What we've been up to

I know that I want to get better about posting regularly... oh, how I enjoy the accomplished feeling of pressing "publish" on a new post. But sometimes life happens too quickly, and the days turn into weeks before I get around to sharing anything. Here's a quick recap of some of the new projects and recipes that I've done in the last week:


Cooking:

Homemade english muffins (recipe here)-- always a crowd pleaser! They are delicious hot off the pan with some peanut butter, or made into english muffin pizzas for a quick weekday lunch.

Pumpkin chocolate chip brownies (recipe here)-- actually not brownie-like in consistency at all, but they were tasty!

Pumpkin pancakes (recipe here)-- these were a big winner. I threw in some chocolate chips because...why not?

Pumpkin spice krispie treats (recipe here)-- are you sensing a theme here?

Pineapple rice (recipe here)-- we usually try to eat vegetarian a few nights a week. This thai-inspired dish was a family favorite. Even the toddler loved it!


Around the house:

Installed new light fixtures in the old dining room (now office) and on the front porch. I also spray pained the old chandelier from the dining room to hang in Annie's big girl room some day. I love how it turned out!

The electrician spent a day at our house changing the loud fluorescent light in the kitchen to updated recessed cans. The difference is amazing. He also wired a box for the new chandelier to hang over the soon to be dining room table.

The dining table is officially under construction! In fact, it's almost entirely assembled, so we'll be spending this weekend sanding and staining.


Getting crafty:

I finished knitting a little sweater for the newly adopted son of some dear friends. It was a quick knit to enjoy during the Harry-Potter-A-Thon that Bryan and I have been enjoying on off-nights.

Also finished up a cowl I had started back in the Spring. I think it's the first real thing I've ever knit for myself. I just loved working with this beautiful hand-dyed merino (it was a gift last Christmas).

Okay, so laugh all you want after my last post about the fall mantle (that stream of consciousness was real, by the way), because I actually did fall-ify the fireplace. I found the baby pumpkins for $0.97 at WalMart. The dried stems are from the dollar store, and the garland was made from dollar store "table scatter" (aka small felt leaves), bakers twine, and a hot glue gun. The printable is free here.


Family stuff:

After reading this blog post, Bryan and I have decided that we are going to fast from spending this month, too. It's amazing how a new house causes you to bleed cash. And while we've been very conscious to spend carefully and make thrifty choices, it was easy for our attitude to slip into one of entitlement. So we're taking the month to put our checkbook away and realign our hearts to be grateful with what we have without feeling the need for more.

A fun trip to the Farmer's Market this morning, and we decided to sign up for our first CSA! We chose Riverstone Organic Farm out of Floyd, VA and I can't wait to get our first share!



So what have you been up to this week? Any new adventures, projects, or family goals?