Exploring P-town and the Fall Colors

I ask every new person I meet what some of their favorite things are to do in Pueblo. Exploring our hometown is rather fun and leads to some decent adventures. I must admit (sadly) that having lived in Denver since I was six, I stopped exploring it. Everything was so routine, really too routine.

One of Ashlyn's school friend's mom (if you can follow that!) told me about the Nature and Raptor Center down near the Arkansas River. I signed up for the weekly e-newsletter a month or so ago and this past week, it mentioned that fall colors were still pretty good so off we went! We skipped the Raptor Museum this trip, but enjoyed playing on the playground, hiking the trails, and throwing rocks, sticks and whatever else we could find in the Arkansas. A bit of history, the Arkansas River was formerly the border between Mexico and the United States. Next Saturday, the Raptor Center has a Halloween Family Fun Festival from 1- 4 p.m. if you are looking for something to do with your kiddos. 

What should our next day excursion be in Southern Colorado?

Kitchen Bloopers: Apple Cider vs. Apple Cider Vinegar

You would think one would know the difference between the two, right? Apple Cider is a deliciously sweet drink and apple cider vinegar is bitter and tart. How could anyone mistake the two?

Yesterday, I carefully made my grocery list - yogurt, sandwich meat, cheese, chicken sausage, ground turkey, butternut squash, "apple cider," etc. With Keegan in the Baby Born (a must-have for grocery shopping with two!), Ashlyn in the shopping cart and my list in hand, we quickly dashed the aisles. It took just under 40 minutes. I was thrilled we had NO tears, no potty breaks and I managed to remember everything, including the apple cider!

As I was making our dinner (Cider-Glazed Chicken Sausages with Butternut Squash), I didn't think twice when the recipe read 3 cups of apple cider. I dumped the vinegar in liberally and waited for the dish to boil. The recipe, from this month's Everyday Food magazine, mentioned the cider would get syrupy. So, I waited and waited and it never happened. Finally, I decided it was just time to eat - Ashlyn was hungry! The dish was paired with a fabulous butternut squash mash (a perfect entree for a baby, I might add). We gobbled it up. Even though Ashlyn made numerous bitter faces and drank a lot (I mean, a lot) of milk, I still hadn't realized I goofed.

Check out her facial expression when she rubs her mouth. She really wanted a piece of Easter candy!

It was when I sat down to write this post about how tasty the mash was that I chuckled to myself! Ashlyn was honest and told me she didn't like it, but she knows the rules: if you don't eat dinner, you don't get dessert. My sister on the other hand, said it was "pretty good and the mash cut the tart and bitter taste." Shawn had to eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich after dinner to "get rid of the bitter taste."

This apple cider mistake was certainly a first for me! I will absolutely try this recipe again as long as I have apple cider in my refrigerator. It was super easy, fast and pretty healthy.

What are some of your favorite kitchen and recipe bloopers?

How's your margin?

We received some of our best marital advice from our marriage officiant. We talked about the importance of ensuring you have "margin" left at the end of your day. Think about your day as a page in a book. The things you do during the day - client meetings, working out, playing with your kiddos, driving to and from soccer practice, etc - fill the page. By the time 5 p.m. rolls around, do you have room in the margins for your family and friends? Did you reserve space to engage in conversation with your husband? Or spend time taking your dog for a walk? Or play a game with your child?

When we seem tired or worn down at the end of a long day, we ask the other... how's your margin? It is a gentle reminder to be understanding, loving and most importantly, show compassion when the other's is low. Tomorrow I challenge you to save room in your margin. Try it out and let me know how it goes.