Well. It's about that time of year. The one where I'm purposely avoiding thinking about the holidays/Christmastime. It's still maybe a bit too far away? But the house is getting so nice and chilly! And really, they're right around the corner... we just have to make it past Halloween. I'm completely enjoying the falling leaves and everything, but the pumpkins are starting to toy with my mind. It never fails that around mid-October, holidayish thoughts sneak into my mind when I'm not watching out. Like when I start making a mental list of Christmas treats to bake this year. Or when I get an email from my sisters saying let's talk about Christmas plans. (yaaaay!) Or when I catch myself daydreaming about bringing the Christmas boxes up from the basement (this starts in August, I think). Or this morning when all of a sudden I was on Amazon looking at possible Christmas presents for Hadley, and again this afternoon when a brilliant gift idea for Grant hit me-- note to self: don't forget about that one.

Anyone else fighting the Christmas urge yet? Some of you don't even fight it, which is great. But I like the holding back- this stretch of the year that makes me wait. For me it makes the arrival, when it finally gets here, that much more satisfying.

So, in the mean time, I will keep drinking hot tea, making soups, watching the leaves tumble, and maybe pinning some Christmasy things while I wait for "the arrival." Speaking of soups, here's my current favorite. It's classic broccoli cheese, but without any fake cream of crud soups involved. And it's been bolstered with a few more veggies and quinoa. Broccoli cheese soup is one of my comfort foods, and this one does not disappoint. The taste is just right, so satisfying, and there's no extra steps like putting it in a blender before serving. The quinoa is completely optional, but we really like it.