Cul-de-sac of . . .

Our kids had been looking forward to last Saturday night for months.  Ever since they found out our Ward does a Cul-de-sac of Fire.  Everyone is invited to one of the neighborhoods and they have treats and music.  Saturday was already a full day with Mark's Family Reunion, but the kids were excited to know we would be home in time for the evening party.  So we bought our fireworks and made our homemade ice cream and fudge sauce.

The Primary decided to add to the fun by decorating bikes and having a parade.  We have a small Primary, but it is still a task getting that many kids down the block at once.  Who is the boy in the red bike helmet in the front?  Is that Ben?  I think we somehow made it home with his helmet, oops.  John had a slight problem with his noise maker and ended up at the end of the pack.  And there is our sweet Primary Pres helping a little girl down the street.

As if decorating bikes and having a parade wasn't enough, they added in letting all the kids make visors.  It was a day of foam crafts for our kids.  Here the girls are sporting both their glasses made earlier in the day and their visors made that night.

There was lots of ice cream and toppings along with some yummy watermelon.  They had a DJ come and play music and do karoke.  I could not resist John when he came and asked me if I would dance with him.  It was so sweet.

And just as the sun went down the dark clouds that had been off in the distance blew in and it started to down pour.  We haven't had that much rain in such a short period of time all summer.  We kept thinking it would just blow over, but after about an hour of gusting wind it was obvious it would not go away.  We felt really bad when a basketball standard blew over and shattered someone's windshield.  I think that was about the time it was decided to end the event.  So the Cul-de-sac of Fire turned into the Cul-de-sac of Chaos.  That was confirmed when we realized the next morning that Mark's eye glasses were missing.  A trip down the street confirmed they had been dropped at some point in the night.  A little bent and dirty, but they did survive after a trip to the store to get straightened.

When we realized Sunday night was the last night you could legally set off fireworks in Utah, we gave in and had our own little family party setting off the small pack of fireworks we had gotten.  All in all, the event was fun, just not what was planned!

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged twice yesterday, so I guess I'd better keep it going.  I was tagged by a great neighbor and friend, Becca.  Then I was also tagged by one of my awesome Pampered Chef Hosts, Christine.  They were similiar tags, but because Becca's is a little more detailed I'm going to go with her format.

How to play this game. Post these rules on your blog; List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5-6 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.


3 Joys:

1. My Family -- I have the most awesome husband who helps out so much and is very kind and caring usually (except for Saturday during the water fight!)  And my three beautiful children bring so much joy into my life.
2. Membership in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Having the Gospel in my life really helps to ground me and teach me so many things on a continual basis.
3. Friendships -- I have some of the greatest friends.  And it is always nice to add friends to my circle.

3 Fears:

1. Having Mark die.  I guess that comes from having my Dad die when I was 13, but I'm always worried something will happen to Mark and I will lose him too.
2. Camping.  I really don't enjoy getting dirty and sleeping on the ground.
3. People not liking me.  Deep down don't we all fear that.
   

Goals:

1. To earn a Top Performance Cluster ring with Pampered Chef.  Most of my PC friends have one of these and I haven't gotten mine yet.  You have to work really hard during a one year period of time.  You either have to sell $55,000 from June - May or sign and qualify 15 new consultants during that same period of time.  Anyone want to join up?
2. Get a new car for Mark.  He is currently driving the 1993 Toyota Camry I bought brand new when I was single.  Back then I paid off the car in 18 months.  It has been a great car, but I think it is time to move on.
3. Be healthier -- I know I will never be a size 4, but I know I should treat my body better and be healthier.  After pulling weeds for two hours on Monday and going on a bike ride with the kids yesterday my legs are pretty sore.  I know I should exercise more and eat better.
   

3 Current Obsessions/collections:

1. Chocolate -- I know that negates the last goal
2. Reading -- Specifically Stephenie Meyer books.  Friday at midnight cannot come fast enough so I can get my copy of Breaking Dawn!
3. Blogging -- You are probably sick of hearing from me, but I just love posting and reading everyone else's posts.  Google Reader is the best thing ever!

