Happy Halloween!

I've heard that there's one in every town, but I think these folks might take the cake! This house takes decorating to a startling new level for every imaginable holiday. Halloween has brought out dozens of inflatable decorations along with the lights, window decorations, etc. They actually share a driveway with their neighbors and now some of the decorations have started to spill into the neighbors yard. It's impressive.

The night that we pulled over to take this photo there were actually about a dozen people milling around the yard looking at all the decorations!! It was pretty funny. Hopefully we'll have our good camera with us tonight to get a better photo. Til then, this gives you an idea of the craziness. Jared has suggested that I start a new series tracking their decorations, so just you wait... Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

I'll close with a picture of the kids' jack-o-lanterns that we carved on Wednesday night! Predictably, Max LOVED the goo and Ruby refused to get her hands messy. What a girl.

Lastly, I found this poem/prayer yesterday and will definitely save it for next year. Enjoy!

Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin help me say this prayer....

Open my mind so I can learn about you. (Cut the top of the pumpkin)

Take away all my sins and forgive me for the wrong things I do. (Clean out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your love I will see. (Cut the eyes out in the shape of a cross)

Open my ears so Your Word I will hear. (Cut the ears shaped like the Bible-rectangles)

Open my mouth so I can tell others You are near. (Cut the mouth)

Let Your light shine in all I say and do! (Place a candle inside and light it)

AMEN!

Charlie Brown!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 1)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 2)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 3)

Working with Super Dad

Last weekend Jared took the kids to the church work day while I lazed around the house in my pajamas reading The Host. We all enjoyed our morning a lot. The kids love the apple trees in front of the church and apparently spent most of the morning there gorging themselves on apples, picking up rotten ones, raking leaves, and climbing the apple tree. I was afraid that Jared wouldn't be able to help much with the kids, but he said that he was still able to help some and as you can see, the kids did there best to pitch in too!

I sure am thankful for my wonderful husband. How many dads will take the kids on their own to a church work day and encourage thier wife to "just relax"! I needed it and it was so appreciated.

The kids are always in a frenzy when they see him in the evenings. They know that they're in for fun, excitement, and they'll probably learn something too. Ruby recently informed me that she doesn't learn much of anything from me (except maybe that she should pick up her toys!), but learns all kinds of neat things from Daddy. That makes me wonder a bit at my mothering, but makes me so thankful to have a husband who loves his family more than anything else.

Back to the great outdoors, the trees in our back yard still have most of their leaves, the raking session back there will likely come some time in November. I'm looking forward to it--I think that the kids will really have a blast playing in the leaves. I know I loved building up big piles of leaves and jumping in--often times from a low tree branch! Maybe I won't suggest that though. Having a kid in a cast is not on my wishlist.


I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season as much as we are and not suffering too much from these pesky cold viruses. Check back tomorrow for some Halloween fun.

Fabulous Fall Favorites

I started thinking about what I would put up for Tasty Tuesday this week and couldn't think of ANYTHING! I think that's one of the side effects of a cold--nothing really sounds good since you can't really taste anything anyway. After a minute, though, it hit me! I need to shared some of my favorite seasonal recipes, so this week we'll have a bit of a collection. Hopefully there will be something that floats your boat on the menu!

Updated Mulled Cider

1 large orange
3 whole cloves
2 3/4 cups fresh orange juice
8 cups apple juice
1/4 cup raisins
1 cinnamon stick

1. Peel the skin from the orange leaving the bitter white pith behind. Stick the cloves into the skin. Squeeze the juice from the orange and add to the 2-3/4 cups orange juice. Place all ingredients into a large nonreactive pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Remove from heat, cover and allow to stand at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve warm or cold.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2. Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish.
3. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Butternut and Apple Harvest Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in leeks and onions, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, squash, carrots, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot and stir in wine and cream. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives.

