Pumpkin Patch 2014

It wasn't a big family event like it has been in years past.  Mainly because the pumpkin patch that Peanut's class went to this year asked that younger siblings not attend.  Parents could go, but not the little littles, so that left me at home with our little boy.  Which in all honesty, was kind of okay with me--it poured nearly all. day. long.  According to Weather Underground, the precipitation accumulation for Wednesday for 1.70 inches.  Average rain in these parts is about 3 inches in the month of October, so we got more than half our normal monthly rain in one day.  That said, I was completely happy to hunker down at home all nice and dry.  Plus I stayed busy making meatloaf, roasted brussels (I never knew that was plural!!!  did you?) sprouts, horseradish carrots, and mashed potatoes--a nice hot meal to put on the table when the Peanut and Daddy got home all cold and damp. 

I was going to ask my sweet Hubs to take the good camera (I am not a fan of phone pics at all!).  However. I felt so bad because it was so nasty outside.  I will tell anyone who will listen my issues with camera phones (they are so not a replacement for a good camera!!!), but I will readily admit that they are much more convenient in terms of size--and lugging around a spendy camera in the rain showers of the northwest (camera bag and all) is NOT fun or easy.  Especially at a pumpkin patch. 

So I let the control freak in me relax and asked the Hubs to make sure to get some pictures on his phone--and the day was documented, even if it was with the iPhone camera.  ;)

Click here for 2014~with the fam

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Click here for 2010


 

Her First Soccer Game

Our girl played her first soccer game today. It's been about three years since she took her first soccer class.  Really, that's all it was too--a class.  A way for her to burn off some of her three year old energy.  They learned a few techniques, but at that age, littles are still mastering hand-eye coordination, so it was mostly just fun for her.

Well, she's six years old now--and the gloves are off.

Oh, how I kid.  No, at this age it's still mostly for fun and really, learning to work as a team.  I guess in my mind I was expecting a much higher level of competition.

Me?  I never played any type of sport.  I mean, there was a year where I did ice skating.  I was probably six or seven?  And that was the extent of my athletic prowess.  Yep, that was it.  No soccer, no softball, no basketball (which I probably should have played considering I am tallish), no track, no swimming, no volleyball......you get the idea.

My least favorite class?  You guessed it....PE.  I hate to sweat.  But really?  My biggest fear was/is just the idea of people watching me and me potentially making a fool of myself.

I prefer to blend in with the crowd.  It's much safer that way.  Drives my mom nuts, too.  No guts, no glory, she was so fond of reminding me.  She gave up on that long ago though.  Thankfully God is a God of second chances and she has a granddaughter who is much more like her than me. (You know I am kidding when I say that, right?  He most certainly IS about second chances, but it escapes me as to where the Bible references having more competitive genes in future offspring.....)

Anyhow, back to this morning!  Peanut had fun and that's the most important part isn't it?  It's so funny to watch her out on the field too.  I can see both me and Hubs personalities in her. The first half she seemed to be much more like me.  While she was definitely in there trying to play and she didn't hang back at all--she wasn't super aggressive either.  In the second half though, she seemed much more comfortable on the field and much more sure of herself--much more like her daddy than me.

In her defense, Hubs said they've really only done drills and such at practice.  They haven't done any type of scrimmage.   That's a practice game, for those of you (like me!) who had no idea what that is.  There were a few times where she got the ball away from the pack and was so entirely pleased with herself.  However, she forgot and/or didn't know to follow that on through and keep driving the ball down the field.  Then there was that time where she got the ball from the opposing team, and she continued to drive the ball in the same direction (the wrong way) down the field.  Shockingly, this mama, who, have I mentioned likes to blend in with the crowd, hollered like mad to her daughter to go the "Other way, other way, other way!"  And she looked over at me and saw me motioning madly and she smiled at me and quickly did. 

Can you tell it was a very exciting morning? 

 

Bountiful Harvest

I've mentioned more than once that my dad so kindly puts in a garden for me every year.   As in he buys the starts and/or seeds, plants them, and then graciously lets us (who am I kidding? the Hubs) come and pick all the produce and take it home.

A very wonderful dad indeed.

