Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin design by Audrey

Hallowmas, Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, Halloween... no matter what you call it, however you celebrate it- light your candles, mask your faces, make your soul cakes, and have a safe and fun one!

Pictures of our Halloween celebration and first-time 100% homemade costumes (yikes) to follow! 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Right Now

Right now, I'm loving...

...hand holding

...another chance to take advantage of last years' wood

...a budding zipper obsession

...dollhouse play

... pomegranates, pomegranates...

...and more pomegranates
Right now, I'm loving the chill in the air, rolling  my eyes at yet another weird warm-up coming, planning lots of fall squash dinners (with maybe some of this amazing meatloaf), and taking advantage of photo ops of kiddos in long sleeves... while it lasts!

Happy Monday!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Through the Lens of a Child

Audrey got a (kid-friendly) digital camera for her birthday from her Grammy and Gramps. The first day she had it, she took 206 pictures.

It was a most brilliant gift idea, as we have all seen her love of snapping photos.

Today, I bring you Audrey's World through the view of her camera lens* (actually, just a sampling... this may end up being a 'Part I Of Many' type of post, as she very regularly fills her memory card these days).













It's like having a glimpse into a completely different world, isn't it? Each time I upload her photos to my computer and scroll through them for the first time, I can't help but think that this must be how anthropologists feel when they find ancient murals depicting everyday life from a perspective they're so desperate to learn more about, yet find so tantalizingly out of reach. I can relate, and sometimes I think I may get just as excited when I get that little peek.

*None of these photos have been altered in any way

Monday, October 22, 2012

Right Now






 Right now, I'm...

...planning our weekly grocery list, and making sure we'll have the stuff to make some pumpkin soup, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin pancakes, and of course pumpkin pie this week.
...enjoying the supremely mild weather, and all the green we still have.
...listening to the kiddos play together outside, where they've spent most of their time for almost a week.
...feeling a little sore- even now- from our complete garage clean-out this weekend.
...still hearing the ringing in my ears from increasingly frequent temper tantrums as an 18-month-old begins exploring his boundaries and a 4-year-old continues to feel out hers *sigh*.
...soaking up fall squash in all it's beautiful forms- acorn squash on our window sills, butternut squash on the counter tops, and pumpkins of all forms and varieties, some carved, some placed carefully by small hands in meaningful spaces, and some roasted and pureed and waiting for their time to shine!
...cautiously moving away from paper towels and disposable napkins and stepping in to the world of cloth napkins... and we're liking it so far!
...reeling from the speed at which this most busy and beloved month has passed... is it only four weeks before Thanksgiving? Moocow.
...loving how my sweet boy has created a family expression sure to stick around for ages, how he so randomly and naturally works his little phrase into his daily 'conversations,' and how the ones he loves now seamlessly have incorporated it in to their lexicons as well (ie above nonsensical expression of moocow).

This Monday, as hard as it is for me to grasp, begins the last full week before November. We will be scurrying around prepping for a birthday, a wedding, and Halloween, of course, and hoping that we can absorb as much of October as we can before it bows out and yields the stage to the oncoming month of gathering and thanksgiving. It won't be a begrudged transition, however, because we have so much to be thankful for. Happy Monday.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Green Meadows Pumpkin Patch



















Oh, if not for the beauty of little family traditions, what would autumn be? I can't remember what this favorite season was before kids and pumpkin patches, but I know for a fact it was not half as vibrant, joyful, or exciting.

And now, to officially welcome the pumpkin recipes into our kitchen! Have I mentioned how much I love fall?