3 Random Facts:

1. I have funny toes.  I have two toes that are slightly webbed together thanks to my Dad's genes.  And I have a toe on each foot that curls under the toe before it.  They tried to straighten it out, but it still curls a little.
2. If I didn't color my hair I'd probably look about 60 years old thanks to my Mom's gene of going grey at a young age.
3. I look just like my Mom.  I've even had strangers come up to me thinking I was her because they hadn't seen her for about 20 years.
   

Okay--I tag: Lisa R (because I know she wants to post, but needs a reason to), Cynthia (because I know you have a cute blog, now it just needs a post!), Eden (because I love EVERYTHING you write), Lori S (because you are the best artist I know), Laura J (because I love team teaching with you), Kim my sister (because you need to share more about you)

Family Reunion

Today was Mark's Family Reunion at Salem Pond.  We were sad that several members could not make it this year.  We especially hope Jean is feeling better soon.  Here are some of the highlights for those who were and were not in attendance.

 Kris brought crafting supplies to make sunglasses.  I think the adults had as much fun as the children!  Grandpa Jim was especially proud of his pink glasses.
 

Grandma Neva showing off her creation!

Only the children were brave enough to go swimming in Salem Pond

Ashley and JaCee Jo very excited for their glasses.

Glen's glasses were 3-D with multi layering.  You would never know he just got staples in his head the night before after falling off a truck!

Wes & Paige -- Best Cousins

What starts as an innocent game of water balloons . . .

Quickly turns into a fierce water fight.  Cory going all out after Paige.

Mark may look innocent, but he is just waiting for his chance to get Robert!

And what would be a family get together without prizes from Grandma Neva.

And somehow Kris' prize matched her glasses perfectly.  Thanks for planning a great get together and getting the bathrooms unlocked Kris!

Did I Rob the Store?

I just returned from my local Sears Grand store and I feel like I robbed the store. You all know I'm a bargain hunter and will drive across town to save $10. Well, 2 1/2 weeks ago my friend, Rynele, told me Sears was clearancing last year's School Uniforms brand, TKS, because they are selling Dockers brand School Uniforms this year.  So I went and stocked up on what they had for Jessica and John.  There wasn't much in Ashley's size but she got a couple of shirts.  They wore this brand all last year and they were great.  So I was excited to get them at about $6 an item for pants and $3.49 for shirts.

Jump to today --  She e-mailed me to tell me they were now all ringing up at .49 cents a piece and if I brought in my receipt they would do a price adjustment since it had been less than 30 days.  So I finally made it over there tonight and surprise, they were  now another 40% off, so they were now just .29 cents a piece.  So I got $90 back from my original transaction and cleared the racks of anything they might wear in the next two years.  They even let me keep the hangers!  I spent another whopping $11.  That was for 9 pants, 8 shirts and a pair of swim trunks that were $5.99!

I felt just like this lady on the Ikea Commercial!

Boating Babes

While I was gone to Chicago Mark's parents took the kids boating.  And I've been requested to post pictures to my blog, I guess someone reads this?  Somehow they always end up boating in the summer when I'm out of town.  Mark's Dad doesn't like to go on the weekend or holidays and Mark doesn't like to take time off just to go boating.  But I'm the one that loves to go boating so I'm sad to have missed it.  The kids had a great time. 

The goal was to go fishing, but the only thing caught was Grandpa's hat after if flew off.  Was Jessica driving when that happened???  They went up to Deer Creek and the kids said it must not be a good place to go fishing.  I informed them I think it has more to do with Jessica, Ashley and John than the lake.  They swear they spent hours sitting quietly waiting for the fish to bite.  John can't sit one minute quietly, so I know that wasn't true! 

Hopefully we can go at least one more time before the summer is through!

Mid Life Crisis

It is no secret that I just turned 41.  Does that make me eligible for a Mid-life crisis purchase?  My friend Jenn recently got herself a really cool Harley so she could go riding with her husband.  And with the price of gas these days I was thinking anything I could do to save some money would be great.  Just a little something to ride around town on and feel the wind blowing through my hair.  A few weeks ago when we were down in Santaquin the kids got Mark's Dad to get out the bikes and we all took turns.  Mark and I had fun going around town.  Don't tell though, he doesn't have a motorcycle license!

So for my birthday I thought maybe I should get my own bike.  My Mom loved the idea, but because of our schedules today was the first chance we had to go shopping.  So here is a picture of my new bike!

