Today specifically we remember those that have lost their lives in fighting for our country. While I personally do not believe that war is the answer to our problems nor our place, I am grateful and admire deeply those that have the faith and courage to fight for what they believe. More than anything I pray for those that have been left behind and are missing their family member or friend.

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The weekend itself was a fairly successful one in that we did some house projects and just got a chance to relax and be home. Friday afternoon was supposed to be full of activities, but instead we stayed in, watched The Captive with Ryan Reynolds (pretty good, but you might not want to watch if you plan to have kids) and made some Butternut Squash Soup. The best part of the soup was it we had it for lunch on Saturday & Sunday.

On Saturday we woke up early and made our pancakes (duh), full of blueberries, walnuts, oats and chocolate chips. So good I want one now (maybe I will request it for lunch). By 10:30am Andrew got to mowing the lawn and I cleaned and potted some flowers. I am starting to get the hang of these arrangements. The key I think is adding leafy greens and just a few flower statements. My mother is a wiz and I am always jealous with what she comes up with, but I think I may have finally hit the mark (although I wouldn't be surprised if my mother ended up having some constructive criticism, sigh, if only I was as perfect as her). On Sunday I finally got a second coat on our four ADK Chairs and Andrew painted our kitchen door that goes into the mudroom. Previously it was just wood, which I didn't mind at all, but now that it is a creamy white, I love it! It now has a country feel and makes the room even cozier.

In addition to a heavenly soup and mouth watering pancakes, we also went to Smoke Signals for their homemade veggie burger (extra fries) and drinks with our friends. Totally missed taking a photo as I may have been a bit tipsy and a lot of bit hungry. For a drink I highly recommend the Spicy Mezcalita because it truly is spicy and has jalapenos and obviously add the homemade barbecue sauce with habaneros to your dish!!

Sunday morning what was supposed to be a simple black bean dip on toast turned into a gourmet breakfast sandwich with the works (avocado, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, chevre & fried egg).

We finished off the night with our ultimate Veggie Sandwich. The portion size is probably overkill, but when we start to eat it we really have a hard time stopping! Includes: Eggplant, Zucchinni, Yellow Squash, Onion, Tomatoes, Red Bell Pepper, Avocado, Black Bean Dip, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Snack prep for Monday : Potatoes/Bell Peppers/ Yellow Onion/ Garlic - colorful deliciousness and the perfect snack, cold or warm.

You will start to notice a pattern in my favorites ingredients and you might say it is repetitive. Well of course it is, but isn't most everything we eat, whether we are vegetarian or meat lovers. From first to fifth grade I ate a Salami Sandwich with mozzarella cheese, red bell peppers, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce with a Capri Sun and a Prince Polo for dessert, EVERY SINGLE DAY. I could probably eat the same thing every day now, but between Andrew and I, he is typically the first to get bored or get turned off by a repetitive meal, so I try not to push it (like I did once with zucchini black bean quesadillas). It is all about how you prep it and present it.