Quirky Thursday: Brushing Teeth

Because I enjoy reading people's "101 Things About Me", but know that I lack the discipline to follow through in compiling 101 things in one post, Quirky Thursday was born.

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This week's quirky Thursday is all about how much I dislike watching other people brush their teeth. I'm not quite sure how to explain why. It might be that I don't like spit. Mine or anyone else's. All I know is that as far back as I can remember, it's made me gag to watch other people slowly foam at the mouth, and even worse, hear gobs of it spatter into the sink. I actually think I need to take a break from writing about it...

Most of my high school friends know not to brush their teeth and talk to me. I even make myself gag when I'm brushing my own teeth if any foam gets on the outside of my mouth. And I never spit toothpaste out before putting a handful of water in to rinse. I'm usually not in the bathroom at the same time Ryan is brushing his teeth. And I've tried, maybe only a handful of times, to brush the girls' teeth. But they're the worst, because they just swallow their foam. {dry heave.} That's become Ryan's duty when possible.

And that concludes another random quirk about myself. So now you know not to try to have a heart-to-heart with me at the bathroom sink. It will have to wait until after personal hygiene activities are over.

October 2010.

We went to our first real pumpkin patch this year. Alexia's first October we went to a small local nursery and took pictures.

I was just happy to not be pregnant anymore.

And last year was a complete failure. I convinced Ryan to drive out to a pumpkin farm on the eastern shore on a really rainy day, about an hour's drive mind you, all to find out once we got there that they were closed due to the rain. Lesson learned. Call ahead. 2009 would be pumpkins from Safeway. 

Eagerly anticipating Fall, we kicked off our October going to a fall fest pumpkin patch at Homestead Gardens. Besides the un-fallish warm weather, it was a great time.

They had all types of pumpkins, although I was hoping for the girls to actually get to see pumpkins still on the vine. Oh well. But Alexia got to feed animals for 25 cents (came out of a candy machine, cute idea). 

We came home with a big pumpkin for carving and a baby pumpkin (I learned is called a pie pumpkin because they are sweeter and used for baking.) 

And the winner is......this pumpkin!

October is one of my favorite months! Bring on the pumpkin bread, chilly and humid-free weather, and brightly colored trees. This is the beginning of entering into the holiday season! 

I was ecstatic to get our fall decor out of the storage closet. There was no way I was putting that in storage. I also pulled out our boots and sweaters, and switched out the girls' spring/summer clothes. One of my favorite organizing activities. 

Last year is the first real fall decor shopping I had ever done. And I deemed it necessary to win back the fall spirit that had been stolen from two straight years of nausea. Here's last year's fall preparation.

It is so fun to pull out seasonal decor as tradition. It's one of the things that make me feel like being a mom. Since growing up there really wasn't a woman's touch in our home when it came to decor. (My dad was an amazing single dad. I can't even begin to tell you how he did it.) 

Here's some of our festive goodies around our home this year. 

Last year's purchases, twig pumpkins:

Leaf dish w/ mini pumpkins (Alexia picked the pumpkins out at Trader Joe's):

Table runner and berry twigs made a comeback. This year I put the twigs in a brown pitcher I had, since last year's acorn vase was a bust. It was so fun to pick acorns with Alexia, but little tiny white worms ended up crawling around in the vase. And if there's anything that can make me puke on demand, it's maggots or anything that resemble them. And the other wild foliage I used ended up being such a mess. Was so cute in the Pottery Barn magazine, and even in my home for the first week. I'll stick to the unnatural this year though.  

And this year I splurged and bought this wall decor for $7 at Target:

With this trip to Target I also bought my very own pumpkin shaped peppermint patties. They have been a fun treat for myself with my coffee during the girls' afternoon nap. I also picked up Reeses peanut butter cups just for fun. For Halloween of course. 'Tis the season to start eating comforting goodies. 

I put a few ghords on a cake stand on our bookshelf:

And Ryan's mom gives me mums every fall. So Ryan planted those for me, since he's got the green thumb, and I have been very unfaithful to water them. But here they are in their dehydrated glory, with our pumpkins, on our patio. 

Alexia and I finally baked our first batch of pumpkin bread this year. Stealing an idea from another blog I follow, we made mini-loaves to deliver to our new-ish neighbors. 