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.
4. Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes.
5. Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
6. When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Cooking spray
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg); cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine buttermilk and pumpkin; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 12 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
4. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until golden.
5. Prepare Orange-Honey Butter by combining butter, honey, and orange rind. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
6. Serve biscuits warm with Orange-Honey Butter.

I could go on, but I think I better stop there! The first four recipes can be found on allrecipes.com and the last one on myrecipes.com. Hope you have a wonderful day!

The Host

Ruby and I have succumbed to our first cold of the season--probably due to our insanely busy schedule the last few weeks! My solution to the problem has been to ignore all housework and do minimal cooking so that I have time to read... and read... and read. (And rest of course!) So, here we are with another book discussion!

I read this 600+ pager in less than a week--it's really that good. I don't know how many of you have been sucked into Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (I've only read the first book), but this is Meyer's first book for adults. That being said, it isn't raunchy or anything, just a bit more advanced plot ideas than her teenage series--and not at all about vampires. This one is still sci-fi/fantasy material though, so if you aren't crazy about that genre, you probably aren't interested.

The Host is about an alien parasitic species that implants themselves into the brains of host bodies. The "souls", as they are called, have populated at least nine planets and are always scouting out new ones. The main character, Wanderer, is implanted into one of the few remaining true humans left on earth, Melanie. This is Wanderer's ninth life, each spent on different planets, in different species, but this time she experiences something she never has before--Melanie fights back. She doesn't cease to exist, as the other hosts have, she fights to keep information from Wanderer in the beginning, but eventually they become allies as Wanderer starts to love Melanie's brother and partner as much as Melanie herself and wants to find them. This is just the beginning of a long journey for Wanderer as she learns about love and what it means to be human.

I really enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down over the weekend! Even though it's fantasy and not a "real" scenario at all, it still gave me some food for thought. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a little bit of sci-fi. It's not intense, there's a great plot line of family, love, and relationships. There's also a little bit of thinking involved, but not too much!

I've ordered the first book in Francine River's Mark of the Lion series that several people have recommended to me. I'll let you know when I get through! Until then I've got a few more good reads I'm working my way through. As always, I love your comments!!

Children See. Children Do.

My sister, Alyssa, sent this to me this morning and I thought it was so important I had to share it. This is tough to watch, but the message is clear.

Banoffee Pie

I'm sorry that I have to keep putting these dessert recipes up, but really, there are so many delicious desserts out there it's hard to resist! Here's one that I learned about in Denmark from an American friend who had lived in the UK for quite a while. It's a bit unconventional, but absolutely delicious!! And, by the way, this time this is my own photo--notice it's not nearly as good!

Banoffee Pie

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 bananas, sliced

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Mix crumbs to ginger. Press into a 9" pie plate. Cool in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
2. In a sauce pan, boil the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for THREE hours. Make sure to keep the can submerged in water by adding more water periodically. Remove the can from the pan and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
3. Open the can and pout toffee into cooled pie crust. Allow to cool.
4. Slice bananas over toffee.
5. Whip 2 cups of cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla and spoon over the bananas. Refrigerate until serving.
6. You may garnish the pie with cocoa, instant coffee granules, chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce. Any and all combinations are absolutely delicious!

By the way, I have to give a 'hurray!" because this is my 100th Nutty Nelson's post!! I can't believe it! Hope a few of you have enjoyed the last nine months as much as I have!

Max's Quilt

Way back in June I decided to splurge with my birthday money and buy a sewing machine! Back in Idaho my dear friend, Esther, taught me the basics of sewing and even helped me make my wedding dress! Truth be told, she did most of the work, but I tried! After all the wedding sewing was done we started work on feathering my nest: curtains, a bed skirt, simple clothes, and eventually I was sewing for Ruby! I have consistantly had a problem with overbuying in the fabric department, so I had a lot of extra yellow and orange flannel leftover from making diaper inserts. I decided that I would attempt to make a quilt out of them.

