Happy Halloween!

Here are my two little people. Izzo Kitty and Truman Ducky.


Carve a pumpkin...

Preparing for Winter

The changing seasons brings lots of need to clear out mental clutter, get re-organized, tend the homefires. Clean and prepare for winter by canning, baking, cooking ahead. Arranging the closets for lots of sweaters and coats plus, making hats, gloves and scarves for little people.

My friend Jayne said the other night, while we were putting by apples for freezing, “there is just something about preparing food for you family that just makes you feel good.” It’s so true. This year more than any other, I’ve tried to have the future in mind. What is coming up this month, this season, usually I’m much more in the moment, fly by the seat of my pants and usually my brain can’t hold all that immediate information and I drop the ball on lots of things. But I’ve tried this year to think about my little family, plan ahead, write things down and so on.


Here are a few pictures of our Salsa experiment. Turned out really good. More like Rotel. Mild tasting but perfect starter for so many things!



Homemade granola taste wonderful with this fall colored addition. Chocolate-candy coated sunflower seeds. Izzo calls them M&Ms.

Thanks Emily!

Mary’s Super Wonderful Granola
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (original, not quick oats)
1 cup peanuts or almonds (or both)
1/4 cup flax seed
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds (I used chocolate covered sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup coconut (I used unsweetened, but sweetened might be ok)
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used half dried cranberries and half raisins)
scant 1/4 cup cooking oil (olive oil has too strong of taste)
1/2 cup honey (you can use corn syrup, maple syrup— not waffle syrup, or molasses— which will have a really strong taste)

Mix the oat, nuts and grains in a large bowl. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl. Then measure out the honey in the same, unwashed cup. The oil will help the honey not stick to the cup.

Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan. I use a large roasting pan, it keeps everything together, and makes stirring super easy.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turning it with a spatula every 3-5 minutes. You want everything to be an even golden brown. When it is finished cooking, add the raisins and fruit and stir to combine.

On a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment, spread out granola to cool (you can stir in a handful of chocolate chips after granola is cooled).
Keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Cookies and Cocoa

Someone... whom I love dearly... 

Left cocoa and cookies on my kitchen table. Wow.  I feel treasured.

Unrealistic Daydreaming

My dream stove...

Written a few days ago:

The biting wind outside and the promise of snow has me nesting. I want wool socks, to learn how to cable knit and to pull out all the old quilts from the closet.

I went home for lunch today, lucky that I work so close. Changed into long argyle socks that were hidden by my tall brown sensible boots. The pointy toe flats that I wore to work didn’t cut it. And here I am at my desk still cold. I haven’t yet learned how to check the weather before I dress in the morning. Now where would I pencil that in? Between snuggling, showering, dressing me plus two, trading off children with Eric, breakfasting, cup of milking, Lilo and Stiching, and running out the door. O yeah... And check the weather. I just can’t foresee that. So good thing I live close enough to make lunch at home.

I’m dreaming of this dreary grey afternoon with all the warmth and glow that I can muster. When we pick up the little people at play school and drive the half mile back home. I wish I could have cookies, fresh from the oven and a steaming cup of cocoa for each one of us-- already there. I’d love a fireplace that magically appears in the living room (ala Sleeping Beauty) and o if the fairies could throw in a house cleaning, I’d be up for that too. We’d all sit in front of the fire (Truman wouldn’t try to climb in there at all). We’d read books and have a lovely good time... O to daydream.

It’s the kind of night for chicken noodle soup, fresh baked biscuits and apple crisp. Why do I always think in food?

That’s it, I think I planned our evening. If you add the hour plus playing tea party in Isabel’s room, bundling up and going for our customary walk after dinner, baths and a couple good fleece blankets at bedtime with our footie jammies, I think we could have a particularly beautiful evening!

Wish me luck!
--

Well the only thing accomplished in this day dream is chicken noodle soup. The night was filled with lots of whining, tears, naughty chair time, a failed and poopy trip to the library before bedtime.

Glorious Morning?

It’s after lunchtime and it’s still dark outside. It’s the kind of day where you have an inherent restlessness because it feels as though the night never ended. Grogginess amid florescent lights, never my forte. So now, my coffee mug and I have a day long relationship. Fill, guzzle, fill, guzzle. Perhaps, tonight I’ll have the energy of my children.

