Hint taken

Yesterday I got a not-so-subtle message from the Neighborhood Home Owners Association
(in the form of an urban raccoon)
that it was time to take the pumpkins off the porch.

May your days be merry and bright

A few weeks ago we made our annual trek here:

With our friends Rod and Anna to ride the festive bus driven by cheerful Official Santa's Helper Ernie:

Out into the field to find the perfect tree:

Which we cut down, dragged back to the lodge and loaded into that machine that shakes all the loose needles off and wraps it up in twine:

(Oh, and we also saw Santa) The trees were loaded onto the cars and we pulled out of the parking lot just as it started sleeting.
This time of year it's easy to believe that that may have possibly been a tiny Christmas Miracle.

Elf-ish

My friend Denise has a darling daughter, Riley. Yesterday, they had the funniest conversation in the car:

Elvis singing on the radio: "Here comes Santa Claus
Here comes Santa Claus
Right down Santa Claus way."
Radio Announcer: "That was Elvis singing 'Here Comes Santa Claus'"
Riley: "What kind of elf is he? He has an awfully deep voice."

Right about then, Denise laughed coffee through her nose.

Just couldn't resist

Thanks for the idea, Mary!

The world would be a better place...

...if everyone had their own Turkey Leg Crown to wear on Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone had a cozy and warm, bountiful and blessed, loving and wonderful Thanksgiving.

(cue the Christmas music)

Thanksgiving Garland

Though this craft does not involve a sweet treat, I love it! What a great twist on the Christmas paper chain. I only wish I had seen it earlier, it would have been a nice activity for the month of November- next year for sure! Click here for the super simple tutorial on Tangled and True.

The Glee is back in my life

Something unexpected that happened while I was on maternity leave was that I watched a lot more TV than usual. It seemed ultimately indulgent to curl up in a comfy chair and nurse and cuddle and nap with Soren and watch Judge Judy or whatever was on the History Channel or maybe a Made-For-TV Movie on the Lifetime Network. Delicious.
I happened to catch the season premier of 'gLee' and I was hooked. The Glee was missing from my life for several weeks while baseball was on, but last night 'gLee' was back.

Top 7 Favorite Things I Like About This Show:

1- It is set in Ohio. Lima, Ohio to be exact. I'm not sure where that is, but every time they mention that they are in Ohio, it feels like when you're at the concert of a really cool band and the lead singer announces how great it is to be in (insert the name of your town) and the whole crowd screams "Woohoooo".

2- The characters attend William McKinley High School. William McKinley was my grandmother's cousin. Another "WooHoooo" moment.

3- My favorite character is Sue Sylvester the cheerleading coach. She's wicked crazy.

4- My second favorite character is Emma Pillsbury, the obsessive/compulsive, germ-phobic guidance counselor.

5- My third favorite character is Principal Figgins. Hysterical Pakistani guy.

6- The "cool" couple is Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson. Quinn and Finn. Hee hee.

7- Though I am typically not a fan of musicals ('The Wizard of Oz' and 'The Sound of Music' being notable exceptions) the singing fits naturally into the story line because... well, it's about a Glee Club.

*Disclaimer: There are some dubious moral messages in the show. For instance, in this week's episode they are having a bake sale to raise money to charter a 'handicapable' bus so the whole club can ride to a competition together, including Artie who is in a wheelchair. The bake sale is a flop until they make cupcakes laced with marijuana and that seems to be passed off as okay. Maybe that's why it comes on late at night... Whew- these days 9 o'clock is past my bedtime.

Get a load of these cuties

For this month's Stampin' Up Club swap, I made Nugget Turkeys (the idea for which I got from Splitcoaststampers and this blog) and 'Happy Harvest' covered peanut butter cups (!).
Obviously I'm a sucker for any craft that involves sweet treats.
The best part is giving them away.

Halloween Update

Apparently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids stand in front of the TV with their mouths hanging open too. Or I guess it is possible that it's Brad who enjoys himself a little 'Yo Gabba Gabba'.

Personally I think Rod makes a much better DJ Lance (at least he's cleaner looking).

