Shopping, Muffins and Bible Time

I've started my Christmas shopping... it's half fun and half stressful. Fun because, hey, I like to shop and I like to give people presents! It can be stressful, though, to try to come up with gifts that our family will enjoy but also stay within the budget. In a way, I enjoy the challenge of staying in budget... just like for my weekly grocery shopping, it's almost a hobby to see how much I can get for as little as possible. But wouldn't it be fun to be rich if for no other reason than you could just go out and buy something fabulous for everyone you know!?!

I did make good progress yesterday, and had coupons and store promotions to help. Can you believe that it's almost Thanksgiving?? Where did 2009 go? I'm really beginning to get into the holiday spirit... I just want to make hot chocolate and eat cookies and watch "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life". Why does "getting into the spirit" always include massive calorie in take? Hmmm....

After dinner last night, I decided to try a recipe I found on this neat blog, Pioneer Woman Cooks. You know, I never read a single blog until a few months ago and now that I'm into the Blogger world, when I found things like this, I think "DUDE! What did I do before blogs?" ;) Yeah... I'm from California. I say "Dude". Anyway, these Pumpkin Spice Muffins came out deliciously! Maddie helped so I have to share the credit. These muffins embody all that is autumn and homey and comforting! Sadly, I forgot to add vanilla to the cream cheese frosting... my eye simply missed it because it was the only ingredient that printed on the second page. Still delicious but really... everything is better with vanilla extract! Somehow I still managed to eat 2 last night and 2 for breakfast.


This morning we got off to rocky start here at the McCoy abode. The girls have been getting up very cranky and very early (there is a connection there, if they could only see it!) for two days in a row. I foolishly stayed up late last night so I was particularly tired. Okay, I'll admit it... I was cranky, too. Eventually, everyone mellowed out... maybe those pumpkin muffins for breakfast helped! =) With Maddie playing in the living room and Eden playing in the bedroom, I decided to attempt the impossible: quiet time with the Lord while both girls were awake. I sprawled out on my bed (did you notice in my Texture post that we have a full sized bed? Two tall lanky people sharing one full sized bed. Insanity. But that's all that can fit in our bedroom.)... anyway, sprawled out on my bed with the door open to listen for knife drawers opening or furniture being dragged to climb up onto something, etc. I was actually able to have some time along and wasn't disturbed until after some prayer and a few chapters of my Bible were read. And then Eden decided that she had had enough alone time, and apparently, so had mommy! She climbed up with a bag of little toys and showed me each prized possession while I finished what I was reading. She was being so adorable, and looked so cute and fresh from her bath that I ran to grab my camera since it's been a while since I've gotten good pictures of my pretty little Eden Grace. The trouble is that she always becomes fascinated with the camera and stops her adorable activities. She wants to see the "baby" (her) on the screen on the back of my camera as I review photos. I guess it's the price we pay for the convenience of digital cameras!

Isn't she sweet?