Homemade Ketchup

So yummy, you really must try it! John found this recipe on Chow.com and we were inspired to try it out.

You will need:

• 2 28oz cans of pureed tomatoes

• 1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
  

• 2 Tbsp mustard

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white vinegar

• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 2 Tbsp dry mustard

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp celery seed

• 2 tsp garlic powder

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and mix well. Heat over medium until boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least two hours or until desired consistency is obtained. Run it through your blender to make nice and smooth.

You may never go back to store bought ketchup again.

Something I Love to Hate

You know what I mean. Kinda like watching a chick-flick or book where you can guess the ending in the first 5 minutes. But yet you keep watching/reading and waste a couple hours of your life. You love to watch, but hate to watch. The Neti Pot is kinda like that. I hate to use it. Really hate it. But it works. Sinus headache that would take ibuprofen over 2 or 3 hours to "fix", gone in a matter of minutes. Seasonal allergies not responding to normal meds, clear nose after a few uses. This thing rocks, but I hate it.

And because no post is complete without a picture of my cute boys, here we are all decked out for our chilly weather. Luke loves his owl hat (Thanks Amy!).

And James loves mommy's old ski hat. I think he looks adorable too.

These two boys are the main reason I started using the Neti pot. Because I get grumpy when I am sick or congested. My mother was right (aren't moms always right?) when she said it would change my life. Now I am a not-so-grumpy mommy to these cute boys. Life if good!

Trick or Treat

A few fun tidbits from our night:

*Luke quickly discovered that he got candy when he would walk up to a house and smile. Little man was running between houses. All the while lugging around his overflowing pumpkin.

*We got to hang with our cool neighbors. Two astronauts, a police man and a fire man. I think people gave them extra candy because they were so cute!

*James was very good about saying thank you. Although usually he said it en route to the next house.

*Daddy carved a cool pirate pumpkin for our front yard.

All in all it was a fun and sugar filled evening. I bet both boys will want to do it again tomorrow...

Pumpkin Patch

Chasing two boys at the pumpkin patch is exhausting. What's more exhausting? Trying to get a picture with both of them. Make that trying to get a GOOD picture with both of them.

Attempt 1: Could they look any more bored?

Attempt 2: Nice one James.

Attempt 3: Oh I give up!

Just Luke! We love pumpkins!

Double Cute

Two cute little boys dressed up for church. Could they be any cuter? They are sporting Daddy's sweater vests from his childhood. Normally I am not a huge fan of sweater vests, but these boys are sooooo cute! Especially James with his new "say cheese" smile.

Luke going in for a hug.

James's turn to hug.

Who is the first person Luke wants to see when he gets picked up from Sunday school? Well, obviously he is crying for his mama. But once he is consoled he wants his big brother. Love these guys!

Words of Wisdom

Autumn is in the forest. I don't want Autumn to come into my house. The leaves are falling and it is messy.

~James

Dem Bones

Luke's favorite book right now is Dem Bones. We read it at least 20 times a day. For his birthday my sweet Aunt Paula gave him a skeleton, just like in the book.

Can you tell that it was a big hit? It quickly became a favorite toy. Not only that, it is now a favorite buddy to snuggle at bedtime.

Sleep well you silly guy!

Sweet Luke

Luke is surly the sweetest little boy I have ever met. Today he had his 2 year well visit. Nothing that exciting about the visit except we saw a different doctor then usual and he gave us all sorts of growth charts and such. Me, being ultra nerdy, found this fantastic. He is still OFF THE CHARTS for his height. No surprise there that he measures in at 39 inches. What shocked me was that he is now 31 pounds and 12 ounces. That puts him at roughly 87% for his weight. GO LUKE! A new number for your consideration is that even though he is gaining weight like a champ, his height to weight ratio is at 27%. That means he is still tall and skinny.

Luke was sweet the entire visit and did all the doctor asked of him. Then after the nurse gave him the 2 vaccines he signed "Thank you" to her. She smiled and said in all her years no one has ever thanked her for a shot. That is so Luke, to thank someone for doing something he didn't really want. That's my guy, sweet as they come.

Cousins and a Birthday Boy

We spent the last week hanging with our Georgia cousins. It was so much fun! I haven't downloaded all the pictures yet, but here are some of my favorites so far.

Snuggling on the couch.

Skyping with our California cousin.

Meeting our newest cousin.

And today my sweet Luke William celebrated his second birthday. Really? Two? My goodness I cannot believe it. Happy Birthday Luker-de-dooer! We love you so much!

Side-note: Ignore the #1 candle. You can tell he is my second child because his birthday celebration consisted of a cake and an old candle. Oh well, he didn't seem to mind. =)

Pumpkins

The pumpkin patch is open and we LOVE it! Two boys each very proud with the little pumpkins we picked out yesterday.

James: I love to eat pumpkins! (Said as he pretends to eat the pumpkin)

Luke: Duke's pum-pn. (Luke's Pumpkin)

So cute! I love fall!