Makin' A Stink

Now that Halloween has come and gone, I have been going through pictures that we took of our little trick-or-treaters. I have to say that the images of my son are particularly amusing. He was a skunk, and not too thrilled about it either ...

Here he is reluctantly showing off his tail.

This was his expression in most of the photos ... making a big stink about being a skunk.

And here he miraculously perked up when he found out CANDY was involved!

I cannot deny that this store bought costume was more for the entertainment of my husband and myself. Whew ... we couldn't stop laughing! He walked around like he was a run-over skunk rather than a woodland creature.

We had loads of fun this All Hallows Eve as we went on a scavenger hunt at church and of course trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. My daughter received a lot of compliments on her mommy-made costume and flaming red hair, and our son received a lot of chuckles. Another successful Pumpkin Day under our belts, and a TON of candy left to consume!

Happy Little Jack-O-Lanterns

Despite being sick for the greater part of October, we finally did make it out to the pumpkin patch as a family. It is always a joy to watch the kids choose their pumpkins and run around in the corn maze.

Oh, how I love these happy little jack-o-lanterns of mine!

I chose these warty mini-pumpkins for my window boxes. Their bumpy texture makes me smile.

The splash of orange from the pumpkins is in perfect contrast to the dark purple-green of the coral bells. Our dog, Gracie, seems to agree.

Part Of That World

It was the neatest thing ... meeting this spirited mermaid. She had the most beautiful voice. Her day-glo red hair was blinding in the sunlight. And her scaly fins sparkled brilliantly as she swam in the mysterious fathoms below.

She told me all about her life under the sea. About her friend the newt who plays the flute and about a carp who plays the harp ...
...she described her secret underwater grotto where she keeps all of her human treasures ...

... and she sang about her deep longings to be a part of our world ...

But with such lovely fins, it's hard to understand why she would want to become one of us.

Autumnal Textures

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz


Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot


For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. ~Edwin Way Teale


Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps


Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus


No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
~John Donne

Mother/Son/Pumpkin Date

One of the benefits of my daughter going to school is that I get to spend more time with my son. There are times where he is easily overshadowed by his big sister who has a big personality, and I have enjoyed getting to know him better.

Today we went on a mother/son date to the pumpkin patch. Along with a few other moms and kids from church, we had exclusive reign over the farm. And boy did we have fun ...

... picking out the perfect pumpkin ...

... and thinking that this smiley scarecrow couldn't scare anything away...

... and eating our lunch on a bale of hay while the kids rummaged through bins of knobby gourds. We have yet to go out to the patch as a family, but I am grateful for the time I had with just my boy.

Mum's The Word

I couldn't stand it any longer! The hot pink petunias and periwinkle lobelias just didn't fit in with the whole Autumn thing anymore, so I ripped them out of my flower box to replace them with some more season friendly colors. Don't worry, they were dying out anyway. As I took out the massive amounts of lobelias, I discovered that my poor perennial grasses were over taken by the showy annuals. I think they enjoyed seeing the light of day again.

I am happy to say that I LOVE the new flowers, mainly mums, that are joyfully showing off right now. The combination of the greenish-purple leaves of the coral bells and the lilac and sunset hued mums is striking. And I can't wait to prop some miniature pumpkins on the window boxes to fill out the space. It's just what I wanted!

While I was busy yanking out the old flowers, I kept seeing something dark and moving out of the corner of my eye. Much to my delight, it was a little frog that had taken up shelter in the damp forest of foliage. He was so cute, I named him "Bernard". Then I saw a second frog, his wife I presume, in the same planter and I named her "Bertha", "Bertie" for short. I let them hang out in the box while I was busy planting the new flowers, but without the shelter of the old ones, they promptly jumped out.

Bertie (in front) and Bernard before they disappeared, probably in search of a cozy little hideaway.

This evening I plan to enjoy a cup of hot cider to celebrate my gardening accomplishments, and soak in every moment of this beautiful season.

Sketching Fins

SuperCat Rangi already knows what she is going to be for Halloween!

Here we are almost a week into October and I am suddenly feeling the crunch to get costumes for the kids! My son could care less what he will be, but my daughter is BIG on dressing up to go door-to-door to show off her latest getup. And since she seems to have the terrible flu that is going around, having her home makes this week the perfect time to get started.

I do this to myself every year ... I have to make or assemble a costume to top all others and this year will be no exception. Last year I was pretty pleased with the job I did on her Tinkerbell costume, but this time we are going extravagant: Ariel the Little Mermaid!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to figure out how to make a mermaid costume - complete with fins - that is modest, warm and that she can walk in. Hmm ... thank heavens for flesh colored polar fleece!

The Orange Month

This is the first day of my favorite month of the year. To me, October is unlike any other month, right down to its smell. And strangely, I always think of it as "The Orange Month". Today I was able to enjoy a chilly October morning by taking a walk with my son through the park. Together we collected acorns, breathed in the cool foggy air, and made footprints in the frosty grass.

