Butternut Squash Bisque

In mid December I made Butternut Squash Bisque for the first time. 

It is an intense process. But I loved it!

Cutting all the onion and squash is almost therapeutic.

I love when the onions start to turn translucent. The lines through them are beautiful and the color as they brown is so rich, yet subtle.

Juicing the orange. The shape and textures of the orange against the shiny smooth glass...delightful!

And boy was it tasty. I love the creaminess of this bisque. Well, and the sweetness. I always like when there's sweetness. :)

Great success!

The Little Man and Adventures with Applesauce

Back in December when I still had weekdays off, I kept Orion home one day and we read a Highlights magazine together.

They always want to do the crafts and recipes in those magazines and I remembered that we had an abundance of apples.

So we decided making applesauce was a great thing to do together. Orion loves anything having to do with fruit and this would be a wonderful warm treat.

I cut the apples into quarters and took the cores out, then Orion was excited to dice them into smaller pieces. And he did an amazing job!

We peeled some of the apples and what we peeled off, Orion had for a treat while we were working. :)

Add butter, cinnamon and sugar for maximum flavor.

Stir very carefully.

And play while it bakes!

Then I forgot to take a picture of the final tasty product. But I will tell you it was deliciousness. It was also an outstanding day with the little man. I love family time. So important.

*a sigh and a smile*

A Beautiful Walk

Yes, this post goes all the way back to November. But better late than never, right?

Josh and Brandy gave us those hats and Brandy took this photo. Thank you for taking those, Brandy, I will cherish them forever!

We took a walk on one of the nice days in November. It was mid-late afternoon and the browns and blues were delightful.

I love the way the grass pulls me into this next picture.

I have a bouquet of grass very similar to this that I love. It's so peaceful to me.

These last few days have been difficult ones. But I haven't seen these pictures in a month and studying the stark lines and calming colors of them is just what I needed this evening.

"Learning to Smile" by John Hartford just came on iTunes. Zac is playing along behind me. The kids are sleeping peacefully upstairs. And the beautiful feeling that has come over me is amazing. It was much needed.

Goodnight.

Learning to Ride

I have been a little behind in getting blogs done lately. Here is the next installment. Hopefully more to come soon. These were taken in mid October.

Orion learned to ride his bike without training wheels this fall. He picked it up quickly and was thrilled to be able to ride.

I love that boy.  :)

I love this next shot of Maebelle. She is so precious.

I will treasure these two shots forever!

Goodbye for now. Next up is a walk through Baker Wetlands and Birthdays!

Renaissance Festival 2011

Look at those amazing eyes!

The sky has been doing a lot of this lately, maybe it's a fall thing. I like it.

We took the kids to the Renaissance Festival a few weeks ago. It was so much fun!

They each got to try the bow and arrows. Orion looks a little more comfortable with a bow in his hands than Maebelle does. :)

And Zac's turn.

And the kids tried the mega trampoline. He was a little nervous at first, but warmed up right away.

How much did you love that?

This much!

Next is the kids and Zac waiting in line for the elephant ride.

And the trampoline again. Look at that hair!

I think he was a little tired by the end of the day.

And Maebelle's second turn.

We had and amazing time again this year!

An Evening in Downtown

One evening last week, we took the kids downtown for the evening.

They each got to chose something from The Toy Store. Then we ate dinner at La Parilla.

I am continually impressed with La Parilla. First of all, they make a great mojito! The ambiance is not your typical mexican themed restaurant and the service has always been polite and friendly. And Maebelle was able to start her velvet coloring while we waited for our dinner. :)

After dinner, we walked around a little more before heading back to our car.

Orion usually gets tired of walking. He loves it when he gets a ride.

Maebelle loves to admire the beautiful dresses in the window at Weaver's.

Maebelle started Kindergarten today. I can't believe how quickly they are growing up. I will now have Thursdays to stay caught up on housework, pictures, and whatever else I need to get done. But it feels a little lonely today, with the house all quiet. I am sure as time goes on, it won't be so lonely, rather peaceful. I know she'll do great in school and I'm excited to see her learn and grow even more. But today, I feel entitled to reminisce and ponder how quickly my time with them is going. And how much I love them and have learned from them already.