It Will Be Finished

This weekend it ends. After our Dear Friend goes back to Chicago next Tuesday we will officially be done with our Influx of Company. Since October we've hosted family and friends five times, and now it draws to a close. I'm sure I will be kind of happy and kind of sad. It's always good to get back to a normal routine, but it's also depressing to drop off your loved ones at the airport and drive away. Most of the time. ;)

So, yeah, we're still really busy just trying to keep up with normal life while it's laying topsy-turvy on the bathroom floor covered in Gizmo's target practice.
(Yeah I was keeping him company in the lavatory recently and he said, "Look Mommy! When I move around like this I can tee-tee all over the seat!" Oh, geez.)
And along with Lew's visit this weekend Li'l Bit is going to be a flower girl in a wedding. The amazing thing about not going to a traditional church: your kids don't typically have dressy clothes. Seriously, without church we have no need to dress them up. Except, obviously, for a wedding, so now my little ones have adorable little outfits which I will most assuredly capture pictorially.

Okay, I've got nothing else. Here are some photos. The kids are making much use out of the boxes which contained presents from grandparents. Once again, the old adage: All they need is a good box. I could throw the presents out and they'd never know.
I won't, by the way.

Hi. I'm Penuche. But you can call me Smooooth.

Food is my absolute favorite love language. I seek out opportunities to bake for the people I love, and I derive great pleasure in the filling of their tummies and tickling of their taste buds. So if you have any requests, I will be happy to fill them!

Today I took a pan of penuche (puh-noo-chee) to some fellow mamas at a play date, and the recipe was requested. I love chocolate, but I also adore butterscotch and caramel flavors! That makes this fudge my favorite to make. Not to mention it's a special New England treat. The ingredients are simple; the instructions are simple enough. But it is certainly a treat that requires patience, attention, and presence in the kitchen. (And a candy thermometer.) Basically, don't make it until the kids are in bed. Added bonus: you'll be the only one around to lick the pan. And you will lick the pan.

Penuche

(Better Homes & Gardens recipe, doubled)

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/3 cups half-and-half or light cream

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup walnuts (optional if you absolutely hate nuts. otherwise, a must!)

1) Butter an 8x8 baking dish, set aside.

2) Butter sides of medium-large saucepan. In saucepan combine sugar, brown sugar, and half-and-half. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat to medium low; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, until thermometer reads 236 degrees F, soft-ball stage. (About 15 minutes.) Boiling at a steady rate-not too fast or slow-will ensure the consistency of the fudge is neither too hard nor too soft.

3) Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter and vanilla but do not stir. Cool, w/o stirring, to 110 degrees F (about 40 minutes).

4) Remove thermometer. Beat mixture vigorously w/ a clean wooden spoon until it just begins to thicken. Add walnuts and continue beating until penuche becomes thick and just starts to lose its gloss (about 10 minutes total.) Your tricep will curse you.

5) Immediately spread penuche evenly in the prepared pan. Score into squares while warm. When penuche is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan. Cut penuche into desired size squares. Store tightly for up to a week.

As The Leaves Fall

This season is certainly being true to form. We have been delightfully busy with family, cooking, cleaning, work, activities, lessons, play dates, etc. And this week we are gearing up for even more!

Our visit with Nana and Grandpa was absolutely wonderful; what a blessing to have had them in our home! Also, our visit with The Long Lost Hunt Family was glorious. (I'm quickly running out of synonyms for delightful.) It was such an encouragement to our hearts to be near Doug and Shelley, and all the kiddos played so well together. Basically our kids were on Cloud 9 throughout the entire month of October.

Believe it or not I did actually get a little pumpkin-ed out. I guess when you become infatuated with anything (or anyone) and obsess over it and manipulate it and devour it, you're bound to get bored. (Draw profound analogy to failed relationships in past.) I must admit I was a little disappointed in myself when October 31 rolled around and I had an unopened can of pumpkin in the cabinet--and no aspirations to turn it into something delicious; it's still sitting there. I'll get the pumpkin itch again, and it'll just have to keep until then.

