There's something unctuous about lamb. Paired with Moroccan and Turkish spices and a full-bodied wine like Cultivar Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon it's a sumptuous treat. In the summer, I stuffed sweet peppers with lamb and tomatoes. Now in the fall, I'm filling portobello mushrooms with apple and lamb.    

Life moves quickly with a child. The only way to really appreciate it is through still photographs--images that capture the essence and the emotion of a place and time. Yesterday we sat down as a family behind a camera on a tripod and captured a moment of us as a family for our 2014 Holiday cards and for Gates' monthly portrait.    

November is the perfect time to reflect on what we have and to appreciate those in our lives who support us. Before we get caught up in the pressure to buy things advertisers and the media say we need to be happy, let's spend the next thirty days focused on defining our needs, truly seeing the extraordinary in our everyday, and adopting a mindset where we look for the positive in our daily life.