Pumpkins!

I am a sucker for pumpkins.  Usually I can hold off buying them until October.  But this year when I saw those cute little pie pumpkins, I caved.  I bought two, one for each of the girls. This was last week.  And either I picked a bad pumpkin, repeated dropping on the tile floor or the cozy corner of the kitchen where they patiently waited to be cut into did not suit one of the pumpkins.  It was partially rotten when I checked them this morning.  I saved what I could of it and tossed all the seeds, but after roasting it, the flavor was still off so that whole one is ending up in the compost pile.  Its friend though tastes delicious. 

 The girls got to help by taking out the pumpkin seeds for me.  They lost interest pretty quick.  Still, it is nice to include them in the kitchen/cooking activities and it kept them busy for a short time.

 

Maybe with more practice they will be bigger helps this fall, and if not, there is always next year (or the year after).  After I finished up gutting the pumpkins for the girls, I quartered them and put them in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.  I didn't want to oil them because I want it to be just pumpkins in the puree.  That turned out fine, nothing stuck to the pan.  I put the seeds in oven for the last ten minutes with a little salt and olive oil.  Next time I'll try 13 minutes because they weren't as crisp as I like them to be.  I was trying to avoid burning them like I have in the past. 

 

 

The flesh is really easy to scrape off the pumpkin skin once it is cooked.  I whirred it in the food processor until smooth and separated it into two plastic zip bags for the freezer.  Now I will be able to try out a pumpkin granola recipe and bake some cookies.  We will get more pumpkins when we go to the pumpkin patch and those will be destined for pie.  I'm so glad making this puree was easy and good.  It will make things that much easier this holiday season.  And with baby C on the way, I need to have things like this prepared ahead of time. 

Fall Knitting

I don't have a lot of time for crafts but I am able to get some knitting done while I watch the girls.  I've been planning to make wool cardigans for the girls for over a year and a half.  I am happy to say that one is completely finished.  It took me about a month and a half to do.  So hopefully, with some dedication, cardigan number two will be ready in November. 

 This was just after nap and my model was a little bit grumpy

They are made from Lionbrand Collection Superwash Merino Wool.  The colors are beautiful, so rich and deep.  That is one thing I love about knitting it myself, I can choose a color that is not traditionally for little girls.  I also really like the pattern, Helena on knitty.com.  It was actually a second or third choice for me and the others fell through because the yarn didn't swatch to the right size.  The pattern is easy, yet has a lot of interest to it.  It only requires a little sewing for the hem (and if I learned to do the 3 needle bind off for the second one, I might be able to avoid that too).  So far I am really happy with it.

First Signs of Fall

Cooler nights and the start of 'school' (unfortunately along with the colds picked up there) are this year's heralds for the beginning of fall.  So excited!  It has been a wonderfully mild summer, but fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for its arrival. 

To celebrate, I got started on the girls' Halloween costumes.  I won't tell you what they will be yet.  I know nobody cares that much or will get out anything out of me keeping it a surprise, but the thought of it just makes me smile so I will keep it to myself for now.  When I have some pictures of it all together in the next month or so, then I will share what it really is. 

In the mean time this is what I made yesterday:  little black tutus.

 

Unfortunately only one is complete because I ran out of tulle.  I thought 4 1/2 yards would be enough for two, but apparently not.  For now, the second tutu has a small gap in one side that will only be remedied by a trip to Hobby Lobby.

To make the tutus, I followed this Treasure for Tots tutorial on Pinterest.  Man, it went by so much faster than when I had previously made them.  It was so easy and quick to cut out.  I'll never make it another way again.

 

 

I bought 4 yards of tulle and had a 1/2 yard from another project to use.  The tulle was from a 45" bolt, not one of those 6" wide spools that the tutorial mentions.  So I had to wrap the tulle lengthwise and cut it along the side before I could cut the strips into the right length.  

But it went fast and turned out great.  I was able to cut it while the girls were at their 'school'.  And then I made the skirts while watching them play.  D was a great help.  I had left the strips on the template under one rubber band and was pulling them out one by one as I used them.  So she started pulling them out and handing them to me as I needed them.  She was so cute.  She kept saying "your welcome" after each one even when I didn't always say "thank you" after each one.  It'll be so much fun when they are older and able to do more crafty things with me.