This sleep stuff is all ups and downs. One great night of sleep almost always follows a rather not-so-great night. But I suppose that is not all that surprising!
I made overnight oats for breakfast in my old Barney Butter jar. It was so small I had to keep the fruit on the side so it wouldn’t overflow!
The mix was just basic overnight oats with Autumn Spice granola on top and a few spiced pecans.
Frog Hollow Pear on the side!
After breakfast (and M’s second breakfast) we packed up the stroller and headed to the farmer’s market.
I used the car seat and snap-n-go today and he was quiet and napped well the whole time!! [Note again how much he loves pointing his index finger : ) ]
I think he likes his car seat because it makes him feel all snuggled whereas the bassinet leaves much more room for unhappy flailing.
Amanda sent me this awesome car seat cover from Etsy that is SO helpful to keep the sun out of M’s eyes. I had no idea the sun would be such a problem, but when you’re lying at that exact angle for the setting sun to creep between tree branches and blast your eyes, a cover is necessary. We had been just using a receiving blanket, but this cover is so handy. And chevron!!!
Peek-a-boo!!
Hi Daddy!
When I got there, Matt said “I have something AMAZING FOR YOU!” with such enthusiam I thought he has bought me a new car! I had no idea what it was!?!!? Turns out he wanted me to taste J+P BBQ’s scalloped potatoes.
They were quite amazing, and John and Pat are so nice : )
I did some shopping (got chicken and pork tenderloin for our freezer, squash, carrots, apples, pears, greens, and cheese). Ended my trip with a delicious glass of Nugget’s Kombucha – mint flavor!!
M and I walked home and he burst into tears the minute we got inside. WHEW!
For lunch I made a smoked salmon + cheddar + caper sandwich on Cville Crunch. My favorite sandwich lately!
Plus a bunch of Matt’s canned green beans on the side. What IS it about canned green beans that is so good!?
Lemonade season is almost over…
M and I played for a while after lunch.
I’m teaching him about his grasp reflex! I don’t know that much about baby development and what is instinct/reflex and what is intentional, but he is getting so interactive! He grabs at my face and my shirt, he smiles lots now (after feedings), and whether or not he was wiggling around this monkey on purpose or not I do not know, but it was very cute : )
This afternoon, Matt and I hosted a pumpkin beer tasting!!! We did one other one in the past here and I have written about my favorite pumpkin beers here along with Matt’s homebrew recipe!
Rob and Seamane brought their tiny tasting glasses – such tasting professionals. I had scant tastes of each, so it wasn’t overall that much beer.
New friends Sarah, John and baby S joined us. I met Sarah at my mother’s group!
And it wouldn’t be a beer tasting without Seamane and Rob : )
Today’s Best Of Show:
The tasting was great, and we shared opinions and snacks with friends. I put out some Caromont Farm Cheese and some of our Potato Sourdough for palate cleansing plus trail mix and EVOO for dipping. Friends brought maple smoked cheese and veggies in a greek yogurt + jalapeno dip! I ate so much cheese, bread and almonds!
I’m planning to do an entire separate post on the results of the tasting (I took great notes!) so stay tuned for that in the next few days!
After the tasting, our tasting friends left and other friends – Kirsten, Todd and baby C – arrived!
We decided to order pizza and make salad for a simple dinner.
Belmont Pizza!
And Radical Roots greens with pear and spiced pecans in a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.
It was so fun to have the two babies at dinner. They both made cute noises and kept us all entertained. Not too much crying at all!
Later tonight, Grammie Buzz and Grand PePaw are coming for another quick weekend visit!! Maze is super excited : )
{ 76 comments… read them below or add one }
Since you seem to be a brew expert, are you and Matt aware of any gluten free pumpkin beers out there? I’ve had on luck finding any in stores, or online.
I haven’t heard of any…I will see if he has
I haven’t heard of any GF pumpkin beers but there are some really good hard apple and hard pear ciders out there (beyond Woodchuck). You could even make a mixed beer drink with hard cider, pumpkin puree, and pie spice. It might be worth a try!!
All that pumpkin beer is making me want to have a tasting party myself! I can’t wait to see the results
Such a fun-filled day!
The weather looks great and it looks like you guys are having a ton of fun. Everything look so YUMMY
Is the drive fairly reasonable for your parents to visit? Always wonder that when I have kids…
Yeah 3 hours, 15. Pretty too!
Awesome post and love the big get together with friends, beer, food, fun times…perfect weekend plans!
And yes, sun in baby’s eyes makes everyone miserable. They will definitely let you know about it when the don’t like the sun in their eyes
Glad that cover works like a charm.
And mint kombucha…okay interesting! I don’t tend to flavor the kombucha I make, just keep it plain and have had fruity or floral or berry-ish, but never mint!
Love the idea of a pumpkin beer tasting! Definitely going to have to steal that idea. My husband and I home brew too. We just finished our pumpkin ale- and I have a love for pumpkin beer so I’m curious to read your post on the winners.
After a week in Vegas eating delcious, yet heavy food, that salad is soo appealing! Definitely not the beer! Can’t wait to read your recap, though!
