Diving into October

It's hard for me to believe it's already October.  Last weekend, Yaya's school held their annual Harvest carnival while I was attending my social work conference.  I'm told it felt nothing close to fall as the temperature that evening was 100 degrees.  One person overheated and had to be rushed to the ER.  Never the less, the floodgates of fall activities have officially opened. 

Friday afternoon we took in a movie together as family.  We finally saw the Cars sequel and Yaya literally danced down the isles afterward she enjoyed it so much.  Later that night, I attended a Blossoms and Bows party with my mom and purchased this adorable hair clip.  Yaya's class has been reading stories about owls and studying them so I thought it was perfect for her and this time of year.

I managed to blanch, peel, seed and freeze 5 bags of our tomatoes Friday morning before helping in Yaya's class.  I also made homemade cream of roasted pepper and tomato soup for the first time. 

It might be the tastiest soup I've ever made.  Bird devoured it and encouraged me to make it as often as I would like.  Yaya on the other hand was funny about it.  She said how much she LOVED it while she was eating and dipping her bread into it.  However, after dinner when we told her it was tomato soup (she says she doesn't like tomatoes) she exclaimed, "I thought it tasted kinda funny!"  Crazy funny kid. 

We did some fall organizing and cleaning Saturday while Yaya had a friend over to play.  I am constantly amazed how much paper we accumulate from her school and etc.  We removed & recycled 5 bags filled with paper from our drawers!  Saturday night I made 50 more of my photo cards to sell and give as gifts in the next few weeks and months.  (If you are interested in buying some of them as gifts please let me know.) 

Sunday, we spent the morning at church and headed off to a Pumpkin patch up the road.  I'm so thankful my mom told us about this place and joined us for the fun.  

We didn't attempt the maze but we did enjoy all the other activities the farm had to offer.  Pumpkin shooting, corn swimming, hay climbing, etc.  As usual, Yaya was hesitant to try something new.  She just really doesn't like jumping into things where the bottom is unknown.  Seeing this enormous box the size of half a public swimming pool filled with 4 feet of corn was no different.  Once I told her I was getting in too she agreed to try it.  You would never believe she was fearful of it the way we had to practically drag her out of it to do other things she was having so much fun. It was hands down her favorite activity at the farm.  I think we could have all spent the entire afternoon playing in it.

 

If you know me at all or have read my blog very long, you know I had to photograph and share at least one pumpkin shot.  I loved the texture on this pink pumpkin.  It's bumps reminded me of the little animals that attach themselves to whales and rocks in the ocean.

It was a productive and extremely fun family weekend. I can't wait to see what other fun activities October has in store.

Frizzy's Fruitful Harvest and Then Some

I believe I've mentioned how I always longed to have a garden of my own.  It's something I've wanted to do so badly but worried I wouldn't be able to stick it out.  I love the idea of digging in the soil, planting seeds and bringing a garden to life.  However, I do not enjoy finding the little creatures which live in the soil or on my plants and decide to gorge themselves on my fruits and veggies.  To be honest, that's normally where my gardening romance ends. 

The last few years, I've planted and successfully raised tomatoes with my mother's help and encouragement.   In fact, we've had such great success with them we decided to plant a variety this year including Early Girls, Grape tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes, Beef Steaks and Heirlooms. Surprisingly, the grape tomatoes pictured below may be our favorites!  While the squirrels and other critters have decided our Heirlooms, Early Girls and Beef Steak tomatoes are theirs.  Believe it or not, two of our four tomato plants have grown to be almost 10 feet tall and are only inches below the rain gutters on our roof.

  I would like to give Suzanne, author of the blog Privet and Holly a big THANK YOU for sharing this delicious Strawberry-Tomato salsa recipe this morning. 

Like Suzanne, I substituted peaches for the strawberries and OH MY WORD!  Each bite explodes with such amazing flavors!  A definite must try for everyone!  As soon as I saw it on her blog I had to go cut the peaches and tomatoes I had sitting on my counter and give it a whirl!

OK, Where was I?  Oh yes, my garden update! Thanks to the success of our previous tomato gardens we decided to take this year's garden a little further.  We planted potatoes, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, pumpkins, pole beans, an avocado tree and herbs.  Each morning and evening I've ventured through my garden to see if anything has grown or needs a little TLC.  It's also been fun working on a project like this with my mom.  I've really enjoyed spending cool mornings in the garden with her pulling weeds and discussing how to improve a plant's health or a better layout for next year's garden.  Thanks Mom!

One thing I didn't plan on receiving this summer was an impromptu "sex education" lesson from my aunt, Karolyn on how to tell the difference between male and female squash, zucchini or pumpkin blossoms.   That's one conversation and morning I'll never forget.  Needless to say, upon returning home from our vacation I learned why my garden wasn't producing any squash, zucchini or pumpkins.  Each and every one of them were male plants!  GO FIGURE!  My husband and I are infertile why shouldn't our garden be as well?  HONESTLY!  It's the story of our life and if we don't laugh about it we will cry and trust me when I tell you we have had PLENTY laughs over this topic this summer. 

