on halloween night

We had a sweet and very simple Halloween. The boys were thrilled. Rainer recovered enough from his fever to go trick or treating (but they didn't stay out very long). Tonight the Green Pumpkin comes!

hello monday! {linking up with lisa}

Hello Monday!
Hello Halloween and trick or treating
Hello little boy with a fever who will have to miss his Kindergarten costume parade :(
Hello green pumpkin visiting us tonight and leaving stacks of books for the little boys
Hello start of November and turning the calendar page



Hello piles of laundry clean, but not folded
Hello frantically trying to get the house in order and plan the soup party (it's next weekend!)
Hello another full week of work but looking forward to a holiday coming up in a couple weeks
Hello last week of dark mornings and driving to work in the dark (I like that)
Hello turning the clocks back next weekend
Hello new week!

I'm linking up with Lisa today for Hello Monday.
What are you saying hello to this Monday?

thoughts on halloween

We are keeping Halloween really simple this year, which is how I like it.

When Jacob and Faith were little, I had a good run of years where I made complete home-sewn costumes from a pattern. I especially remember making a batman suit for Jacob one year (with a stretchy, full-body suit!) and an Obi-Wan Kenobi outfit. For Faith I remember an Esmerelda costume and a flannel bunny suit. All of this stuff got a tremendous amount of play from in the dress-up basket afterwards. I enjoyed doing this, but making costumes from scratch from a sewing pattern is very time consuming. Lately, I just haven't been able to find the time! I wish we had saved all those costumes, but alas, I got rid of them before the boys were in the picture.

Now I'm more in a "keep things simple and use what you have" mode. I encouraged the boys to choose costumes that easily could be put together with things we have around the house. Rainer is being a super-hero ("Super-R") and Dieter is being Obi-Wan Kenobi and carrying a lightsaber. For both of these I supplemented what we had with some thrifted shirts and some new pants. I sewed an R onto a shirt for Rainer. That's it! It took hardly any time to gather this together and everyone is happy.




We kept the decorating really simple too. The boys just opened the Halloween "box" and had a blast setting out all the little toys and decorations they found in there. I'm not stressing at all about having the house decorated to adult or mommy-blogger standards. The boys have really had fun pulling this stuff out and the day after Halloween it will all be whisked away and stored until next year. For Thanksgiving I think I'll be a little more motivated to have a hand in the decorating.



As far as candy goes, we have a plan for that too. The boys will eat a few pieces of their Halloween candy that night (3 or 4 pieces?) and save out a handful for subsequent nights (maybe 5 or so more pieces) and the rest will be left out for the Green Pumpkin who will exchange the remaining candy for books. That way, the boys won't feel deprived of candy, but most of it will not be hanging around.

I like keeping it all low-key. How are you handling Halloween this year?

eating this week (on weight watchers)

I had a good Weight Watchers week this week--I lost 1.8! Now I am very nearly at goal (still have 1.2 to go) and I am beginning to contemplate maintenance and what that will look like. Here are some of the things we've been eating--

I made these corn muffins from this book but alas they were unpopular with the family. I admit they were a little dry, but good enough (to me) with a little butter and honey. (3 points per muffin or 7 points for two muffins. Sometimes it just works out that way).


I also made this chicken chili from Dinner a Love Story. Again, not a hit with the family. I thought it was fine. I'm still looking around for a family friendly chili recipe. (6 points per serving + 2 points for the guacamole).


I'm trying to keep things fresh with my lunches at work, yet still eat very light for lunch. I don't want to always fall back on my favorite lunch and end up getting sick of it. This was a bagel thin with mashed avocado and tomato slices plus sea salt. Fruit and raw veggies on the side plus two of those super tiny oatmeal cookies from Trader Joe's. (6 points for the entire lunch).


For Rainer's birthday dinner he chose steak and pilaf, which I thought was so cute. He's also a huge mushroom fan, so I sauteed some for him. My mom made that amazing salad. It's her "famous" go-to salad. (14 points for the plate, because that pilaf is really buttery. I weighed out my steak at 3 ounces).


Ken and I had a "date night" last night and ate at Chipotle. I got the tacos to save on a few points since the burritos are so super huge. I counted these as 15 and they were super delicious and filling but not overly so like the burritos can be. I did not get any cheese or rice in these, but I did ask for a little sour cream.


Another new lunch. I got the middle eastern flatbreads from Trader Joe's and the white bean hummus. Toast the flatbread lightly (you have to bend it a little bit to fit it into the toaster) and spread with the hummus and add the tomato and cucumber slices right into the sandwich and fold it over. Fruit for dessert. I counted this lunch as 6 points.

I had a lot of treats this week (ice cream cake from Rainer's birthday, and some of the leftover cookies) but not to exceed one per day, and I counted the points. One of the things I really like about Weight Watchers is that you can eat really light and healthy but also add in a treat now and then so as not to feel deprived. It's really working out for me, and now, with nine pounds lost, I'm really feeling thinner and lighter.

ice cream birthday cake

I love the simplicity of this cake. Not a cake really, but delicious ice cream in a cookie crust. Super yum and so easy to make.

