Baking

Earlier this week it was a cold day and with driving rain, and I spent much of my drive home from work wracking my brain for ideas because I knew that when I got home there would be a little boy waiting for me - a little boy waiting for some super fun activity. Luckily, just before I pulled into the driveway I got a call from Brigid who suggested we get together to bake cookies. Since I was still idea-free I readily jumped at the idea and invited Brigid and Carragh over. What Brigid didn't know when she suggested the cookie-making endeavour is that I am the world's worst baker. I am a good cook, but I can not bake to save my life.

Anyway, I quickly scanned the pantry and determined we lacked a few essential items for baking -- flour, sugar, baking soda, and butter. I know - these are items most people keep around, but me, not so much. (My last foray into baking resulted in lots of smoke and the smoke alarms going off - who knew that you couldn't substitute wax paper for parchment paper?)

Both Oliver and Carragh loved cookie-making. Carragh loved eating the chocolate chips and helping her mom carefully measure the ingredients and then dump them in to the bowl. Oliver, on the other hand, loved playing in the flour, chocolate chips, cinnamon.....



When Brigid and Carragh left, Oliver was still on the go - rather than take on another baking challenge I decided that the driving rain and 30 degree weather was of no importance - we went outside and "enjoyed" the rest of the evening.

Safe!

Oliver had a little run in with the salt shaker....



After taking Oliver's picture and cleaning up I recalled that there is a superstition about salt. I looked it up and found that after spilling salt one is supposed to throw salt, with the right hand, over the left shoulder so as to keep the devil at bay. Thankfully, after a close reading of the superstition, I believe that we are safe and that despite vacuuming up the salt, rather than throwing it, the devil will stay at bay -- after all - the salt was poured out and smashed into the rug, dumped into (and all over) the wine rack, and licked -- the superstition is clear about "spilling salt." We dodged this one!

Fall

Fall in New England...as this past weekend reminded us it can mean many things. Saturday, for example was in the mid-30s and raining - not a very nice. Sunday, however, was in the mid-60s and sunny and beautiful. We took full advantage of both days.

We have stopped going out to dinner as we have found few (read no) place that welcomes a little monster who, rather than sit nicely at a table, likes to run circles around the place, locate the smallest ickiest pieces of food on the floor and try to eat them, pull table clothes off the table, and generally likes to to create mayhem. This past cold and rainy Saturday we decided to see how a lunch out would be. We went to Oliver's favorite place (via take out) and got him miso soup and spring rolls - he is getting better and better at wielding the chop sticks. If you ask me, I think it went well. If you ask Davis, who was the one sitting next to Oliver and trying to keep him under control - lunch was not as enjoyable. And, if you ask Oliver's monkey - he got a bit more than he bargained for.


On Sunday, the perfect fall day - we headed to Rockport and explored Halibut Point State Park. We had never been there before and we all thoroughly enjoyed exploring the trails.


Oliver also decided that he now loves sunglasses and needed to wear mine for much of our hike.

Visitors

Our guest room got lots of use last week - my mom and my brother.

Uncle Jon came down and stayed with us on his way to Boston for a meeting. While Oliver got lots of story and Uncle Jon time, we think Uncle Jon made out much better than we did - his trip netted him a (work) trip to Cuba (a place both Davis and I have been lusting after forever).

And my mom - well, she saved us. Jessica and her family took a much needed vacation and so we were without Jessica-care last week. Davis and I were trying to figure out days off etc. etc. but my mom stepped in and offered to take a couple days off and come down and stay with us. Oliver was beside himself- he was so happy when his grandmother arrived on Thursday morning that he didn't even notice when I left for work.

Despite trying to make sure everything was under control before my mom arrived, she still managed to find lots of work to do - and managed to find a very willing helper.

Oliver and the purple chalk

Although Oliver has not yet read "Harold and the Purple Crayon," he is following in Harold's footsteps - albeit with chalk. Oliver has been marking up our driveway, house, our neighbor's garden, and everything in between. Not sure what world he is creating, or if he is just adding flair to our world, whichever it is, he is having a wonderful time.