wordless wednesdays.

happy halloween! what? i know that it's december... but...

Greg had to work for the annual Halloween Trick-Or-Treat on Main Street, so I ended up taking everyone myself.

It was fun.

It was COLD.

We stuck it out for an hour or so, filling up our bags with candy and pencils. Not living in town, this is our chance to experience the real Trick-or-Treating that so many kids grow up doing. We did get the kiddos pictures professionally taken. If you want to see them or order some for yourself (mom), go here. Click on "Client Proofs" and then click on "Trick or Treat." You will have to look through all of the other photos until you find ours... and I can't remember what page we were on! I have yet to get any for myself, but I think they will be up until the end of this month.

On Halloween night, we went over to our friend's house right in the middle of prime Trick-or-Treating territory. We decided that we were going to have a party over there so the kiddos could hand out candy and go for a bit of Trick-or-Treating themselves. We brought over cupcakes, spinach balls and a cream cheese, sun dried tomato and pesto torte. I also made some cranberry shortbread cookies with chocolate and whipped cream dips. It was yummy!

Since all of Finley's costumes were big and bulky, I quickly dressed her up like a carrot for the evening. Just in case you were wondering what in the heck she is!!

The daddies took the big kids out for some Trick-or-Treating after dinner. We quickly ran out of candy to pass out, so once the kids brought back their loot, we snatched some from their baskets and filled up our candy bowl! Rowen had a GREAT time Trick-or-Treating. He was pretty scared at first -- their were lots of pretty done-up houses -- but Greg said he stomped right up to doors, told them that they had a very scary house and could he please have some candy. He also made friends with a band of pirates handing out candy -- they told him that he was their captain!

days of fall :: halloween photo shoot and the third of the many posts that you've been waiting for.

Lynna and I realized that we had to make time for our routine holiday/seasonal photo shoots that are, unfortunately, getting farther and farther apart. Once this new one comes along, they will only get less and less common! It is hard enough baby-wrangling four kiddos... let alone five.

Anyway... we met up at her house the day before Halloween to line the kids up -- police line-up style -- for our Halloween photo shoot. Too cute!

Lynna always does a great job of matching her kiddo's costumes up to one another. Finley's fish costume was a hand-me-down from Lynna and Addie that I REALLY wanted Finley to wear for Halloween and no matter how hard I tried, Rowen did NOT want to be a fisherman. Well... he really didn't want to be a pirate at first, but quickly changed his mind once he saw how cool the costume was!

pumpkin carving at fullmer's.

Greg had to work, but I took the kiddos over for pumpkin carving at our local True Value Hardware Store where we have blown our hard-earned money ever since we moved to Gunnison. I swear, if Greg stopped shopping there the doors would close and lock for good. And we would be rich.

Pictures of the actual carving party are on my other camera and y'all are lucky that I've gotten THIS far. Maybe I'll post them over here at some point.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

We'll see.

the second of the halloween posts that you've all been waiting for.

A few nights before Halloween we had a chance to try out the new costumes that we had gathered over the last month and pick the "right" one for Halloween night! Rowen was loving all of his new pirate costumes that were headed straight into the dress-up box once the holiday was over!

just the beginning of the halloween posts that you've all been waiting for.

So... seeing as it is now December... I decided that it was about time for me to get my Halloween posts up for everyone to enjoy!

Carving our pumpkins one random evening turned out mighty fine. It was a bit spur-of-the-moment. After we all ate dinner, Greg asked Rowen if he wanted to carve his pumpkin. Well... the rest just happened. I wasn't really expecting for it to be done that evening, but luckily, there isn't much planning ahead to carving pumpkins. We used to have a huge Halloween Pumpkin Carving party every year, but having a quiet moment this time around with just the four of us was wonderful!

We did actually get our act together to roast the pumpkin seeds. The insides of these pumpkins (remember the $1,000 pumpkins?) were kind of funky. They were really fibrous and not at all goopy like the inside of a pumpkin should be. It was a pain to scoop the guts out and even more of a pain to separate the seeds, but we are very persistent.

