Sonny Acres

I would love to be in bed right now, but my mind-- as it has a tendency to do-- is racing a mile a minute. I keep thinking about stuff I have to get done. However, instead of getting it done, I'm going to sit at the computer and type. Take that, Stuff!

We've had some pretty nasty days around here, as of late, but we've also had a few jewels. On one of the nice days, Riley and I hopped in the car and headed to Sonny Acres to meet the Livingston clan. What follows is a series of pictures that, I personally think, are ridiculously adorable.

This is the best I got of Riley and Robbie together (with one major exception, soon to follow). They were quickly off and exploring.

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

Riley just LOVES Baby Ellie. I'm hoping this is a good sign. :)

I'm not entirely certain what they're watching. Could be the windmill, an airplane, another kid... the list could go on and on and on...

We finished off the day with a special treat-- a whole apple, skin and all. Riley, not the fastest eater, spent most of the time at Sonny Acres skinning the peel off with her teeth and spitting it out. Once she got down to that white flesh, though-- oh, glory! Our car ride home was the quietest ride we've ever had; she was that enraptured with her treat.

The photo highlight of the day, I've saved for last. After a couple friendly entreaties from the moms, Ashley and I both caught pictures that will, most likely, horrify both Riley and Robbie when they reach those junior high years (though I hope not). :)

Two cute babies and a first kiss? You just can't beat that.

To the Doctor... Oops!

This morning started off so beautifully. Riley slept in until past seven; Mike didn't have to go in to work until a little later; I got to sit on the couch and sip tea while Mike played with Riley and Kona outside. Lovely.

Then, around 8:30, my phone rang. I thought I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 10 am. However, on the other end of the line, the nurse informed me that my appointment had been a 8. Hehe... This was the appointment at which I had to drink that nasty glucose stuff, so I quickly told the nurse that, yes, I could come over right now. Then I grabbed the orange concoction, picked Riley up (who was, fortunately, actually dressed), and headed to the car. As I backed out of the driveway, I chugged the glucose. If you haven't been pregnant (or done some related test), you don't know what I'm talking about, but that stuff is just plain disgusting. I mean, really, I have a sweet tooth; I order white chocolate caramel drinks at Starbucks! But this is a whole other level of disgustingly sweet. And I really don't know how much the orange flavor helps. But it had to be done, so I downed it.

We made it to the doctor, no problem, and Riley did me the favor of being happy-- not only in the car-- but the whole time at the doctor's office, as well. This is a rare occurrence as there aren't too many exciting things to play with. However, this morning, we found the doctor's spinny chair. Goodness, there's not much better in life than a spinny chair. Riley didn't even have to sit in it; she was content with simply whirling it around. Whoever designed that seat-- Thank you!

Yes, our relaxing morning was jarred to full-alert, but when we got home, Riley went right down for a nap, and she's still hanging out in her crib as I type. Not a bad day, overall. :)

Delicious

Alright... I feel convicted to share some of the yummy recipes I've been utilizing, this Fall season. First up-- baked potato soup. Let me say this: I'm addicted to potatoes, all shapes and sizes. I've tried quite a few recipes for soup, and this one takes the cake. It's Mary Lou Hess's, from the good ol' AHEFC cookbook. I love the mix of textures with the potato meat and peels, the sauteed onions and the crisper green onions. That's good eating.

The Best Baked Potato Soup in the World

6-8 slices bacon, fried crisp (reserve drippings and 2 crumbled slices for topping)
1 C. yellow onion, diced
4 lg. baked potatoes (DO NOT microwave)
2/3 C. flour
6 C. hot chicken broth or hot milk
2 C. heavy cream or 1 (8 oz) ctn sour cream
¼ C. parsley
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. dried basil (opt)
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. course, black pepper
1 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ C. green onions, white part, chopped
¼ C. green part of green onions for topping, chopped

Cook and crumble bacon; reserve drippings in pan.
Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out the meat. Chop half the peels; discard the rest.
Cook yellow onions in bacon drippings until transparent.
Add flour, stir to prevent lumps; cook 3-5 minutes until mixture just begins to turn golden.
Gradually add 2 C. hot chicken broth or milk, whisking to prevent lumps, until mixture thickens.
Pour into a saucepan and add remaining hot milk or broth; reduce heat to simmer.
Whisk in potatoes, peels, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper.
Add cheddar cheese and onions; heat until cheese melts thoroughly.
Top with reserved, chopped bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese.

Makes about 8 servings.

Welcome, Fall!

Fall is here! So, to usher it in, we went to Kuipers Family Farm this past weekend, and, even though it wasn't the prettiest day, and we didn't actually go pick apples, we had a jolly good time. Here's the evidence:

Riley poses in front of the big ol' sign. She's so little!

This is, quite possibly, one of my favorites. Our little sweetheart loves giving hugs!

I think Riley is imagining the delicious roasted pumpkin seeds that are soon to come...

Riley and her Riley-sized pumpkin

A rare Mommy and Riley shot :)

We got the shot off, but this did not last long. :)

"Do you guys see how BIG this one is? Whoa."

"I heart the Fall!"

Blessing and a Curse

Oooo boy... We put Riley down at 5:30 last night because she was a sleepy disaster. She hardly even touched her dinner and could hardly keep those pretty blue eyes open. Much to our surprise and joy, she slept till 7. Wow.

However, after making a Friday trip to Grandma's house, the news doesn't get much better in the sleep category. Riley NEVER sleeps at Grandma's. I mean, seriously, in all the times we've been there, I think we may have a little over one hour, TOTAL nap time. Not cool. So today, as always, she didn't take a nap. She did fall asleep in the car on the way home. (She couldn't have done that when we drove home from the lake house last weekend?) Thus, she has slept 20 minutes today, as she woke up as I turned on to our street. Blah. She's crying in her crib, currently. I tried to make a nice, easy transfer-- something I've only succeeded at once.

Oh well... it can't all be good news, I suppose.