Happy Halloween!

Yup…he wanted to be a root beer bottle. And Anna…the infamous “wer-maid”.

A few pictures from our fun trick-or-treat weekend….Saturday night we had our small group over for dinner and candy gobbling….Sunday we had to put on our costumes again (because they loved them) and just stopped by our friends’ neighborhood for a few homes with them as well.  Enjoy the spooktacular shots..   

The crew…Harry, Root Beer, Luigi, Mario, Benaiah the Lion, Cinderella, Ariel the Mermaid and Caesar

  

little sisters will NOT be left behind…

what a good big brother….

what great friends and a fun time!  Thanks to everyone!

quotable quotes

Hudson:  I’m gonna be Root Beer for Halloween!

Anna:  Root Be-Beer?  I LOVE Root Be-Beer!

Hudson: You could be popcorn to go with my root beer, Anna…that’d be cool.

Anna:  Nope.  You be Root-Be-Beer, I’m gonna be a wermaid. (mermaid) :o)

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Hudson:  Mom, how do people get married?  Like, why do names change when you get married and do boys ask girls to get married?

(Mommy answers this question to the best of her ability)

Hudson:  Well, don’t worry about Anna marrying anyone.  Cuz I’m gonna ask Anna to marry me because she’s my best friend, and we play together, and I love her very much.

(I hear the collective “ahhhhh!”)

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Hudson praying at dinner last night….

Dear God,

     Thank you for this yummy food.  Thank you for my teacher Mrs. Smith because I love her.  Please help her daughter to feel better so I don’t have a substitute again.  Thank you for my substitute Mrs. H.  She was nice.  Thank you for Daddy and Mommy and Anna.  Amen.

Happy Hauntings

The not-too-far away wonderland park that we enjoy going to is having their annual October Happy Hauntings.  Last year we didn’t go, but this year’s activities made me wish we had.  As season pass holders, it cost nothing for us to attend, and the kids (and Daddy and Mommy) had a blast.

 

After Sunday afternoon naps all around, we quickly rummaged in our dress-up box and came up with some suitable costumes for trick-or-treating in the park.  It was really fun to see how many little ones (as the park is really targeted toward ages birth-8) recognized Woody and Princess Ariel.

This is Hugs and Banana’s favorite ride together – it goes in an oval and whips around the ends – they LOVE it.

      

Where the waterpark is during the summer, there is a trick or treat trail…the park is affiliated with Hershey’s, so there were GOOD candies on every one of these stops!

Mommy even got to ride the Frog Hopper with Hudson and Anna…only one adult can ride at a time, so I had never gotten a chance to do it – but this time I did.  Man, it was fun!

random act of kindness

Last Friday we made our weekly trek to the local Farmer’s Market, which, I assure you, is in all its’ all treats and glory this time of year.  Apples, apple cider, home-grown gourds, pumpkin pies and pumpkin whoopie pies, and caramel apples.  Ahh.  The apple treat that is deceptively not so good for you – despite the word apple in it.

Hudson, Riley, Anna and I were awaiting Daddy’s return from his favorite stand to buy Amoroso rolls for lunch (a Philly delicacy – true hard and chewy roll that a cheesesteak must be eaten upon)…and we spied the above beauty.  We were marveling at it’s gooey goodness– but just window shopping.

 

You see the pictures, so you know that this is going somewhere good.  A lovely elderly lady saw the four of us admiring the treat and felt compelled to buy it for us.  She didn’t ask first, she bought it for us and then politely asked if she could gift it to us.  At first I refused – I mean, it was the last one.  She bought the last one – where would her Friday dessert be had if she passed it to us?

 

She insisted that I take it for my three children (that must’ve been it, she was overwhelmingly impressed with the 3 children I had with me that were 3, 5, and 6 that were behaving like angels at the moment) and that they enjoy it for lunch.  I love moments like that.  Moments that give you glimpses of Jesus in other people.