As it turned out, I didn't have nearly enough fabric and decided to buy some boyish fabrics to make a toddler bed sized quilt for Maxwell. I ended up with a rather eclectic collection of camo, cowboy, music notes, and everything in between! This is a close up of the rag quilt after sewing and clipping was done, but before I had washed it again to get that "rag effect". A huge thank you must be given to my dear hubby who did at least half of the snipping while watching TV! That is hard work on your hands even with the spring loaded scissors.

Here's a picture of the whole quilt before washing. The back of the quilt is a pattern of white, yellow, light orange, orange, and red flannel. It looks like a normal block quilt on the back. There is also an inner layer of flannel to add a little weight and warmth.

I was a little concerned at this point that it was looking too red on the front side, but once I washed it, things did improve some and I think that it will look better and better with each successive wash.





Here's the finished quilt! The only thing that I wasn't crazy about in the end product is that I wished I would have used less flannel patterns on the top side because it is prone to pilling. Other than that I'm really pleased with my first effort. Ruby has already picked out the fabric for her quilt, so that's my next project. At least that's one reason to look forward to the cold winter months--less time outside and more time inside for sewing!!

Last, but not least, I want to wish my sister, Christina, a happy birthday!! I hope you have a fantabulous day!!

Conway Scenic Railroad

Our weekend was capped off by a trip to North Conway to ride on the scenic railroad. I had been wanting to do this since last spring, so it was a big treat!

This is the historic North Conway station, built in 1874. The building was designed by Boston architect, Nathaniel J. Bradlee.

Our train was pulled bu the 7470 steam locomotive. I think the conductor said we used about one ton of coal for our 11 mile trip (55 minutes)! That blew me away!!

Here's our conductor. I wonder who does all that coal shoveling!?! ;)

The train was sold out, so we ended up having the kids on our laps so that we could all sit together. They didn't mind though--gave them a better view out the windows!

Anne and Max enjoyed checking out some of the other trains that were "parked". (Obviously I'm not up on my train lingo! Looks like I'll have to sit in on some more episodes of Thomas!)

There were about half a dozen cabooses that now serve as private homes! Although it looks kind of cute I think that those would be pretty tight quarters for permanent living!

A view of the mountains from the train. We were on the valley train, though there is also a "notch" train that travels through the mountains. We decided that the 5 hour journey would be a bit much for our crowd!

One of the creek we crossed on the train. The weather was so beautiful. I think I'm most appreciative of God's handiwork this time of year! He really pulls out the stops!

Daddy and Max enjoying the ride! There was a baby girl sitting across from them that Max was pretty entranced with. I think he would have asked for her number if he were a few years older!

Our happy train car! We lucked out with open windows. It was such a lovely trip! Apparently they also run all year round--wouldn't it be beautiful in the snow?! Wow! Sounds like a good activity for the kids and I while Daddy hits the ski slopes.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at our weekend. It was a wonderful adventure! Come and visit us anytime--we'd love to join you on your own New England adventure!

A Riot of Color

We had such a wonderful trip up to New Hampshire last weekend--the kids loved the "calve-in" (cabin) and we all enjoyed the fall colors and just relaxing with LOTS of food! Here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

We spent the weekend with our dear friends, Anne and Ken Schmidt, who came out all the way from Chicago to take a trip up to New Hampshire with us!

Ruby and Max love for Jared to throw them up in the air so they can fly! As you can see from the picture--they really do! It's a bit startling when people see it for the first time, but once they see how much fun everyone's having they decide it must be okay after all.

Here's beautiful lake that we drove by on our way up to North Conway. The foliage was so beautiful and the lake so still everyone was screeching their tires to stop and snap a few photos.

Jared and I.

We managed to get the kids to "pose" for a few minutes so that I could try to get one of them together--a very difficult feat! Here is one of my better shots--if only they were looking at me with those big laughing eyes!

Daddy helped them climb up in this tree. Max was a bit concerned the whole time (they weren't up high at all!), but it did make for a few cute shots.