I actually boiled the seeds in salt water this time... I think that was the magical key to making pumpkin seeds that actually taste good. After they were boiled, I left them out overnight to thoroughly dry off and roasted them the next day. YUM! Rowen and Finley liked them... once you shucked the outer shell off... which, by the way is a big pain, too. They didn't get as many to eat as that might have liked to...

The mass on top of Rowen's head is actually the INSIDE guts of the pumpkin... I know... weird, huh?

Rowen drew the face that he wanted on his own pumpkin. It was SO cute!

doesn't everyone rig up a zip line for their kids after dinner?

Why yes, Finley is wearing Rowen's undies... why do you ask?

finley's guide to homemade applesauce.

1. Look really, really excited about the project so mommy makes sure to allow you to stand on a chair at the kitched island.

2. Make sure each apple tastes delicious while making your big brother do all of the hard work.

3. Systematically toss all apple peels onto the floor, only after tearing them into little pieces and sampling each one!

4. Scream at the top of your lungs until mommy gives you a knife (just like Ro-Ro's knife) so you can help cut the apples.

5. Keep cutting.

6. Sneak as many pieces of apple as you can while they are still in the bowl.

7. Wait patiently once the apples get moved over to the stove to simmer.

8. Go find something more interesting to do until the applesauce is done and ready to eat!

days of fall :: pumpkin patch fun.

Our local pumpkin patch is lame.

Really lame.

It consists of a few rows of pumpkins lined up in one of our parks and a "hay bale maze" that is made out of... oh... about five hay bales.

The few people that put it on each year use it as a fundraiser for a scholarship fund for our local Recreation Center... you know, so kids who can't afford to take rec classes can sign up anyway.

Last year, they had a fairly crude sign stating where the money went and a jar for you to plink your donations into. They recommended --- I think --- $5.00 - $10.00 per pumpkin, depending on size.

This year, there was no sign anywhere tell folks where the money went. When the kiddos picked out our pumpkins (I wanted to get three, Greg talked me into just picking out two) I looked around for someone who appeared to be in charge to show them our pumpkins and see what they wanted for them.

Lady Who Was In Charge At The Moment: "Ummm... so and so is in the bathroom and she's asking $20.00 per pumpkin."

Me: "......"

Me: "Ummm... well... yeah... I don't have that much money, but here's $20.00 for both of them."

Those poor kids better thoroughly enjoy their rock climbing and basketball.

Nevertheless, the kids loved picking their pumpkins and crawling all over the rest. Having Greg with us gave me a great opportunity to snap some pictures... our "annual fall photo shoot," I guess, since Lynna and I have a heck of a time baby-wrangling four kids under the age of four for any kinds of pictures.

They both did well and held up to us yapping about "smile!" and "look here" and "Rowen, sit down!" and "Finley, get your finger out of your nose!" I lucked out and had some Smarties in my bag... those work really, really well for keeping kids still and a somewhat photogenic look on their faces.

Happy fall, y'all! Sorry for the photo-heavy post. I hope your computers all held up to the challenge... mine almost didn't! Once I get my October Picasa photos up, you can always view more over there.

baby update.

So...

I went to see our OB this evening.

Hurray! Our little one is head down and facing my back. Just how we want him (or her). It was funny watching the ultrasound machine while our doctor poked my belly to show me where it's neck was... you could totally see where she was poking the little one!

Let's see... everything looks good. I'll be 30 weeks (eek!) tomorrow and measuring at 31. My blood pressure was great and I've gained 23 pounds since my first OB appointment. I was hoping to gain no more than 25 throughout the entire pregnancy, but oh well... that definitely isn't going to happen!

I have some belly shots still hidden away on my camera. I'll try and get those up soon!

seriously?

Okay...

Seriously?

A strictly breastfed baby in Grand Junction was turned down by Rocky Mountain Health Plans for being TOO FAT?

watercolors.

Last month we brought out the watercolors. This was Finley's first time using watercolors. She was quite impressed and stuck with it much longer than Rowen wanted to!

Then, of course, she discovered that the paintbrush felt good on her face!

birthday rocks.