My hope is that it will create a sense of community amidst our apartment living friends. I've realized how much people protect their privacy in apartments. Which is one of the things I am craving right now too. 

But the reality of the lack of relationship was made apparent to me when a knock came at my door the first month we were here. It was our neighbor that lives diagonally from us (there's four apartments to each floor) and her father who was visiting, and they were looking for a tool to borrow. They introduced themselves and the father explained that he had asked his daughter if she could simply "ask one of her neighbors" for the tool, and she said she didn't know any of her neighbors. 

This was wild to me, coming from a neighborhood where we were able to experience such a community in our last house with the families on our street. Ryan pioneered that one, because my natural bent is to want to stick to myself. But Ryan pushed me out of my comfort zone enough times that I was able to experience a relationship with our former neighbors where eggs and sugar were borrowed a lot from one another. 

All that to say, it's been my desire to get to know my neighbors. At least to where I know their first names and maybe get to the level where I feel comfortable asking to borrow an egg. Maybe it won't happen. Maybe I'll come across as a really needy and intrusive neighbor. Even if they don't enjoy me stalking them at their doors, I know they will enjoy the pumpkin bread!

Wish you all a Happy Fall!

September Shots.

Here are some of our September faves.

Have I mentioned that the condo we're renting right now is handicapped accessible? So with that, comes a really open layout of the apartment (which makes it feel really big!), wider hallways, doors, and groundfloor access. We're really content in our home. But we also don't have a bathtub, so the girls have their evening "shower" instead. Thankfully, the shower nozzle detaches and the girls can have an automatic sprinkler at their hands. I've been meaning to post photos of our humble abode, so those are to come too.

So a few things about shower time.

One. Ryan has always joyfully taken this duty. I can't begin to explain how much I appreciate this fifteen minutes of service. To our girls and to me. I know for sure at the end of the day, I could not make the girls laugh as hard and as often as he does during bath time. So many squeels, splashing and a few "Alexia, not in her face sweetie"s are heard. I usually take this "alone" time to clean up the dishes from dinner, when I'm feeling really motivated. Other times, I check my favorite blogs.

Two. Alexia hates water being poured over her head. Ryan has convinced her a few times that pouring water over her head herself is really cool. But most of the time, it's the one downside of taking a bath.

Naiya? Completely different story. Doesn't mind a bit. Why not read a book while water is rushing down your face?

Occasionally, she'll get this bright eyed look when the water takes her by surprise. But no tears. And no fear of more water to come.

And since many of you have asked for photos of my washer/dryer, here they are. Just kidding. No one has asked. But I was doing laundry, and went to put the clean clothes in our bedroom, heard some giggling and came back to this:

My guess is that was Naiya's idea. Since she's the queen of climbing onto and into things. 

September was also the month Naiya decided to start taking her first steps. Maybe four at the most. Alexia started walking at around 14 months, but Naiya took her sweet old time and waited until 16 months. Ryan was convinced Naiya would be an early walker, because she has such a go-getter spirit. But the girl has got a mean speed crawl, and I think that was most efficient for her. 

Cruisin' the coffee table:

Still cruisin':

There she goes!

And....we're done.

Happy girl. "Side" and "Bubbles" are a fave for this girl. I swear she dreams about being outside and blowing bubbles, because it's the first thing she says when she wakes up. 

Not so happy about the photo shoot with her feet in the grass. Although, I will say that this girl rarely cries. Usually only when she gets hurt (it takes a lot) or it's waaaaaaay past her bedtime. But mostly, she has short outbursts of frustration, instead of crying. World of a difference with our older, more sensitive daughter. 

Her preference of transportation.

Inquisitive little one too.

And she never. Ever.

Keeps.

Her.

Bow in.

For Alexia's letter of the week, "D", we finally made homemade glazed donuts. Which I just realized, why is donuts sometimes spelled doughnuts? Random. Anyway. We made the dough in the afternoon. And then I fried them the next morning. And got to use my new, handy-dandy candy thermometer. I was quite surprised they turned out. I was fully preparing myself mentally and emotionally for them to be a (as Ryan would call it) boondoggle. I was nervous about the whole rising process. But they came out beautifully airy and warm and glazed and yummy! Although I did catch my husband whispering to his sister something along the lines of not comparing to The Amish Market's glazed donuts. But I don't take it personally, considering most of the amish bakers have probably been making them since before they were potty trained. Just sayin'. Have I mentioned my husband has a donut fettish? He denies it every time I call attention to it. But I'm pretty sure he's on a first name basis with the Amish Market donut guy.

