Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies.

This cookies tastes just like the title, melt-in-your-mouth, moist and delicious with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg pumpkin cookies.  Perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving celebration.

Pumpkin Cake Topper tutorial {here}.

::Recipe::

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies

~ 2 cups butter, softened

~ 2 cups granulated sugar

~1/2 teaspoon baking powder

~ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

~ 1/2 teaspoon salt

~ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

~ 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

~ 2 eggs

~ 2 teaspoon vanilla

~  15 once pumpkin

~ 4 cups all-purpose flour

~ 1/2 cup butter

~ 1/2 packed brown sugar

~ 1/4 cup milk

~ 1 teaspoon vanilla

~ 2-3/4 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat Oven to 3530 deg. F. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulate sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

2. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

3. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread frosting on cookies. {Note; as I was doing this I think it is better to let the icing cool for 1/2 an hour because then it will not too runny when spread the icing on cookies}. If desired, sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Makes about 60 cookies.

~~~oo00oo~~~

Good Luck Everyone! 

 MONDAY
 Piggy in Polka Dots {Party In Polka Dots} by Shelley
Pursuit of Functional Home by Judy
Twelve O Eight {Inspiration Monday} by Tanya
Lines Across {Monday Funday} by Rachel
Sumo's Sweet Stuff by Sumo
It's So Very Cheri {It's Party Time}
Homemaker On A Dime  {Creative Blogger Party & Hop} by SJ
Creative Mondays by Claire
Colours Dekor {Colors Dekor..The Weekly Story} by Patricia
The Dedicated House {Make It Pretty Monday} by Kathryn
Home Coming {The DIY'ers}

TUESDAY
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia by Kristin
The Blackberry Vine {Tuesday To Do Party)
Lady Bug Blessings {Handmade Tuesday} by Kristen
Not Just A Housewife {Show Me What Ya Got} by Stacy
Cup Cakes And Crinoline {Project Inspired} by Mary Beth 
Our Delightful Home {Show Me What You Got} by Mrs. Delightful
A stroll Thru Life {Inspire Me Tuesday} by Marty

WEDNESDAY
The Blissful Bee {Work It Wednesday} by Amy
The NY Melrose Family {Whimsy Wednesday}
Savvy Southern Style {Wow Us Wednesday} by Kim
Raegun Ramblings

The Trendy Tree House {Create and Share} by Tara
Clean And Scentsible {Inspiration Exchange} by Jenn
Lil' Luna 
Green Willow Pond {What We Accomplished Wednesday} by Deborah
Creations by Kara
The 36th Avenue {The 36th Party} by Desiree
The Diary of a Real Housewife {The Blogger's Diagest} by Jennie

THURSDAY
52 Mantels {Thursday Are Your Days} by Emily
2 Yellow Birds Decor  {Thrusday Temptation} by Jill 
The Charm of Home {Home Sweet Home} by Shery
 Creating an Artful Home by Jen
French Country Cottage {Feathered Nest Friday} by Courtney
My Romantic Home {Show and Tell Friday) by Cindy
Chic on a Shoe String Decorating {Flaunt It Friday} by Kate
Liz Marie Blog {Inspire Me Please} by Liz
One Artsy Mama {Shine on Friday} by Amy
The Grant Life {The Life of the Party} by Kelley
Saving 4 Six (Welcome To Think Tank Thursday) by Carrie 
Made to be a Momma {Homemade by You} by Katie 
The Shabby Creek Cottage {Transformation Thursday} by Gina
A Glimpse Inside by Allison

FRIDAY
Dear Creatives {Inspiration Spotlight} by Theresa
If It's Not Baroque {Week End Creativity Round Up} by Lauren
The Dedicated House {Anything Blue Friday} by Kathryn 
A night Owl {Create and Inspire} by Kimberly
Craftberry Bush  {The Inspiration Gallery} by Lucy
Happy Hour Project {Happy Hour Friday} by Adrienne
Diana Rambles {Pin Me Linky Party} by Diana
Truly Lovely {Fancy This Friday} by Kassy and Kayli
Finding Fabulous {Frugalicious Friday} 
504 Main {Tickled Pink} by Holly 
A Stylish Interior (Stylish Friday Finds} by Karen 
Little Inspiration {Create & Inspire} by Kimberly and Angie

SATURDAY

Suburbs Mama {Suburbs Mama Sunday} by Rita
Nifty Thrifty Things {Nifty Thrifty Sunday} by Vanessa
Flamingo Toes {Think Pink Sunday} by Bev
Pink When {DIY Sunday Showcase} by Jennifer
I Heart Nap Time {Sundae Scoop}
Twigg Studios  {Sunday Show Off} by Aimee
Crafts A la Mode 

Pumpkin Cookie Topper {Tutorial}

What you need,

1. Large cup cake liner

2. Glue

3. Bamboo skewer to apply glue

4. Tooth picks

5. Pencil

6. Pair of scissor

7. Old business card

1. Draw a small pumpkin shape approx. 1-1/2" x 1-1/4"} on an old business card as a template.{I wish I know how to attach PDF file to give my little pumpkin drawing. If you know how to attach pdf file please let me know. But I found this site for you to draw one on your own. Here}

2. Cut the base round shape of cake liner.

3. Trace the pair of pumpkin shape on both side of template. You need two of mirror images of pumpkin shape  paper.

4. You will now have a pair of pumpkin paper

1. Apply glue vertically on the back of one pumpkin paper and put one toothpick on the top. Let it dry.

2. Put glue on top of tooth pick and put other pair of pumpkin paper on top of toothpick. Now you have one pumpkin cake topper. Repeat the entire process for as many as you want for your cookies.

Water Color Flowers Pillars

This series created when one day I was feeling lost. Although I have expressed many joyful moment in the past and have created pretty and happy posts; I must admit that I am only human with feelings that I can not control.  It is hard for me to be vulnerable here on my blog because  usually I am a happy person. As I mentioned before, life is not always smooth. There are always holes a long the way; some are small and some are big. And we can not avoid to fall into one of them. We can only hope that we will not fall into a deep and bigger hole. No, I did not fall into a big hole. It was pretty small. And usually I can climb back up pretty quick.

To combat this feeling usually I start counting my blessing and telling myself how lucky I am. I remember what my mother always says to me since I was a little girl; "you have to look down not to look up, because if you look down you always taller than anyone, and if you look up you will stumble and fall!" I think this is always stay in my mind each time I feel lost or down.

It is very easy for us to blame others but yourself. In the situation like this; I always try to look back. And ask myself; 'am I perfect?'. Again my mother always remind me this; 'you can not blame others because you also not perfect!'. This is true because then you will not becoming more upset. You are able to dissipate your anger and stress and you will be relieved and happy again.

