Chapel Hill, NC - visit with Natalie!

Stella had the chance to tag along with her daddy while he headed to Charolette NC for one of his classic car auctions - and stay the week in Chapel Hill NC with her friend Natalie.  Justin stayed two nights and we had a great time with Sarah & Z and then Stella and I stayed through the rest of the week.  Natalie & Stella are so cute together - they had alot of fun jumping up and down on the couch like it was a trampoline (screaming at each other in delight just like they did when in Las Vegas).  Stella also adored Daffeny & Clementine (the family pooches).  Thank you you guys for welcoming us into your home....and for such a long time!  It was wonderful, relaxing and FUN!  And a Special Thank You to Sarah for driving Stella & I all the way to Charolette down the most random roads - that was really really nice of you Sarah and it was really appreciated.  Hopefully we can do this again in April when Justin has his spring auction down there.

BONUS #1:  We had a bonus during this stay in NC - Stella and I invited cousin Jodi, recently transplanted from Denver to Wilmington NC, to Chapel Hill where we spent the day catching up at the house and then went off play at the pumpkin patch.  Jodi and I, thanks to Sarah & Z (they watched Stella for the evening), went and had dinner in Chapel Hill at a brewery where the Octoberfest Brew was pretty darn good....and then we headed over to a charming Italian restaurant for both of ours favorite dessert - Creme Brulée!  Cousin Jodi - it was SOOOO good to see you!  I really wish we could spend more time together....and i'm thinking just maybe it will be easier to do now that you are living closer to us!  Looking so forward to seeing you guys at Christmas this year!

BONUS #2:  We were able to see our good family friend of the Clark's, Mary Pat!  Although a short visit with her...it was sweet :)




Video of our drive through the tunnel.  Stella loved driving through the mountains like this.







Fall Color was peaking during our drive out there - West Virginia Scenic Pit Stop

Natalie & Stella in their matching pumpkin bibs.  They also enjoyed pumpkin pancakes during their visit.  Lately i've been on a baking and cooking kick (isn't Justin happy about that!) and i prepared all the dried ingredients and bagged it for both the pumpkin pancakes and my apple crisp - add some milk, maybe butter and wahlah - i felt like i contributed to our stay....at least a little bit!

The dinners that Sarah & Z made were so yummy.  And our girls night out for Indian was deeelish!  I can't believe i didn't get a pic of us Sarah - duh!

Natalie's Daddy, Z, comes home and hands her yummy hazlenut chocolates i gave him.  This girl knows a good thing when she see it!

Story Time

Elmo Time

Helping Stella pick up her mess. Stella is notorious for throwing her snacks up in the air - if there is not a lid on them.  But she eventually picks up her mess...with some mandating ;)

Loving on Daffeny

Coloring with Cousin Jodi

MaryPat visits

The pumkpin patch and fun fall activities galore outing

Jodi making goofy faces at Stella!

 Stella really liked the hay ride....just not taking this photo!

Look you guys - Horses!

Aside for Stella transforming herself into HOUDINI and learning how to escape out of her pack-n-play, it was a Great Trip & we look forward to hopefully doing it again in April!  Oh and bonus, their new baby girl will be 3 months old by then - yay!

SIDE NOTE:  Ever since we got back home Stella has been sleeping like a gem.  NOT escaping her crib (thank god - i really thought that was the road we were going to be traveling down) - i think she realizes the crib is much higher than the floor level travel crib.  She also has started her "fall hours" and goes to bed, happily (yay!) at 9:30 and wakes up around 9.  It's been nice.

Meeting Caleb!

My dear friend Katherine, and her baby boy, Caleb, came over for a visit back in Sept.  It was sooooo nice to meet the little copperhead ;)  - he is so adorable... and BIG!  Of course i couldn't help but noticed because naturally i was comparing him to what Stella was like when she was a baby...i think the two almost weigh the same right now (she's 2 and he's 4 MONTHS, ha!).

Katherine - it was so nice to meet your friend too.  She was such a sweetheart.  Please bring her over again when you stop by for another visit!  And Stella LOVES babies and adores Caleb - so let's make plans for a playdate soon!

Fun With Aunt Amy, Uncle Todd & Poochies

Stella spend a few hours in the afternoon and back again for the evening at Aunt Amy & Uncle Todd's and HAD A BLAST! As Amy put it... "Just playing a little poker with the dogs."  And I only wish that we could have snapped the pic of her in Amy's Detroit Tigers Jersey (down to the floor on Stella) and her baseball cap.  When we arrived there to pick her up she SCREAMED in delight -- not so much because we were back again but more so because she was having so much fun and was so excited to show us how much fun she had been having with her aunt & uncle and the doggies.

Thanks again guys - we were in a pinch and you saved us!

She's All Smiles When...

when we approach the toll booths and she sees all the bright red and green lights

road trip nap

Chalel Hill NC Here We Come!

so somebody's chill during the first leg of our trip....and a little Flock Of Seagulls too with that hair (its her hair tie falling over her forehead)

The Playdate Playhouse: Pumpkin Painting

Stella hosted a really cute and fun pumpkin painting playdate at The Playdate Playhouse on Monday Oct. 3rd.  There were 5 moms, 6 toddlers and one baby here and it was a really really REALLY beautiful fall day which was such a bonus.  Stella and her friends had so much fun at The Playdate Playhouse! 

