Feeling like a Pumpkin Head

It's been a great week around here, thanks in no small part to Pinterest.

First, Wasabi Gril tried out a pinned recipe for Pumpkin Pie Smoothies.  The result was okay, but not quite pumpkin-ish pie-ish enough for us.  So she altered it.  Here is her version.  I HIGHLY recommend it!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:
(2 servings)

1 banana
2/3 cup canned pumpkin (not the pie filling)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup vanilla almond milk
8-ish ice cubes
generous amount of pumpkin pie spice

Mix together in a blender and add a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Let me know if you like it.  You can see the original pin we started with here.

Of course, once she had a taste for pumpkin pie, Wasabi girl started begging me to make a pie.  You know what happens in this house if you are an able-bodied 14-year old asking for pie?  Mom hands you the can of pumpkin and a pie dish.  She made her very first pie.  Here is a picture just minutes after it came out of the oven:

Didn't last long.  That's what happens when you have 3 teenagers in the house. 

What goes with pie?  Pumpkin Spice Lattes!  And since we were going crazy in the kitchen with the canned pumpkin, why not a whole batch of Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins?

Well it was a whole batch.  Did I mention I have three teenagers in the house?  These are just insanely delicious.    You can find the awesome recipe over at Cookin' Canuck.   Go print it out right now.  You'll thank me later.  This was another pinterest find.  My family is starting to really enjoy my interest in pinterest.


Finally, another bit of pumpkin creativity that didn't involve calories.  I finished up "Blossom."

Jungle Boy was happy to model it for me.  It's the right size for a wall quilt, but it's made from really cozy flannels, so I think this one's going to live draped over a chair for snuggling up with a book.

You can find my pinterest boards here.  Are you on pinterest?  I'd love to come see your pins!

Dear Heinz, What were you thinking?

I think I knew what you were thinking.  "Relish is so thick, you don't have to store it upside down."  But the reality is, I've spent years teaching my kids to put the ketchup upside down, and there is no way they are going to remember to put the relish the other way.

So I'm faced with a delimma for my compulsive side - see the condiments on the table with the labels all facing the right way, or see them with the bottles all lined up and one of the labels the wrong way.

I really want to soak off that relish label and decopage it on the other way.  I am not kidding.  It's sort of driving me nuts.

My kids don't really care.  As long as they can do this:

they're happy.

Teenage Nutrition

"Did you pack a lunch?"
"Yes mom, I packed a lunch."
"Let me see it."

*sigh* I packed her a lunch myself after I saw this. It had several actual food groups and a sandwich. Back in about 4th grade, everyone packed their own perfectly nutritious lunch. Where did that common sense go?

I'm linking this up with Wordful Wednesday, hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus.