Fun Friday: Pumpkin Edition

So, it's Friday.

The best thing about this Friday is that it's here. It's been quite a long week for me. Plus, my house is all decorated for fall, which I love!! It's one of the reasons that I love the holidays...remember, I warned you...

Plus, the weather is amazing!!! It was in the 50's when I drove Son to school this morning. Love it!! I've even considered bringing out my boots and a sweater to wear today...not really, I can't get too carried away yet.

As I mentioned, my house looks great and smells like...pumpkin, of course! I took some pictures of my decor, hope you like them!

Here's my dining room table.

And, my front door.

Our game table.

And, my front porch.

So, what do you think? Leave me lots of comments telling me how wonderful everything looks, OK? Remember, I did all this decorating while taking lots of medication, so I feel I should be celebrated.

As far as Fun Friday and the weekend go, we actually don't have much planned at all. We don't even have a football game tonight, it's our bye week. And, I'm really kind of bummed because we could actually sit out there and not sweat to death this week. Like I said, bummer.

So, if I were you, I would try to do as much outside this weekend as possible, if the weather where you live is as great as it is here. I read about some bulbs I can plant now and have them bloom in the spring, guaranteed. And, a guarantee is what I must have before planting anything. My "green thumb" has always been more of a yellowish shade of green.

I'm also having a critique lunch today. As I mentioned, I'm a writer. I am. My only problem, as a writer, is trying to convince a publisher, any publisher, of my writing status. But, I'm trying hard. I have a friend who's been writing for about 10 years with some pretty good success. She's acting as my mentor and we meet with a third lady, another writer, about every other week and talk about what we're writing at the moment, get some ideas, etc. I enjoy it.

So, again, whatever you do this weekend, try to get out and enjoy this fall weather. To put you in the mood, I've chosen a fall recipe to share. I actually made this yesterday for my Young Life event, and it's a great one. And, yes, it's a pumpkin recipe. I am nothing if not predictable.

My take is this: I love fall! How about you?

Pumpkin Cookies


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.