Pumpkin patch

Took the kids to a pumpkin patch today. This is the first time we've made it a big event for them, and they both loved it to death. I had gone to this one last year, just to grab a pumpkin (or so I thought) and couldn't resist coming back this year. The owner loves to grow all sorts of varieties of pumpkins, which greatly appeals to my kids' senses of creativity.

This is HALF of the varieties that he grows. The other half was down the other side of this 'lane.' The kids spent a good 20 minutes just looking at all the varieties...


and picking them up... and reading about them...

before they started settling on actual pumpkins to bring home. The prices were good, too. We got three HUGE pumpkins (this one plus a 'regular' pumpkin and one of the bright orange ones that M1 is standing in front of in the first photo), two 'baby' pumpkins, and a butternut squash for slightly less than $20. The kids helped haul it all around and kept an eye on their pumpkins while I made trips back and forth to haul everything into the back of the van. I'm sure the sight of me hauling pumpkins around amused some people. It amused me.

I try to see the funny side of things.

After the important details were taken care of, the kids wanted to see what else there was. M2 found the fireplace inside the store and perched near that to warm up for a while; M1 asked the cashier for directions to the hay maze. I sniffed the hot cocoa in the air and decided to make myself wait till later because I didn't feel like cleaning up the girl who inevitably spills things all over herself. I honestly think she and liquids have some sort of magnetic attraction.

They also found the 'petting' area. Now... what cracks me up is that they're standing here trying to pet this goat inside the pen, when there were no fewer than three goats roaming around the pumpkin patch doing a bit of late-season mowing.

Kids... really... there are goats OUTSIDE the cage... you can pet them... they're nice... kids??

Nevermind.

Let's get on the hay ride, shall we? Okay then.


They also did find their way to and through the hay maze. They didn't want to leave. They discovered that if they ran around the maze just right or hid in the right position, I couldn't find them very easily *giggle giggle giggle*. And if Mama can't find them, Mama can't make them leave *snicker snort giggle*.

I finally got the gigglebutts to come home, but I do believe we'll be back. They have a Christmas tree farm on site, too, and even though I typically do the good ol'-fashioned plastic tree thing, one of these years I sense a request for a real tree. Doubt it'll be this year, though. Something about kittens and trees. Kind of like oil and water. Let's not push the luck.

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Pleasant Valley Farms: 22350 W. 71st. Street S., Sand Springs, OK 74063. Phone: 918-248-5647. Fax: 918-248-5647. Email: pleasantvalleyfarms@earthlink.net.

Quickie vacation

Most of our trips this year have been around the state, which is great, but because we haven't been at a hotel, the kids have not deemed it a true vacation. Really, I don't blame them. What fun is it if you don't get to spend a night away from home? So Oz and I got together and planned a short little vacation to Branson, Missouri. It's been eons since I've been there, and Oz and the kids have never been, so it was time to go.

On the way there, the munchkins and I got to be on TV. We stopped in Joplin on the way up and had a picnic lunch at one of the parks there. We noticed a news car there and the cameraman/anchor filming bits and pieces of the park but didn't think much of it. Besides anything else, I'm an Okie, not a Joplinite! So when the news anchor came up and asked if I'd help do a story on parks and rec, I told him that seemingly significant piece of info, but he said it didn't matter... if I'd do the same in my hometown, I was good enough for his story. All righty then!

THIS is what came of it in the end. Gotta love it when they show you on the news without makeup and in travel clothes, right?!?

Anyway... so then we headed on to Branson.

In the course of planning the trip, lodging, of course, was the biggest hurdle. Oz snores. Loudly. Someday I will upload the video I have of this phenomenon and let you experience it for yourself if you're not lucky enough to have a spouse or significant other who doesn't already provide that particular joy. And because Oz snores, it's almost impossible for the rest of us to sleep in the same room with him. The second thing is that I am a night owl but the kids do actually need sleep to function. Oz can sleep through anything. This means if we're in a conventional hotel room, one of the following scenarios occurs: A) Oz and I go to bed at the same time as the kids. He inevitably falls asleep first, leading to snoring, which keeps the rest of us awake. AND/OR... B) The kids bounce off the walls till Oz and I go to bed and then we're all cranky the next day from either lack of sleep or dealing with children who are dealing with lack of sleep.