This was a morning playdate starting at 10:30am so I served Pumpkin Spiced Lattes topped with Homemade Whipped Cream & Glazed Apple Cookies.  The kiddies of course always show up with their own beverage of choice in their cute little sippy cups.

I have been asked to give these recipes so here they are - ENJOY!

P.S.  That day I forgot a crucial step in the lattes - I forgot to make the coffee that it calls for DOUBLE STRENGTH like it notes - I thought they were on the weak side.  I realized this mistake today when I corrected it with my leftover lattes this morning - THEY ARE PERFECT NOW, SO YUMMY!  So if you are a fan of pumpkin spiced lattes at the coffee house and you had one of mine yesterday...and you thought it may have been on the weak side then PLEASE try this the right way with the double strength coffee - you may just find yourself with extra mula in your pocket rather than handing it over to the local Starbucks - because it is deeeelish!  


JEN'S PUMPKIN SPICED LATTES:   No Frappe Machine Needed!  Not Time Consuming!

Serves 3 (simply double, triple, etc. the recipe as needed)

INGREDIENTS:

Lattes & Whipped Cream:
2 1/2 Cups Hot Whole Milk (not boiled just HOT is fine)
4 Teaspoons White Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
6 ounces DOUBLE-STRENGTH brewed coffee (I used de-caf because i don't drink regular)

1/2 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1-2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Pinches Pumpkin Pie Spice for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Lattes:
Combine the hot milk, sugar vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice in a blender, blend until frothy.  If you have a blender like mine, you can actually choose the "froth" setting which is better.

NOTE:  If you are making just a single serving of this, instead of getting your blender out for this you can use a battery operated hand held frother like this one that i have The Bonjour Turbo Latte Frother

Pour 3 oz. coffee into each mug, then pour the spiced hot milk mixture to almost the top.  Garnish each mug with your homemade whipped cream and a good sprinkling of the pumpkin pie spice.

Whipped Cream:
Pour the 1/2 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream into a mixing bowl and I used 2 TBSP of White Sugar.


NOTE:  But you can start off with just 1 TBSP sugar, whip, then taste and add more sugar to your heart's content. 
Beat on Medium Speed for several minutes....as long as it takes to see it turn into a whipped cream.  Store in fridge until you are ready to use. 

ENJOY! 

JEN'S GLAZED APPLE COOKIES:

INGREDIENTS:


Apple Cookies & Glaze 1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/3 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon All Spice
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Large Granny Smith Apple (peeled, cored & finely diced)
1/4 Cup Milk

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 Tablespoons Half-and-Half Cream

DIRECTIONS:


Apple Cookies:
Beat butter & brown sugar together until light & fluffy (this takes several minutes to achieve).  Beat in the egg and blend thoroughly.

Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice & nutmeg.

Stir half the dry ingredients into creamed mixture.  Stir in the finely diced apple, then stir in remaining half of dry ingredients & milk.  Mix well.

Drop from Tablespoon and make them 1 1/2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet (I greased with stick of butter lightly - i do not like Crisco for greasing).

Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Remove cookies to racks and while still warm, spread with glaze.  This part is not necessary, just yummy, but you can spread your glaze on a cooled cookie as well.

Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and enough cream to make your glaze of spreading consistency (can be as thin or thick as you prefer, thicker is easier to work with...).  Beat until smooth.  Spread on warm or cool cookies.

NOTE:  These are really good the next day and so on if you pop them in the microwave and eat slightly warm.

ENJOY!


AND NOW FOR SOME PICS OF THE PUMPKIN PAINTING PLAYDATE!

 Katy, Lydia's mom....first to try out my pumpkin lattes

 Lydia

 Stella wanted to get the show on the road with the pumpkin painting!


THE PAINTING SERIES:

 each pumpkin had this tag on it and inside the little white balloon that you see Stella holding was their name

 Sienna's Mom, Brittany helps her get her painting apron of of the laundry line

 Sienna's baby sister Cora was so good during the 4-hour playdate!

 Davis, Sienna, Katy & Cayla

 The beautifully painted works of art!

 Somebody is proud!

 Stella was all about this play armor that we have in our outdoor toy chest

 The moms relax

 Lunch after all her guests left - she was getting very tired

 Stella's Pumpkin

Somone is tuckered out from all the fun!

Senior Day at the Zoo!

We had a great time with G. Aunt Deb & G.G. Shorty at The Toledo Zoo on Senior Day a few weeks ago.  It's amazing we made it out of that place alive - huh Deb ;) 

"Groucho Stella"

Stella would like to play homage to the late and great Groucho Marx whose birthday was today Oct. 2.  And it is he who has one of the best one-liners ever and in which i am going to adopt when leaving a friend's dinner party some day....

"I have had a wonderful evening....and it wasn't this."  hahahaha the thought of me saying this as i hug someone goodnight after leaving their lovely dinner party is just CRACKING ME UP!    just picture it.