 

Okay, so it is only a 6 speed and it doesn't have a motor on it, but I can still ride around and feel the wind in my hair.  The first trip with the kids consisted of going to the Redbox to get our free Monday DVD.  The kids picked out "College Road Trip".  They give it a thumbs up.  After riding the 4 blocks there and back I know what my next purchase is going to be . . . a better padded seat.  Ouch, I didn't even know bones could hurt down there!  I haven't owned a bike since I was a teenager, so if you find me on the side of the road, please help!

Sunday Dinner, I dare you to change it!

I know I'm a scheduler and my children get this from me. . . but it is still annoying when I change the schedule on them and they freak out.

Sunday Dinner is a tradition in most homes.  Ours has changed and morphed over the years.  It started out when Mark and I were the only ones with a child and we suggested we meet at Mom's house on the First Sunday of each month for a family dinner.  Then somewhere along the way it turned into dinner at Mom's house every Sunday.  We would all bring food to help.  At this point in time there were now 3 of us married and living in the area with children.  Then everyone moved away but us and we continue to go to Mom's house every Sunday for dinner.  Sometime in my RS Pres years Mom took over all of dinner again because I was always in meetings or visiting.  We are usually in charge of setting the table.  It has been a year since I was released and occassionally she has us bring something, but never anything with much work.  We have morning church and she has afternoon church, so dinner is usually around 5ish. 

Well things changed today and you would think the world was falling apart.  Mom is in Washington State visiting a friend.  She flys back in around 6:30pm.  So I took a roast out of her freezer (why buy them when she always does) and put it in the crock pot before we left for church this morning.  Arriving home from church the children immediately swarmed the kitchen and wanted food.  When they were informed they could not eat they got confused and could not figure out why in the world we would be eating Sunday Dinner in the middle of the afternoon.  They actually had to wait for about 20 minutes while we set the table and finished getting everything ready.  You would think the world was falling apart and they would starve to death.  I tried to explain we were eating the big meal now because we would be leaving for the airport to pick up Mom when we usually eat dinner.  Nothing made them happy until they actually had food in their bellies.  I promise we had fed them in the last 24 hours!

Chicago, Chicago

As much as I enjoy traveling, eating out, having someone else make my bed and clean my bathroom everyday, hanging out with my Pampered Chef girlfriends . . . I'm always glad to be back home.  As you can tell I didn't have a lot of time to blog while in Chicago.  We had very limited Internet access and limited time.  Why is it that at expensive hotels you have to pay for Internet and at less expensive hotels they have free WiFi?  That always baffles me.  But Corner Bakery got a little more business from me than usual because of their free WiFi.

We had a great time in Chicago.  I think this was the seventh time I've been to Chicago for our Pampered Chef National Conference.  It is always in July and it is always around my birthday.  Works out nice to have some birthday cash to spend while I'm there.  I always travel with my other wonderful Pampered Chef friends and we squeeze 4 or 5 of us into 1 hotel room.  Makes for great bonding time and a huge lack of sleep.

We flew out Sunday on my birthday.  We took the train or the "El" for Elevated Train into the city from the airport.  After getting settled in our room we headed over to meet up with some others that were already there and have dinner at Cheesecake Factory for my birthday.  There ended up being 14 in our group and they had to split us between 3 tables.  After an incredible meal the waitress brought me this cute little ice cream sundae and they all sang to me.  It sounded like half the restuarant was singing with our big group!  We all took cheesecake to go because we were so full.  We were sure glad we had it a few hours later when we started to get hungry again!

Our conference started bright and early Monday morning.  They go all out and make us feel special at these events.  I think the highlight of the conference for me was that first training.  They had Dr. Tony Alessandra

come speak on The Platinum Rule.  It was fascinating learning about behavioral styles and recongizing the traits of each style in people that I know.  It definitely helped me understand why some people act the way they do.

I won't bore you with all the conference details.  But the next 2 and a half days were crammed full of great trainings and incredible meals.  One of the special events is our upline Executive Banquet.  At our banquet our group was the biggest.  Here is a picture of almost all of the 24 gals that were there from Utah.  I'm hiding in the center on the back row.  I was excited when I was recognized for being the number 3 recruiter in the Shilling Cluster.  Robin's cluster consists of several hundred consultants.