So, THANK YOU to the beautiful grandma at Friday’s market.  We enjoyed our caramelly-oreo crumbly-icingy-sprinkly treat.  And we’ll pay it forward.

to touch…

Have you ever really contemplated the reality, the meaningfulness of human touch?  I mean really, can you imagine going a whole day without touching another human being?  My days would not be complete – well, there are some days when I wish I wasn’t being touched so much by little hands ;o) 

Touch to the human encourages physical and emotional growth.  Scientific studies have shown that human touch is so important that without touch, infants’ growth is slowed and stunted.  Other studies have shown that the power of human touch, just the gentle touch, encourages the body to heal!

This morning I meant to read all of 1 John, but got stuck on the first chapter, first verse.  I think it is AMAZING....this part anyway....

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.   (1 John 1:1)

John wasn't just reporting.  He wasn't just doing the job of a journalist.  He saw it...yea, ok – he was a firsthand eyewitness.  He looked at Him...yea, ok – I can look at the President if I stand on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue long enough.  BUT HIS HANDS TOUCHED?  I got this overwhelming sense of longing to touch Jesus...longing and wishing I could've been there too to touch, to see, to hear.  It's coming.  But may my heart yearn - for that is when I will remember to seek after Him whole-heartedly….and be grateful for His touch on my life daily.

2 kickin’ soups for cold days

How does this….

and this….

turn into this?

Butternut Squash Soup

(This recipe is a version, adapted by me, of one that I found in a Woman’s Day Magazine)

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 3 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed (8 cups)
• 1 1⁄2-in. piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced OR 1 1/2 T. of dry ground ginger
• ground dry curry (to taste – we like a lot!)
• 1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
• 1 cup apple cider or juice
• 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup fat free half-halfRecipe Preparation
• cilantro to top if you like it
• light sour cream for finishing touches and a nice cool bite.

1. Melt butter in a 5-qt pot over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and apples; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
2. Add butternut squash, ginger, chicken broth, cider, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Let cool for 5 minutes.
3.  Process soup in very small batches in a blender until smooth (alternately, use an immersion blender to purée). Return soup to pot and add cream. Season with salt to taste. Warm over low heat, if necessary.  Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Asagio Basil Tomato Soup

(this one is all my experimental-type-cooking-let’s-see-if-this-tastes-good-together….it did :)

• 1 can of condensed tomato soup + 1 can of water
• a handful of fresh basil
• 16 oz. diced tomatoes (don’t drain it if you use a can or jar!)
• 1/2 cup of Asagio/Mexican Blend cheese (or whatever you prefer)

1. Heat tomato soup and 1 can of water and stir until incorporated.
2. Add diced tomatoes and basil.  Heat through.
3. Cool slightly and place in blender with cheese.
4. Blend and return to pot to warm.

Summer’s last HURRAH

This past Monday was summer’s last hurrah I believe.  It was incredible.  Words can’t describe the beauty of this day.  The leaves changing, cool breezes, but an air temperature of mid-70s.  Ahh, friends, to my Arizona adjusted body, that is what fall and winter should really feel like! :) Aunt Dana and I took our yungins on an outdoor adventure to enjoy the creation around us.  The park we went to has ponds, nature trails, creeks for splashing, education stations, bridges and plenty of wildlife. The shot above  is one of my favorite shots of the day.  They were taking a break after hiking and were admiring the pond – looking for turtles sunning on logs.

Playing in the creek – their feet were COLD, but they didn’t care!

  

Hudson really wanted to move this rock.

   

BFFs….just like mommies.

After the adventures in the forest, the five of us went to a local farmer’s market and gorged ourselves on yummy fresh and healthy local delicacies (like egg and olive sandwiches, sweet bologna and local cheese, veggies and fruit).  We loaded up on Pumpkin Spice Coffee Beans for Daddy as a treat and headed out to the orchard to pick our own treasures.  What a perfect fall day!