Trick or Treat 2009

The highlight of this years Halloween celebration, it was Emma's very first!!! So our little pumpkin went as a pumpkin.Collin cut the mask out of Kody's old screaming ghost costume and painted his face. Kody turned 13 this year and thought he was too old for trick or treat so he went to visit his granny.

Joseph is sure getting his dollars worth out of Collin's old pirate costume from Dollar Tree. He wanted to be a pirate again - go figure - it's year three for the crazy costume.

Baylyn wanted to be a fancy painted face vampire.

So we are off with Amber (a cousin)pushing Emma in the stroller to collect candy and see the sights. As you can see Our little pumpkin isn't impressed with anything except her nighttime meal.

Along the way we saw scary pumpkins

and friendly pumpkins. The weather was wonderful, the crowd was great, the candy was delicious, and the memories are forever.

Happy Halloween 2009

Happy Halloween

from our coven to yours.

Trick or Treat 2004

What do you get with a $5.00 package of toilet paper and hand me down Clifford and Spiderman costumes? One big mummy,one Clifford impersonator,

another little mummy,

and a baby Spiderman.

Oh yea, one want-to-be big Clifford (aka. a man losing his mind.)

After all the running, trotting, walking, and strolling it's time to check over the treasured booty. Notice the kid with the sticky fingers to the left? Keep you eye out for him.

Well, Collin's stash is accounted for.

Baylyn gets busted in the act by Kody.

The face of the guilty - a candy thief. String him up boys!!!

Halloween Party 2004

This was one of our simpler parties, in our early years there were a few and as time went on they became more festive and involved.

The menu is Swamp Stew, bone bit, chocolate spider cake, spooky gingerbread house, witches hat cookies, and crunchy eyeballs.

Swamp Stew is just a basic home made stew.

Bone Bits are crackers.

Chocolate Spider Cake is a single layer 9-inch round cake and a ding dong with chocolate frosting, twizzler legs and peanut M&M eyes.

Spooky Gingerbread House was a box kit from Michael's Craft Store.

Witches Hat Cookies are flat chocolate covered cookies with a Hershey's kiss glued in the middle with left over frosting.

Crunchy Eyeballs are rice krispy treats shaped into a ball and a flat M&M poked in the middle.

Joseph is a BIG 2 this year. I know the cake looks horrid and I suppose it should it is a Halloween birthday party and Joseph wanted a spider cake - the boy likes bugs but YUCK!!

His one and only want and wish a Barney.

Baylyn and Ashley seemed to be having fun. Hey, that's that Candy Thief!!!

Pumpkins & Broom Riding 2004

Digging through the old attic I found a small wooden chest covered in dust and cobwebs, gingerly I brushed it clean and this is what I found...

Big brothers giving baby brother the absolutely needed pointers of the broom. What type to buy. Where to get the best one. What is the most reasonable price and of course how to fly on a broom. If all else fails make your own and wing it!

Joseph with his carved pumpkin with Papa's help of course,

Kody just wanted a traditional carved pumpkin,

and Collin wanted something creepy and scary. Well, it's definitely different.

Our Autumn Walk

I'd like to tell you that autumn with all her splendor is being enjoyed by all. The changing cool, crisp air is wonderful for our nature walks and the changing leaves are perfect for the boys collections. I'd like to tell you that the usual laughter around the annual lighting of the fire pit and traditional smores were a joyful night for all. I'd like to tell you that the brilliant blue sky of autumn with her migrating geese and the fluttering of the occasional late monarch cause a sense of awe in nature. However, that isn't happening at our house.

 

Kody has been at my mother's house for the since last Wednesday. Although I talk to him daily, I still miss him horribly and he is homesick, but he can't come home just yet. Collin and Joseph have the H1N1 Virus Flu. Last Wednesday we took Joseph to the emergency room with high fever, sore throat, and stomach pain. I was baffled by the stomach pain. I was informed that it was a symptom of the H1N1 Virus Flu. They kept him to get his temperature down and discussed what I was to watch for and to get a humidifier for his room and sent us home.

 

Needless to say we cut ourselves off form the rest of the world and have been home ever since. Hubby took his vacation. Collin was at my mother's at first by Sunday he started complaing about a headache and sore throat and would not eat so I had her send him home. Sure enough that night he began running high fever and coughing. He is still running fever off and on mildly during the day, but at night it just shoots back up. This runs in 7 day cycles so this is going to be a long and drug out process.

 

Joseph on the other hand ran fever about four days and and all of his symptoms are gone except for an occasional cough. Collin is having a very difficult time. You know a kid is sick what you have an ADHD child that lays around or sleeps all the time.

 

I have been baking muffins to stock up in the freezer, reading over our lesson plans, praying, watching Old Yeller, talking to Kody, making vegan Italian sausages, read Herriot's Treasury for Children, watching The Secret Garden, making vegetable soup, talking to Kody, reading The Light at Tern Rock, baking bread, watching Savage Sam, reading The House at Pooh Corner, watching the Beatrix Potter collection on VHS, praying, talking to Kody, watching A Little Princess, reading The Cabin Faced West, talking to Kody, making apple crisp, reading The Matchlock Gun. Oh yes, I do occasionally get to sleep.

 

Now the icing on the cake - Joseph is through his 7 days, Collin is 4 days into his 7 days and today I have developed a sore throat, cough and runny nose - oh joy. No actually this past week has really been a great blessing of bonding, sharing and caring for us.

