October 30, 2013

Hey Good-lookin, What's cookin?

(Don't you love everything about this picture?  Did you see the big carrot?  The worm in the bird's mouth? The fluffy red tail? Love. It.)

It is getting cold here and all I want to do is wear sweats and cook soup.
My mother-in-law taught me to eat chicken noodle soup over mashed potatoes.  So good.

I'm making ghost beef stew for Halloween.
With these cute pumpkin rolls.
Tonight I'm making sausage/kale soup.  I'm using sweet Italian sausage.

I bought some cool bread, but I do want to try this Dutch oven bread sometime.
source- No Knead Bread Recipe Mark Bittman
water, flour, yeast, salt.

And, these pumpkin cookies sound soo good.
I went grocery shopping yesterday and I'm so excited to move things around in my pantry this morning.  (I can't find anything!)

It's fall!
I still have pictures to be hung and a counter in my kitchen that attracts JUNK-- but...
I have fresh apple cider in my fridge, pumpkin bread on my counter, a very empty apple pie plate in the dishwasher and cabbage in my garage.
There is a chill in the air and Halloween is tomorrow!
I very nearly almost could have missed this!!!
Life is grand.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, you have a budding artist there! Love the colors. Glad you are feeling well enought to be able to do "normal" stuff. The food pictures look so yummy.

Stephanie said...

I've only commented on your blog once, but I love it and have learned so much from you! I'm glad to see that you must be feeling a little better to be so excited about all that fun cooking. Yum!

Okay, so I feel like a total nerd, but I have a question to ask you. Do you have any tips on how to graciously accept the help of a mother in-law without going crazy with her in your house for an extended amount of time? I just gave birth to our 5th child, and my husband insisted on flying my mother in-law out to help for three weeks. I really love her, but it's been a little tricky to try and turn the household over to her. I don't want her to feel like our slave, and she doesn't want to step on my toes, and the poor kids feel like they have two moms!

I just thought that since your mother in-law helped your family for a while, you might have some great insights and advice. I'd so much appreciate any thoughts you might have to share on the subject, if you get a chance!

Thanks, from your fan in southwest Florida

jenifer said...

Hi Steph!!
It is hard having help and probably hard being the help. I'm sure I didn't do it perfectly.
Tips??
-Let her help. Smile, say Thank You, and sit on the couch with your baby.
-Support her. Tell your children they always have to listen to grandma. Always.
-Take time apart. Reserve the afternoons for everyone to nap or read in their bedrooms. Go out with your husband and baby sometime, encourage her to take a trip to the store (with your debit card) to pick up some groceries.
-Have fun. Todd insisted we'd play a round of cards togethet after the kids went to bed. Or we'd watch O'Reilly or Downton
-Talk about meals in the morning. Does she want to cook the whole meal? Does she want to choose the meal? As I was feeling better I would say, I'm thinking about making a spiral ham and she'd say "I'll do the potatoes and a Jell-o." It was SO nice having help!
-Don't be defensive. Just tell yourself that your MIL loves you and your children even when she sees you imperfect.
Try not to look for flaws in her. Try to never say anything negative about the situation to other people. Just be grateful and positive. You will see what you look for!!
I honestly am so grateful for my mother and mother in law that I can hardly remember the hard parts of having them here.
Congratulations on baby #5!!
Three weeks will fly by and you'll wish you had taken more naps and gotten your baby announcements (or Christmas cards) all sent out.

Stephanie said...

Thanks so much for the tips! You're awesome for taking time out of your busy Halloween to reply to my comment! Enjoy the reality of Halloween being officially over for the year! And thank you, again! I'm going tq take your advice and take a nap now. ;)

Unknown said...

Love the beef stew and kale soup recipe. Can't wait to try that when I get out of the hospital, which should be about 6-7 weeks from now. But who's counting :)

jenifer said...

Ha! Hang in there! As I was trying to remember how to cook, I did (for a moment) wish I could just pick up the phone and order dinner. Keep a journal!! It is so fun for me to go back and remember my time in the hospital.
Just today, as I gathered the laundry I remembered how often I ached to be able to lift when I was on bedrest. 6 or 7 weeks is worth it!! You are making a sweet, miracle HUMAN!! (Watch Duck Dynasty and Pickers once for me.)

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