Quick Takes Friday

Joining Jen at Conversion Diary for the 100th edition of Quick Takes Friday!

~ 1 ~
One of my favorite things about having Bill at home these days is that he really likes to cook. He doesn't really admit it--he likes to keep his options open, you know--but his actions speak plenty. He's always taking over the kitchen and making good stuff for us to eat. Lately he's been getting up and making extravagant breakfasts for the kids--huevos rancheros with bacon, sausage biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs--yum! We've even been a bit late getting to school on a couple of days, because these breakfasts do NOT fit smoothly into our morning routine--but you know what? I don't really care. I think it's worth it.

~ 2 ~
I got a new camera!! Finally--a fancy one--Canon digital SLR with a zoom lens for action shots of all the kids' sports. This blog will never be the same.

~ 3 ~
One night last week I got to go out (by myself!) to a class at our botanical gardens about how to properly prepare my perennials for winter. It was so cool. At this house, we have many more perennial gardens than we've had before; add that to being a non-native of Zone 4, and I'm pretty clueless. I loved the class, took pages of notes, and mostly just loved hanging out in the beautiful gardens that inspire me to make mine even prettier. Gardening is one of those things that I would really love to do, but which might not ever make it high enough up on my to-do list in this lifetime. At least, I like the idea of gardening--the reality is probably more muddy, buggy, and hot than I'm prepared to deal with.

~ 4 ~
Caution...TMI ahead...Since I turned 44 about a month ago, I have been having what I'm pretty sure are real-live hot flashes. No kidding. It's kinda weird, but no big deal. I guess this means I'm actually now a grownup? And maybe it's too late to learn NFP after all?

~ 5 ~
Sure, I miss Texas. But not this week. We've had an Indian Summer week--sparkling blue skies, brilliant yellow leaves spraying the street as I drive the kids to school, popping orange maple trees making my heart sing, geese flying here and there, daily high temps in the 70's. Every single day has been so breathtakingly beautiful, I just wish I could bottle it up against the looming specter of winter. Fall goes way too quickly.

~ 6 ~
My new favorite breakfast for busy mornings: Crock Pot Omelette Casserole. Eggs in the crock pot! It really works! This recipe makes quite a large volume--about twice what we need for our party of seven hearty breakfast eaters.

~ 7 ~
We're going camping! Everyone is so excited around here, it's out of control. Me too--I can't wait! Look for boatloads of pictures, coming soon!