what are you grateful for?

Every night at dinner we say a blessing and afterwards Owen asks what we're grateful for.

Maya usually looks at her plate and lists everything on it as what she's grateful for: "I'm grateful for my apples, for my water and my yogurt."

Woody and I say whatever it was that day that made us grateful but the best person at being grateful is Owen. When we first started doing this last summer he would usually say something material that he had: a new movie from the library, a toy, a game etc. Now he reflects for a moment and says the most endearing things. This week he was grateful for the picture above. One of his classmates went to China for a month and brought back stuffed dogs for everyone. Owen said, "I'm grateful that Mikayla brought me back a little dog." Another time this week he was grateful that Maya was all better and not sick anymore. I love that kid!

Since being grateful and thankful is on everyone's mind this week here's a couple from me:

I'm grateful:

-that my brother is coming to visit for a week tomorrow!

-that I'm going to the 10 o'clock viewing of New Moon tonight

-that I'm making soup and baking bread and apple pie tomorrow

-that I'm getting the heck out of here in a couple weeks to spend time with my lovely family in sunny, glorious Florida

-that OM are my kids and Dubya's my husband

-for anyone reading this:) - thanks!!

a bowl full of grits

Yesterday did not start well. Many of you already know this so I'll be concise:

1. Maya had trouble breathing, fever
2. Pediatrician's office too busy to call me back
3. Went to Urgent Care
4. Diagnosis: URI, low oxygen levels and maybe bronchitis
5. Tx: albuterol inhaler with nebulizer, antibiotics

Considering Maya is two-years-old, weighs 25 pounds, and felt like a giant pile of crap yesterday, she was amazingly feisty and determined NOT to inhale the medicine making it  physically very difficult to give to her. So I almost took her to the ER last night but my advice nurse told me that they'd give her the same thing there so I should try at home. We finally managed to get it into her and she fell asleep on Woody's lap.

While she was calmly sleeping I was downstairs playing Candyland with a neglected Owen. And I was starving and stressed and worried and could think of only one thing in the entire world that would be the perfect comfort food for me in that moment. Thankfully I actually had some in the pantry. A little boil of chicken broth and water, a whisk here and there, a dash or three of salt, a few chunks of bleu cheese, and five minutes later I had a hot bowl of creamy, tasty grits.  I heart grits, they're the best!

French toast is a close second and if I'd had the ingredients I probably would have made this (too:)! Holl-a!

Hodgepodge of photos:

First O pulled out his yoga book and busted out some sweet poses and then he moved onto playing with his cars...

Playing the spiderman memory game...

Woody took Owen to a class @ the zoo last Friday. It promised to be an action packed two hours learning about lions, tigers and cheetahs with behind the scenes access. Except it turned out to be a slow-paced, uninformative session led by two elderly women that gave out snacks and had the kids make this craft:

Maya spending time in the bathroom. She spends lots of time in here brushing her teeth and washing her hands...

check out her pearly whites:

Our friends the Stabler's came over and we made these turkey lanterns and ate yummy food...

Eli and Owen...

Maya and the best apron ever:)

Amelia, Eli, O, & M @ the kiddy table...

P.S. Maya is totally fine now. She had a follow-up appt. with her regular pediatrician today who happily (and apologetically) gave me his direct line and assured me it was a-OK to call him next time I had an urgent matter. Her breathing is perfect, fever is gone and our sassy little thing is back to bringing it full force...yay:)

say hello to my little friend

let the sewing begin...

bunny hop & marble tower

time capsule

We went on a field trip with Owen's class to bury a time capsule near the Hoyt Arboretum in Forest Park. Each kid brought in something that meant something to them but that they could live without for a year (Owen brought in a map).

We found the perfect spot under this tree. Next summer we'll go back and dig it up.

 It was a glorious Fall day...

the mighty butternut

I hate to get all smitten kitchen on you since a) Deb from SK does it best and b) supuestemente this is a blog about OM, but...I'm gonna. This recipe is just too good. I must-a shout it from-a the rooftops...

Plus, I'm helping you out. In your daily quest to make the life of your spouse/partner as cool as possible, this could be the thing (for that day)! Really. Your loved one is going to be impressed and touched that you can make something this delicious. They will assert that this is the best meal they've ever eaten and that indeed, their life is very cool b/c of you.  Swweeeeeet:)

Here's where you can find the recipe. And I must warn you that this takes a LONG time to make. Anything involving a fresh butternut squash is gonna take awhile. It smells so good and offers so much potential, but, I'll be blunt, it's a bitch to cut up into small chunks...and then you roast it for awhile. And then you pull your Cuisinart out of wherever it's been hiding to make the puree. And then you make your own spice blend which involves toasting the seeds (fennel, cumin, peppercorns, etc.) and then grinding them in a spice blender or with a mortar and pestle. And then you make a bechamel sauce...the mother of all sauces:) Almost every recipe for bechamel states it should take about 8 minutes to finish (the sauce should coat the back of a spoon). I've never had a bechamel sauce take less than three times that long, EVER! Then assemble and bake and voila! BUT also,

if you're gonna do this then do it all the way. You need to set the table, with napkins, and make sure you made a trip to TJ's to pick out a delicious, slightly more expensive than usual, bottle of Pinot Noir. And find your wooden salad bowls and make the salad in those instead of dumping it on the same plate with the lasagna. AND, wash the dishes (there will be A LOT) ahead of time so you don't have to stare at them while you dine. It's just worth it!

OK, so here's the most important thing. As you sit with your spouse/partner (let's say it's your spouse) and he/she (let's say it's a he) starts eating and you sit expectantly, waiting for a comment, remark, something, DO NOT, I repeat, do not jump across the table and slug him after he thoughtfully declares he prefers his lasagna with red, meat sauce!

You're trying to make his life cool, remember? Plus, that just means more leftovers for you. :)

And this is what Owen and Maya did while I made the mighty lasagna of roasted butternut squash: they wrestled...

p.s. I have the Michael Chiarello cookbook and the recipe varies somewhat from the one on Food Network website (e.g., the spice blend is more complex in the book than on the website)

halloween finale

above: pre-trick-or-treating hug

below: post-halloween satisfaction

p.s. i'll post costume photos on picassa soon...