leaves, squash, and cookies

This was the view over the mountain pass as we traveled over to visit family last weekend. 

This picture was taken through the car window, at 70 mph, no photoshop...we were in total awe.  Our normal route was plagued with construction, so we went a different way across.  I'm glad we did.

 

A visit to the pumpkin patch, looking for just the right one.  It was quite a search.  Her pumpkin required just the right stem.

 

I required that we eat butter saturated, freshly plucked corn....and take several silly pictures.

(Uncle Alex and Aunt Marsha- or is it the other way around?)

Silly, borderline inappropriate pictures.

Hannah was not amused.

And now for the cookie recipe some of you requested, there is butter involved. Lots of it. You've been warned.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I always just use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves- a pinch of each)

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

16 oz can of pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Next add pumpkin and vanilla.  Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!!
 

some self talk

I want to be completely honest.  Homeschooling is a lot of work.  Work isn't really even a good descriptive word.  "Work" implies a bit of drudgery.  It makes me think of something monotonous and unpleasant.  I wouldn't call it any of those things.  I will say that it is time consuming.  Like, really time consuming.

     

One of my friends asked me the other day, "So when you are teaching the girls their lessons do you just sort of ignore the phone and the laundry and stuff?" She was asking because she is doing some pre-school work with her 4 year old son. She was trying to figure out how to balance it all. My answer: yes. There is a portion of my day that is devoted solely to schooling (usually from 9am-2pm), whatever remains after that is when all the other issues of home-managing are addressed (ie. phone calls, emails, dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning...need I go on- you all know what I am talking about).  Some days, that portion of time is but a few hours.  

Where am I going with this?  The truth is, with baby #4 on the way I have already begun to feel a little overwhelmed. I am entirely in touch with reality this time around. Sometimes I think a little ignorance would be blissful. But being that I am feeling a little "seasoned" at this mothering gig- the logical questions I have asked myself are: "What will have to change?"  "Can I really do all of this"  "Could I simultaneously nurse AND make homemade hand-dipped candles for a project in history relating to the medieval times?" "Is there enough of me to go around in this capacity?" "WHY, AGAIN, ARE WE DOING THIS?"

This post (lovely blog!) brought it all back to me.  It helped me so much.  I wanted to share it with all of you that are homeschooling or may be considering it.  It really sort of encapsulates my thoughts of the "why" of homeschooling for us. This one helped too. And while you are there, you might as well read this one as wel.  So freeing. I went back and read my own thoughts when we were first starting out.  And before long other little reasons (our own family's reasons- not saying that homeschooling is right for every family) started cropping up.

Including reason # 493...

Pumpkin cookies and cocoa in our slippers,

sometime between math and spelling.

I'm gonna slip in some other reasons as I recognize them from time to time.  Just to remind myself- we are doing this.  We are doing it day by day.  It is working and I'd like to think that it will continue.

Thanks for indulging me in a little self-talk.

By the way, I have already decided that pumpkin cookies totally count as a vegetable!

things I'm loving

I am generally not in love with "things", but it never hurts to have a few lovelies in your life.  Here is some of what I have been enjoying lately.

1. Breakfast.  I took a little 6 week vacation from tasty morning meals.  Basically I survived on bananas and saltines (a few grapefruits too).  Morning sickness is comparatively mild for me- thankfully. Just a bit of nausea. Feeling much much better.

2. Pixi cosmetics.  Especially this cheek stain.  I am a total sucker for packaging.

3. Braids.  Lots and lots of braids.  No shower required :)

4. Squeezo.  Makes canning tomatoes and applesauce a breeze.  Okay not that easy...but easier! No peeling. If you see one at a garage sale, snatch it up!  There are a few on ebay!

 

5. Wuthering Heights on netflix "watch instantly".  Good, really really good.

 

6. The Diary of Mattie Spenser.  A good quick read.  It took me one full Sunday.

7. Lavender.  I bought some from buds from the farmer's market a while back.  I have them stashed in little dishes all around the house.  Smells wonderful.  I've always used this in my bath. 

8. Kissaluvs size 0.  Cloth diapers...they're baaaack.  Keeping my eyes out for some good deals on a new stash.

9. Ghosting.  Hillarious! Hamish and Andy.  Who knew?

10. Pictures by Hannah.  Once a day I let her take photos with my iphone.  This gem showed up the other day.  I think she snapped it when we were waiting for Emma to come out of piano lessons.  I love how it shows a tiny snippet of the daily affection that is mine.  Love those arms around my neck.