As I savored a pumpkin muffin yesterday morning it hit me that it was a truly amazing feat to live in Bogota for two years where they did not have pumpkin. I mean we could hoard from the commissary if a shipment came in or we could happen upon it in a random shipment, this is in a can. But when you think of mums and large, happy pumpkins they just didn’t exist. I so missed the seasons shifting and the fall abundance! Come to think of it while Seth is allocating US monies for South America I should really help him see the need for aid workers to be teaching Colombian farmers the pumpkin growing trade. Great for the country’s economy, or maybe just for morale of Americans in the country. Multiple news stories have advertized Colombia getting more and more attractive to tourists and expats alike. But let’s be honest, a world without pumpkins is still not fully seeing the light. Sending you Bogota folks lots of pumpkin love!
Last week I made Edie’s (from Life in Grace) soup that I shared with you last year. It’s Chipotle Pumpkin Soup with Barley and Chicken! When you read the recipe it will sound strange but it is oh so delicious! And even the boys eat it and love it! It’s kind of like a fall curry.
Trader Joe’s is hopping with pumpkin goodness these days!! I grabbed a box of their pumpkin cranberry scones.
Next up on the pumpkin docket are…
Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin and Sage Sausage Pasta
and of course there will be pumpkin bread and pancakes as the fall months go on!
Speaking of pumpkins, I feel like I have a large one growing inside me. Her limbs often feel like a pokey pumpkin stem! 35 weeks on Wed and counting down!! We were worried on Friday night that I might be in labor but things slowed down. I am slowly lowering my caseload numbers and really crossing my fingers that my water won’t break in a patient’s home.
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Yesterday we hosted a casual get together with friends for Memorial Day. These dear friends are the people we met the week we set foot in DC over 6 years ago. They have stuck with us through our comings and goings. We all have older kids now and have spread out geographically so we don’t all see each other as much as we would like. It was nice to get everyone together, comment on how big the kids have gotten, eat yummy food and relax on a holiday from work! The guest of honor was an adorable 7 week old golden retriever puppy, Wesley Friesen! He was a charmer!
At dinner time we set all of the kids up outside with their plates and headed in to eat, a few sprinkles later and all of the kids had successfully shifted their picnic of 11 kiddos into the clubhouse of our swing set. Why we run around coordinating the kids so much I don’t know, they can clearly fend for themselves!
The Menu
(only possible because I think morning sickness has finally passed!! It only took 17 weeks but I am thankful)
many of these recipe links might be repeats because we pull them out each summer!
Appetizers
Sun-dried tomato artichoke dip with baguette (with this recipe I sub goat cheese for feta, it’s more of a spread then a dip)
Spinach dip and veggies
dinner
fried chicken- cheated here, left it to the experts and picked up KFC!
loaded baked potato salad-another cheat, thanks Costco!
corn salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette
Barefoot Contessa’s Pasta Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Fruit Salad…thanks, Margaret!
Dessert
Blackberry Peach Cobbler Bars, thanks Rebecca (and Southern Living)!!
Homemade ice cream a la Seth and the kids who helped crank it!
The absolute best overflow of a great night was that we finally wore Owen out. He fell asleep immediately and slept until 7 AM for maybe the second time in his entire life. I was about to keel over from exhaustion after such a packed weekend but clearly it was just the right balance for the O man.
Happy Memorial Day! And of course more important than any friendly gathering and yummy food, we want to thank those who have served our country and those who continue to serve. We greatly appreciate all you do. And this year we especially remember the Foreign Service Officers who gave their lives doing what they love!
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We decided to start out small…as in, a tent in the back yard. Seth has been talking to the boys about camping for a while. And once you mentioned something to a 3 year old you can expect to talk about it often! This past weekend Seth had planned to take the boys on Friday night but some major winds kept them inside that night. Saturday we had a busy, fun day ending with a dinner with my brother Ryan and his family and my cousin Rosanna and her husband Evan. Seth decided since the boys would be up late anyways to surprise them that night with a rain check camp out. We were not sure who, if either of them, would make it through the whole night out there. I was invited for reading time but then I got the boot and the rest was boy time! They went to bed nicely but were up before the birds at 5:15!!
first s’mores of the summer!
first water balloon fight….silly Easter bunny brought some water balloons and we have talked about them EVERY DAY SINCE EASTER! So, last week we pulled them out and filled up a bowl. They lasted all of 5 minutes. But the boys loved them!
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Posted by Kristen on Apr 9, 2013 in Uncategorized | 1 comment
Hi folks,
it’s been a while. I have sat down to blog 10 times in the last week and somehow I get distracted or pulled away. It might be that Spring is finally here and we are spending more time outside, meeting friends at the park and enjoying the backyard. Or it might be that I am in denial of all of these big changes in this house and I haven’t been ready to tap it out on the keyboard.
I mentioned a while back that I was taking the state exam and have been pushing through the process of applying for jobs, interviews and such. It was an effort to prepare ourselves to offset this whole sequester business if furloughing were to go into effect. This could still occur between now and September (the end of the fiscal year) but for now Seth is still in the clear up until this point. Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago I had 3 interviews at three different speech therapy practices in the area. They all had different offerings and setups. In the end I picked the one that operates much like my job in Texas working for an Early Childhood Intervention program. I will be going to homes in my area providing support for families and therapy for children age birth to 3 years old. These kids will have a variety of diagnosis and things they are working on from feeding and swallowing to articulation and language. I will do some training on Tuesday and then I will begin picking up kids to my caseload. I will likely have a caseload of 8 patients which will have me working 1 1/2 to 2 days a week. I am in the process of getting Owen squared away for my work days. It’s been a treat to be home with the boys up until now…I am feeling quite sad about the transition but also excited to get out of the house part-time to get my brain and clinical skills going again.
In other new things we just kicked off our first soccer season with Jackson. Seth is his coach and one week in we are having a great time! The first game was Saturday and Jackson did great. He seems to have a great bunch of kids on his team. Owen loves cheering him on and watching every move. I am having a hard time getting pics off my phone but I promise I will take the big camera this weekend! After the first practice we rushed the boys to bed after a long day. Owen called out from his bed. When Seth went to see what he needed he said “Dad, when you coach my soccer team will you say “I’m coach Seth and this is my son Owen”….he had overheard introductions and wanted to be sure he would get to be part of it all someday. So sweet. Before we know it he will be big enough to play too!
And lastly we are stepping out and looking for a new church. We love our church home and for the past months have justified the drive but we are guilty of really not being plugged in during the week. The church is a healthy church that is well-established and we often find ourselves not really using our gifts and abilities. So we are looking for something closer to home for our family to serve in and worship!
That’s about it on new things here. That’s enough to keep us running for a little while!
Have a wonderful week! I hope Spring finds you where you are! I know our friends in Switzerland are still facing the cold! We will have an 88 degree day coming our way tomorrow! The boys are finally in shorts, t-shirts and bare feet!
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