Conference ended early afternoon on Wednesday, and then we had a little time for playing.  My friend and I realized after all the times we had been to Chicago neither one of us had experienced a Chicago Dog.  So another gal in our group led us to a great hole in the wall place just around the corner from the hotel.  There were about 10 of us and we pretty much filled the place.  For $3.99 we got a Dog, Fries & a drink.  It was the cheapest meal of the whole trip.  The hot dog itself isn't that different, it is all the toppings on the hot dog.  The hot dog is topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish (usually neon green), a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt; but never ketchup.  I did skip on the onion and pickle spear.  As you can see from the picture of Cynthia and myself you have to open your mouth really big to fit that puppy in.  We had to go back to a hotel room to eat them because there weren't enough seats in the place for us to sit!  I will definitely have one next time I go again!

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping and trying to fit all the shopping into the suitcases.  Then we headed home on Thursday.  I was very happy when my suitcase was only 47 pounds.  I was all prepared to shift things if I needed to.  But I can't believe I hauled that puppy up and down several flights of stairs in the subway.

Here is the slideshow of all the pictures if you want to see all the crazy fun. 

It's My Birthday!

So I'm spending my 41st birthday on an airplane, yea!  Sounds exciting doesn't it.  Our Pampered Chef National Conference generally falls close to my big day and this year I have to fly in on Sunday so we can be there when our meetings start Monday morning.  Thanks to the joys of the internet I've prepared this post ahead of time and have it scheduled to post on the big day.  And I know my awesome PC friends are planning to help me celebrate tonight at the Cheesecake Factory on Magnificant Mile, not too bad a way to end a very long day.

So since I won't have many pictures to post for this year's day, I thought I'd share with all my new friends what my incredible husband did for me last year for the big 4 0 party.  About a year before my big day a friend of mine turned 40 and her husband threw a big surprise party for her.  Rich did such an awesome job for Cynthia. 

Mark knew I loved it and he wanted to do something for me but decided a surprise was going to by way to hard.  But he did plan an incredible Luau for my day instead.  He planned the decorations and was able to borrow a bunch from Thanksgiving Point.  He spent all day setting it up in my Mom's backyard.  Only for the wind to blow a bunch of it away just as the party got started.

He had all the food catered from Thanksgiving Point thanks to a great Employee discount.

And he did a great job at bribing all my friends and family to show up.

Wow that picture makes my Mom's yard look huge.  It really ends at the edge of the tables.  The pasture is the neighbor's.

Here are some of my awesome cousin's.  And Mark's Mom and Dad on the right.

Friends from the Geneva Height's 4th Ward.  Nathan was especially thursty with two drinks.  And Rosemary was so cute to come even though she just had knee surgery.  And Katherine and Nora are dear friends that carried me through Relief Society craziness.

And here are the Chris' times three.  Christine (me), Chris Andrus (the mother-in-law to the next Chris) and Chris Andrus (my dear old roomie prego with twins!)

And of course the rowdies at the Pampered Chef table!

It was really odd having so many different aspects of my life come together in one location.  And interesting to see who knew each other that I didn't know they knew each other!

Mark did such an incredible job of the party.  It was awesome and he was so tired the next day.  I'm guessing the next time all these aspects come together it could be for my funeral in a hundred years! 

I Love You Mark!!!!

Fingers Still Attached

Why do these things always happen when the doctor's office is closed?

Friday after spending a very busy day with the kids swimming, shopping for school uniforms, and going to Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum I was excited to make it home about 15 minutes before Mark and the kids made it home.  We had two cars because we had met Mark at work.  As I was getting ready to start on dinner before they all came crashing through the door I went to put my "Show" knives away in my show crate in the pantry.  The tip of the knife hit the edge of the door frame which then pushed the knife into my hand right between my thumb and first finger, ugh!  I've been selling Pampered Chef knives for 10 years and this is the first accident I've had with one.  Of course it was 5:15 on a Friday night. 

So when Mark did make it home he and I headed over to InstaCare.  The nurse looked at it before they processed me and confirmed that the I did need to see the doctor.  I'd like to brag about how many stitiches he gave me, but he only gave me a lecture about how they have realized the hand wounds generally reject the stitiches and don't heal very quickly.  So instead they washed it out, numbed it a little after I requested they do something for the pain and then he bandaged it up really good. 

