Halloween Cake

My BFF had a big birthday awhile back and I wanted a yummy pumpkin cake since pumpkin is her favorite.  I found one here:  https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2017/10/11/best-pumpkin-cake/

She loved it, as did everyone at the party.  I used melted yellow chocolate melts for the moon.  The witches are made of fondant I cut with a new exacto knife from a stencil I made on the computer.  The frosting was just my regular buttercream.

What you'll need

4 Eggs
1 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Sugar
1 C Oil
15 oz Pumpkin

Mix together and then add
2 C Flour
1 t Baking Soda
2 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Ginger
2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Nutmeg
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Cloves

Pour into greased cake pan. Bake at 350 for (check your pan directions, this orange one baked for 50 minutes, the black one was about 35) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Dinner Table

I've been told I'm old fashioned because I think it's important to sit around the dinner table and talk.  Been told on more than one occasion "there is NO way you did that when you were busy with sports and dance". 

I'm here to tell you we did.  A single working Mom with 2 extremely busy kids ate around a table at least 4 days per week. It wasn't always a real meal, it wasn't always at "dinner" time.  Depending on the day, it was fast food, PB&J or cereal but we sat together because I think it's important.  I was raised that way and it's a tradition I think is important.

But here was the problem.  One adult, two kids "sat" together and that wasn't working for me so I started the tradition of telling three things from our day around the dinner table.  Three things since the kids were old enough to talk.  You were allowed (encouraged) to ask questions of the "thing" or like a lot of times they were stated one by one around the table until 3 had been shared.  One might say what they had for lunch, one might tell how they did on an assignment, Mom might tell you about the sale on cereal at the store and why we now have 8 boxes of cheerios;)  Everyone who sat at our table had to indulge me with their three things.

Flash forward to the college years.  I am a firm believer that you fill your child's tool box and you let them go into the world and do their thing.  At first I left them alone because I didn't want my sadness to leak out into my voice and/or make them home sick.  Then it kind of became the norm: texting and phone calls here and there, love you boxes of their favorites mailed to let them know I was thinking about them, lots of hugs when they came home.  I knew they were busy with their new routine and their respective sports so I let them be busy.  And, then one Sunday night when I was missing them extra I decided to text 3 things and to my surprise they both "replied all" with their 3 things.  Hearts and thumbs up attached to messages and all felt right in the world again.  We now share three things from our week on Sunday night. 

Traditions don't have to be done in the exact same way to continue.  Make them your own, make them work for you but please make them!