September? Where'd you go?

Hello all. I guess I am not super mom after all. I simply can not work, take my child to swimming lessons, bake and keep a timely blog all at once. Sigh. The fortitude that is required of today's woman is simply overwhelming. I guess I will have to console myself with one of my delicious peach crumble muffins, which are pictured here in all of their splendour. Actually, these are long gone, but their image remains to remind me that homemade beats store bought every. single. time. Today I made chocolate chip cookies. I got the recipe from work. We made them from the Neiman Marcus recipe which uses mostly brown sugar and a hint of espresso powder. Divine. When I made them at home, I just used regular drip coffee and cinnamon. My house smells like what I imagine the afterlife will smell like when I finally arrive in paradise. If baking is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

In the last couple of weeks, my life has been hectic. Work, along with squeezing in the last bits of summer, then a family reunion campout and finally, the start of kindergarten has practically left me breathless! It's also put me in the kitchen a fair bit, which I don't mind at all. Pictured here is the beautiful fruit and cheese platter which I helped to assemble at our family reunion. I have been baking a fair amount as well as scoping out deals on back to school clothes. I got my son all decked out on clearance sales and today, I selected only the finest gently used items for myself and the family from Value Village's Back to School 50% off sale. It was difficult to reign myself in, but I did manage to only buy what I needed. When I got home I gave my mom a ring, just to casually inquire after her white bread recipe. I remember it made a ton of loaves when I was little. Well four large, but we always made sticky buns and dinner rolls so it seemed like more... She gladly gave it to me and I, in turn, extolled the virtues of Kristen The Frugal Girl's Cheap French Bread. (I made this recipe with the best of intentions, but we ate it so fast that my husband didn't get any bread!) I love her blog, she is truly an inspiration to frugal mamas everywhere. Check her out... http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/

So, after some effort and a little banging of the pots and pans in the kitchen, my whole entire domicile is now permeated with the aroma of freshly baked bread. I made two trays of dinner buns, cinnamon buns, garlic breadsticks and a loaf. Whew. There is nothing on this earth so satisfying. Fresh, homemade bread truly is the staff of life.