Here are the lovely golden goodies:

Some rainy day September fun, sparked the idea to make a tradition of letting the girls get sopping wet on a rainy day, and then warming up with a cup of homemade cocoa. The thought just breeds warmth, home and nostalgia in my heart. 

The Apple Pie Tree.

A random find at the library, this book has been a favorite at our house. Long after we had to return the book, Alexia asked for this book to be read before bed.


"The Apple Pie Tree" by Zoe Hall is about a little girl and an apple tree at her home. It desribes how the tree changes throughout the seasons, and how in the fall (yay!), the apples are harvested and the family makes apple pie. Could it get any better than this? Genius idea, combining farming and cooking, my current favorite things to teach Alexia. I'm just not sure why there haven't been similar books like "The Pumpkin Vine Bread".

But with this book, and Fall now here (although the sunny mid-70's weather isn't making it feel very fall-ish), and a couple posts like this and this, I was inspired to create a Fall tradition of our own apple pie tree story.

I came across a fabulous website for you-pick farms.

On a weekend where we lost our husbands to golf, my friend Anne Marie and her little boy, Michael, hopped in the van and were off to the apple orchard.

Michael even got in on the apple picking:

There's the now one-year old and his mama:

And here's our clan:

The asian pears were my favorite. And not just because I'm asian. 

Funny story from that day. Funny, laugh-at-calamity kind of funny. I have a slight problem with that. I can't help it. I usually feel guilty about it after though. But here's what happened...

On our way to the asian pear trees, we had to walk across a path of mud. We were warned ahead of time to wear boots, because of the mud from all the rain the day before. But even the boots didn't prevent Anne Marie and I, and our front-packed babies from sinking ankle-deep into the mud path. Alexia had not yet walked across, so Anne Marie and I were scoping out firm ground, and Alexia surprisingly took the plunge and courageously started walking across by herself! This is very out of character for her, I for sure thought she would wait for my hand and supervision. So I was really proud of her for taking the initiative. But she only got to her second step, when her foot got stuck and she fell face first into the mud. I hurried to get her, knowing she would be scared and embarrassed (as would I), and pulled her up and stood her on the other side of the muddy path. I admit I did have a blog moment and snapped a quick picture, and I also admit I couldn't help but laugh. Like the silent, open-mouthed laugh. All the while, she was still crying. I feel horrible as I write this. Poor thing. Breaks my heart.

But it is a little funny now. Hopefully she'll think so, too. 

The amazing thing about the farms in this area is that they were waterfront property. It seems like the two are exclusive of one another in my mind. I guess I just think farms=midwest=landlocked. But it was like the best of both worlds. The only thing that would solidify my moving there would be a Target within 10 miles. And maybe friends or family next door. 

Here's the wagon crew:

Done with pictures:

Little arm action with Michael:

Our hand-picked goodness:

Anne Marie went all-out and completed the day's fall festivities with a homemade apple crisp. So yummy!

And we concluded ours a couple days later with a homemade apple pie. 

It was my first time to make a lattice crust, inspired by Mel's.

We didn't use the recipe provided in the back of "The Apple Pie Tree" book. Instead I used my own version of Barefoot Contessa's. (Orange font below are my changes to the recipe).

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Deep Dish Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored (I used about 6 apples, because that's what I had) 
• 1 lemon, zested  didn't use, it comes out too lemony
• 1 orange, zested didn't use, don't like orange in my apple pie
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I juiced half of a lemon)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice nope, not doing it
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.

Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1-inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.

Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.

Perfect Pie Crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor (this has come to be one of my favorite wedding registry items, once I learned how versatile it can be from Barefoot Contessa - for biscuits, pot pie crusts, shortbread cookie dough, just to name a few) fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Yield: 2 (10-inch) crusts

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Enjoy with vanilla ice cream and family!