Best Ever Pumpkin Bread Recipe

With a title like that, do I really need to explain? :) I got this recipe from my neighbor back in California, and it is without a doubt the best pumpkin bread I've ever had. Whenever I give it away as a present, I am always asked for the recipe, and believe me it's NOT because I'm just such a great cook. Just ask my family! This is a great seasonal dish, but I love it so much I make it year round.

2 cups pumpkin puree
3.5 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
3.5 cups flour (I use whole wheat and it works great)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. each - cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

Mix together the first four ingredientsin a bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt, powder, and spices. Then mix together the wet and dry mixtures. Grease and sugar two loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Enjoy!

T-shirt dresses

Kelly requested the instructions for the tshirt dresses I made. This really is a simple design and if I can make it work, anybody can! Trust me!

shirt of your choice
1 yard of fabric (for child's dress)
thread
fusible hem tape (optional: I don't use this. I just hem the dress but some people find the fusible hem tape to be easier)

Steps: Determine the waistline on the dress, and cut off the shirt 1/2-inch below that point. Sew a stay stich around the shirt bottom (making sure not to stretch the material). This will keep you shirt from stretching out when you are sewing the skirt on. Measure from the waistline to the middle of the wearer's knee (or however long your want the dress to be) to determine the length of the skirt. The width should be twice the width of shirt bottom. Cut 2 pieces of fabric using the length and width measurements. Sew skirt pieces together on sides (wrong side together). Fold the hem over fusible hem tape and iron it in place (or just sew a regular hem). For the gathered waistband, sew 2 running stitches around the side of the waist of the skirt. Pull the threads to gather the waistband until its circumference matches that of the shirt. Sew the right sides of the skirt and the shirt together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. I sew over this again for additional strength.

HT: to Heather from MOMYS. These are actually her instructions. I'm not near creative enough to figure this out on my own ;)

Strength

What kind of woman can endure radiation therapy everyday and still keep a smile on her face? What kind of woman can still find the joy when she suffers constant nausea, a painful sore throat, the loss of her hair, not to mention the difficulties associated with finding out you have a brain and spinal tumor? I know I'm not that strong, that's for sure. Please continue to pray for my dear friend, Karen whose faith during this time is inspiring to say the least.

Celebrities

I had the coolest day yesterday! First of all, Colin and I were planning for a normal day of getting chores done when we got a phone call from some of our friends back in California saying they were in the area. You might remember Pastor Dave Bush from Colin's movie Shaky Town. He and his wife Jennifer and their five kids met with us in Hillsboro at a Starbucks while all our kids played in the outdoor patio there. Now if that wasn't random enough for ya, I'm sitting there looking through photos and chatting with Jen and having a great time, when I see a lady pass by that looks really familiar. On a whim I excuse myself and run up to her and say, "Excuse me, I'm EmilyG aren't you KimC?" To which she of all things replies, "Yes, I am. Oh, aren't you the DuchessofFife?" I couldn't believe it! I ran into Life in a Shoe in Hillsboro, and she actually knew who I was! It was such fun. She and her husband and eight kids were so sweet and stayed talking with us for a while. So, in some random Starbucks along the highway, I had coffee with two celebrities! Then we rush from there to our dear friends' 25th wedding celebration/ball - yes there was Victorian dancing there! - and I run into a soon-to-be-celebrity DanaF from Colin's next movie Monstrous Regiment. We get to talking and she starts telling me about a new friend of hers and I immediately say, "You mean TW?! She's been one of my best friends for ten years!" Well after all those wonderful coincidences I was exhausted but so thankful to God for giving me such wonderful gifts this Thanksgiving weekend. I wound up being so encouraged and happy from all the great fellowship. What a generous, loving, and merciful Father to bless me so!