Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: I miss this girl.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today Husband and I celebrate our leather/crystal/glass wedding anniversary.

It's been a fabulous three years. and I hope for at least three more! [that's a funny little joke Husband and I share, we hope to have a happy healthy marriage for at least 300 more years]

Seriously, I can not have even imagine a person who is as perfectly suited for me as Husband is. He's an amazing man, husband, father and best friend.

These are the flowers I made Husband for our anniversary. One for each year. He was pretty excited because no one has ever given him flowers before and he can keep these forever without having to dry them first.
Here's a closer shot. Luckily, I already had everything in the house to make them.
items list if you're interested:
construction paper
pencil
scissors
acrylic paint
paint brush
tissue paper
empty Sake bottle
pipe cleaners
beads
marker
glue
glitter

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Adventures of Daughter: craft time

Allow me to set the stage for you:

Daughter and I were sitting at the desk in the office. We had construction paper, crayons, pencils, and pipe cleaners. Daughter was entertaining herself with a craft project of her own, as I was feverishly drawing out various sizes of flowers.

"Ma, look," as she smiles and points to her picture.

"[Daughter] did you eat your crayon?"

"no."

"[Daughter] are you lying to Mom?"

"no, Ma."

"[Daughter] how did crayon get on your teeth?"

"aaahhh kneeee" {Daughter speak for "I don't know."}

so how did crayon get on Daughter's teeth? examine the evidence and decide for yourself:



nativity scenes: wood carved

This nativity scene is wood carved, yet I have no idea what kind of wood. it is VERY light weight and made in China ... any deductions?

This one also got a mantle spot for Christmas 2009. I got it half priced at Kohl's also. see a trend? Kohl's seems to have a nice range to choose from at very reasonable prices. It's completely Caucasian and 8 pieces. a little smaller than normal. just the holy family [Mary, Joseph and Jesus], an angel, the wise men and their camel. one camel for all three wise men. or maybe that was Mary and Joseph's camel? as I've mentioned before most nativity scenes have very little to do with the Biblical story of Jesus's birth. so who know where the camel came from. on the box, the camel is arranged by the wise men, so my bet is it's theirs.


I just noticed I have a wise man positioned between Mary and the Angel. sheesh. I remember the year that I went to the trouble of getting a compass and figuring out which way was East, so the wise men could be coming "from the East." that was also the year I put out EVERY nativity scene. the year before Daughter was born when Gracie was still living downstairs. boy, those days are gone!
Baby Jesus. smiling and not really swaddled -- his arms, anyway.



Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas Dinner: the update

wow. We had a great meal.

Since the goose dinner turned out so fabulous, I decided to post the recipes Husband used from roastgoose.com.

Christmas Goose, Dickens Style -- cooked per directions except we brined it overnight and used fresh roasted chestnuts because we couldn't find canned ones. the stuffing was seriously amazing. I think if we ever use it again, we'll add more bacon and onion. The goose was so moist and had a really great flavor. It was all dark meat though ... that was sort of weird - looks wise. taste wise, it was great.

Goose Liver Toast -- I tried it and will probably never eat it again. My mom thought it was fabulous. she also loves to eat liver.

Fried Potatoes -- this recipe is exactly how I make fried potatoes normally except I use olive oil, instead of goose fat (of course) the taste difference was amazing. goose fat is where it's at.

I forgot to roast the asparagus until it was time to sit down to eat and there were no vegetables! luckily, those cook fast!

We drank Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 -- say it out loud -- it's a fun name. It's a great red wine from France that's released once a year right before Thanksgiving and is meant to be drink/drank/{drunk} immediately instead of sitting around for months or years. It's 12.5% alcohol and we really enjoyed it. It was definitely better than the 2008. (I'm already thinking about 2010) :-) definitely check out the website. there's a neat facts and tips section.

