Hello and welcome to Friday.  The first of the month of October.  The weather report here is rain with sunny intervals...of course there is only one other weather report we get...sunny with intervals of rain, but you know what would we have to complain about if the weather was sunny all the time? And of course, rain brings its own joy.

The week has flown past with a number of great things dotting in and out that I want to share.

- This pumpkin pound cake went down a treat at playgroup, at Kevin's work and with my boys.  For those of you that don't know a pound cake is so named as it contains a pound of butter, flour, eggs and sugar.  For UK mamas, I used a small steamed cooking pumpkin, as tins are hard to come by. My trick is to cut it into wedges and leave the skin on to steam.  MUCH easier.  The recipe needs about 3/4 cup of pureed pumpkin made in this way.  Oh and watch out.  This is a very sweet cake.

- I've signed up for Betz White's Felt and Stitch Holiday online course.  Her work is so cute and I feel the need for some crafty discipline and a wee course may help me get things moving around here for Christmas.

- In the same vein, I've been considering doing the Through the Loops Mystery Sock Knit A Long.  Seems like it would be a good way to finally knit some socks up (I never finished my first pair..shameful, I know).   

-I've moved an old set of shelves downstairs to hold dishes and the like in the kitchen.  The sight of which makes me uncommonly happy.  I am easily pleased, I know.

- Finally, Ellis' indoor activities have branched out from climbing on things, chasing the cats, painting with cars on paper and playing with trains to include hammering nails into the bottom of fruit crates. Maybe one day, I will be able to do a craft project with him!

Oh and for the record, I am blaming the cats for the dirt on the kitchen floor in that picture and not my own slovenly behaviour.  The cats don't mind being the scapegoat, as I bought their favourite food and they are fickle.