I got the original inspiration over at Momfilter (I am loving that site, by the way). I did mine just slightly differently than described. I took a package of "Joe-Joe's" (the Trader Joe's version of Oreos) and smashed two rows of them in the food processor. I combined the finely smashed crumbs with a stick of melted butter and pressed the mixture into a springform pan and baked for 10 mins (350F).

After the crust cooled, Rainer and I spread in softened chocolate ice cream (the really good super-premium stuff from Trader Joe's) and sprinkled over broken Joe-Joe's. I let that set in the freezer for awhile, then we spread over softened vanilla ice cream and put it back in the freezer. That's it! I let it soften a bit before I cut into it, but it was still super hard to cut through that crust, though. But worth it. I loved this cake.


Thanks so much to everyone for weighing in on my birthday post. It sounds like a lot of us are on the same page. I'll be answering your questions about Halloween soon, in a post this weekend. Happy almost-weekend to all!

more thoughts on celebrating birthdays simply and at home

We really enjoyed celebrating Rainer's birthday simply this year. I'm not against children's birthday parties at all--I do think the birthday child should be specially celebrated--but I'm not a big fan of the huge parties that seem so common these days. Nor am I a fan of the piles of presents that come with them.

I have done a lot of children's birthday parties in the past (mostly for Faith and Jacob over the years--some really cute ones--and a small party for Dieter last year), but more and more I am warming up to the idea of not having a birthday party for them, other than the family party of course, and then just doing various seasonal family parties throughout the year to foster a sense of community and fun (without all the birthday party stress and expectations). That sounds just about right to me.


So we kept things simple this year and it was really great. Breakfast, cookie decorating, a swim, and having the grandparents up for dinner. You should have heard the boys shouting for joy when their Gam and Papa arrived! Such a sweet sound.


Thanks so much for all of your sweet birthday wishes for Rainer! In answer to your questions: the morning present he opened was Tegu blocks. They are wooden magnetic blocks. I think magnets are so fun the play with and do you think I could resist magnets encased in beautiful wood? No way. Rainer has been having lots of fun with them so far. They're a success.

Our cookie frosting sets nicely in about an hour and the cookies can be stacked and frozen after that. Best of all, they contain no raw egg, so there are no worries about that. Here's the recipe:

Best Sugar Cookie Icing

1 c. powdered sugar
2 t. milk (I always have to use more than this, maybe like 2 T.)
2 t. light corn syrup
1/4 t. extract (vanilla or almond)
food coloring per your preference

Push the powdered sugar through a sieve to remove lumps. Blend powdered sugar and milk with a whisk, then whisk in corn syrup and extract until smooth and glossy. Divide into ramekins and color as you wish. We apply the colors mostly with a spoon and spread them around with the back of it. Allow cookies to set in a cool place.


Rainer had hoped and dreamed for the "duel action lightsaber" for months and months and was so excited when he got it. I love keeping the gifts simple. He got the Tegu blocks and the lightsaber, a new blank sketchbook, and my parents got him a board game and some clothes. Truly, a boy does not need more than that.


Brotherly love! (Except when they are fighting over the new lightsaber. Dieter can barely keep his hands off it).

How do you handle birthdays at your house?

hello monday!

Hello Monday!
Hello birthday celebrating and feeling light and hopeful.
Hello making the table look pretty and enjoying bright fall colors.


Hello pleasantly warm days.
Hello playing in the park and taking a swim at the pool.
Hello snuggly story times with boys on the comfy couch.
Hello playing with new toys and being super excited.


Hello fall pears.
Hello strawberry guavas from the yard.
Hello apple slices every day for a snack.


Hello browsing the Thanksgiving issues.
Hello coffee at home with frothed milk in a favorite mug.
Hello planning Thanksgiving and looking forward to seeing the teens in a few weeks.


Hello first pumpkin-spice latte of the season.
Hello ordering it with half the syrup to save on calories.
Hello fun quick coffee date with Ken.


Hello parent-teacher conferences (both boys are doing great and their teachers love them).
Hello trying not to eat too many birthday leftovers.
Hello new week. I feel refreshed and ready for you.

Linking up with Lisa on this Monday morning. What are you saying hello to?

scenes from a birthday morning

Rainer is 5 today!! We've been having a fun day, with cookie decorating, present opening, and swimming. We are expecting his Gam and Papa for dinner tonight. Here are some scenes from the morning--


Gifts wrapped and ready . . .


the table set for breakfast . . . (he wanted chocolate croissants for his birthday breakfast--super easy for me. I just buy the frozen ones from Trader Joe's) . . .


opening one gift in the morning . . .


cutting out and baking cookies . . .


and cookie decorating. Both boys loved frosting the cookies and I was so happy for the help. After that it was off to the pool for a swim. It felt like a relaxed summer day.

