Celebrating Six Months of Full-Time Domesticity!

If you know me pretty well, you know that I have an odd ability to remember dates, some important and some not.  One date I remember is that six months ago this Saturday I was set free from the clutches of the pit of misery that was the preschool I was working at here.  I’ve been so incredibly grateful to have all this time to do all of the fun things I’ve been doing. (For more details, um, read the blog!)

On a separate note, I will say that living here and shopping at the smallest grocery store I’ve seen since I left Montana has definitely taught me the value of buying and eating in-season produce.  Because that’s pretty much what they carry.  For right now, that means lots and lots of apples and apple products, squash, and pumpkin!  For the first time in my life, I am welcoming fall with open arms!  No trepidation about blizzards that inevitably arrive with fall in the mountain west.

I have to admit I’ve been kind of afraid of squash, so weird and varied.  But this year, Real Simple published a wonderful sort of “Squash 101” article about the different varieties and how to prepare and cook them.  So I timidly bought one butternut squash, one acorn squash( I had at least heard of those varieties) and one spaghetti squash( I went, “What?!” and Caleb said, “Oh yeah.  We used to have those all the time; they’re good”).  

Tonight was my first attempt with squash; I sliced an acorn squash(Wow.  Not that easy) tossed the slices with salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top and roasted them for thirty minutes and you know what?  It was delicious!  I love squash!  On Saturday I’m making a soup with pureed butternut squash and I also have a recipe for spaghetti squash that I’ll be trying soon.  Stay tuned. 

Now here’s a blurb I wanted to post nearly a month ago but we’ve run into some complications with getting our bowls(thanks a lot, Amazon!) so I decided to just post some pictures of some goodies from our shower without the bowls.  Here is a picture of our new dinner plates, salad plates, everyday flatware, steak knives, dessert bowls, wine glasses, napkins, place-mats, and carafe.  Ah, you should see them in person.  Seriously.  Makes you want to come visit, doesn’t it? 

And to top things off, here is another sample of some gifts from the shower that we’ve just really enjoyed having.  Especially the food processor.  I did not grow up with a food processor so I reluctantly agreed when Caleb said we should get one and what do you know?  It is amazing!!!

To bring this post full-circle, I’ve just been feeling very blessed and grateful to have some nice things to use and appreciate and time to enjoy all the little domestic projects and other interests I’ve had the time and energy to pursue in the past six months.  And I’m thankful for the cooler weather.  Lincoln should have made Thanksgiving the last Thursday of September.  By the end of November, half of the country is sitting in an airport waiting on a flight delayed by a snowstorm.  And it is too close to Christmas.  Just my two cents.