hand stuffed turkey.

Today we spent the morning working on turkeys. They didn't turn out as cute as this one, but the girls love them. They were relatively easy and we had all the supplies on hand, just the kind of craft I like!

*see here via here.

petunia pickle bottom {giveaway!}

Petunia Pickle Bottom has long been the "go-to" of the designer diaper bag. The shapes, the fabrics, the ease of use.. they have it down. One of their newer designs is Cake by Petunia.

A stroke of baker's genius. A moveable feast in tweed and cut velvet. Cake by Petunia is a fusion of inspired form and intuitive function that anticipates the mobile mother's every need -- and is delicious in every detail.

This holiday season they've released the limited edition Red Velvet Cake.

It is stunningly beautiful. You won't feel like "frumpy mom" carrying this. Valued at $135.. one of YOU will be walking away with your very own red velvet clutch. No baby? think how much your sister, friend, cousin.. will love you if you wrap this one up and have it waiting for them under the tree. I know I'll have my fingers crossed.

What is your favorite Petunia Pickle Bottom design? (They've expanded into bedding, carriers, and layette!)

Would you love to win? be sure to:

*comment on this post - with your name

*please only enter once

*answer question above

*giveaway will be open until Friday (11/13)

*winner announced Monday (11/16)

You'll be noticing some changes around t+t this week. I'm hoping all the dust will have settled by the weekend.

chore chart.

I love this chore chart (you can download it here for free). The girls are definitely big enough to be doing chores.. and they would definitely enjoy marking off what they had accomplished.

Do you have your kids help around the house?

kirtsy takes a bow.

Did you know Kirtsy has a book coming out? 100 amazing writers, photographers, designers and more. Release date is set for November 15th, but you can order now from Bright Sky Press and have it delivered right to your door on the 15th..on top of that it will be signed by Laura herself. Very nice.. very nice indeed.

Find out more about the book here.

pumpkin roll.

I can't believe it's already the second week in November. I swear time is flying by.. So as promised, I'm starting the Thanksgiving recipes/traditions. We have some great guests coming up.. this one is from me.

(If you've emailed me and I haven't gotten back to you yet, I will be this week, and as always I'd still love to hear from you. I can always work you in.)

This is a holiday favorite of mine. Forever, I was intimidated by it and didn't dare make it myself. I only had it when other people made it. My cute friend Joice convinced me to give it a try.

Once I tried it, I've never looked back. There really was no reason for intimidation! It is totally delicious and sure to delight all your favorite guests.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

see they even look pretty


The ingredients

Beat your eggs for 5 minutes


Beat in sugar, stir in pumpkin and lemon. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended

grease and line with wax paper a 15 x 14 x 1 pan
pour batter into pan and bake.

sprinkle powdered sugar on flattened dish towel. Invert cake onto towel as soon as it comes out of the oven

carefully remove the waxed paper

and roll up in the towel. This must be done while it is hot so the cake does not crack or tear
stick in fridge and allow to cool completely.

make cream cheese filling

unroll cake and drop filling by spoonful

spread evenly over entire cake

and roll it back up. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes

slice and serve! So easy and So yummy!!

Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts
(you can not see these in the picture because I left them out on behalf of my dad)

Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in sugar, stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Add all dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into a well greased 15 x 14 x 1 inch pan lined with wax paper. Sprinkle nuts on top and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle dish towel with powdered sugar and immediately invert cake onto towel. Roll up and let cool completely.

Filling

1 c. powdered sugar
6 oz. cream cheese
4 T. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth. I would recommend letting the cream cheese soften and beat it well before adding other ingredients to avoid chunks.

Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll up again. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 45 minutes or until ready for use. Slice and serve.

dessert night.

A couple months ago Ryan and I were out to dinner with his sister and her husband. We started talking about how we make the same recipes all the time. We decided to solve the problem.. end our rut.

I think it might be working.. Kelly do you agree??

We got together one night, took a few of her friends and a few of my friends and started planning. A recipe swap it would be. We would have a new category each month. Each month a new person would host. We wouldn't just swap recipes though, we would bring samples of the recipe so everyone could try them. You would leave knowing what you liked and what you didn't, with a full belly and 11 new recipes.

Tonight was desserts..

There was a lot of sugar, a lot of chocolate..

My lone lemon cake (the only non-chocolate of the night) and a prize for the best dessert of the night (this new twist added by our fabulous hostess).

The winner..

It was quite a night.. laughing, old friends, new friends and a whole lot of sweets. It can't get much better than that. Thanks Ladies.