Celebrations: Halloween fun!

I got out the sewing machine this year, since Annabelle wanted a "red princess dress" and I wasn't impressed with the overpriced, cheaply-made disney knock-offs in the stores. (Of course I later found a quite nice, affordable dress at Target that would have been perfect.) This dress photographed beautifully, but honestly, it is cobbled together in a most amateur fashion. I can sew, and I actually enjoy it. But I am not truly good at it.

Because his sister decided on "princess," (and because he's too little to object!), Nikolas got to be a frog this year. I found this adorable, warm costume at my favorite kids consignment shop. I swear, they had a more charming selection (and much better prices!) than firsthand retailers!

Food: Butternut Bisque

The perfect fall meal: Butternut Bisque, Gouda, fresh apples and crusty bread. This soup is simple and affordable, and tastes like it came from a high-end restaurant.

Butternut Bisque

1 Butternut squash (3-4 pounds), seeded, peeled and chopped
1/4 C Butter
1 White onion, chopped
1 Large carrot, chopped
1 Stalk celery, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 TSP Nutmeg
1/2 TSP Ginger

2 Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped
48-oz Chicken broth
1 C Apple cider
1-2 Fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 C Sour cream

Melt butter in a dutch oven, add first set of ingredients. Cook for about 15 minutes, until your vegetables start to soften. Add remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and use an immersion blender (or food processor) to puree the soup into a smooth bisque. (This is soooo easy with an immersion blender. Go out and buy one JUST to make this soup. I promise it is worth it!)

Heat the soup thoroughly once again, garnish, and serve. Recommended garnish: Crumbly bacon, shredded Gouda or Swiss, a swirl of heavy cream.

Gift: Scrapbook baskets

My favorite little girls are turning 5 (already!!)! This year, I couldn't resist these apple-baskets at a thrift store for just $2.50. Sure enough, Target had all these cute fall-themed scrapbooking supplies in their dollar bins.

I tucked in some 5x7, 8-page scrapbooks too... keeping the "scrapbook" small seemed age-appropriate and not too overwhelming.

I know my 4-year-old loves cutting, pasting, gluing, stamping... so I'm pretty sure the girls will have fun with these supplies. (Their moms are creative and artistic, too!) Annabelle started a scrapbook of her own this year. She loves looking through the computer with me to choose photos to include, then working on a page at a time. I try to stay hands-off and let her do things her way. The results are absolutely darling. It's a glimpse into her world: who she loves, what is important, and her own creative personality.

Food: Harvest Salad

Every salad tastes even better with some fruit, especially this time of year. There’s nothing fancy about this recipe, but when I brought it to my friend’s potluck last Friday, her husband (an excellent cook) complimented it… so I decided it might just be blog-worthy. It's got all my favorite food adjectives: crunchy, sweet, tart, biting...

2 small apples, coarsely chopped
Handful red table grapes, halved
Handful radishes, thinly sliced
4 pieces celery, thinly sliced
Honey roasted walnuts (near salad fixin's in finer stores)
Large bag mixed greens
Balsamic vinaigrette

I cheated and used Kraft Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette (really quite good!). Here’s an easy dressing recipe that would be even nicer:

1 cup olive oil

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced superfine

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

Dash fresh black pepper

Put all ingredients into a bowl and whisk.

Celebrations: Kid-friendly fall festival

I put this event together last year with the help of my friend Tammy, since we wanted the celebration to be big, big, big! The party was actually a very non-traditional "baby shower" for a friend who adopted her 3-year-old foster daughter. Loads of family and friends came to wish them well - - and put together a stunning cash gift built entirely of small, voluntary contributions. (Presents weren't as practical, and this single mom needed a rainy day fund!)

Tammy and I arranged the following kid activities:

• Bounce house (donated by another friend)
• Hay rides
• Pumpkin decorating
• Apple bob
• Face painting
• Balloons
• All the games had prizes, and each child took home a small goody bag.

The food was potluck, and ended up being an incredible spread. We're lucky to have so many "foodies" as friends, and everyone was beyond generous in bringing wonderful treats to share. Friends also helped us put together a small raffle, which added an extra touch of excitement to the party.

We dropped the tailgate on our old, red truck and turned it into a bar (the "booze wagon").

Our friend's mother popped acres and acres of popcorn, which we served to the kids out of our classic Radio Flyer wagon. All the great photos were taken by a talented friend, and each of the family members present took home a scrapbook to fill with wonderful memories of the party.

Some practical considerations for a party like this:

• With almost two acres, we had plenty of room to spread out and to park cars.
• We didn't get port-a-potties, but relied on the two bathrooms in our house.
• The weather cooperated perfectly, but we were prepared to move things indoors.
• Hay bales made easy, extra seating.
• Invitations were sent far in advance, allowing the maximum number of friends and family to attend.