Sean's Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I go through kitchen phases constantly. Ellen teases me for it, constantly. When we got married a friend gave us a pie making kit (2 pie pans that are still my favorite, a rolling pin, and an apple peeler/slicer/corer). So naturally I started a pie phase, but it never really ended. I've tweaked almost every recipe I've ever found to be really good and have decided to start writing them down. So, seeing as it is Autumn, here's my Pumpkin Pie.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Puree

Preheat the oven to 350°

Cut a pie pumpkin (about the size of a volleyball) into quarters

Scoop out the innards

Place the pumpkin quarters skin down onto a foiled cookie sheet

Bake the pumpkin for about an hour

Pull the skin away from the fleshy part and dispose of the skin

Using a potato masher or food processor mash up the pumpkin

Crust

1 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour

¼ tsp Salt

⅓ cup + 1 Tbs butter flavored shortening

¼ cup cold water

Mix Flour and salt in a small-medium sized bowl

Chop the shortening into the flour mix

Using a pastry mixer or two forks mix the shortening into the flour

(it will look chunky when you’re done)

Add the cold water in and mix together with your hands

(wash your hands and remove any rings)

You will end up with a ball of dough that can me refrigerated or rolled out immediately

Roll it out so it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick

Roll it up with the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pie pan

(Double this recipe if you want two crusts, but for Pumpkin Pie you probably don’t)

Pie Filling

1 ⅓ cups of Pumpkin Puree

1 ⅓ cups of Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 14oz Can)

1 Egg

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Ginger

½ tsp Cloves

1 cup Hot Water

Mix everything together in a big bowl using a whisk

Dump it into the pie crust

Before it goes in the oven brush melted butter onto the crust and sprinkle it with sugar if you're really feeling crazy

bake at 350° for 1 hour

Halfway through baking, brush more melted butter on the crust. It will be worth it.

Enjoy!

Sean Donner

HYPE!

GUYS! Remember all the things I've been saying about getting things ready for a new project (because we are sooooooo done with dog boarding)?

WELL...

We are only about a month away from opening up our own online business! We still need to finalize some designs, order our shirts, and finish building our website, but we have a hopeful launch date of

NOVEMBER 1st! 

Just in time for Christmas shopping! 

I really am excited about this and hope everything goes well so we can meet our launch date! Sean and I made these designs ourselves and are getting our teeshirts hand printed by a local company and selling through our own site (rather than zulily, etsy, etc).

Here's a little logo teaser...

We're in the process of finalizing 6 designs to choose from. There will be a blog attached to the shop as well as future design contests, give-aways, guest bloggers, etc. We can't wait to show everyone our finished product and have you wearing our shirts!

Thanks!
Miss Ellen

On Religion

Hi, I'm Ellen and I'm a Mormon.

I really try not to talk too much about religion because, although it's a large part of my life, I don't like to exclude all my friends and family who aren't LDS. However, like I said, it is a large part of my life and I wanted to just take ONE post to talk a little bit about it.

Watch this video first.

That's very basic. However, it's also super informative. This last weekend was what is called General Conference where the General Authorities give new revelation and information about the gospel, as well as their own testimonies. It's basically a New Year's Eve every 6 months where we can regain our traction and make new goals so that we can become better members of the church and of society.

There are a lot of questions surrounding the church and, to be perfectly honest, even the most devout members have questions pertaining to the gospel. It's important to ask these questions so we can search out our own answers and learn more about this life and the next. The prophet and apostles (the highest leaders of the church) ask their own questions as well, and they share their answers with us during the conference. If you have questions, PLEASE ask. I would love to help answer what I can or guide you to find your own answers.

Of course there's a lot of weird parts of the church, but that is true with nearly every religion. Go to lds.org for answers to some of the weirdness that you may have heard. A pretty good chunk of the members are super normal people and would love to share their testimonies and knowledge of the doctrines within the church. That includes me, guys!

I know that this church is true and makes complete sense in the context of the universe. I know that the prophets and apostles are men called of god and only have the best intentions for the church. I know that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are real and that they answer our prayers. When we were trying to get pregnant with Milo, it took us a year and as soon as we started praying nightly together, we were blessed!

I'm no expert on the church, that's for sure, but I do have my own testimony and I hope that this sparks someone's interest.

Love,
Miss Ellen

We've Got a Toddler On Our Hands

Milo is seriously toddling. Fast and furious. He's hilarious and I'm really loving this stage he's in, even though it means a lot more energy from me.

Currently, his most favorite song is this:

He'll stand there and stare at the screen and sometimes dance whenever this song comes on. It's hilarious and adorable. He loves bopping around to the beat of whatever song is on, but when it's this one, he will stop whatever he's doing and pay full attention. I can even trim his finger and toenails, and change his diaper without fuss all while he watches this music video on my phone. Silly kid.