Neither scenario is pretty.

But at the same time, I didn't want to pay for two hotel rooms.

So when Oz mentioned that a friend of his stayed at a condo, I was inspired and did a search for "cheap Branson condos."

Lo and Behold, a Miracle Occurred.

We found the Lichlyter's condos. We contacted them. We lined up a condo. And when we got to Branson and found the condo, we walked into THIS:

Two bedrooms, two bathrooms. Full kitchen with things like coffee, condiments, etc. provided. Toys, games, and movies for the kids. Stacked washer and dryer. Comfortable beds. Central heat/air. Seriously, this condo had everything you could ever want. It was cozy. I felt like I was at home on vacation. The best part wasn't even inside the condo.

It was out here...


Out where we had hot cocoa and fudge even though it was a cool, rainy day...

This was the view. It was quiet. Like home for me. Gorgeous view. Even misty and cold, the view was fabulous. I couldn't have kept the kids off that porch if I'd tried (but I really didn't).

I probably could have stayed the entire vacation in the condo if I'd wanted, but of course I didn't want. We no sooner got in and unpacked then we piled back into the van and headed into Branson proper (the condo is in Branson West... which means no lights, no cars at midnight, and uberclose to a certain theme park to be mentioned later) for a show at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. No pics, but we had a fantastic time. Oz and I got to be in the show... they had us racing on hobby horses around fake barrels. Given the fact that one of the other couples fell down during the race, we felt like we did a good job! They gave us both medals that we then bequeathed to the kids.

I had to say that I really liked the fact that the show started at 5:30 (preshow started at 4:40) because that meant that it was over by about 7:30 and so bedtime was at a decent hour for the kids. After a long day, that was crucial! They still stayed up till about 10 talking in the bunk beds.

Day 2 was rainy and cold-ish, so we headed up to Springfield, Missouri, to see Fantastic Caverns, which is a ride-through cave - perfect for M2 who isn't up to all those stairs yet. The kids loved it. M2 really loved taking pictures through the entire cave. She actually took this first shot.

I took this photo. The kids really enjoyed the whole experience. We had lunch at Bass Pro in Springfield since it was nearby and then headed back to the condo. It was nice to have a leisurely evening; I even fixed a quick dinner.

The third and last day of the trip was spent entirely at Silver Dollar City. There's no telling how much the kids and I enjoyed the entire place. Since it was a cool, misty Wednesday in October, the place really wasn't crowded and kids were even more rare (except for a few school groups).
M1 really loved watching the glassblower. M2 enjoyed seeing a couple of folks make violins. They both really liked watching a basketweaver, and M2 was so enthralled she insisted on getting one of the baskets to take home. Mama had to get something glass.

We also sat to watch a show called "Wings Over Missouri" that featured birds of prey. Now... to fully appreciate this story... you have to know that apparently there are a few cats on the grounds of the park. And apparently one of the cats has had kittens. And apparently birds of prey think kittens are just about the right size for a snack. And when you have a falcon that suddenly jumps off its perch during the show to catch itself a snack... well... you have chaos. Note: No kittens were harmed during the making of the show. Scared sh!tless, probably, but not harmed. The handlers, however, moved very quickly to make sure that there weren't any repeats!

After the show - and both kids missed the bit with the kitten - we moved on. The kids quickly learned to enjoy amusement park rides. Oz and I really haven't done amusement parks with them since the local one got torn down a few years ago and the one near my mom doesn't offer a ton for little kids. Silver Dollar City, though, has a whole section dedicated to kids and those big enough to ride with 'em.

Both kids were beyond delighted when they realized they could ride the kids' roller coaster without Mom and Dad. M2 was somewhat happier than M1.
M1 had to check out the situation before he'd board (or let sister on board).

He also held on for dear life during the ride. Afterward, though, he was all smiles!

