Dog show

I can't even say "Dog Show" without thinking of the Molly Shannon and Wil Farrell SNL skit of the same name--which is disturbing and in itself dates me, and my tastes, AND, simultaneously the movie of the same name, with the actress otherwise known as Stiffler's mom (whose name I NEVER remember)...but I digress...we went to a dog show.

A friend of ours shows Sharpei's and had mentioned the dog show this weekend. Knowing how much Amara likes ALL dogs whenever she sees them, we thought this would be perfect!

We headed to the fairgounds/ expo center, and IMMEDIATELY began seeing dogs of all shapes and sizes, milling around, walking, running, etc. ALL over the place.

Once inside, the nice ladies at the table were getting us up to speed. No, we (apparently) didn't need a program, since we appeared to be pretty much the only non-showing, spectators there. There was no schedule, and have at it. Cool. We got our hands stamped, with this fun State-of-Ohio thing with a dog paw in it. Cute.

We didn't make it 2 feet inside, without Amara lunging for a BEAUTIFUL grey dog (A Weimaraner I think)...

...then a Giant Schnouzer, then a something-or-other (tiny, but no clue)...and we finally found our friend Kori! She showed us some Sharpei's who were VERY pretty and friendly too!

A cute little Australian Shepphard caught our eye and was so gentle...then, we found a GIANT Great Dane, Doc, one of the most HUGE dogs I've ever seen--and he was only 7 months old--lots of puppy energy there!

After splitting a corndog with dad--we ventured to find a few more friendly guys...of course, now, as you could imagine, they were even MORE interested in Amara (and her corndog fingers :))

We saw Izzy the Sheltie--SO cute, looks like a tiny "Lassie" and loves kids--I think she was 7 months too, and this was her first show...Brigette, the Shiba Inu--just like Ily, only the black-and-tan version, and very (characteristically) shy...then some British something Corgie? All I remember is that the guy said "it's the same one the queen has" ohhhh--ok---I'll take your word for that one--very cute, just Amara's size, and seemed so smiley.

...and on the way out, Uno, the Saint Bernard--was VERY friendly, and funny enough, her brother was right there too (though once the two were there, it was a little much to photograph--but take our word for it, they were SO gentle and friendly with Amara, ALL of the dogs and owners/ handlers were GREAT and Amara had a wonderful time--she didn't want to leave and we will definitely go again. Thanks again Kori, great suggestion and good luck!

Sweet 'tato pie

Well, it's official. Amara likes the sweet potato pie (as do the rest of the testing group!)

Because of a somewhat heated debate at work, Tammy and Jason encouraged me to try this southern classic, because of "how good" and "different" it was than pumpkin pie--

Well, knowing that I've made over 20 pies so far this season--I figured what could I lose? And CERTAINLY didn't want to miss out on another potential family favorite!

After Amara helped me with the potatoes, I got down to business, found a recipe and went for it. We all got to try it--and liked it, though--I have to admit, if it were a blind taste test, I don't know that I'd know the difference over pumpkin on most days. The texture, spices, flavors, etc. were all identical--I'd say MAYBE I could taste the sweetness of the sweet potato, but that is a reach.

Regardless, Amara kept coming back for bites--as she's known to be quite the little grazer when eating. She's never really apprehensive with eating, unless something is extremely hot or cold with that first bite. Other than that, she's usually good.

I'm pretty sure, in the extreme closeup shot, that I was trying to capture her mid-bite-steal...but that is pretty much like trying to photograph a hummingbird :)

Also, it's of note, that Amara is REALLY into feeding herself with forks now, and has even stepped-up her "sharing" as I call it--as in sharing with this lovely fall scarecrow decoration, which, incidentally is NOT one of her dollies. (not that this stops her)

I'd say overall, it's still in the lineup, and if we ever decide we're bored of Pumpkin, or have a bumper crop of sweet potatoes from dad, we'll certainly revive this one--but we're good for now!

Sweet 'tatoes'

Amara has always been a great eater--well, as long as she's been eating :) It all started with Grandpa Jahn's garden, and his squash, corn, green beans, apples, etc. that Eric made into her first baby-food last summer.

It's funny--sometimes the things you'd think they wouldn't like, they do, and the things you'd think they'd love, they toss! I try and never assume anymore, and just expose her to as many different foods as possible (so she's hopefully not a picky eater like mom).

Makes sense then, that we would continue on (the tradition) as much as we can, when we can.

Grandpa Jahn had taken the last of the summer's sweet potatoes into the garage (to keep them from freezing) and Amara found them. Lucky for me, I was hankering to try my hand at a sweet potato pie, myself--so I had the little shopper help me.

