My monster from his slab began to rise

Happy Halloween!

I do have a real post on apples forthcoming, but it won't be up until next week,

as we'll be visiting Auntie Jessie Uncle Steve for a long weekend. Yippee!

Here comes the sun...

Amelia didn't have to wait too long after her last post. Her water broke at 3:40 pm and our son, Silas, was born at 10:40 pm October 6th. He weighed 8 lbs. The doctors, nurses, and I were all amazed at Amelia's composure and strength. We've got him home now, and he and his mother are both healthy. Thanks to all of you who sent encouragement and congratulations our way.

When autumn leaves start to fall

Well, still no baby, but we've been having some true fall weather this week, so I thought I'd celebrate by sharing a few photos. The dahlias are still going strong and I think some are getting more beautiful as the season wears on (I swear that the dark pink and yellow shown below have gotten deeper and more vibrant since they first started blooming). The wind is taking its toll on the plants, so I'm not sure how much longer they'll last, but it's been a wonderfully long and abundant season.

The cool, wet weather has also inspired me to do some baking. Yesterday, I pureed another pumpkin and made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting and mulled some apple cider. With the cool rain coming down and a warm drink, it almost felt like I was living on the west side (that's how we eastern folk refer to the greener sides of Oregon and Washington, which are west of the Cascade mountain range) again - it was a nice, nostalgic home-y feeling.

Now, if only that baby would come. . .