Walkin' On Sunshine...Prizes! :-)

Surprise! At the beginning of Walkin' On Sunshine I planned to give a prize away at the end, but...I didn't tell the participants! Aren't I sneaky? ;-)

The 15 participants were -

Heather at family forever

Jennifer at trading ashes for beauty

Kerri at 4 arrows farm

Mrs. H. at birthday cake for breakfast

Mama Hen at long days short years

Christa

Kelli at there is no place like home

Raeann, the "Lady Farmer" at lady farmer parables

Renee at count it pure joy

Giggles at life in my lane

Giggles' Mom

Linda C. at seasons of life

Canadian in the Country

Deb at welcome to my place

Regina

And so, without further ado, I present to you the "sunshine walking awards" - in three categories! :-)

The first award goes to the Sunshine Walker that posted the most days of exercising! The winner even started a few days behind the rest and she still posted 14 days of exercising! Way to go Deb!

The second award goes to the Sunshine Walker that posted her progress the most. With 19 comments, the winner is Giggles! Part of the walking habit is thinking about walking everyday and I know Giggles was thinking about it, since she posted almost every day!

And the last award goes to a randomly drawn name from all the participants. The winner is...Raeann, the Lady Farmer!

Deb, Giggles and Raeann will all be receiving pedometers from Heritage Schoolhouse, so they can track their progress as they continue walking on sunshine! :-) Deb and Raeann, if you will please leave an e-mail address in the comments of this post, I will contact you to find out where to send your pedometer. Giggles, I'll bring yours to you on Wednesday. :-)

I hope everyone enjoyed the challenge of Walking on Sunshine for 21 days! And, I hope many new healthy habits were formed. :-) Thank you all for walking with me. I had fun!

Cappuccino Muffins

Cappuccino Muffins

12 servings

for espresso spread
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
for muffins
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the spread ingredients; refrigerate. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Stir milk and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve with espresso spread and enjoy!

These muffins are equally delicious with cold milk or hot coffee!

Linked to Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

Supper Menus
October 27th-November 1st

Monday
chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, dinner rolls
Tuesday
crispy tacos, spanish rice, refried beans
Wednesday
chicken pot pie, lettuce and tomato salad
Thursday
savory beef sandwiches, tomato soup
Friday
invited to supper at family's house, taking sugar cookies
Saturday
take out hot wings

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 21!

Yeah! 21 days of walking on sunshine! Who walked today?!

If you participated in Walkin' On Sunshine, please don't forget to check in at Heritage Schoolhouse tomorrow morning for a surprise! :-) Great job everyone! I know you all tried your very best. :-)

My results!

Days Walked - 18

Total Miles - 26.64

Average Miles Each Day - 1.48

What I learned - looking at my schedule and planning when I am going to walk the next day is essential for me to follow through!

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 20

"How can you explain that you need to know that the trees are still there,

and the hills and the sky? Anyone knows they are.

How can you say it is time your pulse responded to another rhythm,

the rhythm of the day and the season instead of the hour and the minute?

No, you cannot explain. So you walk."

~Author unknown

from New York Times editorial,

"The Walk," 25 October 1967

Day 20! Wow! Who walked today? :-)

"He is the happiest, be he king or peasant,

who finds peace in his home."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Late October" by Ray Hendershot

Autumn Morning in a Deer Stand

photos by Mr. H. :-)

My hardworkin' "Mr. H." :-)

How I love this man.

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 19

I have a sick little boy at my house and wasn't able to get my walk in today. Was anyone else able to have a sunshine walk? We just have two more days left! I hope to work in two more walks this weekend. If you've been Sunshine Walking with me, be sure to check back in on Monday for a little surprise. :-)

front yard red oak and blue october sky

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

from "October's Party"

~ George Coooper

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 18

"In every walk with nature

one receives far more than he seeks."

~John Muir

Hi Sunshine Walkers! 18 days down - only 3 left! How are you doing?

Also, a very warm welcome to Deb! I realized today that I hadn't announced her as a new member - and she is doing a great job!!! :-)

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
8 servings

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pint half-and-half
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
optional toppings - extra bacon, extra cheese, sour cream, chives, salt and pepper

In a large stock pot saute onion in butter until tender. Add potatoes, chicken broth and enough water to just cover potatoes. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Add half and half and bacon. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with choice of traditional baked potato toppings and enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup

At last!

My daughter and I have been watching

for these at the grocery for weeks!

Today - they were there!

An Autumn Hutch

Dishes are my weakness...

I usually can resist, but autumn colored plates and bowls priced at $1 a piece at the grocery ... well, I just couldn't help myself! I brought my treasures home, paired them with items I had on hand and gave my hutch a little fall makeover! :-)

A sweet little find...

... an acorn soap pump.

Dollar Store - I heart you!

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 17

Alrighty, we only have four days left! How did everyone do today?! :-)

I'm on a mission...

Pink Mexican Sugar Cookies

3 dozen

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

several drops red food coloring

extra sugar

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add food coloring; mix well. Shape dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 12 minutes at 350°. Cool completely and enjoy!

I am trying to recreate one of my husband's favorite childhood treats - pink mexican sugar cookies! He has fond memories of both grandmothers taking him to a neighborhood bakery in the valley of south Texas for these special cookies. He enjoyed these today, but we are thinking the cookie needs to be denser - maybe more flour next time? Stay tuned...I'll update the recipe next time I try a batch!

Edited to add - he has also requested that they be "greasier". :-) Though, I don't think I can, in good conscience, use more than one cup of shortening at a time! ;-)

Harvest Fun

An afternoon at the

"Haunted Hay Maze"

and

"Pumpkin Patch"!

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 16

"A vigorous five-mile walk

will do more good for an unhappy

but otherwise healthy adult

than all the medicine and psychology in the world."

~Paul Dudley White

Five days left! Anyone still walking on sunshine? :-)

King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken

12 servings

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

18 corn tortillas
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine soups, broth and tomatoes. Set aside. Saute onion and pepper in butter until tender. Lightly grease a casserole dish. Layer 6 tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 of the onion and bell pepper and 1/3 of the cheese in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the soup mixture over layers. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle with chili powder and garlic salt and bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup.

Autumn Puzzles

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Pumpkin Time " by Walt Johnston

This picture reminded me of the puzzle we worked last year...

an autumn scene from the "Americana" series by Charles Wysocki.

It was a gift from my sweet sister-in-law.

This fall we'll be working on...

downtown Austin from the "Picturing the Past"

series by Rod Chase.

It was a gift from my mother and daddy.

My new Ravensburger "Stow & Go" puzzle mat will come in handy!

Do you like to work puzzles in the fall? :-)