesomely quirky things about ME

I have been tagged by whimsy-love to post 6 quirky things about myself. I am quite the quirky person so i'm not sure I will be able to narrow this down...lets give it a shot.

1. I love jelly on my grilled cheese sandwiches! It is sooo very yummy and I have done it since I was a child. I have my grandfather/father to blame for this as this was the only way I was served grilled cheese as a child. I will be passing the tradition down to my lovely children as well. Now I am craving one...yummy.

2. For those of you who know me, know I am a bit of a nut. Confession time: I love to chase my kids around the house saying, "the biscuit monster is coming" when they are being pokey with getting dressed. They think it's great and we all get a good laugh out of it.

3. My drawers are ALWAYS A MESS. If I clean them, it is almost a guarentee that they will be messy again within a week. All sorts of things can be found in my drawers...random hair pieces, buttons, wallpaper..just to name a few.

4. I went through the piercing stage as a teenager...yes, I was a bit funny looking. For anyone whose teenage wants to pierce their belly button...send them to me and I can show you what it looks like AFTER children!

In case there is ANY doubt in your mind..no this isn't me and I never looked like this..

5. I am very particular about the cleanliness of bathrooms. I absolutely WILL NOT take a shower in a tub that has ANY hair in it. It totally grosses me out..even if it is MY OWN.

6. I can make one eye move and the other stay looking at you. Ask me sometime and I will show you.

Now that you know a bit more about me, I want to hear about you...here is MY tagged list.
1. Jocelyn
2. Andrea
3. Loren
4. Amy
5. Julie
6. Sophie

Apple Picking

We went apple picking for the first time EVER! Yes, you heard me right, we have NEVER gone apple picking (well ...I am speaking for myself). Some friends of ours (Andrea and Gavin) invited us to go to Beak and Skiff Apple Farm with them this weekend and we had a blast.

Cooper had to ride in the backpack the whole time ;o(

I just love the looking down the rows of apple orchards...so peaceful and beautful


I swear we didn't plan this...mine and Andrea's shoes

Kylie got to ride Misty the horse
Kylie and Avery

The kids fell asleep before we even left the parking lot...


Looking forward to hopefully going back towards the end of the season!

Stolen idea...

I am getting REALLY excited about Christmas...sorry, I know it is over 3 months away, but what can I say, I love it! Bringing out the fall decorations reminds me that there are only a few short months until Christmas.

This also starts a mild anxiety in regards to Christmas shopping. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE SHOPPING! Fortunately, I have been freed from this addiction recently and have begun to rely on God to provide for our family. It is amazing how much God has provided for us. There are so many times I have looked at the numbers (money) and have NO idea how it has all added up!

Now, I'm not saying I have turned into a cheapskate. Don't be me wrong...I still enjoy my trips to Target and letmetellyou, there are a lot of extras in that cart sometimes. Just know that I am much more conscious as to what is a NEED verses a WANT.

That being said....My BFF had posted this in her blog and I felt it pretty much summed up how I feel about Christmas shopping. Please read it and see what to expect from us this year!! I am looking forward to a SIMPLE Christmas!


NOTE: This doesn't necessarily apply to the children in our lives...Santa does that work;o)

Fun with friends

We spontaneously invited some friends over for dinner tonight. We had a GREAT time hanging out and having some adult conversation. The kids seemed to entertain themselves well and even had a "fashion show" for us. Of course the evening was documented and here are the photos of the event...

Kylie and Avery posing during their "fashion" show

Samuel picking a winner!

The infamous crazy face picture

Love this girl!

So sad...yet so hopeful

Thought this was very inspiring. I cannot begin to imagine something so horrible. God has given this faith AMAZING faith and hope that they will see their little girl again.

WHOOPS :o/

I will start by saying this...MOMMIES SHOULD NOT CUT LITTLE BOYS HAIR!


Yes you heard me right.


Unfortunately, we had to learn that the hard way here at the Riedl home.


Daddy had to clean up my "mess" and did a rather nice job at it.

Doesn't he look so grown up! Thank goodness his hair grows fast...although I may get use to this style;o)

Sibling love

As of late, Cooper has decided to be Kylie's new playmate. He copies her all the time and wants to be involved in EVERYTHING she does. It is way too cute, so here are some pictures that document there sibling love.

Yes even going to the bathroom....


Wish I could have gotten a video of the two of them dancing this morning, but I ran out of battery!


Figured I should document these moments as they do not last long....

ps. Anyone have any info on how to get your 1 year old to stop biting!!!! It's driving me crazy!

randomness

While collaborating with some fellow bloggers last night I decided that I need some more songs on my playlist. Hope you all enjoy the added feature of songs while reading my awesomely entertaining blog. Feel free to "clean your basement" to my selected songs. Feedback on song selection is always welcome!

On another note...we started another book, "Sweet Caroline" . I am excited to get into another book! I will let you know how it turns out.

AND...I took a tutorial from my blogger friend on how to make a table cloth with celery stalk stamps. I twisted this idea slightly and used leaves as my stamp. Check it out and let me know what you think.


Speaking of vegetables...it's "harvest" time here at the "Riedl Homestead" (copyright: Joel Smith). Look what mini me and myself gathered from the garden yesterday! She is my little helper and is CONSTANTLY looking for new growth on my plants. Apparently they all decided to bloom overnight.

Wedding in Phili

I am a wee bit late at posting this, but thought it is better late than never. A few weeks ago, Zach and I got a night away in Philadelphia. One of my best friends from high school got married and we decided to make it a mini vacation! The wedding was awesome. She was a beautiful bride and was glowing with happiness. She choose a great hubby and they fit together perfectly. Anyways. Thought I would add a pic or two from the wedding.

Zach and I all dressed up ;o)

Did I mention my parents were there too...Deb and I

Jess and Ben's first dance

Jess and I

Prayer request

or now. 10:30: Hello all my dear friends. I am writing this morning to ask you all to pray for Cooper. It really isn't a grave issue, it's just that he is really having a hard time with his asthma. He seems to be in a cycle of getting a SLIGHT runny nose each month which turns into a full blown asthma attack. He doesn't seem to be responding well to treatments and needs to be nebulized(sp) every couple of hours. SO...we are off to the doctors this morning to hopefully get some more answers! PLEASE pray that they can help us out. I really don't want him to be on steroids once a month anymore...it cannot be good for his little body. I will keep you all posted! Thanks~~Me

12:30: Went to the doc and he prescribed steroids for a week (surprise, surprise) and put him on a daily dose of Pulmacort. Lets hope this works for now...

whacha think

I found so great fabric on sale at Joann Fabric's and thought it would look great in my office. This is the LAST room in the house without a "theme" or any decor. ANYWAYS...my friend loves brown and blues and has spiked my interest in this color combination. I will be making a futon cover in blue and brown pillows to go on it. So here it is...give me some feedback...

I also made some new curtains for my kitchen window. The previous one was shrunk unexpectedly by a crazy lady who decided the window treatments need to be washed...ya..not sure what I was doing.


Here is my new mantel arrangment...Zach said it looks like i cut down a tree and put it on the mantel..for all of you uneducated people..this is NOT a tree branch but GRAPE VINE. I cut it down myself thank-you-very-much.
And, to TOP things off I received my new MOPS bag this past week! I am soooo excited and it is the perfect size for an intermediate diaper bag.