Life Lately

A dwindling number of you out there might be wondering what have we been up to? I always shook my head when people became too busy too blog. I never think I spend that much time updating. But these days, I've been ramping it up as we move into the holiday season! I'm scouring the web & working on handmade Christmas gifts. Anyway, here's a glimpse of our lives the past month. Entertaining Hamming it up for the camera
Enjoying the beautiful weather.
Meeting the bison
hanging out
stealing brother's marker's
And just being together!

Green Eggs & Ham

We recently added little pureed spinach (and food coloring) for a tasty version of "Green Eggs & Ham"!

Butternut Squash

I know I have been a C- blogger, and haven't shown any yummy food or crafts in ages. But there has been so much yumminess that I haven't had time to blog about it all! Looking forward to my Winter CSA program, which starts in a few weeks. Do you know what I love most about butternut squash? That it stays good for months! Anyway, my butternut squash from my csa is finally all gone. These 3 recipes using butternut squash are all highly recommended!

Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Lasagna
Winter Squash Bars, from "Simply in Season"
Gingery Butternut Squash Soup, from "Simply in Season"

1st Real Camping Trip!

The weather was so beautiful last weekend that the boys went for their first real overnight camping trip. Lance decided at the last minute, and fortunately was able to find some friends to join us. The last time E spent the night in a tent was when we had friends over for a little city camping. I can't wait for us to all get to do this together with other friends! Wanna come with us when that time comes? :)

Mary Alice Duncan Photography

A few weeks ago, we had some pictures made with Mary Alice Duncan. Love these! Check out some more from Mary Alice Duncan Photography here. For a flashback of some other great family photos, click here!

Fun for Kids

Neither of these are glamorous projects, but they were fun for our kids! Our tents (Sheets, Blankets & Pillows) are always falling in the middle, and I can't fit in them, so I made a version, inspired by this tent. Mine is much less refined, but it's fun & does the trick! Also, we made a "house" for Ethan's cars, which he decorated with pictures of cars cut out of magazines. Kept him busy for like 2 days straight!!!

Pumpkins

We've been roasting & pureeing a lot of pumpkins these days! The freezer is stocked for the yumminess of pumpkin breads & pies & pumpkin black bean soup. Anyone have a favorite pumpkin recipe for me to try?

Trunk or Treat, 2009

In contrast to last year, KB was a flurry of activity at Trunk or Treat last week. She was everywhere! And Ethan got to actually eat some candy! Although I still had to look through his loot for nut ingredients, it was fun for him to be able to eat more candy!

Halloween Allergen-Free Candies

I'm behind schedule on posting this, but I wanted to share this link of Halloween Candies which are free of all the top 8 allergens, as well as Gluten-Free. This year, I've got Halloween whistles, spider rings, and other non-food treats. These go over pretty well, people! You should try some non-food items. The kids were coming back to our Trunk-or-Treat trunk for more whistles! Smarties are the easiest-to-find safe food that is good for most everyone & very easy to find.

CSA, Week 26 (the last week!)

This week (The LAST week!) of our CSA gave us potatoes, bok choy, butternut squash, long island cheese pumpkin, muscadine grapes, tomatoes, popping corn & some more of those white beans.

This week we'll be making some kettle corn, homemade grape juice, vegan pumpkin bread, butternut squash soup, baked potato soup, & bok choy salad. Cannot WAIT to eat some kettle corn - my favorite!

We are considering doing the Winter Program of Avalon Acres CSA. Most of the foods are canned, and therefore less pressure to eat them right away. You can choose among several packages, which might include meats, eggs, canned, dried goods, root vegetables, winter vegetables, (canned corns, beans, tomatoes, tomato juice, sorghum, honey, jellies, preserves, pickles, apple butter, pear butter, popping corn, cornmeal, peanuts, sweet potatoes, winter squash, homemade pastas & spaghetti sauce, amish breads & desserts. If you are interested, the order form is right here. This winter, you can also hand pick your own package.

Now that I've written that, I think I've talked myself into it!

Just a Little Taste

This is just a little taste of the cuteness I get to enjoy every day. Nothing particularly special about this, but it's just classic E awesomeness!!! I could just eat him up.

Ethan's First Climbing Trip

A big moment in our house - Ethan's first climbing trip!!! He got to pick out his own outfit (check out the Diego Mountain Rescue hat!) and pack his backpack. He stuffed it full of cars, of course. Lance said he didn't complain at all about all the hiking. There was a LOT of hiking!
Taking a break.
He was so excited about the waterfalls!
Watching Daddy climb!

Farm Field Trip

Ethan's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch last week. They were so cute. I can't believe we've reached the field trip stage!
Weaving the loom...

CSA, Week 25

Anyone know if that's chard? And we also got some sort of white bean that i can't identify.

Dragon Park

A few weeks ago, we got out to visit Dragon Park on a pretty day. I wish we had more pretty days, but it's like we've moved to Seattle!

You will probably notice that the nearly-4-year-old is becoming more & more elusive in my blog. He's like a wild creature that hates to be photographed. While the baby is hamming it up.

CSA, Week 23 (Missing 24)

Just now getting around to posting a picture of last week's CSA. I forgot to take one this week. Week 23 gave us: Cushaw Squash, Pumpkin, Purple Hull Peas, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Peppers, Bell Peppers, and Potatoes.

