Portrait of a big Snowstorm in October

So - I know that those of you who do not live in New England are probably going - "snowstorm shnowstorm - quit your whining - you live in Massachusetts!"

The problem with this particular snow storm is it messes with the natural order of the universe. You see - the leaves change color, then they fall off the trees, then the snows come. Pretty much how it normally works I have been told.

What happened here is a whole big fat stinking bunch of very wet snow came very fast and landed on all of the trees that were still full of leaves.

Then those trees broke.

A lot of them.

It seriously sounded like bombs going off last night.

All night.

I should really be napping.

Anyhow - here are some pics. We are all safe. No power and we are literally trapped in our neighborhood by downed trees and power lines. We lost a lot of branches but nothing hit the main structure of the house.

Halloween should be interesting.

:)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone on the fly!!!! ;)

Sorry - I can't blog long.....

I have to get the snow off the pumpkins........




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone on the fly!!!! ;)

So tonight I was sitting.....

On a big comfy couch

in front of a fire

with two little children on either side of me in soft pajamas

They smelled like Nutella

We really love Nutella around here

Anyway

They were so soft and sweet and smelly good.

I had a third child at my feet reading a novel with her head against my leg.

I thought to myself

I want to freeze this moment.

I want to never ever forget the way that this feels and smells.

This is

Magic.......

Then someone elbowed me in the eye and the child at my feet asked me for the 900th time TODAY if I remembered to buy jello from the grocery store and I thought to myself

What on earth is the matter with the people that write these ridiculous Strawberry Shortcake books? Don't they realize that these are CHILDREN's books? How long is this thing? I think I got through War and Peace faster than this! Good grief I need someone to come and take me out of my misery here. Surely this is almost over......

oh but I do still want to remember that moment - the one right before all of that happened

Parenthood is such a contradictory thing isn't it? Happens too fast - drags on like torture all in the exact same moment.

Lucky I have a blog to think about that kind of stuff on

Right?

Pumpkin Dump Cake

So - I am not going to lie - I am addicted to pinterest.

Pinterest is the Bomb Diggity and you know I don't throw that word around much

(or ever really now that I think of it)

Anyway - I digress.....

I was sitting here looking through pinterest and all of the creative, amazing, fabulous pins and I was thinking to myself

"Self" (Cuz' that's how I think)

"Self - I have got to think of something really really good to put on pinterest so people will repin an I Heart Bowheads pin."

Because - hey not gonna lie - how cool would that be?

So I was thinking and thinking as I was scarfing down a bowl of leftover Pumpkin Dump Cake

(see licked bowl below)

Hmmm - what is really delicious or creative or awesome that works well for this time of year and that people would really like to repin?

crickets

then some more crickets

then me to self

"Self - I really do love this pumpkin dump cake. I wonder if the children would notice if I went back for another bowl?"

crickets

what could I possibly write about that would make people repin me?

LIGHTNING STRIKING

"Holy Cow Self!!!!! You should totally post the recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake and people will repin it!!!!!! (If they are still reading after you have stretched this post out like a girdle on a beauty queen. Oh great now if they are still reading this post after you have poked at the beauty queens. Oh great this is getting even longer. Stop typing Holly stop it you can do it!!!!!)

Anyhoo

Here is the awesome recipe from my friend Allison that she gave me at a scrapbooking night and I have loved like one of my own children ever since.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 oz can of pumpkin

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp cinnamon

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans that I pound in the little package with whatever is handy so they are pretty fine - the children think that this part of the process is the most entertaining)

3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9 x 13 inch pan (although I often use 8x8 - works out just fine - basically - use whatever pan you have handy). Mix first 6 ingredients and pour into the pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the goopy pumpkin goop in the bottom of your pan. I generally use a fork to sort of unclump the mix and spread it out. Do NOT mix it in. It needs to sit on top of your pumpkin goop. (I should totally have a cooking blog. Forget this bowheads family stuff. I am going to take my fancy cooking terms and hit the road.)

Totally just kidding

and once again I digress.

Anyway - sprinkle the pecans on top of the dry cake mix

Then pour the melted butter (melt the butter - did I say that? Maybe I should rethink the cooking show thing - it is a lot of work to type these things out.)

Anyway - pour the melted butter over the top of everything and cover completely but once again - do not mix. Think in layers, my friends, layers.

Bake for 50 minutes (ish)

Serve warm

The leftovers are so good with your morning coffee (and then for your mid-afternoon snack and then for your after dinner dessert) that you will be thanking (and repinning me) all the way into at least next week. It will also make you super super popular at parties but here is how the conversation will go.

You will be all: "Looky here I brought pumpkin dump cake"

and they will be all skeptical: pumpkin dump cake? Looks brownish"

and you will be all: "You should smell my house - it smells like Martha Stewart is camped out in the basement - trust me try the pumpkin dump cake."

And then they will be all: "Well ok - take a bite - HEY THIS IS THE BEST THING I EVER ATE! HOW DO YOU MAKE PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE??????"

And you will be all: "Told ya"

Some Massachusetts Definitions

Batch Garbage Disposal

Definition: a type of garbage disposal where there is NO SWITCH. Even if you and your husband and your friends and family search for several months to find the blasted switch for the garbage disposal (because living without a garbage disposal is actually much harder than you ever realized) - you will never ever find it. This is because there is NO SWITCH. A batch garbage disposal is where you turn the little stopper thing and that somehow activates the garbage disposal AND does not chop off your hand.

Both very neccessary things in this house.

Rotary or Turn-about

Definition: circle of death with multiple exits and entrances and little explanation or signage

Bubbler

Pronunciation by my younger children: bubbalew

Definition: Water cooler or water fountain

Bulkhead

Definition: The way that you can carry things in and out of your basement unless your husband "locks" it because hurricane is coming and then the definition changes to: door that will never be opened again.

Grinder

Defintion: Sub Sandwiches. Subway is still called Subway here and is exactly the same - anywhere else you go - don't be afraid - you are ordering a sandwich.

Hoodsie Cup

Definition: Little individual cups of ice cream that you can buy in the grocery store. (You know the kind that has the little wooden spoon?) Note to this definition - Hoodsie cup does not necessarily refer to the brand of ice cream here called Hood so it is not necessary to go to three different grocery stores looking for specifically "Hood" hoodsie cups to bring to the preschool class. Any small cup of ice cream will do.

Wicked

Definition: A word that can be used in practically any situation. Husband and I have been saying "wicked cool" ever since we watched Good Will Hunting a hundred years ago because we are just pretty awesome and funny like that but the word wicked has further reaching ramifications than just cool. Things are wicked big, cold, hot, ugly, you name it - it is wicked.

Whoopie Pie

Definition: A wicked good dessert that is everywhere and not necessarily good for any ideas of weight loss.

Wedding Day - A Child's Perspective

Weddings are big days. Very big days.

Especially for the very small.

Sometime during that day you will feel:

Serious or maybe a little unsure.....

Content to be still or bored out of your mind.....

Sometimes you will feel like finding the perfect petal......

and there are moments that you know your best course of action is to simply fold your hands in your lap and wait

quiet and still like a mouse.

Some moments are big and very important....

and other moments are sweet and silly.

There are generally really good sweets and very few restrictions.....

and you get to dance with the people that you love.

and there is always that moment.....

That one moment..........

when everything is....

Perfect.

The story of the leaky dress up boxes

So - this was supposed to be a super productive day

This was supposed to be a day where I got to use my label maker

I really do love that label maker

Turns out I didn't get to use the label maker.

I did get to use the mop

a lot

and I did get to use the hose outside

a lot

and I did get to use the washing machine

A LOT

Becaue - I want to clean a storage closet in our finished out basement. When I realized

hmmmmm

That is NOT a good smell.

Then I found the boxes

You see - the house apparently had a 20 year old water filtration system in it. A system that we never used, never thought about, and did not realize leaked.

You see - it leaked steady and silent like a scary snake (can you tell I have been working on s words with the kids?) and it leaked right into three handy dandy, remarkably water resistant boxes full of dress up clothes.

So we never ever knew - that is - until the boxes were all filled up with water.

Do you know what a box full of dress up clothes water looks like once you have removed the dress up clothes?????????????????????????

Well now you do

You see - we here at I Heart Bowheads (that's me) pride ourselves on being educational so that is the lesson of the day.

How to make red dress up box soup.

Tomorrows lesson

How to clean it up.

Still working on the lesson plan for that one........