Nighttime lovies

Every night after bath time Gunnar like to go snuggle with his animals while I finish cleaning up the kitchen and getting his bottle ready. Friday night I guess Truck was feeling extra giving as he actually held still for the lovin' long enough for me to snap a few pics:

Well hello doggie:

I LOVE YOU!

In the kitchen

With fall upon us and a garden going to seed I have been cooking and canning up a storm.
My girlfriend was kind enough to give us some tomatoes from her grandpa's garden so last weekend I canned those plus the excess beans from our garden.

Then I tackled some recipes from my new favorite blog Smitten Kitchen to help with the additional excess from our garden.

The roasted tomato soup with cheddar toasts has been my favorite dish so far.

The herbed summer squash and potato torte was also yummy.

And then there were the apple pancakes. Delicious and a huge hit with Gunnar. That boy loves his breakfast foods!

That recipe sparked my inner baker so this morning I made the Pioneer Woman's buttermilk biscuits. They didn't turn out as pretty as the picture in her cookbook but they were amazing. Light but durable.

We topped them with the blackberry jam Nick made and some strawberry preserves from the neighbor. Add on a side of sausage patty and it was a hit!

Better hid the chickens!

No deer yet this deer season but Nick "shot" this coyote trucking through today.

Bag it to go

Proof that papa will always be more fun than me. He and G devised the "baby in a bag" swing last week:


Wow! He can't get enough of it. Of course, he is getting to be such a big boy these days that mama's shopping bag is now on it's last handle.

More Peas Please

I tried a new easy peasy recipe for split pea soup and it was delicious. I have always enjoyed split pea soup but figured it would be too much of a hassle. I mean what the heck is a ham hock anyways? I found the recipe for "Emeril's split pea soup" in my Martha's Everyday Food magazine and it was a snap. Beans, veggies, broth and hocks into crock pot and 6 no hassle hours later it is done.

Mr picky of the pickies even loved it. He ate two big bowls with about a 50% spoon to accuracy ratio which is really good. Washed it down with some peaches and it was a p-pleasant meal.



I searched online and could not find the recipe. If anyone wants it just message me and I can email it to you.

The Good Books

I have finally managed to resume one leisure time activity post Gunnar. Reading! I was at Target and took a minute to browse the book selection. Boy there was a ton out there I have been missing out on. So I jotted down what look good and got to ordering from the library. There have been some hits and misses but so far I have really enjoyed:

Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. I loved her book The Glass Castle and this one was just as good. Apparently I am not alone as as Times Review seems to agree. In Half Broke Horses Walls assumes the voice of her grandmother to tell of her adventures as a pioneering pioneer woman. She breaks horses and bucks tradition in this wonderful memoir.

Keeping with the cowgirl theme I read Ree Drummond's Black Heel's to Tractor Wheels. I am a huge Ree fan and her tale of unexpectedly falling in love in Oklahoma does not disappoint.

G and I swung by the library this morning and I am getting started tonight on A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates. I have been a fan of hers for many years and can never resist when I see her name on a book cover. I'll let you know how it goes.

Got a waking baby so I gotta run.

River Excursion

After the Nicky's event we went down to the river. The weather was extra humid and warming up and the fog was really neat.


And of course all that fun made G quite thirsty: