Gatti Land Family Fun

A few Sundays ago my family & extended family got together to celebrate a few birthdays & an anniversary among us. I love times like this. When everyone gets together & does "normal life" together. We had planned to go to The Outback but after complications with being able to make a reservation, we decided instead to go to Gatti Land for games & a pizza buffet. At first, I was a little disappointed, I mean, 3 words, Outback cheese fries, but in the end I think Gatti Land was a way better choice because of another 2 words, arcade games. :) Gatti Land is owned by Mr. Gatti's, the pizza company, but serves an all day, everyday buffet, hosts birthday parties & has a large arcade games area.



All the family doted over my mommy & how amazing & strong she's been through this cancer. Ugh. Cancer. Ya, I should probably blog about that soon but for now, Gatti Land. Our family has been so loving & supportive toward my mom. They've brought food & texted her lots of love.



The fam. Sorry for the fuzzies.



My cousin, Mikayla & my sister Sophie. They love playing together.



Pizza! Pizza! The buffet includes tons of pizza choices, different kinds of pasta, hot desserts & a salad bar, all for cheap, cheap, as are most pizza buffets.



After we finished our pizza & chatting, we headed to the game area, my favorite part!



Aunt Irene & little Sophie. :)


 

Gatti Land is Sophie's favorite place to go. She often requests to go there after school. She usually just eats, while watching a kids movie on the big screen in the movie room, then runs around & "plays" the games but without any tokens! Hehe. I wonder how long it will be until she realizes that she's not actually playing the games. It's a much cheaper day out for my parents now, though.



We tried to teach Sophie how to play air hockey, which was quite hilarious. She didn't quite get how to play. It was very cute watching her.



Zachary & I had a go at a giant Connect Four, too. We had a great time eating & playing with family. So thankful that they live so close. :)

Fall Photo Scavenger Hunt #FallPhotoScavHunt

 

Hey friends! If you haven't noticed, I love lists! I also love lists that get me to get out and do something. I especially love lists that help me slow down & appreciate what's around me during one of the best seasons of the year, fall. :) I'm obviously pretty biased.

In the past, I've been discouraged when I join in on a photo challenge but then miss days or take a photo & forget to post it on the correct day. Everyone else will be posting pictures of bunnies & I'm still on a pictures of my feet. ;) I have always felt behind & ended up giving up.

I want to have fun doing this & I want you to have fun, too, without all the pressure. Therefore, there are no real rules, except to take all the photos on the list by November 30th. Which is 2 full months. We can do it!

How it works:

Take all the photos on the list by November 30th. You can get as creative or basic as you want! Post them on Instagram or your social media of choice with #FallPhotoScavHunt. (If you post on your blog, please leave me the link to each post. So I can see them!)

Each week I will pick my favorite photos & blog about them. :)
Come November 30th, I will choose someone who's posted the whole list & send them something special. :) That's it! Easy, peasy! 

*Tip: Open this post up on your phone, click the image & "Save Image" to your photo library on your phone, so you always have the list with you. Also, if you're feeling extra generous, ;) :) post this photo on your own social media! The more people we have & photos to look at, the more fun! :)

Happy photo taking friends!

Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake

Hey friends! I have a re-post recipe for you today that I'm dying to make again! With the pumpkins popping up in stores & TX fall creeping in (only in the mornings before noon, but I'll take it!), I'm itching to start making pumpkin goodies. Chances are you are, too! Delicious-ness is what this recipe is!  It's amazing you guys. Ten times better than any pumpkin pie I've tried. (I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie though. So that might be a biased opinion. :) ) Also, it's easy, which is a huge plus when there's so many things to do this Fall!

For the Cake:

• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased  baking pan. (I used a 13 x 9 glass baking pan.) 

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. 

Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and mix together. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. 

Spread pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  

Sprinkle it with powdered sugar for looks. :) 

Happy Baking! And, try not to eat the whole pan! Trust me, it's tempting!

Recipe is taken & modified from here.