He liked this ride better because he could control whether the elephant went up or not. He chose 'not.'

M2, on the other hand, learned how to run the machine herself and insisted on doing so at the earliest possible convenience.

She also insisted on taking a picture of Mama. She's a good little photographer, just like her brother.

By the end of the day, though, they were giddy and silly and ready to go.


Nothing like sleeping children in the back of a van to prove it's been a good vacation.

I *heart* Halloween

To most of you who know me well, this will come as no surprise. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Every year on October 1, I break out all the decorations and deck the halls, so to speak, with my Halloween stuff. M1 loves to help me because, to him, October means two great things: Orange, his favorite color, and - even more importantly! - his birthday. M2 likes helping because she knows that at the end of the day, I'll turn off all the lights, shut the curtains, and light everything up.

Let me introduce you to some of my decor. Please bear in mind that I am not and never will be a fantastic interior designer or even a mediocre one, but I do love what I have.

These are my fall pumpkins. I keep thinking I should name them but haven't come up with anything good yet. Plus, if they had names, I'd probably feel bad when I turn them backwards on November 1 to use them as Thanksgiving decorations! Yes, I am completely weird like that. Thanks for noticing. :)


These are new this year. M1 helped me pick these out. His favorite is the one in front which reads "Rat Scat and Whisker Stew." Gotta love boy humor. M2 loves the glittery purple candle.

This is Oz's favorite - and least favorite - decoration there on the table. He'd like it a lot better if I'd actually let him eat the candy corn in the container there. The black leaves in the chandelier are new, and yes, those are black candles in the candelabra on the wall. I couldn't get it all in one picture, but there's also fake blood on the window behind the table.

Yes, I even have holiday kitchen towels.

I was going to stop there and then show you my very, very favorite Halloween stuff of all, but then I realized... no way! There's all the stuff outside! So I threw on my red robe and my fuzzy pink slippers ...



... yes, I said pink slippers. Clearly I'm going for trendy here. This is a Halloween post, after all. I had to fit in. And I really, really wanted to show you everything else. Because I know you care.

That's my transplated rosemary in the pot there.

Wanna hear something "spooky?" Last night the broom randomly fell over. You know what they say: When the broom falls over, company's coming. M1's birthday is Friday, so I'll have plenty of company this week. I'll let you know how accurate that broom continues to be ;)
These are my pumpkins. They line the sidewalk in front of the house.


This is my sign that I had made a couple of years ago. Many folks have gotten a giggle out of it.

Finally, last but definitely not least, my favorite Halloween items:

Department 56. Ohhh how I love thee. The first piece I ever got was that big house. I got it when I was up in Indiana visiting a friend with another mutual friend of ours. That house called my name, and I had to have it. Then I found the other two pieces (both pieces with signs are separate pieces) on eBay for relatively cheap. The house has a flickering light inside, and the bats on top spin around. I cannot wait to expand this neighborhood. One day, I fully intend that it'll take over the entire table. If I had to give up all my other Halloween decorations and just keep this, I think I could do it. I love it that much.

And for a Halloween freak like me, that's saying a lot.

African feast

As part of any education, well, there's gotta be food! M1 was studying ancient Africa this last week, learning bits and pieces about some of the ancient northern African peoples who moved south when the Sahara became the Sahara. To supplement this, I decided to have an African-themed "feast."

All of my recipes came from a web site entitled Congo Cookbook. Despite the annoying banner ads and occasional pop-ups, the web site itself is a font of great information. The food was all delicious.

The first dish that I made was matoke. Those potato-looking pieces that you see are actually plantains, and I'll share a funny story about those in a minute. If you use the recipe on the Congo Cookbook, bear in mind that what you're seeing here is a total of SIX plantains. I can't imagine using 8-10 like the recipe suggests. And definitely use coriander. It makes the plantains taste even more potato-like! Oh, and get the plantains rather green. Yellow ones do taste a bit sweeter.
The story about the plantains: I went to the store to get the stuff for this and bagged up half a dozen plantains and plopped them in the cart. As M1 and I were wandering through the rest of the produce section, a woman with a strong Caribbean accent stopped us.

