If you enjoy a pumpkin spice latte from any coffee shop, you'll probably reallllly like this recipe! This latte was mentioned this morning on Good Morning America. At first I was concerned I wouldn't be able to find canned pumpkin (it calls for 2 tablespoons), but my grocery store had plenty! Maybe you've heard of the recent canned pumpkin shortage...it's been such an ordeal! (Okay, I've been a little dramatic about it.) But apparently pumpkin is back. I also bought a couple 'pie pumpkins' and plan to try making my own pumpkin puree! 
Three cheers for canned pumpkin!
p.s. This really only makes enough for a couple of people to enjoy, so you might double or triple it for company!
Woo-hoo and thanks Mark, my in-laws, and parents for the new camera! Mark picked out a Ca*non Rebel XSi (I think) for my birthday and I am loving it so far. I have a lot of re-learnin' to do, though. I took photography in high school but have forgotten so many of the basics after using 'point-and-shoots' for the last ten years....TEN YEARS?! A decade?! I turned 28 last week. No, it doesn't really feel any different.
Back to the photos...these were all taken with the automatic settings and I think it does a great job...I'm excited to do a little more research and take some more artsy pictures, too!
It's been two weeks since I posted last. We've been to two weddings (congrats Jenny and Drew, Warren and Casie), Mark painted the basement, I started using cloth diapers (that deserves its own post, really), made some fun treats I've been dying to try for a year (cupcake pops), and found out I'm going to have a niece!! My brother Joel and his wife Elizabeth are due in February! I'll include more details and photos later...
A few weeks ago Mark replaced our groovy 70s green olive kitchen sink with a new stainless steel one! Woo-hoo!! The kitchen feels much more up-to-date. James was totally fascinated with the whole process and tried his best to help Daddy.
I'd post a picture of the new sink, but as I mentioned in a previous post, the camera is not working now. I did get a new cell phone with a camera, but haven't figured out how to use it yet. (I know, how contemporary of me! A camera on my phone!?)
Over the weekend our camera conked out, so I wasn't able to get a single picture of James during his first birthday party! Don't worry, though, my mom and dad took many pictures that I'll share once I get them on my computer! Until then...you'll just get the cake pics. I'd call this a cake ensemble; sheet cake and cupcakes together to make a scene! You just should have seen the mess this created, but it sure was fun. I estimate that I invested about six hours in this and was up til 12:30 the night before working on it. The sheet cake was a chocolate cake (super moist) and the cupcakes were an easy banana cake recipe that I modified slightly (3 bananas and added cinnamon). I stole every single idea from the internet, recipes, decorating and all! If you have specific questions about anything, let me know!
Yesterday James and I were walking on the sidewalk in front of our house (okay, I was chasing him up and down the sidewalk) when the big brown Fed*Ex truck pulled up with a box for James from his Uncle Joel and Aunt Elizabeth! I really wasn't expecting a package, but it was fun that we happened to be standing there! 
James played with the box all afternoon and then we opened it up last night before bedtime, while Joel and Liz watched via the internet. The gift was a big piggy bank with James' name on it. We're still practicing putting coins in, which takes a lot of careful guidance, since James is still more interested in putting things in his mouth. We'll have to continue to work on it over this next year!
If you look over on the right, on the computer screen, you'll see Elizabeth and Joel!