Miss Daredevil wasn't afraid! She had a ball climbing up high in the golden leaves.

Annie and Max, Ruby and Uncle Ken

One of these days we're going to get the lighting right for our family pictures!

Stay tuned for pictures from our ride on the Conway Scenic Railway!

Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon

Here's one of the yummy recipes we had this weekend at the cabin in New Hampshire! It was a hit with everyone--even the kids! To print out your own copy, click here.

Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon

8 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place salmon filets in a medium, nonporous glass dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. Whisk together well, and pour over the fish. Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.


2. Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate, and lightly oil the grate.


3. Grill the fillets 5 inches from coals for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork. Turn over halfway through cooking.

Dance, It's Friday!

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we took the kids out to Connors Farm for a day at the pumpkin patch. The weather was warm and the skies were blue--perfect day for a few hours in the country! Connors Farm has a huge corn maze this year, but we decided to bypass the maze this trip for some of the other activities. If the weather holds out, hopefully we'll make it out before the end of the month for a walk through the maze.

For this trip the kids were content to run through the hay bale maze. Both kids had a blast and would have happily stayed to climb on the hay all day long.

Here's Daddy and the kids walking around the pond to the pumpkin patch.

This was the most picturesque farm we've visited--I guess we were saving the best for last!

Here's a shot of the pumpkin patch, complete with scary scarecrow man. There were still lots and lots to choose from and we had a good time picking out our pumpkins. It seemed like as soon as we saw one we liked and started carrying it around, there was another one just a little bit better! We did hold ourselves to three small pumpkins though! The prospect of walking around the lake carrying more than that, plus the kids wasn't too appealing!

It looks like Max had his eyes on greener pastures! He just wanted to run the whole day long. Sitting still for a picture is SO overrated!

Pokin' around the patch.

After we bought our pumpkins we got some fresh apple cider donuts and hot cider and ate them down by the pond. It was a perfect end to our trip!

Tomorrow we'll be heading up to New Hampshire for a little getaway with Anne and Ken Schmidt! We're so excited and plan to take lots of pictures! Hope you have a great weekend wherever you are!

The Scarlet Thread

Since I'm trying to put a bit more of "me" into this blog and not all just kid stuff, I thought I'd mention another great book I've read this last week. I'm totally hooked on Francine Rivers' books and really liked this one, The Scarlet Thread, more than most. I almost said I enjoyed it, but it isn't really an "enjoyable" story. It's one that really digs into problems that are common in marriages today. Too often, marriages are built on a foundation of passion or love alone. Alternatively, they can be relationships based on achieving a goal: children, a big house, etc. All of which are important parts of marriage, but will not hold a marriage together on their own.

In this story, Sierra and Alex Madrid marry young after having been high school sweethearts. As an interracial couple, both sets of parent were initially opposed to the marriage, but eventually came to accept their children as the family grew. Problems began for Alex and Sierra for several reasons, first, they were not rooted in a relationship with God and second, they didn't understand or know each other very well. The years that are recorded in the book are difficult to read about, but the way that God works is so touching and brings a lot of hope.

Jared and I are taking a marriage class at church this semester. It's been good, but tough. I think that as the kids grow and schedules get busy, it definitely becomes more difficult to put the time and effort into your relationship that you should. One of the things that our teachers have hammered home, though, is the importance of your foundation. You must be rooted together in your faith and you must agree that this marriage is until death do us part--no ifs, ands, or buts.

Anyone else read a great book lately? Have a comment on this one? I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Broccoli Salad

This salad is always, always, always a hit at any sort of gathering. There are lots of variations on this recipe out there, but this is our favorite. Oh, and for all those people that have been commenting on the photos, thank you, but I'm afraid I can't accept the compliment! All but one or two of the photos have been from various food websites. I just google my recipe and choose the picture that looks most like my version of the recipe!

