Pumpkin Patch....again!

My brothers and sisters were up for the long weekend so we decided to go again. However, this time was definitely not sunny and warm! Apple cider was needed!



Shawn all snuggly warm in his doggy suit!





This is a great workout for your legs!

















The best invention ever...the giant jumping pillow. And adults can even jump!




Lee, James, Lynette and Kendra









The faces of Martha, Eric and Monica

Pumpkin Patch

We always end up going to the pumpkin patch late in the year when it's freezing cold so I decided to get a jump on it this year. Martha and I and another friend went together on what ended up being a very sunny day!!!



My nephew Tony and his adorable grin!




Nephew Hans being silly




They love the trikes.









The sunflowers were gorgeous!





Tractor wagon ride!




Paul did a great job helping me with Shawn!




Shielding his eyes...so thoughtful



Eric and one of his best friends from pre-school...Nya.










Attempting to take Shawn on the riding horse/swing.

Food

I Love Food.
Lately I have been wanting more diverse food. I love trying new foods and I'll usually try anything once. While I love eating food, I do not like cooking it. I have been bored of the same "old faithful" meals that I always cook so I got inspired by Julie and Julia to try something new. (I even poached my first egg!)

I picked out a menu of meals of things that either I hadn't cooked before or with better, higher quality ingredients and fresh herbs. Martha helped me find alot by showing me some great recipe blogs like Tammy's recipe's and Recipe Shoebox. (btw, all photos are stolen from their sites:-)

So far I have made:

Fish Tacos with halibut and homemade tzatziki sauce. It was so good I think I could've eaten the sauce on it's own.

Tzatziki sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup grated peeled cucumber (seeds removed and juice drained*)
1/4 cup greek yogurt or plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Gyros...they were sooo good.
I stole the picture from Tammy's blog but mine looked just as good...of course! :-)


http://www.tammysrecipes.com/grilled_chicken_souvlaki_gyros



Creamy Spaghetti and Beans with Earthy Portobello Salad with Prosciutto
(Rachel Ray says this is Italian comfort food and will wrap your stomach in a cozy blanket!)
It was yummy but I would cut down the beans next time. You put dry spaghetti in a skillet and add a little wine and chicken stock a few ladles at a time until the spaghetti drinks it all up. I was babying it and keeping a close eye until my neighbor came by to talk about the road. You know how you don't want to be rude when someone is talking but you need to do something? So I kept trying to sneak in the kitchen to stir it, but it ended up a little drier than I think it should've been.



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/creamy-spaghetti-and-beans-recipe/index.html


Joe normally isn't a huge salad fan, unlike me who dreams about salad, but he liked this one! Mostly because of the large chunks of portobello mushrooms!!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/earthy-portobello-salad-with-prosciutto-recipe/index.html



Garlic Chicken Latta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes from http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com
This was really delicious and even Shawn loved it. I usually have a hard time making creamy sauce without some issues for some reason...curdling or it not being thick enough. This turned out PERFECT! I guess I should follow a recipe sometimes.


http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com/2010/05/garlic-chicken-pasta-with-sun-dried.html



Skillet Rosemary Chicken from Food Network

This one turned out so good....tender and juicy with a slight lemon flavor. I ended up using the leftovers on top of salad. What else?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/skillet-rosemary-chicken-recipe/index.html


I also made Chile Verde: I used stew meat cooked all day in the crockpot with green chiles until super tender and then put in tortillas topped with mozzarella and baked.
I've been craving it for months, literally because that's how I am :-) It wasn't as juicy as it should've been so it was a little on the dry side but I didn't care!!

I also tried my hand at Paninis....Artisan bread with prosciutto, salami, tomato, fresh basil, provolone, olive oil and balsamic (mouth watering). However, the panini effect is hard to achieve without a press so it was more like a grilled cheese but still good.

I'd say the biggest challenge of it all is trying to plan the meals around Joe's schedule. His work schedule is so unpredictable that he could get home at 5pm or 10pm. I don't like to cook a big meal just for myeslf so I saved these ones for the nights I knew he'd be home. For myself I'd fix a big greek salad with spinach, olives, feta, cucumbers, pieces of salami, balsamic dressing...yum

Next recipes to try: Zippy Steak Chili and Balsamic Chicken and Pasta.

Wish me luck.

Eric

(pretending to be a dog)


My little man is such a big boy now. He started kindergarten and loves it!! He had just started reading alot before he started school so the teacher tested him. He is reading at first grade level!! He can't get enough of books...always trying to read everything! So now, during reading time, he goes to the first grade class and fit right in!!
Its really hard for me to have him gone for so long. I go to the school every chance I can to eat lunch with him, or special class events. I really want to start volunteering but they haven't needed me yet.



Eating lunch in the lunch room!! All the kids LOVE Shawn!







Our "E" themed snack: eggs and bacon...they were a big hit!



Yum!



Eric loves to tell me all kinds of stories...they last a very long time and are very imaginative:-) He always surprises me with the big words I hear come out of his five year old mouth: "first you make the diagonal line and then the vertical...that is not the correct one, Mom...it's an experiment....when Dad sees this, he will be amazed!"

He is very good at arguing....deciding what is fair for Mom to ask of him:-)

He has come up with alot of questions and discussions lately about heaven, marriage...serious subjects!! He says "then you got married again and had Shawn!!" He told me the other day that he doesn't want to get married ever, wants to live with us. Then he adds " I think I might forget that I said this when I get older." lol
He wants to go to heaven with me and Joe and wants to know when we will go. "How will we get up there? Will we go through the clouds? If we could hear God, then he could tell us when!"

I try to make the time to cook with him...he loves it and I don't do it often enough!! He gets so excited about looking through cookbooks and deciding what ingredients we need.


Making oatmeal raisin cookies...they turned out good!





Eric's has liked trains since he was little....obsessed with them. We have a train that goes by about 10 yards from our front yard!
I finally finished his Thomas/train themed bedroom:





I spent a couple hours setting up his train tracks in our old bedroom. Can you tell where he got his love of trains from?



He loves playing with Shawn and they have a lot of fun together:










He had a great time helping me plant my tulips and we found a nice juicy worm.


Look Shawnie, a worm!





Got to show it to Daddy




Even though he's a big boy now, he still loves to cuddle with me on the couch to read or watch a show. He has his own chores: his laundry, empty dishwasher and clean room. I love that he knows what he thinks and what he wants and is more of a leader than a follower.

Is it bad that I already get teary eyed thinking about him moving out and that I already hate my daughter-in-law for taking him away from me?