~~~oo00oo~~~

I really love this water color stem flowers. I created just spontaneously. With brush on my hand and loaded with water color on the tip of the brush I just started to draw the flowers freely without template. Of course I have the actual picture of flowers in front of me to copy but I did not draw with pencil first. And I love this exercise. It was very soothing and enjoyable. I love to see how the water flows and mixed with other colors to create texture and shape. Everything happened without plan and much of a thought; I just moved my hand and followed my instinct to capture the flower freely.

After I made 6 of them I stopped and did not know what to do with them. Then I accidentally rolled one of them to throw away with other scrap papers into the garbage bin. Oh no! Then I thought why not roll all of them since they are all elongated shape of stem flowers. And it was a difficult paper to roll since they are thick water color paper; but I managed to do it slowly. Then the thought of taking picture of them came into my mind.

 

Now, let's see how it looks if I tie them with ribbon. No, I think it would be better with fabrics and cotton lace trimmings. Now, I think they are looking pretty.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Thank you so much for visiting me!

 MONDAY
 Piggy in Polka Dots {Party In Polka Dots} by Shelley
Pursuit of Functional Home by Judy
Twelve O Eight {Inspiration Monday} by Tanya
Lines Across {Monday Funday} by Rachel
Sumo's Sweet Stuff by Sumo
It's So Very Cheri {It's Party Time}
Homemaker On A Dime  {Creative Blogger Party & Hop} by SJ
Creative Mondays by Claire
Colours Dekor {Colors Dekor..The Weekly Story} by Patricia
The Dedicated House {Make It Pretty Monday} by Kathryn
Home Coming {The DIY'ers}

TUESDAY
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia by Kristin
The Blackberry Vine {Tuesday To Do Party)
Lady Bug Blessings {Handmade Tuesday} by Kristen
Not Just A Housewife {Show Me What Ya Got} by Stacy
Cup Cakes And Crinoline {Project Inspired} by Mary Beth 
Our Delightful Home {Show Me What You Got} by Mrs. Delightful
A stroll Thru Life {Inspire Me Tuesday} by Marty

WEDNESDAY
The Blissful Bee {Work It Wednesday} by Amy
The NY Melrose Family {Whimsy Wednesday}
Savvy Southern Style {Wow Us Wednesday} by Kim
Raegun Ramblings

The Trendy Tree House {Create and Share} by Tara
Clean And Scentsible {Inspiration Exchange} by Jenn
Lil' Luna 
Green Willow Pond {What We Accomplished Wednesday} by Deborah
Creations by Kara
The 36th Avenue {The 36th Party} by Desiree
The Diary of a Real Housewife {The Blogger's Digest} by Jennie

