Be”leaf” Me…Autumn is Here!

      I have a secret confession.  When Will was first looking around for jobs I was wanting him to take the Connecticut or Seattle jobs.  I live for Fall!!  The mosaic of leaves patterning the ground with their rich magentas, golds and oranges so nicely compliment the wonderful smell that fills the air.  The crisp, cold air always has me dashing to my closet to pull out my favorite sweaters and scarves.  I have collected enough of both over the years to cloth a small army.

      When we found out we were moving to Southern California I was a little bummed to know I would be losing well over half my wardrobe, but more importantly the season I love so much!  I gave all but 3 sweaters, a coat and 4 scarves away.  I then woke up this morning to a dark, drizzling sky.  There was a cold breeze that carried the smell of fallen leaves into the house and I wanted to jump out of my skin!  Just look at these great leaves that I found in the parking lot.  I was scooping up armfuls as Will just sat in the car shaking his head. (Bird walk: I loved walking up the south side of BYU campus during the Fall.  There was always this one tree just outside the Benson Building that would fade from red on the bottom leaves to yellow, then green on the top.  I would always pick up a leaf and carry it with me to class.  If only Will had know what he had gotten himself into when he married me…)

     Who says Autumn never comes to So Cal?  I absolutely love living in California.  I love all of the new people that I have come to know and even the atmosphere…especially now that voting is done!  Now I love it even more because although it feels like an endless summer, there are a few days that squeeze in reminicent of Fall. . .and for that, I am grateful.

Boinging, Bouncing and Spinning

We took a trip to another pumpkin patch a few days ago.  Since it was during the day and Will wasn’t with me I let the kids ride the rides.  Normally, Will explains to me how dangerous the rides are due to the amount of times they have been taken apart and put back together…striped bolts ,etc. and we steer the kids clear.  What can I say, I was feeling rebellious.  Don’t worry, I have cliff jumping and sky diving planned for next week.

Notice my kids are the only ones actually on the ride.  No seat belts inside.  I’d say we were living on the edge.  Hudson and Annie seemed to enjoy themselves.  Since the carnival wasn’t extremely crowded, the guys running the machines were nice enough to give good, long rides.  Hudson especially love the inflatable bouncers and slides.  The kids loved the carnival and I had so much fun just spending time with them.

My Little Pumpkins

I got caught up in the election and consequently bypassed sharing Halloween.  Truely, Halloween just keeps getting more fun every year.  Who doesn’t need two pairs of eyeball glasses?  That was ALL Annie’s doing.  I just sat backed and laughed.  Now that Annie is walking and understands the point of trick or treating, there is no stopping her.   

Actually, that means there is no stopping me.  I have no self-control when it comes to stealing the kids’ candy.  MMMmmmm…snickers!

We pretty much ran Hudson ragged.  Okay, he did it to himself.  He was going native with the “no shoes.”  It was dark…I couldn’t even see his feet.  I thought his flipflops were on.  He loved being with friends.  The party was fabulous…what kid doesn’t love a pinata?  I don’t think Hudson realized it was full of goodies until it broke open.  I need to take a lesson from him and let the simple things in life bring me joy.

United We Stand!

I was so excited to vote this morning.  Today was the first day that I felt like my vote could actually make a difference.  I think this may have to due with the fact that Utah had 95% of the population voting the same 95% of the time so me voting didn’t really matter.  I voted to be patriotic.

The constant drizzle and looming, dark clouds this morning could not deter me.  Annie even fell in a puddle before we made it to the car, soaking her jeans.  I did have a quiet little thought to myself though.  Some days I feel like, “Stranger than Fiction.” (No, I am not worried about getting hit by a bus!!) I wonder how often I miss forshadowing in my life and hoped that the weather of the day wasn’t hinting of the times ahead.

Here is poor Annie mourning the idea that Prop 8 could pass.  She is pondering the state of the world…okay so maybe not.  She actually just stepped on a piece of glass.  I didn’t realize it at first, otherwise, I would not have snapped this picture.

The sea of contention and confusion( PROP 8 ) that IS California has made me so thankful for the opportunity to vote.  Here is hoping the clouds will part and that the majority will be one of morality and compassion.  Here is to a country where each and everyone of us still have a voice.  We have an opportunity to make a difference or a change for good within our families, our communities, our country and more importantly ourselves.  Here is hoping that I always have the courage to what is right and not what is easy.

Avocado’s Number

So I love food.  I love the way it looks.  I love the way it smells.  I love the way it tastes…at least most food, most of the time.  I dipped into a recipe book to make these little guys.  Apparently, it was for someone a little more advanced than me.  The instructions were along the lines of scoop 175g of cooked potato and mix with avocado, tomato, a soft cheese and various herbs.  Hmmmm…various herbs.  Yes, let me pull out my various herbs.  What the heck?!  I got a little spicy in the kitchen and let my creativity loose.

This is what I ended up with:

I poked holes in and cooked 5 potatoes in the microwave.  I sliced them in half and removed about 2 tablespoons of potato from each side.  I brushed them in and out with olive oil and cooked them for 25 minutes on 425.

I then mixed:

potato guts
1 sliced and diced tomato  (sliced and diced just sounds more fun)
2 sliced and diced avocados
2x2x2 fresh chunk of mozzarella (I didn’t have any soft cheese around)
1 T of salt
6 grinds worth of pepper
maybe a 1/2 to 1  teaspoon of basil
a sprinkle of garlic salt (I was out of cloves)

Potatoes came out and I filled them with stuffing and then I sprinkled them with Romano cheese

PS – Yes, I am aware that Avogadro’s number is 6.02×10^23

For those of you wondering how big that number really is…imagine marshamallows covering the entire continental United States 55 miles high.  That would be a mol of marshamallows.