Weekend, September 29

Weekend Happenings.

                                  

                                   

                                            

                                              

                                                

                                               

                                                    

                                                  

   

                                            

I'm a huge fan of a relaxed weekend.  Although we had a lot going on, we definitely made some quiet, family time for relaxation.  This weekend began with my nephew, Noah's, 1st birthday party.  My sister is a huge fan of parties, and Noah's 1st was no exception.  I think 100 people joined for an organized soccer lesson for kids, pinata smacking, park playing, pizza and cake eating fun.  Molly loved this party!  I was in charge of cookies, and resorted to the ever-popular family favorite recipe for buttermilk sugar cookies.  Delicious as always.

I love to cook, and I try to make delicious food that is also healthy.  I've found some tricks to even fool my beef/meat loving husband.  Molly and I mixed up some honey whole wheat pizza dough before mass, and after, we came home to make some pizza.  I used low-fat chicken sausage and turkey pepperoni, as well as some banana/italian sweet peppers from our garden with some fresh tomato sauce and part-skim mozzarella cheese to create a delicious, yet healthy pizza.  It was a hit from all angles!

My husband's family owns and operates a dairy farm, so they have created some great relationships with local farmers through land leasing and just plain neighboring (although "neighbor" is a term I use loosely- their closest neighbor is about 1 mile from their farm).  We were thrilled to pick apples in a neighbor's orchard this weekend.  Molly is an apple fan, so this was quite an experience for her!  She took a bite of every apple she could get her hands on, and loved tasting the many varieties of apples. We picked about a bushel of different apple varieties, all for the fee of a quick visit (and I did offer some of our home-grown squash in trade).  We even had access to an old-fashioned apple picker, making this a really fun experience!

On our ride home, past an area that usually doesn't grab my attention, I made Jesse pull over to enjoy the view.  I don't think I take time to thank God for this land, this beautiful part of the country we get to enjoy.  We had a perfectly clear day.  It was the first glimpse of changing leaves, just a week after the first day of Fall.  We spent some time here showing Molly the sights and catching grasshoppers ;)  I am constantly reminding myself to slow down and enjoy this.  This child, my family, the changing season, the beauty of this land.  It's really a beautiful gift from God, and I want to appreciate it. I want to teach Molly to appreciate it.  I need to slow down.