This year we had a crazy hot summer and he also planted a crazy amount of tomato starts.  So with those two factors combined, we had quite the tomato harvest.  So I have been canning.  Like the most I have ever done in one summer.  I've dabbled in it here and there for the last several years, but this year? 

Girlfriend did a TON (at least for this one!!!) of canning.  I've canned seven pints of yummy cucumber relish, 11 quarts of sliced peaches, and finally 7 pints + 31 quarts of garden variety tomatoes.  Between the plethora of yellow and heirloom tomatoes, we've had some of thee tastiest roasted tomato soup (I cannot even begin to describe how divine that was!) as well as the fire roasted salsa.  And those were using the fresh tomatoes--we haven't started on the canned ones yet. 

You won't find such colorful canned tomatoes at any local grocery store, that's for sure!

I picked blueberries again this summer, so I have about 3 gallon size freezer bags full of those babies.  And I made blueberry jam.  Strawberry is still my personal favorite, but the kids haven't complained, so we'll be eating on that this winter too. 

I stocked up on fresh peaches several times at the grocery store when they were a good price, so I have about a bag and a half of frozen peach slices--which will help make great smoothies as well as yummy crisps.  #comfortfood

I haven't really even dug in yet to all my pumpkins awaiting to be pureed, so I have lots of pumpkin puree coming as well.  

Lastly, our matchmaker gifted us a ton of rhubarb, which is sliced and frozen in freezer bags as well.  Not the Hubs favorite, but he certainly didn't complain about rhubarb peach crisp I made the other night!

I also want to can some apple slices and hopefully I will still have a chance to get that done. 

While I know I haven't put up our entire eats for the winter like so many other wonderful (wonder woman!!!) bloggers out there, I'm still kinda proud of myself.  ;)

Plus? 

Thank you, Jesus, for these immense blessings.  It's no coincidence that money is super tight right now and we have all this wonderful (mostly) free food that we have been able to preserve for the coming months. 

Blessings, indeed. 


 

Picking Punkins' with the Punkins'

Early this week, the pumpkins were ready to be picked in the very nice garden my dad so kindly grew for me.   He even planted the sugar pumpkin variety this year at my request, as those arguably make the best pumpkin puree.  (For the record, I make pumpkin puree every year with the pumpkins my dad grows....and with the help of my Cuisinart, I've had very successful puree with regular ol' jack-o-lantern sized pumpkins as well.  But let me tell you--this puree?  It's very good indeed.) 

At a whopping 38 pie pumpkins brought home, I am going to have plenty of puree to use to my hearts content.   Plus, plenty left for a festive harvest display outside our front door.  Yay!

We went over to my parents the other night after dinner and of course it was pouring down rain.  However blessings were upon us, and the clouds started to break up just before we made it to my parents and by the time we were picking pumpkins, it was wasn't raining at all.

While the kiddos were waiting for daddy (my parents very kindly store our outdoor furniture for us at their house and he was getting it put away) they played in the puddles left by the downpours.  How is it that small children NEVER seem to mind being cold and wet?   I was never that way--at least not that I remember.

Growing up, my mom's best friend's family had a beach house and they invited us to go clamming on more than one occasion.  My mom thought it was the greatest fun and she drug us (maybe I was the only one who had to be drug? dragged? drugged?) along.

It was cold, wet, sandy and dirty and you smelled like fish when it was all over.  One of the most miserable experiences I remember from my childhood.     And yes, Dad, I know in the grand scheme of things, life could be much worse.  But even still, clamming is SO not on my top 10 list of favorite things to do. 

But, I digress. 

The Peanut was all about picking the punkins'.  My sweet boy?  Not so much.  He was much distracted by any and all other things.  He played fetch with my parents lab, inspected my dad's grapes (or lack thereof due to some hungry birds), and even was on p*o*o*p patrol (or catrol as Peanut called it at one point not so very long ago) with my dad going around pointing out the aforementioned dog's droppings in the yard for my dad to clean up.  

That said, I still got my photo op of the family at a pumpkin patch--circa 2014.  We won't have the opportunity with Peanut's kindergarten class this year as we did with her preschool class.  Which ended up being a good thing, seeing as the little brother had no interest in it anyhow! 