Nothing like a side salad with pecans and pears! Yum! You can’t get pumpkin bear in Ireland at all, would love to try it, hard to even imagine what it must taste like!! Hopefully Mazen falls in to a more consistent pattern with the sleeps! I’m sure waking up to his gorgeous face makes up for the lack of sleep!
What kind of group does your mother have? You seem to meet so many people there! Is Sarah from your mother’s town?
It’s a mother’s group like a group for new moms to get together – here in Cville!
From Rachel’s two comments, it looks like she was gently teasing you for your grammar. My Mother’s group = a group belonging to your mother. My mothers’ group = a group belonging to many mothers, including you.
Well this mother has a lot on the brain these days. A little disrespectful…
Well I for one, am enjoying your wonderful posts!
I have to say that anyone with half a brain would realize that the group you were referring to is for young mothers esp. given that the ladies you meet also happen to have lil’ ones in tow! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!!
I too am enjoying your posts and admire how much you are doing! I agree with Sandra that it is obvious what group you were talking about – no need to “correct” somebody’s grammer. Who would even think of that??!!
Caring for a newborn is serious work! I can’t believe you are able to blog once a week, let alone once a day, sometimes twice on baby Kerf! I would cook then eat a delicious meal then forget the ingredients. You seem so organized, do you take notes at each meal? Rachel was probably just trying to have a little fun prompting your grammar. You have the best replies to some comments, your sense of humor shines right through your writing style. Maybe she was trying to emulate your comment style? Kerf readers are all so supportive, I don’t think she meant disrespect. How can grammar be disrespectful? I’m sure there’s a funny knock-knock joke in there somewhere. “The disrespectful grammar said to her mom…”
Ohhh, a mothers’ group. Gotcha. That must be so great for a new mom!
I love scalloped potatoes and those sound amazing! And what a fun night, doing your own beer tasting! I’ve only done that at restaurants with beer flights
Love the idea of a pumpkin beer tasting! FUN!
I have only tried one, the Blue Moon one, and I didn’t like it much. Looking forward to trying some of the others!
Am I reading correctly that you had THREE sets of visitors in one day?? Whew!! Looks like each was a fun time, though =)
i can’t get over how much it seems like your little one is growing. he always looks so cozy too! what a fun filled day. i’d like to know your secret, too, about meeting so many people! i definitely wanna join a mothers group when the time comes.
What a fun idea! Those scalloped potatoes look amazing, I have yet to find the perfect recipe for homemade, they are hubby’s favorite!
So excited to hear about your pumpkin beer tasting! We are having one next weekend and I can’t wait we have so many different varieties!
Maze is getting so cute! Not that he hasn’t always been adorable, but his features are really starting to come out! I don’t know a lot about this, but it always seems to me like babies look pretty similar for the first 4 weeks or so, or like it take a little while for their unique features get a little clearer.
You can see so much personality in his face these days, and I think he looks like a perfect little mixture of you & Matt.
Hope you get a chance to catch up on sleep soon!
(PS-OBSESSED with the Dharma Baby onesie… I hope that’ll still be relevant by the time I have a little one. If not, I guess it’ll just have to pass as retro!)
Matt getting that enthusiastic about scallopped potatoes just goes to show that you’re two foodies having found each other. I wonder whether Mazen will become a foodie, too
?! Maybe it’s in the genes 
.
Such cuties! How exciting that he’s started socially smiling
Oh man, you have me craving Barney Butter AND pumpkin beer! I just realized that I haven’t had one yet this season.
There’s so many cute babies in this post!
Such a sweet picture of Mazen peeking through the car seat cover!!
Mazen is growing into such a handsome little man! Great timing with the farmer’s market and his tear expiration. You’ve almost got it down to a science!
what a lovely day!
Is Maze on his knees?
Yeah, bent legs. It does look funny!
We did a pumpkin beer tasting a few weeks ago. I did love the PumKing and also the Sam Adams Harvest pumpkin. I discovered the New Holland brew in our store, which made me so excited because we had some fantastic meals there labor day weekend. How is there pumpkin beer?
Ooo this makes me want to host a pumpkin beer tasting, too!
Huge fan of the Jacques Au Lantern!
I had never clicked your overnight oats link before (I know…lazy reader!), and I always assumed it was oatmeal- cooked. I was surprised to see it is actually a delicious variation of a Swiss muesli. Love that! I will definitely be perusing your different variations for inspiration and giving it a try. Also will be paying more attention in the future to your breakfast.
I’m curious – I have never had canned green beans before but have always been skeptical of any canned vegetables. Would you recommend any supermarket brand or do you think their deliciousness comes from the homegrown bean + homemade canning process?
I think they’re all pretty much the same. They have a cafeteria essence to them – I also love canned corn!
Oh man, I have been waiting for someone to say this but I haven’t seen anyone yet – I HATE canned green beans! I find them disgusting! Haha. I love that you guys made your own, though. Maybe they taste better that way? I find it pretty hilarious that you foodies love your canned green beans
(I know they’re super healthy, they just have an aura of, well, you used a good descriptor in “cafeteria”)
I know it’s totally weird to like them, and I totally get why anyone would hate them !