More September goodies!

We painted rocks that Rowen and Finley found at the river for daddy's birthday. After we painted them, we glued some of them together to make some fun rock creatures!

Finley was totally absorbed in the whole painting experience. She was amazed at the process and loved every minute. Once she discovered that it was fun to paint her hands... and the newspaper... and the deck... and her shirt... it was all downhill from there!

Rowen, on the other hand, was very focused on his project... for about five minutes. Once we began gluing the rocks together and adding eyes and ears and such, he was much more attentive and helpful until they were completely finished!

days of summer :: winding down

No... we didn't go play in the water anytime recently! I finally pulled off pictures from our point-and-shoot and found lots of pictures going back to the beginning of September...

We spent a morning at the Gunnison River Whitewater Park. This has been one of my most favorite local "discoveries" that I found this summer! I never realized that there were wonderful beach spots along this stretch of the river where they have a whitewater park for kayaking and rafting. Most of the sandy spots are along very calm parts of the river and the weather here is much more consistant than at the lake.

The water was down so much here at the beginning of September. It was nice that it was so shallow so far out, but the rocky shore was much more pronounced that it has been in the past. Rowen and Finley sure didn't seem to mind! There was still some great sand for digging and shoveling.

There were still quite a few people out and about on the water. Finley and Rowen had a great time watching the boaters go through the rapids and we got to watch a crazy bunch of college kids go through on innertubes... well, they didn't make it all the way down ON their innertubes!

hooray!

Three cheers goes out to this woman and her decision to not have a forced C-Section at her local hospital.

I am so very lucky that Greg and our kiddos can be with me for this baby's arrival. I am thankful that the woman in the article has a doula for labor and delivery support while she is so far away from home... and alone... I am realizing that our family is in such a lucky position for doing what we feel so strongly about. We have VERY welcoming and loving family to stay with. Our other children are small enough that they are not in school yet -- so there is no dilemma of pulling them out of school. We own our own business and while "shutting down" for the time that we are gone perhaps isn't possible or business-savvy, we can scale back and let our general contractors know they we will be gone and things might slow down a bit for that time. We also are lucky to have a great bunch of employees that can continue some of the work that needs to be done while Greg is not around. Some... not all...

These stories make me so sad and yet so happy that there are women out there who won't just go along with what the medical community tells them they HAVE to do... They do their own research and make their own decisions based on what is best for them and their families.

harvest feasts. this one's for you, Jim!

Have I mentioned that I love fall and fall cooking? I never seem to enjoy cooking in summertime, perhaps due to the fact that I would much rather be outside playing. However, once those days shorten up and that cool, crisp air moves in, there is nothing better that cozy-ing up in the kitchen.

I have been realizing that I need to try and get some things made and put away for when this new baby makes it's debut. We have such a nice stand-up freezer is this "house," but it's quite embarrassing that it usually houses a lonely pint of ice cream and a couple of frozen pizzas for when daddy is in charge of making dinner. I love my chest freezer, but a stand-up is so nice for storing things that I like to have on hand -- casseroles, lasagnas, breads...

Greg's folks came into town during Greg's birthday weekend. I just knew that would be the perfect time to start some batch cooking and try and get some things froze and stored for the new year, as well as have some goodies on hand for when they arrived!

I began with some granola (obviously, not to freeze... but really just wanted to see how the kiddos liked it and how well it was received in the house). I love granola, but hate the cost of a bag from the store... plus how "unhealthy" it can really be.

Granola

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup ground flax meal
• 1/2 cup sweetened (or unsweetened) coconut
• 1 1/2 cups dried mango, pineapple, papaya, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins and dried cranberries (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil
2. In a large bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Add the oats, wheat germ and flax meal, then stir the mixture until evenly blended.
3. Spread the granola onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway though baking.
4. Remove the pans from the oven and stir again. Add coconut and return the pans to the oven to back for 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally so as not to burn!
5. Remove granola and stir once again. Let cool completely. When it has cooled, stir in the dried fruit and transfer granola to an airtight container. Makes about 7 cups.