In the midst of all of this delightful, wonderful, great, glorious chaos, we have still had several opportunities to sneak away, just the five of us, and enjoy our city in this beautiful season. And I must say, That is no small thing for this young family!

Breaking in our new boots "Mountain Climbing":

Daddy was throwing armfuls of leaves into the air for the kids to enjoy.

And they were enjoying it. :)

Making a Leaf Angel. It was actually a very convincing Leaf Angel.

My little buddy for this day's excursion. We did a lower level of mountain climbing than the other spider monkeys.

The most fun daddy ever!

Possessed by Pumpkin

And we continue our October journey through all things pumpkin! My kitchen is constantly in shambles, I've hardly worn make up all month, and my two year old spends most mornings running around stark naked. But, Oh, those Pumpkin Muffins do smell delicious!

I stumbled on this next recipe when I was still a new enough bride to try unusual recipes. I have since been conditioned to shy away from anything that doesn't obviously tout Meat, Cheese, and Potatoes--with no weird vegetables messing up the good stuff.

And here is where I clarify that my husband will eat anything I make, and not complain...per se. He swears he's not a picky eater. ;) An ongoing debate in our house. I resolve within myself that he is a very Respectful and Kind Picky Eater. Meaning, I know when he doesn't like something, but he'd never be rude enough to comment on it. And since I am the Help Mate in this whole thing, I do not want to make something he won't enjoy.

So, here's the weird recipe. And B.daddy does indeed like it a lot. "Maybe not as much as regular chili... But it's good. I like it. I do!"

You get the picture.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

~10-12 servings; fills up a big Crock Pot or dutch oven

2 lbs. chicken or turkey, ground & browned or breasts cooked and shredded

1 medium onion, chopped

2 yellow bell peppers, chopped

3 tsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

3 T. chili powder

3 tsp. ground cumin

2 19 oz. cans black beans, drained

2 16 oz. cans pumpkin puree

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (or diced if your husband doesn't mind the chunks) ;)

water & chicken bullion

1~Prepare the meat and set aside. Saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in oil till tender. Stir in spices and cook for 1 minute.

2~Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Add enough water and appropriate amount of chicken bullion to fill pot.

3~Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.

Now, this Chili doesn't need the Southern fixin's of Fritos, cheese, and sour cream. It is so delicately delicious that it's perfect with corn muffins or plain ol' Saltines.

And without further ado, here are some more photos of our children. i.e. Grandbaby Pictures!

Pumpkin Head

Since it is officially Fall I am making every single pumpkin incorporating recipe I can get my hands on! (Similarly, on the day after Thanksgiving I will start playing every single Christmas CD known to man.) I love this season and all the little delights we are blessed to enjoy. So here's another recipe I've come to love. In its original form it calls for chocolate chips, which would be equally delicious. But I'm partial to butterscotch.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Cookies
(now that's a mouthful. pardon the pun.)
Preheat oven: 350 degrees F
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups butterscotch chips

1~In medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2~In mixing bowl blend together the pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. Dissolve baking soda in milk. Add baking soda/milk and vanilla to wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add butterscotch chips.
3~Drop on greased cookie sheet by small spoonfuls. Bake @ 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
4~Just try not to eat them all in one day!

In other news...

