they were...

Only one of them threw us for a loop when she exclaimed that she wanted to be a butterfly.  The other enjoyed the safety and security of her very tame and comfortable jack o' lantern costume.  

Now, what do we do with all the candy?  They've turned into addicts overnight...

what will they be?

Do your kids change their minds about Halloween costumes as much as mine do?  We have been through a flurry of costume changes and ideas over the past few weeks.  I think I know what they are dressing up as tomorrow night but I am bracing myself for changes that might happen in an instant...

What will they be?

happy halloween weekend!

ice cream, hot air and halloween

We recently attended a fun little small-town event for Halloween.  A sweet friend told us about the celebration and we decided to give it a whirl.  Children were dressed up in their costumes and hot-air balloons illuminated the night sky.  Collecting candy and eating it was a favorite but when the skies darkened and the balloons began to stand tall, fright consumed my kids.  As the fires illuminated the balloons, they made a loud sound that terrified both my kids.  The little one was ready to go home after she saw the first balloon but my big girl decided to hang in there for the candy that was being given out at each balloon basket.  Funny, how candy can motivate.

The best part was the vintage ice-cream truck!  After all the hoopla with the balloons and fire, it was neat to see that the charming vintage ice-cream man and truck experience was a favorite!

What fun it was to take part in a fun little community celebration.  We are hopeful we will be able to stay longer and enjoy the beautiful balloons next year!

flowers at the door

Ringing doorbells, leaving goodies and dashing away {while we were booing neighbors} peeked the interest of my big girl.  

The other day, she asked me to wait at the doorway while she busied herself in the yard.  As I waited, she tore through the yard gathering little leaves and flowers.  When she peeked back at me she asked that I close the door and wait for the doorbell to ring.  When it rang and I opened the door, a sweet little bouquet awaited me on the front step while she hurried around the pillar. 

Oh, what fun it is to leave little surprises for unsuspecting folks {or Momma}!

taking care of pumpkins

Since my little one snatched this pumpkin at a local pumpkin patch a week ago, she has not let a day go by without moving it or shuffling it around the yard.  When it rained, she dutifully moved out of the rain and into the garage.  When we arrive home, she walks up to the font step and picks it up and heaves it around before we go inside.  When we walk out the front door, she takes it out to sit under the shade of the trees.  When we went for a walk, she attempted to take it along but decided not to after she dropped it and it rolled down the driveway.  At the rate she's going, I am not quite sure this sweet pumpkin will make it to Halloween.

barefoot in the garden

I dreaded dismantling the garden this fall.  When it failed to thrive this summer, I knew we needed to dismantle it and start over next spring.  As I tore away the tall sides and dug the dirt away, the kids flocked to me like I was Santa.  The little wheel-barrow made an appearance and the gardening tools came out too.  Shoes were flung into the lawn and little toes squirmed deep into the rich dirt.  They dug, and dug, and dug for the entire morning.  I contemplated leaving the mess because they had such fun playing.  Instead, they helped me move the dirt to another part of the yard that needed a soil boost.  They took turns trying to push and balance the wheel-barrow full of dirt.  

I would have never thought that this long-dreaded task would become such a wonderful morning with my children--well, with the exception of the little one eating the dirt...of course!

BOO!

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We have begun the "booing" tradition on our street a bit early this year.  After seeing this adorable "BOO" sign and directions at The TomKat Studio, we decided it might be fun to start the "booing" ourselves.

My kids think it is so much fun to look around at the neighbors' doors to see if anyone else has been booed!  By starting early, we are hopeful that our whole street will be "BOOED" by the time Halloween rolls around in a few weeks.  

Enjoy some "booing" of your own!  The free printable sign and directions were found here.  

Happy Halloween Month!

Warm and Cozy: Perfect Banana Bread

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I love banana bread but finding a recipe without dairy for my dairy-sensitive kids can sometimes present quite a challenge.  When I ran across this recipe for banana bread without a trace of butter or heavy cream, I was overjoyed.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup ripe mashed bananas

1 ½ cups white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ¾  cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½  tsp salt

*we add walnuts {approx. 1/3 cup chopped walnuts} to ours and enjoy the texture and taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare chosen pan.

Blend together the eggs, yogurt, oil, extract and bananas in mixer with low speed.

Add in sugars and fully incorporate.  Then add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

(Be sure to start checking your banana bread at 45 minutes.  I have had it be done in 50 minutes or heard that it can take as much as 75 minutes.  It just depends on the accuracy of your oven.)

Enjoy this warm and cozy recipe on a cool Fall day!

Time for something sweet: cranberry oatmeal chocolate spice cookies

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With the change of season last week, I felt the need to start baking.  There is something about baking and making the house smell good that make it feel like Autumn is here {even though the cooler weather hasn't quite made it to our part of the woods}.  

This is a favorite cookie recipe of mine from this fun baking blog.  These are an immediate hit whenever I bake them.  Beware, they won't stick around long!

To make the cookies you will need:

                                                                                                  1 1/2 cups flour 

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar*

1 1/2 cups whole oats*

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,  and all spice.  In separate large bowl, cream together shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Combine well.

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Then add oats, cranberries, and chocolate if you so desire.

Use 1/4 cup and scoop onto cookie sheet... you should get about 6 per sheet.

Bake for at least 8 minutes, but most likely will bake for 12 depending on your stove.

If you chose to not add the chocolate chips directly to the dough, you can melt chips in the microwave and drizzle or dip the cookies after they have cooled.

Wait!  The fun isn't over yet!  You can make this cookie one of 3 ways!

1. Put the semi-sweet chocolate chips right into the batter.

2. Dip the cookies in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

2. Drizzle the cookies with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Enjoy whatever way you choose to make your cookie delectable!  My girl loves to make them with me.

 

Autumn's Arrival

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I cannot endure to waste anything so precious

as autumnal sunshine by staying

in the house. 

N. Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Soft wale corduroy pants, fresh apples, cool winds from the north, cider, that favorite pair of jeans, piles of leaves, clear blue skies, days spent outside, and bountiful Fall harvests await us this season!  Enjoy your sweet autumn days.

summer's end

The days of long evenings and plenty of daylight are {mentally} diminishing all too quick.  Summer night swinging will soon give way to cooler Fall evenings filled sweet smells of pinon wood on the fire.  Apples will flood the produce section of the grocery store and I will dream of being somewhere to pick them from the trees.  Cool mornings will require a jacket while hot afternoons will remind us of summer not so long ago.  School schedules will consume our days and dictate our bedtimes.  The pools will close and the parks will become crowded as the temperatures become tolerable enough to play outside in the afternoons.  A new coolness in the air will give new energy to all the tired souls.

Even in the hottest parts, something changes in the air after Labor Day.  It may not be drastic but usually it is enough to trigger a mental change, a change that gives hope to the changing season ahead.

We are desperately awaiting Fall's arrival.