A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - fashion forward?



Her special day

Wednesday was the little lady's "special day" at preschool.  What makes a preschooler's day extra special? 

Among other things, they wear a special sticker throughout the morning, are asked to bring in a special book to have read to the class, are given the opportunity to present and talk about a treasured item from home, they select the classroom snack for the morning, and the cherry on top, bring a parent to school.


Wednesday the little lady rose cheerfully, an extra bounce in her step. She joyfully announced that it was her special day at school and spent the rest of the morning reminding her brother that he would be spending the morning with a babysitter as it was not his special day. 

Hand in hand we walked to her classroom, appreciating the rare opportunity to spend time alone as mother and daughter.  The morning was filled with many sweet moments - participating in movement class, watching the little lady's many expressions as she went about her morning, observing her interactions with classmates, watching her assert herself with confidence as she answered questions, hearing her instruct her peers on how to prepare bagel smiley faces with fruit features (her snack choice for the day), feeling her pride as we sat side by side in tiny chairs to read The Kissing Hand aloud to her class, listening to her share her prized Olivia jewelry box to her friends, carefully displaying its contents one by one, her little hand in mine as we walked the halls, seeing her pedal the tricycle with tenacity during outdoor play, and being referred to as "Charlotte's Mommy" all morning long.

So many moments to treasure with a little lady who continually inspires, surprises, challenges, encourages and motivates me.   The fact that she is mine, and I am hers never ceases to amaze me.

As we left school hand in hand she suggested that we arrange another special Mommy and Charlotte day soon. It's a date I'm already looking forward to.

Reading tent

Maybe one day ...



Until then ...

Encouragement for today

on prayer

Cream of Tomato Soup

It seems that I have a soft spot for tomato soup recipes.  In spite of not calling for fresh tomatoes to be roasted (a favorite step of mine in preparing soup), this cost effective soup recipe, rich in flavor, has creeped its way to the top of my soup list.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of ground cloves

2 Tablespoons flour

one 28 ounce can diced tomatoes in puree

pinch of baking soda

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup milk, plus 1/2 cup more as needed (or 1/2 cup heavy cream in our case)

tomato paste, as needed for flavor

salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a soup pot an add the chopped onions and celery.  Cook for about five minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and wilted.  Add the basil and cloves and cook for another minute or two until fragrant, then add the flour.  Continue cooking for another two minutes, stirring, and then add the tomatoes, followed by the baking soda and the stock.

Lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes or so.  Remove the pot from the heat and carefully puree the soup in batches or using a stick blender in the pot.  Return the soup to the heat and add the milk, stirring to blend.  Add more milk or stock if the soup seems too thick.  Add a little tomato paste if it needs more tomato flavoring.  Salt and pepper to taste.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - check mate



Pumpkin Cream Cheese

 

 This time of year you can satisfy your craving for pumpkin with expensive lattes, pies, breads, scones, cookies and more.   Today I whipped up a delicious alternative, perfect for snack time - pumpkin cream cheese.  Smear it on a graham cracker and enjoy.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (or agave) (I opted agave as it was less expensive.)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I omitted as I didn't have it on hand; don't think it make a lick of difference.)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I accidentally added an entire teaspoon, but let's just say I was making up for the absence of ground ginger.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Cover and chill for at least an hour before using.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.