Maybe I’m going to start my period.

I’m getting all choked up over the craziest things, and I can’t remember anything.

Bella held up a scruffy red t-shirt with a monkey on it and asked if it was hers.

Simple question.

Not so much.

Why she doesn’t know if a shirt is hers is beyond me.

Why I don’t know if a shirt is hers is beyond both me and her.

Clearly, I recognized the shirt, and I knew someone had worn it before, as was evident in its state of disrepair. However, I just wasn’t sure who actually wore it. So, instead of investigating further, because I was really rather tired, I said “Sure.”

Let’s be clear. “Sure” in this house, doesn’t necessarily mean “yes”. It only means “could be” and is in no way any indication of my knowledge of anything. So, if you are my child in this situation you should just close your mouth, turn around, put on the shirt, and keep your mouth shut because Mommy is confused.

Bella, turned around, put on her shirt and . . .ran, neigh, sprinted to tell her little sister Soledad (the only other person who could be the owner of the shirt) that Mommy said the shirt was hers and hers alone, and that she could indeed wear the aforementioned shirt to soccer.

So what do you think happened next?

Correct.

Soledad flies into the kitchen crying and carrying on that this is a complete boondoggle. The raggedy monkey shirt is in fact hers, and SHE would like to wear it to soccer.

Darn. Further investigation is required.

I call Bella over to check the size of the shirt. That will solve the mystery. Size 4 or 5 it’s Soledad’s. Size 6 or greater, the prize goes to Bella.

I check, and it says SMALL. Good gracious. That doesn’t help a darn thing. Alright then, since Bella’s not sure if it’s her shirt anyway, and I sure as heck don’t know, and Soledad is adamant that it belongs to her, I will override my last decision and rip the shirt off the 6 year old and give it to the 4 year old. Hereby admonishing any rights I have to being either one of their favorite person in the world, because I’m shifty, crazy, and can’t make up my mind. Also, I’m lazy because if I had addressed the issue correctly the first time NONE of this would have happened.

So, I brace myself for the kicking and screaming that will ensue, and then Soledad says, “Well Bella, I guess I could let you borrow my shirt. But only for 42 hundred days. And that’s it. But only because I love you more than all of the entire universe. And that’s it. So. . . .I love you, okay?”

And I lost it. Cause, that’s all a person ever wants. Is to be loved and to love so much that you forgo your own happiness for the love of another. Heaven help me.

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Aaaaahhhhhhh, pumpkins. We got all kinds around these parts.

The sweet little girl types. I could just eat that baby girl up.

And the big orange types. It’s fun to carve and roast their seeds.

And then there are the blue-gray types. They’re called Jarrahdale Pumpkins.

So pretty.

Soledad and I sat down to carve this pumpkin up. . . .

And what do you know that kid surprised me yet again.

When we opened it up, and it was like violins started playing, even baby girl knew, this pumpkin was meant for greater things. The flesh was so thick and meaty, the color of the purest marigold. My eyes are watering just thinking of it.

“Mommy, can we make a pumpkin pie out of it instead,” says my sweet, genius daughter.  I say yes, because I can never deny my children when they come up with the most brilliant ideas.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

This has got to be one of my favorite pumpkin pie recipes. It’s light, not too sweet, with just a hint of spice. The real flavor comes from the sweet pumpkin and the creamy milk. It’s fluffy, delightful, and not too heavy. You’ll be able to leave your pants buttoned after you eat a slice.

Ingredients:

2 cups of canned pumpkin puree (I used homemade puree but it’s a whole lot of trouble you needn’t trouble yourself with unless you just have a beautiful pumpkin lying around that you really want to eat)
1 Deep Dish Frozen Pie Shell (9 “)*
4 eggs
3 tsp Heavy Cream
1 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 TB Corn Starch
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ginger
¾ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
12 oz. evaporated milk

*Note: This recipe makes more than what will fill in a standard deep dish 9” pie crust. So, you can either A.) Make a 10” pie or B.) Butter a small ramekin/oven safe dish on the side and bake along with the pie. That way, you have something to nibble on before you decide to cut the pie :).

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pierce the unbaked pie shell with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up. Once the oven is hot, bake the empty shell for 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, cream, sugar, corn starch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, salt, and evaporated milk.

4. Either with an electric blender or whisk, stir to combine well. The batter will be very thin.

5. Pour into pie crust and bake for 60 minutes or until center is set. Let cool. Serve.