pumpkin time

We are waiting for Nana's visit later this month to hit the pumpkin patch but who go through October without pumpkins on your porch? We grabbed a couple of big ones last night after school. When we got home, the November Martha Stewart Living issue was waiting in the mail.

October through December -hands down my favorite time of year!

blackberry farm cookbook night

We celebrated such a gorgeous cookbook at our last dinner group - The Blackberry Farm Cookbook. My sweet pea of a best friend gave it to me for my birthday this year. I page through it over and over, thinking of the many meals I'd like to try. Even if you aren't an adventurous cook, take a peek at it for the beautiful destination it is.






If I ever pass through Tennesse (which really isn't very likely), this is definitely on my to do list.

We went with one of the fall menus:

Coffee-rubbed duck breasts

Roasted pecan brussel sprouts

Wild rice

Squash gratin
Apple stack cake

What a meal! It went perfectly with the weather and even though I overcooked the duck breast just a bit, it was still out of this world!

Check out Martha's beautiful cake!

family math and science night

Sweet Tall House, Double Cup volunteered with a fellow Intel dad to pump up Family Math and Science night at E's school. Ems and I peeked in to check it out and found lots of fun happening - a technology petting zoo, experiements and lots of boys and girls running around thinking math and science thoughts :)

We were all very proud of THDC!

new style

E's been developing his own sense of style lately, voicing interest in skinny jeans, skater looks, and hats. On Monday evening he said the best part of his day was his new style and the worst part of the day was that none of the kids commented on it. His chief concern about the next day? What he should wear.





Wow. I got nearly eight years of pulling on matchy-matchy outfits on E every morning. I like that he's showing some style and interested. Let's hope I can keep up.

And for the record, Ems requested a photo of her look for Monday.

ikea run

The returns line is never very long at IKEA - but E and Em find lots of way to pass the time.

NoHo's Hawaiian Cafe

NoHo's Hawaiian cafe just opened up in our hood. Tall House, Double Cup is a big fan from his college days eating at their joint in Corvallis. It happened to be a lovely, warm night on Saturday so we tried it out. What fun! Em was in love with the hula dancer, the food was delicious, and the rum drinks were yummy! It felt just like hanging out at a local place in Napili!

em's blankie

I've been working on a quilt for Em for over a year now - maybe even two years. It's pieced together from her baby clothes. I just finished the quilt top and still have lots of finishing work to do (not my favorite part). But I'm so happy with how it's turning out.

ladybug girl

Em loves the Ladybug Girl series. We put together a matching costume and headed out to play. She is the sweetest ladybug girl I know.

scenes from the beach

The lovely Goodell family invited us to the beach this weekend. What fun we had - just a great escape and a last hurrah of summer weather! And check out Venus! It's difficult to see with my pedestrian camera, but it's to the right of the moon.

belle

Em's grandma brought out this dress that she wore as a little girl and gave it to a very excited little girl! Nancy thinks she wore this in a play - all of the stitches are hand-done, the fabric so heavy and shiny, and the ruffles just perfect! Em likes to sing the theme song to Beauty and the Beast and waltz around the house. I've got my fingers crossed that we've got one Halloween costume taken care of!

oregon state fair fun

happy birthday tall house, double cup

Patient, smart, gentle, thoughtful, committed, fun, open, consistent, kind, and silly.

Happy Birthday Tall House, Double Cup

first day of second grade

E played it real cool for his first day of second grade. He said he wasn't nervous, no butterflies, just fine.

When I picked him up, he didn't stop talking for several hours - loves his teacher, loves his class, loves being a second grader! Such a relief from the stress of last year. Go E!

last day of summer

Forget the official calendar - today was our last day of summer as E starts second grade tomorrow! So the kids kicked back ALL day - E finally got dressed at 5pm, only because he was going to the park to get some playtime in before we tried to start the school year schedule - it's going to be brutal after a summer of staying up late and sleeping in.

We prepacked all of our bags and have already made lunch. Hopefully we'll all get to school or work without tears in the morning.

2010 was a great summer. And while I love all things falls, I am going to fondly remember all of our time outside together over the past three months.

baking and zoo trains

Ems and I got some alone girly time together this week. It really doesn't happen all that often. We made blueberry muffins together and an early morning zoo run. I love to get alone time with Ems, away from her beloved daddy. When she doesn't have to him fulfill her every need, she does a solid job taking care of business or asking kindly for help. We spent hours together with no whining, crying, or fits. It was lovely! I need more alone time with my girl.

Here she is eating one of her muffins on the zoo train. Fun!

voodoo donut run

I took a little vacation to stay home and hang out with the kidlets before school started. Each day was a little adventure, a lot of loafing around the house, and some domestic projects.

One of the most delicious adventures was a run to Voodoo Donuts for E. He had never been but was VERY interested in the bacon maple bar. Proclaimed DELICIOUS!

ad hoc dinner group

We continued our cookbook dinner group last week by celebrating Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc. And while T. Keller finds this cooking to be easy home fare, I was challenged by the many steps. But the work resulted in an amazing meal!
Endive arugula salad with fresh peaches and marcona almonds!


Amazing halibut over asaparagus!

Sun gold gazpacho with fresh chives!

Pineapple upside down cake! This was amazing! The cake was perfect - and can be made alone without the fruit.

Emme passed up the Martha cookies for a big piece of cake. Well worth it!

What a group!