Happy Thanksgiving

Weekendlies: More November to Remember

1. Gold & Black. Visions coming to life.

2. DIY gone very, very right. 

3. Heater Sunday. Maybe. 

4. Half setting up church. Half eating breakfast.

5. Carrying those heaters is no joke.

6. Hope kids, I think they like me.

7. Hopefully this one does too. 

8. I have a date with this guy Thursday morning.

9. Someone wants my butternut squash soup. 

Weekendlies: A Simple One, but a Good One.

1. Soothing tummy rub.

2. Raccoon feet.

3. A soft sunny spot.

4. Holiday hobby. 

5. Fun & games.

6. Lincoln love.

7. Sunday sky party.

8. Vice grip.

9. Keeping it casual.

Weekendlies: The Rest of It

10 on 10 was Sunday, which catalogued all things mermaid.
But what about the rest of the weekend?

1. Sitting at the bottom of the stairs is her universal signal for: I'm ready to go out.
2. A clear November day on the coast.
3. The Blue Lady. She haunts the Moss Beach Distillery.
4. Cousins!
5. Bottling my own wine.
6. Isn't she a beaut?
7. An endless tasting.  It was beautiful.
8. Consider Jesus.
9. These leaves will be gone today.


Mylie was my sidekick almost all weekend long, and when I finally dropped her off at my parents this morning, we were greeted by this sign:

Needless to say, my dad misses his little buddy when she isn't around.

10 on 10: Mermaid Edition

Mermaid: Kimberlee

A golden beauty in the distance. 

Obsessed with this gem for a reason. 

I would know.

Officially a mermaid.

Mermaids who brunch.

Parked at the palace.

Nothing finer than a forty-niner.

Sup, Sunday smiles.

Sweet dreams, mermaids. 

Linking up with Rebekah, you should too!

Pintertest Kitchen:Glazed {Maple} Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies

Let's talk.
What are your favorite flavors?
I pretty much am the quintessential white girl who will eat any and all things pumpkin.
Well, except the PSL at Starbucks. I used to love it when it first came out, I feel like the recipe has changed.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

What is here are these ingredients:

Whoa, how did that glass of wine get in there...

Alright much better.
Combined, these ingredients make some divine pumpkin cookies.

And let me tell you, I'm pretty picky about pumpkin cookies. I find that most of the time they have a weird cake like texture. With a sticky filmy coating.  Dislike.

These cookies have that same cake like texture, however no filmy business, and instead, are topped with a brown sugar glaze, which make the sticky factor irrelevant.

Speaking of brown sugar, do you have a favorite sugar? Granulated? Confectioners? Sanding?
Mine is brown. Hands down.

And this recipe calls for it in the cookie as well as the glaze.  I knew this would be good.

I also love any excuse to use my cookie scoop.
I consider her my magic wand in the kitchen.

The cookies came out of the oven beautifully, and cooled nicely while the next batch baked.

By the time the last batch was in the oven, I had the glaze simmering.
And here is where the best part comes in - add 1/2-1 tsp of maple extract to the glaze.
TRUST.

I also recommend subbing the vanilla extract in the cookie dough for maple extract.

Pour yourself a tall glass of milk, pile up some of these babies, light your favorite fall candle and enjoy.


Original Recipe by Sarah from Clover Lane:

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla maple extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze:

3 TBS butter

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2-2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2-1 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugar together still fluffy.

Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt.

Mix flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.

Drop tablespoonfulls 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake the cookie for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.

Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.

Let cool completely for at least one half hour, then frost with glaze.

For glaze:

In a medium sauce pan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly.

Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened.

Beat in the milk.

Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable.

Keep the sauce pan over the stove on the lowest possible heat to keep from hardening.

I give this recipe 5 gold stars (one for each cookie I ate) and am linking up with Jessica's Pintertest Kitchen!

It's an exciting month to link up, she's got a giveaway going on - check it out! TRUST.

Weekendlies: The Pumpkinpalooza.

It seems like most weekends these days end with a full tummy and a full heart.
This past one, was no exception.

My former youth group bible study student turned close friend, Cari, and I decided we were long overdue for a girls weekend together. A couple years ago, she got married, to a Dodger fan (a really nice one), and ever since has split her loyalties between the north and the south. She stays neutral pretty well, however, I consider her an underground Giants fan stationed in LA. We miss each other. A lot. LA and SF are way too far apart.

Cari's one request for the weekend was to involve as much pumpkin as possible.

Thankfully, the Wright Brothers invented those crazy airplanes, and visits have become that much easier.
And also thankfully, despite the tragedy at LAX on Friday, Cari was able to change her flight, and get here only an hour later than originally planned.

On the the very last row of the tiniest little airplane. Where she even had to walk the tarmac at SFO. Things were a bit crazy on Friday. 

We had a full weekend ahead of catching up.
Cari is a dog person. (Even though somehow, she ended up with a pet cat). In fact, the day I brought Mylie home as a puppy, she brought over a giant Mylie shaped cookie to celebrate. I think Mylie remembers Cari fondly, and misses one of her very first friends. As you can tell by the tail blur going on here. 

 

We stayed up late eating pecan pie ice cream (trader joes.  there are bits of doughy crust in it, and it is SO good. go, now.) and drinking pumpkin beer. Commence Pumpkinpalooza.

We both slept in, and I woke up a little early to make us breakfast. 
Pumpkin Cranberry Scones with Pumpkin Butter & Philz Coffee with Pumpkin Spice Creamer.

Joined by my sister, we shopped.
A lot.
And came home with some fabulous purchases.
Cari got this adorable coat.

And I tested reading glasses.
At what point does one legitimately need reading glasses?!

And then we came home and put our comfies on, and continued our palooza.
We did what we do well, especially together: baked & chatted.
We baked Kimberlee's Pumpkin Cheesecake while we dined on Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Ravioli.

And spent more time chatting and watching a movie.
And I'd say we paloozaed well.
Really well.

Sunday we churched.
And then hung out with my favorite Sunday snuggler.
She might be over me.

Before I knew it, the weekend was over.
And Cari had to return to her land of cats and Dodger fans.

I will miss you Carolina!
You are the kind of sweet friend who refreshes the soul.
LOVE YOU!!!