Halloween Fun

Every time I pull out my super concentrated food coloring from Japan, I'm stoked. We made some wicked fun Halloween cookies last week. I found the cookie mold at Marden's (a post of its own someday) as well as the sprinkles and orange icing. The rest of the colors came courtesy of my powdered food coloring from Japan and store bought icing. Now I just have to work on my food photography.

PScouts

Girl Scouts would be fun, but I'd have to be a leader, which I'm not up to right now. So J has started PScouts. We recruited our neighbor on our last tree naming expedition. The kids are now familiar with birch, beech, white pine, oak, and maple. And, they are learning their knots. J taught them square knots and sneakily taught M how to tie her shoes. Awesome! Our PScouts are excited to camp, kayak, cook, and tramp through the forest. And when the snow comes...oh yeah!

You Crafty Kittens

I got the idea from one of my cool Japanese craft books, Oyako de Hand-Made by Kimidori Inoue. Make a template of your hand in the shape of a mitten with a little seam allowance. You take an old sweater, and from the hem, cut out two mittens. From the sleeves, cut out kid's size mittens. Hem them on the machine, 1/2 inch or so. The velvet flowers are from Valhalla, I mean Walmart. I used a fab cashmere cowl neck sweater that was too short and too cowly. I got it at Salvation Army or Goodwill. From the picture, I can tell Kimidori also used an old sweatshirt and fleece to make mittens. What if I made fleece lined sweatshirt mittens? Fun. I'm pretty sure that we can't have too many pairs floating around here this winter.

Work

I know this may sound odd, but I just want you all to know that Jesse works (maybe this is just in case his advisers read my blog). Until the diss is done, he's working Saturdays. He works nights. He reads evenings. We get him from 6-8, most days. I get him an hour more than the kids because he comes home for lunch. Most Tuesdays we have a lunch date from 12-1. He's contemplating leaving earlier in the morning.

Weirdly enough, this is working. He's so awesome from 6-8. Dinner is a blast. PScouts is a hit (more on that to come). And he still washes dishes and puts the kids to bed. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Apples

It was awhile ago, but the kids and I went apple picking for our Columbus day holiday. Have you ever eaten a crisp apple right off the tree? Oh yum! I've had the experience with mangos, oranges, pears, nectarines, but never apples. Jesse and I were gushing over the taste, the crispness, and the variety we got.

So here's what you really want to see, the kiddies.

We've made apple butter, apple sauce, and apple crisp. And we still have a bag left. The kids went crazy and picked around 40 pounds of apples. Which is a lot of apples, if you were wondering. I did my civic duty and also bought the farm's locally made apple cider and apple doughnuts. Super yum. Now we also have a bag of pears to deal with we got off a neighbor's tree. I wish I had everything to start canning the bounty.

Fall is Here, but Almost Gone

Blue Skies

Mermaid is still daddy's little hiker/rockhopper/adventurer. She's also becoming a super helper at home. She can cook eggs, clean her room, and entertain her little sister. Love her!

Acadia National Park w/ Friends

Acadia Sunset

We took advantage of the 4 day weekend school offered and went north to Acadia National Park. It was gorgeous! And we were lucky enough to be able to spend time with the Barretts, friends from our first stint in college oh so many years ago. Their kids are awesome. One 4 year old is a joy. Three of them are absolutely delightful. Their accents, their inquisitiveness, their joi de vivre. It's why I love sunbeams so much. The baby is scrumptious. And Jason even gave the kids duck anatomy lessons after his successful duck hunt.Lighthouse on Desert Mountain Island

All of the kids in front of the enormous rock in the forest.

It's a little coldy outside

We had our week of Autumn, and we're moving on up here. We've shut the storm windows, pulled out the down comforters, and received our order of long johns just in time. Lows in the 30's, highs in the 40's for the rest of the week. Brrr. And the snow hasn't even started. I'm scared.

But I have been busy working on my domestic arts. Today I sewed Mermaid's Halloween costume and started the cushions for the couch. Midway through staystiching I remembered how much I dislike sewing. Besides hormone surges, it's the only other time I swear.

I've also been crocheting hats for the kids. The first was supposed to be for me, but I forgot what size hook I needed and used one a touch too small. Yay for Monkey. You get a new hat! I started another pattern, but I messed up and had to take it apart. Oh well. I am learning. And unlike sewing, I enjoy crocheting.

I'm supposed to finish the couch cushions tomorrow because we're having J's class over for sushi. I should be more worried about how bad my Japanese food usually turns out than how my couch looks. One has more potential than the other.

In other news, I've volunteered myself as PTO lackey of the year. My mantra: "I've got time."
They're starting to catch on. I really do have time. I also volunteer in the kids' classes once a week. The kids are awesome. They are spontaneous huggers and one of M's classmates came up to me and said "Who are you? You're pretty." Then walked away. Gotta love that.

More awesome posts on the way. Acadia and the Barretts, including dead duck. Apple picking. The first snow (hopefully that's not for months).

Richardson's Island

Don't you love this shot of Mermaid? She finally lost both front teeth. She lisps now.
Last weekend we went on a little kayak trip off of Cape Elizabeth near Portland. Richardson's island is just a quick paddle from the coast. The island is actually quite large. It would probably take an hour to walk around the perimeter. We hiked, played on the beach, and kayaked. And, it didn't take the whole day. Yay!

Freeport

Monkey and I had a field trip to Freeport, the LL Bean flagship store, and the outlets that grace the downtown area. I bought some silk long johns which I hear will make me very happy this winter. I also ate my first lobster roll. One of Jesse's colleagues suggested making a sport of trying to find the best lobster roll in Maine. I think we're a little too cheap for that. But...it was delicious. Cold steamed lobster in a bun seasoned with butter and dill. A little salad dressing at the bottom. Yum! Monkey had a hot dog and Oakhurst chocolate milk.

The drive to Freeport was gorgeous. You follow the river on a small highway. The trees are starting to change color, so it's really breathtaking.