Cushaw Squash Pie, here I come! Here is a yummy vegan version I made a couple of years ago. I am coming to the conclusion that nearly all winter squash are hard to distinguish, and all are yummy baked with butter & brown sugar or baked apples. It seems that they are all pretty interchangeable with pumpkin in recipes.

KB & Daddy

I have been a horrible blogger, although not as bad as some people I know. But I refuse to let the blog die! KB is getting bigger & bigger & bigger, although she's still a tiny little girl. It hurt me when I had to go out last week and buy a few 9 month shirts! I had completely stocked up on 12-18 month winter clothes at consignment sales. They didn't fit. So then I caught the next wave of consignment & bought a few 12 month items. Now many of them don't fit!!! Ahh! Well, we will be stocked on clothes for a while.

Madsen Cargo Bike Contest

Oh, I would love to win this super awesome MADSEN Cargo Bike. I hope I win, I hope I win! They are giving away one bike a week!!! Check it out!

Personality

Our little one is full of personality these days! This is the super-fun developmental phase where there is something new going on every week! Last week, she started giving us this face that she knows is adorable! Here it is. She scrunches up her face with a bit toothy grin!!And the little stinker has a new favorite past time - unlocking the baby gate! My mom can't even figure that one out!

CSA, Week 22

4 More Weeks of the CSA! This week we'll be eating: Green Beans, Radishes, Pumpkin, Spaghetti Squash, Apples, Zucchini, Pattypan Squash, Green Bell Pepper, Acorn Squash and Tomatoes! This looks like a tasty acorn squash recipe.

Last week I was highly dissapointed in this recipe, Spaghetti Squash with Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta. It was a ton of work and wasn't very good. I still have 3 spaghetti squash, so this time I'm gonna try this Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies recipe. I cooked Kale for the last time in this Spinach & Kale Turnover recipe, which was pretty good.

Apples are in season, so I'll be making this recipe again soon!

I see many more falls in her future

Our baby has a new activity - climbing up everything! I leave for seconds and she will climb up nearly everything in the house. (I walk back this morning to my breakfast to see her sitting in front of my coffee, computer & hot oatmeal! That's an accident waiting to happen.) Ethan never attempted to climb up anything, so it's a whole new experience around here. This little one has bumps & bruises at all times, because she is fearless! Anyone have ideas on how to curb this zest for life???

CSA, Week 21

This week: Raw Peanuts, Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Bell Pepper, Pumpkin, Radishes, Cukes & Green Beans

Sunflower Seeds

Did you know that sunflower seeds came from actual sunflowers? Advanced concept, I know, but I was completely oblivious to this. So it was such fun to harvest the seeds from our sunflower that we grew in our garden! Next step is roasting them.You can see the little seeds peeking out of the flower as it dries out...

CSA, Week 20

The CSA has maybe a month and a half left, so we're drawing to a close. As always, I'm looking forward to the break! This week, we had tomatoes, banana peppers, watermelon, potatoes, spaghetti squash, purple hull peas & yellow squash. (Not pictured, but was in the box: even more tomatoes, bell peppers, and raw peanuts. Boiled peanuts are so tasty, but I can't bring all those peanuts into our house!)

Birthdays

Birthdays just keep getting better & better! Thanks to my friends & family! Please excuse the awkward pretend candle-blowing face here. This post is really to show off my Grandmother's *awesome* necklace that we found in a little box at my Granddad's!! I love it, and I will think of her every time I wear it.

13 Months?

Is it just me, or does she look...like...22 in this picture?

CSA, Week 19

CSA This Week: Watermelon, Tomato, Potato, Eggplant, Squash, Green Pepper, Green Beans, and Sweet Rolls!

Baja Burrito

I hope y'all got out & got yourself some free Baja Burrito yesterday! The line was L-O-N-G and wrapped around the restaurant all day long! This picture was taken yesterday at 11:15 (and they open at 11!) How nice is my brother?

Sibling Fun

I'm glad that KB is finally able to keep up with E these days. They are developing a normal, fun, drive-each-other-crazy kind of relationship, which is fun to watch!

Curtains - How To

Sarah gave me the idea for these easy curtains in Ethan's room, inspired by this magazine article. I really wanted to make Roman Shades, but was out of money and energy. If you have a basic knowledge of sewing, this is a manageable project.

First, you pick two contrasting fabrics. Sew them on 3 sides, facing sides together. Then you turn it right side out, keeping a small space open to insert an inexpensive curtain rod. Finally, sew on some grosgrain ribbon, or sew thin ties to keep your curtain up! Ribbon would be an easier option, but I wanted a thicker strap, so I sewed mine. {Annika: I fully realize that this is very unclear directions, but hopefully you have some basic sewing knowledge and can follow it! Does it make sense?}

The only down side to these curtains is that they are not very convenient to open & close on a daily basis.

I've seen a couple of other budget shades projects online too. Here's one, and here's another.

CSA, Week 18

Week 18: Corn, (Gretel?) Eggplant, Tomatoes, Onions, Green Beans, Green Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Butternut Squash, and the biggest cantaloupe ever.

Growing Potatoes

A few months ago, i planted some potatoes. I had no idea what they would look like as they grew. But tonight we pulled some out - what fun little new potatoes! I picked them a bit early, so I'll leave the rest in the ground a few more weeks. But isn't that fun? Also, I highly suggest that if any of you are considering gardening & have kids, you should grow tomatoes. My kids love picking them and eating them right off the vine.

Yeah for gardening!