We didn't have a bag--and one is never enough, so Amara got creative, and decided to use her little umbrella stroller as her shopping cart instead (smart cookie!).

She filled it up for me, took them for a quick ride around the garage, then we tossed them in the car to head home--my goal is to try a new recipe this weekend, and she how she likes it--never can tell, might be the next new favorite with her!

Neighbors and friends

When Amara is at Grandma & Grandpa Jahn's house, there aren't exactly a lot of neighbors and playmates. Imagine our surprise when another little girl showed up, at the (only) house close to them one day.

This is Abby, she's Amara's friend since last summer. I think (if memory serves, she is a couple months older than Amara).

Grandma Jackie and Amara met her by stopping by, when on the mower--she'd be outside with her grandma, Grandma Jackie's neighbor (Dan & Linda Sword).


Her mother is a nurse in the ER at Mt. Carmel and took care of Amara's (great) granny whenever she was there-- her name is Annie.

We hope they will be friends for a long time!

Abby can't walk by herself yet, but Amara's helping her. They pick up leaves together and alot of rocks, some acorns also. They mostly just look at one another and talk in their own language, and smile a lot.

Pumpkin fever

Everyone knows I love to bake and cook....and SOMETIMES, I have been known to go through phases...where I get a little obsessive about a particular item, and tend to "over-do" it a bit.

This fall, it appears that just might might be a little thing called "pumpkin fever."

I think is started 2 months ago, with that first visit to dad's pumpkin patch. That was followed with a second visit a few weeks ago...and roasting that first pumpkin.

I got one of dad's cow pumpkins, and decided I was going to get Grandma Jahn's pie recipe from Penny. She shared it with me, and it's been all down-hill from there. I'm not stopping, hey, this stuff freezes, and I LOVE giving it to friends and family!

I started 2 weeks ago today. In one afternoon, I made 3 pumpkin pies, all of which were gone by Tuesday...I then made a couple more for work friends, a special "fancy" pumpkin/ sweet potato pie for Larry (who has been my communications mentor and is moving to Oklahoma), and then started in on a pumpkin-banana bread recipe.

I think to date, again, in just 2 weeks, I've made close to 1o pies, 4 loaves of bread, and I have a recipe for pumpkin puffs I'm dying to try, and would you believe, in all of this, we MISSED the pumpkin show? Amara was still getting over her cold, but I digress....my friend Keith, took this photo of a pie I made for he and his family. I teased him about it, because he is a great 'photog' and he knows I keep this blog--so why not? I hope he gets a kick out of the fact that I published this, I told him I would!

Here is Grandma Jahn's Pumpkin pie recipe, from Penny. Granted, I didn't get a crust recipe from her, but I've used the one in the red & white, Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for years, and I'm sure she likely did something close:

Pie Recipe: 4 c pumpkin, 2/3 c evap. milk, 2 c sugar, 1 T cinnamon, 1/4 t ground cloves, 1/4 t salt. Mix these ingredients together then add 4-6 T flour until it reaches a good consistency. Pour in a pie shell and top with cinnamon. Bake at 400 for 15 min then 350 for 45 more minutes.

The "amended" recipe I found, and have been making a lot is this:

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground ginger
about a 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. each of nutmeg and cloves (more or less depending on how you like it)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. all purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. evaporated milk
2 T. water
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inch)

and the Pumpkin-Banana recipe I've been on is this:

• Pam baking spray
• 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves*
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*
• 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add flour mixture and nuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.

Enjoy pumpkin frenzy!

Trick-or-Treat?

For Trick-or-Treat this year, we REALLY couldn't decide what to dress Amara as. Last year's cow costume was a huge hit, so we had a lot to live up to.

Early on, we considered a LOT of costume options (there are HUNDREDS out there) but quickly narrowed our options, because a lot of the "toddler" costumes were those jumpsuit-with-hat types, that we didn't think she'd go for.

We finally narrowed it down to a few--and a couple weeks ago, landed on the angel idea. I should clarify--largely because we had a BEAUTIFUL white dress from Matt & Steph's wedding, we considered the angel idea. Luckily, the Ohio fall weather cooperated, and we thought it would be a great idea. Eric and I even made her a customized candy bag, complete with matching feather boa, to complete her ensemble.

We got her ready at Grandma's and headed to see the cousins. We had less than an hour till the big start--so we literally snapped one photo (sans Jackson, who was still perfecting his hair) and headed home to meet up with friends, and Grandpa and Grandma Young, and pass out animal crackers.