Our Sweeites are just being their adorable selves. We are pressing onward in this crazy homeschool venture. Understandably, it consumes most of my time and mind. Li'l Bit enjoys her lessons (for the most part), and Gizmo and The Little Rascal love to have their "lessons" too. With all of the self-doubting I deal with, my heart is encouraged when my crazy-active four and two year olds ask if they can do lessons too. B.daddy is doing quite well. He is working his tail off, as usual, and is excelling in his position, as usual. This week he gets to work in the city, which is a nice break from the norm. But he has to wear a suit everyday, and he's gone from 6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. There's always a trade off. But this is a great week for it because.....
We're gearing up for Company!! I am very excited to report that tomorrow evening I will be picking up my Nana and Grandpa from the airport! I'm so happy to have them in our part of the country for a spell. Then at the end of October we will be graced by a visit from the Long Lost Hunts! Then Thanksgiving week---Aunnie and her sweet girl will be with us all week! And I've heard rumors that my blessed mother will be visiting in December. Then some dear friends of ours are getting married right before Christmas which will bring into town even more dear friends! So, needless to say, I am very excited about all the lovin' we'll enjoy in the next three months. And I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with myself from January to May. Those long, cold, dark months. Oh, how to battle the depression and boredom of cabin fever and Vitamin D deficiency! Oh yeah, just move to Florida for the Winter with every other New Englander over the age of fifty. :)

El Otono

I love, love, love Autumn! It is by far my and B.daddy's favorite season. So, yesterday we took a day away from lessons and celebrated the first day of Autumn. Which means we baked! And ate!
We had Pumpkin Pancakes w/ ButterCream Syrup for breakfast. Lunch time offered us fresh Autumn harvested fruits and veggies and Apple Muffins. And for dinner, the grand finale: Golden Autumn Stew and Buttermilk Biscuits.
Now, this stew is the miracle stew. Certain grown men who don't eat certain vegetables or cooked fruit eat this stew! Except for my children last night, I've never received one complaint. ;)

Golden Autumn Stew
2 cups cubed Yukon gold potatoes
2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2 lb. smoked sausage
2 cups apple cider
salt & pepper to taste

1) Combine vegetables in Crock Pot; toss w/ salt and pepper according to your taste.
2) Place rings of sausage on top. Do NOT slice until end of cooking time.
3) Add apple cider.
4) Cover. Cook on high 2 hours, then low for 4 hours, or until veggies are tender. Do not stir.
5) To serve, remove sausage rings and slice. If you want, put veggies in serving bowl w/ sausage on top. (You can also take the sausage down to 1 lb., but we like meat.)
6) Enjoy w/ hot biscuits!

Our Little Rascal helping me make a veggilicious spaghetti sauce:


How appropriate is this?

This girl can't let an accessory be! She swiped her old 2T jacket from The Little Rascal while we were on an outing:

My sweeties:

Reentry

After I spent this weekend in Chicago alone with my Sweetie, my sister called to ask how the "reentry" was coming along. That was yesterday. Yesterday I was just fine. We were settling in, hanging out, yada yada yada.

Then this morning it hit. Reentry my arse. This was just plain crazy.

