Teatopia

Fall festivals, cane walking, my totally awesome pumpkin log, and the cutest diaper ever!!!

I have some catching up to do!!!

We've been doing so many fun "fall" things and I have pictures to share. A few weekends ago, we went to Callaway Gardens, which is about 40 minutes north of here near the mountains. We went to their annual fall festival, which we'd never been to before. It was crowded, but Olivia enjoyed the hay maze and just generally running around.

Since it's still warm here, all of the flowers there were still in bloom. It looked like an English garden. Although finally, this week, it's really starting to look more like fall-- and feel like it, too.

On Thursday this week, my sister and I took Olivia to the pumpkin patch. I think she was truly in heaven. Ever since I bought her her first mini pumpkin weeks ago, she's been obsessed. She has a pumpkin bib and socks and a stuffed pumpkin, and she loves them all. She says "puntin" and it's the cutest thing! I wanted to let her pick out her own pumpkin, but she picked out about 50 of them, so finally I got to pick. She gets upset when the front door is closed because she can't see the pumpkin on the porch. She likes to look out the storm door so she can see it.

I've been meaning to post a picture of her walking with a cane. This is my grandma's cane and Olivia loves it. She won't even let my grandma use it! I was so embarrased-- a few weeks ago, Olivia stole a lady's cane at church. I got it back quickly, but she took off with it. The lady thought it was cute though. :-) Here she is at the gym at my old school, where my mom teaches now. She was putting on quite a show for everyone. She kept yelling, "look! cane!"

As you all know, I am such a foodie and I love to cook, but I just haven't had time to cook all gourmet like I used to, so I was thrilled when I made a most impressive pumpkin roll last night. The recipe came from this month's Saveur. I didn't have a jelly roll pan as the recipe called for (I don't even know what that is) but a 9x13 one worked just fine for me. I held my breath as I loosened the hot cake and attempted to remove it from the pan in one piece, but as you can see, it was a success!

The cake was so moist and the cream cheese frosting was perfect with it. I also made Rachel Ray's Pasta w/ pumpkin, sausage, and sage. I also made green beans simmered in beef broth, garlic rolls, a spinach and apple salad with homemade apple cider viniagrette and candied pecans, and mulled cider. The food was great, but I was so tired from cooking all afternoon that I just wasn't that hungry. :-(

And now for one of the cutest diapers ever! I sold a few of the diapers that didn't fit Olivia anymore. I bought a couple newborn diapers to start building the stash (once the baby is about 6 weeks old, he/she can start using the one-size diapers I use for Olivia). I also ordered this super cute coffee diaper, which I scored the second it went up for sale on Diaper Swappers. There were many disappointed people who were hoping I'd change my mind, but I didn't and it arrived today! :-)

I have some important mommy things to blog about later, both about Olivia and the new little one in my tummy. :-)

ETA: Olivia just called me "Hannah" right out of the blue and she's already called James "James" a few times. She thinks it's funny. Oh Lordy, I hope it stops.

Posted by Hannah at October 29, 2007 07:25 PM