Off to get ready for dinner now. I am so happy and grateful to have this boy turn five! It's a joyous day.

eating this week

I'm in my seventh week on Weight Watchers now and still enjoying it and being successful. I've lost 6.4 pound so far--which feels like a big accomplishment. I've been carrying this extra weight around for so long and it just was not budging on its own (if anything, it was going up). So, I'm feeling very good about dropping it and moving closer to my goal (I have four more pounds to go).

Here is what I've been eating. This bean bowl (above) was a good solution to a quick Wednesday night meal. Normally Wednesday is our soup night, but I hadn't gone shopping. I soaked beans all day while I was at work and cooked them when I got home. I cooked rice too, and after that, it all comes together pretty quickly. Original idea for bean bowls found here. This time I did 3/4 c. rice, half a cup of beans, a tablespoon of Lemon Goddess, a big handful of lettuce, fresh tomatoes, salsa, a quarter of an avocado, and a dollop of light sour cream. A nice big bowl of deliciousness for only 10 points. (It's even better with brown rice, but I was out).


A little trick I discovered this week: frozen bananas. I had some bananas that were about to get over-ripe, and I didn't want to make banana bread, so I peeled them, broke them in half, and froze them to use later. I discovered that they taste great (kind of like ice cream) straight out of the freezer. The only caveat is that they are quite cold, so you need to hold onto them with a cloth napkin. The advantage to eating them frozen is that it is more treat-like and it takes longer to eat.


I freeze them individually on a little tray, then transfer them to a bag. These are also nice to have on hand for smoothies. As you can see, they don't turn brown in the freezer.


Baked apples. This is not a diet dessert in the least, but it is important to me to be able to cook and bake special treats as part of our family life. It's something that I like to do and I feel it's necessary to figure out a way to fit it into my diet or else my diet won't last. These baked apples are 10 points (not counting the little dollop of ice cream), so I used some of my extra "weekly" points. One of the things I really like about Weight Watchers is that it allows me to have a treat if I want to. And a nice thing about baked apples is that they are gone in one sitting (I halved the recipe) so I don't have to deal with leftovers hanging around. Scroll down for the recipe.


I also made stuffed peppers. I love these. They are so cozy and comforting. They are 9 points per pepper (actually a bit less because all the meat in the recipe doesn't fit into the peppers--I need to buy more peppers next time). I think the 9 points is a fairly good deal because all you need on the side is a salad. Original recipe found here.


I made these chicken legs via DALS. I thought they were tasty and so did Ken, but unfortunately the boys wouldn't touch them, so they are not a repeater. They did make a good diet dinner, though. Chicken legs are only 3 points each--a great deal. And I love that organic ones are readily available at Trader Joe's.

What are you eating this week? I'd love to hear any tips and tricks you have for dieting or healthy eating.

Sugar-Crusted Apples

This is an old recipe from one of my mom's old clippings. I love that it's old fashioned like that and passed from her to me.

I halved this.

6 large cooking apples, preferably Rome Beauties
1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c. orange juice
Whipped cream (optional)

Core and peel apples. Mix next 3 ingredients and cut in butter. Brush apples with egg and roll in mixture (I ended up pressing it on with my hands). Arrange in shallow baking dish and fill cavities with any remaining mixture. Pour orange juice in bottom of dish. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven (350), 1 hour or until apples are just tender. Serve warm with the sauce in baking dish, and with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6.

hello monday! {linking up with lisa}

Hello Monday!
Hello cool nights and hot days
Hello cooler temps than last week (thank goodness)
Hello back to work and early mornings
Hello coffee and podcasts on my commute


Hello trip to the pumpkin patch
Hello hay mazes and sunflower mazes and tasting the first pumpkin pie of the season


Hello picking one pumpkin and listening to a sweet live trio
Hello hay ride and petting animals in the petting zoo


Hello baked apples and counting every point
Hello week with almost all my "extra" points already used up
Hello looking forward to meeting my friend on Thursday for our coffee and weigh-in


Hello playdates and making new friends
Hello changing out the rocks in the tumbler
Hello tree climbing and running in the back yard


Hello playing pretend
Hello celebrating the yellow gnome's birthday



Hello new week. I hope you are a good one!

I am linking up with Lisa today for a Hello Monday post and you can too.
What are you saying hello to this Monday?

for faith

Faith gets homesick for her little brothers sometimes, so this is for you, Faithy. The little boys have been in a dress-up phase lately. They love to get out their blue suitcase of costumes and mix things up a bit. I'm loving it. Dieter was very serious about photographing that outfit in the top photo. After we got the shot of the whole ensemble, he wanted me to get individual shots of the sword, the holster, and the shield. He has decided to go as Obi Wan Kenobi for Halloween. For Rainer we are going to put together a superhero outfit. Fun times.