A Christmas wish, fulfilled a year later

This is a blog entry I posted in my livejournal on January 16, 2009:
guess what's in my freezer ...
no.
no, but good guess.
nah, try again.



ok, fine.


a goose.



remember how it was [Husband's] Christmas wish to have a Christmas goose? and we went to Whole Foods, Bruno's, Food World, Publix, Winn Dixie, Wal-mart and [Husband] even checked online for one? the cheapest one we could find was close to $60. so no goose for us.

even after Christmas, [Husband] has still been checking the meat department on every grocery trip. tonight it paid off. Goose was on sale at Wal-mart. not just on sale, but apparently on clearance.

we bought a 10.5lb goose that was originally 4.98 a pound for .99 a pound. yes. we bought a 53 dollar goose for $10.42.

and the best part of the whole deal: the sell by date on the goose is 9-26-10 so it is double wrapped very tightly in aluminum foil and is currently in our freezer awaiting Christmas 2009 to fulfill [Husband's] Christmas wish.

when we got home he said, "I've never started looking forward to Christmas so early before."



Today, Husband is cooking a Dickens Style Goose with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing. [Stuffing as in putting it in the goose to cook, not dressing that cooks alone in a casserole dish] I'm making fried potato cakes with the goose fat. and to throw in the token vegetable, we're roasting asparagus. I also have apple cider in the crock pot for all day sipping.

I'm excited for Husband. After sitting double wrapped in aluminum foil for 11 months, our clearance goose finally is going to be enjoyed. My mom and dad are coming over to eat and give Daughter and Son their presents. so it should be a day of fun and food.

with fresh baked pecan pie and coffee for dessert.

yum yum.

nativity scenes: St. Nicholas Square

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

This is one of what I call the "classic" nativity scenes.

The barn with fake moss? check
loose figurines so you can change the scene? check
white people less one dark skinned wise man? check
2 barnyard animals? check
shepherd holding a lamb and an extra sheep for good measure? check
angel? no. wait, NO ANGEL.


I love it. It's 11 pieces and I got it at Kohl's after Christmas one year for half price. This is one of the lucky ones that made it to the mantle for Christmas 2009. I love the colors, the dark reds and greens with just a little gold.


the baby Jesus. fair haired and legs crossed. hand opened and out stretched, inviting.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

a new series: my nativity scenes. the bears

Earlier today when I was taking pictures of the random ornaments on our tree, I also took some of the mantle with our stockings and a few of my nativity scenes. I have a few dozen [nativity scenes, not stockings]. Only one is out year round, the others take turns as to which Christmas they get to be seen.

You see, I've learned that with a toddler that loves touching things that she shouldn't and a cat that believes she has a right to sit on any surface in the house she can get on, the number of nativity scenes I can have out at one time is lowLOWlow. this year, I only have 8 out, counting the year round one.

And really, no one has been to my house in months. so the only people who even see those eight are me, Husband, Daughter and Son. that makes me a little sad. For the main reason, that I seriously love these nativity scenes. I love seeing the different interpretations of the birth of Christ. I love the three "wise men." I love the barnyard animals. I love nativities made out of all sorts of materials [I have one carved out of bone]. I love baby Jesus [every one of them]. I love the whimsical ones. I just love them.

so, now I'm sharing them with you.

First, the one that stays up year round. It stays in the bottom shelf of my china cabinet. Husband bought it for me on our honeymoon in Alaska. It was so ridiculously expensive. I choked a little bit when I went to look at the three boxes it came in to verify maker of it and saw the price tags. but it's amazing and it's just a great memory [and I probably couldn't get much for it at a pawn shop anyway] ;-)

This one is bears, dressed up as whatever character they are playing. It's 14 pieces in all and is called Bearitivity I, II, and III in the Bearfoots collection by Jeff Fleming. He's based in Montana.


This is the collection. I love the drummer boy. and the costumes of the wise men. the bears dressed as a camel, a cow, and a sheep.

Jesus Bear. you can't tell from this angle, but he's grinning. and definitely not wearing swaddling clothes.
a view of one of the wise men. bringing gold, frankincense, mirh, or honey
One of the two angel bears
this wise man is sporting a turban and carrying trinkets.
more nativity scenes to come [and they'll keep coming after Christmas]

the slightest glimpse of our Christmas Tree

our Christmas tree isn't artificial with evenly spaced branches. it isn't prelit with evenly distributed white lights all over it. it doesn't have a lot of coordinating ornaments on it. it definitely doesn't look "put together."

