Some New and Some Traditions in October

The blog has been so spotty lately.  I don't have time to post because I am out there enjoying post able events and trips.  Anywhoo, let's get caught up, shall we?

First up, something new!  We stayed in our first AirBnB.  We were trying to camp with Jeremy and Rene' and Larry and Shelly.  We couldn't find a date, then we couldn't get reservations, finally we scrapped the camping and went to the city and stayed in the Big Red House.

Our house was cute and it was cozy because when we arrived our friends had cocktails and seafood risotto waiting for us. The drive was rainy, windy with serious traffic.

Saturday morning the sun came out and we went for breakfast at Belltown Brewery.

We visited the market.

I wanted the pretty peppers but I didn't want to carry them all day.  

We wandered downtown and then took the monorail to Seattle Center.  We had a lovely visit at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. I love that place,  It never gets old.

 The garden has matured since our last visit.

Mr. Chihuly has a trailer collection too.

We had tickets to go to the top of the Space Needle at 4:30.  Perfect time for us and we were excited to see the new glass floor.  Warning: If you sell me a ticket for a 4:30 time slot and then I have to wait in line for 2+ hours, it won't be pretty.  We got a refund and left it for next time.  

On to the Rhein Haus for some bocci ball, the Huskie game on TV, beer and dinner. It turned out to be their Octoberfest that evening.  Oh my!  That was fun.

It was so good to have time with our trailer friends in the city. I love these peeps!

Karen and I have a tradition of making dinner for each other for our birthdays.  We fuss.
It was a special birthday for her this October.

We do a new cocktail, dinner, presents, candles and cake, in other words, we celebrate the birthday girl.

Hubby made us Silver Bells for our cocktail.  We have had them at Oliver's Lounge.  They were created for a hospital Seattle Christmas Gala and have become a tradition for that event.

Hubby and I have a tradition of camping at Silver Lake in the fall. It's just the two of us and we play cards, cook, nap and read and hike and nap and read again.  It's perfect.

This year was really perfect as the sunshine was glorious, and the fall color has been amazing this year.  Since it was October, we couldn't rent a canoe.

Pork loin and twice baked potatoes on the bucket grill for dinner, yum!

Cooking in a Dutch oven is new to us.  I bought a Dutch oven for Hubby at a swap meet this year and he was wanting to try it. He took a class on Dutch Oven cooking at Nile Valley from Scott and Renee, so he had some knowledge.

He decided to try biscuits and gravy.  Full disclosure on biscuits and gravy and Hubby and I... we only allow ourselves to have it once a year.  It's yummy and fattening and we know that. Once I know we are having it I don't want to be disappointed with burnt gravy and gooey biscuits.  Right?

No disappointment here.  Oh my goodness, it was delicious.  We use Jimmy Dean hot sausage and a lot of black pepper.

And since biscuits and gravy weren't enough we also drove to Glacier for Wake'n Bakery coffee and cookies. It took a lot of hiking to justify biscuits and gravy and cookies.

Reading in the sunshine, yes please.

We have a small heater, flannel sheets and wool blankets to keep us warm.  It's fun to camp in the fall and cozy up. There were two other campsites with campers so it's quiet.

Morning coffee is pretty dreamy when you're camping.  Photo credit goes to Hubby.

 Good stuff and a lot of fun.  Now we are home and Annie is winterized and ready to go into the carport for the rainy season.  I am subbing quite a bit and Hubby has a new schedule.
Fall and home feel good.

Autumn Random

Oh Autumn, I love you-

Let's get caught up, shall we? Just because I haven't posted, things and life are all still happening.

Hubby has been busy cleaning up the yard and I've been busy cleaning up the house.  A summer of neglect and a very dusty, dry August left our place in shambles.  That and being gone a lot made for a mess, inside and outside.  

I wanted a new dining table and chairs, sold our other one on FB to a SOTF (sister on the fly) and took down the sconces and sold those to a friend.  I wanted a less cluttered look.

We are making a few changes around the house this fall.  I'm going to declutter, or die trying.

I am having camping withdrawals and it's not pretty.  Hubby and I hope to get to Silver Lake one more time this year. I'm not ready to put Annie away for winter just yet.

Last weekend was a fun and busy time. Our friends, Steve and Sheryl visited from Denver.  Sheryl DH and I met Sheryl V at college our freshman year.  When we get together it's like no time has passed.  We laugh and giggle like we are still living in the dorms.  Brad and Sheryl hosted because we had a family wedding on Saturday. It was a wonderful evening. And on Saturday we had some girl time. We forgot to take any pictures, but trust me, it happened!

On Saturday evening, my nephew Levi married Kat at the Majestic.  We are so happy to add Kat to our family!  She is a keeper.  They had cake and cup cakes so I guess they are really married. The cupcakes were crazy good!

 Obviously, Sam and Max are snarking about their Mom.

Sam and Max spent a lot of time with Levi growing up. They went back and forth between our houses. 

 Great Aunt Kathi and Aurora enjoyed the reception.

 My sister Jodi, the MOG with some of her girls.