 

First Day of Kindergarten

I'm not anything but predictable.....

After fin.a.lly getting her to eat 3/4 of her breakfast, we went outside to take the obligatory first day of school pics. 

After I finished, Daddy was putting the little brother into the car {yes, we made the first day drop off a family event}, Peanut begged to have a picture taken with her brother, "because she was going to miss him so much."


I think that last one pretty much sums up their relationship. 


Sigh.




 

A Princess and a Frog

Happy Halloween to you and yours!

More Fall Fun

This is the first year we carved a pumpkin with the Peanut.  Of course, "we" is a very loose term.  

 

I did participate in capturing pictures, herding the Little Brother around, and roasting the pumpkin seeds. 

But the actual carving?  That was all the Hubs.  We found a cute little "not icky" pumpkin face online that was both Mommy and Peanut approved.

Daddy did a fantastic job, don't you think?


 

Pumpkin Patch 2013

Peanut is currently outside with her daddy and grandpa "helping" with projects and the Little Brother is down for a much needed nap after all the excitement this morning.  I even started a load of dirty clothes from this morning's excursion.  So with this quiet time on my hands, what a perfect chance to blog, am I right?

Peanut's preschool class went to our local pumpkin patch once again and this year, Hub's schedule worked out so he was able to attend too.

Thank goodness, otherwise we would have brought home a mud caked little squealer, otherwise know as the Little Brother.

Fun times.

No, we really had a great time though.  Even though Peanut hardly let me get a good picture of her picking out her pumpkin (or her brother's for that matter). 

The rule was that the preschoolers had to be able to carry their pumpkin back from the patch.  That meant no pumpkin for Little Brother three times his body size had he had his own way.  So rather than try and explain that to his 15 month old little self, we just let his big sister pick his out.  And she was more than willing. Did we expect anything less? 

Our little girl loved every minute and she even got to see her little buddy from last year.  Her friend is actually in the PM class (Peanut is in the AM) so it was a fun little reunion for them as well.  Can you believe how much they've grown? 

And we were TOTALLY blessed because it didn't rain and it wasn't even that cold this morning.  PTL!!!

The Little Brother is still sleeping so I am going to sneak off to do some shopping.  I can't even believe how productive today has already been! 




 

Goodbye, Summer. We will miss you.

I used to be a "I only love fall and winter" kinda girl. I like wintery, snuggly clothes and I love a hot bowl of soup.  I don't even mind the ever present rain we have here in the Pacific Northwest--as long as I don't have to be out in it.

One of my favorite things to do is snuggle up with good book (or a good series on Netflix--whichever) when it's all nasty outside and just hunker down and wait it out.  'Cause I am a total homebody like that and if I don't have to go anywhere, well, that just makes this girlfriend happy.  (In fact, Hubs made a comment the other day as I was pulling out the extra blanket for our bed, that I should have been born a bear, because I really like to hibernate.)

Our boy's birthday is sort of our family's unofficial kick off to summer and our girl's birthday is the unofficial close to summer.  Our sweet little bookends.    

Anyhow, as I've gotten older, I have come to appreciate everything each season has to offer.  (Except spiders.  I still can't stand spiders.)  And for me, well, I simply wouldn't appreciate the spring and summer nearly as much if we didn't have fall and winter.  

And we had a great a summer.  A GREAT summer.  The kids love to be outside exploring and just taking in everything summer has to offer.  And that has all but come to an end.  We might have an occasional sun break in the next week or so, but after that?  It will be damp, cold, and dark until about the beginning of April.  And even then we will just get teased with glimpses of the sun for a good two to three months thereafter.  But all that is just a good excuse to get caught up on all those fall TV shows and it makes those nice days we do have all the more special, right? 

We stopped by my parents this past Thursday evening and they were taking advantage of one of the last dry days to get all the summer gear all packed up before the rain set in.

It's just a sad sight to see.  All gone until next year.  My mom might have even shed a tear or two.  Now she knows how I feel the day after Christmas.  It just sort of bums me out. 

While we were at my parents, we picked some of the pumpkins from my dad's garden for my "harvest" display I do outside our front door each year.  

