Happy Halloween

Not Your Mama's Pumpkins

Why I'm Not a Gambler

Confession #1: I love Jeopardy. That may make me 25 going on 75, but I don't care!
Confession #2:  I love it even more when it's "Kids Week," because it makes me feel like a genius. You better believe I run the categories about Justin Bieber and Nickelodeon TV shows. Don't hate.

How can you not love Alex Trebek and his snarky way of correcting the contestants on their pronunciation of "Guadalajara"?!

Back to the title of this post. Why am I not a gambler? Mr. Malone and I sometimes place bets on the game... get your mind out of the gutter, kids. The bet is always as such - whoever answers the most questions correctly during Jeopardy gets to have a dinner of their choice, made with bitterness love by the loser.

I seem to do great in the first round, when they throw in a couple of Pop Culture categories to make the contestants feel good about themselves, but shit! By the time we're four answers into Double Jeopardy, I realize I'm screwed. And categories about bible verses/anything religious - fugheddaboudit!

Moral of the story? Don't bet on Jeopardy with your husband... especially if you know his meal of choice is going to meatloaf. Blech.

21

Sending happy (and safe!) birthday wishes to my wonderful sister-in-law in Baton Rouge! I first met her when she was graduating 8th grade... and now she's 21. Sheesh! Where does the time go?!

Cheers to you, lady! Your brother & I will pour one out for you tonight!



She'll hate me for posting this. Oops!



Rain, Rain...

... come and stay? Sounds just fine to me, because mama got a new pair of shoes rainboots!

You can't tell from this photo, but they are purple - perfect for Husky tailgates. And they'll be even better with these socks...

  



New Decor

I'm not usually one to decorate for fall. Truth be told, I save all of my decorating energy for Christmas. (Can you blame me?!) Anyway, I decided to try something different this year. When I was in Leavenworth this past weekend, we stopped at Prey's Fruit Barn for fresh apples and peaches. Side note: Delicious! If you are ever in that area, definitely make it a point to visit. Along with the fruit, I picked up some mini pumpkins and gourds.

We also stopped at the Alps Candy store on our way back, where I picked up some yogurt covered pretzels for Mr. Malone and some candy corn for this...

If you are wondering if I stop and take a piece of candy corn every time I walk through the dining room... Well, maybe I'll post a picture at the end of the week to show you my progress. Overall, I think it's the perfect amount of embellishment for our living space.

What do YOUR decorations look like?

Something About Pumpkins

My house smells amazing! Why, you ask? Because I have been on a pumpkin bread kick for the past few weeks. And oh.em.gee - this is the stuff!

Ingredients
3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
3 C sugar
2 C canned pumpkin
1 C vegetable oil
2/3 C water
3 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Lightly grease two loaf pans with cooking spray.
*In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
*Divide mixture into both pans and bake for 55-60 minutes.

I have found that taking the bread out of the oven at 55 minutes results in something more - sorry for word usage! -  moist. Be sure to insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the bread to see if it comes out clean. Happy baking, kiddos!

DIY: Curtains & Pillows

FINALLY! I have been so slow in getting window treatments taken care of. I knew I wanted to make them at home, but there was one little problem: I have never sewed. Enter Mama Jewski! I'd like to say my mom and I made these together, but really the division was about ninety-ten. (And my 10% consisted of picking out the fabric, ironing said fabric, and removing pins from that fabric like it was going out of style.)

Because I'm feeling a little uninspired in terms of word choice, I'll just leave you fine folks with some before and after photos. Hope you enjoy the end result as much as I do!

Kitchen Window: Before

Kitchen Window: After

Living Room Couch: Before (Ignore my wonky cushions, please!)

Living Room Couch: After

This fabric matches the kitchen curtains - it's like we planned that!

Upstairs Couch: Before

I had to add this because it's so ridiculous. I did actually sew that pillow, though. A small part of my 10%.

Upstairs Couch: After

I love this fabric!

Dining Room Window: Before

Dining Room Window: After (My apologies for the horrible lighting!)