He's started bringing me his books to read to him and, honestly, I'm loving it so much. Even when I know the book isn't going to interest him just yet, I love that he takes the effort. He says a few words, too! He knows what a duck, a car, and a ball all are (of course, he's a Donner boy after all). Today he got out his wipes and said "butt" and then the all-too-familiar poop-stench hit and I knew exactly what he was talking about.

He's getting better at attempting to use the utensils with his meals, but he still prefers to use his fists. He doesn't really hate any foods, which is really nice, but he can't have cheese or bananas because his constipation will come back. He also has started wanting to watch when I cook, but that's not always easy because he's so heavy. He says "hot" when he sees the stove or pots, which will hopefully help him learn quicker that he wants to stay away.

He's loves walking but usually doesn't mind being carried still. He can climb up and down stairs, on and off the couch, and all over the pillows I put in the middle of the room to keep him occupied and getting some energy out on particularly difficult days. He'll get his toys out and spread them all over the room, but still be more interested in my wallet or the dog food. *eye roll*

These last few weeks, we've done so many things as the final days of summer are upon us. Sean and I went to the last Bee's game of the season, we got free suite tickets from his work to go to a Real game (soccer), we went to the state fair, visited the LDS Church History Museum, and have been on several family walks and park-visits. While I can say it has been exhausting, it has also been entirely worth it to suck the last few drops of summer out while we still can, because I can only imagine the upcoming cold to be dreary and miserable with a new walker and snow everywhere.

Anyway, life has been hectic and fun, but it's not always easy to post on this blog! Plus, we have some really exciting things happening soon! No baby on the way, I'll tell you that much. But it does have to do with a sister! A sister-site to this blog! No more or I'll give away the surprise!

Yay!
Love, Miss Ellen

UPdate: Onward an UPward!

Guys, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time.

Milo's doing well, we had his 1 year appointment and he is almost entirely average (maybe a bit of a big noggin and a skinny bod, but overall regular and healthy). He's learned how to walk and rarely crawls anymore. He loves answering questions ("Dah!" for yes and silence for no, "Noinoinoi" for wanting and he just mumbles words to himself all day long). He's a real toddler now, no doubt about it. MY BABY IS A TODDLER! holy smokes.

We're still boarding dogs, which has been a nice bit of spending money lately. As the summer is winding down, which I really appreciate because it seems like we've been nonstop since like May, we're getting ready to build our own small company! I don't want to divulge too much, but my goal is to have it launched by the end of the year. We're still in the conceptualizing and planning stages, but I'm really excited about it and I know that we have a lot of support! {THANKS IN ADVANCE}

As we get more information and such, I'll let you guys know. It is entirely possible that this blog will be assimilated into the company blog (or I'll just leave it separate for my own personal ramblings), but we'll see, obviously.

I think that's all for now. Follow me on instagram (@regulardonners) and facebook and snapchat (ellendonner) and twitter (@donnermom).

Love,
Miss Ellen

Minnesota Trip 2016

Now that things have settled a bit...

We just got back from our big trip to Minnesota (the biggest one we've had yet, but like the 6th overall). Milo and I flew United (with only one mishap that had me running from gate B93 to gate B18 in Denver) and Sean took Strider on a very long drive (where he almost died on a cliff because of a spider). We all made it safely and visited some family and then took a mini-trip up to Duluth for the day to see Lake Superior. It was so pretty! Milo loved it. 

Then, after a few days at my in-laws, we took another mini-trip up the the cities to visit our friends the Penny's and their daughter Parker. They swam for a while and we had a barbeque with Bloom and the Smith's and their boys. So fun!

Then we went to the zoo with the Penny's and Sean's brother Brady and his family. Milo loves animals, he kept pointing at every animal he could. Even though he hadn't had a nap, he was so happy, which made things way better. He especially loved the monkeys! Probably cuz he is one.

When we got back to Waseca, more of Sean's siblings and their families were there. Milo loved playing in Grandma and Grandpa's HUGE yard! He started walking around more than crawling and babbling the whole way. He got nice and dirty a few times, which was perfect. 

This is only a very small view of it. Trust me.

Soon enough, we had picked up the camper and were on our way to Forestville State Park for a Donner Family reunion! It was the first time all the siblings had been together since 2008 and, as you could imagine, SO many people had joined the family since then (in total, there were 15 adults, 3 babies, and 2 dogs present for camping). We went on 2 hikes, walked by the river near our sites, and Milo was taken all the way around a few times by various aunts and uncles. We had some really good food and were only rained on at night (which wasn't a problem because camper). 

It was great seeing everyone! 

The Siblings 

Milo and Uncle Jeremiah

Milo and Aurora in the blow-up pool

On a hike

After camping, we said goodbye to a few of the Donner siblings and went back to Waseca where we had a Minnesota birthday party for Milo where he smashed his second 1st birthday cake like a boss (and got tons of fun presents). Also, in case you're wondering, Hy-Vee has some of the most delicious cake. I was thoroughly impressed, as was everyone who had some at the party.