Learning to Crochet

My great grandmother (Mildred) taught me how to crochet in 1967 when I was 9 years old when we returned from Japan. She was a widow who spoiled me rotten. My great grandfather passed away the year before we returned stateside. They both had lived with us until we moved overseas. My father was in the Navy. By the time this picture was taken I was an old hand at it two years later when she came to visit. She never used a pattern to crochet with, she simply looked at an item and made it. Doilies, crochet edgings, scarves, potholders, mittens, slippers, vests. She didn't have names for the stitches she taught me I just knew there were certain ones you used for a look or the affect you wanted. I was somewhere in my late twenties when I ran across a magazine "Crochet World" that put a label on the stitches I knew.

 She also taught me how to embroider with needle and floss, also with paint pens. Do they even make embroidery pens any more? She taught me how to play rummy - she was one wicked woman when it came to rummy! She didn't drive and made great use of the mass transmit system of San Diego, California. When we lived in McAlester, Oklahoma she would come to visit she and I walked to town to a small used book store where I was in heaven browsing and reading all day while she would visit with gentleman who ran the place. When we would leave he would give me a book to take home to keep. It was the best. I was an only child and my granny was my best friend through out my childhood.

Above is the beginning of a crochet shopping bag that I'm making out of plastic grocery bags that have been discarded. I wanted to add some color to it, however most of the bags I get are white. Today however, AT&T delivered our new telephone books in a bright orange plastic bag! Yea, I get to add an orange stripe. If you are interested in this sort of thing you can get bags from Walmart grocery store recycle bin simply ask at the front desk. There are some wonderful items that is hard to believe are they once were plastic bags at cristencrochet.blogspot.com. Check it out. Oh, by the way, remember the guy with the used bookstore I mentioned? About five years into my marriage at my first family reunion for my hubby's family I ran into the guy again after 15 years- he was my hubby's uncle! How's that for a bit of the strange - oh, here's another one my hubby's birthday is on October 30th, so was his grandfather's and my great grandfather the one mentioned above.

What Kept Our Little Guy Busy This Week

He put together a few puzzles, played the Somebody game and matched the Wildlife Lotto cards,

built a book tower,

watched a cement truck unload across the street,

sewed a zipper in the top of T-Bone,

did a floating egg experiment,

drew a dragon on the chalkboard,

made drums and played music with his cousin,

did a rainbow experiment,

and caught 13 American Lady butterflies in the backyard.

Gifts From My Husband

Today I'd like to share gifts from my husband or otherwise titled When Will I Learn to Keep My Thought to Myself. One night I couldn't sleep and my darling hubby found me cleaning the house at 2:00am and I made the off hand comment that a donut sure would be good .

Later I went back to bed and woke to find everyone gone. This is what came through the door.

"You said you wanted donuts."

Joseph thought it was a good idea. "Okay, I'll have one, Oh what the heck I'll have another for the other hip."

One day I was told my husband that I though wolves were one of God's most beautiful creatures and I thought the boys needed a dog. Those are two things a woman should never say together! He came home late one night from work with BEAR a wolf /malamute mix. A guy he works with raises wolves - who knew. She grew into a beautiful silver gray and black color, was gentle and loving, ate salmon twice a week and the boys adored her , however she was huge. When she jumped up on her hind legs she was taller than my husband who is 6'2" and she was only 8 months old. Needless to say for the boys safety the man my hubby had gotten her from gladly took her back. Bear's mother a silver wolf had recently been ran over.

Three years ago on Christmas eve we were sitting about the house not doing much and the boys were at my mum's helping set up for dinner. Hubby and I were watching The Incredible Journey. You got it, here we go again! Me and my big mouth - I found myself at the animal shelter and we brought home Charlie Bug a Black Lab/Dachshund mix. This has been the most wonderful dog you could ever meet - the perfect pet for the family. I guess sometimes he gets it right.

Last year I mentioned how I hated the plight of chickens in factory farming and wished I had hens of my own. Hubby began piddling around the back yard for the week end and came up with hen house - went to the Flea Market and came home with five pullets.

We now have the Buttercup Ladies. Aren't they lovely?

Now this little lady I never asked for it was just a heartfelt effort from a very loving husband. Last February - Koko my cat of fourteen years passed away. She was my constant companion to read with, computer with, scrapbook with, she sleep on top of my feet at night and kept them warm, she poked me with her nose in the morning to wake up and best of all she was house broken like a dog - no litter box in the house.

How we have Grace. I have forgotten how small a kitten can be or how curious. I must admit I'm not attaching to this lovely creature but the boys and Charlie Bug love her to death. I'll just take me some time if you know what I mean. Oh it doesn't end here I just don't have any photos of the latest - me and my big mouth popped put with wouldn't it be nice to get the boys a rabbit! So two weeks ago we got Lucy- a beautiful black bunny. I must admit I love this one. Maybe I need to ask for flowers and candy.

Update as of February 2010: My daughter wanted a cat so we let her have Grace when she moved into her new home. In September Charlie Bug twisted his back and ended up with nerve damage with pain that couldn't be managed and left him paralyzed in the back end so he had to be put down. New Years Eve 1999 a couple of loose dogs that had been wondering our neighborhood got into our backyard and killed the Buttercup ladies. So things have been very sad around here.