Autumn

(photo from Country Living)

baked oatmeal,

apple coffee cake, (super easy recipe)

Trying out fall/winter meals from my new cookbook,

Chilly mornings, apple cider, cuddling in blankets when we watch TV or read a book,

Sweaters like this one,

Routines.

My little chef

Aidan will doing a guest spot today. He made a special treat for dinner tonight almost all-by-himself! He also set the table and filled the water glasses. (He filled them in the bathroom sink- but hey, at least he is helping, right?!)

Thanks sweetie! You are growing up so fast and you are such a good little helper! (And a good little cook.)





And in case my video upload never works, you can find it here.

Recent sewing projects

I have barely touched my machine this summer. I had great intentions but......... I have no AC in my sewing room and with the changes to digital TV my little sewing room television no longer works, and it had been my faithful companion and distraction in the sewing room for years. So I then decided to rent DVD's at the library and watch the old classics during those late night hours but I now owe the library the equivalent of three purses thanks to the lack of phone and Internet reception the week we were in Wyoming.

But a co-worker/friend, who is also Aidan's girlfriend had a baby girl yesterday and this is what I had sewn for her, as a gift from the nurses at work. (Back to the girlfriend story - Aidan loves her because she always plays so nice with him when I would visit work. So for the past few years they have a little flirtation and I am the courier as they send little cards, letters and treats back and forth. When I told Aidan she was having a baby he ran to James exclaiming "Guess what Dad! My girlfriend is having a baby!" And I told him that better be the only time I hear those words come out of his mouth.)


The pictures look rather "busy" and it is hard to tell but I made her a little quilt, a vintage chenille changing pad and a diaper bag. They had a baby girl, and she requested something girly. I think that is just what she ended up with!

Thanks Janet!

A friend recently recovered this for me in exchange for some sewing. I think I got the better end of the bargain. This is an old chair I bought for James' office at a thrift store a few years ago. I love the chair, but we had to move on, and it fits nicely here. Thanks again Janet- I am looking forward to seeing how the quilt turns out!

She covered it in oilcloth, so now it will be the chair of choice for sticky fingers that come to visit. It is actually quit e comfy too, and I like the fact it doesn't match anything else in the room.

Cucumber Dip

We have had lots of cucumbers in our CSA boxes this summer. This is on of my favorite recipes, I love to eat it as a dip, but a it is kind of similar to raita I also enjoy it with rice. You can play alot with it- add mint instead of dill, add other veggies as more of a salad, or you can enjoy it this way. Regardless it is a light refreshing summer food.

Cucumber Dip:

2 cucumbers. ( you can peel or not) chopped fine into little pieces, about 1/8- 1/4 inch
1 pkg cream cheese, whipped

1/2 cup yogurt or Mayonnaise

couple bunches of fresh dill, chopped

juice of a lemon or lime

salt to taste

Blend the cream cheese and yogurt, adding the lemon/lime and mix until smooth. Add cuke's and dill, season with salt to taste. Serve with chips/crackers or veggies. Or go all out and scoop up with Frito's. ( I really like the chips pictured above. You can buy them in the organic section of your grocery store.)

Girls Weekend

Last weekend I went with some girlfriends to a ladies retreat in Westby WI. I had debated going, I felt rather guilty for leaving Aidan for the weekend, and I vacillated until almost the last minute!



But I am so glad I went, it was fun to catch up with old friends, make some new ones, and it was rather appropriate that the topic for the weekend was "Transitions in Your Season of Life." We had shed a few tears on our way down to WI talking about the transitions we are experiencing right now and so the entire weekend was relevant and I am thankful I went!


Here are a few pictures- mostly from a few hours we spent checking out the Amish. We were trying to find Christa a nice, beardless guy she could convert/corrupt but to no avail. Not that we didn't see any, we saw quite a few in fact, but you know they don't have phone numbers or Facebook.

we drove through the countryside and eventually stopped at a little house with s sign for maple syrup. It turned out the lady had a magnificent garden that we toured and every year she sells perennials. It was amazing- my photos don't do it any justice, but I hope you can just get an idea of how beautiful it was.

State Fair

Have you ever watched the old musical, State Fair? It is one of my favorites. I remember watching it at my Grandma J's house one summer - and my Grandpa sang along the whole way through. I thought the fair looked magical in that movie, but I never was very impressed with the fairs I went to in real life. I have been to fairs from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, but never really felt the allure.

Until this year. This year we actually went during the day, on a perfectly cool summer day to be exact, and as a family with a son who was all excited about the animals and displays. We were able to observe firsthand as they participants groomed their horses before the show, and we also watched the judging of pigs and sheep. We hardly ate any "fair food" rather we enjoyed all the horticulture and agriculture buildings and we even took a ride on the gondola across the fair! (we had promised this to Aidan at last years fair- and trust me, he didn't forget)

So in case you weren't able to make it to a fair this year- here's what you missed!

This pig was snorting like crazy, so James called his brother........

There are some beautiful chickens out there. And yes, we are contemplating getting a few. I think fresh eggs would be awesome. My only stipulation: we have to move first.

Aidan was our photographer!

He was also on You Tube. You can find it here, number 090208. It didn't work out so well for him since he can't read yet. Maybe next year.

All the beautiful, natural plants and animals in the horticulture building and this is what Aidan loved the most.

CSA Breakfast