I just became a soccer mommy

I recently commenced a first foray into soccer mom-hood. So far, so good. So far, he loves it. Especially the scoring 2 goals in his first game ever part. So far, I like it. Especially the watching him play with wild abandon and a grin glued to his face part.

this week's eats

perfect roast chicken and vegetables

meatball sandwiches and garden salad

country ribs and sweet potatoes

chicken chili and garden salad

it must be autumn, because that's a week full of comfort food (and harvest time side dishes) if ever there were.  I love my weekly co-op basket of culinary inspiration. 

boo!

happy haunting, all.

as for our Jacks-o-lantern, Piglet was the [very specific] designer, Mr. J the manual labor, yours truly project manager. Nanuk--dozed off on the job.

Happy Haunting

What makes me happy about halloween? 
re-using costumes from previous years, especially these clearance rack cozy little get ups that my boys think are totally cool. spookily bedecked pathways of the local zoo for trick-or-treating. multiple days of costume-wearing fun. Piglet's very specific design for this year's jack-o-lantern that daddy engineered precisely. that Piglet wanted nothing whatever to do with scooping out the guts of the pumpkin because he feared he "might get messy." my two blue-eyed and rosy cheeked and roaring dragons. pumpkins pumpkins everywhere.

gettin' our crafty on

the weather has a distinctive autumn-with-a-hint-of-winter vibe to it, so our time indoors has been filled (sometimes desperately) with little autumn-y and halloween-y craft projects. if it's do-able for a pre-schooler, it's probably do-able for me, too. i know my limits.

clockwise, from left:
paper & felt tree--felt doo-dads from the craft store.  little footprint ghosts to send to grandma and grandpa--these look especially cute in a black frame with a white mat, not shown here. paper mosaic leaf--we did this together. diy trick-or-treat bags--even my littlest got in on this action with foam stickers.
magnetic mr. scary bones--thanks, ashlynn for the link.

easy as pie

whatever. pie isn't exactly easy. but I managed to make one without any major crises involved. just a whole lotta flour. everywhere. just before unexpected guests arrived. nice.

my first real pie, apple, from scratch, and it was edible. even good. crust flaky, though not perfectly so.

maybe I'll gird up my loins and attempt to conquer pie making again one day. in the distant future.

weekly menu

inspired by an abundance of apples, lovely autumn weather and our weekly basket brimming with garden greens and fresh fruit.

braised short ribs and potatoes
chicken & veggie enchiladas with black beans
corn chowder and garden salad
lasagne and green salad
apple pie
pumpkin apple muffins

sweet tote

aren't these candy corn bags cute? what fun for trick-or-treating

little punkins

they sure do love themselves an afternoon in the pumpkin patch. a little straw maze action, some butterscotch suckers, and a pumpkin each made for two happy little guys. really, the pumpkin fields dotted profusely with giant orange gourds make me happy, too.

a bushel and a peck

a friend told me about a little apple orchard not far down the road, and we happily discovered it just in time for picking. a perfect way to spend a gloriously bright and warm october afternoon. trees so full of apples the branches touched the grass below, making it easy for my little ones to get in on the fun. notice the half-eaten apple in the little green bucket. now I've got a bushel or two (how many in a bushel anyway?) ready for applesauce-ing and pie filling. 

hello, autumn

dear summer has made a hasty exit. we are happy to report some sunshine was left in that wake. here's to changing seasons, crunching leaves, cozy dinners, apple dumplings, pumpkin patches and a great scarf or two.  autumn is officially here and I'm totally ok with it.

Welcome to November

I feel I can now openly discuss holiday plans without too much scorn from the non-list-making, non-plan-ahead crows. November is here, the lists are made, the photos are in the works, travel plans are the topic of discussion, festivities are scheduled, and even some of the shopping is D O N E done. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, too. Piglet is riding his bike and greeting the neighbors with daddy standing by. Nanuk is in his crib but undecided on his nap, and mommy is readying a whole pile of sweet delectables for a ladies-only soiree on Wednesday. I feel like a little squirrel, hustling and hopping about preparing for the months to come.

Before November arrived, however, we bade farewell to October with all the glee of a toddler in a dragon costume with a musical bag filled with candy.

meet ichabod

knives + piglet = a very bad combination. but we didn't want to leave him out of the pumpkin festivities. found some inspiration here. used just some odds and ends we found in the garage; might have been cuter on a smaller pumpkin or with some slightly larger doo-dads. but my little guy was pleased with the activity. all in all a success!

happy halloween

the dragon and the bat

A trick and a treat all dressed up in fluffy costume cuteness. In truth, though, that little trick is a great big treat, and that little treat is sure to be plenty tricky before long. I'm crazy for these two little tricky treats.