This was Bloom's picture. (THANKS A LOT, BLOOM).

We were considering throwing the high chair in the lake or garbage because it was so messy. HAH.

Sean left the day after the party so he could make it home for sure before we flew in (turns out... too early).  Before Sean left, we went to the park for lunch and then visited his grandmother's grave. It was really special and it was raining when we got there, as if she was crying because she was happy to see us. 

Milo Fox riding a statue fox!

Milo, Daddy and Great-Grandma Grant

Laurelin (Sean's youngest sister) and I completed "Operation B-Town" and redecorated the parent's bathroom. It was great to see how excited Missy was! At first, she thought we'd just folded the towels and put them on the back of the toilet, haha! Laurelin put up the hand-towel hook up all by herself, which was a feat because there was a tiny screw that we didn't have a small enough tool for. 

We also did a good bit of cleaning and throwing away old stuff.

Sean's mom and I also went on a Rochester adventure the day before Milo and I left. It was really nice being able to spend time with her and I know she misses her grandkids a lot, so it was good to have those extra days, even if it meant a little homesickness. 

Our last day was last Thursday and it was truly bittersweet. I was so excited to finally be back in my own home with all my stuff after not having much for so long, but at the same time I knew we'd really miss being there and spending time with our family. 

Missy and Laurelin dropped us off at the airport security line. Let me tell you, the MSP airport is only like 1000% better and easier to get through than SLC. We went through without any problems, everyone was really nice, and I didn't have to go through any unnecessary rigamarole (SLC - shoes off, hands tested, liquids tested, electronics in separate bin, heavy trafficked lines. MSP - shoes on, no testing, TSA Agent helped with the stroller, liquids still tested, electronics still away)

But beyond the airport was a pain in the rear end. Milo and I flew Frontier on the way back and, to say it was uncomfortable and difficult would be an understatement. Their seats are extremely uncomfortable, their tray tables are the size of a postcard, and there are no amenities whatsoever. 

We got to Denver airport just fine, but from then on was the worst. We had a 3 hour layover, which I didn't mind, but when the time was coming to board the airplane, no one was at our gate. So after checking on the app to see where flights were, it was at the next gate down (which I was never notified of, either over intercom, phone notification, or boarding pass change via the app). We were some of the last ones to board.

There was something wrong with the tickets next to me, so a flight attendant sat there for a minute and then left because her connection was too tight in SLC and we were taking forever to leave. So I got the whole row to myself, which was incredible. Milo fell asleep on take-off and it was smooth sailing. 

Then, the worst of it happened. We landed in SLC and were stuck on the tarmac for an extra hour + because there was a broken plane at our gate (because apparently it's impossible to tow an airplane to an unused area to fix it (it's not impossible to tow an airplane, I saw someone else do it)) and we had to use a different gate. When we finally deplaned, I met Sean at baggage claim, where he'd been waiting for 2 hours already. 

Our carseat kept never coming. And never coming. So we talked to the baggage lady for Frontier (who was incredibly nice and helpful) and they'd lost our carseat. UUGH. So we got a loaner from them and they dropped our carseat off after a day and a half and took back their loaner. 

But before we left the parking lot (almost 2 hours after we'd planned to), the pay-parking booth broke on us. They had to pull everyone out of our line and into other lines and we had to finagle our way to the farthest booth to pay double what parking should've been. 

Eventually, after battling construction traffic at 10:30 at night, we made it home and Milo was SO excited to see all the things he remembered. He kept pointing and babbling about every little thing.  

It really is nice to be home and settled for a while. It was also really fun to be away for a while.

The Small Moments

Milo has been whining nearly non-stop all day. I'm pretty sure he's teething, like one does before a big trip. Seriously... It was a rough day. It's been a rough couple of days. I'm stressed and nervous for the flight/rest of the trip, I'm tired of listening to so much whining all day, and I wish Sean could be home more often so things can be easier.

But that's not how it works. And I'm here rocking a kid back to sleep after not letting me put him down twice already.

The thing is, I love rocking him when he's asleep. It's the only time he will ever cuddle on me and I love it. I am wishing, though, that I could go to bed. And as much fun as it seems to co-sleep, I am such a light sleeper and I just don't want to deal with all that.

Right now, Milo has his arms out on either side of me, his head down and asleep on my chest, and the rest of him cuddled up under his baseball blanket in his monster jammies. It's adorable and I wish I could take a picture.

There was one time today where I made Sean take out the dogs and the boy do I could get dinner started uninterrupted. It was magical besides that I had to touch gross raw chicken.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that every time I want to start freaking out or moving forward with things, I need to be better at remembering to breathe in the small moments surrounding the big things. That's where the best memories are made.

I'm going to go ahead and attempt to put him down again because my back is aching. Wish me luck.

Miss Ellen