Falling Into It

This is the current state of our front yard.  I'm trying to look at this in two different ways here.  One of them, the loudest and most obnoxious voice, is telling me I have an a**load of raking to do and no time to do it in.  On the other hand, the more optimistic side of me tries to stop and enjoy the gorgeousness of autumn in Oregon.   There's no denying it, the vibrant colors strike me like new every year.  That, and the smell of burning fields,  cool nights, and of pumpkin and spice....which leads me to these objects of desire:

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins.

You heard me right.  They're muffins, flavored with pumpkin puree, that have the crunch and texture of a cake-style doughnut.  But get this, these babies aren't fried.  Nope, they're baked entirely with wholesome intention in the oven, as any muffin should be.  Of course, straight upon removing them from said oven you brush them with copious amounts of melted butter and roll them in cinnamon and sugar.  Healthy!

This is not the exact recipe that I used, but it seems to be nearly identical.  Use it if you aren't up for buying November's Everyday Food magazine.  But you should because there's also a KILLER Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche Sauce Recipe.   Seriously, I just finished off a sizable piece and now I'm painfully lounging in a sugar coma with my pj's cinched tight around my bloated belly.  Ah Martha Stewart,  I can always count on you(r team).
It's the time of year to start putting on the pounds anyway to keep your body from freezing to death.  It's all a part of basic human instinct, why on earth would you try to fight it?  Merry Holidays.

Speaking of which, here's a sneak peak at my Halloween costume:

Not the greatest of pictures, but hopefully you can tell I'm supposed to be Bob Ross.  A fun and fantastic costume, especially the fake hair I painstakingly glued to my face.

This was me participating in a dance contest at the Woods, a local music venue.

That's me in the center holding up the painter's palette.  That was after I won the dance contest.  I was pretty hyped about that.  I'm not sure life can get much better.  That might have been my crowning achievement.  It's all downhill from here.

Hope you all had a great Halloween.  I can't imagine a more fun-filled holiday.  I love the way everybody lets go of their inhibitions, people talk to folks they might never talk to otherwise, they dance with each other, shake hands, high five.  I wish it was always this way, although then nights like that might seem less special....

One last update.  I finally got to sport a t-shirt I designed for a fantastic local Portland band called Ravishers.  You should give their music a good listen, you won't be disappointed.

That's me dorking out in my new tee!  This is the first time having any of my artwork printed out on clothing, but it won't be the last.  I've been working on some other designs recently.  I'll keep you posted on how those come out.   In short, I'm very very excited.

Okay, my sugar rush is starting to fade into sleep.  Have a great week everyone! Tweet