happy thanksgiving

I couldn't be more thankful today than for my sweet children.













There is just nothing in this world that compares to them - they give me such joy and love. For laughter, see the last picture.

country girl

Ems is embracing the country life. I heard her exclaiming, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee" all the way down a hill when she was out riding on the four wheeler with Jonesie. She loves to go fast and doesn't mind the cold at all. What a girl!

we've landed in the snow

We've landed in Wisconsin and the snow! While I've committed to wearing my pajamas all day, Evan hit the snow with Jonesie.

hogwarts project

I have to admit, I was as excited as Evan to get the Lego Hogwarts set. We put together a couple pieces each night for a week. Evan was the builder and I was the "sorter". Emme was the mess maker :) We've got big plans to decorate it for Christmas. Yeah, Harry!

a little sibling love

E and Ems are at odds more than they are in line with each other. But every so often we catch a little love between them . . . . and we revel in it!

domestic arts

Neither of my kids really love the things I knit for them. I definitely knit more for myself or for my taste than theirs. So I asked E what I could knit for him that he would really wear and love. He picked out the official WWII watch cap - made by the hundreds of thousands for soldiers in Europe. We got some great burnt orange alpaca yarn at the farm we visited a couple of weekends back.

And boom - I whipped it up quickly. It's soft, squishy, and stretchy. E gives it a great review.

Ems doesn't really like wearing the things I knit for her either. When I present an outfit to her to put on, she'll ask, "Did you knit this?" If I answer yes, then she refuses to wear it! So I just finished this super cute tunic dress - it took forever with it's intricate honeycomb pattern and cabled skirt. She agreed to wear it for the photo shoot - that's it. She stripped if off ten seconds after I said we were done. pooh.

So I am moving on to a very involved hexagonal blanket that should take months. I love making kids clothes - but our taste does not seem to match up. If only I could a tacky hot pink t-shirt with a glittery Dora on front - but sorry Em, I just can't do it.

halloween happiness

Army Specialist E and Belle Em - both loved, loved, loved Halloween night.

more halloween . . .

party weekend

One of the things I love most about E's school is the annual Halloween parade and class parties. The sun came out just in time for the almost 800 students to march around the block - so much fun to see all of the costumes. E wasn't too excited about any particular costume this year so I hit up the military surplus for some duds. THAT got him into Halloween!












Here are the little sisters waiting for the big brothers to march. Aren't they sweet?

VooDoo Donuts were the treat of the party. What could be better than that?

Finley's birthday

We celebrated our sweet neighbor's birthday party this weekend. It was a costume party so all the kids could break our their Halloween costumes early. Em -who current has 3 costumes in line for the big night - went with Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Ev - who current has 0 costumes in line - went with an impromptu garbage bag costume. hmm.

The party was a blast - games, pinata, and make your own carmel apples! Happy birthday, Finley!

alpaca farm

Set right into the pretty hills south of Hood River is an alpaca farm and yarn shop. The alpacas are really quite sweet and personable - and energetic eaters! The perfect place to pick up some yarn for a new project.

hood river

We took Nana to Hood River for a jaunt around the Fruit Loop - loads of orchards, farm stands, and wineries. It was a pretty morning - some fog, some wet, and some peeking sun. I loved picking the apples right off the trees - we tried so many heirloom apples I've never had before - even one that tasted like a banana. We also pressed our own cider - so delicious! And returned home with a trunk full of apples and pears.

grandparents day

E had Grandparents Day at his school last week. Grandpa and Grandma came to check out his class and see a choir performance. His second grade class is so big I couldn't get the whole class in one shot.

pumpkin time

We are waiting for Nana's visit later this month to hit the pumpkin patch but who go through October without pumpkins on your porch? We grabbed a couple of big ones last night after school. When we got home, the November Martha Stewart Living issue was waiting in the mail.

October through December -hands down my favorite time of year!

blackberry farm cookbook night

We celebrated such a gorgeous cookbook at our last dinner group - The Blackberry Farm Cookbook. My sweet pea of a best friend gave it to me for my birthday this year. I page through it over and over, thinking of the many meals I'd like to try. Even if you aren't an adventurous cook, take a peek at it for the beautiful destination it is.






If I ever pass through Tennesse (which really isn't very likely), this is definitely on my to do list.

We went with one of the fall menus:

Coffee-rubbed duck breasts

Roasted pecan brussel sprouts

Wild rice

Squash gratin
Apple stack cake

What a meal! It went perfectly with the weather and even though I overcooked the duck breast just a bit, it was still out of this world!

Check out Martha's beautiful cake!