So until I can officially start listening to my Christmas playlists (and who am I kidding? For me that would be anytime...), I guess I will just have to console myself with my spiced pumpkin candle and my favorite pumpkin scones and my favorite pumpkin dip.

And you know what? 

We wouldn't have pumpkins if it weren't for summer. 


 

End of Summer

What a difference a day makes. This photo was taken on Saturday. 

Sunny outside {as told from the amount of light streaming in from outside}, tank tops, and short sleeves. 

But then Sunday came and it brought clouds, rain, and some cooler temps. 

All of us even had long pants on.  When I say all of us, I refer to myself, Peanut, and Little Brother. 

Hubs was at work, but he doesn't count either way, because the man will wear shorts approximately 10 months of the year.  And to be perfectly honest, me wearing long pants isn't that momentous of an occasion either.  Because I wear pants approximately 10 months of the year. 

So really, what I should have stated was that the kids were both in long pants on Sunday. 

There.  It took me a hundred some words to say it, but I finally got to the point that the kids were both in pants for the first time in several months.

Such is autumn.

And while I don't enjoy the kids having to be cooped up inside, I am excited for the fall colors, scarves, boots, sweaters, soups, stews, hot chocolate and those fun fall activities.  

Plus, fall TV is about to start. 

And that makes me very excited. 



 

It's Sort of Like History Repeating Itself

Our little Peanut had these jammies too.

But in pink.

Of course.

And now Little Brother gets to follow in her footsteps. 

With a ball in hand, instead of a dolly.

Of course.  


 

Back to School 2013

It's her last year of preschool.....

 

Fall Happenings

I love fall. As if you couldn't tell already.  Like 75% of my previous posts have been about all things fall related.  Today was just another photo op--Daddy and Peanut out raking our leaves.  Our "little" tree out front has gotten a LOT bigger since our last fall three years ago.

Enter in lots more raking to do.  I even helped start the raking on Monday, when Hubs was at work.

Yes, I did some yard work.  If you can call it that.  

I pretty much raked the leaves into three big piles.  That was as far as I got.  Because a) I didn't have anything to put the leaves in (we didn't have any big black bags) and let's face it, I didn't want to get dirty and then b) I was trying to keep track of two littles and c) in keeping track of the two littles, Little Brother lasted about all of twenty minutes in his seat and that was just as far as I got. 

But I tried. 

So they are out finishing up today. 

And just another photo of our little guy.  Peanut does a great job of entertaining him while I am making dinner.  She sings to him (Peanut originals--our little singer song-writer--Nashville will love her), dances for him, generally keeps him distracted while I make dinner.  And he is just absolutely enthralled with all things Big Sister.  Pretty precious if you ask me. 

Anyhow, while I was busy getting dinner ready the other night, I look up and our sweet little boy is now a sous chef. 

But he has to start somewhere, right?  



 

Happy Halloween!

All the credit goes to my mom. It was all her idea. And I LOVED it, so she got the go ahead from me to make the costumes.

Yes, I am blessed.  She made the costumes.  So stinkin' cute!  

I am not too thrilled with the pictures though--but that is all on me, the amateur.  

We didn't have a beautiful back drop to take the pictures at like last year and the year before.  Such is living on the wet side of the state now.  So inside it is, using a sheet as a backdrop and opening all the curtains as wide as possible--allowing in as much natural light that can be obtained on these gray dreary days.  That said though, I can't complain--'cause this is home.  And I love home.  I really do.

That and then our little guy isn't sitting up just yet either, so it's called draping a sheet over Daddy's arms to hold Little Brother upright.  Little Brother is just a bit too wiggly and girthy at this point, so the Peanut can't quite handle him on her own.  But we made do.

So here they are in all their glory....

 And let's be perfectly honest...most pictures were like this:

The little brother being none too thrilled in his circumstances.  We even had a casualty in the process--a piece fringe was dismantled in all the commotion.  And Dorothy?  Well, we are still working on looking at the camera.  Not just facing the camera--but looking at it.  I always have way more pictures than not where her eyes are darting somewhere else--anywhere else--besides the camera. 

It's a work in progress.

Now onto the church carnival!