It's real and uneven and sparse in some places and sheds. It required water and our tree stand leaks (goal one on December 26: buy half priced tree stand). It has three strands of lights wrapped around. We got a bigger than normal tree this year and could've really used 4 or maybe even 5 strands. It has a hodge-podge mismatch of my ornaments, Husbands ornaments and ornaments we've bought over our three Christmases together. It doesn't even have an angel or star on top. it's true.

our perfectly imperfect tree. Daughter loves it. She routinely kisses the tree, pets the tree and of course, pulls off ornaments and breaks them. I don't mind so much about the ornaments because the ones of mine she breaks have been easy to super glue back together and put away for the next few years and the ones of Husband's she breaks, I didn't like them anyway.

This is one of 100 blue assorted {shatter proof} balls I got at Sam's Club two Christmases ago, when I wanted a blue themed tree. There are only about 8 on the tree this year.

Husband and I bought this at Rock City a couple of months before Daughter was born. It was one of our "last day trips by ourselves." It was such a fun fun day.

This is the top of our imperfect tree. The blue icicles are also from the blue theme. The ones that are low enough for Daughter to touch, she pretends that they are horns and blows in them. notice how sparsely decorated the top is. We have a 10 feet tall tree and were clearly to lazy to get a chair for higher decorating.
This was one of my ornaments from the mini tree in my bedroom when I was little. I was obsessed with the Smurfs to the point that my mother put up Smurf wallpaper in my bedroom. I use to have more but of course only a couple have survived my ownership.

This is one of the ornaments Husband inherited from his parents when they apparently didn't want them anymore. We got rid of most of them last year but this one made the cut. it photographs well and luckily, I hung it high enough that it survived Daughter.

This is one that I seriously have no idea who gave it to me. I found it in my mail box my freshman year of college. I love it.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Adventures of Daughter (and Son): the laundry basket

One of my favorite things about Son growing up is that Daughter is rediscovering things she loved to do but lost interest in overtime. Case in point: laundry basket rides. I remember walking around and around and around the house pulling the laundry basket while she giggled, but in time she grew tired of our game. now that Son is getting laundry basket rides, she is more than eager to join the fun.

Daughter, when she was about 9 months old. She loved standing up in the laundry basket and being pulled around like she was in a chariot. notice the grey yarn that I used to pull her.

Daughter and Son enjoying a double ride. Son is pulling up sporatically in his bed, but he's not ready for the standing laundry basket ride. Daughter wanted to join him. They held hands for most of the ride and Daughter hummed along to the silly made up song I was singing.
These kids are fun. I'm more than blessed.

Monday, December 14, 2009

not me - a couple of weeks coming


TWO WEEKS AGO: I was not so lazy that instead of washing Daughter's cloth diapers or even going to the store to get some disposables, that I actually let her wear swim diapers around the house for a whole day. nope, I didn't do that.

TODAY: now that Daughter is using her potty on a very regular basis, she only uses two diapers a day. even less incentive for me to want to wash diapers every other day. with Son the only person who wears them, I have even less desire to wash them.

I don't have a case of the laundry lazies. nope. definitely not me.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Spirits Sunday: my Christmas time favorite

I wish I could tell you 12 different places where you can find this wine, but sadly, no. I've only found it at World Market. if you decide to venture out to World Market to find it, the picture is a little deceiving. the bottle actually is green and not blue like the picture shows. I found this image on the wine website Schmitt Sohne (that distributes Gluwein in the USA)

Husband and I discovered it last year and really fell in love. Augsburger Christkindlmarkt Gluwein is a spiced red wine. and it's meant to be drunk hot. yes. heat it up.

we pour a couple of glasses in a sauce pan on the stove top and when steam starts rising, it's perfect. and it's great with gingerbread.

Gluwein is produced and bottled in Germany and imported and distributed by Schmitt Sohne

It's a screw top with 9% alcohol. I'm pretty sure it's under $6 a bottle.

seriously, I love a glass of this on a cold right before bed.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Adventures of Daughter - the messer, the cleaner

Two of Daughter's favorite things to do is help clean and make art.

sometimes she will try to color like I do.
sometimes she will try fold clothes like I do.

and sometimes the two overlap.
sometimes she will try to clean the walls and windows after she colors on them.

We have a pretty strict rule in our house: washable paint/crayons/colored pencils/markers ONLY. all of my non-washable things are on a high shelf in my closet safe from little creative hands.


