Christmas Pics Attempt #1 {Outtakes}

Our first attempt at Christmas card pictures happened over the weekend. Oh, the humor and chaos that ensued.

It was a wee bit windy too.

Ezra was so much more cooperative this year...leaving the trouble-making all up to Theo.

It didn't get any easier with all six of us.

Hopin' to get ONE decent one before Christmas. Too much to ask?! Perhaps.

Pumpkins

We ventured to the patch last weekend to grab our stash.

We are definitely quickly running out of room for pumpkins! Who knows what we'll do next year with THREE littles?!

We are very much into "If he does it, so do I" stage.

And they are pretty much inseparable. Fingers crossed that helps with moving them in together in a few months!

Our rule for pumpkin selection: have to get it to the wagon. This was E's solution.

We gave in due to creative thinking.

This, That and Two More Things

I've been keeping busy with girl nursery projects, scheming up shared boy room ideas, and hanging with my boys. I've made four crib sheets, two throw pillows and currently finishing up a ruffle ombre crib skirt. I shared one of the throw pillow tutorials over at Newlywife last week.

We've had some fun-filled days and relaxing weekends with local mini-adventures. We spend most of our week days at some park or other. Now it's all about tagging errands on beforehand so I can accomplish addition tasks during the week.

W got a bad case of the cold several weeks backs and thankfully, was the only one. My parents got back from Europe which means "Gparent Thursdays" are back in full swing. Yippie!

But really, this post is to share two things. Two things that are so awesome. And that we love.

First, this salad dressing recipe. It has changed my salad experience and we love it! The flavor is amazing and I'm sure it would go with more than just a simple salad. Plus the added benefits of raw apple cider vinegar. We've been using it for several months now and I'm pretty sure I won't be buying store bought dressing ever again..not that I really did before. Homemade is just so much more tastier in my {expert, of course} opinion! ;)

Second, a baked oatmeal recipe. I'm not really an oatmeal person, but wanted to try it out. I made it for the first time for yesterday's breakfast and it did not disappoint. Served with some maple Greek yogurt, brown sugar and coffee. Yum! And so filling!

At least 12 hrs before breakfast, mix all the below together and let sit in a warm place till you are ready to make...

3 C rolled oats

  1/2 C melted coconut oil or butter

1/2 C honey

1 t salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1 C whey or buttermilk or yogurt with live and active cultures

In the morning, mix in...

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 t baking soda

1 t cream of tartar

optional: chopped nuts or frozen berries {I went with berries; about 1 C}

Bake in a buttered 9x13 pan for about 30 mins at 350-375 degrees. You may have to cook longer or at higher heat if using frozen berries {I went with 375}. Serve with butter, maple syrup, honey, cream, or yogurt!

Airport Open House

The men were at a men's conference all day on Saturday, so the ladies got this idea to do breakfast and the annual airport open house. Three Mamas and eleven kids. Crazy fun? Absolutely. Coffee? Mandatory.

The whole gang!! 

The rest of our day was spent with lunch, long naps, a movie before getting W and having an in-n-out picnic dinner in the grass. And an early bedtime.

Cooler Weather

FINALLY!! We celebrated the first "cooler" day {read: below 80} by heading to the pumpkin patch with friends last week.

They had a grand ol' time in the kernels.

And, of course, the hard-core corn-maze.

Beautiful afternoon spent in corn.

Although next time, I'm seriously bringing rations. There were moments where I thought we would get stuck!

A victory photo attempt. Dirty would be an understatement.

 And so would tired. :)

Roasted Salmon with Miso Sauce

Real Simple's October 2012 issue had an absolute gem. They did a piece on a five-day meal plan for an entire month. And included a shopping list for each week. Talk about making it simple. What I love most about the recipes are that they push me outside my normal, but not in an overwhelming way. Feeling adventurous, but still only having to complete 3 or 4 steps per meal. 

We've ventured to Ranch 99, discovered radicchio and fennel, and resurrected a love for chorizo. I've been doing one week on their plan and following it up with a regular, no-frills week. It's been the perfect mix. 

With any adventure, there's been some major hits and major misses. One of our absolute favorite thus far was last night's dinner. Everyone, including my picky eater, cleaned their plate! Success.

1.5 lbs of new potatoes {halved if large}..i just got a 1.5 sack of small goldens; less work

1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets

3 T + 1 t canola oil

kosher salt and black pepper

3 T white miso {soybean paste; found in fridge section of supermarket}

1 T rice vinegar

4 6-oz salmon fillets

1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper...opted out of this for my white boys

*Heat oven to 425. In baking dish, toss potatoes and broccoli with 2 T oil, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender. About 25-30 minutes.

*Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk miso, vinegar, 1 T of remaining oil and 3 T water.

*Heat remaining t of oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Season salmon with 1/4 t each salt and pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, about 5-10 per side. Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with crushed red pepper and serve with veggies. 

Party in your mouth. No joke. 

Leaf Printing

Last month, the boys and I went on the leaf hunt with some friends. We met at a park and collected as many different types of leaves as possible. 

The next day, we gathered our supplies together for printing:

-various leaves

- white paper

- fall colored crayon colors

-something hard to work on {we used a plastic plate}

Place a leaf under the paper and lightly color the paper so that the leaf lines show up

We found that the pine tree needles didn't really show up, but the prints should look something like this...

But if you have a toddler, it'll look more like this:

We did learn a few tree species like oak, gum and Japanese maple! So it'd say it was a success! ;)

Gettin' Spooky! {decor}

A few weeks ago, the fall box came down and slowly but surely our house is turning a bit spooky! I've made a new front door wreath which I'm in absolute love with. Already scheming up Christmas ideas so I can keep it out!

{tutorial found here}

Our entryway inlet has a few added touches:

I got the print a few years back and added my mustache hoop art that wonders around downstairs without a permanent home. The beware sign was a dollar store score.

Our mantle:

At this point, just a hod-podge of what was already on it plus a few random additions. The candy corn garland I made out of felt and is hung on black ric rac. The witch print is found here. And the centerpiece pallet sign is incomplete {still need words} and will eventually go to another home. But it works there for now until I mail it off.  

The winning space thus far is our bat wall! It turned out so awesome. Amazing what 50 little card-stock bats can do! The flight of the bats:

{tutorial found here}

Happy harvest month!