Our little fan girl has started designing her own clothes! I couldn’t be more proud.

After a day of brainstorming and asking for advice and google searching pics of Rainbow Dash and drawing, on both paper and on sandpaper, this awesome t-shirt was created. We, as a family, tend to steer clear of ‘branded’ merchandise, though a few things slip in here and there. Somehow, however, making and wearing her own pony shirt feels a whole lot different.

Catherine was thrilled and tickled pink by the outcome and I love to see her experimenting with new things and combining her interests into new projects. She definitely went to bed a happy girl tonight!

A photo combining my three great, non-person, loves: the beach, knitting, and obnoxious socks.

Happy Tuesday to me!

Because sometimes it is what you want to do.

The equations might be a wee bit incorrect, but the message is coming through loud and clear: Buy more bread and ice cream cones than originally planned.

Esme, her new cheese headed friends and her massive chocolate prize.

These new neighbors were overjoyed when we walked up, their first visitors of the night, on their first Halloween in Salem. We had a nice chat, Esme posed for a photo, and Peter was the lucky one who got to carry the thing home! It was a fun little surprise during a lovely night of trick or treating!

I imagine we’ll be pulling this painting out to decorate for many Octobers to come!

With a song from Kristoff and lots of thrown snowballs we can count another Trunk or Treat under our belts.

There is always a flurry of activity in the week before (pun intended!) but I do love the challenge of coming up with a fun theme, coordinating game, and clever costumes- all on a very small budget. Everything always comes together in the end, though, and we always have fun!

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The young artists and I were successful today in creating our Trunk or Treat backdrop. It was a group effort from concept to design to execution. They were awesome with their ideas, their willingness to try, their compromising and their perseverance.

What do you think, would Elsa feel at home here?

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“For some reason, wearing these clothes and this tie from the John Henric tie collection, I feel older and taller. Did you ever feel that way, Mama, when you were nine?”

A humble look at the evening of our thirteenth wedding anniversary. Robin Hood on tv for me, Legos and a 9 year old’s art strewn about, and Peter working on a fussy soldering project in the dining room. It is not a year of extravagant celebrations this year, and that is perfectly okay with us.