This is Daughter cleaning the side glass door with our all purpose cleaner [I mostly use a water/vinegar mix. it's cheap, works and is enviromentally and kid friendly] and a baby rag.
she's very thorough. AND the best part of washable art products, I could get it off with a wet hand.


earlier this morning, Daughter took advantage of my inattention and colored on the wall and entertainment center with her brown crayon ... before I could ask her to help me clean it up, she asked for a paper towel and started herself.

that kid. I don't know anyone like her.

FACT: there's a patch of Daughter's bedroom wall that she colored on with nonwashable crayon [pre-rule] and I don't want to wash it. I'm pretty sure the day will come when I'm wishing for crayon marks on the wall. I'm enjoying them while they last!

wordless wednesday: she might see Rock City, she might see Ruby Falls

Friday, November 20, 2009

Food Day Friday - Lentil Sprouts - Grow Your Own

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. The most brief synopsis I can offer: a family of 4 living in rural Virginia decide that for one year they would only eat what they grew/raised themselves or bought that was grown/raised in their county.

It really gave me a lot to think about. The book included more than a dozen recipes the family used over the course of the year. The first recipe I came across that made me say, "I want to eat that right now," was Asian Vegetable Rolls. They used bean sprouts grown in a jar in the house. hmm. I can do that. I can grow bean sprouts. I'm a gardener after all.

so, I start SwagBucking to see what kind of beans work/taste best. alfalfa, of course. mung and lentils. score. we already had lentils in the cabinet that Husband bought to have on hand for winter soups.

Here's what you need:
glass jar (I used a quart size)
beans (I used 1/2 cup of lentils for this but also made a jar of garbanzos that are slower growers so I haven't tasted them yet)
some sort of seal to allow the jar to breath (I used craft canvas I had in my craft box, but I'm sure clean panty hose would work or you could even leave it uncovered)
water


Monday Night: I added the beans and plenty of water (use more than you think you need because the beans really absorb a lot) put the top on and let them soak overnight.
Tuesday Morning: I drained the water, refilled, swished and rinsed. I left the jar upside down for a bit to continue to drain. After a couple of hours I put the jar in the window for some sun.

Tuesday Night: I filled the jar with water, swished and drained again.
Wednesday Morning: I continued the Tuesday process and this is what my lentils looked like.
Same for Thursday and by Thursday Night they looked like this:



to me, they taste a lot like raw peanuts. which I like.


For dinner Thursday night, Husband, Daughter and I ate a salad of lentil sprouts, purple onion, cucumber, bell pepper, feta and croutons with a homemade balsamic dressing. it was pretty tasty.


I found this website with lots of sprout recipes. I haven't cooked any yet, but I'm hopeful.


next, I'll try the garbanzo bean sprouts and find some alfalfa seeds to start.


We got the pound of dried lentils at Publix for less than $2. I wonder how much the same pound of lentils once sprouted would sell for at a place like Whole Foods? more than $2, me thinks.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

opted out.

changed my mind.

wussed out.

took the easy way out.

quitter.

blah blah blah.

call it whatever you want. put whatever label you want on it. whatever justification you need.

I'm not running in the 5k Saturday.

ready for my 'reasons?'

number 1. I guess is that I just don't want to. yes. I think running in the cold is hard. and I have the sinus infection to prove it.

on the one hand I feel like a quitter for not pushing through and making it happen. on the other hand, I feel relieved that my sinus troubles have subsided and I can breathe normally again.

I'm still going to the 5k, just as an athletic supporter. <-- go ahead. laugh at my 7th grade joke.

and now that I'm not running every other day, I feel so lazy. my jeans feel tighter. I've even resorted to doing sprints in my driveway during the warmest parts of the day and pulling out old VHS workout videos just to get my exercise fix.

I'm ready for spring.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mean Mom Tip of the Day: juice

After Daughter drinks about 18-20 ounces of whole milk a day, she can have as much "juice" as she wants. and, boy, does she ask for "juice"

and I gladly oblidge.

that's right, Daughter gets as much "juice" as she wants.

but what Daughter doesn't know is a mean trick that Husband and I have been playing on her for over a year.

when she brings us her 10 ounce sippy cup and asks for, "more juice," what she actually gets is 8 ounces of water and 2 ounces of no sugar added, not from concentrate 100% apple juice.

