Healthy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I am revisiting some of my old posts to share this fall season!

I love pumpkin spice cupcakes!  I first made this recipe last year, here is the link:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2010/12/pumpkin-spice-cake.html

I made them for church and made them "healthier".  I was surprised how delicious they turned out with wheat flour!
Here is the revised recipe:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

1 Can (15 oz.) pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 Cups sugar (I used palm sugar)
1 Cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 Cups flour (I used 1 cup hard white wheat flour and 1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In large mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Add eggs and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 15" x 10" baking pan, or cupcake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes 15-20 minutes for cupcakes, or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool

I frosted them with Italian Meringue Buttercream and then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon.
http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2011/08/italian-meringue-buttercream.html

Moving to MO this week!
Missy

Stuff!

I can't believe I am actually moving next week!  The bad news is that we cannot get internet in our new house!  My husband is working from home, which means he will need to rent office space from a friend.  We asked the neighbor about his internet, but it seems that Century Link is weird and does not always service everyone on the same block.  I don't get it at all!  With that said, I'm hoping that it will not affect my blogging too much.  I'll need to learn how to blog offline and then upload it when I get to town and the internet.  I practically live online, maybe this will break a few bad habits!  LOL
I have been cleaning and packing one room at a time so that when we load the truck, we will just need to do a quick vacuum or sweep .  We are loading the uhaul on Wednesday and then driving to MO on Thursday.  We'll leave early since we want to get there in the daylight, it won't be easy to find a house in the country in the dark!  LOL  We have friends coming on Friday to help us unload the truck, that will give us time Thursday night to decide where everything will go.

 I took down the curtains in my bedroom so that I could wash them and pack them.  I needed to put something up temporarily so I hung up this quilt.  I am going to use it to wrap around one of my treadle cabinets so it will be getting dirty anyway.  My husband and I both decided we really liked the way it looked as curtains and might be doing it again when we move!  I picked up this quilt for $5 at a yard sale!

In May a year ago, my daddy passed away.  At the time I was working on some super easy to make capes for a friend, I had them all cut out.  After my Daddy passed away, I did not do any sewing or quilting that summer.  After that, every time I picked the capes up to work on them, I put them right back down or if I did work on them, I made a dumb mistake. There was a lot of ripping action going on with these capes!   It took me a while to realize that the reason I was having such a hard time with the capes was because of my grief.  We had done a barter system for the capes and here it was a year and a half later and she still did not have her capes!  I kept one electric sewing machine out and refused to pack up the dining room with all of my sewing stuff until I finished those capes!

The mom's cape

the toddler's cape

the five year old's cape

I finally finished them and delivered them yesterday!  These capes have been weighing me down for a year and a half!  Praise the Lord they are done and all of my sewing and machines are packed!
Here is the first cape I made for myself and here is the one I made for a friend.

Have you ever had a project you were not able to finish because of grief?

Why I don't celebrate Halloween

4I used to celebrate Halloween, I loved to dress up and of course I loved the candy.  That was my extent of "celebrating" it.  Then I learned a little more about Halloween.
Please read so you will know exactly what the holiday is all about!

