A Still Life

Pumpkin seeds are roasting, costumes are coming together, cardboard is being painted, and this song is on repeat.
We’re not super big on Halloween (unlike my friends who set up a cemetery in their yard on October 1), but our middle-of-Autumn rituals are more and more fun each year.
I loved looking at this blog today and seeing older children as they created their jack-o-lanterns.
The Boy drew his design on paper, and My Love carved it out with considerable supervision and input from The Boy. Lots more fun to anticipate as the week begins. BOO!

My morning walk looked like this, and I tried my darndest to soak up every drop of blue. Only ten days left of these October skies. Maybe November will be kind and squeeze out just a few more for us!

The Boy just dragged me, practically against my will, into a happy moment. The Girl has had a monster cold for a few days, so I’m really day-dreaming about a little nap. But the one who rarely rests reminded me that we have all the ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and DON’T WE NEED TO MAKE THAT RIGHT NOW?! No naps just yet, but a sweet few moments of measuring and stirring brought us into a waiting place together as we smell the bread working its magic in the oven. Want to join us through your kitchen? Here’s what you’ll need to know:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

3 C white sugar
15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 C veg oil
2/3 C water
4 eggs
3.5 C all purpose flour
1 T cinnamon
1 T nutmeg
2 t soda
1.5 t salt
1.5 C mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350; grease and flour two 9×5 bread pans.
2. In a large bowl: mix sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs. Once smooth, add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda; fold in chips. Fill pans 1/2-3/4 full.
3. Bake 1 hour/till knife is clean.

Unable to attend a party in another state, we’ve been invited to toast a friend at 8 tonight for his birthday. I plan to warm a slice of this bread and toast with a glass of Tempranillo. Another perfect moment for an Autumn evening.

The Girl wandered through the living room with the camera cord in her mouth, so things are up and running around here. Since the blogging break, we’ve welcomed a new month, had a Family Fun Friday, played with houseguests, and almost completed another week of school. We’ve savored more chili, baked fresh bread, splashed in puddles, and soaked up blue skies so bright that our pitiful digital camera just can’t capture their glory. Here, our week in photos.

The mix was a big success, and we are enjoying our sweet & salty treat right now. It’s obviously been on my mind since my friend first posted, but that’s only partly because it sounded like a great Autumn welcome for tomorrow’s gifts. The girl is not yet two, and that makes craft times and kitchen times a bit more complicated if we want to include her. Heck, everything is a bit more complicated with a second child around. But this pouring, stirring, scooping mix was just right for us to make together! We added yogurt raisins and pretzels to ours to balance out some of the sugar. I also opted for the blend of candy corn that includes pumpkins. Hang the flag on our porch, and we are ready to welcome the next season.

I haven’t posted a FFF in a while and actually forgot to take the camera along for our biggest and most recent FFF. In addition to being “facebook free”, I also want these days to be “family fun.” This Family Fun Friday we packed up and drove to the beach! I do not have a single snapshot, but we had a great time. Sand, sand, sand plus water, water, water. We wore almost every bathing suit in the house in just a mere three days. It was glorious, and I can’t wait to try again when these two are a year older!

Now, I am giving in and welcoming Autumn. Today I will make this with The Boy as a sweet surprise for teachers and friends. Already we have discovered this leaf on our parking pad, and I know its little friends are ready to join it. It’s alright. Welcome, Autumn.

Let me be clear: it is still Summer. We have two full weeks until the official equinox that ushers in the next season. I have been resisting this shift, in case you haven’t noticed. I love wet swimsuits and towels hanging on the line, draped over a chair, wadded up in a ball on the bathroom floor. Our family still has a trip to the beach planned, too!

But the really lovely, remarkable weather of the past week has opened my mind to the joy of Autumn. Though my allergies must adjust to this change, I am excited to put on a light sweater as we throw open the windows to welcome a morning breeze. I am delighted to talk about Halloween costumes with The Boy. I relished adding school dates and events to my blank calendar yesterday afternoon. And when a friend posted this easy, candy-heavy trail mix yesterday…I felt myself cave to the next season. Welcome, Autumn. I can taste you already!