Football, sunsets, and silly kitties

Football season is coming to a close, and it's probably the last season Adam will play football.  He doesn't want to play next year out of worry about how hard 9th grade will be, and we are okay with that.  We will just have to wait and see if he wants to play after that.  We feel school is the most important thing for him right now.

At his football game the other night, we arrived at the field in time to watch a gorgeous sunset! I didn't capture as well as I would have liked, the colors aren't right - but it's close.



The lovely sunset became a lovely moon scene.



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10/17/12  - On the line.  Adam's team(s)  (he plays back-up lineman for the other team) won a couple games, and while they played well Wednesday evening, the opposing team was just a bit better and we lost.  We have one more game left, a home game, and hopefully we'll win.


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10/18/12 - Sunrise the next morning was pretty too, not as pretty though.  I grabbed this quick shot with my phone heading out the door to take Carus to school to meet with her teacher.  It ended up being the only photo I got that day (the day got away from me) so it became my 366 by default.



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10/19/12 - Silly Simba kitty peaking at me through the cobwebs.

Re-reading

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Football practice pickup duty = reading time. I've finished the Inheritance series, which I enjoyed very much.  Adam is happy that I can now discuss the books with him, though I'd probably have to read them a few (hundred) more times to know as much as he does about them.

But for now I'm re-reading Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  Diana posts excerpts (posted under the hashtag #dailylines on Facebook and Twitter) from the book she is currently working on, often of book #8 in the Outlander series, Written In My Own Heart's Blood (also known as MOBY).  I enjoy these little bits and they help (and don't help) with my excitement over the book which isn't due out until 2013 at best.  However, there are a few times when I've been confused over something revealed in them.  Which is why I've decided to re-read the series to refresh it in my head and hopefully clear up a few things.

Fog

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Wow, almost into the 300s.  This year is going by fast.

This was the view out the front door yesterday morning. The distant hills poking up out of the fog.  I like the fog and fall in Oregon is perfect for creating fog.

I feel like I should say more or explain more or something, but nothing is coming to me.  Blah blah blah, yada yada. And more blah. There - I said more.... I'm going to go eat my lunch now.

Apple Crisp

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The stormy, windy, rainy weather we had this weekend worked well for staying inside and baking.  I did not bake much, but I did make some cinnamon chip scones and this apple crisp.  We love this apple crisp and have yet to find it's equal in the crisp world.  It's loved specifically because of the topping which is perfectly crunchy and not soggy like crumbles sometimes are; nor cake-like as most cobblers can be.

Apple Crisp

10 cups apples - peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp flour

Crisp
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Coat apple slices with lemon juice while cutting up to prevent browning.  Toss with cinnamon and sugar and place in 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle flour over the top of apples.

Mix oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda and pour in melted butter.  Stir together until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the apples and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the apples are tender and the crisp is golden brown.

Cool slightly before serving.

Friday and Saturday

Friday
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Fall colors and rain drops.  I love the color of this bush in the fall.


And then I made it all Halloween-y. Pretty cool, right?



Saturday
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Carus has decided it's time to start decorating for Halloween and now I have a cobweb problem.

A little tree

When driving home, I come around a corner and the road lines up perfectly with this little dip in a hill in the range separating me from the ocean.


In this dip is a lone tree.  It stands out and catches my eye every time I drive that road, in that direction.  As the sun sets, this tree is illuminated and seems to draw me in more.

It is alone.  But yet it still seems strong.  As if because of the fact that it stands alone, it is stronger than the other trees.

It's almost as if it is my beacon home.

Tonight, while trying to capture the tree and not standing in the middle of a busy highway, I found a sweet spot on my street where I can see "my" tree.  The slight shift put the sun directly behind it instead of just off to the side - all the better for me.

Geneva cookies

Made some cookies on my lunch break today.  We call them Geneva cookies because the recipe came from my friend, Geneva.


Geneva's recipe came from her mom who would make them when she was growing up when the family was going camping or hiking. They're like energy bars/cookies and they're awesome.

Geneva cookies

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1-1/6 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
4-1/2 cups oatmeal
3 oz chocolate chips
raisins (optional)

Mix together, adding the oatmeal last.  Scoop rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheet and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Makes about 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

I usually have to add a bit more oatmeal (we have moist air) and never add the raisins (I have some picky eaters that don't like raisins, but I imagine it would be good).  And I don't flatten them being a bit of a lazy baker and they turn out fine for me.