I woke up at the usual 5:20 to get ready for the day before the kids woke up. But, of course, from 5:15-7:00 B.daddy and I had to constantly corral the kids back to their rooms "until we come get you!" So as we are sitting on the couch praying for patience and kindness and things of that nature, we can hear various thuds and screams from the back of the house.
Right after B.daddy left for work-at 7:15-I set to cleaning the kids' rooms. They each had a bowl of dry cheerios at 5:30, so I postponed breakfast in lue of cleaning the wreckage of serious play times. I was tempted to just go in with two big, black trash bags and take care of it once and for all! But I didn't. I sorted and organized and yes, threw some things away. But it was crazy and the kids were not agreeing with Mommy being busy doing something other than giving them her undivided attention.
Also, since The Rascal's diaper leaked last night I had to wash her bedding. I took it down to the washer in the basement and got it started. Then I returned to the dishes from last night's dinner. Five minutes later the electricity in the back half of the house shuts off. So I run back down to the basement to flip the breaker. I come back up and make sure all the AC's are turned off, and return to the kitchen sink. Two minutes later, the back of the house shuts off again. I run down again, and flip the flippin' breaker. I return to the kitchen sink after turning off EVERYthing in the whole house. Five minutes later I test the fan and realize the breaker has flipped again! What?! So one last time I run down and flip the breaker. I stayed down there for five minutes just to save myself the leg work of coming back down, but it seemed to finally fix itself. So I returned to the sink one last time to half-way finish the dishes from last night's dinner.
By 8:40 I was cracking open a REAL Coke and making Mac N' Cheese for "brunch."
I had a tetanus shot scheduled for 10, so at 9:40 I started getting us down to the van. Low and behold, a Comcast truck is blocking us in our driveway. I walk all four of us back to the front door and ring doorbells. No response. I march all four of us up to the third floor apartment and bang on the door-politely, of course. It's unlocked, so I know someone is in there working. I open it up and holler "Hello?" up the stairs. No response. Holler again. No response. He must have gone down to the basement. So we walk down and out and down to the basement door, but it's not open. Finally I strap all the kids in their car seats where they would be safe. (No one can steal them if they can't even get out of the driveway!) I run back upstairs to get into the basement, but he's not there. And I've locked the basement door behind me. So, I run around the house, back inside, and up to the third floor apartment. I repeat the banging and hollering as before, only louder. But still very polite. No response. Screw it. I go up to the inner door in the third floor apartment. Now I can see into their living room. (Mind you, I hardly know the person living there right now. I was not comfortable; not to mention frustrated beyond reason.) I "tap" on the glass door, and someone I've never seen--& not in a Comcast uniform--comes to the door and says, "Oh, I guess that's why I was hearing stuff." Yeah? You think? Long story short, the Comcast guy came out and moved his truck.
We get to my appointment just barely on time, and I get my shot like a big girl. I took the kids, because I thought it only fair that they see me get one, since they get a thousand. And because I don't want to ask our one babysitter to babysit for a shot, of all things. I'd much rather it be for a date or a massage!
Since I was such a big girl I wanted to take us to Sonic to get $1 Jr. Candy Sundaes. The kids would rather go to the park, which I know I should oblige to, but I'M the one who got a shot today, and I want ice cream! (Yes, needles make me act like a total baby.)
So we drive thirty minutes up to Sonic. I pull up to one stall, and the card reader says "no connection" or something to that effect. I switched stalls and it said the same thing. I get out of the van and they all say it. One of the cooks comes out of the bathroom, and I ask him if any of the stalls are working. He doesn't speak a LICK of English, so he answers my question with hand gestures explaining how one picks their items from the menu, pushes the red button, and speaks into the intercom. So, I hop back in the van, and we pull around to the drive-through. Their intercom was also broken so I pulled forward. The car in front of me received a bag of Sonic goodness, but by the time we reached the window, the very kind manager apologized that they were closing down until their computers got fixed. No problem, I say.
My arm hurts, and I want to whimper. But, this is why the kids are with me. I can't be a total baby in front of them. So we just pull over to Wendy's and get some chocolate Frosty's w/ M&M's mixed in. Finally, we sat down to a delightful ten minutes of frozen bliss. Those sweet, little faces were covered with chocolate stickiness! Well, The Rascal was covered from head to toe, but Huggie's wipes work wonders.
Now, is it far too obvious that this is one of those days you pray for patience and then you get to step up to the plate and practice it in all sorts of rediculously trivial situations?

Gizmo The Grouch

My little blondie is pretty good at The Grump. (And the Little Rascal is getting pretty good at it herself. See below.) If he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed...forget it. The day is done. All bets are off. Gloom and doldrums all around. If we're lucky an absolute expert can revive his dejected heart and bring a smile to his face. Inconveniently, that expert is more times than not his older sister. This is inconvenient because, even though she's not the Grump that he is, she is very willful. To put it in her own words--she'd have it no other way--"I do what I do, and I do what I say." Amusingly, she thinks this is the line that will end all arguments in her favor. Well, it certainly ends the argument, but in the opposite of her favor. Anyway, if she's in the mood to help out, she can talk sense into him.