Isabel padded in my bedroom door and climbed her little self into bed with me in the quiet darkness.
Me: Isabel, its time to wake up and go eat breakfast.
Izzo: No it’s not, its still dark outside, and we need to snuggle, go back to sleep now.

Oh I wish. I also wish I could have bottled that moment, whispering in the darkness, her little hand on my chest, nudging me back down to the snuggly warm wrap of bed clothes. The smell of her shampoo and little girl scented hair, the warmth of her body and cold feet snuggling into me. How is it that I miss her when I’m sleeping at night? The morning it’s with relief and gratitude that we’ve made it to another glorious morning: no matter how dark it is outside.


*Photo taken this summer-- but still a favorite.

The Day Mom Stayed Home

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity at an impromptu holiday. We woke up early, went to the library, discussed the changing leaves. “I see the yellow leaves. Do you see the yellow leaves?” “What does the air feel like? Cold, windy.” and so many other sensory questions.

Lots of one-on-one time was given. Painting pumpkins, cookie making, raffie watching, singing, dancing, puzzles, cooking....

It was one of the most perfect days.

My Sweet Kids

It's been a while since I've posted pictures of the little people. So here they are.

Truman with one of his award-winning smiles and Isabel looking through the world of her Canon SLR. The camera no longer works, but it was a wedding gift to my parents more than 30 years ago.

The More We Get Together The Happier We'll Be...

Raffi, remember him?

Quite spirited, folksy children’s singer?

We’ve rediscovered him at my house thanks to youtube. We were really excited to see the whole young children’s concert (in 8 or 9 parts)! O it brings back memories. Especially the songs, I can sing every word to every one. So crazy.

The best part, no gimicks, no purple dinosaur costume, no moral to the story... Just let the words, actions and children’s hearts lead the concert.

http://www.raffinews.com/



I’ve also poked around to find out what he is doing now, an peaceful activist for children and the future of their world, he is a man after my own heart.

So here’s the first part of the concert.

Tomatoes and Sings

Tomato season seems so long gone, but believe it or not-- my friend Jayne, had a 5 gallon bucket of ripe and juicy tomatoes that begged to be turned into salsa!

We decided on a two step process. Last night, peel and core tomatoes pack into ice cream buckets then tonight we’ll assemble salsa and water bath can. So exciting!

It was nice to have red tomatoes, because mine all looked like this:

Eric pulled the last bucket of green tomatoes off the vine just recently.

We made a tangy and slightly sweet, green tomato sauce for freezing. It was so good. A great base to a tomato bisque soup. Not much of a recipe about 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup chicken stock, and 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Simmer but not boil. Flavor with favorite spices. So delicious!
--

Here is the conversation after making homemade pizza. Yummy goodness that my children would not touch. The conversation goes as follows:

Me: But it’s pizza
Izzo: It has things (pronounced sings) on it.
Me: What things?
Izzo: Veggies. Yuck.

For the record edamame is on her top five things she loves to eat.

Ode to Autumn

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
John Keats

On an Adventure!

While Grandmommy and Papa were visiting in September:

Searching for Princesses and Queen Bonnie in our Castle (the county court house that sits a few houses down from us).


Searching for Dragons outside the Castle. They were sleeping.


They put Isabel to sleep.

Busy, Busy!

We’ve been busy, busy lately! I’ve had to make time to put up the last of summer’s goodness.

Yesterday afternoon and evening, I baked then froze 3 pumpkins for pumpkin pie this holiday season. My family (8 plus people) are coming for Christmas so I’m attempting to stock up now for the visit.

We had a few pounds of tomatoes thanks to Lori, my gardener friend from the Farmer’s Market. I made about a gallon of marinara sauce. We just got a pasta maker for Eric’s birthday. Homemade pasta and homemade sauce, what’s better?

Then I cut, soaked and froze apples. Simmered chicken stock for freezing. AND we made cut out kitty cookies (more to come on this later) and had a tea party.

Glad that this is over with, but it was quite fun to get so many things accomplished.

On the agenda for this week: make granola, make/freeze rice using Amy Karol’s recipe (so easy) and make a ton of apple sauce/juice out of the remaining bag of apples and try the mayonnaise again.

Wish me luck!


Here is a of Isabel and Emily from their adventures!


And one of the hay-less hayride!