'Tis the season.....

for holiday recipes! This is a whole wheat waffle recipe that I can't get enough of. I've added all sorts of things to it: cinnamon and orange rind, cranberries, and next on the list: pumpkin and pumpkin spice (and maybe some more cranberries!).
1 1/2 C sifted whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 Tbsp oil
1 1/4 C milk
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, separated
Beat the egg whites until they peak. Mix the milk, egg yolks, and oil. Add the dry ingredients and sugar. Mix and fold in the egg whites. Pour into heated and oiled waffle iron for 2 to 3 minutes.

Thanksgiving, the forgotten holiday

"I feel bad for Thanksgiving," Eric said to me this afternoon. "It doesn't even have its own cartoon." True. Somewhere between Garfield's Halloween and Charlie Brown's Christmas, Thanksgiving is pretty much forgotten. Have you ever really heard a Thanksgiving song? I've always felt bad about this. Halloween and Christmas are about giving and getting, but Thanksgiving is this innocent holiday just about being thankful for what you have.
Today we went for a drive after church, and there were leaves blowing like crazy all over the road. All the trees were naked, and the sky had a dark orangey-gray hue. We commented that it really looked like a Thanksgiving type of day. So now that I'm in the mood, here are a couple things I'm grateful for about Thanksgiving time:
1. All the beautiful leaves on the ground.
2. Adding pumpkin and squash to any recipe I can think of.
3. Eric listening to BYU football (he usually cleans while doing this).
4. Thanksgiving day, and all the glorious food that comes with it.
5. It's chilly outside, but not too cold yet, and there's anticipation for the first snow.
6. Fleece p.j.s
7. The smell of cinnamon that seems to lurk in the air when I go shopping.
8. My oil burner that's full of "fig."
9. Home-made cornbread.
10. My obsession with cooking stews begins. This year its coconut curry squash stews in particular.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Date Night

Once a month Eric and I do a babysitting swap with some of our friends so that we can go to the Boston temple. Last night was our turn to go to the temple. I enjoy these date nights so much! It's wonderful to be with Eric, away from our cares, where we can feel the spirit of the Lord and focus on what's really important. When I was in Argentina the temple wasn't in the area where I was serving so I was only able to visit it twice. Being so close to a temple (it's literally 5 minutes away) is such a blessing; we've really tried to make it a priority to go to it once a month. By the way, I didn't take this photo, but isn't it gorgeous? It's one of our favorite temples.

Why I won't be reading Eclipse any time soon

I can't read these books without putting the rest of my life on hold. When Twilight first came out I told myself I would never pick it up because it was all the hype and I wasn't going to get sucked in. Then my sister-in-law came over during the summer and dropped the first two books on my nightstand. "Just start the first one," she said, "I think you'll really like it." So I succumbed.....and I'll admit I read both books in one week. I'm not going to argue that this is great literature, or that it's even literature, but what I will say is this: the week that I read Twilight and New Moon I did nothing else. My helpless daughter was neglected, the bed remained unmade, and yes, oh yes, I'm sure I went a day or two without attending to proper hygiene. Guilt! That's what I felt, every time I glanced at my little girl's innocent face that seemed to say, "Mommy, don't you love me enough to put that dumb book down?" And yet I just couldn't do it! So, Eclipse will just have to wait until Christmas break, when I am on a plane with nowhere else to go, and nothing else to do, and my husband can hold the little one while I read....

My baby's all grown up (sniff)

Today was such a strange day for me. Aspen spent the entire day cruising through the living room, kitchen and bedroom. She stopped now and then to explore things here and there, and didn't need me to entertain her, even for a minute. It was so odd! One day she needed me (as in yesterday) to hold her and keep her occupied, and the next (today) it was almost an inconvenience when I picked her up to smooch her tiny face. One part of me was thinking, "this is awesome! I can do whatever I want now, as long as I keep my eyes on her," and another was thinking, "cool, now what the heck do I do with myself?" Now that I know she can be happy on her own, I can reorganize my time, but woah, I'm still in shock!

What do you think?

Future Supreme Court Justice? I don't know, but she sure looks like she's enjoying herself to me....

Last Week in Pictures

My sisters Sasha and Demri came to visit last week. It was so much fun!
It was hard taking them to the airport yesterday. We started off the week in Harvard Square.
Later in the week we went apple picking and had a day of cooking. It was apples, apples everywhere! Apple pie and carmel apples, that is (yum! one of my new favorite things).
Aspen enjoyed meandering through all the cooks in the kitchen!




That night we set the table (garnished with our jack-o-lanterns) and had some home-made bread and stew.
We spent a couple days in Boston, of course!

One night we had Italian for dinner in the North End, and then it was to a nearby bakery for dessert. I love having people come visit, but boy does it get sugary!
Aspen was a puppy for Halloween. I don't think she realized how cute she looked, but we sure did. And we enjoyed eating all her candy.
Saturday we went to New York City. What a beautiful day! It turned out so warm, and we definitely got our exercise for the day.

We took the Staten Island ferry for a free trip and got a great view of the Statue of Liberty.


Then it was all about Time Square, and all the other sites the city has to offer.

Sunday we took the girls to the airport. It was a sad day for me, but such a great week! Thanks Sash and Demri for the wonderful visit! Are there any other takers out there? We've got a guest room waiting.....