My siblings all jumped in to help Bill and Jodi with wedding details.  It was the first big event without our Mom. I am so thankful that we have each other. It's nights like this one that I miss my folks. 

The out laws grabbed my brother for a guys selfie.  My parents loved these guys a lot.

They like to get together once a month without the sisters. We are all getting together tonight, I called a meeting to go over some estate details and Hubby and Jeff jumped in and decided to meet up with Bill.  We'll have dinner together.  Good stuff when a family loves on each other!

Hubby and I both have colds. Hubby has a new work schedule. I'm subbing more in October (hence the colds) than September.  It's always a slow start and then picks up. I've turned over a new leaf and am doing some meal planning. We'll see how long that lasts...

Well, we are caught up on the big events, the short details and the random.  We have a fun adventure planned this weekend.  So, until next time... enjoy fall!

Egg Roll Soup

It was raining on Sunday morning.  When we got home from church I knew I wanted to make some soup.  Hubby and I love soup and I make a batch almost every week in the fall and winter. I discovered Egg Roll Soup last winter and there are many recipes and variations online.  I found a good one and tweaked it just a bit.

When our guys were still at home I bought the frozen egg rolls from Costco.  With three growing boys, I kept a lot of snacks in the house. If I smelled an egg roll cooking in the microwave, I had unreal cravings to have one too.  It was crazy, like an addictivelittlechemical** crazy.  This soup is more delicious and a healthier option than frozen egg rolls.

 Egg Roll Soup

• 1 pound hot(it's more spicy than hot) Jimmy Dean sausage* 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped - other recipes don't include celery but I think it amps it up.
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced - I use the shredded carrots and toss in until it looks like 2 carrots.
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 6-8 cups chicken* or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Toppings: toasted sesame seeds, thinly-sliced green onions, store-bought won ton strips

1. Add ground pork to a stock pot and cook over medium-heat, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the pork is lightly browned.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the olive oil, onions and celery, and stir to combine.  Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots and garlic, and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cabbage, stock, ginger, and cooked pork, and stir to combine.
3. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the carrots and cabbage are nice and tender.  Stir in the sesame oil until combined.  I think the sesame oil makes the soup, so don't skip it.
4. Add your toppings and enjoy! 
5. Substitution notes:  If you prefer ground turkey or chicken, they would work.  The Jimmy Dean Hot sausage does add something to every recipe that I use it.  *If you are vegetarian or vegan use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and use mushrooms instead of sausage.

**So I Married an Axe Murderer movie reference.

And It's September

And it's September and it's half over, just like that. I love September! Especially after a dry, smokey, hot August. Meh. Let's get caught up.

Becky came to town so the Pie Pals got together for pie and laughs.

Jodi hosted and Becky helped with the pie baking which included picking the black berries. I never knew a Southern gal would care so much about harvesting black berries by the side of the road. Now I know. They were delicious berries.

I didn't have my first day of school until the 14th.  Last year as a sub it was the 15th so now I am going to assume the first two weeks of September are a good time to vacation.  Or to clean my house, do yard work, change out our closet for fall, do the big Costco shop or just flake out and then panic when I get busy.

The week after Labor Day is the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally in Lynden.  Since Jeremy and Rene' now run that rally they come on Monday and stay with us.  A good time was had by all.  I couldn't get a picture of all five trailers in our drive way but it did happen and they did fit.

 On Tuesday, Hubby and I set up Annie at the fairgrounds so we could come and go all week.  Our friends all come to town so we had field trips to Edaleen Dairy and Overflow Taphouse and to our house.

There were 213 trailers this year, including a modified vintage horse trailer.

They did beautiful work and I loved it.

I didn't take many photo walks so I don't have too many trailer pics.  I generally ride my bike at this rally. I love this little green trailer from Poland.

Liz brought The Barclay to the rally and she'd gone from beachy to campy theme.  I love that she changed her decor on Wednesday and arrived on Thursday.

The trailer with pink and wallpaper is darling.

Nancy takes her garden with her wherever she goes.

Good times with our tribe!  We always dress up for Open House on Saturday.

My friend Marzi drove from Tennessee this year.  She says she is not doing it next year but I think she'll get lonely for me and change her mind. I bought her a special glass for her Bees' Knees cocktail.

Oh Liz!  I am so happy you could join us this year.  We had too much fun and we won't wait a year to see you again.  Dinner soon?

Steve had fun with his Honda 90 and antlers. We had a Honda 90 growing up and I went right down memory lane thinking of my Dad's Honda at hunting camp.

We enjoyed a luau hosted by Jeremy and Rene'.  It was the largest potluck ever. The photo booth, the music and the fashions were fantastic.

There were a lot of Sisters on the Fly at the rally so we called them over for a group photo.

Of course, we are having more fun than anyone.

After unpacking and cleaning Annie, I got her ready for some fall camping.  Flannel sheets and wool blankets, candy corn in a jar, some pumpkins and I'm ready to go.  Hubby and I like to go to Silver Lake in the fall for some hiking and canoeing and relaxing by the fire.

I am loving the rain, doing some fall deep cleaning and settling in for one of our favorite seasons.

Yay for autumn!