Snow Day Baking.

The snow arrived today, along with

some dense fog and very wet rain.

A perfect day to bake. A couple of

bananas were turning dark brown ....

.... so into the mixer went all the ingredients

to make scrumptious chocolate banana bread.

Pictures to follow ....

Empty House ....

I truly was not one of those moms who couldn't wait for her kids to grow up. I cherished being surrounded by my little ones, even on the days that seemed like they would never end when things didn't go as planned. I dreaded the idea of my kids leaving home. And moving on. I feel fortunate we had a larger family, so the leaving took longer and I'm grateful for the extra time we got.

My house is quiet now. We still have two at home and one grand baby as well. Most days and nights, our home is filled with noise and activity. But I do get a glimpse every now and then of what it will be like once everyone is gone. Yesterday was a prime example and today will be more of the same. By 8 a.m. everyone is up and ready to leave the house. Two days every week I have quiet all to myself and the house is still. Some days I love the time I have to do work I have at home, to tackle projects, to write, to dream, to garden, to clean, to fold and to read. Other times, I find it a bit unnerving and end up putting the tv on so there is chatter in the background or music to work by. And in those moments, I'm appreciative of the fact that both daughters who reside with us won't be leaving any time soon. The quiet is lovely but only in little bits. I still need life and activity around me to be truly happy. I may be an introvert but I still need my noise and my people around me. Do you need yours too?

Goodbye October.

Time to say goodbye to October. It was a good month, with lots of tasks on our list and all now behind us, except one, which we'll finish up hopefully today (fingers crossed!). It was a month to give thought to all our blessings and abundance as we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a time to give to others as we donated and gave our time for those who need our support. It was a time to remember the babies who were born too soon or not at all. It was a time to reflect on the season and the turning weather. It was a time to prepare our home for the Winter months that are around the corner. It was a time to make lists of tasks we need to get done before Spring. It was a time to make lists of what we want to do with our cozy, snowy nights inside and bright sunshiny days outdoors. It was a time to start dreaming about Christmas and family. It was a time to enjoy the colors in our garden and the falling leaves all around us. And today, it is time to say goodbye to my favorite season. Goodbye, October. We embraced your warmth and your spirit and wish you well until next year. I wish you could stay around a bit longer but the snow falling outside my window this morning is a sign that you are gone for the year. Namaste dear friend.

Menu Monday.

Here's our menu plan for Menu Monday:

Monday ~ roast chicken with peas and

broccoli and cauliflower in cheese

Tuesday ~ home made chicken noodle

soup with veggies and chicken from Monday

Wednesday ~ pork chops with risotto,

peas and bacon cesar salad

Thursday ~ grilled cheese sandwiches

with chocolate milk and pickles

Friday ~ baked chicken with onion soup

mix, veggies and mushroom rice

Saturday ~  Curly pasta with Alfredo 

sauce, peas and ham slices mixed in

Sunday ~  a crock pot dinner that will

simmer all day and make the house warm

What's on your menu this week?

Crisp Days Ahead.

Fall days are frosty in the morning.

The sun is lower and sets earlier.

Some mornings, there is snow on the

ground and the river is freezing.

It's quite and crisp and hollow. But at

least the sun shines and the sky is blue.

Not looking forward to the predicted

snow that is coming in full force this

week. Hopefully it bypasses us one

more time. But soon it will fall for sure.

Gramma's Stew.

My gramma raised 6 children through

the war and has always been my hero.

While my grampa was away fighting

for freedom, she was stretching small

dollars to feed a big family. She had

to develop recipes using very little.

Gramma created this sausage stew using

veggies from their garden and cheap

sausages from the butcher. Our budget

is not as frugal but we are so careful of

what we have and what we spend, so

many of our recipes are based on this.

Not my favorite dinner but on a cold,

rainy and windy night, it was a comfort

to cook up gramma's old receipe for us.

I think she would be proud we did.

LIt Feet.

One of my counselling kids at the inner

city school I visit had new shoes this week.

She let me take some pictures to show

how cool these lit shoes really are.

Welcome Flag.

We found this sweet Welcome Flag

at a local store but then had a hard

time finding the flagpole. Finally

had to order from Amazon and in

just 2 days it was delivered to our

post office in town. Our Christmas

Flag will go up next, then for a bit,

our "R" Flag and then the Spring

one will be displayed. I'm going to

try and find flags for reach season.