Silly Me

Why is it that kids ALWAYS pick the day you need to get a ton of things done to become "little devils"???

I put Nicholas down for a nap around
2 pm. I could still hear him doing something about 30 minutes later. So, I finally decided to check to see if he might need a diaper change . . . NOPE.

What he DID need was a diaper!

Yep, there he was standing in his crib, stripped down to the buff. Stuffed animals were strewn across the floor, . . . and WHERE
were his clothes & diaper? He proudly went to the back of the crib, which is against the wall, peered over the edge, and said,
"Down there Momma."

Of course, . . . silly me!
.

Another Pumpkin Farm

On Sunday, something very strange happened.

The SUN came out!!!

We were all shocked and amazed. So, we grabbed our boots (it has been quite WET lately) and took our annual family trip to the nearby pumpkin farm. Nicholas had a great time running through the corn paths, riding in the wheelbarrow, and patting the pumpkins. There was a tractor pulled wagon that caught his attention every few minutes--he LOVES tractors (though he calls them "tchrachers").

They also had a corn hut/tee-pee and a Fort Maze. Nicholas raced through the maze without any fear . . . "Come on Momma" . . .
was all I heard as he rounded each corner.

Here are some highlights from our pumpkin farm adventure.

Ghost Spider

I thought that with ALL the rain we've had the spiders would be gone. I mean, you know the song . . .

"The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out."

Apparently, NW spiders haven't heard that song before. We have so many spiders in our yard, I have to do deep knee bends to scope out hidden webs before venturing outside.

However . . . with all my anxieties about spiders and their webs, I couldn't help but take a photo of this one who dropped her web from the end of a tree branch straight down to the front lawn. I just love how my flash reflected off of her!

Big Shoes to Fill

I've heard it said that little boys want to grow up to be just like their dads. Nicholas is no exception. He wants to do everything that Daddy does . . . sit in Daddy's chair, drive Daddy's truck (not to worry, it's in PARK, in the driveway, and there are NO keys involved!) . . . and the other day, we added :

I WEAR DADDY'S SHOES!

He was very determined to not only wear Daddy's shoes, but also to walk in them.

Pumpkin Farm

Yesterday, we went to a local Pumpkin Farm with our MOMS Club. We had reserved the day/time to match up with our normal Tuesday meetings. However, someone must have forgotten to inform the weatherman . . . because it was down right COLD (48 degrees) & WET!



The kids did really well for most of the time. There was a lot of different activities for them to do . . .
-- a hay bale maze (which was luckily inside an open barn)



-- an animal area with a turkey, chickens, calf, donkey, rabbits, sheep and goats)
-- a hay pyramid that even had tunnels!

-- a tractor display (which was covered!)
-- and a tractor-pulled ride out to the back forty to pick a pumpkin!








Nicholas seemed to enjoy most of it. He liked running through the hay maze and was excited about "seeing" the animals. But, he did NOT want to touch them! He did, however, try to catch a chicken . . . that was pretty funny! When it came time to climb the hay pyramid, I thought he'd climb right up. But, he was too distracted by the tractors.










When we got out to the pumpkin fields, Nicholas was the first one to get off. I did my best to keep up without slipping in the mud. He ran straight for a bright green, although nicely shaped, pumpkin. He said "This is Daddy's pumpkin." I tried to explain to him that Daddy might want a pumpkin with a little more orange coloring to it.

AND, he found one!!!
Then, he pointed to it . . . said, "Momma carry" . . . and started walking back to the little shelter where the tractor dropped us off. I asked him,
"Where are you going?"

Nicholas said, "All DONE!"

Projects Review

Way back in September, I chose three projects to tackle by the end of the month. I just realized that I never owned up to my final results. So, here is how it ended:

1. Maple Tree - DONE
2. Pantry - DONE
3. Front Yard - Errr, ummm . . . SORT OF (?)

I had intended to finish the relandscaping plan for our front yard. But, as I stood out at the curb trying to visualize what I wanted to do, I got sidetracked. I didn't like looking at the entrance to our house -- specifically, the front door. So, I decided I needed to "fix" that before I changed anything else.

Solution . . . I re-painted the front door while John was on a business trip to CA.

(John found out when he got home.)

So, now I am onto my next projects . . . finishing my plans for relandscaping the front yard, and . . . are you ready for this? . . . actually "finding" my office. I started moving and upgrading my computer equipment last weekend.

Say What?

Ohhh, it's definitely been a long week. How do I know?

I can't speak.

It must be either the wet leaf-dropping, constant gray gloom of the impending Halloween season OR the constant whining & clawing of a toddler that has taken hold of my mind. Do you need proof? Here are some examples:

Monday night dinner . . .
"Sorry dinner's late. I hope the cooken is chick'd."

