Traditions

As time continues to move forward, I'm determined to check items off my imaginary Fall bucket list before Thanksgiving rolls around and I got to thinking.  What are some of your favorite activities to do in the Fall?

As AJ is getting older, I've been trying to plan more fun activities that get us out of the house so she doesn't get bored and because I also want to create traditions as well as fun memories for our little family.  Not that she will remember them yet anyway.

Some of the things we're planning to do in October are:

• Halloween movie night in the park (hopefully multiple times).
• Visiting the NC State Fair in Raleigh when my family is in town.
• Picking out pumpkins for our front porch Jack O Lanterns.
• Making applesauce in the crockpot with AJ,
• Halloween arts and crafts to pull out of the attic each year.
• No Scare Fair for the little kids with our MOPs group.
• Trunk or Treat with D's battalion.
• Trick or Treating on Halloween in our neighborhood.

These activities are among our normal weekly activities that seem to be quickly filling our calendar for the month.  How is it that October is always the busiest month of the year?

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I'm interested in the types of fall activities you and your kids and families like to do.  Is there anything that screams fall that I seem to be missing?  I know we're not planning to go apple picking, which is a big one.  We also already went to the pumpkin patch, so we're probably just going to get our pumpkins at the Farmer's Market or the grocery store.  Lame, I know.  ;)

What's For Dinner?

I haven't posted a menu in a while and I've been spending quite a bit of time menu planning now that Fall is here and I can start using the oven again!  There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to bust out my pumpkin candles and make some chili!

Tuesday: Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Salad
Wednesday: Portobello, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing
Friday: Ravioli, Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread
Saturday: Vegetable Beef Soup and Homemade Bread
Sunday: Chicken Divan with White Rice
Monday: Homemade Pizza with Green Salad

You'll notice that I'm mixing in some Summery recipes with my go-to Fall/Winter dishes.  Since we're kind of in the South we're officially at that awkward time of year when I really desperately want it to be Fall but we are still seeing temps solidly in the eighties everyday.  My solution to this dichotomy is to just start making hearty meals and wearing Uggs and scarves in the house.  Then when I have to go outside, I switch back to my shorts & flip flops.

I'm also planning on making Pumpkin bread and I officially added Apple Cider to my grocery list for next week.  I know that many of us in blog-land love Autumn, and I'm right there with you!  I have to do anything and everything I can to get myself into the spirit of Fall.

What are you planning for dinner this week?

Steilacoom Apple Squeeze

Yesterday D and I ventured on over to the Steilacoom Apple Squeeze for a little Fall fun! The premise of the fair is you can squeeze your own apple cider, taste apple butter, eat apple fritters and caramel apples and just enjoy Fall! They also had a booth set up where you could bring an apple of "unknown" origins and the experts would try to classify it.

Of course they had the regular fair food there as well, you could buy hot dogs and the like, but it looked like most people were going for the apples. We hit up the hot apple butter line and enjoyed that while we waiting in line to buy pasteurized apple cider. They were selling already bottled (pasteurized) cider in gallon jugs, and they also had a large station set up for fair-goers to purchase a gallon-sized jug and squeeze their own cider fresh.

The fair itself took up about one block in the downtown area of Steilacoom and it was the perfect size. It was fairly busy, but the weather was nice (a little windy, but we were right on the water) and there were several booths in which vendors showcased their wares such as handmade soaps, quilted everything and art.

All in all, it was a fun, Fall afternoon and we were glad we went. Steilacoom is a very pretty town, situated right on the Sound, and well kept, which many parts of the South Sound area have problems with. We enjoyed it and my only wish is that I would have thought to bring my camera along to get some pictures of the Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background.

I'm Horrible at Updating...

So, considering the fact that I sent out the link to my blog you would think that I would actually be posting on a regular basis. Not so! LOL. This week has been crazy busy!

Friday 9/25:
Woke up at the crack of dawn and flew to Chicago (yes, my arms were really tired by the time I got there). Had fun and hung out with friends and headed up to Milwaukee for a wedding.

Saturday 9/26:
Wedding festivities in Milwaukee.

Sunday 9/27:
Ate Portillo's for lunch! Flew back to Seattle, got in late-ish Sunday night (it was dark).

Monday 9/28:
Took a day trip down to Portland for D's work, since I am the FRG leader he thought it would be a good idea for me to see the rehab facility down there since several of the soldiers are there or will be there in the future. This allows me to talk to the wives about my experience there.

Tuesday 9/29:
Had a meeting with Family Advocacy to learn more about what they do for soldiers and families and make a contact (as the FRG leader) with the woman who runs it.

Wednesday 9/30:
So tired, but had to get on the phone and figure out a bunch of bills that were perplexing us! Turns out that we are only billed for utilities every 2 months (would have been nice to know so I didn't stress about it all weekend!). The bank had the wrong address on file for us for our car loan, so that is why we never received a bill from them! Whew! Crazy day!

Thursday 10/1:
An intriguing and interesting Town Hall meeting for the Battallion. At least I got to sit next to D. ;) After that I had my first pre-natal massage and it was really nice! The lady was a little rough, but overall, worth it! Then we hit Farrelli's for dinner to celebrate one of D's NCOs graduating from BNOC (some NCO school).

That leads me up to today! I went to Barnes and Noble to get the book I need to read by next Friday and on my way home I finally wandered into the produce mart by our house. WOW! This place is fabulous! I bought a bunch of produce and some other stuff too, all for about $20!

One of the things I bought was creme pumpkins and peanuts to make the most fantastic fall treat ever. Well, turns out the peanuts I bought were "raw" so I attempted (and succeeded) at roasting my own peanuts! LOL.

I think D and I are going to go see a movie tonight. He really wants to go to Zombieland, so that may just be something we end up doing. I am planning on making dinner, but I could be talked into Chinese food! This baby may as well be part Chinese and part Mexican because that is what it LOVES to eat!

Gender determination in 16 days! Eek!