We Heart Fall!

Yes. It is officially official. Fall is here. And the temperatures match the season....finally. We are loving the weather and the time of year. Lots of getting outside to enjoy the weather. Lots of chances to play and join in some fall festivities.

Last weekend was jam-packed with all kinds of fall fun. We kicked it off with the Downtown Get Down . The boys enjoyed the activities, face painting, and food.

Saturday morning was Eli's last soccer game of the season. My camera went on the fritz (and now the computer....ugh!), and I lost all of the pictures I took during the game. I'm bummed, but life goes on.

Once we got home from the game, we got geared up and headed out to a farm about 30 minutes away for a Fall Fun Day. It was incredibly low key and lots of good old fashioned fun. Both boys kept busy with all of the choices of activites. There was a GIANT hay slide, a corn bin (like a sand box, but dried corn instead), peacocks to watch and feed, a mock cow milking class, a hayride that you got to feed cows during, a "real" pumpkin patch, a millet maze, and more!

Prepare for the face plant in 3....2....1....

Once Eli got licked by the cow's loooong and scratchy tongue, he was done. Mommy got to feed the rest of the bread to the cows.

Who doesn't love a muscle shot?

Sunday was another big day with the Annual Pumpkin Carving Party at the Pope's. It was the biggest crowd yet which made for a fabulous potluck dinner, an intense carving contest, and of course, a lot of cuties in costumes. 

E picked out this year's face and helped draw it on, but was eager to run + play with his buddies, leaving Mommy + Daddy to carve.

Oh fall, we are glad you finally got here. And just in time for all the fun and Halloween!

Pinterest Roundup

As I attempt to meal plan each week, I challenge myself to pick at least one new recipe to try. Sometimes I try more, and sometimes I just fall back on tried and true recipes. I have been using my subscription to Food Network Magazine quite a bit as they have nice, quick weeknight meals in each issue....and then there is, of course, Pinterest.

I feel like my Pinterest boards are getting a workout lately. Especially the recipes. I figure I would share some that have been hits, and others that have been flops for those looking for some yummy things to try.

Appetizers

Hot Corn Dip - 

Had this at my sister's house while watching a Gator game, and I fell in love. I just had to have it again....couldn't stop thinking about how yummy it was. Made it again last weekend, and it was quickly devoured by this week's football watching crew. A must try!

Bacon Cheddar Bubble Bread - 

Used this as an appetizer when company was over. It was good. Quite good.  Needed a little something....maybe a ranch dipping sauce or some dried ranch dressing sprinkled in. A touch on the dry side, but still very very yummy.

Main Dishes

Now that the temps are cooling off and we are in the midst of a busy fall with Eli's karate and gymnastics and my tutoring schedule, I have been getting some good use out of the crock pot. 

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili - 

I cut out the beans as Matt is allergic and upped the amount of chicken. Both little boys ate at least the chicken and some of the corn. It was a tad spicy...will probably cut back on the heat next time so that the boys are more comfy. Matt and I can add heat after the fact. 

Slow Cooker Korean Short Rib Tacos -

I thought I was going to barf having to smell all of the garlic cooking all day long. Darn pregnancy nose! We had these when company was coming over, and they turned out really great! I did make extra slaw which was definitely eaten. The littles ate it without the slaw on top, but liked the short ribs. Overall, a great recipe

Easy Slow-Cooker Jambalaya - 

Matt had raved about my sister's jambalaya recipe the last time we had it, so I figured this one was a no-brainer and worth a try. Well, that will teach me to use a recipe that has no reviews!!! Though the flavors and concept were right on with this dish, the cook times were all off. I had to serve dinner pretty late after dumping the crockpot into a pot on the stove just to get the rice to finish. It made a ton, and with some tweaking, this could be a winning recipe. 

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos -

These are great for an easy dinner. Both Eli and Jude liked them and dipped them in some salsa and ranch dressing mixed together until their hearts were content. This will be joining our meal rotation.



Desserts






Gooey Fluffer Nutter Bars - 

Just amazing. That is all.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - 

Kinda sorta made this one up on my own...not that the actual idea was original, but I used the Pumpkin Spice Cookie with just two ingredients, filled them with store bought cream cheese icing, rolled them in fall colored sprinkles, and Voila! A very quick, easy, and deee-licious weekend treat. 




I think that is it for this month. Maybe I can make this a regular blog feature....as long as I keep up the cooking efforts as well as remembering to do it each month. As always, feel free to share any great recipes you have tried. I am always looking for something new to try to bring into the rotation so as not to get stuck in a cooking rut. Happy Cooking!

Growing Right Along

As I close in on 23 weeks, Baby Blueberry is growing right along. And so is my belly! We had another appointment today and got to see the sweet boy again.  Last time, he had his head buried way down and we couldn't get a good look at all of his important parts, but this time, he put on a show for Mommy, Daddy, and big brother, Jude. 

Happy to report that all is well and all is on track for another healthy boy. Jude loved saying "baby tummy" and "brudder" today during the appointment. He decided that if that picture on the screen was his brother, it must be Eli. Haha! And as an added bonus, the office had just gotten a new US machine that the tech was still being trained on, so the pro was there to help. We even got to try out the new 4D feature on the equipment. WOW! We've never had a 4D ultrasound, and it was too cool for words. I've seen lots of friends and been in awe, but to see my own little boy's face. There are no words.

What a perfectly sweet face. And he's ours! Looks a lot like his brothers, if you ask us. That is Jude's mouth, for sure. 

As for me, I'm feeling as fine. As fine as a preggo can feel, I guess. I just broke down and got a ginormous body pillow: The Snoogle. It has been pretty rough sleeping for a while now, and I was getting desperate. No amount of pillows or tricks were working, so I had to try something. So far, it is helping a little, and I'm glad I caved in to the purchase.  

The next months always fly by due to holidays and birthdays galore, but I think I'm OK with it this time because it means Blueberry will almost be finished cooking and ready to come out. It is all down hill from here! 

My Sweet Punkins

It is true. And I am not ashamed to admit it. 

I'm kinda sorta obsessed with pumpkins.

And then add my sweet punkins to the pumpkins, and I'm done. Just too much cuteness for this Mama to handle. I always take too many pictures and visit more than one patch each year. This was our first of several, I'm sure. So sit back and enjoy the plethora of photos. Too many cute ones to choose from. 

I am loving their matching shirts. I looked high and low and couldn't find (reasonably priced) cute Halloween shirts for the boys, so we made our own. Eli picked out the fabric for the ties and Mama whipped these out. Thrilled with how they turned out, and as a bonus, the boys both like them too.

Hold on a second, Mom! There is a super cool bug over here that I need to check out.  OK. You can take another picture now.

Moving this wagon is a LOT of work! 

Even got Daddy in a shot or two. 

But Jude was the wiggly one and wouldn't stand still for a picture. I was frustrated and didn't think I had gotten a good one yet. I begged him to look at me. I tried to bribe him with candy corns. I made funny noises. I put pumpkins on my head. Nothing. I couldn't get him to "do what I wanted him to do." So instead I took a crazy amount of candids....that all turned out better than I expected. I really need to remember this next time I'm going crazy trying to create the perfect pose or perfect shot. There is something perfect about each one of these. I love them all.

Is anyone still here? Too many pictures, I know. But I just can't help myself. I sure do love my punkins in the pumpkins.