She drinks so much more water when we flavor it a little. It's an easy way to keep her hydrated.

one day when this kid gets an actual cup of non-watered down apple juice, she'll be in for the surprise of her life!

seriously. when we're counting servings of fruits for the day. I'd much rather Daughter eat apple slices than drink a glass of apple juice. plus, she really doesn't know what she's missing.

muhahahahah

Wordless Wednesday: Husband, weatherman

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Spirits Sunday: Auto-Moto Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Auto-Moto Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Last night the family was invited to a house warming party. this is someone who believes "wine is gross."

Christy and Husband to the rescue. I decided a great gift would be some fabulous inexpensive wine glasses [seriously, fabulous. I want them to replace our ugly ones that Husband acquired before he met me] and a 'starter bottle of wine.'

To World Market we went. They have a great wine selection and a wide range of price points, so I knew we'd find something great for her and a few great things for us to try. We got a nice sweet Riesling as a gift and then we started our selfish search.

I found a cava for $5.68 [I've been wanting to try a cava since I heard it mentioned as a great New Year's sparkling wine last year on NPR]

I also found some spiced German wine we had last year and really liked for under $8.
[reviews coming after we try them]

and Husband found this Cabernet for $11.99. Cabernets are his favorite red wine and after trying the Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon from Aldi, [review also forthcoming] I can say, I like it too. Husband picked it because it was the last bottle on the shelf. He figured if people kept buying it, it had to be good.

It's got a great label. yes. that's how I usually pick wines, so maybe that's why people kept buying it. The company, Auto-Moto, also has a great website, complete with recipes for meal suggestions to eat with each wine! They bottle Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling.
I enjoyed the wine. It's really dry, which is a change from the summer Rieslings, but the dryness definitely fits with the season. We enjoyed the whole bottle while cooking and eating on sale steaks and grilled potatoes -- I was wishing for asparagus, but I'm currently reading Animal Vegetable Miracle, so I resisted.

The description on the bottle as well as the website helped make it a fun wine to drink. It had a smoky flavor and while it tasted slightly fruity, I really couldn't pick anything out.
It's 13.5% alcohol and has a rubber cork.

[I've got about 4 bottles on the counter to tell you about soon. Husband and I usually like to have a glass of wine on Sunday evenings while we're cooking dinner and Daughter and Son are enjoying late naps]

will we taste one of our bell peppers this season?

only time [and the first frost] will tell.


yes, we're definitely learned our seeds only lesson. or rather we've learned that if we want to continue with seeds we have to start them in the house MUCH earlier than we did this year. This is our first bell pepper. it's probably about the size of a penny and one of the few remaining plants left in our garden from the spring/summer.

I'm hoping it'll do some super growing so we can at least eat it before the frost gets to it.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Spirits Sunday: Bailey's Irish Cream

if it's cool/cold outside I'm drinking warm drinks.

coffee.
cappuccino.
hot chocolate.

yes, yes and yes.

And sometimes for an added treat a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream. It definitely adds a little extra warmth to my beverage.

When I was "swag bucking" for an image [as opposed to googling], I pulled up quite a few dessert recipes using Irish Cream. Something to try in the future.

The label recommends trying Bailey's over ice. And I'm pretty sure it'd be good with milk too.

I've tried O'Reilly's Irish Cream because it's cheaper and sold in grocery stores, unlike Bailey's that we, in Alabama, have to get in ABC or liquor stores. And it's definitely not as smooth.

Husband bought me an entire liter this weekend and it'll last all fall, into the winter and possibly spring. making the marginal extra cost not such a big deal for the occasional splurge.

It's 17% alcohol

Saturday, November 7, 2009

I love: kiss me mascara

this is my favorite mascara ever. period. I've never tried a mascara I like better. sometimes I adventure out, but I always come home to Kiss Me.

It's a tube mascara, which means it doesn't coat your lashes but covers your lashes and then STAYS THERE until you wash it off with warm water and a wash cloth. It wraps around your lashes and resists smudging, smearing and running.

it's fabulous clean coverage.

I'm not the girl who craves longer thicker lashes. I'm the girl who looks slightly drunk and partially asleep without mascara. Kiss Me really opens my eyes up and makes me look awake and fresh - even if I don't always feel that way.

