My 5 Year Old Speller

These kiddos are sooo funny.  I just love spending all day with them.
This was the FIRST time I had ever asked Dakota how old he was.  So I was surprised to get an answer, and a funny one at that...

My Day Begins When Your Life Ends

The title has absolutely NOTHING to do with the post.  It just happens to be on one of my most favorite {pink} forensics T-shirts from Los Angeles.  Instead, this is just the typical "cute kids in fall colors and overalls" post.  So if you are all "cuted" out, then feel free to close your browser.  You won't offend me.  And I have pumpkin/kid photos to put up soon, so be sure to skip over that one as well if cuteness makes you ill.   And then you can walk into an empty well since you clearly have no soul, and then the title WOULD be appropriate...  I kid, I kid.

Hurricane Sandy coming into town... Hurricane Dakota is always here, but we are actively working on that.

 This little helper reminds me to clean and mop quite often.  Accountability goes a long way.  And she even volunteers for the grubby jobs like cleaning behind the toilet.  Fine by me.

Dakota has adopted this nursing stool as his own personal reading chair.  He has (finally) become a walker, and this was an earlier attempt...

 1. Drop the book and dismount from the stool.

 2. Straighten that back and throw the legs forward.

 3. Take 3 small steps and then come in for a landing.

4. Make a pouty face for the "earlier than expected" arrival of tushy meeting the floor. Clearly he had higher expectations for this little jaunt.

Summer means Birthdays

Where has the summer gone?  No idea.  How has it gone?  Beautifully.

 This little mischievous boy, Dakota, is pretty quick with his hands, especially when I am changing his diaper.  He had fun with the powder on this occasion!

 If I had a dollar for every time that neck has been kissed...

 Look at the love in these eyes.  Quinn took this photo of Cora (his favorite subject) with my Nikon D200.  She is happy to oblige, and loves him so much.

 Sometimes Love can get a little Squeezy, and can even temporarily cut off your air supply.

 Cora posed this way on her own, and she did her hair as well.  She felt very pretty in this moment.

I have been known to laugh this hard on MANY occasions with shoes on the wrong feet.  So funny.

Wow, my son Quinn has just turned 5.  And what an affectionate friend he has become.  We officially start kindergarten/1st grade next month!  So excited.

Sort of like having my dad around when my Uncle is around

Nothing beats getting a call on a Monday night from a special Uncle, saying he is in your state and would like to visit the next night!  

This Uncle has invested so much of his time, love, and godly wisdom into my life. He is 11 years younger than my dad, but it is like looking at and hearing my dad whenever I am with him.  Well, a version of my dad that uses the internet. ;)  We have never lived in the same state, but have managed to build a wonderful, close relationship thanks to the countless visits over the years, mostly my family traveling to Mississippi.  

Uncle Artis, Aunt Karen, and their two sons have faithfully visited me in Tennessee when I was foolishly and briefly playing collegiate basketball.  He also ventured to DC in the dead of winter, when I was getting my Masters at GWU.  And he brought my sister with them.  He could have spent that time and money on other trips, but he chose to spend that time with me and it meant so much, especially when I didn't have a lot of family in the area.  

It had been 3 years since I had seen him, but we do keep in contact via phone and email.  I was so glad that he could meet Cora and Dakota for the first time.    We had takeout (had to expose him to Wing Stop) and chatted for a few hours, and then he was gone.

 Reading Curious George with their Great Uncle.

3 special men! 

Dakota thinks he's super great too!

See the giddiness and admiration in my face for this guy?  I was sad to see him go! 

Love you, Uncle Artis, and I look forward to our next visit!

Cora, this is ballet

Cora went to her first dance class today with her little friend Erica.  She had the most wonderful time and never stopped smiling!  I am a bit concerned with this photo as it reminds me of myself in school, always enjoying the full attention of the entire class and teacher!  haha. We love her so much, and enjoy watching her grow and learn about new things.

surrounded by cute faces

Babies are like little love-sponges and so kissable, as you can see.

Israel took photos of the children at Butler's Orchard. Then they got to run around!

This is the annual hot cocoa series!

Eyes always on her big brother.

She was loving her yummy mug.

Quinn is an old pro.

All done!

Beef and Barley...dare I say SOUP?

photo credit www.the kitchn.com

My husband is not a fan of just having soup for dinner, but will certainly eat it as a side.  He works out big time and needs a lot of calories and substance to fill him up, and soup doesn't cut it! In fact, I have not met a guy who IS a fan of just eating soup for dinner.  And this video assured me of this.  Anyway, I still crave homemade soup and get urges to cook it for my own sake.  But I try to find recipes that are so thick and hearty that you could disguise it as a meal, if you had to, by serving it on a plate!  Well this healthy and hearty stew (adapted from www.thekitchn.com) certainly fit the bill as I served it in a bowl, and Israel dumped it on a plate as that made more sense to him.  With homemade buttermilk biscuits (with fresh roll butter from a local farm and strawberry rhubarb jam from farm as well) and steamed veggies, this meal was quite satisfying.  Quinn really enjoyed it and thanked me for dinner.  (Awww.) I think the Dutch Oven is the key here.  Anything cast iron will really bring out the flavors!

Beef and Barley Stew
Makes 6-8 servings

2 pounds stew meat, bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 celery stalks, sliced

5 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine (I used sherry)
2 cups beef stock (I used 3 beef bouillon plus 2 c water as I didn't have beef stock)
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup barley
salt and pepper

Film the bottom of a large dutch oven with canola oil and set over medium-high heat until the oil is hot. Working in batches, add a single layer of meat to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the cubes loosen and are seared golden-brown. Flip the cubes and sear the other sides. When all sides are seared, remove the meat to a clean bowl or plate. Sear the remaining meat in batches. If there is any liquid in the pot after the last batch is finished, pour it over the meat.

Heat one teaspoon of canola oil in the pan and cook the onions with a pinch of salt until they are translucent and brown around the edges. Add the celery and carrots and cook until just softened.

Clear a space in the middle of the vegetables and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the thyme and bay leaf, and stir all the seasonings into the veggies.

Pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the wine bubbles. Let the wine reduce down until most of it has evaporated or been absorbed by the veggies.

Add the meat and any drippings back to the pot. Pour in the stocks and top with enough water to cover the meat and veggies about about a half an inch. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low.

Cover the pot and let it simmer for 1 hour. Add the barley and cook for another 45 minutes or so until the barley is cooked and the meat is almost falling apart (check by piercing it with a fork or knife. There should be no resistance and the meat should flake apart with pressure). Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.