Broccoli Salad

2 bunches of broccoli, cut into small florets

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 c. raisins or dried cherries

2 c. grapes, halved

1 1/2 c. celery, chopped

1 lb. bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

1 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. sugar

2 T. vinegar

1. Mix the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
2. Gently toss salad ingredients, broccoli to sunflower seeds, to combine.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve and enjoy!

Photo Friday

I had to capture this moment yesterday when Ruby and Max were quietly and happily coloring together. I'm not sure that's ever happened! Ruby said, "Come on, Buddy, we can color like friends. We are friends!" Max said nothing (as usual). Lately, Ruby's feelings have been hurt that her brother won't talk to her. Doesn't seem that she "gets it" that he just can't!

After swimming lessons today, we stopped by the local "blue hair salon" to see if they had space for a kid's cut. Miraculously, they were able to take her right away, so we seized the opportunity. Ruby has been asking for a while to get her haircut, so we finally took the plunge and got it trimmed to her shoulders. It sure is cute!

This is the best picture I was able to get of my very active little guy this afternoon. He's always on the move and always into everything. In fact, it's a little bit too quiet in here... I think I better go see what he's up to! (Oh, just eating glue sticks! No problem!) Seems he has an affinity for sticky today--lollipops at the salon and glue sticks at home. Good thing tonight is bath night to get all that sticky off!

Have a great weekend wherever you are!!

Singin' in the Rain

I wasn't quite sure what to title this video clip from our indoor weekend. I'm not sure if it should be called, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Birth Control" since this was a 30 second sampling of about an hour of the same song, same banging rocking chair, and same fussy little brother in the background! I do love hearing the kids sing though, it (almost) always puts a smile on my face!

Ruby also loves to make up songs. If she can't come up with any words to her song she will resort to her own made up words. I clearly remember doing the same thing as a kid. For some reason I always felt like "coca cola" sounded like a really exotic word and it always played heavily into my pretend language! Sounds pretty silly now, but it made perfect sense to the preschool me!

Hope you enjoy your day, musical or otherwise!

Bowling Night

It's things like this that make me really appreciate my hubby and love him even more.  His lifelong motto is to "enjoy the journey" and he's constantly encouraging me to abandon my pessimistic tendencies and join him for the ride.  I'm sorry to say that I don't join him nearly as often as I should, but I really am trying to revise my ways.  

A perfect 

opportunity arose Monday night when I discovered that the neighbor who had volunteered to babysit so that Jared and I could go out for coffee for an hour had had to cancel for the third time in a row.  I was a bit annoyed that not only had I gotten MY hopes up, but once again, had gotten Ruby's hopes up for a playdate with her friend.  Instead of wallowing in frustration with me, my Super Hubby said, "Well, why don't we all go out bowling tomorrow night?" 

"Bowling?! On a week night?!"  This was my initial response.

 

After a little bit of cajoling, I was in.  We ditched the menu for the night and our bedtime routine and just took off.  First we stopped by a previously unknown pizza joint for some de-licious Chicken Ranch pizza--YUM (my tummy is growling again just thinking about how good it was).  Then we headed on to the bowling alley.  

This was actually Ruby's third time bowling, but the first that she's been able to get shoes in her size and heft her own four pound ball.  She had a great time bowling, though with her amazing backspin some of those balls took a loooong time making it down the alley.  All but two did make it though and she never really cared whether she hit one pin or five.  Every single turn after releasing the ball she would turn around and run to us saying, "I WON!!!"  And she had.

Max was absolutely torn up that there were no shoes in his size.  He took off his shoes when we all did and then tried to steal Jared's to put on.  Needless to say, they were a bit big!  I did let him help me roll the ball a few times, but his greatest joy was trying to get balls off of the ball return and racing up and down the length of the building! 

Apparently the owner enjoyed watching us as much as we enjoyed bowling because he ended up giving each of the kids a stuffed bear decked out in Patriots and Red Sox gear respectively.  

So, shake things up a little bit and go bowling on a week night with your kids.  It's a great workout and you'll all have a ball!