A Pumpkin Filled Day

Yesterday was the most fall-like day I’ve had in a long time.  It started off by baking pumpkin muffins. 

Which I brought to pumpkin carving later, and are now all gone – and I only ate one!

Pumpkin Muffins (or Bread)

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c oil
• 1 c water
• 4 beaten eggs

Mix together four, salt, baking soda, spice in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, water and pumpkin.  Beat 4 eggs and add it to the bowl with pumpkin.  Then slowly blend the egg/pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients.

Line muffin tins with muffin cups, and fill to about 2/3 full (should make about 24 regular sized muffins).  Then bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.  I usually bake for half the time on the bottom rack, and then move the tin to the upper rack (that way I can bake more muffins faster!).  Bake until they’re starting to turn a darker brown, or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool, and enjoy!

And now I kind of want to go make more…so that I can have my fair share

Once I baked the muffins, I headed to a pumpkin carving party!  It was a blast!

     

      

Beer, pumpkins, knives…lets just say there were lots of pumpkin guts flying through the air!  It was awesome to feel like a kid again!  My friend Eva and I co-carved a pumpkin together.  Can you guess which one of these pumpkins we carved?

Drumroll please…..

…..

….

….

The Tree of Life (just kidding)  Eva also creatively carved stars on the backside as well.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Are you celebrating Halloween this year?  If so, what are you going to be?    I’m still not sure…and we’re going out tomorrow night as Halloween is a big holiday here in town.  Apparently 20,000 people come for the festivities!  So, any suggestions for me?!

An Epic Halloween

Yesterday was a much needed break from studying.  Oy, was it needed.  With some unpleasant results from some first midterms, I’ve upped the notch on my studying habits (which has resulted in almost nonexistent postings…I’m working on balance in my life – its hard!) and therefore haven’t had much downtime or relaxing time.

To start off the evening, I headed over to Rosie McMann’s where the prof’s held an Econ Happy Hour.  It was great to mingle with the people in the department, a few of the staff and the professors outside of the classroom.  It was also fun to engage in conversation with professors as we start to create the relationships that may evolve into advisorship once we hit our third year and are onto the dissertation track.

Then, after two beers (on the professors of course), I headed back to my apartment for a quick study sesh, some dinner and a costume make over.  What was I, do you ask?

 

Why, Rosie the Riveter, of Course!

source: http://archive.ccm.edu/rosie/index.htm

I have this poster on my wall, and have for years.  One of my favs.  Got it in DC when I went with the family back in 2002 or 2003 on a pre-college tour, college tour.  Ahh to be young and on family vacays…

After realizing I was leaning two far forward in the first photo (yes, I compared to the poster), i did a retake

 

A little more accurate, me thinks 😉

Our Halloween part was fun and crazy.  It started off slow, and only a few of us donned costumes, but more people came (though costumes were few and far between).  But still, there was a vampire and a cheerleader…

And a cheerleader dancing with a disco girl…

And drinks, of course.

There was also Bat Boy.  And Paul Bunyan.  And a hippie.  And a ninja.  And a guy who got shot in the head.

Good times had by all.  Economists are fun.  I promise.

The night ran late, and then it was suddenly Saturday.  And I woke up late – very late.  But, I appreciated all the sleep. 

And then today’s activities commenced.  But, more on that later. 🙂

What did you do/are you doing to celebrate Halloween?!  I definitely enjoyed our Econ Halloween party, but am definitely looking forward to a night in tonight.  And I loved being Rosie the Riveter.  Can I be her every year?!