I have been trying out a couple new recipes with pumpkin in them and thought I would share.  One of my best memories growing up was coming home to Mama's freshly baked Pumpkin Cookies.  She always added chocolate chips to them.  The children and I will be making a big batch of these this afternoon!

Pumpkin Cookies

8 ounces butter, softened
1 cup  sugar (I use raw sugar)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat pastry flour)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, chocolate chips and flour. Stir this into the pumpkin mixture.
Drop cookies by the heaping teaspoonful on to cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.
Remove from oven and place on cooling racks. Frost with your favorite powdered sugar glaze or leave plain.

Another WONDERFUL recipe I came across this past week is PUMPKIN PANCAKES!  I am going to link you over to Christine's Blog for this one :).  Thanks for sharing Christine!!!  We ate these Saturday morning with pure maple syrup...they were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!  I doubled the recipe and there wasn't an ounce of batter leftover!  I plan to make them again this week.

********************************************

We had a really laid back weekend.  We actually did school work on Saturday, enabling us to take today off.  My husband was in the fields harvesting on Saturday, so once the book work was finished we headed off to the fields to play.  We spread a blanket and watched the harvest.  Each child had a chance to ride along with daddy, which was a treat!

Today he is home!  Due to the heavy fog, the grain was too wet to harvest, SO he is home working here on our place.  The boys took a trip to town with him to visit the farm store, while the girls and I watched the classic "Miracle on 34th Street" while folding a HUGE pile of laundry!  The house was SO quiet without the boys!  We were so glad to hear them coming through the back door close to dinner time!

I have been having to take it pretty easy the past few days, as the prelabor is setting in.  I have been cramping pretty badly and having some intense back pain.  I almost didn't go to church yesterday, but am glad I did, as the ladies really uplifted and encouraged me!  I was going to come home and go right out to get groceries, but my husband encouraged me to rest.  So, I went to bed and slept for THREE hours!  It felt so good! 

After I woke up my husband took the children and I to town to get the groceries.  It was so much more fun that way anyhow!  He can turn any sort of occasion into a party.  We came home and had a treat of eggnog before heading to bed.

Well, nothing too interesting to share this day....I better be off and get a start on those cookies so they are coming out of the oven when my husband pops in again. 

Blessings to all!