THURSDAY
52 Mantels {Thursday Are Your Days} by Emily
2 Yellow Birds Decor  {Thrusday Temptation} by Jill 
The Charm of Home {Home Sweet Home} by Shery
 Creating an Artful Home by Jen
French Country Cottage 
My Romantic Home {Show and Tell Friday) by Cindy
Chic on a Shoe String Decorating {Flaunt It Friday} by Kate
Liz Marie Blog {Inspire Me Please} by Liz
One Artsy Mama {Shine on Friday} by Amy
The Grant Life {The Life of the Party} by Kelley
Saving 4 Six (Welcome To Think Tank Thursday) by Carrie 
Made to be a Momma {Homemade by You} by Katie 
The Shabby Creek Cottage {Transformation Thursday} by Gina
A Glimpse Inside by Allison

FRIDAY
Dear Creatives {Inspiration Spotlight} by Theresa
If It's Not Baroque {Week End Creativity Round Up} by Lauren
The Dedicated House {Anything Blue Friday} by Kathryn 
A night Owl {Create and Inspire} by Kimberly
Craftberry Bush  {The Inspiration Gallery} by Lucy
Happy Hour Project {Happy Hour Friday} by Adrienne
Diana Rambles {Pin Me Linky Party} by Diana
Truly Lovely {Fancy This Friday} by Kassy and Kayli
Finding Fabulous {Frugalicious Friday} 
504 Main {Tickled Pink} by Holly 
A Stylish Interior (Stylish Friday Finds} by Karen
Little Inspiration {Create and Inspire} by Kimberly and Angie 

SATURDAY

Suburbs Mama {Suburbs Mama Sunday} by Rita
Nifty Thrifty Things {Nifty Thrifty Sunday} by Vanessa
Flamingo Toes {Think Pink Sunday} by Bev
Pink When {DIY Sunday Showcase} by Jennifer
I Heart Nap Time {Sundae Scoop}
Twigg Studios  {Sunday Show Off} by Aimee
Crafts A la Mode 

Happy Faces Through My Photography Lens

As I am getting serious in learning about photography; last Saturday my good friend Lourdes, her daughter 'Sasha' and I met at Columbus Circle, Central Park West, New York to do some photography. 

It was very easy to set up this meeting. It started out of a conversation FB inbox between Lourdes and I when I asked if she and Sasha would like to be my models to photograph. I needed to practice what I have learned from a private photography lesson a few weeks a go. She immediately said 'yes'. So we set  up the place and time which we both agreed to do the shooting in Central Park, Manhattan, New York.

I was so excited that finally I get to use my camera like a real pro. Well.. even as a beginner.

I told Lourdes that I would make a little flower tiara for Sasha. And I already have an adult tiara for her.

Sasha is a happy kid. Immediately as we walked in deeper into the park, she saw the play ground and she ran to it and said 'follow me' with her little voice. There were a big sand box with swings and other playing stations like climbing the rope, climbing rocks and sliding. And there were many other kids too. I was trying to take picture of her but she moves a lot. And that is what I like about taking picture of kids; you do not need to tell her to pose. I just took pictures of her in her natural environment; after all it did not matter if she is looking at my camera or not. I love the natural expressions of children.

Basically we were watching the kids playing. I shot some other kids too. I can't tell you how happy I was amongst kids. They are the most  fascinating young human being especially when they were playing with one and another. They are so innocent that they can just interact with each other without talking. And after a few minutes one ran away and do other thing.

Sometimes I saw Sasha just stared at other kids playing while I was taking her pictures. She completely ignored me. I was wondering what is she thinking about. And other times; she giggles and laugh all by herself. That is how innocent they are.

Then her mother said it is time for her to rest that we should go and sit on the grass. She just nodded and followed us to the grass area where Lourdes put a blanket on the ground.  Lourdes started to take out some snacks and drinks for her and I started to shoot them.

Sasha is doing her ballet move and trying to stand on her toe.

This is my favorite picture of Lourdes and Sasha. This picture touched my heart because I can feel how happy Lourdes is carrying her baby daughter. Look at her right eye pupil; I managed to capture her happiness through her eyes; so clear and shines.

This is another of my favorite picture.  I have learned either from youtube, pinterest or from a teacher in photography class that when taking picture of people you must put the focus point between their eyes. This photo has everything that photography  should be; the right lighting, the right composition, the right color contrast between her jacket and the background. Thus I managed to capture her emotion. I just love this picture. She is so adorable.

Here is another one. This boy was camera ready. I have other pictures of him smiling while looking at the camera. This one is the best picture of him.

Taking pictures of Lourdes and Sasha was so much fun and very easy.  They are the most natural models I know. They were laughing and playing with each other most of the time; which was so lovely to see and to shoot for me.

I hope you like those pictures too.

