Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere and so much to eat!

Every year our church sets up a pumpkin patch on the grounds to one side of the building. They sell pumpkins as well as having storytime, pictures, and education about pumpkins. This year was my first experience with the patch and I helped unload the truck--61,000 pounds of pumpkins! Believe me, I was sore for days! I felt guilty about the poor pumpkins with blemishes and bruises or soft spots. They were thrown over by the dumpster since they can not be sold. I took three big ones and cooked them up for pumpkin puree to fill my freezer. I have about 15 bags of pumpkin to create with. I was surprised by how many people told me that they never even knew anyone who did that. That's what Libby is for, right? I love fresh pumpkin! I made several loaves of spice bread and boy! they were soooo good. I also slip pumpkin into everyday foods to boost the vitamins in our favorite meals. It tastes great in pasta sauce, red or cream. Today we had ground turkey and pumpkin sloppy joes. They were delicious!

Well, it's supposed to be fall and the pumpkins are supposed to make it feel like fall. Here in Corpus Christi the temps are still in the upper 80s and lower 90s! Ug! Where is fall? I can't find it! I guess we'll just wake up one day to winter and skip fall alltogether; such is life in the tropics.

I am still busy sewing for my business. I've decided not to stress out about not selling much. Seems that everytime I do, it gets worse. If I just relax, I'll sell something. Happily, my hubby started a new job that he loves today. That takes pressure off of me. We are still the poor family while he is finishing his masters of accounting. As my wise mother always says, "You can stand on your head for a little while if you need to." So that comforts me to know that someday this phase of our lives will end.

Here is the recipe for my Turkey and Pumpkin Sloppy Joes:

1lb ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1 bell pepper (preferrably yellow since it is not as conspicuous)

2 cloves of garlic

2 cups of pumpkin puree

2 cups of ketchup

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar

All purpose seasoning

Saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in a Tablespoon of oil until nearly soft. Add turkey and seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, or any seasoning you like to use) and brown. Add pumpkin and the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Serve over toasted buns.

Enjoy!

And September ends......

Wow! Is it October already? I have been frenetically sewing lately and have lost touch with time. Life seems somehow really difficult this fall. My business is struggling amid many friends' promises to buy things which they never do. My husband resigned from his job almost two weeks ago. He was facing serious ethical issues and decided the right thing to do was resign. Of course I support him completely, but it is still a difficult time since my shop does not in any way support us and we have no other income. In spite of this we are resolute that he shouldn't just take any old job that presents itself. We really want something that will really boost his future in accounting. So we are bathing that in regular prayer and trusting God to "give us this day our daily bread." Our girls have grown accustomed to the "no, not right until we have money" answer to most questions. I am so thankful they are homeschooled and can be with us as we push through our trials together.

I seem to have so many creative ideas and not enough time to sew it all. One blessing about my hubby not having a job is that he has been cutting some things out for me. I have launched a kid's shop on etsy called http://www.3littlepickles.etsy.com/ where I have listed some really fun stuff that my girls all want to keep! I have to borrow boys from my friends to model my boy items. Funny, huh? Anyway, I'm trying to keep my creativity in check or I'll go nuts! I get bonkers with monotony. I'm having a hard time dreaming of fall and winter stuff, too: being that it is still in the 90s here during the day! I can't complain, I really dislike coldy weather (for extended periods of time). Well, I hope all of you (the two people who actually read my blog) are having a lovely fall and are full of hope for tomorrow.