High Hill Farm

High Hill Farm is a working farm in Frederick County, Virginia, where we spent several hours this afternoon. It is best known for its pumpkin patch and haunted house--neither of which we visited, but the kids had fun, petting the animals (chickens, calves, rabbits, a horse, sheep), running through the hay maze, and picking out a pumpkin.

Sorry no pics though. Didn't feel like lugging around the camera today.

Halloween Decorations

How cute are these spiders! I wish I could take credit for them, but my wonderful sister came up with the idea herself. You can just see the ghosts and bats hanging on the windows.

Family Time

Last night. No TV. Getting dark earlier. Family time. How still can you be?

This photo looks a little creepy, but he really was having a great time. I swear.

Bib #2

Finished this bib with LM's help this morning. Too bad the post office isn't open, so I could get it into the mail. I'm already late two months; I don't suppose another day or two will make any difference at this point.

Yum, Yum

Wake up at 10:15
Make Waffles
Eat Waffles

Now that is how to start a day right.

Hmmm. Where the day go?

Have you ever had a day where you have been busy all day, but when you look around at the end of the day more things are started than finished?

In the interest of being frugal, we stayed around the house today rather than going into D.C. on this weird Columbus Day holiday.

1. Went to the library--got new books
   
2. Had lunch (soup and grilled cheese)
3. Finished planting the 69 daffodil bulbs (thanks Wayne :) Who knew it would take so long to dig that many small holes
   
4. Receipts entered into Quicken--two accounts out of four finished
5. Thank you cards made--none written or in envelopes
6. Freezer cleaned out--but not fridge

Also this weekend, I cleaned out all the craft supplies and organized them into several smaller bins rather than one large one--makes it much easier to get things out.

And, I finished this bib for a friend's new baby. Thank you Chickpea for the pattern.

Study in Sepia

Trip to the Apple Orchard

Two adults plus two five-years-old, one four-year-old, one three-year-old, and one three-month-old took a trip to an apple orchard on a beautiful fall day. Played, had a snack, rode the "cow train," and even took a ride on the wagon around the orchard.

By the looks on people's faces, I'm sure they thought all of those kids were ours.



Perfect day and a wonderful way to spend our anniversary. Yes, six years ago today, we married. Doesn't seem like that long ago at all.

Oh, I love Fall

Sitting on my back patio on one of the most gorgeous fall days. Lucky, lucky me. Eighty daffodil bulbs to plant--11 in the ground, 69 to go.

Apple Crisp

None of the pictures I took adequately captured the deliciousness of this homemade apple crisp. Thank you, thank you, thank you Bette Hagman for your gluten free cookbooks.

Hot Dogs, Cupcakes, and Ice Cream

Thanks Maya Made for the newspaper bunting idea!

Yep, total junk food pig out last night. No organic food, almost nothing vegetarian or homemade, and we had a great time. Beautiful fall day/night, campfire in the back yard, family, and a very animated three-year-old. Here is our mom-worked-alot-this-week-one-day-of-really-bad-food-isn't-going-to-kill-you-we-are-a-real-family menu:

• Hot dogs
• Macaroni Salad
• Baked Beans (out of a can)
• Vegetable tray with Ranch dressing (what else)
• Chips
• Deviled eggs (I did make these)
• Grapes
• Soda
• S'mores
• Cupcakes (LM and I made these, see below)
• Homemade hand-cranked, ice cream (thanks mom!)

The cake mix for the cupcakes called for four ingredients--the mix, water, eggs, and oil. Just in case you are curious, the mix doesn't turn out so well if you forget the water. Oops. However, everything turns out just fine if you add the water after mixing, despite what the instructions say.

Awesome Benches

We are having a campfire cookout to celebrate LM's bday tomorrow, so I asked W to make some benches to sit on. I was thinking cement blocks and some boards....THIS is what he made--comfortable, light weight, AND sturdy.


If that wasn't enough, look at the benches he made for around the campfire. How awesome is that. Can't you just taste the s'mores.

Three Today

LM turned three years old today!

It is so cliche to say it, but it is just amazing that three years has already passed since the day he was born. The difference is just unbelievable. Three years ago, we had a baby that could do nothing for itself--couldn't walk, talk, feed itself. Now we have a walking, talking (a lot), almost totally potty-trained, wonderfully funny and smart child.

It is absolutely amazing to me how much he remembers. I don't know any other 3 year old who knows the difference between a telehandler and a giant excavator. I am sure part of it is because of his dad, but he really seems mechanically inclined. He loves to look at how things are put together and has incredible eye-hand coordination.

I hope the next three years will be as good as the last!

What a Guy

Right before going to sleep last night:

Wayne: Did you remember you left a pair of shoes in the truck?

Me: Oh yeah, thanks. I wanted to wear those tomorrow, and I would have been looking all over for them.

Next morning:
There in the dining room sat my shoes. My wonderful husband had brought them in before he left for work that morning, so I didn't have to go and get them myself.

Grand gestures are nice on occasion, but those thoughtful, little daily acts of kindness are really the foundation of a relationship. Every day I give thanks for my truly blessed life, but it is still nice to have those in-your-face moments to remind you about what is important and why it is you chose to marry this man.