My Daddy's 50th Birthday is today....We did have a surprise birthday party for him the other day. He had so many family members and old friends show up....can't you tell how surprised he was! I love it! He didn't suspect a thing. He had a great time catching up with friends and spending time with family as well. I love him so much and am very thankful to have him as my daddy. We are so much alike. Love the Lord, country, simple life, old times, love big band music, being with family, home-cooked food, coffee, and much more. I am so blessed that God gave me to him to take care of as his daughter. He is a great father and I will cherish our times together. Love you Da Da..(he loves when I call him that.) Happy Birthday!


The Lord said, "I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Genesis 18:19

Here are our pumpkins this year. They're a little spooky, but the boys love them. Carving pumpkins is a tradition that we will carry on for a very long time. This is what they look like at night on our porch with the candles inside them. However they are starting to wilt already:( I am going to have to get some more to decorate. I love decorating. This time of year there are so many ways to decorate with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas on the way. I love it. After we cleaned out the pumpkins I made pumpkin seeds. They are good and good for you. We had a great family day together. Here are a few recipes from Our Best Bites...Have a blessed day.

















Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
From ourbestbites.com


1/2 C pumpkin seeds, clean and dry, 1/2 T butter, 1/4 t olive oil, 1/4 t celery salt, 1/4 t onion, 1/8 garlic, 1/8 paprik, a pinch cayenne, Kosher salt


















Homemade Pumpkin Puree
From ourbestbites.com

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice pumpkin in half and remove stem. You can cut it in quarters if you want, or just leave it halved. It doesn't really matter. I cut mine in quarters so you could see the insides better.

Step 2: Using a spoon, scrape out all of the stringy stuff and the seeds. If you want to toast the seeds make sure to save all this junk in a bowl and not the trash can! You'll be left with just the pumpkin rind and the flesh as shown here:

Step 3: Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place your pumpkin cut-side down on the sheet.

Step 4: Cook pumpkin in your 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until it's tender when pierced with a fork. When done, remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

Step 5: Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh and discard the skin/rind. It should be super soft and easy to scoop right out, kind of like scooping out an avocado.

Step 6: Place pumpkin pulp in a food processor and process until smooth. (Or you can just mash it with a fork or potato masher) Now. If your pumpkin is on the dry side, you can add a little water (or juice depending on what you're making) at this point to get the consistency you want. My pumpkin was dry and I was aiming for the consistency of canned pumpkin so I slowly drizzled in about 1/4 cup of water until it had the right feel. If it's too moist, just put your puree in a strainer to let some of the moisture seep through.

At this point you can use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin.

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. Psalm 145:9