Baking for a fundraiser & getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Well, just taking a break from the New England trip blogging---two more days to finish writing about that but yesterday, my youngest daughter called me and asked me to bake for a fundraiser yesterday at the local university.  She's in vet school there and as funding is getting less and less for everything, they have to put on their own 'graduation' event on their own....so each class raises money during their 4 years to save up for this.  So.......I baked!  I'm also getting ready for Thanksgiving....the holidays make me crazy happy, so I've gotten most of the little Thanksgiving decorations up.....now it's time to think about the menu!

Found this plate last week for 4.00--yes, I'm a bargain hunter!

Getting into the season with some turkey and pumpkin picks

I made some DIY cupcake picks and wrappers to dress up a few of the cupcakes; I wanted to make them SO HARD to  walk away from.....tricky....tricky

Had to save a few for ourselves, right?

Here's the Linzer cookies I made for the fundraiser....filled with raspberry jam

just a little arrangement on the table in front of the sofa....I love candles!

Vintage gravy boat, my hidden stash of pumpkin spice jelly bellies, and a vintage 'leaf' dish I got on our trip to New England

"Bless our Nest" sign in back with teeny jug I typically use for syrup

Had to save one of the last roses from the garden....

The bowl was a hand-made gift from my oldest daughter that I filled with some pine cones from our yard .  The Moose?  A whimsical character and one of HUNDREDS of Moose things I have in our home

brought in a plant my middle daughter got me for Mother's Day....trying to hold onto it over the winter!  I just LOVE begonias and they do really well on our back porch if I water and mist them every day

stacked a couple of pumpkins by the fireplace up against the vintage snow shoes

I put my turban squash in my Simon Pearce bowl on the dining room table---looks a little BIG here, but it's cute

Since I bake and deliver LOTS of cupcakes, I have all kinds of carriers.  These are the Martha Stewart ones, but the same can be 'had' from SNAPWARE

Thank goodness for the cupcake carriers!

Here's my double chocolate cupcakes with cherry-vanilla buttercream frosting.  The cherry extract from Savory Spice Shop is delightfully wonderful.....it makes the frosting extra special

up close with the butterfly sprinkles....and I 'tossed on' a heart-shaped teeny sugar cookie, which came from the centers of the linzer cookies!  Hey....waste not...want not...

These are a rich ooey-gooey carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a couple of chocolate sprinkles on top just for cuteness- love those sprinkly-things!

My 2nd attempt @ 'Hostess' cupcakes....made swirly-q's bigger this time but anyway you frost 'em, these 'lil gems are yummy!  AND, they were some of the first to go at the fundraiser

The bake sale was so fun...................and today I'm working on Thanksgiving cards to get out to a few dear friends.....love you all!!