November

My most favorite time of the year

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au·tumn ˈôdəm/noun

the third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall, in the northern hemisphere from September to November and in the southern hemisphere from March to May.

“the countryside is ablaze with color in autumn”

fall out front 2014

This is what we see right now as we exit our home and it doesn’t even show all the color of the trees that surround us!  When we moved a little over a year ago we moved from a newer development with few trees and fewer trees that changed color in autumn.  Now we are in a neighborhood in a town that is known as the city of trees and our neighborhood is bursting with the colors of fall!

In our brief ride to school today both of my girls were excitedly calling out all the colors they could see that surround us.  They each shared how much they like to see these color changes.  What’s more they are excited to rake and jump into piles of leaves!  Something they experienced for the first time last year!

girls raking 11-9-13

This conversation with my girls and my own thoughts of the season were so connected!  This is my favorite time of year, I have memories of Fall growing up on the East Coast.  My commute from Long Island to New York City on the train elevated at times cruising over tree tops in beautiful colors of red, orange yellow and more this time of year.

The air gets crisp and has a certain smell that I recognize as fall.  We get to wear coats and sweaters, and closed toe shoes like boots!  I cook differently in the fall, the house is not already hot from the summer heat so I can roast, bake and more.  This then adds to the sense of smell for this time of year with pumpkin bread, chicken roasting, and cookies and treats!

Let’s be honest this is also my favorite time of year as my birthday is in the fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  All family driven holidays which make them all that much more for me and my family!  I love having family and friends together to eat and spend time together at the holidays (but that’s another post for another day). As I mentioned in my coffee date? post , I enjoy the flavors of the season in my coffee!

The conversation today with my girls was the best way to start our friday, and am looking forward to our weekend ahead with raking and jumping into piles of leaves!

This my my 14th post for National Blog Posting Month, please click #NaBloPoMo to read the many other bloggers’ stories as part of this event, Enjoy!

Coffee date?

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coffee date? A large coffee company with many shops is offering for a limited time “buy any holiday drink & get one free for a friend.”  (this is not an ad) Things that make you go hmmmmm?!

I am a one cup of coffee a day morning drinker, until I see the large coffee company shops and there happens to be one of these coffee shops right across the street from our girls’ ballet school.  When our girls started to dance there it became a regular treat before class and sometime after.  It became so regular that when their Dad helped out to take them to class they told him it was a must have for them!  And the clincher that made him think we go too often was that my younger daughter can even order my coffee for me LOL!

Now I’ve tried to cut back as the costs add up quickly.  Yes once or twice I treated myself to the wonderful fall pumpkin spice and am looking forward to the treat of an eggnog latte!  I’ve stopped the regular pop in and now it truly only is a special treat.

To keep my fix of pumpkin spice going I found a k-cup coffee with pumpkin spice that I can have each and every morning.  Because I cannot start my day without a cup of coffee.  I hope to find something similar with another holiday type of flavor.

Now that I’ve seen the advertisement though and there is a special, do I sneak over while my girls are at dance with one of my Mom friends? or do I take them in with me? Something to ponder to get a special coffee and a treat!

Bottoms up, it’s coffee time not that I can’t stop myself LOL!

 

it happens when you least expect it

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family rules

Please read this sign, we have one just like it hung on the wall in our kitchen.  It is this sign that we see every day but maybe we don’t read every day or so I thought.

Yesterday was a school holiday and both of our girls were off from school. On top of that my husband was home sick so the four of us had a day together.

It was while having lunch together that it came up, my eight year old daughter asked to try my lunch.  A little back story is that she is somewhat of a picky eater. She eats well, but only the things she knows and likes.  So here she was asking to try my lunch and I asked her what brought about that idea and she pointed to the sign and said “It says try new things.”

So there it was she did read and want to follow what the Family Rules say.  So my lunch was Vegetable Pad Thai a meal I pick up at Trader Joe’s for myself from time to time and have never had to share.  I gave her a forkful to try, and she liked it! Not to be outdone, her younger sister told us it was her duty to try new things too! and she wanted to try my lunch as well! and she liked it too!  Although I didn’t ever think I would be sharing a meal like this, I am happy that they each took a chance and tried something new and by trying it they found another food they like and will continue to eat!

It was just an ordinary Tuesday when it happened and we least expected it!  Hoping this is part of a new trend and that each of our girls will continue to read and understand the many different statements in the sign in our home of Family Rules!

Day 12 of National Blog Posting Month.  To see and read what other bloggers have to say click #NaBloPoMo and enjoy!

a family’s best friend

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What is our family’s best friend you ask? A dog of course, two of them!

I grew up with dogs and wanted to get a dog after I owned a home which came after I was married.  Our first home had a great yard that screamed for the love of a dog.  There was no saying no to me once we were moved in.  Our first dog, Cody, joined our family in August 2001. He was just 9 months old.  We found him in our search of rescue dogs through Golden Gate Lab Rescue.  Our Cody is now almost 14 years old.  Hard to believe!

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It was in 2010 that we accidentally added a second dog to our family. Accidentally you ask? Well it was not that we were looking when Molly a 5-year old Weimaraner joined our family through the Northern California Weimaraner Rescue group.  She had been posted on a flyer that our boarders had and I could not let her go!  Cody had the final say when her foster family brought her to our home and for him, and our girls it was love at first sight!

molly snuggling with bunny 9-8-13

It’s hard to believe that almost a year ago, our Princess Molly was diagnosed with canine cancer. We chose a holistic approach for her care for quality of life.  She did enjoy her last months but we did lose her in mid-January.

After being a dog family of two Cody, myself, my husband and our girls were lost without our Molly and just a month after her passing we found our Pepper who was 9 months old through the Rescue Me group.  She and our younger daughter enjoy a very close relationship!

jess and pepper

So here we are back to a family of two dogs.  Cody loved Pepper right away just like us.  It’s great to have these two furry family members greet us when we come home, snuggle us when we need love and just be.  For us it’s having our best friends.