Halloween 2011

 Rapunzel

 Pinkalicious

Ragggedy Ann

As expected, we went girly girl this Halloween.  Brooklyn left the tower as Rapunzel, Ellie stepped out of the popular picture book as Pinkalicious and Leighton crawled off the toy shelf as Raggedy Ann.  I typically like to make my own costumes, but had to go with the purchased ones this year (actually more cost effective if you can believe it).  You (along with everyone at the Fall Festival) are asking, "Is that Brooklyn's real hair?"  and the answer is...not completely.  She does have pretty long hair, but it got even longer with the genius find of a wad clump skein head (what on earth do you call that?) of hair for only $2.50 from a beauty supply store.  Sure beats the $20 Disney wig right?!.  Anyway, we spent the evening at the church/school fall festival playing games, eating yummy food- like cotton candy and snow cones, and consuming large amounts of candy.  Okay, when I say we, I really mean Brett, Grandma, Grandma Judy and the girls.  I spent the entire evening here...

selling almost 500 slices of pizza pizza at the cutest booth on the block.

And that will pretty much wrap up our Halloween celebrations this year. Considering Ellie is deathly afraid of something as harmless as the Chick-Fil-A cow costume, we don't want to risk scaring her socks off with the spooky sights and sounds that come along with trick or treating.

rank-o-lanterns

So this is what happens in the southern California sun.  Jack-o-lanterns don't last long around here.  It had been a couple days since I went out the front door and the poor guys had clearly bit the dust.  Left-eye lost her retina, and starry eyes had some sort of ruptured boil that completely took away her smile.  Let's just say rank, stink, mush, gnats...you get the picture.  But it wasn't quite as maddening or foul as the present left by a feral cat on my welcome mat.  Black cat- you are not welcome!
P.S. My apologies to those with weak stomachs who were sickened by the picture, but at least I didn't make it extra large!

pumpkin patch in pictures

 the hunt

the find

the look

 

 

the smile

the jack-o-lantern

 

 

 

 

 

the anticipation

the ticket

 the ride

the swing

the drink

the typical shot

instafall-ish

Autumnesque

No matter how hard us southern Californians try to convince ourselves, there really is no fall here.  In the rest of the country, the weather dictates fall behavior.  Here, we have to conjure up the fall feeling on our own.  Faux fall if you will. 

For example, elsewhere cold temperatures= boots, scarves, and sweaters.  But here fashion= boots, scarves and sweaters.  Because in reality we could be in jeans, tees, and sandals all year long.  Okay, maybe a sweatshirt on those really chilly days in the mid sixties but that's about it.
Elsewhere they have to drink hot fancy coffees and eat butternut squash soup to warm their cold cores.  But here, we could be sipping frappachinos and eating sushi every day and still often break a sweat.
Elsewhere they have enough leaves in their front yard to fill a dump truck.  But here, we have to make our own out of felt and yarn.

Nonetheless, we have a fond affection for faux fall.  And even if its not the "real deal" that other people get, we'll be wearing our plaid flannels, sipping pumpkin spice lattes, and making our wax paper and crayon leaves like it is.

props to pinterest

 

yarn + felt= endless possibilities

Pinterest has really become my go-to.  And from what I gather, it has become the go-to for many other voyeurs like myself.  People who love to look at beautiful, inspiring things and attempt to recreate their own rendition of someone else's genius.  No pages to scroll down, no information to sift through, just lovey images waiting to be perused.  So here's to pinterest and my new fall decor.  Inspired by this and this.

Julian

Typically for me, Julian means one thing...apple pie.  But we expanded our horizons this year and tried our hands at apple picking.  First impression of the place was of the manager/owner guy.  Try to imagine an Irishman meets hippie meets pirate and you've nailed the guy.  Sleeps in a tepee with a stair-master sitting outside.  Lots of metal/skull "sculptures" on display.  Beyond weird, but the guy grows a good apple, so hey.  Anyway, kiddos loved it.  Thrill of the hunt of course.  Always trying to collect an equal number of reds and greens.  Also the fact that you can eat all you want while you pick was key.  Especially for Ellie.  After carefully shining up each apple, she would take 4 or 5 bites (granted they were small apples) and then say, "That one's done," and chuck it into the orchard.  I think she polished off almost a dozen.  Leighton was fascinated by all the fallen apples and couldn't stop saying, "That one, yucky one."  And of course there's the bag carrying.  Everyone wants to be the one to carry it...at first.  Then when the thing fills up to 4 pounds or so, no one wants to.  Typical.  I'll tell you what I did want to carry though...

this plate to my table.  

Cinnamon ice cream smothering dutch apple pie. And I didn't have to share a smidge with anyone.  

Till next year Julian...