Kids love Halloween because its both fun and scary. But they have no idea what's behind this celebration. 
To satanists and witches, Halloween is no joke.(Don't tell me they don't exist either!  When I worked in Erie, people bought books with that stuff in it and they admitted to being practicing witches) It's their most solemn ceremony of the year. As we get closer to the Second coming of Jesus... Satanism will increase. So will human sacrifice! Halloween started in the British Isles with the Druids. October 31st was a night of terror called "Sanhain", it was a night of human sacrifices. 
Satan loves Halloween because it glamorizes the powers of darkness, drawing little kids into his camp. And it's paying! Witchcraft is exploding among teens today. Halloween opens the door to Satanism. 
www.chick.com "  Why do you think there are so many deaths on Halloween?  
I saw a lot of evidence of this while I lived in Erie, PA. I worked at a bookstore and the most popular section was the witchcraft section. People I worked with thought it was normal and "fun" to have a ghost living in their house. They didn't realize that their "ghost" was a demon. It is very wicked how synthesized people are about Halloween. The animal shelters won't even adopt out black cats this time of year, and they won't adopt any animals to certain people they think are up to "mischief."
"Halloween is important to witches because this is their holy day designed for them by satan so they can provide additional sacrifices to him. Here are some techniques they use to prepare more children to worship and serve satan. In order to obtain more blood for Satan they will plant razor blades, crush glass, pins, etc. in the various "treats" they hand out during trick or treating. The total sacrifices (murder) will be obtained by injecting poisons and drugs into the treats. They say special incantations needed to place curses on the treats which will influence the children eating them. 
These witches could be your neighbors and you would never know. 
Halloween came from an ancient Druid custom set up for human sacrifices on Halloween night. Druids offered children in sacrifices. They believed that only "the fruit of the body" offered to Satan was for the "sin of the soul" 
The trick or treat custom was created by the Druids. When they went to a home and demanded a child or virgin for sacrifice, the victim was the Druids' treat. 
In exchange, they would leave a jack-o-lantern with a lighted candle made of human fat to prevent those inside from being killed by demons that night. 
When some unfortunate couldn't meet the demands of the Druids, then it was time for the trick. A symbolic hex was drawn on the front door. That night Satan and his demons would kill someone in that home. 
The children who are mutilated and murdered every Halloween are no accident. They are carefully planned sacrifices to Satan, carried out by those who serve and worship him. 
This information comes from ex-witches who have been saved. 
go to www.chick.com to read the entire booklet."

Even Jack-o-lanterns have a bad beginning.

Halloween started in the British Isles with the Druids. Oct. 31 was a night of terror called "Samhain". The Druids went house to house collecting human sacrifices. In exchange for for the victim they left a jack-o-lantern which was supposed to protect the home from death demons that night. 
Info from Chick tracts 
http://www.chick.com/seasonal/halloween/tractsuggestions.asp 
go here to read the full article.

I believe from what you have read and according to what the Bible says you will understand why I do not think any Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.

"10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee."
Deuteronomy 18:10-12

Deuteronomy 32:17  "They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not."

God says not to have anything to do with any of that stuff.

God holds us accountable for what we do here on earth.

2Corinthians 5:10  "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

I do not judge other people for celebrating Halloween, that is between you and God.  But if I did not tell you what I know, God will hold me accountable for keeping silent.

In God's service,

Misssy

A free treat for you!

As ya'll know, I am in the process of moving which means no fun stuff for a while, no sewing and not very much blogging.  I am probably going to miss a lot of other people's blog posts also if I am going to get my house cleaned and packed and ready to move, not to mention one last yard sale!

Remember the giveaway I had last week for the MyMemories Suite Scrapbooking Studio?  Well all of my followers get to download the software free for one week!  You must follow my blog in order to get the free download, I have a lot of options for you on the left of my side bar.

My mom and I a couple of years ago at the Butterfly Gardens in Dallas

There are so many options, you can even make calendar pages which would make a great Christmas present, especially for a parent or grand parent who has everything.

Last year in the Fall with my mom and niece

The giveaway code for my followers is FreeTreatLL92 .  You can get the download here:  https://www.mymemories.com/software

I suggest you just copy and paste it since it has to look exactly like that.  Also, make sure to  enter that code in the promo code field before checking out.

It becomes active on October 14th and will expire on October 21st.

My sister, niece and I having a tea party, and then a classic shot of our purple shoes.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  The code is for the download option only, if you choose the physical discs you will need to pay for shipping.

Carlsbad Caverns with the family

Christmas photos

You can buy different pages and elements to go with your software, but there are also a lot of free ones available, especially if you sign up for their newsletter.  You are supposed to be able to make banners, headers and blog buttons also, but I have not figured out how to make those yet.  LOL  I am not very computer savvy!

You have one week to download it free, so don't forget!

If you miss the deadline for the free download, I have a code that is always good for $10 off.
Be sure to use this code so that I will also get credit.  This is the code to use to get your $10 off and to give me credit for your purchase.  STMMMS44612

Again, to get it free from Oct. 14 -Oct. 21 use THIS code:  The giveaway code for my followers is FreeTreatLL92 .  Go here for the download:  https://www.mymemories.com/software

I suggest you just copy and paste it since it has to look exactly like that.  Also, make sure to  enter that code in the promo code field before checking out.

It becomes active on October 14th and will expire on October 21st.

