rainbows

This little beauty met me on my way out of the house a few weeks ago.

I was out for a walk before the sun went down and was awe-struck by the beauty of this rainbow.  I don't know how long it had been since I'd seen a rainbow {or noticed one}.

It was refreshing in every sense and reminded me of the carefree days of my childhood.  Yes, I was one of those kids that rode their bike looking for the end of the rainbow.  I was ever-hopeful I could find the pot of gold and maybe a lucky leprauchan too!

motherhood: "what are you doing today?"

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Lately, when I am at Starbucks the barista or cashier always asks me, "what are you doing today?" It must be a company wide initiative to relate to their customers or some guy on his 5th cup of Jo with so much energy that he can't stop jittering or talking. Nevertheless, they always seem quite genuine and it is nice. When the question is asked, I pause and think, "what am I doing today?" A helpless disorganized mess forms like a cloud of fog in my head as I rapidly search for an answer.

Now that I have 3 kids with distinctly different schedules, I seem to be the chauffeur of the house. So I respond with, "I am driving kids around. You know, I am the momma chauffeur." The young guy behind the counter who is probably knee-deep in college and himself gives a carefree laugh. I laugh too as I realize that he has no idea what I am talking about.

Before kids, I all-knowingly laughed at mothers that spent their days driving kids around. I thought ladies that did that were just unorganized or had too many kids. Why would anyone want to do that with their time? Well, now that i have quickly slipped down that same path this Fall, I must say that a day of driving kids here and there is quite rewarding.  Knowing that I am responsible for getting them to school on time, getting them to the doctor when they are sick and the ever-important, getting them picked up on time creates a funny sort-of satisfying feeling. It is a deeply satisfying feeling that I can't entirely explain.

Yes, a big part of the worker in me wishes I had something really important to share with the barista. Something like, "I'm off to catch a flight." or "I have an important deadline to meet." but I guess being responsible for 3 little ones is pretty important too.

And with that, I'm off in the mini to begin my afternoon rounds!

(Yes, I also vowed I would never drive one of those but somehow that changed too!)

Halloween prep...

Halloween preparations have begun...

Bottles of appropriate Halloween-colored nail polish have been found and nails have been painted by the eager 5-year-old nail-painter.

 

Little goblins have scampered off to "BOO" neighbors.

to start the "booing" on your block, go here and print off this fun sign and instruction sheet

Tom Kat Studio

A few pumpkins have been found.

Fall centerpieces have been contemplated but not created yet.

There is nothing better than decorating with natural goodies.  If only we lived in a place with more fall foliage...

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And yes, those little costumes are in the making.  Here's hoping their minds don't change in the next few weeks...

something sweet: bananas!

We have officially gone bananas for frozen bananas!  There is a tiny little place downtown that sells frozen bananas all dressed up with things like chocolate, nuts, toffee, sprinkles and more. 

The kids were intrigued by the makings of a frozen banana treat.  They watched intently as their hand-picked creations came to life at the banana stand.

Then the enjoyment of frozen banana treats begun. 

They were amazing.  Way better than any sort of ice cream treat.

Because these treats were so well-liked and relatively healthy, I thought we should try to make them at home.  

We broke bananas in half and stuck the back end of a plastic spoon in the middle before freezing them on cookie trays.  After the bananas froze, I put them into freezer Ziploc bags to store them in the freezer.

Next, we took Ghirardelli chocolate chips {I like the 60% cacao kind because they aren't too sweet} and melted them in a shallow bowl in the microwave.  Be careful not to burn them.  Stop mid-way and stir the mixture.

Then, we chopped up salted peanuts.

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Finally, we took the frozen banana sticks and dipped them into the melted chocolate and followed that with chopped nuts.  

It was a glorious dessert at home but nothing compares to the weird sort of things you might see downtown at night...

zinnias and a few pumpkins

We headed west to a charming pumpkin patch but instead found flowers.  

We picked for hours at the delight of our little pickers on a sunny and cool fall day.  They filled plastic cups as full as they could with bright blooms.

We found the pumpkins too but somehow they seemed a lot less interesting compared to the rows and rows of fresh flowers that begged to be picked.  

In preparation for the upcoming holiday, we found a few pumpkins that seemed to need a good home on our front doorstep.  Those few were far bigger than the "you-need-to-be-able-to-carry-it-yourself" rule but Momma caved when the pumpkins they picked were full of character with hardy stems, lots of lines and odd shaped.

It is always nice to spend the day away finding new adventures together in the country.

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You began to smile and we all lit up!  Somehow, getting that cue from you makes us all relax and know that you are enjoying us as much as we are enjoying you. 

special day

Dressed in an absurdly long and fluffy dress{just like your sisters}, we celebrate your baptism.  We do it just like our parents did and look forward to this day as an entire family with each new birth.  We pull down the christening gown that many others wore and a new name is sewn on the hem.

With family close-by, we will hold you as water is poured on your tiny head at the front of the church and God's love washes over you.

  

Songs will be sung, candles lit and prayers will be said.  

What a special day indeed.