Pumpkin Spice Caramels

I must brag that I showed amazing restraint to get these caramels all the way home for a picture for the blog.  The Elevated Ice Cream Shop has been a subject of my blogs about PT before.  We cannot go to PT without checking out the candy at the Elevated Ice Cream Shop.  Last time I found Chai Tea Caramels.  I confess that is what I was hoping to find and was a little put out that they had been replaced with Pumpkin Spice Caramels.  However, in the spirit of adventurous eating, I bought some.  Wow!  Am I ever happy that I did.  These are deliciously cinnamon-y and pumpkin-y.  Is pumpkin-y a word?  Likely not, but I think it describes these caramels perfectly.

Katie chose the peanut butter fudge also pictured.  Very yummy.  Robby chose a mixture of gummies which he devoured in the car.  No photo op for those.  Arnie chose a Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar which he graciously gave me a taste of.  Wow!  Creamy and decadent and classy.  What a great day!

Thanksgiving Prep Meant Jalapeños in the Lewis House

This week we bought a jar of jalapeños because Robby wanted to make those nacho sliders.  He tried and liked the jalapeños.  I hadn't had jalapeños for long time - as I recall the last time I did my mouth burned for a few days.  This time, I decided to try them again in small amounts.  My mouth did not burn.  I rather liked the heat and decided that we should eat them again soon, so this night while making Thanksgiving preparations, we made nachos and got out those jalapeños again.  Yum.  Lovely sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, cheesy nachos.

We got into the Thanksgiving spirit and began to prep for our hopeful trip to Port Townsend.  I was particularly hopeful that the weather would break so that we could travel, so I enlisted the kids to peel apples for the tart that I wanted to make.

Katie gets in the spirit!

R and K are great apple peelers.

After caramelizing the apples on the stove, they are baked in the oven.  Puffed pastry is baked on the top.

The whole thing is turned upside down in a dish to create a pie-like tart.  Yummy.

Thankful for Family and Food at Thanksgiving!

Wednesday as the snow swirled around outside, I tried positive self talk.  Thanksgiving would be fine.  We would be able to travel and see Sandy, Bruce, and Rochelle.  Fine.  The weather would be fine.  At the same time, I prepared to make something Thanksgivingish if we were snowed in at Montesano.   I was so relieved that our weather broke on Thursday morning!  The snow started melting and we headed out to join the Lewises in  Port Townsend!  The traffic was easy and the ride was smooth.  We checked in at the Water Street Hotel and then drove up the hill to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Rochelle was already there helping to prepare the meal.  Rene was there in spirit having sent the festive decor.  We girls got busy in the kitchen and left the boys to watch football.

Grandpa Bruce is on the left and Robby is on the right.  Arnie is out of the picture on the couch.

 Sandy made a beautiful turkey with all the fixings!  So delicious.  The whole house smelled like stuffing and gravy, making my mouth water all the way to dinner. Rochelle and Katie made crescent rolls and set the table.  Bruce and Katie wanted bacon in the green beans, so I cooked the bacon in the microwave as the stove was quite busy.

Making the crescent rolls.

Sandy at the stove.  My stomach is grumbling in the background.

Setting the Thanksgiving table for seven.  Big discussion about how many forks, knives, side the napkin was on...

Katie won't eat black olives, but Rochelle and I felt that someone (Katie) needed to put an olive on their finger, just for tradition's sake.

 Look at this cool bottle opener that Rene, Rochelle, and Arnie grew up with on the kitchen wall.  It is still going strong.  We used it to open the sparkling cider!  Dinner was delicious and fun.  We always get to hear stories about growing up in the Lewis house and we catch up on what is happening with other family members and the town.

Almost gone.

Gone.

Sigh.  Fun conversation.  Satisfied tummies.  Pumpkin bread and apple tart for dessert.  I can't wait for another family gathering.

Robby, My Champion

My resilient kid.  Here's Robby the night he fell, before he fell.  Having fun in the snow at our house.  He had been looking through my Rachael Ray magazine the day before and had requested that we make Nacho Sliders for dinner, so he helped me shop for the ingredients after church and here we are making them.