The celebration didn't stop there.

We sipped Starbucks - a Pumpkin Spice latte for me and a hot chocolate for him - and wiped whipped cream off our noses. We carefully selected a "Fairytale" pumpkin for our front yard, and plan to decorate the house later today for Autumn. I painted my fingernails a deep purple, and I am feeling cozy in my favorite cashmere sweater. All in all, today has been a lovely dream.

This type of pumpkin is actually called a "Fairytale" pumpkin. It looks like it would have had a happy home in the pumpkin patch in Cinderella. It is a muted orange with gray in the creases and actually looks hand painted. The perfect start to the Autumn season!

Fresh Pear Still Life

The image of this trio inspires me to get back into painting. I'm thinking watercolor!

It seems with the change of season I also have a change in taste buds. Now that it is Autumn I start craving things with cinnamon, pumpkin and a hearty texture. These pears are calling to me. Should I make a pear & sour cherry clafoutis? Perhaps a fresh pear pie? Or a coffee cake? The possibilities are endless.

But for now, I just enjoy gazing upon them as they sit ripening on my kitchen table.

Ah, L'automne!

Longing for fall.

Blog Fodder

Rained Out

Our annual family camping trip was this last (Labor Day) weekend. It almost didn't happen because of the weather report: in the low 60s with rain and showers Saturday AND Sunday. We powered through until about Sunday, then several of us had had enough sogginess and many went home a day early due to the constant rain. You might say it really put a damper on things ... ha! We couldn't sit outside and roast marshmallows or go play in the lake. And when everyone in our party just stayed in their trailers instead of socializing, the purpose of the trip wasn't fulfilled. Still it was great to see everyone and I'm glad we got to use our tent trailer one more time before we have to button it up for the winter.

Our very sad and lonely campfire. (Note the unused boats in the background)

Shopping My Closet

I have been going through my clothes and sorting out things to donate, trying things on to create new ensembles, and making lists of things I would like to acquire. In doing so, I have realized that my Fall/Winter clothes are lacking in a variety of color. I am a "Winter", meaning the colors that look best on me are from the Winter palette such as black, gray, ivory, navy, red, wine and chocolate - which I have plenty of garments in these shades. Fortunately, I look good in jewel tones such as turquoise, azure, raspberry and butter yellow. Which brings me to my coveted color of the season: marigold.

After seeing Sandra Bullock wear a cardigan this cheery and rich shade in The Proposal, I have desired something very similar.

It may be just a temporary want, after all last year I had a brief affair with the color eggplant (that quickly passed), but I just will not be satisfied until I have something this color this season.


OxiClean

Seriously, this stuff is awesome! For example: just last week I bought my daughter a brand new pair of tennis shoes that she needed for school and she wore them camping. Needless to say, they ended up begrimed and unrecognizable. I wasn't going to stand for that! I took a wash bin and filled it with lukewarm water and a little bit of OxiClean. After letting the shoes to soak for a while, I scrubbed at the mud with a brush and popped them into the washing machine. After a run in the machine they were as good as new ... no joke! I also like to use a scoop of it with every load of wash I do.


Foux Du FaFa


With my favorite shows being reruns during the summertime, I have resorted to either watching nothing or exploring my Netflix options. And while at the local library one day, my son picked up a CD by a band called Flight of the Conchords. As it turns out, this "band" (who dubbed themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo") is actually an award comedy act who have an HBO series, and two seasons are available on DVD. After checking out the CD and listening to their comedic tunes I had to see what the show was all about. I am just now getting through the second season and I am quite impressed with all the wit and clevernesss - not to mention the New Zealand jokes. It's about two naive guys from New Zealand who are trying to make it as musicians in New York and they face many of life's obstacles like eviction, girl troubles, an obsessed fan and a not-so-bright band manager.

I'm hooked! So ... when does season three come out?

No Tricks Here ... Just Treats

The stunning six year-old Wonder Woman on the right is me. Really! Apparently my Kindergarten teacher didn't recognize me when I wore this costume to school. The dark curly wig was a great disguise. And yes, those are Wonder Woman Underoos I am wearing. Thank you for such a great costume Mom and Dad!

Happy Halloween everyone! It seems like October went by so fast; in fact I am already seeing Christmas commercials on TV. This morning started out as the perfect October day, but as the day went on it has started to feel like November (it turned cold, windy and the sky is very overcast). My favorite month of the year is about to end ... so sad.

My son has been a real grump this week since he has been sick, but we did manage to get a few photos of him in his pirate costume. Of course he squirmed and whined and didn't cooperate very well. He wouldn't keep the scarf or the hat on his head, but he did love the sword. Here are a few selections from our photo session:

Ahoy, Matey! I think he looks like such a little boy here and not a baby.

Our Little Swashbuckler!

This one is my favorite.

This year is our only son's second Halloween. I thought it would be fun to post a photo from last year. My goodness they grow so fast don't they?

