Weekly Menu Oct 20

Source: pumpkin-k1sses

This week we have:
Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
Apple Pudding Cake with Toffee Sauce

Perfect Apple Crisp

For today, October 20...

Outside my window... 'Tis a beautiful crisp morning, I'm living in my new favorite hoodie that's just long enough, all of the trees on our street are turning yellow and dropping their leaves while our cherry trees are stubbornly green... at least my silver maple in the back is gorgeous!! Now if only our forecast had something other than 70+ degrees to offer for the foreseeable future... Yes, I know, I'm spoiled. :)

I am thinking... It's good to be back!! I was in a bit of a slump, thanks for sticking around. Just kind of a mental fog of blah, it's starting to clear. :) 

I am thankful... for finding a truly wonderful vet. They may be across town, but it's worth the drive! Bracken was horribly sick yesterday, and they fit me right in and got her taken care of. She hasn't eaten anything yet today but at least she can keep water down now. Want to hear something bizarre? We're taking the SAME immune suppressant medication! It made me sick when I started it too, so as much as a human can sympathize with a dog, I know just how she feels! We're going to try something else as soon as she feels better though.

Source: Pinterest

In the kitchen... Lots of baking this week! Birthday cake, school luncheons, breaking out the pumpkin and spices! Squeeze some muffins, pears, and a few last peaches in there somewhere, throw cinnamon and nutmeg at everything... and I think I need a batch of scones. Yum! Oh, and I'm going to make my own pumpkin puree so I can make my own pumpkin butter. Why not??

I am going... a little crazy this week!! Wow. Such busyness. Today and tomorrow are the calm before the storm... Wednesday I am baking for a staff dinner at the boys' school, they get out early, parent teacher conferences, workout in the morning, dress rehearsal for our choir concert at night. Thursday, baking again for second day of parent teacher conferences, Friday is our first performance (and my parents arrive back from good from their wanderings), Saturday is our very first block party (yay neighbors!!!) and celebration of Joe's birthday (which is actually on Wednesday), Sunday is our matinee concert, and then I will pass out and sleep for 48 hours or so. Sounds reasonable, right??

Source: Etsy.com

I am learning... I love bees!!! The Geologist is terrified of all things with stingers, but I have learned that I love bees. I could be a bee-keeper! The more I read about how bee populations are disappearing all around the world, the more I want to plant a bee-friendly garden and have hundreds of furry, buzzy little friends hanging around. I have ONE plant in my front garden bed that they seem to love! It's some kind of salvia, which is odd, because there are two more salvia plants next to it that they just don't care about. Huh. Picky bees. I love teaching the boys not to be afraid of them, to just let them do their job, and Joe especially loves to watch them with me. We had a spiffy little spiky orange spider set up a web in said salvia plant, and after he caught three bees I had to relocate him to the rock garden. No catching my bees!!

I am looking forward to... Choir concerts Friday and Sunday, my parents being back in town, Joe's birthday on Saturday, and a very open, non-busy week next week! Did I forget to mention these concerts are with the handbell choir again?? It's going to be fantastic!! I'm looking forward to baking more, morning walks, and someday, when the weather will finally decide to start feeling like Fall and I can retire my summer t-shirts!!

Source: Pinterest

One of my favorite things... New favorite things!!! I have rediscovered the wonder that is Trader Joe's. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a smallish grocery store chain full of organic, gluten free, awesome healthy foods and less healthy foods. Most (if not all, I have not researched enough) of their products are their own brands and very inexpensive!! I have known of it's existence for years, but didn't appreciate it till a friend of the Geologist's brought this five-layer dip over one weekend and I was so obsessed that I found the nearest Trader Joe's, went there JUST for dip, and proceeded to live on said dip for a week. A little odd, I know. I get food obsessions like that. Every time I went back for more dip, I picked up some new impulse treat, and I'm totally sold. Best triple-ginger ginger snaps, best pumpkin biscotti, cheap brussels sprouts and baking pumpkins, I'm totally sold. Such yumminess!!

A peek into my day... Today is preparation day. Get my blog posts ready (because I sure won't want to do them in the middle of all the madness that starts tomorrow!), tidy the house, take a nap, breathe... Yep, that's the plan for today! The house is silent, the windows are open, Bracken is apparently determined to sleep all day (good idea!), and I think I'll go start those scones for my lunch, just for fun. :)

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