September songbird

Reminiscing on this time last September, we had just found out we were expecting our little bird. It was as such a sweet time, filled with excitement and dreaming of our dove. She was so loved and wanted even in those earliest of days.

Now she is here with us, doing all the things we always dreamed of doing together. We visited the apple orchard twice, with each set of grandparents carrying her so lovingly as we searched for the best apples for baking. We brought our full bags home to make apple goodie and apple sauce while Eloise watched and learned and smelled it all. 

I’m already thinking ahead to next year, will she be blazing ahead of us to see the next, next, next tree? Or trailing behind to study each apple? Or maybe we’ll be going the same speed as she points to apples she wants her daddy to get from the high branches? There is so much fun ahead and so many traditions to share with our girl. 

But now we are enjoying the sweet chirps of our songbird, and trying to cherish each moment of this season.  

Apple Goodie

Ingredients:
3 cups apples – peeled & slice
1 C white sugar 1 T (heaping) flour


2 tsp cinnamon 
¾ C. oatmeal¾ C. Flour¾ C. Brown sugar½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt½ tsp baking powder
1/3 C. Butter, soften

Directions:
Mix white sugar and 1 heaping Tbsp flour together. Pour apples into the sugar mixture and toss together.  Then place in the bottom of a greased and floured baking dish.
Mix together cinnamon, oatmeal, 3/4 c flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Work 1/3 C. soft butter into flour mixture and spread in a layer on top of apples.  
Bake in 325 degree oven until apples are done, about 1 hour.

Grandpa cookies

An instant favorite, once known as "Daddy Cookies", they are now designated as "Grandpa Cookies" because this was the first thing that Eloise and I baked together for a special Birthday surprise for my dad. They are perfectly chewy and full of toffee and oatmeal. Careful not to over bake, when they start to brown around the edges pull them out of the oven and let them finish cooking on the sheet.

Grandpa Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
 2 cups packed light brown sugar
 2 eggs
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until blended. 

 Stir in oats, toffee bits and coconut, if desired, with spoon. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack. About 4 dozen cookies

Cheeks

Eloise Judith: A study of cheeks

A trip to the mountains

We flew west for a long weekend (baby’s first flight).
We breathed in the fresh, crisp mountain air. We drove up and down the winding roads of Rocky Mountain National Park, to enjoy the views. We snuggled in our rented house, the heat going in the mornings and night, the doors open in the afternoon. We had a beautiful view of Lake Estes and enjoyed it from the deck. We saw old friends, and Eloise made a new friend. It was a peaceful and restful trip.
It gives me such joy to show Eloise the world. Seeing things through her eyes as she takes it all in. She may not remember these early trips, but I will show her pictures and reminisce with her about so many “firsts”. She is so content going everywhere on mama’s hip or being pushed in her stroller.
And what a charmer, smiling at everyone who looks her way.
I have to say, one of the highlights of the trip was when we arrived at our home airport, tired and ready to be in bed, but we had to wait for our luggage. As we waited, Eloise just started to burst out laughing. What could she find so funny? The luggage dropping onto the carousel of course! The three of us laughed so hard together and it was the perfect ending to her first trip west.

Little wonders

Things I want to remember:
Eloise’s wonderful laugh (it’s impossible not to laugh with her), it truly is the most beautiful sound. And her smile melts my heart with every grin.
Her tiny dimpled hand gently brushing my chest as she nurses. The way she pulls her head back from nursing and looks sweetly up at me, when I look down our eyes meet for a moment, she smiles and burrows back into me with a content sigh.
She loves to be carried, any which way, but my favorite is up on my shoulder with her peaking out. Eloise has always preferred being outdoors, there is so much to see and explore, she looks around with curiosity and delight!
Bath time is her favorite, she is at home in the water (like mama).

First fall

A chilly, rainy October Sunday.

We’ve been waiting for the weather to turn crisp and spicy.

I can’t wait to introduce her to all things FALL: leaves changing colors, giant pots of soup and chili, warm mugs of apple cider, everything pumpkin, cozy sweaters, comforting candles, snuggles by the fire.

Oh and Eloise's first Halloween, what fun! 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I've seen recipes for homemade taco seasonings floating around Pinterest for a while now and decided to give one a try. We thought it turned out way better than the store bought version, plus you can easily adjust the seasoning to fit your heat preference. All of ingredients are just common spices, and all you do is mix them together. It's great to know exactly what is going into your food- no yucky preservatives or additives. Next time I will triple the recipe to have more left over. Try this next time you are making tacos rather than buying the store bought stuff!

Homemade Taco Seasoning


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Mix all spices together until well combined. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in your spice cabinet and use as needed.

To make tacos: Brown meat and drain fat. Add 3 Tbsp of mixture, 1/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. 

Adapted from: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/01/homemade-taco-seasoning.html

Back To Blogging!

Well I'm finally back to blogging! My 2 week break from blogging turned into nearly a month, whoops! But it has been an awesome break from the norm. Here are some things that we've done:

Right after finals Luke and I jetted off to Florida. We spent the first three days in Orlando and visited Disney world and relaxed at the hotel. We went to Epcot and had a wonderful day! Apparently May is the time to go if you want to avoid the crowds, lucky us!

We sampled all kinds of food from around world at the International Showcase. 

Fish and Chips from England were Luke's favorite.

Napoleon from the French bakery- now on my list of recipes to try!

Next we ventured to Ormond beach where we spent the following week. 

We:

     Played on the beach

     Went to St. Augustine 

     Went sea kayaking

     Went on lots of long beach walks

     Watched the sunrise

     And played at the beach some more

So that was our Florida trip! After that we spent time unpacking and cleaning, Luke went to a wedding in Canada while my friend Brianna visited me in the Lou. 

We celebrated our one year anniversary this past week (wahoo!). Luke planned a lovely date complete with roses, dinner (The Wildflower) and a movie (Snow White and The Huntsman), all of which I highly recommend. Sorry no pictures, I forgot the camera :( 

We did have our one year old wedding cake- which was not so good tasting (or looking!). 

 Since Luke and I really only had the last two weeks of summer off together we have been trying to make the most of it. We've gone floating on the Current River, went hiking, and had a picnic at a nearby park (Abby loved chasing all the ducks there!).  

(Wearing the shirt I got him for our anniversary!)

Well, that's all for now! I'll get back to cooking ASAP! Happy, happy summertime everyone!!