Crafty Treats

I got a lot of use out of my 'Batty For You' stamp set this year. I was thinking of my Card Club buddies when I filled and decorated the tin for Will's teacher. I made a batch of yummy Black Cat Cookies and wrapped some of them up for the kids in Will's class. I made a few cards to send the boys' Halloween pictures to the family. And I couldn't resist making a few of these Witch Hats I found on Split Coast Stampers- there are Reece's mini-peanut butter cups inside, People! So fun.

Rod Stewart is Totally Awesome!

I begged my friend Rod Stewart to dress up as DJ Lance Rock for Halloween. He resisted the idea at first, but he was glad he did when the kids at the hospital saw him and went berserk.

For those of you who don't have small children, DJ Lance hosts a show on Nick Jr called 'Yo Gabba Gabba' which is a completely bizarre and borderline annoying show with dancing monsters, swirling colors, and ambient music. Of course, if I don't flip through the channels fast enough and Will catches a glimpse of it, he will insist on watching... or standing in front of the TV with his mouth hanging open, whatever you call that.

We also had a little 'Wizard of Oz' vibe going on around the surgery center.
My friends at work are so cute!

"I think I smell candy!"...

...That's what Will said as we were getting ready to head to Westerville for our traditional Trick-or-Treating at Michael and David's (a.k.a. Batman and Robin) house.

And they're off!

Then it was time for a little basking by the fire pit and plundering of the treat bags.

Thank you, Rich and Vannessa, for another fun and festive Halloween!

You just might be a Midwesterner

How many pictures of yourself in front of the pumpkin tower at the Circleville Pumpkin Show do you have to have before you can consider yourself a true Ohioan?
I think this is number 6 for me.
This picture was taken from the top of the Ferris Wheel (not by me of course)

Time flies when you're....

This is how we all felt last Wednesday morning when mommy had to go back to work:

Maternity Leave is over and we're all adjusting.

A couple of weeks ago Will saw a wishing star (I think it was really an airplane, but whatever) and he told me his wish was that I didn't have to go back to work (oof- like a knife right through my Mommy heart).
It softens the blow that my fabulous hubby is a full-time, fully accredited, professional, bonded and insured Stay-at-Home Dad.
It also helps that I love my job and I spend my day with an awesome group of hard working people who are committed to the care of neglected children.

"Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world"
- St. Teresa of Avila

It's the Great Pumpkin!

We made it a point of going back to Pigeon Roost Farm again this year.

I think Will would live there if we let him.

Fall Foliage Part 2

We made it back to Bedford for the second weekend of the Fall Foliage Festival.
The highlights:

The Antique Car Parade
(made all the more sweet by the fact that it went right by my parents' house and we could watch it from the porch)

Another pony ride

Of course, the foliage
(this is my dad in costume for the tours he gives of the historic cemetery in town)

More cutie ghoulies from Jill Zieglemeier (love them!)

Another Fall Foliage Festival Weekend

So it's the first weekend of October and that means we pack up the car and make the annual trip to Bedford for the Fall Foliage Festival.
That means:

Soren's first long car trip

Will's first pony ride
(Grandpa: "William, do you want to ride a pony?" Will: "Sure, what's a pony?")

Decorating pumpkins with Grandma

Catching up with my favorite crafters and getting a few new Halloween decorations.

Frank by Jill Zieglemeier

Headless Witch by Jill Zieglemeier

Witch Pin Cushion by Debbie Burkey

The best thing about the Fall Foliage Festival is that it lasts 2 weekends, so next weekend we'll be back for more. Yippee!

A Star Is Born

A couple of weeks ago K.Photography came and took some pictures of Soren. We were thrilled with the result.

The girl's got talent, right? Thanks Kim!

'Tis the season...

for Apple Picking!

To celebrate the fall-fabulous weather, we drove to Utica, Ohio to pick apples at Barnstool Orchards.It is a picturesque little place, run by very nice people, and ideal for picking apples with small children who may not tolerate a lot of walking (Amazing how Will can run for hours at the park, but ask him to walk 10 feet at the market and suddenly "my feet are so tired"- ugh).

Note: this last photo was taken before I turned the infant seat around. No Child Endangerment here!