My Dash

I have attended more funerals this year than I'm really comfortable with. Is this the stage of life I'm at? Will I keep losing people more and more frequently? I hate that thought. I hate goodbyes. But I have to admit that there is something about the services that makes me walk away and do a quick audit of ... me. I've heard the poem "The Dash" by Linda Ellis read a couple times this year and think it's a good reminder. It begins like this:

"I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth."

How am I spending my dash? I need to slow down and meet more people. (I have wallflower tendencies) I need to build better and stronger relationships. I need to serve more. I need to give more. I need to love more. I want to make a difference in someone's life. November is a season of plenty and thanks, now ... I may not be excelling in the 'plenty' department, I am more than capable of giving thanks. Tomorrow the youth in our ward are making stockings to send to servicemen overseas. We've been invited to write thank you notes to put in them. I'll start there. How are you spending your dash?

Harvest Cooking

We're so lucky to have wonderfully generous family members who live just blocks away from us. My brother and sister-in-law go out of their way to make sure we're alright and have everything we need. They even let us come to reap the spoils of their garden last week. We'd stopped by to check out their batch of pumpkins and came home instead with bags of carrots, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, pumpkins for everyone and even a few elk roasts. They are so good to us. But I have to admit, I had no idea what to do with butternut squash.I'd never eaten one before and wasn't sure what they even tasted like, so I spent an evening reading about squash at Allrecipes.com and found a recipe that sounded like it fit our family's taste.

Butternut Squash with Onion and Pecans
Submitted by Christine L.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 1/4 pounds butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Place pecans on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast at 350 degrees F for 5 to 8 minutes.

2 - Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over low heat; add onion, and saute until very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in squash, and cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender but still holds its shape, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3 - Stir in half the pecans and half the parsley. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and parsley to serve.

Now, considering how much these little babies smell like pumpkin, I was really nervous when I was getting it ready. Though we've taught the kids to eat what their given, we still have a couple who aren't that adventurous. But I've got to tell you ... the smell and taste changed a lot once they were cooked through. They were slightly sweet, but the savory flavor was a nice touch. The family voted 5-to-2 in favor of the dish! Yay! One squash down, 5 to go. Time to look for more recipes.

Loving Fall

I am loving fall right now. I fight the urge to drive up into the canyon almost almost daily. The laundry/cooking/dishes won't allow it ... maybe Saturday. It's finally time to dig out all my sweaters and thick socks and boots. It's time to pull out the flannel sheets for the kids and buy apple cider. I love it! Cold mornings with frost on the grass and sunny afternoons with the most beautiful leaves!I have the beginnings of my Fall book started for Kara's class. Boy, I'm dragging my feet a little on this one. I need to put a lot more creative energy into these to pretty them up and give them more depth. I think I just needed more fall out in the 'hood'. Now maybe I can finish these up and move on to the next project in my head.I'll be working on them this weekend.

Cupcakes Galore!

The votes came in. The votes were tallied. OK. Truthfully, I decided that I didn't have enough time to mess around with a new recipe and realized we devoured all but 2 bananas this weekend due to massive crepe consumption. So! I split the order ... 1/2 devil's food with milk chocolate frosting and 1/2 carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting. That works, right?The chimi party was a hit as always. I love family get togethers! I really, really do. There's just something about a houseful of people you love, people you know will be there through thick and thin, laughing and chatting, surrounded by good food that just gets me every time. This one was especially nice because we also had family pictures taken by a family friend. We had almost the entire troop there and all the kids were very cooperative. But the grouping that killed me was seeing all the grandkids pose around hubby's parents. Oh! To have that. I want that one day. It was truly beautiful and a real tribute to these two wonderful people. I love them so much!

Choices ... Choices ...

I get to bring cupcakes to our families annual Chimi Party. We're celebrating my nephew's birthday on the same day and a handful of neighboring birthdays. I just can't decide what to bring. I think I've narrowed it down to these three choices:Banana cupcakes, since I have 4 bunches of them in my kitchen right now.Ice cream cone cupcakes, since this is the "Ice Cream Grandma's" house. These would be hard to transport though.Or pumpkin cupcakes to help welcome in the season. Now, to choose just one ... wish me luck.

Little Dell Photo Reel

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Love that Old Lady!

I'm a few days late, but have just purchased Kara's new class "Fall in Love". I think it will be just what I need. I've been needing a pick-me-up and her ideas are always fun to play around with. Kara Haupt (17) is one of my favorite young phenoms. She writes a great blog called 'Old Lady in a Teenager' and is always creating something amazing. I'm sure you will hear a lot about her if you keep reading me. This is her third online class and here is a smidge of what she has to say about it:

"This is a class about discovering your autumn and taking advantage of this magical season. This workshop includes instructions on how to create a book centered around fall, included are journaling prompts and lots of inspiration to keep you creating!"

Perfect! I even took a quick drive up the canyon this morning to really get in the mood. (Fall hasn't really hit us in the valley yet.)

Baby Blanket Goodness

Ooh .... I love this so much. The baby wale corduroy is just so deliciously soft and the colors are perfect for fall. This one is a bit smaller since I bought all the fabric on the bolt, but it is still plenty big enough for a little bundle of joy to get all kinds of use out of it.

The Crud ...

You know, as much as I love this time of year and all that it brings: the smell of fall, yellow school busses, quiet moments while the kids are away being educated ... as much as I love all of these things, I could really do without this cold. It brings back way too many memories of last fall for me, one sickness after another after another. My sinuses, congestion, coughing, ear pain ... It feels like there is a fire burning inside my chest. I have no energy. Loads of free time and no energy? What's that about?

I'm doing everything I can think of to fight back, lots of fluids, rest as needed, honey and lemon tea and I've jacked up on Vitamin C like it's going out of style. I've disinfected everything I can think of and washed the bedding. I have the yucks and I'm not happy about it. :(

New Fabric Lovelies!

I get to make another baby blanket! Yay! Gift giving is such a fun thing for me. I'm already turning over ideas for Christmas gifties too. I think I'll have a completely new project for everyone this year ... of course, I won't be able to post anything about it until after the holidays. Boo. Oh well. For now, I get to make a lovely baby blanket for a lovely girl. I love the fabrics too; a super baby-soft fine wale corduroy print and a great coordinating cotton print for the other side. The colors are deep and rich, perfect for a fall 'arrival'. This blanket is going to be a bit smaller than usual, since I bought all the fabric on the corduroy bolt. I'll post a better how-to this time with pictures for each super simple step. Keep an eye out in the next few days for it.

Itching for Fall

Shopping for school supplies in the heat of summer just doesn't feel right this year. I can't wait for the seasons to change. Today I have such a craving for colored leaves, cozy sweaters and fun scarves. This photos are by Jeff Beck and give me a little bit of what I'm wanting right now. He was featured at the Utah Arts Festival this year. We missed it, but were able to enjoy some of it http://www.uaf.org/. Thank you Jeff.