Autumn Sightings in N. Ireland

Happy Friday!

Keepsake Blog Award

The beautiful Brittany over at Living in the Moment gave me this award a while back. By a while back, i mean back in JUNE! I totally missed her post about it. (If i remember right, i had just returned from my sisters wedding and was getting over jet lag and late nights) It was only when i browsing through her archives looking for posts to repost for her while she's away this week that I saw it! Better late than never, right?

Anyway, thank you Brittany for the Keepsake Blogger Award!


First off, just so we all know what we're playing for, the rules:

1. Post a funny or sweet keepsake that tells something about you.
2. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers that you think are keepers.

Ok, well one thing i've taken with me where ever we've moved, and we've moved alot, are my picture frames. I couldn't bring them all with me over the pond but I brought a few this time but I did bring a few. They help a new place feel more like home to me. I like seeing my old pictures around our new place.

Here are the ones I brought with me...

I made this collage for my hubby one valentines day. Black and White pictures of just the two of us.

This was my favorite family photo pre-Ethan. Taken one beautiful Florida day in 2007.

I've had this one the longest. The picture is from 2003. Taken on my 19th birthday in England.

Both of these were taken at Brittany's wedding last October.
One of my very favorite pictures of the new brothers. Taken when Ethan was less than a day old. It sits on the dresser in Elijah's room.
This was Geoff and Elijah way back when.

This frame matched the one above and held a photo of Elijah and I until Ethan was born and I decided we'd better get Ethan in some frames around the house! =)

So there you are. My keepsakes.

What do you take with you when you move to make the new house feel like home?

I think all my bloggy friends are keepers! (Hence, the giveaway=) So feel free to snag the award and share your keepsakes with us. Just be sure to let me know so i can come read about it!

A Friendly Visit

The Gills had a visitor last week!

Ruth came to visit!

The morning started out foggy...

Elijah had been up working with the guys at his Granda's and picked up a new trick...

It's the way to hold your pencil now according to this three year old. =)

Ethan couldn't care less about pencils. Unless of course he could chew on them. But mommy said no so he had to chew on Mr. Moon instead...

And then try to eat mommy...

Elijah didn't want his picture taken so Ethan ended up in all the photos.

Him, his pumpkin and his little tongue...

Ruth & Ethan.

Ethan thinks these hand puppets are the funniest things!

We have another curry lover in the family now!
Ethan decided to help him mommy clean her plate of curry lentils and rice.

The End

PS. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

PPS. We value your prayers for another meeting tonight! Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragement in this area! We couldn't do it with out you!

Links to all things Pumpkin

Seeing as this is autumn and pumpkins are a big part of autumn i'm highlighting some of my favorite recipes.

Alicia sent me the link to this recipe for CrockPot Pumpkin Spice Latte. Oh yum!

Here's the link to my pumpkin bread. I've made this many times and still love it.

Brittany had these links to more pumpkin goodness....
Lauren's pumpkin crisp
Mrs. Southern Bride's pumpkin pie soup
Shaina's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Two people this week have told me that they have never had pumpkin pie!

Do any of you have a good pumpkin pie recipe you want to share?

I want to give these friends their first taste of good ol' pumpkin pie!



Added on Nov. 4th

PHOTO BY: Allrecipes "These are good any season but taste best on cold winter mornings. You can use canned or cooked fresh pumpkin."

---

PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	20 Min
READY IN	40 Min
Original recipe yield 12 pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Because my bloggy friends brighten my days!

So i've been looking for things to make this season special. You see from my last post that I finally found some pumpkins and have gathered a variety of yummy looking pumpkin recipes.
I've made my own chai latte that tastes almost as good as Starbucks and now, now my friends, i found the final delightful goodie that brought fall to me.

We were shopping this weekend and came across this wonderfully delish gingerbread toffee from Sweden. Oh my. They had a sample set out or else i would never have tried it. I'm glad they did because as soon as i unwrapped this little treasure and popped it in my mouth i felt like Autumn had arrived.
And like all good things, this was meant to be shared. So I bought a pack to share with you my bloggy friends.

So before i change my mind and eat this all myself, leave me a comment and i'll randomly choose a winner in a few days.

October- a perfect pause

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Oct. 24, 2008

Everyone like a good love story don't they? Visit Brittany's blog to read "Love was named Larry". The story of how she and Patrick met. It's great, you really should go read it and wish them a happy anniversary!

Yup, Today they celebrate their one year wedding anniversary!

Here's Elijah all dressed up as one of the ring bearers.

Pre-Ethan family picture.I was six months preggo with him then!

We thought we would be in Florida for two weeks. That two weeks ended up being 5 months!
But that's a whole other story.

Happy Anniversary to Patrick and Brittany!

And I hope the rest of you are enjoying your weekend!

My Little Perfectionist

My goodness this little guy is a perfectionist!

Look at how arranged his oranges before he ate them yesterday...
And he sorts his legos... Just try putting one back in the wrong place and he is quick to let you know. I've done it on purpose to see if he'd notice. Yup, he definitely noticed!

He also noticed when i carelessly threw a random marker back in the drawer. "No, that's not where it goes!" he said. And then proceeded to do this...
He's only 3!

He definitely doesn't get it from me! =)

Enjoy your Friday everyone!