Take Your Pick

Rancher?

Cattle Rustler?

Cowboy?

 

Yes.

 

Hat?

From our Mad Hatter Dinner.

Bandana?

From our Survivor costume.

Coat?

From Aunt Lisa.

Boots?

From our Captain Jack Sparrow costume.

 

Candy Rules

1.      Be safe, and be a Smartie as you’re walking around.

2.      Don’t rush, there are Good & Plenty houses to visit.

3.      Don’t let the last house slip through your Butterfingers … they are very generous.

4.      Make sure that Now and Later to say thank you to our nice neighbors.

5.      Tonight there will be a full moon, so there will be an amazing view of the Milky Way.

6.      If your baby brother doesn’t want to visit the Haunted House, no Snickers!

7.      When Mom asks how much candy you ate, don’t tell a Whopper.

8.      Later, if you Rolo-ver with a tummy ache, Mom will give you a Rolo-aids to feel better.

My Little Court Jester
(tonight he is a Rancher ... photos later)

Shopping? Again!?

I am looking forward to when the boys come home from school this afternoon.

You see, I have plans.

With the weather turning colder, the older boys have been digging into their drawers and closets for warmer clothes and, like a nightmare, they have outgrown almost everything.

Didn't I just take them shopping? I know I took Jonathan to the mall, I definitely remember the cute sales girl flirting with Nicholas at Kohl's, and how can I forget our back-to-school shopping adventure? Really, how can those pants be too short already? And I know that shirt had long sleeves when I bought it.

Huh.

Boys. They grow fast. Who knew?

Luckily I don't have to worry about our little guy; he is set for life. Not only does he have clothes passed down to him from his brothers, but also from his older cousins. Honestly, I only do his laundry once every two weeks, and I am not kidding.

The older boys, on the other hand, I can't keep up with.

What complicates things immensely is that they hate to shop. They make excuses, they groan, they complain and, while they make it very clear what they don't like, they can't tell me what they do like.

Honestly, at this point I hate to shop with them. There. I said it.

But just as I was starting to get heart palpitations at the thought of planning another shopping excursion, I had a thought: if you can't bring the boys to the store, bring the store to the boys.

Which is exactly what I am doing. This morning I went SHOPPING, and everything I purchased is now displayed very nicely in our bedroom. It's a big room, with a big bathroom; in other words, a perfect dressing room with plenty of space to try on clothes. And while they try on lots and lots of clothes I will be sitting peacefully in the corner drinking a cappuccino.

Poor guys, they don't have any idea what's in store for them.

But so you don't think I am totally heartless, please know that I do have a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies ready and waiting for them when they walk in the door.

I hope it helps ;)

Prediction? I'll be returning and/or exchanging most of this tomorrow.

Rancher?

Cattle Rustler?

Cowboy?

 

Yes.

Recipe for a Ghost

 

1 tomato cage, placed upside down

a Styrofoam ball

tulle, or white sheets

one piece of black foam to make eyes/mouth 

 

assemble, hang some ikea lanterns for atmosphere (these are solar, so they light up at night)

 

Happy Halloween Week!

*Thanks, Megan, for the idea! 

 

Mrs. Paproth

For a long time I knew her simply as Mrs. Paproth.

Her blog, Mrs. Paproth's Barn, is about her family's real life adventure of leaving the city for the country life in the mountains of Vermont; there are stories about raising chickens, shoveling snow, wading through mud, restoring a farmhouse, and living life with a purpose.

Mostly, though, she writes about the seasons of New England, taking lessons from nature and applying them to life.

Visiting her blog makes me want to curl up in front of a roaring fire, with cappuccino in hand, and stay a while.

From time to time she visits my little blog and her comments (which she always signs E) are  insightful and thoughtful. I remember one in particular. I had written this post about finding the freedom in Lent and how Wisdom teaches us that unless we are free to say no to something, we are not really free to say yes to it. She left two comments; here was one of them ...

My big kids were home this weekend and I read your blog to them

one night while we were in front of the fire drinking spicy hot chocolate.

We talked about the question of freedom in our choices
and how saying no makes yes so much sweeter.
This was a wonderful discussion. Thanks Bia

Of course, sometimes I've read some of her posts to my family. The one which inspired the most disbelief and laughter was her post about fish falling from the sky. Go read it; it's a true phenomenon.

Eventually I learned that Mrs. Paproth is really Ellen Stimson and she has book coming out next fall entitled, Mud Season ... A Waking Dream in Vermont.

Just wanted to share the good news.

I, for one, can't wait to read it.

What is Not in My Shopping Cart ... in 7 quick takes

1. Canned anything. With the exception of canned tomatoes and canned beans (cannellini, etc.), I do not buy anything canned. No canned corn, peas, green beans. Not even soup. Too much sodium (even if its reduced).

2. Bagged lettuce. While there have been times in which I have resorted to purchasing lettuce that has been triple washed (really?) and bagged, for the most part I buy a whole head of lettuce and wash it myself. Besides, bagged lettuce doesn't even smell like lettuce.

3.  Fruit and veggies that have already been cut, sliced, diced, or handled in any way. Too many variables (hands, cutting surfaces, knives) for contamination, and who knows how well they have been washed?

4. Frozen dinners. No chicken nuggets, TGIF meals, Lunchables, or Lean Cuisines. What about pizza? you ask. Sometimes, but mostly I make my own.

5. Soda. Truthfully,  occasionally I do buy  soda, but mostly when we are having company or we are hosting a dinner party. If it's in the house the boys drink it, and since they don't need it I try not to get it.

6. Snacks that are packaged into individual portions. Let's face it, the portion sizes are ridiculous for my boys. A small bag of potato chips containing 10 chips is just not enough for my growing boys (they would need 2-3 bags!), so I purchase the large bags and then use Ziploc bags to make more appropriate portion sizes.

7. Sugar substitutes. Ever. There are too many unknowns about sugar substitutes; I'd rather use 1/2 tsp. of the real stuff than a packet of Sweet n' Low or Splenda.

Finally, I am a big fan of the deli and the bakery. I prefer to buy lunch meat from the deli, where meat is sliced on the spot and is fresher than the pre-packaged kind; I also prefer to buy a loaf of bread from the bakery and have them slice it. Believe me, sandwiches taste much better with freshly baked bread than with Wonder Bread which has a shelf life of two weeks.

P.S. If you want to know what does make it into my shopping cart, check out this post.

lunch
 

For more quick takes fun, go visit Jen at Conversion Diary!