Anyway, as with our own infertility struggles I wasn't about to give up at the first sight of trouble.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and began cross pollinating all of their blossoms in hopes a miracle might still occur.  Yaya has since named me"The Pumpkin Fairy" because a week or so later as I wandered through my garden I found this lovely pumpkin blossom.  In case you aren't aware, IT'S A GIRL!   

You can imagine my excitement and glee!  I could have done cartwheels right then and there! FYI, The male blossoms only have one center stamen and the females have five in a circle.

If that weren't enough excitement for this old gal a few days later I noticed this little beauty. 

HELLO! MY SWEET!

In the photo below, you can see the teeny tiny zucchini and squash I've plucked from our garden.  I'm not talking about the big yellow squash and zucchini under all the other goodies.  I'm talking about the tiny ones in front of the basket or resting on top.  You'll also notice our first potato laying on top along with my very own Italian Parsley, beans and tomatoes too.

My mom and I planted about 20 or so bean plants and they started off doing really well.  They climbed all the way to the roof of our home and along the overhang.  One by one little white blossoms started popping up.  We couldn't wait to enjoy those beans in a salad or smothered in cheese sauce.  Unfortunately, they only seemed to be ready one at a time or if we were lucky in threes.  Not really enough to make a meal of.  If that weren't enough to make us sad, last week our beautiful bean plants came down with some sort of fungus.  They were covered in white dust and the leaves turned brown and crunchy.  My mom looked it up and we sprayed them according to what we believe it was.  Unfortunately, it only got worse.  Yesterday, Bird pulled them all out of the ground and put them out of their misery.  It was a sad afternoon for me to see them go.

Our cucumbers are producing but not well and they look more like lemon cucumbers than the ones we planted from seed.  It's been another disappointment but one I'm not going to let get to me.  We'll try for cucumbers again next summer and hopefully we'll have some to pickle.

Just before Yaya's birthday our plum tree was filled with gorgeous ripe plums. We couldn't eat them fast enough even with the help from the squirrels who had more than their fare share.  My mom and I made 19 jars of plum jelly.  We made 3 different batches and each one turned out a little different though we still can't figure out why.  Is there anything as pretty as a homemade jar of jelly?

My neighbor across the street has been such a blessing.  She has brought us tons of zucchini and yellow squash from her garden.  I've shredded and frozen 10 bags of zucchini for future zucchini  bread this fall.  In addition, she gave us a delicious zucchini relish recipe that is TO DIE FOR! My mom and I have made 3 batches of the relish and now have 19 jars of zucchini relish to share and devour over the winter season.  

As an added bonus, years ago my mom was given my great grandma, Alice's water bath for canning.  We've used it for each and every batch of jelly and relish and we've felt a special closeness to her all summer.  Once in a while it will sputter and make some funny noises and we've decided it's great grandma trying to let us know how happy she is someone's using her canner.  Then again, maybe she was trying to tell us what it was we were doing different with each batch of jelly or relish. 

This was our first batch of zucchini relish! 

You may wonder if I still have romantic ideas about gardening.  I do!  In fact, I probably feel even stronger about it now.  I can't imagine a better way to love and nourish my family from the inside out.  I love knowing where our food comes from and what has gone into it.  Plus, it has saved us money at the grocery store!  The biggest bonus I've received is the quiet mornings with Yaya and my mom in our garden.   

Do you have a garden?  If so, how has it done this year?  What has been your favorite treat from it?  Will you be planting anything in the fall?

Sprinkles

What is it about sprinkles that makes everything better and more fun?  Have you ever noticed the way a child's entire body language changes at the sight of them? 

  Eyebrows raise. Eyes light up as if the shine from the sprinkles is glaringly bright. Tiny fingers twitch while trying desperately not to touch. Smiles grow bigger and hope glimmers on a child's face. In Yaya's case, her entire body begins to jump for joy as she gleefully exclaims, "SPRINKLES!!!" The floodgates have crashed open leaving nothing left for her to do but ask, "Momma can I have (insert sprinkle coated item here)? PLEEEASE?!"

As soon as I saw the festive sprinkles I knew what I was going to make for her preschool class.  

White chocolate dipped pretzel sticks with sprinkles!

All that's left to do now is pass them out and watch the magic of sprinkles begin.

Family Weekend In Review

We had such a wonderful weekend we all hated to see it end.  Friday night we snuggled into our home and enjoyed listening to the rain fall outside.  I also made a big batch of chili and we shared a fun family game night together.  Go Fish and Dominos were Yaya's choices for the evening. 

First thing Saturday morning we met some friends at a harvest festival in town.  Yaya had a blast playing with Cecily and Casey.

I can't get over how much he's grown and changed in a year's time.  Last spring he was just learning to crawl and walk not to mention trying desperately to keep up with his big sister and her friends.  I'm betting before long they'll all be chasing him around.