The rest of the week is bursting with all hallows festivities: a costume parade "at school with the big kids," Boo at the Zoo, and come Saturday evening, some good old fashioned trick-or-treating. Let's hear it for getting some mileage out of the costumes.

why are all of my photos appearing blurry on blogger when they look normal anywhere else?

autumn fades

What a fickle season is the fading autumn in these parts: crisp and dappled blue and golden one day. Grey and dull and drowsy the next. Yesterday we even donned scarves and gloves for our evening walk, delivering popcorn treats of thanks to nearby friends. Piglet instinctively discovered the joy of jumping into piles of crunchy raked leaves. The rosy rosies of his cheeks remained extra pink and flushed through bath time and right up to bedtime.

To say the weather is brisk would be accurate; hinting of extra layers and snuggly evenings on the big couch with my three guys and a movie. Beckoning me to curl up with a new book way past bedtime. Whispering of afternoon hot cocoas with Piglet while Nanuk takes his long nap. All kinds of goodness on the horizon. I'd gladly welcome slightly warmer weather for another week or two or three, but perhaps it's not to be.

Tonight we embrace what is to come with our favorite cold-weather meal, and it's carve-the-pumpkins night. Can't wait to see the candlelight give life to my jack-o-lantern.

M is for Monster

Today was M day, so my own little monster and I cranked out these scary cupcakes as our special project. His jobs: installing the eyeballs, consuming any wayward chocolate chips, and licking all frosting utensils when we were done.

knock-off of these

maze-ing

We made a visit to our local pumpkin patch in hopes of a little train ride, but the train was temporarily out of commission. No matter, our little guy was quite entertained by the maze and the thousands of pumpkins of every size and hue. Each one practically perfect. Color coordinating outfit not intentional.

School Days: Scary Tales

via Travelin Oma

Book Shelf: Scary Stories

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired. ~List 10 ideas for a spook alley, or a Halloween party. ~Tell a ghost story you remember from your youth. ~Suggest a favorite book of scary tales. What age is it appropriate for?

I confess I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween. No gore and horror bedecking my halls, and too much candy is too much candy. But, I remember how my parents just hated this holiday and what a bummer it always seemed to me as a child. So I've resolved to do it up right by my little ones with happy touches here and there. I buy the cheap candy to pass out at my door, but if my kiddos are going to wear costumes, they might as well be good ones. And if I'm going to make treats (which I probably won't), they'd better be cute and tasty. Halloween can be plenty of fun without all the blood and guts, right? And so, a very simple Halloween party (which I might do once) for little ones might include:

1. jack-o-lanterns in every corner of the yard and the house, garlands of paper bats

2. the hostess must be a magnificent witch with stripey stockings and a fabulous hat

3. a bale-o-hay maze like one found at the pumpkin patch

4. a pin-the-nose-on-the-witch game

5. mummy dogs=hot dogs/sausages wrapped in biscuit dough and baked

6. goblin eyeballs=grapes, olives, cherry tomatoes

7. bat wings & monster dip=blue corn tortilla chips & guacamole

8. halloween-ish cupcakes (monsters? witches? ghosts?)

9. chocolate-covered gummy frogs

10. party favors like popcorn balls or a bundle of glow-necklaces

11. clever invites--designed by marta perhaps?

For our usual Halloween celebration, we make [count of] Monte Cristo Sandwiches and serve with salad and apple beer. We take our toddler to about 6 doors to trick-or-treat, put our kiddos to bed, put in a Hitchcock movie and greet trick-or-treaters. It's just how we like it.

soccer mom

my first foray into soccer mom-hood. looks like he's taking things very seriously. it may be a permanent situation for me, foreign territory.

truly, he loves it. mostly because it's outdoors and involved lots of running and a ball. I adore his flushed cheeks as he sprints over to at the end of class, arms flailing, effervescent with happiness. blessing counted today: a healthy, energetic little boy.

Tasty

Fall is almost here, which makes me happy. I like to think it makes my crock-pot happy also, since it comes out of summertime hibernation to my aid through the chilly months of comfort-food cooking. We tried this recipe tonight. It was excellent. We did some minor tweaking: no lima beans because we don't like them, no coriander because I didn't have any, and a little less spice to avoid anything too hot for Piglet. Even so, my guys gobbled it right up with oohs and ahhs and "it's such a beautiful dinner, mommy!" and "this is a really good dinner mommy. It's really delicious." Charming, no?