Prime example:
During lunch today Gizmo was being borderline aggressive. He was mostly happy, but I believe he was toying with the idea of being mean. So after he informed me that he was going to throw me out the window--with that adorable half-smile--Li'l Bit explained to him in all seriousness,
"But, Brother, you're going to change your mind about things. Cause one day you'll grow older and get married and your kids will say the same things as you do."

Oh, the wisdom of a five year old.

In The Summer, In The City

I must give my parents credit for the fact that I know the lyrics to Summer in the City. They wouldn't let us listen to popular music as kids. We could only listen to oldies. Apparently the music of the 60's and 70's was super wholesome.
Ahem.
Well, even if they selfishly made us listen to their music because "it's not as bad as what they play these days" I am eternally grateful that I was raised on good music and not pop. I mean, what was good in the 80's and 90's? Debbie Gibson? To this day I absolutely abhor pop.

On that note, my mom was up recently to visit me. Scratch that. To see her grand kids. Usually when either of our moms comes up we'll pick her up from the airport, drop her and the kids off at the house, and disappear for three days. So, this one time it was nice to take care of her instead of the other way around. (Sorry, Vall. :) Your next-next trip, we'll take care of you.)
I got to bake for her! Holla! And we took her to a few really cool places special to New England. All in all, it was such a grand weekend, and as we were exiting the airport Li'l Bit said, "It's just not the same without Shermee." (Followed by sobs only an Alford Girl could conjure up.)
So here are some pictures from all the fun we had together:

Mom got Gizmo this hat at the Wenham Museum. (They have an AWESOME train room!)

I looooved baking for her! So fun.

Goofing off for the camera.

We took her down into the city, and the kids wore their new Shermee-bought outfits.

Fun times on the carousel--Ladybug loved it! Oh, she's just getting so big!


We went to the North End for a ridiculously good Italian dinner--and of course one last stop at Caffe Vittoria for dessert. The waitress taught the kids how to say "Gi-LAH-to" like real Italians. :)

And even though we had no towels or extra clothes, we just had to let the kids play in the fountains. They loved it!

Every single warm day I'm constantly stocking up memories. I keep telling myself, "Remember this when it's been 15 degrees for two weeks. This is worth it."

Vacation Pictures

more pictures from our vacation:

after seeing our dear melissa in virginia, we headed to south carolina to see our hunts. it was so good and sweet to see them.

our sweet families

li'l bit LOVED pete! she can't wait until we give in and get her a dog. she'll be waiting for a while!

then on to the vacation house in north carolina! it was gorgeous! the house was great, the mountain air was so clean and cool. wonderful respite for this city family.

one of my cute nieces. not sure which one. ;) twins.

the girls had such a fun time playing in the pool.

all tuckered out! how sweet can it get? li'l bit, puppy, gizmo, and hippo. :)

playing pac man with cousin G. they had a lot of fun together.

time for s'mores! the kids loved it. and amazingly enough i did not freak out with three "babies" near the fire...and no one caught on fire. (part of me not freaking out-and no one catching on fire-was ladybug staying buckled into her stroller the entire time the fire was lit.)

our view from the HOT TUB!!

sweet G.

the kids had so much fun together--they were all completely pooped by the time we left!

Home

Thirty-six hours of driving can yield some pretty darn cute moments:


And, of course, it can also yield some pretty crazy moments. For instance, our beloved van having her first hiccup and being stuck in Allentown, PA for six hours. Or Li'l Bit getting sick and puking when we were still two days from home and then riding the rest of the way with sallow eyes and a huge bowl in her lap. (Which thankfully remained empty.)
But even considering those mishaps, we had a wonderful time, and just really enjoyed being together as a family. There's simply something sweet about being just the five of us in the van for hours and hours and hours....and hours. ;) We were thankful that all in all it went very smoothly.
More pictures to come, but for now, we're home.