Consider this an early Thanksgiving present!  Or a way for me to share my happiness that I am finally moving to MO!  LOL

Missy

Be sure to let me know if you take advantage of this free offer!

Proof I am a quilter

Lily Pad Quilting wants proof that I am a quilter, well I have already packed everything up so I can't show you my stash or take a picture of my quilting room dining room to show you all of my machines (yes, I do use all of the them!)  I went through some old photos to see if I could find proof.  I'm sure some of you have already seen these pictures, so just bear with me!

Here is my first proof, I pulled my quilt out to the front yard and worked on my quilt during my yard sale!

I go to sewing bees with my friends.

 I am learning how to hand quilt, I can quilt by hand, but I need more practice.  It's actually a lot of fun!  I have helped with two quilts.

 I have learned how to quilt on a treadle!  This treadle is not mine, but if you have not seen my videos of me quilting on my treadle, you can see them here:
  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-goal-and-treadling-video.html

 I love to do my piecing on my hand crank sewing machine.  This is at a quilt along at church.

I am so addicted I even take my hand crank on vacation with me and sew in my hotel room!

 This is one of my machines, an old Dressmaker Special, this one is electric.  My grandmother's quilt is hanging behind it.

 I was quilting this quilt until Cupcake demanded attention from me.  Another one of my grandmother's quilts is hanging behind this machine.

Pippi found a spot to sleep under a pile of quilts and blankets.

I love to finish other people's quilts like this Drunkard's Path/Devil's Puzzle Box that Pat finished.  This one is going in my new sewing room after I move.

 I participate in quilt alongs like Lori Holt's Barn Quilt.

 I'm also a copy cat and had to make Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip around the world quilt.  It is still a WIP.

 I designed my mom's Dresden Plate Block I made for her last year.  I saw a picture of the butterfly block and figured out my own version.

I even wrote a quilting poem!  Here is a post about the poem:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-quilters-hands.html

Here is a post from January of what my sewing room er dining room looked like with all of my machines.
http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-sewing-room.html

I packed up six tubs, one suitcase and five boxes of material, not to mention the material I used to wrap breakables in!  I don't even know how many boxes of quilting books, magazines and patterns I packed!  The first room I am going to set up when I move will be my sewing room.  At church I have a prayer quilt ministry and a quilt along where I teach my friends and their daughters how to quilt.

I love quilting!  Have I given enough proof that I am a quilter?  Will I need to go to jail now? (see the linky party about my reference)

To see who else has to go to jail check out the Linky party at Lily Pad Quilting!

Your quilting friend,
Missy

P.S.  I have already delivered five sewing machines to MO, and I still have eight here!  I'm moving in three weeks!

Check out a great hand stitching linky party at Kathy's Quilts!

Japanese 15 Clone

I got a new machine!  Her badge is missing, see where the two holes on the arm is?  That is where it is supposed to be, therefore I do not know what her badge name is, but she is a Japanese 15 clone.  One of the blogs I follow had a good post about her clones here http://dragonpoodle.blogspot.com/2012/07/herd-singer-15s-and-clones.html  My slide plate flips like hers, and I did not know that the dial for embroidery and silk and normal dropped the feed dogs to accommodate those functions!

This is what my machine looked like at the Antique mall, below.

The tag said it could be used for a yard deco!!!  What a shame that would be!  She was  dirty but I cleaned her up.  I'll have to wait until after I move before I clean her better and convert her to either a treadle or hand crank.  I do not have the time right now and do not want to lose any parts.

You can see that even after cleaning she is still dirty, but I'll take care of that later.  Her serial number is 30417138 Model A-1.  I don't suppose anybody knows what her family name is?  I know it is a long shot for a clone who is a true orphan!  LOL

This is my stitch guide with forward and reverse and I think it is supposed to control my stitch length, but the numbers are not working, yet.

She's still a little dirty.  I need to take the face plate off and clean under there also, she has a long tension, it looks like a nose!  LOL

I can't decide what color she is, my husband says tan, but I was thinking a peachy mauve?  It would be impossible to match up her color so I was thinking of painting white daisies over her chipped and rusted parts.  Of course I am a woman so I can change my mind at any time!  I can't wait to play with her after we move!  Did I mention she was only $18?  yeah!  Now all I need is one of those pretty blue or green ones!

