Ten on Tuesday

An Tuesday, feels like the week spun so fast that I'm surprised to find myself here again. (Or is it just that I did my last update on Thursday not Tuesday?)

1.  Final wrap-up of DC -- everything, in balance, went well.  My transition home was good.  I actually finished my work a bit early so I could close up shop in a more leisurely manner and say my good-byes, get my hugs and be ready to shift back.  Getting to my house at midnight is not awesome, but being able to make a graceful exit feels good.

2.  After as little sleep as I could handle, Brent and I packed up and headed to the farm for the Dotter family celebration of my Grandpa Dotter's 86th birthday. It was great to be with my siblings as usual, but had a surprisingly wonderful time with my cousins that joined us too.  I loved seeing them spend one on one time with M and we had some great conversations.  I also got to chat a bit more with the birthday boy which is always a treat.  Great fun for everyone I think.

3.  Naps - the great bonus of lots of adults is that I did get to take TWO naps over the weekend which helped so much after a week of 12-14 hour work days (this is a lot when I normally work part-time... at least in theory). I am not a good napper as it takes me longer to fall asleep that my brother's entire nap lasts, but know that I need some to recover from weeks like last week.

4.  Exercise - I took one jog in DC, one at the farm with my siblings, and my longest yet in the neighborhood with M yesterday (complete with new jogging stroller).  I am still going very slow, but feels nice to know that I can jog for 25 minutes now.  (Notice that I say "jog" not "run" as really I am not doing anything so glamorous as really running... if that makes any sense).

5.  Today, I made my own cranberry pear applesauce.  I cobbled it together from a few recipes and it went something like this

• two large apples (Peeled, cored and cut into eight pieces each)
• two medium pears (Peeled, cored and cut into eight pieces each)
• 12 ounces cranberries (I used ones I'd bought and frozen previously, picked over and rinsed)
• 1/2 c. cranberry juice
• 6in x 1 in strip of lemon peel
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/3 c. brown sugar

I simmered the first six ingredients together for 25 minutes.  Then I added the sugar, warmed the mixture and pureed using an immersion blender.  So delicious. 

6.  Oatmeal pancakes - Have you tried oatmeal pancakes? They are very easy and have an amazing texture.  I make mine from the "Good to the Grain" cookbook and we all love them.  B, arguably our most picky eater, ate pretty much as many as he possible could have (I think maybe 5 small pancakes?).  We serve ours with maple syrup, but also dipped them in some of the applesauce too.  Very tasty.

7.  Halloween activities have begun.  As I think I mention every year there are MANY Halloween events in kids calendars these days.  Our celebrations began with trick-or-treating in the OSSM dorms on Sunday evening.  We decided that with all these events there was no reason to wear the same costumes every time so for the first go-round we had Princess Cinderella and Batman.  I assume we'll get around to the planned costumes at one of these events.  (Remaining events: Two school party days, pumpkin carving, Country's celebration at the ball park, and then..well, actual Halloween).

8.  I read in spurts.  Sometimes, I read a lot and sometimes I scrapbook a lot or do other things like blog.  Just now, I'm reading.  A few months ago, I saw the book "A Discovery of Witches" and was tempted, but the price was pretty steep.  I waited months, and the price is going nowhere and I needed a back up book on the plane as I'd almost finished our book club book (Rules of Civility).  A Discovery of Witches was so good.  It was the first book in quite a long while that I have not been able to put down.  The story feels novel, deep, and complex and the writing is excellent.  For those that notice there are vampires involved, I too am far from the vampire trail in fiction (I've read none of the popular series in this area).  This one though, really worth the read and totally worth the $14 I paid.

9.  Fall - in addition to all the fall activities above we worked on some other fun ones this weekend including a campfire with hot dogs, another with S'mores and one just for warmth on a cold foggy morning.  The leaves are just starting to fall, but our kids have traipsed through the woods with Grandma to check no the animals and the change of season.  We have started taking jackets everywhere and thinking about our walks as some of the last before the days get too short or too cool.  It feels in transition, and for once, I am just moving with it and trying to savor the now (Hmmm maybe my OLW is working...)

10.  I have developed a pretty silly caffeine addiction this year. It has grown slowly since M was born two years ago, but of late it was becoming noticeable.  I don't really want that much goo in my body so I've been cutting back slowly.  To my great surprise, the transition away has not been too painful (literally or figuratively).  I haven't given it up altogether, and don't really plan to, but little touches is much better than multiple diet pepsis a day.  That may be my minor health victory for the moment... or maybe the running... or the love of homemade applesauce.  None of these really move my weight much, but I do "feel" a bit better for it.

That's where we are for the moment.  I'm sure there will be many more stories to tell this week and I'd love to hear yours too.