Soul Carving

     I woke up groggy and droopy eyed, but felt a breeze of excitement flutter across my tired face. Today is our anniversary,  I remembered. Our first date revolved around coupons: a free pass to a fun center and a certificate good for one free ice cream cone which was used to treat the winner of our round of miniature golf (me!) I love that eleven years later, we still take joy in frugal fidelity! We arranged babysitters for the evening and relished a dinner for two at a new restaurant. Well, new to me, anyway. See, Richard had eaten lunch there with several co-workers before. While enjoying the salad he'd ordered however, he was surprised to find something suspiciously chewy; he'd chomped down on a plastic wrapped packet, accidentally left in the lettuce from a salad kit. The management apologized profusely, graciously waived the bill and presented him with a $25 gift certificate for a return visit. So we made good use of the discount ...

    Spent the better part of the day up to my elbows in pumpkins! A few had started to rot, but none of them were beyond reclamation. After cleaning, slicing, scooping, and baking, scraping and mashing, I have probably 20 cups of pumpkin puree ready to freeze! I also searched online for other ways to serve this abundant squash. For dinner we enjoyed roasted autumn vegetables with chicken. Not every member of my family was a fan, but I loved it! Give it a try and tell me what you think.    Here's the general idea:    Spread a tad of olive oil in the bottom of a casserole pan and place chicken breasts in it. Sprinkle each piece with salt, dried rosemary and dried parsley. Put in the oven at 350.    Chop red potatoes into small cubes. Cube fresh pumpkin, likewise. (Just chop however much you think you need!) Quarter a red onion. Combine in a bowl and drizzle with the following mixture: 1/4 c. Olive oil 1/4 c. Lemon juice 2 tablespoon...

     Ever since Richard and I got married, we've talked about getting a piano. I took lessons as a young girl. Richard has a gift for anything musical. He taught himself to play the guitar and can imitate just about any song he hears. I tell him listening to the car radio is so much better when he's there with me - his harmonizing adds flavor to every song. So much so that when I hear the song later without him, it seems suddenly bland. (That's Richard for you - adding harmony and zest to everything in my life!)       But for all our talk, 10 years later we had yet to purchase a piano. "How can we afford it?" "Where would we put it?!" These were always the concerns that cropped up whenever the dream was discussed. For about a year we rented the upstairs of a house that was furnished with an old upright. What sweet memories we made with that. Richard was called to be a choir director for our church and eve...

      Prepared dinner early in the day: Shepherd's pie with a mashed potato and butternut squash topping. I couldn't get enough of the butternut's vibrant, orange color. I'm not a big squash eater, but peeling and chopping this just made me happy!       A new month means a new memory verse. Each morning we try to recite the month's verse of scripture together so that we can memorize it. Quite a fitting message for November, don't you think?      We also got to go to the library. One of our favorite things to do! It was a pretty relaxing trip. I didn't have to change any messy diapers or stifle any tantrums this time.                                 Even squeezed in some time to practice piano. Ahh, my. Nothing compares to the warmth and satisfaction that fills my heart when I hear that belo...