Fall: The Busiest Time of the Year

Honestly, why is Fall such a busy time of year? It seems the rest of the year we sit twiddling our thumbs looking for something to occupy us, but as soon as September rolls around we're running around like crazed chickens? And this running around continues until about January 2nd. Four months of madness and then nothing.

Trust me, I haven't overlooked the fact that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas occur during this time. But why is it we don't have giant celebrations and anticipation for lesser loved holidays like...Memorial Day? Or President's Day? Or even St. Patrick's day? If we can get all jazzed about Pilgrims and turkey, why not leprechauns and green beer? Why is it the "holiday feeling" doesn't extended to these other days?

So yes, the mad rush of decorating, carving pumpkins, and picking out Halloween costumes has hit me too. Therefore, this is only my second post this month. This morning we dressed Hayden up in his two Halloween costumes. He was adorable. I think my favorite is the Tigger costume though. http://www.flickr.com/photos/missyyvonne

He's such a cutie. Becoming a mom has changed a lot of things about me:

1. I no longer care about what my costume is for Halloween, now my sole concern is the adorableness of my munchkins' costume.
2. I have less patience with adults and more patience with children.
3. I don't waste a second of my time - even to sleep late.
4. I laugh more and worry about stupid stuff less.
5. I have stretchmarks...HA! I had to throw that one in there.

So, in the midst of all the holiday bustle, our family came down with a stomach virus this weekend. Both Hayden and I had a lovely night of vomiting. We are still recovering. I think I'm at about 85% Health and I'd probably put Hayden around the same. I'm just hoping we don't pass this to Mark. So yesterday I bought lots of disinfectants and started spraying down our germ farm (also known as our house). I did all of Hayden's laundry (which believe me, if you've ever had a sick baby you know that's alot), changed sheets, sprayed down the changing table, etc. I still have lots of disinfecting to do...I just need to gather up enough energy to continue.

On more enjoyable fronts, the weather here has been awesome!!! We finally had some cool weather yesterday. This made me realize 2 things: 1.) I have missed cold weather 2.) Hayden has very few cold weather clothes. So Momma needs to do some shopping!! I really need to get him a winter cap that can cover his ears from the wind. Yesterday was so windy I had to cover his head with a blanket, which he kept pulling off - he thought it was a game. The only hats I have that still fit him are caps - which are useless against cold and wind. Plus, he could use some warmer PJs. The list goes on.

So in honor of our cold weather, I thought a sourdough bread bowl with warm creamy soup was in order! I made the most delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup yesterday and it was very simple. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know. Wow! My only regret was that I couldn't find sourdough bread in the smaller sizes, so I had an XXXL bread bowl that I couldn't finish. =( I hated wasting any of that yummy bread, so I stuffed myself as much as I could. Haha.

Tonight I'm hoping to carve our pumpkin if Mark gets home early enough. I carved a pumpkin last week so I could toast pumpkin seeds (another great recipe if you want it), but alas, the pumpkin did not survive our hot Texas weather that week. But now...I think it might have a chance. I did just a regular jack-o-lantern last time, maybe I'll get fancy tonight - who knows?

A Day at Home

I feel like I've found something that I lost. Not an object, but a person. When you've resigned yourself that something is gone forever, that it will never return, and then suddenly it does - well, it's almost...there really are no words for it.

But part of me doesn't dare expect this will be permanent. I wouldn't want to lose them again, knowing I had them back for a moment. That would be just too hard.

I hate happy times...it usually means bad times are just around the corner. I don't trust happiness. Terribly pessimistic, I know, but honestly - that's life.

Anyway...

It feels good to be at home after such a long week. Sick baby and plane rides = Hell.

This is actually my first full day at home though. Haha. I've been busy running here and there - but today I'm taking a break. Partially because I'm getting sick. But I need an at-home day. I still have one suitcase waiting to be unpacked. Half the laundry is done. Half the dishes are done. I need to make bread for Bridgepoint. I need to get dressed. HA!

When I was a little girl, my great-aunt Barbara would make cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. She would get one of those giant coat boxes from the department stores and fill it with dozens of cookies, any kind of cookie you could think of. My favorites were the Lemon Poppy Seed cookies. For years, I've wanted to taste those cookies again. She finally passed away last October after a 7 year battle with cancer. So her delicious cookies have not been enjoyed for many years. It was her Christmas gift every year - her wonderful cookies.

So when my Grandma asked me if I wanted anything, my first thought was her recipes. I dare not ask for the originals, for to me those were as priceless as diamonds. In my opinion, her recipes were the very essence of her memory. So I asked for copies of her recipes. Much to my surprise, my Grandma said, "I'll just send you her recipes". So I received one medium sized box filled with every cookbook, recipe card, and clipping she had. Wow. It was unbelievable to me how I, her great-grandniece, ended up with such a valuable piece of her memory. And how anyone could not want this.

So yesterday, I pulled out the Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread recipe and made it. Unfortunately, although the cookies were reminiscent of her delicious creations - they were merely what they were - a copy. They were not as big, or as fluffy, or as yummy as she made them. There is a piece of the world that is gone forever. That can never be duplicated or replaced. She made an imprint here, she made an imprint on me that I will never forget.