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Of course there is a long story behind this picture, but I won't bore you with details of my arachnophobia (I'm not going to be able to look at my own blog until I've posted enough to move this out of the home page), the audacity of a spider that just couldn't stay in it's web, and the two brave souls that managed to capture, physically and photographically, this creepy crawly critter.
Happy Halloween!
The week of the pumpkin is upon us. In honor of my son's namesake, I shall be featuring pumpkins in many forms. Tonight, we have le petit pumpkin...
I've been very very very bad. I haven't written about my baby in ages. It's not that I don't care, or that I don't think about him ALL THE TIME. No, I think more likely it's because I think about him and I'm around him and I'm, you know, parenting him, every waking hour of the day (and sometimes, many times, during the non-waking hours of the day - when sane people should be SLEEPING PEACEFULLY in bed). I think it's because when I finally get an opportunity alone where I might actually have a chance to write, it's like a vacation from my job and, you know, I've got other things to do and frankly other things to think about.
But that's no excuse. My Punkin is turning into a little boy right before my eyes and if I don't write it all down I might forget what it's like to listen to his sweet voice say "Mowww Mama," and to watch him crouch over his puzzles and grunt while twisting the pieces into place, and to feel the weight of his head on my shoulder in those rare moments when I hold him and he holds back tight but peaceful and full of sweet unconditional love. I know one day that love will be tested by teenagedom and hormones and bravado. So for now I must hold tight right back and promise never ever to forget.
In the meantime, I've been trying to decipher his personality. Yeah, I know this should be a no-brainer - I mean, who can't peg their own child's personality from, like, the womb? But this kid is a tricky one. Maybe that's his personality - crafty and mischievous, tumultuous and mercurial, loving and generous, obstinate and proud. I know a lot of those descriptors sound negative, but I'm proud of his proudness when he carries his finished puzzle into the kitchen for me to see and requests, "Mama 'ump?" And I see a bit of myself in his stubbornness when he asks over and over "Nana? Nana? Nana?" as he points to the fruit basket. And when his mischievous grin creeps across his little face and the little wheels spin faster and faster behind those dark, round eyes, I know he can thank his father for his quick thinking and creative mind. He will never be taken for granted, never forgotten or unseen.
Now if only he will learn how to dance with others...
A few Saturdays ago I had a very good day. We woke up early and had a yummy family breakfast of pancakes in our pj's. Then we scrambled to get dressed and make sandwiches before arriving (late, of course) at a local pumpkin patch to meet up with Punkin's 3 (yes, THREE) girlfriends and their parents. It was a gorgeous, warm fall day and the we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. I had even managed to make some yummy Pumpkin Muffins the night before (that's a rare accomplishment) to share with everyone at lunch. After a few hours of scrutinizing squashes and posing for photo ops, we headed home again with a very sleepy Punkin. I don't even remember struggling to get him to nap, so that's a good enough day in itself. Later that afternoon we finally got around to doing some yard work and when the clouds started to appear we headed inside to make dinner and get a certain someone to bed. I found a simple yet delicious recipe for Roasted Chicken with leeks and apples in, of all places, Real Simple Magazine. I can't emphasize enough how simple and delicious it really was. The next day we were invited to go for an evening sail and in a first for me I was able to supply a yummy leftover dinner without really lifting a finger! Not to mention it was a peacefully warm night on Lake Union, just right for dinner-time sailing with two testy toddlers. Punkin was in 7th heaven surrounded by boats, water, and sea-planes. I don't think I've had such an fun, active, and productive weekend in a very very long time.
Not Martha attracts me in so many ways, not least of which is her uncanny ability to be crafty and clever without making me cringe or hate her. I came across this blog many months ago when I found her directions for making draft stoppers (a project I still have dreams of completing myself). I was recently re-introduced to the site when I discovered her special Seattle links and now I have such high hopes I've added the blog to my roll and plan to follow on a semi-regular basis. Check it out if you, too, are a Seattle-ite, a crafty person, looking for answers to life's unanswered questions, or want a few recipes for stuffed autumn leaf cookies. Happy browsing...
Friends make excellent back rests...
motivators...
travel mates...
and study buddies...
Here's to you my friend...
Sciencemama recently directed me to an interesting food site that I'd probably find much more scrumptious if I just took the time to read through some archives. But since I don't have time for that - maybe You do? It's called Delicious Days. Anyway, it lead me to this great recipe for Nutella Banana muffins which are a fantastic excuse to use up rotting bananas and eat something chocolaty. Last night I decided whip some up using the last of my rotting-so-I'll-stick-em-in-the-freezer banana's and now I have 3 big tupperwares full of muffins! Which brings me to one of the downsides of this site - actually, it's more accurately a downside of being me - which is to say, I'm American and therefore a total jello-head when it comes to using the metric system or converting from the metric system or generally taking the time to do math while baking. So I wound up mixing a whole cup of sugar with the butter and egg instead of just a half cup, which then prompted me to try to save the mess by doubling the recipe, which of course never works out quite right in baking. So now I have 3 FULL TUPPERWARES OF MUFFINS and, um, they're a little dry... Someone should tattoo across my forehead "Bake At Your Own Risk!"
Oh, and if you're looking for a beautifully converted recipe for us simple-minded Americans, you're gonna have to look elsewhere my friend. Because I still don't trust my math and you shouldn't either...
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