Tuesday MOMS Club . . .
"Oh rats! I knew I forgot to put the Nick in my purse and not on my desk, but I remembered the $4."

Thursday afternoon . . .
"What are you doing? I asked you to take your shelf off and put them up on your feet."

Somewhere, it's 5pm and HAPPY HOUR has begun!

Rustic Apple/Blueberry Pie

The last week of September was a busy one for us. John had to make another trip to CA (that's 8 so far, plus 1 to Boston this year). So, . . . what's a mom to do? Answer . . . bake a pie, of course.

My MOMS Club had a baked apple pie contest. So, I made one. However, I always end up splitting my crust. So, I thought I'd try to be *different* . . . it worked! My pie won by one vote. The only thing I won was bragging rights (how am I doing?--LOL). However, I got a case of the guilts for not having the recipe to share with the Club (I'd thrown it together). Soooo, I sat down and tried to remember how I made my pie. Here's the recipe. I hope you like it!









Rustic Apple/Blueberry Pie

2 flat/rolled pie crusts *
1 egg white beaten (or egg substitute) *
Mix of 2 tsp sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon
3 Granny Smith apples peeled & sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tblsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon & allspice

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425°F.

Line a pizza pan/large cookie sheet with foil and lightly grease. Lay down one pie crust, brush with egg white/substitute, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix. Place the other crust on top and lightly press down all over to seal crusts together.

Mix apple slices & blueberries with lemon juice to coat. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon & allspice. Add sugar mixture to apples/blueberries and toss to coat well. Pour into a pile into the middle of the crust, leaving about 2+ inches of crust all around. Pull edges of crust over the apples/blueberries and pleat as needed--pinching pleats to hold. Brush crust with egg white/substitute and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until crust is brown.

* I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts & Egg Beaters.

Last Days of Summer

As the rain settles into the Northwest, I can't help but wonder . . .

"WHAT HAPPENED TO SUMMER???"

I look at my calendar, and I can see the pages for June, July, and August turned over. There are activities written in and crossed off for many of those days. Yet, it doesn't feel like summer ever happened. Notice that even Nick is wearing long sleeves or a jacket.

We spent a lot of time at the park. I know because Nick's mantra had become "Go to da' park." He mastered the slide and loves to swing. He knows that if he's in the baby swing he can go a lot higher, but usually prefers the "big boy" swings. However, there is one park that has a tire swing. I think, if he could, he'd stay on that swing all day!

Nick also loves to run. And, boy, can he RUN! He's been taking soccer class with Dad on Saturday mornings. Last week, Nick was the fastest in his class. Didn't surprise me! If Nick is in a goofy mood, he likes to play tag . . . or as he call it "Catch", as in catch Me. He's gotten quite good at the double-back. I may have taught him that a bit too well from playing hide & seek around the kitchen island.

I hope you all enjoyed the end of your summer! Apparently, we did . . . it just didn't feel like summer.

Third time WASN'T a charm!

You've heard the old saying "the third time's a charm." Well, that may be true for a lot of things, but when it comes to getting your child's haircut . . . nope, not even close!

<< This is how it ended.

Now, I know many kids fuss at getting their hair cut, but this was Nick's third official haircut, and the previous two went fairly well. Nick sat on my lap, they turned on the Disney Channel, and Nick went into zombie-mode until they were done. As long as they didn't turn on the "blower thing" to get the hair off his shoulders, he was fine.

This time . . . NOT FINE! I tried to do everything a "good momma" should do. I kept telling Nick what we were going to do that morning. I even made sure he was in a good mood. Everything seemed fine. According to the "Mom Playbook" . . . I should have scored.

The problem was . . . Nick had the "Toddler Playbook". As soon as we sat down, he was 100% monkey boy--wrapped around my neck--and crying "No Momma, No!" I felt like such a "bad momma" for making him so upset. I tried everything to calm him. I don't know how long the haircut took. It seemed like forever. But when it was all over . . . I was the one covered in hair! Yep, Nick wouldn't let them put the drape around him, so Momma took one for the team.

That's how the photo above got taken. After they finished, I took Nick over to the chairs, gave him his FIRST lollipop (yes, really), and returned to the barber's chair to have the hair blown off of me. Remember how I said Nick hates the "blower thing"? That's why his hands are over his ears! But look at those poor red cheeks :-(

I wanted to make him feel better, so we walked over to Starbucks, and got a big glass of ice water and some shortbread cookies. By the look on Nick's face, I think he ended up forgiving me . . .

. . . but not for the gel they
put in his hair (LOL) >>