Weekend Highlights

Happy Monday! Who is ready for a 5-day work week? I've got a ton of meetings today, including a 4-hour block starting at 12:30. Bleh. While I like working from home, I feel like I have WAAAAY more meetings, which I don't love... but so it goes! Here are some of the highlights from our weekend!

- Cleaning out my garden. I don't have any pictures of this project because it's depressing to take a picture of a dying garden or an empty plot! I accomplished this on Friday afternoon before the rain set it. It felt good to get this task done as it's my least favorite fall task. I have decided that this will be my last year of participating in the fall garden. It's been increasingly hard to get over there as often as I'd like (it's about a mile away) and it will only get harder w/ a 2nd baby coming in December! I also think I spend more between renting the plot for $50 and buying all the seeds/plants. So next year I will support local farmer's markets instead. I wish our yard had room for a garden, but our backyard is on a steep hill, so it's just not possible to have a garden until I build something into a hill and we don't feel like doing that. 

- Baking with Pablo. On Friday night, I told Pablo we'd make muffins together on Saturday morning. When I went in to get him up on Saturday morning, the first thing he said was "make muffins mommy?" So clearly he loves baking! A friend had given me a bunch of kale last weekend, so used some of it to make Kale-Banana Toddler Muffins, a recipe that was recommended by a friend. I was skeptical about whether Paul would eat them, but he gobbled one up when they had cooled off! He actually ate 1.5 that day but hasn't been interested in them since. Typical toddler! Phil would tell you that they taste better than they smell. ;) Since Paul loves helping in the kitchen so much, I'm going to try to incorporate him into more meal prep!

- Video chats. We had our weekly Saturday morning chat with my mom and dad but also got to talk to my niece Anna and her mom on Saturday morning as it was Anna's 9th birthday. Pablo was very shy on that video call but it was fun to "see" them! I definitely miss seeing family but video chats definitely help as I far prefer them to phone calls!

- Block Party. Our block had the annual block party on Saturday night. It was different than usual - no sharing of food, no shaking hands, everyone kept their distance. But it was really nice to meet some of our neighbors. We moved in back in November when cold weather had already hit and then covid hit so we really hadn't met many neighbors. Our block has a Facebook group so we've gotten to know people through there but nothing can replace talking in person. Paul had fun playing with the little girl across the street who is just 3 months older than him and he enjoyed his first root beer float, which this same family generously shared with us.

- Coffee with girlfriends. On Sunday afternoon, I met up with 2 girlfriends in a friend's back yard for coffee and some treats from a local bakery. It was a beautiful afternoon and I had a great time catching up with them. We chatted for about 2 hours and then I had to head home since my MIL came over post-nap. We talked about how we are going to fill our winters/stay sane.

- Dinner with Joan. My MIL came over post-nap on Sunday since it was a beautiful day. We pretty much only see her when it's nice enough to all be outdoors. I made Greek Turkey burgers, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. Paul let her read some books to him, which made her day!

How was your weekend? Has fall weather hit where you live? I'm personally loving the drop in humidity! It's going to mostly be in the 70s this week which I'm very much looking forward to!