"How do you cook the plantains?"

"Usually I fry them."

"How? Do you let them ripen?"

I explained my usual method of twice-frying them into things called tostones taught to me by a friend from Puerto Rico.

"Hm. Okay. I just see these white people buying plantains and always wonder if they know how to cook them."

She was so well-meaning and sweet and honest, I couldn't help but smile. I laughed even more when little old eavesdropping ladies then stopped me to ask how I cooked them and then went to check out the remaining plantain selection.

Moving to the next item on the menu...

Chapati. I used 50% white flour and 50% whole wheat. They came out a bit tough, which means I probably should have kneaded them a bit longer, but they were very tasty and very simple to make. I also made them a lot smaller than the original recipe called for. If I had made them the way the recipe had called, I think I would have gotten maybe 3. Not enough.


The kids had absolutely no problems eating all this food for dinner, completely with African percussion music playing in the background.

This is dessert - fool. So very simple to make, and the kids loved it! I took bananas, canned mango, and canned papaya, and threw it all in the blender. After liquifying it, I mixed it with... wait for it... Cool Whip! Gee, wonder why the kids liked it.

After dinner, the kids broke out the musical insruments that we had made. You can see M1 here with his rain stick (filled with sticks and popcorn), and I had a picture of M2 with her maracas (filled with rice and pine nuts) but it didn't turn out. Plus M2 really wanted a picture of her dancing on here.


They danced off to bed.

M1 ate leftover matoke for lunch today, cold, and declared it delicious.

I do believe these recipes shall be made again.

Rest in peace... for the winter!

The garden finally bit it this past weekend. I had kept hoping we'd have one more warm snap and I'd get one more good crop of tomatoes since there were still plenty of green ones on the plants, but then I looked at my calendar for October and realized, warm snap or no, I had to be done.

Oz helped me take it all out. The kids "helped," too.


This is after we got all the plants out.


This is after I got all the WEEDS out. Or at least most of them. We still need to cover up the strawberries, but that'll be about it. Question for gardening experts: Should I put my compost on the garden this fall and let it sit all winter OR wait till spring?

Oz burned most of the evidence that we'd ever had a garden. It didn't hurt that we had a lot of wood and boxes to burn, too. If the one-year-old pesky colt wasn't bad there, we'd have had a fantastic weenie roast.

Stupid horse.

This is the kids' contribution to the dismantling of the garden. They really enjoyed creating a 'fort' out of the remnants. It was cute. I hope they are always this whimsical. I'm leaving THAT up till snow falls or we have to mow again, whichever comes first!

Oh... and one last thing... did a check on the passionfruit this weekend. It's getting close, but it's not ripe yet. There are lots out there! We'll check again in a few weeks.

Pear Pie

I made my first pear pie of the season today. I love pear pie. I grew up with pear pie. I remember going out to my grandmother's farm and climbing the pear tree and tossing pears down to my family below - and if the family didn't catch them, the cows did! Climbing down was always harder than climbing up, but only because by the time I was done, the cows were crowding the bottom. Herefords, they were. That's what my uncle raised, God bless his soul.

People always act amazed when I say I make pear pie because apparently it's not all that common. It's a lot like apple pie with just a few differences. When pears went on sale at the grocery store this week, however, I knew it was time for pear pie.
Of course, you have to start by peeling, coring, and slicing the pears. You'll need 5-6 cups. I always prefer more to fewer, so I always do at least five good-sized pears - six is really better. I am a lot like my grandmother and really dislike an "empty" pie. Seeing as she is the one who taught me to make pie to begin with, this makes a lot of sense. I still use her handwritten recipe to make crust.

I also always use very firm, green pears. Once they get soft, they tend to turn into a mushy pie, so buy the very firm ones. If you don't use all of them, just leave them out for a day or two and they'll get softer. They make great fall table decorations while you're waiting!
Of course, then you have to roll out the crust. Please ignore the brand name on the pan. They do have good pie pans, though, and I have reused this one numerous times. They withstand knives very, very well.

