Birthday Girl

Look at this cutie! I wonder what she was wishing...



She's 5 now. And so mature. And sweet and loving...and only ornery when she has to be....

And she says "please" and "thank you" and she scratches my back and helps me in the kitchen. It's no wonder that I love her!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Great Gatsby (Gala)

Last year the theme was Casino Royale and we had a nice time with my sister and her husband sharing a nice meal, a silent auction and gambling (fundraiser). I am not into gambling but I did enjoy the food and the auction and the company.

This year the theme was The Great Gatsby and it was held at a local museum. My sister and her husband were there with us again, and this time my parents were able to make it.

Mes Parents

My sister and her husband

There were complimentary cigarettes...

Wonder what the theme will be next year? 60's? Mad Men? Little Women? 80's? I'm sure it will be lots of fun!

Grace Brings Contentment

It's true!

Orange you glad...

...it's pumpkin season?

I am loving the chevron trend!

Here in the Morgan household we have been adding pumpkin into many things in an effort to up the nutrient density of the meal and also, enjoy more PUMPKIN!

I added pumpkin into a cornbread recipe and served it with some turkey chili that was enhanced with pumpkin. Turkey cooked with lots of garlic, garbanzo beans, roasted tomatoes and pumpkin and cinnamon...Yum!

This cornbread was definitely not dried out...

And it was perfect on top of the turkey pumpkin chili!

And this last dish was full of squash too. Sometimes my family forgets pumpkin is a squash but it counts. I added a can of pumpkin into the Italian sausage and tomato sauce and it was served over roasted spaghetti squash mixed with cottage cheese and nutritional yeast. I added some mozzarella to the top and let it get gooey under the broiler..

It was divine and comforting...

Feeling Campy / Cabin Fever / Breaking Fall (Reader's Choice)

This year we opted not to go to Winfield in favor of a more family-oriented and timelier camp trip. We really missed the bluegrass festival, but we didn't have to take 3 kidlets out of school to go on this camp trip and we also got to stay in a cabin instead of a tent.

That seems to make life so much nicer in the woods, ya know?

We stayed a stone's throw from the river and pond and if we were any good at fishing (or knew what we were doing), we'd have caught that huge trout that seemed to be mocking us (Scott).

"Low Tide"

"Low Tide"

The inlet to the pond from the Illinois River

Can you see him? (He was HUGE)