pumpkin overload

jack-o-lanterns carved
pumpkin pies baked
pumpkin seeds roasted



all halloween books read --
-- more than once

tomorrow we trick-or-treat

it has been raining a lot here lately
wet candies are no fun
hoping for clear skies on halloween night

The Procrastinating Apprentice

I've always been a procrastinator when putting together Halloween costumes, every year I plan our costumes for weeks only to come up with something new at the last minute. This year, to cut down on the costume rush, I set this weekend to be my costume-making deadline. Unfortunately, I forgot one important detail: we are attending a Halloween event tomorrow. Ahhh!!! Maku's costume is not quite ready. I still need to dye fabric, make a belt and sew his mask; so either I won't have time to make my costume, or I'll have twenty minutes or less to put together a really lame one.

This was Maku's first Halloween costume. He was supposed to dress up as a cute little pumpkin until I came up with Donald Trump.
The idea came to me the night before Halloween so I slaved through the night on this baby-friendly hair piece. I sewed pieces of Jin's old Rapunzel wig from four Halloweens ago onto a skull cap I made from Snow's ballet tights.
If The Donald could see this he would certainly approve of my version of his comb-over. And with a nod and a wink he'd say, "Seagrape, you're hired!"

love on the farm

Just pictures of my boys showing their affection :)

pickin' up pumpkin

Hot and hungry, we arrived at the farm. I was craving funnel cake; having tried some several years ago and remembering that it tasted fun. Snow, however, was quite intrigued by the elephant ears but since she isn't very fond of meat, she talked her brother into wanting some.
After a plate of cake and a piece of ear (that "tastes like very sugary bread" - because that's what it is really - fried dough sprinkled with sugar) we petted some animals, rode a train of buckets, and then headed to the pumpkin stands.

Maku spotted his pumpkin right away. Snow on the other hand had to touch

---------every----------------------single---------------------one---------

About an hour and 30 pumpkin suggestions later...when our patience was wearing thin...we finally had victory! The farmer even let us have Snow's pumpkin for free. First we thought it was because of its rotting stem but after looking around we noticed that the farm was already closed.

kicking into Halloween mode

a visit to the attic to dig out costumes and decorations

a tombstone made for our little worm friend

a trip to the farm to find that perfect pumpkin

Our household is officially into the spooky spirit of Halloween...let the countdown begin.

5 of 5

I was tagged by Blur Ting and the World According to Me on this one, so here goes:
5 things in my room

I try to keep my bedroom bare of anything (even color) except for a few essentials:
- a bed
- three very,very soft pillows (for me) and one soft one (for Dave)
- a glass of water
- a bottle of grapefruit lotion
- a paper chocolate bar and ice cream treats that Snow made for me one early Saturday morning to peel me out of bed

5 things I've always wanted to do
- live simply and sustainably (still try to every little way I can)
- make my own furniture
- have the discipline to stick to a raw food diet
- explore Asia and the South Pacific
- play piano and guitar fairly well

5 things in my bag

I took this picture weeks ago and never thought I would be posting it here. I bought this bag at a tack shop and was given horse treats for purchasing it. I am rarely around horses but my quest for a dust-and-weather-resistant-washable-but-stays-upright bag led me to an equestrian supply store. The children put rocks, dirt and partially eaten fruits in its outer pouches and it still looks and smells like new. I don't carry a lot with me, some of the things in this mini-barn bag are:
- my camera
- a key to my sister's house
- Maku's bucket hat
- a bunch of canvas shopping bags
- colored pencils

5 things in my wallet
- very little cash
- a receipt from Home Goods
- a couple of unused bandaids
- some cards -- my library card, driver's license, credit cards...
- a cute little bullet train sticker

5 things I am currently into
- taking pictures
- picnics
- handmade zakka
- amigurumi
- blogging

5 people I am tagging
Hmmm...most of the bloggers I know were already tagged, so consider yourself tagged if you want to be :D

a hiking date

David loves to hike. He hikes alone, with friends and with the whole family, but somehow we never hiked just the two of us, until last weekend. He prepared our packs the night before, sent the children off to tour Thomas Edison's laboratory the next morning and after a heavy breakfast of bagels and cream cheese we started our journey.

One mile into our hike we were greeted by this handsome vulture perched on a branch. This got me all pepped up and thinking of all the natural wonders awaiting us through nice wooded trails; walking hand in hand, talking and laughing together maybe even rolling around on shady prairie meadows with flowers blooming all around.

Not surprisingly, Dave's idea of a romantic time was clearly different from mine. I found myself trailing along overgrown trails following a distant red backpack and sweating through vast expanse of open and sunny prairie. Definitely not a trail for cuddling and daydreaming and the longest six miles I ever walked.


It was still a lot of a fun and a learning experience for me. I learned not to dangle my legs over any body of water unless I want to be alligator bait (thankfully I wasn't greeted by any alligators), that cloth diapers can absorb a lot of sweat and can also dry instantly, I also learned not to drop my pack without first securing my water spout thingy, and that trees can have very interesting crotches.

Captain Sniffles and First Mate Sneezies

My apologies for the unexpected break. Maku and I had the flu (so much for a good week). We are feeling much better now but sadly it is my niece's turn to be sick. (Feel better soon, Jin! )

Strange things happen when you are all cooped up in the house looking out to a beautiful sunny day --

the couch becomes your ship...

...and you easily fall overboard!

some local finds

an unusual looking toad hangin' out at a store window

blacktip shark steaks fresh from the Gulf for only $3.99/lb
perfectly seasoned and grilled by Dave

Signs of a good week ahead (^.^)