Homemade Guacamole

I love the way a few fresh ingredients combined, can make the tastiest treat.  Homemade guacamole is one of our favorite fresh foods.  My kids love to help make it and be the expert "taste-testers" when we are tweaking ingredients at the end.  It is super easy to make and perfect with chips, tacos or on top of chicken tortilla soup.  

Here is our recipe for Homemade Guacamole:

-about 4 avacados, diced

-1/2 red onion, finely chopped

-10 cherry tomatoes, chopped

-1/4 red pepper, finely chopped

-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

-handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

-the juice of 3 limes (give or take some depending on your taste)

-a few pinches of coarse sea salt to taste

Mix the ingredients together by hand more or less depending on the thickness and chunkiness desired.

Enjoy! 

distractions

via The Handwritten Word

Ahh, sometimes little quotes like this put everything into perspective at the end of a long day for a mother.  Just when I thought I had to clean up, unpack, fold and put away all their things, we sat down and played a game of cards instead.  After all, even though I think I can't wait to do all those things, I know these kids won't wait either--they grow up far too quick.  

the flowers

The flowers this time of year erupt with the tiniest bit of rain and cooler weather.  Well, these farmer's flowers had some extra TLC I am sure.  Nevertheless, it is a wonderful time of year to be outside and drink up nature's treasures before they fade into winter.  

There is a wonderful pumpkin patch, goat-feeding, tractor-riding, flower-picking place not to far off our beaten path that we like to visit each fall.  On this particular trip I only had #3 along.  It was her first experience in rows of lush flowers.  She looked at all the bright colored blooms with great delight and then took off running down the row as fast as she could.  Flowers whipped the sides of her head as she raced by under the warm morning sun.  By the time I caught up with her, her shoes were stuck in a puddle of mud and she was wiggling her toes in the cool earth.  A little dirt never hurt his kid.  She got away before I could get the muddy shoes on her squirmy feet.  It was pure joy for her that morning even though I was a bit of a wreck chasing after her.  Thank goodness the dirt and flowers were so kind to her fair skin.

small-town pace

Just when Fall erupted like a bang and we were flung in far too many directions, we skittered away to one of our favorite places to enjoy one last taste of carefree days.  This time it was just my middle, my mother and I.  We visited beloved family, drank up the cooler weather of autumn, picked lots of apples and vegetables from my aunt's garden, visited lots of outdoor markets, hiked in the woods in search of woodsy treasures, spent long mornings at the local coffee shop, played cards and just enjoyed the slow, small-town pace along the North Shore.

Each time we go, I hope for this different, slower pace to rub off on my children.  I want them to remember the delights nature offers, the joyous feeling of picking something out of the garden to fill our dinner plates, the pleasures of simple card games played at the long salvaged wood table at the coffee shop with family, the coziness of an imperfect little cabin on the lake and taking time to breathe the fresh air of autumn.

woodsy treasures, a crown of ferns, pink dahlias at the market, hot cocoa mornings

time for knitting, picking up lots of beach glass, throwing the stick for the dog, pine cones and birch bark to make a fairy house

apple picking, apples fill her shirt, donning a new hat for cooler weather

"This is my favorite spot in the world, Momma."  "Do you want to know why?...because I can see all the way right and all the way left."

Sweet September

September is the gateway to lovely autumn. It signals the start of a new season marked with cool mornings and beautiful clear blue afternoons.  While these changes aren't nearly as drastic as other portions of the country, they offer hope of a reprieve from the summer heat.  The feel of a cooler north wind, darker mornings, and shorter evenings create a sense of eagerness in my soul for a gradual seasonal change.  Young children run wild with untamed excitement when the breezes turn cooler and outside play is more inviting.  

Yes, sweet September offers us such lovely gifts.  Happy first day of Autumn!

Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup with croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese

I could eat soup all year but I especially like the cozy meal in the Fall. Warm soups of all kinds are easy to prepare in large batches and freeze for a quick lunch or a busy weeknight dinner. I am particularly fond of roasted tomato soup with croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese sprinkler over the top. My kids love it too and use Goldfish to garnish their bowls. We play fishing games with our spoons in hopes of catching those pesky Goldfish.

Here are a few of our favorite fall soup recipes for some easy weeknight or cooler evening meals.

via

Roasted Vegetable Soup

{Herbs de Provence is the magic in this recipe--I roast any vegetables I have according to this recipe, then puree them and add them to vegetable stock to make a wonderful soup.}

Taco Soup with tortilla chips and fresh cilantro

{we add a packet of Ranch dressing mix to ours in addition to what is in this recipe}

purple cast and a dragon mask

Growing up, my mom always greeted lots of unfortunate experiences with the old saying, "when it rains, it pours."  It was definitely pouring here last week with too many serious hiccups in our week.

As we awaited our return flight home, she found a little ride-on car in the children's play area of the airport.  The little car was actually a school bus and she decided she wanted me to take her photograph so that she could pretend she was getting on the bus for school.  Just as she stepped up, her foot slipped and she fell onto the hard commercial carpeted floor of the airport.  Her cry was different with a shrill scream embedded in the sobs that lasted far longer than a normal cry.  It was the end of our trip and I thought she was overly tired.  I didn't think much of the fall and just assumed her dramatic display was due to lack of normal sleep for 5 days.  She held her elbow and wouldn't use that arm the whole way home.  When we got off the plane, I absent-mindedly handed her the booster seat to hold while I gathered our other bags.  When the booster seat fell to the floor with a loud thud and she looked up at me with big tears in her eyes, I knew something was wrong.  I felt terrible that I just dismissed the whole incident.  What was I thinking?  

After a trip to the pediatrician and the orthopedic surgeon, we found out it was fractured and she would need 6 weeks with absolutely no activity to heal.  We cancelled everything and are getting really good at card games, Legos and reading books.

Her big sister wrapped her arm in an ACE bandage for an arm signing party we had at the dinner-table one night.  She said she didn't want her little sis to feel alone so she would need her arm signed too.  

Just as I thought we had everything settled at school and home for our middle girl, the little one came down with a cold.  We attributed it to being at school for the first time and simply catching a little runny nose.  The runny nose quickly turned into a cough and then a terrible wheeze.  When I took her to the pediatrician we found out that she had walking pneumonia and was wheezing.  Thankfully, she is much better and has gotten used to holding the mask in place while the breathing treatment clears up her lungs. 

Whew!  What a week!

This is the one part of fall I dread...sickness!  With little ones, it is so hard to have them sick.

Hopefully we are just getting our illnesses and injuries out of the way early this year!