Butternut Squash Apple Soup... delish! It was a little thick, so if using a bigger squash you might want to add more stock.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
Ingredients
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• I carrot, chopped
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*
• Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper
*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.
Method
Combine butter, onion, celery, and carrot in large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree. Add spices to taste.
Serves 4-6.

Saturday, October 10th we made our 6th trip to Terhune Orchard in Princeton, New Jersey. We've been going the last 5 years with Church!. Gabe, one friend from Church! says this is his favorite activity of the year! It is tons of fun, plus you get delicious apples, apple cider donuts, chili, apple cider, etc. etc. There's a fun, although fairly lame, corn maze, old farm horses to ride, pumpkins, wagon rides, fuzzy baby chicks, and fabulous company. This year 34 from Church! went. We make a day of it, leaving at noon and getting back by 8. Now our family has about 30 lbs. of apples, yummy -- one family came back with 72 lbs. ... Wow! It's always fun to share this day with old friends and get to know a lot of new friends too.

Ali's 10th birthday

Ali turned 10 on September 25th. Due to busyness we are having her party tonight.... a sleepover with 3 friends. Pizza, ice cream cake, donuts... what more could you want? On Ali's birthday we went for a family dinner at the Hibachi Grill, delicious! She also had donuts with a candle in them for breakfast and 2 days later, on a day off from school ate breakfast casseroles for dinner -- she loves those and wanted them on her birthday, but we couldn't swing it because it was a school day. Hopefully bedtime falls before morning tonight :)

There's a man that stands on the corner of 9th Street and 5th Ave. who knows he can ask me for a cup of coffee every time he sees me. If I have money, I buy him one. Sometimes, if I'm in a hurry or if I have no money, or only have a $20 or something, I keep my eyes looking straight ahead, or across the street, or looking at something or someone else, rather than having to say "no" to him. The other day I saw him on the corner, and I had no money, I had groceries, several bags, but I had purchased them with a credit card. Whenever I have purchases but no money I always feel like he must think I'm lying when I tell him I can't buy him coffee today. As I tried to walk by unnoticed he began to speak to me, I fully expected him to ask me for money for coffee. Instead he asked me if I needed help. Boy, did I feel sheepish, trying to avoid him, and he wasn't even asking for anything, he was offering something. I guess it just goes to show me what consecutive kindness can do.... maybe now I will offer my kindness in a more willing way, and hopefully soon I will learn his name, I've been wanting to for awhile, just always feel awkward for some reason. Lesson learned, at least I hope.