Ready for a Rest Day

So what do you post when you've got nothing to say but, "I want to sleep. I'm tired; I'm done."? Should I try and write about how busy today was, or how cute Ellie Graye was when she commanded the dogs to "STIT!!!"...or should I just say, "I'm exhausted." Ok, I'll shoot for both!

Ellie was screaming again last night at 11:42. She was 10 minutes early...I was able to wake her this time but she wouldn't go back to sleep for what seemed like ages. She did "sleep in" this morning until 8:40, so I THINK I got 6 hours in a row!!! WOO HOO!!! Still. I'm tired.

Victor informed me that the roof that covers the firewood and hay storage area had some "problems." When I went to look, it was clear that he had been quite conservative with his description - the mineral roofing had blown off in one of the wind storms we had had this year, and the plywood had completely rotted out. There was no way that we could wait even another week without fixing it. So, we hopped in the Prius and off we went to Home Depot. Believe it or not, the roof was repaired by 5 pm tonight!

Victor, surveying the damage

How in the world we'd be able to maintain this place without Victor is beyond me! I'm so so so SO glad that he and Lorena agreed to move up here with us from Los Angeles - they're lifesavers! And they both love Ellie Graye like their own!

Victor always takes EG out of the car when we arrive at home, and when we leave to head to their house in the evening, he's the one found buckling her up!

One exciting development is that Jeffrey and I discussed where we're going to build his office in the shop. Both of us are hoping that he'll be able to be here more frequently as things with the business "improve." Having him here, however, presents its own special challenges, as working out of the pool house just won't work! As usual, he's got amazing ideas for a spectacular office, but my practicality always puts a damper on things. I do believe that we both agreed on a perfectly practical, and yet comfortable, solution using the far end of the shop and recycling wood that we already have! It'll be so nice to have him in the same state!

My big project of the day involved more bulb planting: our front entry "gate" needed some attention. Maribeth (our neighbor and daughter of the former owners of Deer Park) always shows us up in the spring time with her incredibly planned garden that has constant blooms from February through October; and while she has decades of gardening knowledge on me, I CAN at least plant a plethora of bulbs along our one section of the fence! We'll see if anything makes it through winter...I planted daffodils, narcissus (I know, daffodils and narcissus are the same thing, but in my head, one has a scent and the other doesn't), and hyacinth...

Here's to hoping that come the spring time, there will be yellow blooms a-plenty!

The rest of the day was spent with Ellie Graye playing, cooking, and walking. We walked for about an hour...the trail we took usually only takes 20 minutes, but with a 14 month old little girl, there's so much to discover, touch, and talk about that an hour is rushing!

The real highlight of the day was dinner...Harvest Blend Couscous (from Trader Joe's), my Roasted Butternut Squash (See Below - I'm still trying to figure out how to create a recipe index/link) and Spiced Chicken...the squash dish was made completely from ingredients that I grew here at DPF. Both Ellie Graye and Jeffrey loved it, and I even had seconds myself!

Jeffrey and I ended the day sitting 'round the fire outside, marveling in the joy of being together under the stars with a beautiful daughter sleeping inside. We are truly blessed!

RANDOM PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Snacktime for Boots....STRETTTTTTTTTTTTTTCH

Ellie, being a good listener, cleaning up her mess!

MELISSA'S ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. olive oil

3 large sage leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3.5 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (Cooking Light's article on peeling and cutting)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400º F. In large bowl, combine all ingredients.

2. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up)

3. Bake in pre-heated oven until squash is tender (35-45 minutes).