Ten on Tuesday.

1. I haven't made pumpkin spice anything.

2. The month is slipping away. It felt that summer was blissfully endless, and now that the kids are back in school we are practically in holiday season.

3. But it's still in the 60s and 70s, which makes this tolerable.

4. Our tree is still green, but a month from now we will be planning and shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

5. Despite myself, I see the end of the year coming and I get a little excited by the book lists that are coming.

6. Before the start of the school year the kids and I came up with a breakfast rotation, so that on any given day what we're having has already been decided and we can avoid the "what do you want for breakfast" question and then then Mommy making three different meals. This has been a lifesaver for our mornings. Tuesdays, for example, are steel cut oats days, which I start the night before and just have to heat up in the morning. Everyone puts on their own toppings, everyone is happy. The one problem we have is that Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are all breakfasts that feature eggs of some sort, and I fear we are all tiring of eggs, but I cannot let the breakfast rotation die! So, ideas? Simple, some protein, something that can become a staple in our new awesome breakfast rotation?

7. Halloween costumes are ordered. I miss the days of going to Old Navy and grabbing some cute fluffy costume into which you Velcro your unsuspecting toddler. Much harder when the kids have minds of their own.

8. Circus Mirandus was an excellent read. Highly recommend. Would also make a good read-aloud.

9. Now I'm going to read the five finalist books in the Young People's Literature category for the National Book Award. Alla and I both read Nimona this summer, so I only have four to read, starting with Challenger Deep. I love a list, and I think my daughter does, too, as she asked me if I might make her a reading list for the school year, like her summer reading list.

10. We used our long weekend well, squeezing in a date night (The Martian is awesome, but please read the book first), a visit with Nana and Pappi, movie night at home (we learned that our family is the ideal audience for Space Jam), lots of outside time, quite a few games of Trouble, and a family walk at Tamarack. I mentioned that our own tree is still green, but the entire state of Minnesota is lit up right now and might actually be just slightly past peak color. Here, a glimpse of our nature walk.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Currently reading: Circus Mirandus.

2. In other book news, tomorrow the finalists are announced for the National Book Awards. I don't get too excited about this particular award, but it does give me another list of books.

3. We are I am in a big dinner rut here, as in, I have a binder full of family recipes and I open it and don't want to make any of them. But one day last week I got out of the rut for one night when I did "cheese plate dinner," which could be appetizer dinner or little bit of this and little bit of that dinner. The kids declared it the best dinner ever, which I believe was due to the fact that on their plates was popcorn. And roasted garbanzo beans.

4. Two days ago it was 85. Yesterday 55.

5. This weekend is MEA, which in Minnesota means the entire state has Thursday and Friday off of school!

6. The fall colors are beautiful outside, however I do not appreciate their trying to come inside my house.

7. Fisher has one more soccer game for fall, and it is this Saturday, when we are expected to be in the 30s at game time. Awesome.

8. Fisher is loving getting to school a little early on Tuesdays for Chess Club.

9. Favorite Pandora stations? Fisher and I pretty much agree on Lorde Radio, Ron always picks Hall & Oates Radio, Alla is hardly ever allowed her pick of Katy Perry Radio but she will listen to that while she folds (and beyond). For a run I love Expose Radio.

10. The following things, if we run out of them, constitute a food emergency in our house: apples, eggs, coffee, half and half, coconut oil, cheese, and salsa.

September lake day.

Two weeks ago we had a Sunday that was glorious. Fisher had Chess Club at the library, so we all rode our bikes there. Then, not wanting to spend any time indoors, Alla and I rode off to the lake to put in our toes and soak up some Vitamin D. I am thinking that because we did this, we earned yet another amazing Sunday yesterday - 85 degrees on October 11th. Amazing.

Anyway. Back to two weeks ago.

I often forget about the lake once school starts up and we are feeling a bit of fall, but let this day stand as a reminder that perhaps the best thing to do on a hot September (or October!) day, it to ride to a lake in your flip flops and pretend summer's never going to end. Walk in the water as long as you want, collect snails to put in a sandy shelter, walk out as far as you can without getting your clothes completely soaked, watch yellow leaves fall on the shore. Appreciate. Soak in.

Because like the flip of a switch, those warm hours are gone and the fleece is preferred over the flip-flops.

DHC Customer Spotlight

I've been outed. The new DHC catalog is out and I'm in it! Here's the story.

One day in April I was headed out for a snowy windy run when my cell phone rang and it was DHC on the other end, asking did I want to come out to San Francisco and be their Customer Spotlight for their November catalog. Um, let me think about it. YES!

Obviously LOTS of arrangements had to be made, but my mom and Bob were so amazing and took the kids for three nights so Ron and I could head out and enjoy the sunshine fog.

We were treated to an amazing dinner, I got to meet up with my old friend Vanessa from college days at Cal State Fullerton, and then I spend an entire day in a photo studio being primped and fed. They even made me a latte!

This here is the gorgeous Kala Ketchum, super make up and hair artist.

Ron and I even had a little time in the city, most of which we spend walking. A lot. Spotted this Fisher sign on a car.

Chinatown. You can't go to SF without walking through Chinatown. And getting chopsticks to bring home to your kids. You just can't.

Can you believe Ron spotted this SIX THIRTY-SEVEN sign while traipsing about the city? So he brought me back after my day in the spotlight so I could take a picture.

 

One of the coolest parts was that I was being photographed by a photographer, who also happens to shoot Canon, so whaddya know, he snapped this lovely one of Ron and I on our way out of the studio and into the car that was waiting to take us back to our hotel. It was all glam, I tell you!

Truthfully, when I found out we were going to San Francisco, I realized we were going to get to meet our new nieces, which was in fact the best part. It was short, but look at this face. What an amazing trip.