You toss the pears with a flour/sugar/spice mixture that I've posted both below and on Tasty Kitchen. The secret ingredient is below as well. Though I suppose now that it's posted on the World Wide Web, it's not so secret any more, is it? It's not something you'll find in every spice cabinet, but it makes the pie even more wonderful and unique.

Now... another something different is what I do when I make pie crust. I love pie crust. I happily eat it in all forms. But one of my favorite forms is the leftovers from when I make pie. Because there are always these little extras that you have to trim off...

and set aside..

Those scraps tease me even when the pie looks this good...

They taunt me even more when I top the pie with cinnamon and sugar. You'll see why in a minute.

I get really excited when it's almost time to put the pie in the oven, because it means I'm almost ready to deal with the scraps.

This is what happens to those scraps. I roll them back out and stick them in a regular pan. You have to prick the crust or it'll burn and won't taste good at all. So prick, coat it with beaten egg or milk (whichever you use to top the pie) and then cover it all with cinnamon and sugar. Bake this for 10-15 minutes at the same temperature you're baking the pie.

And that way, when it's all said and done, you not only have a gorgeous, delicious pie to eat, you also have a snack to nosh on while the pie is cooling! The kids think it makes a fantastic breakfast, too. Cinnamon-sugar pie crust is the bomb.

There's nothing quite like cinnamon-sugar pie crust...

It's enough to drive a girl to distraction.

Which reminds me... before I get distracted too much, I have to share my secret ingredient!

Cardamom.

Cardamom makes a pear pie have a little extra kick to it. Technically you could put it in an apple pie, too, but really, apples are sweeter than pears and don't quite have the right flavor for cardamom.
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

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PEAR PIE

1 recipe double pie crust
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
5-6 c. peeled, cored, sliced pears
1/2 T. lemon juice

1. Prepare 1 recipe for double pie crust – recipe of your choice. Roll out bottom crust and place into a 9″ pie pan.
2. Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the pears to the sugar mixture and toss.
4. Arrange the coated pears in the pie pan and sprinkle with the lemon juice.
5. Roll out the remaining pie crust and top the pie. Don’t forget to puncture the crust to allow steam to release! Seal and crimp edges. If you like, brush the top of the pie with milk or egg and cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.
7. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more. Let the pie set for half an hour before serving.

A firey sort of day

No pictures again today, though I wish I had been smart enough to bring my camera to everything. It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. And I am exhausted.

M2 had a birthday party to attend this morning. M1 stayed home with Oz while we went to that. They watched Madagascar 2 since it was on TV. M2 and I went to the Home Depot Kids' Workshop where she built a fire station bank with her friends to kick the party off. Then we went back to the party boy's house for the rest of the party. Who knew that building a wooden bank would be such a great kids' party activity? It was, though. All of the kids, and even the parents, had such a great time building something they could take home. Plus Home Depot really hams it up. The kids get an apron when they go in, and the kids write their name on the apron. For every project they complete, they get a different pin to attach to their apron. When they finish the project, the project gets stamped on the bottom, and you can write their name and the date on it. In addition to all that, they get a certificate of completion! You can't beat it! I hope we will take M1 next month. Since they're free, it's a perfect kick-off-the-cold-winter-day activity.

It was a good thing we got to eat pizza at the party, though - M2 really impresssed a mom by eating an entire ginormous slice of pizza and telling me she was hungry five minutes later - because by the time we got home, it was time to grab M1 and head out again.

Did I mention I'm the Tiger Cub den leader for our pack?

Let me now share with you my scouting experience.

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Right. Now that that's done, back to the story. So we picked up M1 and went to the other mom's house for a quick den meeting before we headed out to our Go-See-It. Since there are only three boys in our den (M1 and the twins, J & F), we plan things when it's convenient for the two of us. I'm hoping this will translate to a lot of activities. So far, it has.

I ran a quick meeting about citizenship before we headed out (yay to my boys for completing the Pledge of Allegience achievement and working on that all-important salute!) to an area fire station.

