Weekend Update

We made the short drive to St. Louis this weekend to spend some time with our friends Robert and Kamila. It was a beautiful weekend, and we had a lot of fun seeing the arch and walking around the botanical garden. The garden was so big that it offered a big variety of things to see, and it was such a pretty day that it will probably always stand out in my mind as one of the most beautiful places I've seen. We've missed R & K this year, and it was good to be able to catch up with them. They're going to have a baby in March, so I guess that will be a good excuse to go back this spring.

This was the Victorian Garden.

Kamila, me, Ryan. Check out the strange way to grow produce above us.

In every day news this week. . .
Last night I planned on making the recipe for chicken enchiladas that Kate M. recently posted on her blog. But I ended up getting home late and didn't have time to stop at the store for all of the ingredients. So, since I had only 2 chicken breasts, I rinsed a can of black beans and put those in. And since I didn't have the canned milk, I used some of the liquid from poaching the chicken. And since I didn't have the canned green chilies, I put in two chopped jalapeños. (We have dozens of jalapeños frozen because a friend from church grows them and knows that Ryan likes them.) This part didn't work as well. Hot, hot, hot. But, once I started pushing the peppers aside on my plate, it was really good. So, I endorse her recipe as pretty darn good since you can fiddle with it, and it still tastes yummy. Has anyone else tried something that has worked well recently?

It is starting to get cold here. It's supposed to freeze Wednesday night! Fall has to be my favorite time of year. I need to remember how good these first chilly days feel in February when it is dark and depressing. My favorite thing about fall in Indiana is the gorgeous colors on the trees. I'm happy to say that now that verse about there being a time for everything under heaven makes more sense to me than it used to. Fall is the time for being thankful that I can go for my morning walk without breaking a sweat and that soup tastes just right and that people are beginning to look forward to the holidays. Much different than growing up on the coast where October only means that the high is 85 instead of 95. What are your favorite things about fall? I also want to hear about everyone's plans for homecoming. I look forward to living vicariously through you. :) Have a good day!