Monday was in the high 60s–beautiful day and perfect for trick or treating. Tuesday morning we woke up to rain and snow and it’s in the 30s. What? How does the weather change so fast?
A few days ago I was having a blah morning (of course the weather was nasty outside). So what did I decide to do to get me in a good mood? Bake! (I love to bake–not cook.) These pumpkin cupcakes were such a hit that I made them twice in one week! They are soooooo good. You must try them! Oh–and I baked them in Reynold’s Fun Shapes foil cups.
Here is the recipe:
Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (4-sering) vanilla instant pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. cinammon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, then beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups or foil cups, filling each cup 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting below.
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
Beat together all ingredients except powdered sugar. When mixed through, gradually add powdered sugar. Frost cooled cupcakes.
Have fun making them and spreading the love!
This past weekend I was at CKU in San Diego. I had such a good time and the projects were absolutely darling. CK pulled out all the stops out with this one! Some of my favorite moments other than CKU in San Diego included:
1. Spending time with amazing friends I met through scrapbooking! Here we are in Old Town enjoying the cuisine at a wonderful Mexican restaurant.:
2. Seeing the sea lions, seals and birds at a beach in La Jolla:
3. Walking behind this lovely couple while strolling by the beach. Just had to take a photo of this random couple. Love how in love they are with each other:
Our family also had the opportunity to have these Japanese scrapbooking friends over for dinner:
I met Cathy (to the right of me) in Japan several years ago at a CKU. She was my interpreter and we became fast friends. This past week, she brought some friends to experience CKU and visit Utah. It cracked me up–they changed their names while they were here to Sally, Judy and Betty! Much easier for me to remember than their given Japanese names. (The above photo was taken in my dining room. I have a mural painted on the wall which highlights my favorite scripture.) They took pictures of lots of things but their favorite was this one:
They told me that in Japan, the men never clean up after a meal or work in the kitchen! Go Konsti, Collin and Steve!
My pal, Becky Higgins, shared a preview of her latest Project Life kit with me. I simply love this way of scrapbooking. I’m anxiously awaiting the Clementine edition:
Hope your November is off to a good start!
Lisa
P.S. Happy Birthday to my sweet father today! He’s 83 and I get to spend the afternoon with him!
















