2007: 7 month-old Yoda. Of course Mommy helped with the light saber graphics!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

A Tinker Fairy Pictorial

Alright! I have been excited to do this post for some time now and the time is here. Halloween pictures! Now you may be thinking "But it's not Halloween yet"'. You're right - but we take Halloween costumes seriously in our household. We take our growth in photography skills seriously too.

This year I made most of my daughter's Tinkerbell costume. I started with a sketch; then I made the dress, painted ballet slippers green and added pompoms, and even converted a Hannah Montana wig into Tinkerbell hair! How could I not take a ton of photos to display my handy work?

This is my sketch. Of course my daughter isn't as curvy as the real Tinkerbell, but you get the idea.

While featuring this year's costume for my daughter, I thought I would post some from the past few years. I like seeing how our photography skills have developed and how much our little girl has grown. We haven't taken Halloween portraits of our son yet because he has had the stomach flu, so be watching for those in a later post!

I like how this photo features the whole costume.

A curious Tinker Fairy.

Watch out! Tinkerbell is mad. I actually didn't have to do much to this photo because of a cool new trick my husband used to give it that dreamy look.

My daughter has always been a ham!

2007: 3 year-old Snow White.

2006: 2 year-old Cinderella.

2005: 17 month-old Princess Leia. Yes, I helped a little with the pink light saber!

2004: 5 month-old lamb. Love those cheeks!

As you can tell we have a lot of fun taking these! Thank you for humoring me.

Enchanting Pumpkins

With Halloween coming up in less than a week, I am aware of how much I haven't done yet to prepare. Yes we have our pumpkins, but I haven't even considered what to do with them. Some years we carve them and some years we are too lazy. Since I have my daughter's costume made and my son's costume purchased, I am looking for great carving ideas.

I am looking for something a little different from my norm: which is very simple shapes to form a not-so-scary face. I am looking for something clever but not too difficult. My fruitful search resulted in these:

The Midnight Hour: Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage

Haunted Abodes: Oddly shaped pumpkin houses

Aren't they amazing? You can see more ideas at the Hallmark Magazine website. Of course the staging and photography makes them look even more enchanting. I am thinking a little village of pumpkin houses would be amazing on my front walk.

Funny Farm

Fall brings out all kinds of instincts in me. I tend to want to nest, to bake, and to do craft projects. I love to be snuggled up in a blanket and sipping tea while visiting with loved ones or watching television. Every year around this time I always crave a certain movie to watch that makes me feel homey: Funny Farm with Chevy Chase.

I can't really explain why I desire to watch it every year, it's not particularly remarkable. It's about a sports writer from Manhattan who, along with his wife, buy a house in the country so he can write Great American Novel and they can start a family. Naturally, being a Chevy Chase movie things go terribly wrong - think National Lampoon's Vacation movies - and they discover the hardships of living in the small town of Red Bud. I am not a country girl, I am not a city girl either; but this movie makes me feel cozy. I love their little house, I love the property the house sits on, I love the gazebo in the middle of town. Yup, I am a sucker for that sort of thing: an idyllic existence. It makes me want to run a quaint inn in Vermont or something. Or at least stay in one.

This year I became somewhat fixated on trying to find this movie on DVD and buying it so I could watch it whenever I want. Boy was I glad that I found a new copy for $5.99 at Sam Goody; I didn't want to hash out twenty bucks for something filmed in 1988! I am pleased to say that I have already watched the movie while sitting on the couch, sipping hot tea and crocheting scarves.

In a month and a half I imagine I will be doing the same thing, but to a different movie with Chevy Chase: Christmas Vacation. A holiday classic!

The Great Pumpkin

It is an annual tradition for our family to go to the pumpkin patch. Four of the five years we have gone we go to a small, family owned farm not too far from where we live and I love to bring them our business. They are so friendly, they remember us year after year, and they have a good selection of gourds. Below are a few photos of our trips to the pumpkin patch since 2004:

2004: Cornelius Family Farm

Our daughter was just 5 months old, and a bit grumpy in this photo.

2005: Davis Family Farm

Our daughter was 17 months old. It was a lot cooler and greener at this patch.

2006: Cornelius Family Farm

Our daughter was almost 2 1/2 and was really getting into pumpkin hunting.

2006: Our family portrait. You can't tell in this photo, but we had a little pumpkin of our own on his way.

2007: Cornelius Family Farm

Our daughter was almost 3 1/2 and our son was 7 months old. I love how sweet they are here.

2007: Our family portrait. I love this shot; we used it in our Christmas cards last year.

2008: Cornelius Family Farm

Our daughter is almost 4 1/2 and our son is 19 months. Silly kids!

2008: Our family portrait. Toward the end of the day the kids got tired and crabby and the sun was intense. We don't plan to use this photo for our Christmas card this year!

Year after year we have good memories of our pumpkin hunts, and it is so fun to look back and see how our family has changed over time. I can hardly wait until next year ...