This recipe turned out great! It is similar to the one found in a recent Family Fun magazine (I can't find a link online). I recently made an additional batch to add to the quickly dwindling granola supply from the original batch. This second time, I doubled the recipe, and used only the original called-for amount of honey and dried fruit. Since the original recipe makes such a nice, sweet granola goodness, I wanted to make a somewhat healthier batch to stretch the whole thing since Rowen and Finley could eat this for every meal! I felt like adding a less sweet version to the sweeter version, I would have a nice middle-of-the-road batch.

It worked fairly well, but the single batch seemed to work a bit better for those of you who might be a bit picky with your granola! Whichever way, it still is yummy, cheap to make and wonderful to always have on hand.

Then it was on to fourteen thousand pans of pumpkin cinnamon rolls (you think I'm kidding...).

I wasn't exactly sure why I felt like having fourteen thousand pans of pumpkin cinnamon rolls was going to be important when the new baby arrives, but did I mentioned that I love cooking with pumpkin?

I totally followed the recipe here, so I'm not going to bother rewriting it all out. Plus, her recipe is quite fun to read and the pictures are great. I added about a cup or so of canned pumpkin to her recipe... and maybe some other stuff... I don't really remember... But, whatever, they were really delicious. I froze a gazillion pans of them after the last rising period. I recommend if you are going to do that, be very careful when you cover them with plastic and foil because you DON'T. WANT. TO. DEFLATE. THEM!

Perhaps the next time I make these... after I eat them all and weigh 400 pounds, I would quick freeze them all unwrapped and puffy and THEN cover them. I would also recommend thawing them on the counter overnight instead of in the fridge (and please remember to take OFF the plastic wrap before baking them!) unless you have curious kitties that prowl the counter tops at night, which in that case, I would just shove it into a turned off oven.

My next step was muffins, muffins and more muffins. I was trying to decide on the best way to make-ahead and freeze muffins -- bake them first and then freeze or freeze the uncooked batter in muffin tins before plopping them into freezer bags. Online were mixed reviews -- obviously. Some people said that as long as you were using some sort of leavening agent, your muffins would never rise if you froze them before baking. Some people said it worked just fine.

So... I did a little bit of each. I made four batches each of chive-corn muffins and pumpkin-corn muffins (see a bit of a pattern here, folks?). I froze half of those batches in their very own muffin tins before freezing them and baked the other half before freezing.

I gotta say that when I reheated the prebaked ones, they were awfully good. I placed them in round cake pans, sealed up tightly with aluminum foil and baked them until they felt soft (scientific, right?). They of course were fantastic right out of the oven and dried up a bit once they cooled off, but the five that I shoved into my face when no one (no one?) was looking just proved that homemade muffins, a tad bit dry or not, are still wonderful.

I just recently busted out the frozen muffin batter and cooked those babies up. I baked them at the same temperature the recipe recommended for probably the same amount of time. Hard sayin', since I was also chasing around two toddlers and trying to make dinner at the same time.

They puffed up just fine, everyone! In fact, they. were. delicious. They did get a little bit brown on the tops and sides, but that never stopped anyone from eating a muffin, now, did it? I would highly recommend using those little tin foil baking cups instead of the paper ones... or perhaps just spray the paper cups with cooking spray (which I never seem to do).

Chive-Corn Muffins

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional, obviously)
• 1/2 chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 10 standard muffin cups (each about 1/3-cup capacity) or 30 mini-muffin cups with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl. Stir in chives. In another medium bowl whisk yogurt, eggs, and melted butter. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
2. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, using about 1/3 cup batter for each standard muffin cup or about 1 generous tablespoon for each mini-muffin cup.
3. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes for standard muffins and 14 minutes for mini-muffins. Transfer pans to rack and let muffins cool in pans. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Leave muffins in pans; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven just until warm, about 5 minutes.) Remove from pans and serve.
   

Pumpkin-Corn Muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional, obviously -- raisins or dried cranberries would be a great substitute here!)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir just until blended; do not over mix. Fold in pecans. Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin tin cups.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Had enough cookbook-time, yet? Don't worry, I'm almost done here.

