[whispering]

Sar-hey, Sar! Did you hear that? No? Listen again. I'll give you a clue. It's not so much what it is, as what it isn't. No whir of the washing machine on spin cycle, no "It's the ciiiiiiiircle of liiiiiiiife" from Dash's third Lion King viewing in as many days, no alphabet polka music coming from Keillor's Fisher Price play station, just.....silence. Sweet, sweet silence.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids as much as any other mom, but there's nothing quite like the sound of silence on a Sunday night to put your mind (and aching shoulders) at ease. With a few precious waking minutes left to the weekend, I found myself collapsed on the couch tonight, paging through the untouched paper, and stumbled across this op-ed, 'Our 'Mommy' Problem.' I thought it was worth writing a quick note to share, since it relates to ideas we have discussed about conflicting notions of motherhood in this day and age...

"Motherhood is no longer viewed as simply a relationship with your children, a role you play at home and at school, or even a hallowed institution. Motherhood has been elevated — or perhaps demoted — to the realm of lifestyle, an all-encompassing identity with demands and expectations that eclipse everything else in a woman’s life."

The other thing Sunday nights are great for? Pumpkin bread. Here's one, courtesy of Food52, that I'm enjoying as we speak. The grated apple keeps it super moist, but the top and sides get a little crusty, in that way the best breads do. The piece I'm eating now is warm, but I think it will also be great tomorrow morning, cold, over coffee and Disney ballads. XO

The Pumpkin Bread I Can't Stop Eating (their title, not mine, but I whole-heartedly agree)

via Food52

Makes 1 loaf, 6 to 8 servings

1cup sugar
1/2cup olive oil, extra virgin or any other kind
2eggs
1cup canned pumpkin puree
1good baking apple such as Cortland or Northern Spy, grated (you should have 1 cup grated apple)
3/4cup all purpose flour
3/4cup whole wheat flour
1/2teaspoon ground cloves
1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/4teaspoon baking powder
1/2cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan whatever way you please (I use Pam baking spray).
Whisk together the sugar and oil until blended, then add the eggs and pumpkin. Lay out two paper towels, stacked on top of one another. Lay the grated apples over the paper towels. Roll up the paper towels into a log and squeeze gently to remove excess juices from the apples. Add the grated apples to the pumpkin mixture and mix to combine.
In another bowl, stir together the flours, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Mix in the walnuts and let batter rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
When ready to bake, pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until the loaf is very dark and a tester inserted deep into the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool in pan for ten minutes, then turn onto rack to cool completely.