Oh, I have eating homemade canned beans my entire life & I think there is such a huge difference between store-bought canned & home canned. My in-laws have a massive garden and keep us stocked with green beans all year long. They are wonderful!
Just my opinion!
We just did Sarah’s wedding flowers! And now I remember she had told my mom about the mothers’ group too…didn’t know it was yours! I’ll have join you guys once babe gets here!
Oh fun! Yes if you’re not a member, email me and ill invite you. I went while pregnant!
Love all the babies in this post! This post shows how both babies AND parents get to have fun during playdates.
So much baby cuteness in this post!!
I have a little one a month older than Mazen, so I understand how busy you must be right now–I hardly get anything done on top of caring for my daughter and working full-time!–but I have to say, it bothers me how many grammar mistakes you make. I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’m an English teacher, and it’s a pet peeve of mine. I just feel like if you make a living off your blog, you should take some time to proofread. (the mother’s vs. mothers’ and pee pie vs peep-eye) Just some constructive criticism made with love from a longtime reader.
Oh boy I am looking forward to the pumpkin beer review!!
Kath. I love your blog and am completely dumbfounded that you are able to get these amazing posts up daily with a newborn. Keep up the amazing work. U will never please everyone and I happen to think a few grammar mistakes here and there makes u more human and relate able. I have said it before and will say it again. U r an inspiration. Btw I didn’t even catch the mothers group thing.
Looks like you had a great weekend! I still have yet to drink a pumpkin beer, but after seeing so many references to its deliciousness on your blog, I think I am convinced! Will try one this week!
Yum! All your snacks look de-lish! No pumpkin beers in Korea yet:( But we do have a place called Craftworks which is like foreigner heaven, grabbing a craft brew (latest and greatest a super dark with notes of coffee/dark chocolate/and yes…BEER…three faves!). We can’t wait to see M’s halloween costume!
I think the RIE approach to childcare/infant development is really interesting. I find myself reading this blog when I have questions for my 3 year old — http://www.janetlansbury.com/
my boyfriend and i have been taste testing pumpkin beers for a while now. Southern Tier Pumpking is our favorite – hands down!
I love overnight oats with nut butter!! It is so easy to make and so delicious
And it is such a good idea use nut butter glasses!
Wow, Busy day!!
Have you tried Cigar City’s Good Gord pumpkin ale? It’s the best I’ve ever had!
I haven’t seen that one!
Wow! Would you believe it… I just bought my first jar of almond butter yesterday? Well, first jar in over 2-3 years. I’ve always just made it myself but I broke down and bought some no-stir jarred stuff. I’m so looking forward to making overnight oats in it in a couple of weeks!
I’m excited to hear what you have to say about the New Holland because that’s our local brewery and I haven’t got to try their pumpkin ale this fall because I am still pregnant
Dogfish Head was my favorite last year though. Looking forward to the post because as a fellow pumpkin beer lover I will be vicariously living through you!
I can’t get enough pumpkin! Hope your visit with the grandparents was great!
We are doing this on Saturday. I am so excited. I have been collecting beers and trying hard not to drink them before Saturday. My favorite so far is Schlafly. http://schlafly.com/beers/styles/pumpkin-ale/
My husband who hates pumpkin even did a batch of homebrew for me. We are taking it a step futher and doing pumpkin themed foods too and craving pumpkins.
That’s in my top 3 as well but it was sold out in every store around here!
My husband is a sales rep for several wines products so he is in grocery stores all the time. The beer guy at our local Whole Foods knows I love Schlafly and has been telling my husband whenever the shipments come in. Guess I kind of lucky!
That Autumn Spice granola looks SO good! And that last picture of Mazen is too cute. Glad you guys had such a fun day!
The scalloped potatoes look amazing…but ONIONY??!
Yeah, didn’t like that part!
We are trying Rivertown Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale tonight (a brewery out of Cincinnati). Can’t wait. Headed to Jungle Jim’s this Thursday, and I will be looking for pumpkin ale!!!
Side note: How is it that Mazen gets more and more adorable?
Mint kombucha is different. I have to try this!…actually, find this! Haha. What a fun day and a perfect way to end it with pumpkin beer!
When I was reading the part about how you barely made it home before “M” burst into tears, for a minute I thought you were talking about Matt! I was shocked for a minute – why is Matt crying? And then I realized you were clearkly talking about Mazen. Ha! That made me laugh..I obviously need some coffee this morning!
After your first mention of Pumpking earlier this year and as a HUGE pumpkin beer fan, I hunted down a distributor and bought a case to last all winter. It is so good and by far my favorite! I now have several coworkers hooked too, thanks for the awesome recommendation!
That is so cute how Mazen always points his index finger!
I like smoked salmon! I never have it on-hand, though.
Pumpkin beer tasting? Genius! I think it’s safe to say you like pumpkin flavors more than anyone I know. ha.
Wow. I’ve never seen so many pumpkin beers in one place! I will have to look for that Pumpking. Right now, my favorite pumpkin beer is Shipyard Pumpkinhead. Have you ever tried it? Tastes like pumpkin pie in a bottle.
what a beautiful baby!