In case you care, I have fair skin, green eyes and light/medium brown hair (thanks Clairol) and I use the Medium Brown.

This mascara is more expensive that your average drug store mascara (I first found it at the salon where I get my hair cut and eye brows waxed -- man, I'd love to get both of those done right now). but now I can find it for MUCH cheaper at an ebay store - and free shipping to boot.

it is a nice splurge and even while watching the saddest cry fest movie, it hasn't let me down.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

I love: Dove Ultimate Visably Smooth


When I first saw the commercial I decided I had to give it a try. I hate shaving and I definitely hate feeling like I need to shave. especially my under arms. so if I could shave less just by applying deodorant (something I do daily anyway) why not try it?
Before the switch, I was using Dove Original (clean) and liked it, so this wasn't a leap so much as a hop to a new product.
and while I feel as completely confident in its powers as a deodorant and a shave minimizer, I do have one complaint. it smells strong. fragrant. I'm not a froo froo smell girl. I just like to smell clean. and the Nature Fresh is a clean smell, but it's also a strong smell. seriously, the only complaint. (the only other smell option available is Wild Rose and I smelled it in the store when I was trying to decide which scent to get, and it almost knocked me down. flowery punch right to the nose. but if that's your thing, it's out there.)
After about 3 weeks use, I can already tell I am needing to shave my underarms less. I don't miss the prickly feeling at all.
Honestly, I didn't even look for a price difference. so I can't tell you if this is more expensive than my previous odor blocker.
(I don't get paid for my opinions, but maybe I should)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

running in the cold bbbbrrrrrrrrrr

I've never really fancied myself a sissy. I've always thought I'm pretty tough. mentally and physically. I'm also really healthy. I never get the flu and only have mild sinus issues twice a year when the weather changes. BUT, I've never really run for miles in the cold before.

My next 5k is less than a month away so I'm back to running every other day/night. no matter the weather. (I've come to like running in the rain) I've discovered I like running at night. just me and my headphones. nothing but my tattoo as identification if I'm abducted and murdered. (yes, I think about that a little every time I leave my house to run for a mile and a half and back at 10.30 at night)

well, with night comes cooler temperatures. my sinuses have been going crazy. for the past 2 weeks every time I run (every other day) my sinuses get congested and I feel horrible. while nasal irrigation and pressing on my sinuses, most of it is gone by the time of my next run. but seriously. it's taking its toll. I'm not big on taking lots of medicines, but even if I wanted too, I'm limited right now as to what I can actually take and it not mess with Son.

it's hurting me. I hear I will get used to it. I hear I'll love to run in the cold more than the hot, but that remains to be seen.

please.
please.
please.
let it be seen soon.

I'm hoping with the help of Mandy I'll have an improved time on this 5k and reach my goal of not having to walk.

I've also switched my training to Podrunner Intervals (can be found on iTunes). The sessions are a few minutes longer than what I was previously doing and I feel like that's helping with my pace and endurance.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

the great pumpkin carve of 2009

In our house, everyone gets a pumpkin. but not everyone gets to cut into their pumpkin and pull its guts out. We have varying levels of decoration.

levels used this year
level 1: sharpie
level 2: mr. potato head like-facial features bought last year at 80% off that you stick in the pumpkin
level 3: knives and pens
level 4: knives, pens, mallets, screw drivers and expensive coat hangers


Husband's pumpkin, my pumpkin, Daughter's pumpkin and Son's pumpkin
This is the probably the first family photo we've taken since Son was born, almost 7 months ago. I love that Son and Daughter are holding hands. They do that a lot.



cutting the top off my pumpkin. (level 3)


Daughter decorating her pumpkin (level 2)


Daughter's finished pumpkin


Son and his finished pumpkin (level 1) when you're more concerned with playing with your feet than celebrating a family tradition, you're Level 1 by default.


my jack-o-lantern lit up. this is the most creative pumpkin I ever created. I free handed it from a pic a friend posted on her facebook. (Level 3) it turned out better than I ever imagined.


Husband's jack-o-lantern. (level 4) very creative.


Husband hanging his level 4 jack-o-lantern. in the dark it has the illusion of floating. Notice my sweet stray cat. if you remember the death pumpkin of 2007, you'll understand why I now fear for her life.


our pumpkin family.