Happy Thanksgiving

We have been enjoying beautiful weather. This week has been filled with arts & crafts, making pies, having the workers here, getting ready for Thanksgiving, & playing with our boys. They are so much fun!! We are really going to miss being with Russell's family this year. We are so sad to not be with them this weekend.

Apple Ginger Pie
Benjamin's art work - a penguin!
Benjamin painting his "dog house'
A grin from Trevin. He giggled on 11/24 - my first time to hear it!

Fun times in Dallas

We had family pictures taken at a fabulous hotel in Dallas last weekend. Thanks, Shanda, for the great pictures! The train lovers in our family were in awe over the miniature trains & displays. We had a great time.

2 months already??

Some days seem long but other days fly by. We're trying to get Trevin's tummy troubles resolved - it appears to be an ongoing process. Maybe someday??!! At any rate, we're glad he's growing & thriving. Look at these stats:

Weight: 13 lbs, 12 oz (75-90th percentile)
Length: 24 3/4 inches long (95th percentile)

goodbye 0-3 month clothes!! We enjoyed you for such a short time.
hello 6 month clothes!! We'll need you sooner than we realized!

His little smiles & coos are as sweet as sugar. He is smiling at big brother in this picture.

Oh, cousins Mallory & Liam, we love these zip up pjs on our little Texan!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Polenta with Fried Sage

A wonderful side dish for this fall

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet with parchment paper.
Toss together 1 lb butternut squash (peeled, seeded, & cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
and 2 tbsp olive oil in bowl. Spread on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile soak 1 cup polenta in 1 1/2 cups of cold water in a bowl for 10 minutes.
Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil over high heat.
Stir in polenta and remaining water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil.
Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low & simmer, stirring occasionally about 15 min until thickened. Stir squash into polenta and cook until heated through. Spoon into hot bowl to serve.

To fry sage: Melt 2 tbsp butter (I used 1 tbsp) in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook until it sizzles and browns lightly. Add 12 fresh sage leaves and saute until crisp. Scatter over polenta. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese & serve!

side note: I purchased soft polenta in a tube and thus omitting the soaking in 1 1/2 cups of cold water. I added the polenta directly to the boiling chicken broth and it worked fine.
Enjoy! We all loved it.

Smile!

This picture makes my heart so happy.

Rounded Corners

This was fun! Thanks Alison for the great idea. I'd do more, but my free time is quite limited right now.