Happy Wednesday Everyone, and

thank you for stopping by!

~~~oo00oo~~~

{Oct. 10, 2013}
You probably wondering why am I doing a double posts on this specific post. The reason being is that I am learning photography as I go a long. It can be from my own experiences or from reading professional photographer's blog. For these pictures of Lourdes and her daughter Shasha I want to show you what I have learned recently and adapted to those pictures. It can be a small simple trick but definitely improved my photography skills and therefore improved the quality of the pictures.

 MONDAY
 Piggy in Polka Dots {Party In Polka Dots} by Shelley
Pursuit of Functional Home by Judy
Twelve O Eight {Inspiration Monday} by Tanya
Lines Across {Monday Funday} by Rachel
Sumo's Sweet Stuff by Sumo
It's So Very Cheri {It's Party Time}
Homemaker On A Dime  {Creative Blogger Party & Hop} by SJ
Creative Mondays by Claire
Colours Dekor {Colors Dekor..The Weekly Story} by Patricia
The Dedicated House {Make It Pretty Monday} by Kathryn
Home Coming {The DIY'ers}

TUESDAY
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia by Kristin
The Blackberry Vine {Tuesday To Do Party)
Lady Bug Blessings {Handmade Tuesday} by Kristen
Not Just A Housewife {Show Me What Ya Got} by Stacy
Cup Cakes And Crinoline {Project Inspired} by Mary Beth 
Our Delightful Home {Show Me What You Got} by Mrs. Delightful
A stroll Thru Life {Inspire Me Tuesday} by Marty

WEDNESDAY
The Blissful Bee {Work It Wednesday} by Amy
The NY Melrose Family {Whimsy Wednesday}
Savvy Southern Style {Wow Us Wednesday} by Kim
Raegun Ramblings

The Trendy Tree House {Create and Share} by Tara
Clean And Scentsible {Inspiration Exchange} by Jenn
Lil' Luna 
Green Willow Pond {What We Accomplished Wednesday} by Deborah
Creations by Kara
The 36th Avenue {The 36th Party} by Desiree

THURSDAY
52 Mantels {Thursday Are Your Days} by Emily
2 Yellow Birds Decor  {Thrusday Temptation} by Jill 
The Charm of Home {Home Sweet Home} by Shery
 Creating an Artful Home by Jen
French Country Cottage 
My Romantic Home {Show and Tell Friday) by Cindy
Chic on a Shoe String Decorating {Flaunt It Friday} by Kate
Liz Marie Blog {Inspire Me Please} by Liz
One Artsy Mama {Shine on Friday} by Amy
The Grant Life {The Life of the Party} by Kelley
Saving 4 Six (Welcome To Think Tank Thursday) by Carrie 
Made to be a Momma {Homemade by You} by Katie 
The Shabby Creek Cottage {Transformation Thursday} by Gina
A Glimpse Inside by Allison

FRIDAY
Dear Creatives {Inspiration Spotlight} by Theresa
If It's Not Baroque {Week End Creativity Round Up} by Lauren
The Dedicated House {Anything Blue Friday} by Kathryn 
A night Owl {Create and Inspire} by Kimberly
Craftberry Bush  {The Inspiration Gallery} by Lucy
Happy Hour Project {Happy Hour Friday} by Adrienne
Diana Rambles {Pin Me Linky Party} by Diana
Truly Lovely {Fancy This Friday} by Kassy and Kayli
Finding Fabulous {Frugalicious Friday} 
504 Main {Tickled Pink} by Holly 
A Stylish Interior (Stylish Friday Finds} by Karen
Little Inspiration {Create & Inspire} by Kimberly and Angie 

SATURDAY

Suburbs Mama {Suburbs Mama Sunday} by Rita
Nifty Thrifty Things {Nifty Thrifty Sunday} by Vanessa
Flamingo Toes {Think Pink Sunday} by Bev
Pink When {DIY Sunday Showcase} by Jennifer
I Heart Nap Time {Sundae Scoop}
Twigg Studios  {Sunday Show Off} by Aimee
Crafts A la Mode 

GIVEAWAY (2 Tier Elegant White Raised Edge Cake Stand) CLOSED

Hello,

I am giving a way this lovely 2 tier elegant White Raised Edge Cake Stand to a one lucky winner.

Here are the rules.

1.  Please follow me through   Facebook, or  Twitter, or  Google Friend Connect, G+, and Pinterest 

2. Please give a comment about what do you think about this cake stand and why do you want them.

 3. Please be 18 years or older!

4. For US & Canada residents only !

Giveaway will start September 11th, 2013 at 12:30 pm, EST and will end September 25th, 2013 at 12:30 pm EST.

1 winner will be chosen. A real email address  required and will not be made public or used for other purposes.

 The winner will be contacted the same day through email and must reply with home address within 4 days. Failure to reply after 4 days; I will draw another winner.

Best of luck !