I think it might be a Nelco, but all of the identification is missing, it looks exactly like this machine!  http://stagecoachroadsewing.com/nelco%20ss.html

Here's another picture I found too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37037417@N02/5931784632

We found a house to rent that actually accepts all of our cats!  It is not great, but just a stopover while we look for a house to buy.  You would not believe how hard it is to find a house to rent that accepts one cat much less eight cats!  We move in 3 1/2 weeks!

The winner of the MyMemories Suite giveaway was Kate!  I've sent her an email to let her know!

Missy

 
This is the code to use to get your $10 off and to give me credit for your purchase.  STMMMS44612

Finished Quilt!

 I can't believe I finally finished my quilt!  I started this at the end of last year.  It was the first thing I pieced on my new to me hand crank that was my birthday present last year!  We did a quilt along at church making the great granny square blocks.  Here was our first meeting and everyone trying out my hand crank: http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2012/12/church-quilt-along.html
This was my only goal for the month since I was packing to move.
 We have noticed something lately, Custard (in the middle) always poses for pictures!  I just love it!

 Muffin and Tiger are brothers and they were having a bit of a disagreement.

All's well now!  This is a scrappy quilt, I had to buy the lime green but everything else came out of my stash.

 I started with the Gerber daisy material and I knew I wanted to use it for the sashing.  I made the backing on each block solid, just like the solid squares behind the Gerber daisies.

 I used a pink gingham sheet on the back and light pink thread for the quilting.  This way my mistakes are not as noticeable on the back.

 This is Precious, he is now my oldest cat at 14 or 15.  He was a stray so I'm not sure exactly.
 It took forever to quilt since I traced every daisy!

 Here is the quilt waiting for the binding.  Cupcake and Pippi made themselves comfortable.

 Four of my babies.  Oreo, Tiger, Custard (posing again) and Cupcake.

 I quilted butterflies and flowers in some of the blocks, I even wrote Johnna in one of them.  I decided to just do loopy loops after a while though, to save on time.  Johnna is my seven year old niece and this is her Christmas present.

Another first on this quilt was that this is my first quilt to be entirely quilted on a treadle!  For more on that go here:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-goal-and-treadling-video.html  This was my only goal for October since I need to pack up my sewing room now.  I'll leave one hand crank and one project out just in case I get all of my packing done.  (I now, that's just wishful thinking!)

I had someone ask me a question, but Dolores you are anonymous so I cannot reply and though I would answer your question here.  My industrial 16 takes a normal class 15 bobbin, which I discovered when I didn't want to wind a bobbin at the quilt retreat and tried one out and it worked perfect!  The ones I that came with the machine when I bought it were black.  The darning foot is the same one that fits on my modern Janome!  I'm going to try my walking foot on it next to see if it fits also, it probably will.

Thank you for sharing this year long journey with me on this quilt.  It has been a lot of fun!

Missy

I am linking to Octoberquest @ Quilt Matters linky party.  be sure to check it out!

October Goal and Treadling Video

I only have one quilting goal for this month and that is to finish my Great Granny Square Quilt and get it bound (or is it binded?  Just kidding).  It would help if my furbabies would move.

I had some people ask me to take a picture of my feet treadling after seeing my FMQ video. Let me warn you though, I don't like to wear shoes and am usually barefoot unless it is cold.  Here is my video of my doing my FMQ on my treadle.
I was really concentrating on my border, I had not secured it well enough and it was trying to wrinkle on me, so please excuse the look on my face.  Sue, from the quilt retreat, was kind enough to take this video for me, yes I was even barefoot there!


I have found that with the industrial treadle, as I get going, I am only pushing with my right foot.  If you have a treadle, you need to pull it out and use it, it is fun!

My other biggest goal is to get my house packed because we are moving the end of this month!  I think we found a rental in Gainesville, MO, but my friend's husband looked at it and she wants to send us pictures to make sure we are okay with it.  I really don't see where else we would be able to find a rental that will accept all of our cats, have good internet connection in a good neighborhood and won't make us sign a year lease since we are trying to buy a house after we move. Please pray that the Lord's will is done in this matter.  We don't care if it is an old house because it is just temporary.

Don't forget to enter the MyMemories Scrapbook Suite giveaway here!

Happy Fall Ya'll!
Missy

Daniel 2:21  "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:"