Pumpkin Picking & Traditions

Growing up in South Africa, Christmas was slap bam in the middle of our summer holidays.  We had "Christmas at the Beach"!  Evenings were spent barbecuing and walking around the neighborhood enjoying the cool sea breezes at the end of the day.  Our family often congregated at my grandparents home where a feast was waiting every time and it made that time of year just so much sweeter!

It is one of the many places where I learned the value of family, traditions, celebrating who we are and where we come from.

Once we immigrated to the United States we spent the first few years just learning about the culture and holidays they celebrate in the US and when the girls arrived many years later we were eager to introduce them to the values and traditions - old and new - we cherish.

October is a time of year where the focus return to family and traditions.  As temperatures drop people get ready to spend more time indoors but at the same time enjoy as much of the outdoors they can before winter finally sets in.  Crops are harvested and people celebrate the bounty the earth provides them.

This weekend we went on a hayride, we picked pumpkins while enjoying the crisp autumn air and we wandered around a maze of sorghum.

But the highlight of the day for both girls were riding horses around a pen on the farm.  I could see in the way they pat the horses on their backs and necks they were in awe.  Even while pulling around a radio flyer to pick out our pumpkins they pretended being horses pulling their carts.  Once at home they grabbed their stick horses and galloped around the family room neighing and pretend eating apple treats.

So we continue to eagerly fill blank pages with traditions and experiences we share which ultimately culminate in being the story of our life, our family and what we hold dear.   I hope they will cherish these memories even when they are forty years old!  I know I do!

I soak up every little bit of it.

Thank Goodness It Is Friday

It's been one busy week at work!



That's why tonight I poured myself a glass of red wine and

put on some Harry Connick Jr. and just smiled!
 
"What Is the Use of Crying!"

An Old Fashioned Fall Carnival

It was a crisp autumn day with a cool breeze cutting through two thin layers of clothing.  It was the perfect day to go to an old fashioned Fall Carnival.

With a ferris wheel, roller coasters, high flying swings, candy apples and funnel cakes.

The air was filled with laughter and wafts of tasty treats.  Faces were covered with sticky caramel and ear to ear smiles.  Two little girls were hopping around screaming at the top of their voices "That was AWESOME!"  more times than I could remember.

It made me smile.  It made me happy to see them so happy.  It made me want to be a kid again.

Places Of Beauty And Peace

Tonight we've put on pretty dresses and cute, sparkly shoes

to dine at a very fancy restaurant!

The trip home was breathtakingly beautiful!

I reflected on today's meditation -

My Inner Home

And My Outer Home

Are Places Of Beauty And Peace.

Tea Time

It was a crazy morning and I literally had the cookies out on a plate while rearranging sofa cushions scattered around the family room floor five minutes before she arrived.   It was time for tea with a friend.

We talked and we talked and we talked - from parenting issues unique to raising twins attending kindergarten (she has twin boys, I have twin girls); to visiting family overseas (she's from Switzerland; I'm from South Africa); to politics!   One cup of tea turned into four cups of tea and tea time ran over into lunch time. Earl Grey and Irish Breakfast turned into cups of Rooibos tea.  We had so much fun hanging out without the kids!

Now we have lunch set up next week with the hubbies in tow.

Friends & Food

When I was growing up family meal times were spent around the kitchen table or dining room table.  We always ate together as a family -  breakfasts and dinners, sometimes even lunch.  So, having kids of my own this was just a given.  Of course we are going to eat breakfasts and dinners together as a family!!

What I did not realize being a new parent was the huge change that was about to take place in my cooking and attention to the food we eat.  My daughters had constant ear infections (every other week one of them had an infection) and it was not just mild symptoms.  They had the worst kind ever every single time.  I grew tired of the pediatrician sending us home with a bottle of antibiotics as a solution to the problem.

Out of pure morbid curiosity I made an appointment with a naturopathic physician.  I had nothing to lose and I thought if his suggestions do not work it's a lesson learned.  After working through a list of questions he suggested we cut out cow's milk from their diet and see what difference that makes.  And what do you know.  No more goo draining from their ears every other week!

It blew me away that something so simple as changing one or two things we eat can have such a profound impact on our wellbeing and my sanity as a parent!  So I embarked on a journey researching various topics about food related conditions.  I even started researching acupuncture and stress and how that impact our physical health.  It totally changed my outlook on food and preparing meals.

Initially it was hard and I had to make lots of changes, but  now I cannot imagine starting a day without baking something from scratch, or eating a meal without two or three fruits and vegetables on the plate.  Canned food is almost nonexistent in our home and I reluctantly buy anything coming in a box.  Why, you might think "lady you are just full of it" and "that is just utter and total nonsense".  I might have thought the same way until I was face to face with a situation that required some out of the box thinking and I'm glad I did, because it made a huge difference in my children's health and it sparked the growth of a whole new creative interest I enjoy - cooking!

We stayed home this weekend.  We roamed around the house in our pj's till noon, played games,  read books, put our Halloween stakes out by the front door and Saturday afternoon I chased hubby out the house with a request to find some flowers.  "Something autumny!"  were my exact words.  He shot back "What does that mean?"  Then disappeared and came back with these.

Good job hubby!

We congregated with friends around the dining room table, sharing thoughts and updates on our lives while enjoying a simple home cooked meal.   It was an "autumny" kind of gathering with red wine, pork ternderloin with an apricot fennel ragout and a delicious Caramel apple cake.

I had to count all my fingers to make sure all ten were still there after eating a slice of this delicious cake.  It definitely will be added to the "Please Make Again" recipe box!

Now what to do with the sisal rug that fell victim to a glass of red wine?