Appleicious

Official kick off to the appleicious weekend!  Apple day at school, apple pickin' and pie eatin' in Julian tomorrow.  Its not officially fall if you don't make the trek to Julian and get an enormous piece of Julian Apple Pie with the perfect ratio of cinnamon ice cream on top.  Oh, I can practically taste it now, and I'm drooling.  And speaking of taste...I would highly recommend the honey crisp apples.  I've heard they are pricey, and to tell the truth I have no clue what I paid for them (thank you Target unmarked produce).  The perfect apple in my opinion...crisp, sweet, (hence the name) with a touch of tang.  Go get yourself some an make an appleicious weekend of your own!

fallin'

We kicked off fall with an evening picnic of hot chocolate and rice crispie treats (with sprinkles!).  Its just now cool enough to need a jacket and we are more than ready for fall and all it brings!  Come on over pumpkin patch and jack-o-lanterns, apple pickin' and pie, fall festival, crisp mornings, pumpkin everything (I have nailed pumpkin french toast but am still trying to perfect the homemade pumpkin spice latte...stay tuned for the recipe reveal), my birthday (ehemm), and lots, lots more. 

30 Days of Thankfulness

 I love advent calendars.  Growing up we had several Christmas advent calendars that would not only help us count down the days to Christmas, but would allow us to focus on the true meaning of the season each day.  So this year, I decided to start a similar tradition during the month of November as we consider being truly thankful for our many blessings.  I looked online for ideas but didn't see much that I really liked, so I decided to try to create something out of my very own crafty brain  (for once).  I dug through my scrap piles and found as many fallish fabrics as I could-  and just made it to 30!  It was pretty time consuming...serging each pocket, then sewing it on, ironing on the linen number fabric, stamping each number by hand... but I was really happy with how it turned out.  And I love that it is full of fabrics I've used before... several from my nieces baby bedding, some from the girls' dresses, one from a bib for the girls, a dress for my sister, a nursing cover for a friend, a baby blanket for a sweet boy...

Brooklyn will be the official family writer for November 2010.  I am loving her desire to write and can't get enough of her invented spelling.  So today we were thankful for "familey".  And while I'm on the subject, I really truly am thankful for my family.   Brett and the girls are the biggest blessing in my life.  I have seen many people I love struggling in their marriage relationships and with the desire for children, and I am so very thankful that God has blessed me so greatly with such a loving husband and three beautiful daughters.  And I know "that to whom much is given, much is required" so I continue to make it my aim to be the wife and mother God created and desires me to be.

Halloweens gone by

Halloween 2007

Pooh and Piglet... I loved the girls in these costumes.  They still enjoy putting on the Pooh outfit and playing Disneyland...Ellie actually tried to squeeze into the Piglet costume last week. She was convinced it would still fit. 

 

Halloween 2008

Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion... Brooklyn's dress actually used to be mine when I was little- one handmade by my grandma.  I added the apron and we splurged for the ruby slippers at Target-  Not quite as sparkly as they once were but Ellie still loves to put them on. 

Halloween 2009
Peter Pan and company...Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Smee all made from thrift store finds, Walmart deals, and trimmings from Joanns.  Brett was such a good sport, wearing all women's clothes (aside from the mustache) and was the hit of the Harvest Festival. (He, unlike Ellie, has not tried on the costume since then.)

Halloween 2010

Due to some unfortunate technical difficulties, (I think Leighton may have chewed up my camera USB cable)  this year's pics are going to be a bit delayed.

pumpkins & rides or rides & pumpkins?

And if Brooklyn's first trip to the pumpkin patch wasn't carnie style enough...we  took a family trip to one this week that was over the top carnieville.  We're talking rides that were barely holding together,  circa 1950- several of them put up but apparently not working.  Some boats had bells, others not, some rockets had guns, others not.  And everything had the most annoying shrill squeak when the ride started up.  But as usual...the girls were in heaven.  They were spoiled again by Nino, who insists on visiting the pumpkin patch a minimum of 3 times each fall.  So we will no doubt be headed back next week for more rides, and yes, pumpkins- that is the point of these places right? 

my lil punkins

 Brooklyn October 2005

 Ellie October 2007

Leighton October 2010

Punkin' patch

Every kindergarten class is somehow required by autumn season law to take a trip to the pumpkin patch.  Its a rite of passage I guess.  Now in lots of places, this would mean heading to a patch where pumpkins are actually growing on a vine in the dirt.  But for us southern Californians, the pumpkins certainly aren't on the vine, or in the dirt.  For us, a pumpkin patch is more of a carnie-style setup in a vacant parking lot.  Basically the trip included a petting zoo (which did have actual real live animals that you could see on a farm), a pony ride (on actual ponies, who did go around a 12'circle 3 times- and then had to take a 15 minute rest), a train ride (around the parking lot of course), a hay ride (same route as the train- only pulled by a lawn mower tractor), a hay bale maze, and lots of inflatable jumpies, obstacle courses, and slides.  Now you know what I mean by carnie-style.  After all the activities had been exhausted it was time to pick their pumpkin.  Again, by pick they mean choose, not pick off the vine.  The kids were instructed to pick a pumpkin according to this stipulation:

 

Which of course ended up with every kindergartner holding up their choice pumpkin and asking, "is it smaller than my head?'  I loved the kid who told the teacher,  "I have to get one bigger than my head.  Once my sister brought home a little one and my dad was mad."  I did see him walking out with the biggest pumpkin of them all- hope dad is happier this time.