September weekend

.:family game night:.

.:new gnomes for Finn:.

     (thanks to Natural Earth Farm! Finn loves them!)

.:an afternoon in "the city":.

.:autumnal flowers from the hubby:.

.:first pumpkin of the season:.

.:a very special leaf:.

.:friends to play tag:.

.:blue sky sunset:.

from summer to autumn

Every season hath its pleasure; Spring may boast her flowery prime, Yet the vineyard’s ruby treasuries Brighten Autumn’s sob’rer time.

~Thomas Moore

I can taste the transition here. The cool mornings burn away to the warmth of the late summer afternoon. Thus changes our meal plans, slowly, deliberately. A last ode to summer: soba noodle salad, fruit salad, and pan-fried tofu.

Soba Noodle Salad

1 cup finely sliced red cabbage

1/2 cup finely sliced carrots

1/2 cup finely sliced cucumbers

1/4 pkg rice noodles or bean threads, cooked according to package

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp honey

freshly grated ginger

2 tsp black sesame seeds

Blend all ingredients and let marinate for 4 hours.

_______________________

As the autumn descends and the apples ripen, the flavors we associate with the cool evenings and colored leaves begin to creep into our menu: butternut squash applesauce, pumpkin muffins.

Butternut Squash Applesauce

1 small butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed

4 small apples, peeled, cored, and cubed

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup water

Place all ingredients into 2 qt saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the butternut squash is easily mashed with a fork. Blend for 1 minute in blender and serve slightly cooled.

Pumpkin Muffins

2 tbsp canola oil

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1 2/3 cups flour (use half white/half wheat)

1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves (scant)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips (optional)


Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture and beat well. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired. Bake at 350 for 18 min.

Last of Summer & WIP Wed

As we dance through these last fleeting days of summer, I'm seeing signs that autumn is near. Along with the cooler temperatures (hooray for being able to open the windows in the evenings and mornings now!), the kids seem anxious to enjoy every last bit of the outdoors while they can. I was even convinced to play model in their tracing game last evening.

What a great vantage point to see into their world...

As the temperatures cool, the flowers are winding down their last summer hurrah.

But more autumnal nature bits are happy to take their places,

including the first leaves changing color.

My work-in-progress over the last few days, airplane travel is perfect for hat-knitting. Finn's Christmas elf hat, modeled by a silly Elizabeth. This Elfin Cap was knit with Malabrigo worsted in Alpine Pearl.

Meet Me in St. Louis

We took an opportunity over the Labor Day weekend to make a trip out to visit Paul's mom in IL. She's still not doing very well, so we wanted to take another chance to let Finn visit with her. (He was the only one that went with us for the quicky trip.) Finn was quite the trooper over the whole weekend. He was a happy plane rider (and bus and car rider, for that matter). I guess boredom really is the mother of invention because Finn discovered that his firetruck is the perfect little holder for his dried fruit.

He also managed to charm the pilot into letting him check out the controls of the plane on one of our non-plane-switching layovers.

He found some new and cool playgrounds to explore. With so many adults to shower him with attention and cater to his every whim, he was living quite large.

On the way back to the airport, we decided to make a pit stop at the "Gateway to the West."

A beautiful national park borders the Mississippi River and hems the Arch area.

Finn thought the arch was quite amazing. He wasn't the only one.

So long, St. Louis (and Paul's family!) We hope to see you again soon!

scenes of late summer

My darling husband sent me this blog post a few days ago about getting rid of fruit flies. (Has anyone else been as plagued by these this year as we have? My poor houseplants are sweltering out on the back deck as I was thinking they might be contributing to the problem, and the compost bowl has been out there all summer too. Grrr...) I have to admit that I was a little suspicious that the vinegar/sugar water concoction would work any better than, say, a glass of apple juice, which will kill some but not get them all, and those things multiply like bunnies!

Lo and behold, in 12 hours, the whole bottom of the glass was lined with fruit flies. Score 1 for team Blaser! We'll try it again if they come back, but for now, I have my kitchen all to myself...just the way I like it. :)

::today::

happy birthday, Benjamin

We miss you.

To Paul and Jenni:

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord shine his face upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace." --Numbers 6:24-26

WIP Wednesday

After seeing the adorable wool felt needle holder that Waldorfmama made the other week, I took a small break from knitting one evening this week to work on a bit of handsewing. My circular needles have been getting lost at the bottom of my knitting basket so a needle case seemed like a wonderful solution. (Has anyone seen my size 11 circ by the way? Apparently, it's still floating in there somewhere...)

As far as knitting goes, I'm still working slowly on Elizabeth's blanket, late at night so she won't catch a glimpse, but I also finished this amazingly soft merino/silk scarf for a family member for Christmas. (Note to family members: you might want to take a break from WIP Wednesday posts through the end of the year unless you're the sort that would slit the tape on the wrapped present just to find out before the big day. You know who you are. ;) The yarn is Malabrigo's Silky Merino in Wisteria, and the pattern is a simple one-stitch lace scarf.

Happy handcrafting!

happy birthday, Kiki!

Even before we found out that other crazy families like ours existed (via The Creative Family), we were celebrating Kiki's birthday every year. Kiki, Elizabeth's baby blanket that has been attached to her side since birth, is the lone, non-human family member whose birthday we celebrate. Despite the fact that Elizabeth frequently reminds everyone that Kiki was waiting for her when she came out of her mommy's tummy, Kiki turned 6 yesterday. (Don't try to do the math, you'll only get confused.) As birthday's should always be celebrated with a big bash, Elizabeth decorated with scarves as banners and homemade signs and had the video camera waiting to document the merriment.

She even dedicated one of her homemade candles to the occasion. (Kiki needs a candle to blow out, don't ya know!)

Kiki had a homemade party hat, and we made Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes for the occasion.

Elizabeth and Kiki shared a cupcake.

Finn kept saying, "I don't want stirfry; I just want cupcakes." And he finally got his wish.

Kiki received some lovely homemade gifts. I smile just seeing the playsilks used as gift wrap. :)

Likewise, the old cloth diapers/burp cloths gift wrap. (Since we use gift bags instead gift wrap at our house, it doesn't seem odd to our kids that you would use what you have. I love that!)