Pumpkin Picking

Fall in Ohio is gorgeous, simply gorgeous.  By the pictures you can't tell that it was a little chilly the day we decided to go pumpkin picking.

We found this cute little grasshopper as soon as we got out of the car.  Addie was simply fascinated by him and as soon as she tried to catch him, he was gone.

Graham was having a bad day.  No smiles out of the kid but he did eventually get out of the wagon and start exploring.

Addie was in heaven.  Simply loved every minute.

Sourpuss finally made it out of his mommy drawn carriage to interact with us peasants.

Loved every moment.  

Though you cannot tell.

This girl has her moments of "ew gross, dirt" but she wasn't having that moment on this day. She was all about the exploration.

I tried for one picture of brother and sister but again, neither was having it.  I can't get them both to look at the camera at the same time for anything.

Either way, they both ended up having a great time and I imagine next year will be even more fun.  Unless Graham has another moment. ;)

-stephanie

Pumpkin Patch & Halloween 2013

We went to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago and I just never had a chance to upload the pictures.  Life with two and all.  So this post is a mix of pumpkin patch photos, pumpkin carving and Trick or Treat.  Our favorite u-pick farm is where we always head (apples, blackberries, pumpkins, etc). 

 

Rick and Addie headed off to play while I nursed Graham in the car.

That's the tough thing about nursing.  I miss out on this stuff when I'm nursing Graham.

 

How flipping cute?

 

I caught up with them in time to find our pumpkins. 

 

This is a terrible picture of me but I love it of Graham and that Addie has her hand on my shoulder.

 

Of course I take great photos of them.  I've got to teach this guy how to take a decent picture.

 

Addie and I decided on Halloween night that it would probably be a good idea to start carving out the pumpkin. 

 

She hated it.

 

Doesn't like the pumpkin guts touching her.

 

She kept saying, "ew gross" anytime her arm touched the side of the pumpkin.  I promptly grabbed some guts and tossed them on her foot.  :)  That probably wasn't very nice of me.

 

I love how she's holding her hair out of the way.

 

Then it was time to trick or treat and Addie was uber excited.  Even a little rain and high winds didn't stop her.

 

Sometimes when I say smile, I think, maybe I shouldn't have asked her to smile.

 

Then this happens.

 

We keep trying.

 

Then it gets crazy.

 

 

Finally we get a good photo.

 

 

And a ton of candy!  Mama loves candy!

 

-stephanie

Hearty Vegetable Soup

The weather has turned again here in Ohio.  With temperatures in the 40s this week it's time to break out the soup recipes to stay warm.  I wanted soup that screamed fall weather soup and my mind kept coming back to vegetable soup.  I thought, how difficult can it be?  It's in fact, not difficult at all and anyone can do it!

Ingredients

4 cups hot water

4 beef bouillon cubes (vegetable if you want to keep it vegeterian)

1 large can whole tomatoes, pureed

1 tablespoon minced garlic

16 oz frozen mixed vegetables

2 cans diced potatoes

 1 can kidney beans

1 can white beans

Toss everything but the beans in your crock-pot on low for 6-8 hours.   The last hour toss in your beans.  Salt & pepper to taste and serve with your favorite crackers!

-stephanie

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Pound cake is something I can't get enough of.  No matter the flavor, I love them all.  No discriminating here.  Combine that with my love for pumpkin and this recipe had me in heaven.  It's super easy and so delicious.  I've been snacking on this all week long.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cloves nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3 egg whites
1 cup canned pumpkin

Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, yogurt & egg whites and beat until incorporated.  Beat in pumpkin then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes on 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

-stephanie

Apple Picking 2013

With the baby entering our lives tomorrow, I knew this last weekend needed to be a productive one but also one where we got to enjoy ourselves as a family.  We usually do apple picking right around the time that this little guy was scheduled to join our family so I knew we had to take advantage of a gorgeous Sunday morning as it may be our only chance this season.

 This one is a little sour I'd say. 

She couldn't  get enough of those apples.  Like literally never put it down.

Cheese is still a little hard around here.  My so serious little lady hardly smiles.

 

 We had so much fun.  Unfortunately those little Toms took a big hit with the dew and the dirt at the orchard so I spent several days trying to figure out how to clean those bad boys.  I should have a tutorial prepared on the way to clean those soon.

Tomorrow's post will be my last weekly bump update before the little guy arrives.  There's a chance a post may not be up on Monday or Tuesday so bear with me as we get settled in and develop a new routine.

-stephanie

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Looks fabulous right?  It is.  Even people who aren't big fans of pumpkin love this cake because it's such a good balance of cake to pumpkin ratio, then you add a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream and you're solid.  A friend of mine several years ago made this cake for a fall work potluck and I was in heaven.  He's now moved to California and I miss him like mad so every time I make this I think of him.

Ingredients

Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons melted butter

Pumpkin Mix

15 oz can pumpkin

8 tablespoons melted butter

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

16 ounces powdered sugar

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Start by mixing the cake ingredients until combined.  Press into a greased 8x12 baking dish.  Next mix the pumpkin & cream cheese until creamy, slowly add melted butter and eggs until combined, then carefully incorporate your powdered sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Beat until creamy & smooth.  Pour on top of cake mix and spread evenly.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.  Allow the cake to cool completely then add your topping of choice.  Next time I'm trying a homemade whipped cream with amaretto!

Also, I prefer this cake chilled slightly, the flavor pops a bit more.

Lastly, Top Baby Blogs did a reset on their website and we need your help with votes.  Can you click on the link below and then the cute owl on the left?  You can do this daily and we'd appreciate it!

Pumpkin Patch Pickin!

This past weekend was such a gorgeous weekend.  Imagine Autumn afternoons and this is the weather we experienced.  So Sunday morning after mass we decided to head over to our favorite, Lynd's Fruit Farm where we do our apple picking and farmers market shopping. 

It was a great season for pumpkins so we had a lot to choose from. 

 Addie wasn't quite sure about them.

 She is such an inquisitive lass.

 We even found a patch full of pumpkins Addie sized!

 Well what do you do when you have pumpkins?  Carve them of course! 

Love!  She wasn't sure of this and I guess she had reason to be unsure.  The pumpkin tipped over and started rolling with her still in it.  She wasn't having it!

Looking for more fun fall activities?  Check out the blog hop happening now at The Wiegland's.