Wouldn't be so bad if it weren't my right hand.  If it hadn't been 10 years since my last tetnus shot. (And to the nurse, yes it did hurt a little when she put in the needle!)  If I weren't leaving for Chicago Sunday morning for a Pampered Chef Conference.  If I wasn't planning to haul my luggage through the airport and then take the train into the city because we are too cheap to take a shuttle (how can you pass up a $2 ride versus a $25 ride?)  At least he said I could start getting it wet in the shower beginning on Sunday.  My roommates will be grateful I can shower!

No More Hair

I am so proud of my girls I had to share.  They had decided awhile ago they wanted to get their hair cut for Locks of Love so we have been patiently growing it out.  Then we recently found out that Pantene Beautiful Lenghts is a similar program but the hair only has to be 8 inches long instead of 10 inches long, yea no more waiting!!!  So today was finally hair cutting day.  We headed to Evans Hairstyling College (our favorite place for haircuts on $3.50 Tuesdays!). 

Their hair turned out so cute!  It is amazing that at such a young age they realize they can help someone else's life be better.  What amazing girls.  We love you!

Heaven on a Plate

Do you have a family recipe that only your family 'gets'. Well, we do and we got to enjoy it tonight. When I said I needed to take a picture before it was cut Mark made some comment about me having to blog about it. I said I wanted to post the recipe, but you really need a picture to understand what it is supposed to look like. He informed me it would scare people away. Apparently he was scared by the look of it the first time he saw it, but he has gotten over it since he enjoyed it just as much as me tonight.

This recipe came from my adorable Grandma Jesperson. It was forgotten about for many years and I don't remember for sure when it was brought back into my family, but I think my Mom started making it more regularly about 20 years ago. It is an Angel Food Cake that is then frosted with a custard that is mixed with whipping cream. The original recipe used real whipping cream, but my Mom discovered Cool Whip holds up much better and makes it much easier to make.

The cake usually shows its face around birthday celebrations. Especially my brother, Brent's. It is a little time intensive, so it is mostly for special occasions. My sister, Kim (welcome to the blogging world finally), is up from Arizona and her birthday is on Tuesday. Mine follows five days after that so tonight was the official joint celebration dinner. As a child it always bothered me to celebrate our party together, but that was because Kim always had more friends than me so she got more presents. I've matured a little since than and can handle combining the event.

In our family it is referred to as "Custard Cake" I'm sure ages ago someone came up with the recipe after making an angle food cake from scratch and wanted to do something with all those egg yolks. But with how easy cake mixes are these days we now just waste all the egg whites.

So you start by making an angel food cake (from a mix). Mom swears the two packet mixes taste better than the easier one packet mixes. When you cool the cake it has to hang upside down. Now the most important step comes next. You must remove the crusty top of the cake before removing it from the pan. The best way to do this is to pick at it a little at a time while it is cooling and enjoy the top. I'm sure the finished cake would not taste as good if you did not sample it at first! Then you make the following Custard Frosting and frost the cake with it.

Custard Frosting
9 egg yolks
1½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
2¼ cup milk
2 Tbsp gelatin
3 Tbsp cold water
6 Tbsp boiling water
3 tsp vanilla
1 - 8oz Cool Whip, thawed

In the top of a double boiler, beat the egg yolks and add sugar and salt. Scold milk and slowly stir it into the egg yolk mixture. Cook this mixture over boiling water in double boiler, stirring constantly until the custard lightly coats a spoon (about 4 minutes) DO NOT COOK LONGER, as this will cause the custard to curdle. Remove from heat. Soak gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Add boiling water and mix to dissolve gelatin. May have to set container into hot water to get to dissolve completely. Add to custard.

Put in 9 x 13 pan and set in freezer for 10 minutes then stir. Put back in freezer and let stand for 5 minutes repeating until mixture starts to set. Remove from freezer and fold in Cool Whip. If runny then put back in freezer for 5 minutes. Put small amount on cake plate then place Angel Food Cake on top then frost Angel Food Cake with mixture. If extra then put in hole of Angel Food Cake. Place in fridge and let set up about 30 minutes.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we do.

4th of July

We had such a fabulous 4th of July. There were so many pictures so instead of trying to post them all I'll just share the slide show.



The kids and I started a little early. On Thursday we went to "Ellis Island in the Park" at the Scera Park. It was a great way to teach the kids about how immigrants came to our country. They had 200 flags set up in a star shape that looked awesome. And we all passed the immigration tests we took!

Friday morning started early with the Balloon Festival. We were remembering how cold we were last year. Certainly didn't have that problem this year. The kids loved the Smokey the Bear Balloon, the Pig Balloon, and the Strawberry Balloon. My favorite is the Maple Leaf Balloon that reminds me of New England.

We joined half of Provo at McDonalds for breakfast. I've never seen it so busy. Next year we need to remember to bring our own breakfast. We then headed over to the Parade Route. We had put down a blanket before the Balloon Festival and got a pretty good spot at the beginning of the Parade. The highlight this year was the float our Stake had in the parade. The Stake had asked the primary kids to draw what they thought the float should look like. We never heard anything about it after that. When the float came down John started yelling that it was his float and they did exactly what he had drawn. We'll just let him believe it.

We then came home for a much needed rest. It was a forced naptime for everyone. And Jessica was the only one that didn't actually fall asleep. We then headed over to Uncle John's and Aunt Diana's for the family get together. Our children didn't understand why we would not let them go swimming with everyone else. We only had an hour and a half to eat before heading out, and since they had already had 10 hours of swimming in for the week I didn't feel too bad for them.

And then we headed to the Stadium of Fire. The kids were so excited. Apparently we got the wrong information about bringing things into the stadium and had to throw out the water bottles we had brought, oops. Our seats were in the North side and the stage was on the South side, but thanks to the big screens we could see what was going on. There were so many highlights of the event. Some of our favorites were

• Sky divers
• Planes flying over
• the flag color representation coming down the stadium and over our heads
• 1300 dancers dancing about the summer Olympics in 7 minutes
• Glenn Beck master of ceremonies
• Military representation and the families seeing their loved ones
• Blue Man Group
• And of course, Miley Cyrus -- I was the one that needed earplugs for all the screaming girls!
• And you can't beat 30 minutes of amazing fireworks directly over your head

We all fell into bed when we finally got home! This was a 4th of July we won't forgot.

If pumpkin is a veggie, does that make this healthy?

Mark has a pot luck tomorrow at work, so a dish was requested. Of course I forgot about it (even though it was on the calendar) until about 6:30 pm tonight. My focus today was Activity Days and Thursday just seemed so far off earlier in the week.


And may I say Activity Days was awesome today. I had a cute gal in our ward, Erin, that teaches sign language at a high school come and talk to the girls. Erin is amazing and has also started a non profit organization called Signs of Hope International. So we talked about the 7th Article of Faith and believing in the gift of tongues. Then Erin talked to the girls about sign language and her organization and showed a DVD of the cute kids in Africa that they help. Then the girls learned the alphabet in sign and signed their names and a few other signs. It was awesome. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing talents Erin!


Okay, back to the original point of this post. After deliberating over several recipes to make we finally landed on Pumpkin Bars. Mark fell in love with the ones at the Thanksgiving Point Bakery a few years back. He finally managed to get his hands on the recipe. They only make them during the Fall, so we thought it would be funny if he brought a bakery recipe to the work pot luck! Hopefully they will be as good as theirs. So I thought I would share the recipe. I'm adding my cream cheese frosting since we prefer it to the one that came with the original recipe.


Pumpkin Bars from Thanksgiving Point
Recipe By : Pillsbury
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Prepare 15x10 pan (large sheet) Blend all bar ingredients and mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.



Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla (can you ever add too much vanilla?)

Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; mix on low until sugar is combined and then mix on high until fluffy.


Spread Frosting over cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.


These are so good. And I always have the struggle because the small can of pumpkin is too little but the big can of pumpkin is too much, you end up with 1 cup of extra pumpkin. So tonight I made one and a half recipes and will send the big one to work and we can enjoy the small one here. I wasn't going to include a picture because mine aren't frosted yet, but Google Images are amazing and I found one that looks just like mine, thanks!