comeback kids

My pansies should not be alive. I did everything wrong with them this year: I bought the last scraggly ones available at Wal-Mart (couldn't find them anywhere else), and they were too leggy and all blooming, which is no good. Then, they waited almost an entire week outside the house before I could plant them. By then they were completely root-bound and almost brown! And then, we had some hot weather (bad news for pansies - I should have waited another month).

Somehow most of these guys are still surviving - unbelievable. That's my kind of flower.

pumpkin cookies

I love the fall because it gives me excuses to cook with pumpkin. I tried this recipe this morning - they are great and make the house smell wonderful.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

toenail pollege

One of our favorite people came by for lunch today. Mireille did not fail to deliver on her promise to paint Meg's nails - it was so sweet.

Meg has never let anyone put "toenail pollege" on her before, and I have never attempted it. Meg is loving every minute - you can see it in her eyes...

This is a pretty great job on a wiggly 2-year-old...

butternut and sweet potato bisque

This soup has been a fall staple for us for the last few years. It is so good! It freezes well, so buy a big butternut squash and make a double batch. I need Mark to use his muscles to cut the squash, but other than that it's super easy to make. [And make it with these brussels sprouts! They are addictive!]

Here's the recipe:
1.5 t. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
4 c. peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 med. sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 c. corn kernels (may be frozen)
2 T. minced ginger
1.5 t. light brown sugar
1 t. coriander
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1. Heat oil over med. high heat. Saute onion 3-5 mins., until it begins to brown.
2. Add all ingredients, plus 3 c. water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until squash is tender (15-20 mins.)
4. With slotted spoon, transfer solids to blender and process to a smooth puree. Return puree to saucepan and stir to blend with liquid remaining in pan.

And, we just discovered these rolls and love them! They only have 5 ingredients...none of the funny stuff.

one-foot salute

Katie has a unique characteristic:

She will just hang out with one or both feet sticking straight up in the air! We call them her antennae - she will just be sitting in her bouncy seat and we will look over and see one or two little legs sticking straight up. She must have some strong abs under that baby chub.

family time

No plans.
Beautiful weather.
Great Saturday.

taming the rooster

We've nicknamed Meg's daily bedhead "the rooster tail". So in the mornings when she eats breakfast I tell her I am "taming the rooster" by wetting it and combing it down. Now if I forget, I hear a little voice calling out from the dining room, "Tame the rooster, Mama!"

totaled

It's official: the car that was in the accident last week is totaled. (It doesn't look like a totaled car, does it?) We went to get our stuff from the car and said our final good-byes. I am so grateful the car was sturdy enough to hold up so well and keep Mark safe. (His airbag didn't go off but the passenger side one did...the force of it was so explosive it cracked the windshield - can you imagine that hitting you in the face?)

squirrel and the nut

I started these dresses weeks ago but I couldn't decide how to finish them. Pumpkins? Pockets? Then I realized that the girls are little so they won't remember wearing these no matter what they look like. So I forged ahead and got it done before they can outgrow them...or learn to have an opinion about what they wear.

halloween

Meg had her first trick-or-treating experience last night - it was 90% fun and 10% scary for her. Our neighborhood gets really into Halloween - they blockade the street for trick-or-treaters and have house-decorating contests. One house was so scary that Meg wouldn't go to the door. She put her bag in front of her face (for protection) and started backing away.

I had Katie in the bjorn and as two women passed us I overheard one woman say to the other, "See? It IS a real baby!" I thought that was really funny.

We ran out of our massive candy supply within an hour. So we had to recycle Meg's candy! After we picked out our favorites, of course.