Sew cannot wait!

Did something I've always wanted to do (or wanted to do since I started sewing again last fall) this afternoon...Josiah and I picked out fat quarters from 1 whole line of Moda fabric! My overly visual, super picky, matchy matchy side is in luv!!!

(Moda line is the smaller folded series across the bottom)

Inviting all Mama / kiddo friends over Friday evening and Saturday for playdates and crafty coffee time. Can't wait to start working with everything in this basket while chatting away! LMK if you want to come over!!!

I love fall...and reading...

Jim absolutely hates raking and has informed me that if, someday, we build our dream house, it must be away from the presence of trees. Haha! Lucky for him he married a girl who likes to be in the yard, but, unluckily for him, I won't live without trees. Good thing we are nowhere near ready to build a house! Fortunately, we both love New England style homes, so at least we'll agree on one aspect of the exterior!!!

Anyway, fall is absolutely my favorite season. I love the crisp air and leaves crunching beneath my feet, I love homemade soups and putting away harvest for winter, I love curling up in a hooded sweatshirt or under a blanket after having complained for the last few months about how it's so hot outside! Maybe, most of all, this year, I love that after I can't remember how long, I have this unquenchable desire to read, something I used to do ALL THE TIME. There must be 15-20 books on the shelf next to my bed that have book marks about 1.57 chapters in. All great books, yet I couldn't finish one. Not sure if I went through a dry spell or if I should blame it on being a busy mom, but OMG do I want to curl up with a book!!!

Just finished: Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli and Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Currently reading: Because of Winn-Dixie (going to start a novel study on that this week), Notice and Note (taking a class on this one), and Growing Readers. 

Reading Next: Masterpiece by Elise Broach and Igniting a Passion for Reading (followed by a whole list of books to use with my fourth graders)

Augh!!! So fun!!! Yep, I'm officially back to being a crazy teacher...don't be surprised if you wander past my room and I'm practically jumping out of my skin or scaring the pants of my students because, yep, I'm the teacher who screams when the characters scream in our read alouds. Whoops! :)

What are you reading? And what were your absolute books from when you were around 10 years old-ish?

Chicken Artichoke Soup - Yum!!!

Oh, how I love long weekends at home! After accepting the position in Fargo early in July, my summer basically ended (or at least the getting to stay away from school part) as I packed up my classroom, moved, and settled into a new school. Our intent for the weekend was to head to the lake with my parents for a last swim and to help my dad move trees in preparation for a new septic system, but Josiah running a temp and coughing away kept us at home. If I was pregnant I would say I've been nesting, but since that's not the case I've just been content to clean up, clean out, organize, and cook to my heart's content. My neighbor and I have both been cooking up a storm to use all our CSA produce. Creamed ham to use up a whole pile of potatoes, grilled corn with avocado and tomato salad, apple cake/pie, homemade pizza sauce (now in the freezer), and our favorite...chicken artichoke soup!!! Today's mission will be the one I avoid on most days...my desk and the ever growing piles of paper in the office. Sigh...ignorance is bliss...one more tool of procrastination first, though...here's the recipe for the soup!!! 

New Orleans Artichoke Soup

Saute 'til tender in 1/4 pound butter:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• (I usually do larger amounts since we like chunkier soup)

Add 1/2 package of mushrooms, simmer 1 minute. (I add the whole thing)

Add 1/4 cup flour, simmer approximately 10 minutes. (stir every few minutes so it doesn't all stick to the bottom of the pan)

Stir in:

• 2 cups chicken broth (since I add extra veggies I usually add extra broth)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp sage
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 5 cups quartered artichoke hearts, drained (I chop them as well and remove any tough parts)
• 1 bay leaf
• (I also chop up a large section of a rotisserie chicken from Costco.)

Simmer 30 minutes.

Take out bay leaf & stir in 1 cup of whipping cream. Cook until cream is heated through. Serve immediately. If serving later, add cream just before serving. Delicious with a warm, crusty bread!

I got the recipe from my friend Lesli while teaching in Somerset, WI. She used to bring it in a crockpot for us at lunch and we would devour it! I don't remember which of her cookbooks it came from, but it might have been an old Dayton's or Marshall Field's cookbook...

True confessions

Great at starting. Horrible at finishing.

Good at procrastinating. Sometimes great/sometimes struggle with prioritizing.

World's best self-critic who wants to take care of everyone else first, but who is also sensitive to criticism since I set the stinking bar for myself so unreasonably high. Yep, that's me!

Someday I'll learn to put myself and my tasks first, and put them in the right order. Ironically, I think I posted awhile back that I need to focus on a healthy balance in my life...back to basics we go!

Monster Cookie Bars

This is a recipe I've been asked to share over and over, and after being asked for it again today (by my friend Kassie --- so I hope I'll see her soon so I can eat one...hint hint!) I thought it might be time to post it on my blog! At least this way I can direct people here in the future AND I can't ever lose the recipe card, heaven forbid! I got the recipe from my friend Kate in our small group a few years ago, but I have no idea where the original came from. If you know the source please share so I can give credit where credit is due!

WARNING --- These bars are HIGHLY addictive, so be prepared to eat as much of the pan as you can hold (like my friend Lisa), begin making them to eat the dough (like my friend Shawn), or just call them breakfast due to the peanut butter, eggs, and oatmeal (like my friend Jill). I guess in this post I'm mentioning a lot of friends, too!

Monster Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup plain MMs

Cream butter, brown sugar, & sugar together. Add eggs & peanut butter; mix well. Add vanilla, baking soda, & oatmeal; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips & MMs. Pat mixture into a jelly roll pan. Bake @ 350 for 16 minutes. Don't over bake!

Yum-may!!!

I'll have to make them soon so I can add a picture to the post, especially since now I am totally craving them...thanks Kassie!!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good - Josiah and I are LOVING total flexibility in our schedule. We got to go out of town for 10 days, we don't have to stress over naps and bedtimes, and twice this weekend we walked along with Jim on the back 9. I am also getting to do some activities of my choosing (although mostly Josiah's choosing).

The Bad - Parking in the garage is not an option due to a plethora of sporting equipment (3 bikes, 3 bags of golf clubs, boxes of golf & birdie balls, & scattered gardening tools. My house hasn't been cleaned since our last cleaning lady tour at the beginning of May. Who wants to be inside when it's finally so nice outside?! Please still come and visit now that I've confessed, but please don't look or judge the dirt and disorganization!

The Ugly - Hmmm...I may be a Mary Kay lady, but on days when I don't have appointments you can expect to see me sans makeup, hair in a pony, athletic shorts & a T, and probably with dirt on my feet, knees, and hands since I've either been biking, playing in the yard or at the park, or working in the yard. Also a little ugly, the piles of paperwork that have accumulated in the office and are haunting me...time to go get a shredder, I think!

The end!

Lovin the Rain!

I have such fond memories of running around outside in the rain catching as much as I could to water my mom's plants. Guess Josiah has a little of me in him, somewhere! And I got to sit on the front step with my morning cup of coffee watching him. Precious time!!!