Happy Halloween!

Caleb dressed up as a dog for Halloween, thanks to the generous Bridget Clark who lent us this adorable costume.  I've been telling people that he was going to be a bear, but after finally pulling this out of the closet, it appears he's a dog. Woof woof.  This is a short video of us walking up to the fall festival held at his preschool.  Enjoy!

A Tennessee Pig Roast

Every October, my cousins throw a big cuban bash in the mountains of Tennessee known as the Pig Roast.  Come fall my mouth starts salivating for that delicious pork, cooked in a Chinese smoke box all day long.  Then there are black beans and rice, and a ton of appetizers, sides and desserts, brought by guests in Southern potluck fashion.

Hubby, Caleb and I travel over the mountains to Jonesborough, TN and spend the night with my Tia Irene, Uncle Sam, mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew. Family time on the farm at Tia Irene's house makes this weekend irreplaceable.

My mom and I always attempt to climb "the hill" beside the barn.  This hill is more like a mountain, and many cows (and probably other wild animals) reside upon it.  It's quite a hike.

 

 

 

 

 View from the top

 

Then after the hike up the hill and back, we head over to the pig roast, set at Allendale Barn in Kingsport.

 

 

 

 

This isn't really Uncle Sam's hair.  But this fake-hair hat was the hit of the show.

Durham Home Energy Savings Program

According to Duke Energy, our home uses less energy than the average similar home, which is awesome news.  In the past year or two we have upgraded to compact fluorescent bulbs for lighting and to at least one or two energy star appliances. Yet we can be doing more.

Lucky for us, the City of Durham is offering a Home Energy Savings Program to homeowners who qualify - which we did!

We just had to pay a small sum ($400) to receive a variety of energy improvements that included: sealing air leaks in heating and air conditioning ductwork; installing programmable thermostats; sealing air leaks in the attic floor and the crawlspace ceiling; installing attic insulation; installing high-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators; and installing carbon monoxide detectors.

 View of the attic, which I have never been in since we moved into this house 6 years ago. It now contains better insulation after the upgrades.

 Our new showerhead. Slightly decreased water pressure, but hopefully it will help us save some water.

 Our new slow flow kitchen sink faucet aerator.  It really is better when you are washing dishes and veggies and such.

And our new programmable thermostat. The house temperature already feels more stable.

 
According to our energy bill history, January, February, June, and August are our highest usage months - probably pretty typical for a household in our area.

Since I assume the savings in usage won't appear until our December cycle (November may be too soon since the upgrades were just made), then we'll compare our usage to December of last year.  Looking at last year's bill, our December cycle shows we used 2,023 kWh. Now rates have increased too, so I can't compare prices, but actual usage.  I'll keep you posted! Thanks City of Durham.

The Bisanar Family

I have some awesome photography clients - that is no secret.  What seems like ages ago, the Bisanar family was one of the first I ever photographed as a professional portrait.  Their son Asher was just a baby then, learning to roll over and scoot around.  Now he's a two-year-old stud. 
I consider myself fortunate to be called upon to capture their family moments on film.  The fact that they can work it in front of the camera is just an added bonus.  Asher, mommy, daddy...the whole family.  They are just an attractive bunch...

... and charming... 

... and loyal...  

... and playful...  

... and adventurous...  

... and lovable...  

... and charismatic...  

... and full of expression.  

They are the total package. Enjoy the photos.

Third trimester mama

As part of the Bisanar portraits, I was able to take some photos dedicated to showing off mommy-to-be Tiffany's belly.  She is expecting their second child, a baby girl, in the upcoming weeks.  She's got the pregnancy glow and a great attitude about being in the final stretch of her 40 weeks of housing a baby.  Congrats to the beautiful mama!

 

 

 

 

 

A daughter

Hubby and I lay awake late last night, both anticipating this morning's main event - the ultrasound appointment for our little baby.  Neither of us really had a hunch about a boy or a girl, but we both agreed we were more excited to find out with our second baby than our first. We came into this second pregnancy knowing a little more about what to expect, a lot more about the wonder of loving a child, and a lot more about the miracle of it all.

Both hubby and I wanted a girl, but we also love our little boy so much that having another one would be fantastic. This whole pregnancy I have accidentally called my fetus a "he" instead of a "she" or an "it" - though that's likely because I already have a boy.

After today's doctor's appointment I can now officially begin calling the baby a "she!" Below is a picture of her little face trying to take cover beneath her arm.

There is her little profile. I think she looks nothing like Caleb. Hubby argues that they look exactly alike. We'll have to wait until early March to find out.

The below photo is the official "It's A Girl" snapshot. I will make a promise to my daughter now that this will be the last photo of this sort to be posted publicly.

All others will include polite, tasteful, respectful cross-legged poses like below.

So that's our big news. We are very happy to report a healthy baby girl growing right on target. What a blessing. While we are still working on the name, we'll be sure to share once the decision has been made.

Fall Dinner by Chef Busbee

Last weekend hubby and I hosted a fall-themed dinner at La Casa Busbee. Yes, the location sounds extravagant, but it was really just our humble abode in Durham.

Hubby had been aching to prepare a dinner for friends. I eagerly agreed to play hostess. We invited four of our closest friends plus three of their darling children, and preparations were underway.  This was our first 4-course dinner with toddlers and babies at the table, which made for an interesting atmosphere.

First course: Pork Rillettes Served Over Cornmeal Pancakes, Pickled Okra and Beets

Second course: Pumpkin and Walnut Stuffed Ravioli, Baby Spinach, Pumpkin Oil, Nutmeg Cream Sauce

Third course: Pork Osso Bucco, Beet Greens, Slow-Cooked White Beans

Bryce ate his osso bucco rather quickly, which we all felt deserved a photo.

Dessert course: Pumpkin Mousse Parfait (an Ina Garten recipe)

Thank you hubby for a wonderful fall meal - and for thinking to include the rest of us.

Transitions

This past weekend marked the beginning of something big - Caleb transitioning to a big boy bed from his crib. It was time. He is now 2 years old and we have a baby on the way.

So we started small by first removing the side off his crib. The first nights have gone very smoothly and we couldn't be more surprised.  This is a picture of Caleb's cute little face first thing in the morning after a night in his big boy bed.  He has everything he ever needs: his blankie, his milk and his handmade alligator from Grammie.

Apple Crisp

Yesterday evening around dinnertime, an intense craving emerged from deep within my soul.  It was for something warm, apple-themed, and crispy. This craving required butter and brown sugar as well.

I made it my mission to bake something the following day that would satisfy this craving.  After church, hubby, Caleb and I headed straight to the grocery store to get butter.  We were going to need A LOT.  (Plus, we were all out - otherwise I would've baked something the night before).

We arrived back at the house, feasted on a rather large lunch of fried chicken, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes, and watched a lot of tv on dvd while Caleb napped.  When we came to, I headed toward the bookshelf and searched through pages and pages of cookbooks to find the perfect recipe. 

I finally selected an Apple Crisp recipe from The New Best Recipe Cookbook, one belonging to hubby.  About an hour later, the apple crisp came out of the oven, golden brown crust atop bubbling cinnamon and brown sugar apples.  It was exactly what I wanted.  According to the recipe description, most apple crisps aren't really crisp at all.  What is necessary to give the topping that extra crunch are spices and crushed pecans (or walnuts).

Mrs. Ruth's Farms Corn Maze

Fall is here. And you know what that means...candy apples, carving pumpkins, and corn mazes! There has never been a more exciting time of year.  The weather is perfection, the holidays are just around the corner, and there are more excuses to spend time with family.
Our family time this morning consisted of a visit to a brand new corn maze in Cary, NC called Mrs. Ruth's Farms Corn Maze off of Green Level Road.  It was about a 20-minute drive from our house along wooded back roads with lake views.
We went for the corn maze but were surprised by just how many activities were available for families.  First, we lingered around the gift shop for photo opps.

 

 

 

Next, we boarded the tractor for a short hayride, which took us through the woods to the corn maze drop off point.

Once we hit the corn maze, Caleb took off.  He led hubby and I the entire way.  I have no clue where he got his sense of direction.

 

 

It only took us about 20 minutes to get through the entire maze, so not nearly as difficult as McKee's Corn Maze (which is highly recommended and which we will probably visit later in October).  Caleb found the exit and darted off toward the excitement ahead.

The view unfolded before us as we saw a field full of activities for children.

Tractors and pedal karts for kids (and adults).

A bounce house.  If anyone has any suggestions for how to take successful bounce house photos, please let me know.  Or how to remove a child from a bounce house whilst he's having two tons of fun.

A refreshment cart with juice boxes, sodas, waters, chips, snacks, etc.

And piles of hay everywhere!  I called this Hay Mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

Another great invention - the traveling hot dog stand.

Overall, we were quite impressed with this outing.  This is the first season the farm has been opened to the public.  There is also a small zipline, though it was too small for us to wait in line for.

The tractor makes trips every 20 minutes or so.  Once you get back to the home base/parking area/gift shop you can purchase snacks, pumpkins, apples, and other harvest themed goodies.