Warming By the Fire!

The kids RACED into the hotel room Saturday evening all excited and out of breath. I was lying down trying to pray away a nasty headache and they were out "exploring" with Daryle. "Daddy says you have to come RIGHT NOW!!! It's a big surprise!!! You have to close your eyes!!!" Ok, ok, ok...... So Rea led me outside (only running me into the walls or bushes twice) and I opened my eyes to see this huge cozy beautiful fireplace!!! Aaaaahhhhhh.... This was something to get up off the couch for, headache or not!

Vineyards!

It's no secret that I love landscape.... I love fall..... And I think vineyards at this time of year are breathtaking!! I'll blame my camera for the bad lighting :) I think I told Daryle half a dozen times this weekend that "pictures just don't do it justice"! I wish you could see with a wide angle lens... I took these pictures right by our hotel at sunset.

Napa Valley

New School, New Start!

What a whirlwind week!!!

Well the exciting news is that the Smith children are all at a new school as of the beginning of this week! We are so excited about all the new opportunities that this change will bring to us. I was really excited to ready their vision/mission statement, "rigorous core academics with a focus on performing arts".

Two schools combined to make one, so the grades are split between the two campuses. Rea, Ni'ke and Ya'shar are all at Spring Creek Elementary, and Ma-lak is at Matanzas, just around the corner. The high-light of their day is when the three little ones get to ride the bus to Ma-lak's school so they can all be picked up at one place.

The girls have been coming home everyday telling us about the new friends they're making, and the boys just jabber non-stop.

Their schools have a garden, which the children all help to take care of! (My little farmers....) And for the first time since Ma-lak was in kindergarten, they will actually be performing in a Christmas program!

Thank you, Lord for growth and change and new opportunities!!!

Ma-lak's New School!

Ma-lak is at Matanzas Charter School!! He is loving it, and told me yesterday that he had a music class with a guy who played his guitar and taught them rhythms and notes. Cool!

I LOVE this tree.... The whole street across from the school has the most gorgeous trees, but I have been gazing appreciatively at this one all week.... Had to snap a picture!

Tuscan Holiday Cooking Class at Sur La Table!!!!

I've been wanting to take a cooking class for years!! It just looked FUN! And while I do know how to cook, there are lots of things I've never tried to make before, and even more things that I wanted to learn how to make BETTER.

So when I saw this class for a Tuscan Holiday meal, I knew just the person to ask to go with me - my lovely Italian friend, Giuliana!!! We had so much fun with our group - what a hoot they all were! Liza and Chef Les were wonderful instructors, and I can't wait to back again for another lesson!

Here's the menu we made and got to eat:

Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Arugula
Bucatini with White Beans and Tomatoes
Roasted Pork Loin Stuffed with Tuscan Kale and Pancetta
Creamy Lemon Tarts with Pine Nut Crust (Torta Della Nonna!!)

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Making the Lemon Tarts!!!

This was my favorite part of the evening (except for when we ate everything we made, of course!) I'm hoping to recreate this meal for my family over the holidays!!!!

Bon Appetit!!!!

Stuffed Pork Loin and Lemon Tarts!!

Geography Lesson

I woke up one day last week in the middle of the afternoon, and was curious as to why it was sooooo quiet in the house. (Everyone tries to keep the noise down when I sleep during the day, but I can usually hear SOMEthing.....) So I tiptoed down the stairs and heard whispering and giggling, and this is what I found!

"Can we go here?"

"I want to go to Madagascar!!"

"Daddy went to Africa once!"

"I want to be a world traveler. And an astronaut doctor."

"When's our next vacation?!"


Aaaahhhh.... The world is our oyster!!!