What is a festival without a magic act?  This was Yaya's first time seeing a real magician.  He must have been pretty good because he had everyone's complete attention. 

The rain started again around 1:30 that afternoon and after playing in it for awhile we decided it was time to take cover.  Nothing warms your body up faster than sharing a cup of hot cocoa with someone you love.  

Saturday night we stayed home again and played dress-up with Yaya and the dogs.  Yes the dogs dressed up too.  (I'll post pictures of Zizi another day.  She deserves a post all to herself after what we put her through.)  I could be wrong but I think Ellie actually enjoyed wearing these bunny ears. 

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early for church.  Then, we spent the afternoon baking 4 dozen cupcakes for the cake walk at our church's harvest carnival.  Some of my favorite childhood memories were spent with my mom baking in the kitchen.  I hope Yaya feels the same some day.  She's getting to be quite the little chef.  She helped me add all the ingredients, stir the batter, make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and put the sugar decorations on top of every one of these cupcakes.

After a quick nap it was time to dress up for the carnival.  Yaya insisted on being a "Blutterfly" one more time.  I love that she is so easy to make happy.  I hope it stays this way as she grows up. 

We had tons of fun playing games, cake walking, jumping in jumpy castles, trick or treating from room to room, hanging with friends and pappy at the church.  It was the perfect way to end the perfect family weekend. 



Pumkins Pumpkins Everywhere PUMPKINS

Sunday we headed out to one of the biggest Harvest festivals in the area.  We couldn't wait to see the famous Pumpkin Regatta.  There were 10 competitors.  Each one had what they hoped was the perfect  pumpkin to carve and paddle in a race across the lake.  You haven't seen anything until you've seen a full sized man or woman squeeze into a pumpkin and paddle it across a lake and back.  The last photo in the grouping was the regatta champion.

Yaya was fascinated by the pumpkin carvings.  However, she wasn't sure she wanted to put her hand too close to the pumpkin's mouth. 

This is not Yaya's first hay maze but it is the first time she's manoeuvred one all by herself.

My very own pumpkin bandits.  What's a mom to do? 

This year's harvest theme was "The Rodeo" and we were in awe of the amount of time and creativity people put into their scarecrow entries.  

These are the moments I hope Yaya remembers and cherishes for years to come.  I know I will.

What A Night

Sometimes, the planets align and 3 children are happy, ready for an adventure and a night of fun.

Around 3:30 Friday afternoon my girlfriend K and I decided we were going to take our little girls out for a night on the town. Oktoberfest was kicking off and we were all ready for an evening of good food, good music and dancing.

We arrived at the German-American cultural building 40 minutes after the doors opened.  The line stretched out the front door, down the side steps and along the sidewalk to the rear of the building and back like a snake.  We decided we weren't going to let a "little" line ruin our fun. 

  We hopped in line and enjoyed the entertainment.  The accordionist played music and the crowd sang along to songs like "Roll out the Barrel." We also taught the girls how to do "The Chicken Dance."

It took us OVER an hour to get back to the front of the building and up the steps only 3 feet from the entrance.  That's when the fire department came out and said the Oktoberfest building had reached its maximum capacity.  From that point on they could only let in people once others left.  He said, to expect up to a 2-3 hour wait.  K and I about cried.  We were SO close!  The kids had been so patient but there was no way 3 good girls would stay happy if they had to wait in line much longer.  Back to the car we went.  By this time it was 8:15-8:30 and we weren't willing to wait in line anywhere else either.  Then we remembered Chic-fil-A was close AND they had an indoor playground.  It wasn't the German strudel, spaetzel or schnitzel our taste buds had yearned for but it would have to do.

 Sometimes the evening doesn't go quite as you planned but you make the most of it. 

As we drove away from Chick-Fil-A the song "Oh What a Night" came on the radio.  K and I immediately laughed thinking the title was a perfect description of our evening and we sang it at the top of our lungs.  The girls giggled hysterically in the back seat at their funny moms.  When we finished our crazy duet they shouted in unison, "Barvo!  Barvo!"

Their saying Bravo wrong was too funny and the perfect way to end a night full of unexpected moments.

Welcoming Spring

Last weekend, our local newspaper told us Daffodil Hill would be opening. I've always wanted to see fields full of tulips or daffodils and I couldn't think of a better way to welcome Spring with a bang. After many hills and winding roads we FINALLY arrived and BOY OH BOY we weren't disappointed. We piled out of our cars, grabbed our picnic baskets and off we went. It couldn't have been a better day. Perfect temperature, the hill wasn't too crowded and there were tons of places for photo opportunities.

 

 

Welcome Spring!

What's better than...

 

 

spending the afternoon baking cupcakes with your daughter then watching her lick the spoon? Sigh...it brings back so many memories of doing this same thing with my mommy. Next time we'll have to invite her to join us.