{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

From the bouquet Zach got me at the Farmer's Market.

 Zach and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary last week. Three years doesn't sound like very long, but sometimes it's hard to believe it has only been three years! Our wedding day was such a beautiful day, and we were so blessed to share it with many of the people closest to us.

To celebrate this year, Zach went to Ithaca with me where we picked apples and got ice cream at a local ice cream place. It was tons of fun. I have never seen so many varieties of apples as they had at this orchard! For anyone back home, I saw Rome Beauty and Northern Spy apples! I felt a little silly when I saw that they are a type of apple...I always wondered why they were street names on Apple Mountain. 

Since we didn't have anyone to babysit Tony for us (and dinner at a fancy restaurant with a 2 month old who was in the middle of a dinner-time crying routine didn't sound terribly appealing!), on Sunday, I made rabbit with roasted delicata squash for dinner and cheesecake for dessert. It was yummy and relaxing - exactly what I hoped for.

On our anniversary, which was Tuesday, I made venison tenderloin marinated in red wine, apple cider vinegar and rosemary, then wrapped in bacon and grilled. It was declared my best dinner ever. There was not a scrap of meat to be found the next day. I made the LMLD apple crisp for dessert that night, which was the perfect ending to a lovely night. 

{happy}

Throwback: at our reception.

Eating apple cider donuts at the orchard. They are the Best. Donuts. Ever. They had just come out of the fryer when the man put them in the bag for us - oh my gosh. (Confession: I usually get one for Tony and I when we get to the Farmer's Market. If I get there around noon they aren't usually warm anymore. They're always delicious, but fresh is definitely best!)  He even gave us two extras just to be nice!

{funny}

 Tony's testament to the amazingness of the donuts. If you ask him what we do on Saturday, he will tell you that we go to the Farmer's Market and get donuts. 

He was being a total stinker at the orchard. This picture made me think of a fairy tale, though I can't put my finger on which one.

{real}

 Daddy's mini-me. Tony loves to be with Daddy. Seeing the two of them together makes me so happy.

 Look at all of those apples! Most of them were just as good as the ones on the tree, but drops were half-price!

 On our way home we stopped at a marina so Zach could show me what kind of sailboat he would like (I know absolutely nothing about boats, whereas he knows a lot. Even how to fix them up.). I managed to get dizzy just standing on the dock. How is that even possible? I can't say that gave me much confidence in my future boating adventures.

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

Autumn in the Finger Lakes is a beautiful experience. I just want to capture it and hold onto it forever.

 We went down to the state park last week and it was refreshing. The water was peaceful, and the sky so blue. That special fall sky blue.

{happy}

 A few weekends ago we went to an open house at a model train club. They had model steam and diesel engines that you could ride on. Tony was in heaven, despite the impression the picture gives.

 All of the old men running the trains had on the overalls and hats. It was so fun.

 They also had small model trains. I particularly loved this blue passenger train. It was so pretty.

{funny}

17 pounds, 30 pounds, 18 pounds

That middle one was caught by my husband! The reason this one is {funny} is because of how he caught it. On Sunday, Zach and a friend went up to Lake Ontario to salmon fish. Unfortunately, the salmon weren't running in the stream they were in, so they didn't catch anything all day. As they were going back up the stream, that big one was swimming around, but it wouldn't bit any of their hooks. So Matt's cousin tried grabbing it but it got away. It swam through Zach's legs and he caught it with his thighs, but it managed to swim through. He wasn't about to leave empty handed after that, so he turned around and dove in the water after it, catching it with his bare hands. He always does things with panache - I love it! The other two were given to them by Matt's cousin, which was very kind. We have 18 pounds of chinook salmon in our freezer, which is amazing!

{real}

 Any guesses as to what this is? If you guessed caviar you would be right. Two of the salmon were female and full of eggs. We weren't able to save all of them, but I made probably a half-gallon of caviar (maybe more) with what we were able to get into a bowl. Making caviar is super easy, though certainly not something I thought I would be doing. Ever. The eggs are quite hardy - I was squeezing the membrane to get the eggs out and very few popped during the process. But anyways. I don't really care for it. It isn't bad, just not really my thing. Zach likes it. He gave a jar to one of his professors, so I'm hoping it really was good.

Aren't they beautiful?!

I don't know what happened to September, but October seems headed in the same direction. How is it the 13th? Evie is almost 2 months old, our 3rd anniversary is in 9 days.

At the head of one of the lakes. It took my breath away.

 I love everything about autumn. The weather, the colors, the food - especially butternut and delicata squash. Which brings me to a delicious dinner I made the other night. 

You will need:

• Ground beef, pork, venison - I did a pound of beef and half pound of pork
• Butternut squash - I used a medium-sized one
• Bell peppers - I think I used 2. Any color or combination of colors
• Quinoa - I made 3/4 cup UNcooked
• Fresh cilantro
• Cumin
• Salt and pepper

First, bake your squash. I cut mine in half, scoop out the seeds, put them face down in a pan with a little water. 350° until the skin is kind of brown and the meat is soft (usually 45min).

Next, bring the water for your quinoa to boil. Quinoa is like rice - twice the amount of water. Once the water is boiling, add the quinoa, turn it to low and cover. It's done when the little curly strings are curly. 

While that is cooking, brown your meat (with a little diced onion if you have an onion). Throw in the peppers. Cook until peppers are soft. 

Once the squash and quinoa are done, scoop the squash out of the skin and add it with the quinoa to the meat and peppers. Throw in a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and cumin, salt and pepper to taste. You can serve it now, or put it in a dish and bake for 20 minutes. 

I made it again last night, sans quinoa and cilantro, with 4 peppers and a large squash using chili powder as my spice. I wanted to add some chopped kale, but Evie needed to nurse so I skipped it. Next time. This kind of meal is very forgiving - you can adjust the amounts to suit your family - more veggies/less meat, no problem. Since we don't eat wheat products, I probably cook more meat than most people. I also try to make enough so that we have leftovers for lunch.

Evie is growing so quickly. She's very alert and follows you around the room. She knows if I leave and promptly cries. But she is a very good girl. We get lots and lots of big smiles and coos.

Cross-eyed.

Jack returned with us from my parents. He has been incredibly well-behaved, with the exception of escaping the other day and being gone for a few hours before we got a call that he was found two streets over. Tony loves having him here. Jack is very patient with Tony, and hasn't bothered Evie at all. He's sniffed at her in her bouncy chair a couple of times, but for the most part is completely uninterested.

Tony is growing like a weed. He talks all the time, and wants to know what we are talking about. At dinner, if Zach and I have a pause in our conversation, Tony will say, "Whatcha talking about?" (Complete with hand motions, which kills me. When I get off of the phone, I get interrogated, "Talking to Grandma? Talking about squash?" It's adorable and crazy. The other day I was telling Zach something, and part of a conversation I repeated included "Shut up." In the car on the way home, Evie started crying and Tony said, "Shut up, Evie. Shut up." I felt awful - he was playing in the grass while I was talking to Zach, so I didn't think he heard, and I certainly didn't think he would understand the context. Thankfully, that was a one time thing. He's back to his sweet big brother self - "It's okay, Evie. Mommy is coming. We are almost there."

Life is such a blessing. Bringing children into the world is a blessing. Some days are hard, no doubt about it, but most days are good.

The statue inside of the Capelhina.

 In case anyone else's pastor didn't find it worth mentioning, today is the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. A few years ago I had the great fortune to visit Fatima. It was amazing. I would love to go back to Portugal some day and spend more time at the Basilica.

Love,

Jess