Best Ever Pumpkin Bread

Hello again,

I have failed to keep up with any holiday postings seeing as we were busy with the holidays...such is the way.  Well, who says we cannot enjoy pumpkin treats beyond the fall holiday season?!?!  Not me!  I love all things pumpkin and this bread is our absolute favorite pumpkin treat.  In all fairness this can be called a cake, but either way it is delicious!  I do not alter very much from the original recipe which can be found on the Taste of Home website here.  I usually cut one egg from the recipe and use 1 cup of canola oil and instant pudding can be substituted; other than that there are no alterations to this recipe as it is perfect.

This year we hosted Thanksgiving Dinner for our family and as a little gift to all of our guests we made mini loaves for them to take home.  Super easy gift to share with family and friends around the holidays.  The tags that I used were a fabulous free download that I found on Pinterest here.

Baking Times vary on what size pan you choose to use.  I usually opt to bake it in a bundt cake pan as it is so pretty and easier...only one pan needed.

Bundt cake pan  325 degrees for 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Mini loaf pans 325 degrees for 30 minutes

Hope your family enjoys this pumpkin treat as much as we do.  Thanks for stopping by. -Robyn

Simple Fall Hostess Gift

With all of the fall get togethers that are sure to fill up your weekends, you may be looking for a simple, affordable hostess gift.  I love bringing a little something to say thank you, I love homemade, but from the store is equally wonderful.  While visiting the gift shop at a local farm I found the most adorable little baking gifts.  They have a wide variety of super cute baking mixes and other cute kitchen accessories.  I choose a scone baking mix with a couple of coffee packets.  Wrapped them up with a little cellophane and tied with a bow and added a glitter leaf.  Sweet little gift for anyone on your gift list.  This can be altered with any baking mix...even a cute seasonal quick bread mix from the grocery store...it is truly the thought that counts.

Thanks for visiting.  -Robyn

Fall Wedding Shower Gift

Greetings!  It has been awhile since I have posted anything, however now that the kids are back in school hopefully this will change.  Fall is around the corner and this is my absolute favorite time of year!  I wanted to share with you a wedding gift I put together for my brother and his beautiful wife.  They were married in the fall so naturally I wanted to go with this as the theme.  First stop...Home Goods, as I love any excuse to shop there.  The serving dishes, wooden utensils, and fall towels all were from there.  As well as the candy dish,  I filled that with the autumn holiday m&m's.  The bushel basket was from Hobby Lobby and I added a Paula Deen magazine....I just LOVE Paula! There were Keurig Apple Cider k-cups to enjoy on those crisp fall nights.  Then it was on to the nursery section of the hardware store for a pie pumpkin and a small mum.  I stenciled their initial on the pie pumpkin with acrylic paint and wrapped the mum in burlap fabric and tied it up with a bow.  I placed it all in the bushel basket with a fall bow.  I was so pleased with how this turned out and my sister-in-law loved it.

Hope you enjoyed stopping by to see what is new.

S'Mores Hostess Gift

Last summer our good friends were kind enough to invite our family out to their lake home.  As a hostess gift I choose to bring a s'mores kit complete with the roasting forks.  I wanted to make the gift family friendly since they have two kids.  I purchased the white cake box at the local craft store and packed it with graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey bars.  There were Reese's peanut butter cups in there as well, although you cannot see them in the pictures.  You could include any candy you think that they would enjoy...the ideas are endless.  Tied up with a bow it makes a sweet gift.

Thanks for stopping by.  -Robyn

Summer Birthday or Housewarming Gift

To celebrate my mother-in-laws milestone birthday this year we wanted to do something fun for her, not just the standard gift card.  So naturally I was drawn to Home Goods....they have the best stuff!  We found the white metal serving tray and built upon that theme.  We added an acrylic pitcher and matching glasses with some fun fruity drinks to enjoy on their deck this summer.  I just couldn't resist the adorable lantern with the battery operated candle.  Then we added some fun yellow and white kitchen towels.  This was a family affair with my husband and kids all adding their input...I think we made a pretty good team.

This is the gift all wrapped up in cellophane.  This idea could be used for birthday's, housewarming gifts, Mother's Day, engagement or wedding gifts.  Truly almost any occasion.

Thanks for stopping by to see what is new.  -Robyn

Teacher Gifts

The end of the school year can be a very busy time, however I love to make gifts for my kid's teachers.  Unfortunately, this can be a very daunting task even with the best of intentions.  I had seen these cute little tags on Pinterest which said "Thanks for helping me bloom"  which were perfect for my 3 year old's preschool teachers.  I found these cute little Gerbera Daisy's (which are my absolute favorite) and wrapped them with left over black and white polka dot fabric I had.

Then I attached little homemade tags which he had signed. 

I loved how these turned out.  Simple, sweet and inexpensive...absolutely perfect.  These would be perfect for many occasions such as Mother's Day, housewarming gifts or a simple get well gift.

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you here again soon.