Our Saturday lunch consisted of one of my favorite salads, which I have not made in a VERY long time. It was nice to dust off some of my older (before kiddos) recipes and make a somewhat grown-up meal.

The first salad was a dilled beet salad with cucumber salsa. The second was a simple cannellini and basil salad. Both are terrific and If anyone wants either of the recipes, let me know!


The main course was a roasted squash and pepper tart from Better Homes and Gardens. I haven't made this in who-knows-how-long (I guess it was since 07/07/08, since that is what my copy of the recipe print-out says!), but it was just as yummy as I remember it being!

• 3 cups cups cut up squash, such as pattypan, yellow summer squash, or zucchini
• 2 red and/or yellow sweet peppers, cut into wide strips
• 1 large sweet onion and/or fennel bulb, cut into wedges
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• Salt or salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz. Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 of a 17.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets (1 sheet), thawed
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. snipped fresh thyme (you can use dried, if necessary!)
• 1 cup purchased refrigerated creamy Parmesan dressing
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
  

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat sides and bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread squash, sweet peppers, and onion wedges in pan. Toss with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
2. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, cut Parmesan cheese in thin strips. Set aside. On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry to 13x9-inch rectangle. Remove baking pan from oven. Add tomatoes to pan. Toss vegetables with balsamic vinegar and half the Parmesan cheese. Spread vegetables evenly in pan. Lay pastry over vegetables, tucking in edges. Return pan to oven; bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.
3. Remove pan from oven; cool 5 minutes. Invert a 15x10x1-inch baking pan over pan with pastry. Carefully invert pans together; remove 13x9 pan. Transfer any vegetables that stick to finished tart. Sprinkle tart evenly with remaining cheese and 2 teaspoons of the thyme. In small bowl stir together dressing, chopped onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Cut in squares. Serve tart warm or at room temperature with dressing.
   

wordless wednesday.

just a typical night at our house.

happy birthday, daddy!

Happy birthday, daddy!

What can I say?

You : :

• work at least 681 hours each day to support this {growing} family.
• give the kiddos their baths almost exclusively.
• let me head off to the gym and pool three times a week {all while being in charge of dinner and pjs!}.
• put up with my mood swings and can usually coax a smile from me when I'm really seething.
• are the {poster-child} of a "good guy." Be proud, Grandma and Grandpa D, you DID WELL!
• don't think twice about changing diapers or scrubbing faces after dinner.
• have been known to let me sleep in.
• are {still} wonderfully good lookin'.
• are passionate about your family.
• are {still} a kid at heart... can you say "potato gun"?
• are practical when I've gotten my head in the clouds.
• are a dreamer when I can't see past the {concrete} of the day-to-day.
• {try} really, really hard at just about everything.
• have been known to go with me clothes or craft shopping.
• support me.
• were made for me!

Happy 3-2 honey! I can't wait for the next 32!

days of summer :: Hartman Rocks

Last Sunday, we followed the tail end of summer out to Hartman Rocks. We hadn't been there since early spring, and the weather was terrific for this little mid-morning excursion. Rowen is getting to be such a big guy! He was non-stop climbing all over the rocks... He was quite cure-footed, but it definitely was a good thing to have two adults around... one to either walk with or carry Finley in her pack and the other to keep an eye (and hand when necessary!) on Rowen.

Finley loves her pack. I am so glad we invested in this specific one. It never quite panned out for the whole reason why I thought I just had to have it in the first place (airplane travel), but it has been ideal for her, ever since she was old enough to hold her head up, for hiking, camping and music festivals. Once the new little one comes along, we might have to look for another one!

Hartman Rocks is not only a great biking and climbing mecca, but it is ideal for hiking and exploration. When Greg and I first met, we used to come here and camp. We've been to many parties out here among the rocks. When we were long overdue with Rowen, Greg and I spent many afternoons here, hiking... and hiking... and hiking...

Now, we get to bring our kiddos out here and enjoy this land through their eyes.

Afterwards, it was off to Firebrand for lunch. What more could you ask for on a lazy Sunday afternoon!