Ground sirloin, onion, chili powder, coriander and cumin.

We grilled the patties first, then spread re-fried beans on each, topped each with tortilla chips and cheese.

After the cheese was melted, we topped the sliders with tomatoes, sour cream, and jalapeños.

The sliders were awesome.  We paired them with our favorite potato wedges and ketchup.  Robby liked the jalapeños a lot.  It was a great start to a night that ended up in the ER.  We don't have school again tomorrow, which is kind of a bummer for Robby.  He's been keeping his hospital id bracelet on to show his friends!  I'm going to need to talk him out of it this weekend, I think.  Here is he tonight in the snow, feeling much better and braving the elements for some fun.

The Ups and Downs of Snow

 The snow started falling quietly on Sunday.  I posted pictures of us at coffee hour at church.  Sunday evening, the snow had stopped and the ground was wet, so I took Robby in to town for youth group.  I sure wish I hadn't done that.  Of course it got crunchier and icier while we were in youth group.  When we walked out the door, the air was cold.  Robby and I were chatting and down he went.  So fast and so hard, there was nothing I could do.  We were separated by a stair rail - which he was reaching for when he went down.  He hit the cement stairs hard on his back, bounced up and came down again.  I heard that noise that people make when the wind is knocked out of their lungs and then he just moaned.  I was so scared that he had injured his back.  His back pain increased so Arnie took him to the ER.  Our second visit in 7 days!

Luckily, Robby has a deep contusion along his back in two spots, but no broken or fractured bones. He stayed home from school yesterday to ice it and rest (doctor's orders) and was not supposed to take part in PE or recess today.  Again, lucky guy, we went to school late yesterday and then not at all today!  He is feeling better and is back to being the cagey eleven-year-old that we know and love.

Katie and I enjoyed a walk in the snow.  There is so much of it.  I'm worried about what the winter has in store for us since it is not even Thanksgiving yet!  Crazy weather.

Looking down into the valley from our hillside.  Very snowy.

Looking back up our street at the trees.

Katie's face was cold, so she pulled her hat over it and figured I could guide her home.  I convinced her otherwise since I thought we'd get frostbite walking as slowly as she was.

The best meal on a cold day? Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup!

The Value of Service

 Obviously, one value we want to instill in our children is service.  I've talked about this before.  The kids watch Arnie and me volunteer at school, church, and other places.  Our school hosts the parish coffee hour once a month to show our gratitude for the parishioners, who take very good care of us.  This month was hosted by the first grade, but the teacher, who is a friend of mine, had trouble getting kids to come, so Robby and Katie and I went to help.  There were about 12 school kids there.  One little kindergartner was so excited, she grabbed my hands and we jumped up and down as people filed in to the coffee hour.  Such a sweetie.

 So we served coffee and doughnuts.  And ate a bunch, too.  Below is a picture of Katie and the kindergartner filling coffee cups.  Katie's polka dot coat and striped tights are not uniform code!  Just creativity on a Sunday.

 The best part of the morning was the snow.  Big fluffy flakes began falling about 10:30 am and are still falling as I write.  The kids ran around the church court yard trying to catch the flakes in their mouths.  Fun.  I hope it is gone in time for school tomorrow.

My Helpful Peeps

 I started feeling yucky yesterday at school.  No way to go home, though.  We just don't have subs available and we had an important meeting after school.  Arnie had an important meeting, too, so I ended up taking the kids to swim team practice as well.  Usually when I take the kids to swim team, I work out while they swim, but last night I was too achy to move, so I sat on the bleachers watching.  One of my friends actually came over to see if I was okay since I didn't look to great.  It made me feel better!

Today I slept in until 7:30, then laid around on the couch.  I did get off the couch long enough to crock pot a roast for dinner with lots of vegetables to boost my vitamins. Katie made macaroni and cheese for us for lunch.  Yum.  She is always so great at helping.  I just coached her from the couch.  It turned out perfectly.

After dinner Arnie did the dishes for me and Katie made brownies.  What an easy day!  I really appreciate my helpers.  Especially when I don't have to clean dishes and I get a brownie.