ghosts of halloweens past

there was a time when i didn't think much of halloween.
i don't understand the appeal of scary
and we don't "do" scary...
but we do "do" cute!

here is a look back at our little cuties over the years...

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

and finally 2011

my how they've grown!

a first

no school today,

so we enjoyed the slower pace.

breakfast at PCC,

bummin' around,

playdate this afternoon.

ok, i enjoyed the slower pace,

my kiddos were going totally nuts,

like caged rats going stir-crazy.

so we hit the park.

it was crisp and blustery, but dry.

my friend and i walked in circles

around the "woods" the kids were playing in.

they were little nature explorers,

finding hideouts in the brush.

and i thought - 

why are we not getting outside every day?

granted, we live in the NW...

it's rainy most days,

but still!

anyhow, today we got out 

and it was fabulous.

big win.

then tonight we had a first.

after nearly six years in our home

we finally have a fire in our fireplace!

so cozy, so warm, so lovely.

perfect end to an up and down (but mostly up) day.

the lines

i am getting comfortable with my face.

this is who i am.

this is where i've been.

i feel no need to cover it up with makeup,

an inactual mask.

i am making peace with what i see 

when i look in the mirror.

i look at myself and i wonder where

all these lines came from?

where is the girl i once was?

i wouldn't trade them.

not one.

these lines have been fashioned

from the spirit of my life.

the peaks and valleys are etched on my face.

and through it all do you know what i see?

smile lines.

it's joy.

amazingly, miraculously.

i have been created as a work of stunning originality.

and it reminds me of this song:

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true...I was made for you

from The Story by Brandi Carlile

embrace who He made you to be today.

there is no one better to be.

a welcome addition

i am blessed to have a 

thrifty and resourceful husband

who has been wanting me to have

 a sewing table for quite some time.

so, when he found a good sized table
 that was being given away (for free!),
he jumped at the chance.
yay!

now my sewing machine
(and accompanying paraphernalia)
has a home!

that means i can sew more regularly
because i don't have to put my machine away.
i can squeeze in a few stitches here and there.
i have a home base for my creative outlet!

it may not be much to look at (yet),
but i'm pretty excited about it!

come back to see some of the projects
 i have already managed to finish!

carving

this afternoon was filled with 

excited little voices 

as the pumpkins were carved!

each kiddo got to pick their own diagram,

scoop out the guts,

and daddy carved the design.

here is how they turned out:

moo-moo's tree

the boy-boy's googly face

the girly-girl's cat

the hubs' awesome cave

we love fall!

preserving

well, one of the things that has been 

happening around here

(between laundry, dishes, and kiddos)

is preserving!

my father-in-law shared 

a generous amount of fruit with us.

tons of apples, some plums,

 a good amount of tomatoes,

 and some rhubarb.

so here is some of what has come out:

from a small bowl of blackberries, 

picked by the kiddos and some friends, 

we made a jar of jam.

all of the tomatoes in the background were blanched 

and frozen to be used in place of canned tomatoes.

did you know that canned tomatoes 

are one of the seven most toxic foods?

some giant stalks of rhubarb became some delightful sauce.

 these plums were canned and dehydrated.  yum.

the apples will be tasty, chunky applesauce!

but now i must find a good, large hot water bath!

back from darkest peru

this school-year has started with a bang

and has definitely kept me on my toes.

i have managed to squeeze in 

quite a few delightful projects

(you'll have to come back for more on those),

but alas, my blogging has fallen to the wayside.

something had to...

today we had a lovely adventure 

to the local pumpkin farm.

here are some pictures of our fun afternoon.

i am so excited to share all of the 

fun projects in the works around here...

if only i have the time to come back

 and post them all!