the weather brings

:: a little finger knitting here. a little finger knitting there. i referred to a child's seasonal treasury, which has a cute little verse. at days end, we have cord crowns, necklaces, bracelets, doll blanket tie, and a ring. she's talking about making some crowns for her friends. i like the idea of coiling the finger knitting to make a dollhouse rug. the possibilities are endless.

the weather also brought a little tea party. a little soup making. and everyone trying to keep up with vince. he's is so active, couch walking and always on the go. i can only imagine that he will take after his father and be walking at 9 months.

reminders of the seasons

:: summer flowers being pressed. summer seems so far away with the snow yesterday.


:: and some of ava's pictures reminding us that we are in autumn. i wonder what weather tomorrow will bring?

early snow

:: early snow for us, we normally would be have an indian summer. my little one was very eager to get outside and enjoy the snow. just enough for her to make some snow angels and get rosy red cheeks.

michaelmas

:: michaelmas. a day balanced with equal parts of light and dark. as we lead into the darkness that autumn brings, we must discover new inner resources which can help us grow towards life and light. a time for new beginnings, new rhythms, new tasks and a new inner journey.

i put off the celebration to read more about it and see how it relates to my family. first off in reading, i knew i was to put aside my insecurities of not knowing how to bake bread and just try baking a loaf. uncommongrace has some wonderful recipes and advises to "seek celebration and embrace it". fitting words. i decided to tell the story of the harvest loaf from all year round.

the story that accompanies the harvest loaf is wonderful. we had all the ingredients laid out in smaller bowls on the counter, which allowed for them to be added easily with the story. we lit a candle and enjoyed the celebration. oh, and the bread was very easy to make, i just had to convert the measurements prior. we still are planning on making some dragon bread, too.

hiding in the cedars

:: this little nature spot has a few bunch of cedar trees nestled together, which makes for some great play. we needed our jackets as the cooler autumn weather has come in. we notice the different colors, shapes, sizes, smells and textures of the found treasures we discovered. some sap from a pine tree finds its way to my little one hands. the stickiness wears off, but that immense, fresh smell stays around for us to enjoy.

pumpkins & gemstones

:: pumpkin picking. we had our pumpkins out of the front porch and we saw a certain someone trying to set close to our pumpkins. it was mr.squirrel. we believe the same mr. squirrel from last year. so the pumpkins are in for the night, safe and secure in my little one's "workshop", her playstand area.




:: mining gemstones.


:: my little one always finds heart shaped rocks. she shared this lovely one with her father. only this one is not a rock. and we are up at the farm. humm... i wonder what this is?





:: identifying her gemstones. i think this book is what peaked my little one's interest in gemstones, crystals, minerals and any other rocks that may cross our path. while this book has beautiful photographs and descriptions, it is not the best book for identifying naturally occurring minerals. i recommend something like this or this.

pancakes for dinner

it's always fun to switch things up from time to time. my little one loved it. we had a combination of these two recipes that follow, the apple pancakes with whole wheat flour and quinoa flour, topped with the nutty topping of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sliced almonds.

apple (banana and pecan) pancakes with maple butter by tyler florence
whole wheat pancakes with nutty topping by ellie krieger

tomorrow for dinner:
pork chops with spiced apples and raisins by tyler florence


some new recipes that caught my eye:
beef and butternut squash stew by giada de laurentiis
creamy mushroom soup with blue cheese toasts over at chow
roasted acorn squash with wild rice stuffing over at chow
butternut squash lasagna by giada de laurentiis
pasta with butternut squash from apartment therapy
roasted delicate squash salad over at chow
chicory, tangerine & pomegranate salad over at chow
pecan and sweet potato bread over at chow


for desserts, I came across this super amazing blog honey & jam. Don't you just love the name, you have to check this one out.

so, i'm hungry. it's late at night. i am search for some recipes and trying to plan out some meals. dictating a certain meal for a certain day of the week did not work, but the meal planning is coming along.

i get inspired by watching cooking shows. and a new food magazine has helped inspire me. it was on super-easy italian meals and $10 meals. i also need to invest in some wholesome, simple, natural cookbooks. what's are your favorite book cooks?