As we figured, Amara was much more enamored with all the kids, than with herself or going house to house. We visited (I think) 4 close neighbors, then back to the house to kid-watch. She got her sucker (clearly) and was good to go for the night. Amara was up and down the sidewalk and driveway a million times that night. Never sat still. She examined each and every passerby and played host, getting out her car and playing with Ily too.

She had so much fun with her friends and family, what a perfect night all around. To top it off, she even stayed up past 8 o'clock, a first, and I'm sure an indication of the energy of the holiday season to come. What a sweetie!

New OSU wear

It's already documented that:

A) Amara loves Brutus.
B) Amara loves (and is pretty cute in) her OSU cheerleader dress
C) Dad/ Eric is a huge OSU fan...

....SOOOOO why should i be surprised that Amara LOVES her new Scarlet and Grey knitted toboggan?

First things first...the first 2 pics (sans hat) were taken at Aunt Kristin's house. She sent these pics to me this week, so I figured this was the perfect post to add them to :)

We picked this hat up at our family friends (Jack and Linda's) craft show last weekend. I spotted it and thought, heck for $3, why not? Well, ANYTIME she sees that hat lying around, she HAS to put it on.

Let me tell you, this hat, was crocheted by a lady at Monterey nursing home, here in Grove City. Eric and I are already soliciting her for more business, we're NOT kidding! It is SO beautifully done, and Amara loves it, it's great. It fits her now (ok, a little big) and I'm SURE will grow with her for several seasons.

It just so happened, that on our way home from the Halloween gym party, that Amara spotted her hat. She put it on to show Grandma (of course) and luckily, she snapped these adorable pictures for us.

Who doesn't say "Go Bucks" to that little face?

Little Gym Halloween Party

Since Amara has more Halloween invitations than the rest of us combined, we decided to embrace them this year, and celebrate vicariously through/ with her.

The first party of the week, was for Gym class. The kids (and whomever brings them...for us, it's Grandma Jackie) were supposed to dress up. Well, for Amara, our angel (costume, and real life) we thought wings and a halo might be problematic for gym equipment, so we went with our backup, the OSU cheerleader costume. Grandma was decked out in her all black, heavy makeup, and sparkly silver wig, which Amara LOVED, though I wasn't sure EXACTLY what she was :)

Grandma took her, as usual, but luckily, I was able to tag along, and dad met us there. We weren't sure how this would all go, considering she is sometimes easily distracted, but luckily, she loves playing there so much, that she didn't much bother with we observers.

The class was the normal songs, activities, and free-time, but with songs like "thriller, ghost-busters, and monster mash" playing in the back. This was week 10 for her ( I can't believe it's gone this fast!) and she has learned so much in so little time! She ADORES the balance beam, rolling over shapes (somersaults) and is starting to take to hanging on the bars as well.

At last, ball time. Amara LOVES (and has for a while now) all things ball. Throwing, kicking, holding, you name it--luckily, there is a special time JUST for balls at class, and Amara makes a comical B-Line for the ball bin to both get them out, and put them away, it's pretty cute I have to admit. I think ball-time is the all-time favorite, followed closely by bell-time, which--she also gets to play with at music class (lucky for her). Can't wait till Christmas, BELLS EVERYWHERE!

All-in-all, as always, she had a great time with her class-mates...even more so this week, checking out the costumes (stealing a little pig's hat...ok, BORROWING) and peering into their faces--trick-or-treat, here we come!

Harvest Time

We knew as soon as the crops were ready to harvest, that dad (Grandpa) would have a tiny audience. Last week, dad started cutting corn in the field at the house, and of course, Amara could NOT miss the opportunity to get in on this action.

Mom (Grandma) bundled her up, in proper JD Green attire, and they headed out to see Grandpa in the cornfield.

She was very eager to climb up with Grandpa on the combine--no surprise, since she's been on any and every kind of farm equipment since about 3-4 months old with Grandma and Grandpa Jahn.

Climbing up to greet Grandpa (sucker in hand), she proudly took her seat in the combine, made a few passes, then back to the house to unload, and catch up with Grandma.

Since Grandma captured these shots of Amara and Grandpa's cigars, it's a great time to explain something...since Amara was TINY--she has been obsessed with Grandpa's cigar pocket. He always has a WRAPPED box of Swishers in there, and she takes them out and plays with them. I don't think he's had a cigar that WASN'T mangled, since she came around.

It's totally typical for me to find cigar boxes in her diaper bag, car seat, etc., but we wouldn't have it any other way. To me, it's their "special thing" and I'm so thankful for those great memories she gives all of us.