When we got there, it was very impressive. I really, really wish I could find an image of the building. It's brand-new. Brand spankin' new. So brand new, in fact, that when we stepped into the vestibule, there was a keypad on the inner door to get in. Next to the door was a phone. No instructions were near the phone. When the other mom (M) had arranged the tour, she hadn't had to go inside since the firemen were outside, so she had no idea how to work the phone. I picked up the phone and said hello but nobody responded. I thought I heard someone in another room saying hello back but couldn't be sure, and nobody appeared to open the door. Hm. Pause. Pick up the phone again, hit 0, and say hello. Nothing. Double hm. M and her son F headed out to see if they could see anyone out in the garages near the fire trucks, but nobody was out there. About the time they came back, a side door opened and in stepped a fireman.

Turns out they could hear me but I couldn't hear them, and the reason they had no idea what to do was that the phone had been installed on Friday and nobody had bothered to tell them about it! They had no idea it was even there! :D After we left, we heard them playing with the system and trying to figure out how it worked. Grown men playing with phones is pretty funny, by the way, especially when you can hear their voices clear out in the parking lot.

The tour, however, was fabulous, the best one I've ever been on by far. Two of the on-duty firemen spent an hour showing off their new facility and explaining everything to the kids. They went down the pole - one of them went down one-handed - just to show off. They let the kids climb through the trucks, lift the suits, check out the hazmat room (no dangerous chemicals, just lots of stuff for containing and cleaning those items), browse through the kitchen with three new stainless steel refrigerators (they explained that they have to have three because there are three shifts of guys and they'll all eat each other's food if it's left out), and told us all about it for an hour. These guys are now minor deities in the eyes of my Tigers.

All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic tour, and since we topped it off with Happy Hour Sonic drinks (6 drinks for $3.81), the kids really enjoyed it.

And so did M and I.

ANYWAY...

So the kids and I made it back home, exhausted but happy, and met Oz as he was finishing up mowing and weedeating (!!!) the yard. Oz never weedeats, so I had to put those exclamation points there just to show how surprised I really truly was.

It was just an awesome day. I hope tomorrow will bring pictures and more awesomeness. Have a great weekend :)

On the other side of the shower curtain

I hate cold weather. By "cold," anyone up north will laugh very, very hard at me, but I mean anything below about 60 Fahrenheit. Summer is my season. Spring is great. Fall days are fantastic as long as the sun is out and there's a warm breeze, but nights are far too chilly. No thanks.

Give me a warm house any day. Preferably with a fireplace, but a good heater will do just fine.

I hate being cold.

The worst, though, isn't being outside. It's being cold in my own house. This primarily happens when I take a shower. I do not like climbing out of a nice, hot shower only to be hit by a gigantic wall of frozen air (and cats, but that's another post). I'm sure you sympathize. This is acceptable in the summer when it's already 900 degrees but in fall, winter, or any other season where the air is cooler than my body temperature... not so much.

Last night, I got a treat. I got to take a shower MY way. I'm sure some of you get to do this on a regular basis, but really, I'm not always so lucky. Many "old married" couples can probably relate. Oz and I are almost polar opposites when it comes to showers. He likes water hitting you so hard it could be mistaken for acupuncture; I prefer gentler streams. He likes the water barely lukewarm; I like it so hot it's reasonably close to scalding. This may be part of my "wall of cold air" problem, but it feels so good!

The biggest difference, however, is the fact that he despises a hot bathroom and I crave it. It's easy to swap over the pressure and temperature of the water but not so simple to change the temperature of an entire room, no matter how small.

Last night he was out of town.

Last night, it was down into the 50s outside.

Last night, I turned on the heater in the bathroom. I stood there for a minute before I even climbed in the shower enjoying the fact that the bathroom felt nice and warm, snuggly even.

Last night, when I climbed OUT of the shower, I didn't freeze. The kittens immediately furred up my legs, but I didn't care. I was warm.

Comfort is a warm bathroom.

Now I just have to contemplate when to try to talk Oz into putting on the heated mattress pad.