Pumpkins!

Last weekend when my mom was in town, the two of us took the kids to a pumpkin patch. We tried out a new one this year, in hopes of beating the regular crowds, and we were successful. We ate kettle corn, played in some corn, went through the hay maze, saw some animals, and, of course, picked out pumpkins. Phoebe chose one that is about the size of her! We are hoping (fingers crossed) to carve them tomorrow night! The pumpkin theme: Star Wars.. just like everything else in our lives these days!

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This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

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Apples Galore and A Motherly Visit

Last weekend my mom came into town and we spent a long weekend celebrating fall. Sadly, the rain started the day that my mom arrived, but the kids and I were so very happy to see her (thanks for coming, mom!)

Here are some photos of the Apple Festival at our local nursery. We had a chance to sample a whole lot of apple varieties, try fresh-pressed apple cider (that we watched being pressed!), and the kids got to paint pumpkins. We had to brave the first big rain of the season, but it was worth it.

After the apple festivities, we headed to Hood River, a cute town in the Columbia River Gorge. We spent the night in a vintage hotel, did some window shopping, and went out for a fun dinner. Saturday morning we woke up and headed to an orchard to pick some apples. We limited ourselves in how many we picked... this year I already know I don't have the time to do a lot of canning... but the kids had a blast. Phoebe pretty much thought that it was the coolest thing ever!!

After apple picking, we headed back to Portland and had a little time to relax. My mom and I took the kids on another adventure on Sunday..... but I will save that one for another post! Pin It Now!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

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Harvest Flags and Hand-Trees

I love fall. I love fall mornings. The stillness in the air, the crispness, the crunch of leaves as you walk. I normally fill my fall with outside adventures and autumn-inspired crafts. This year, things have been a bit hectic and we haven't had as much time as normal for crafting or exploring. But, we have managed to squeeze in a few fun things....

A couple of weeks ago we made some harvest flags to hang in our garden. The whole family was involved, using fabric markers and fabric scraps to decorate muslin squares with 'harvest-themed' ideas (although many of the ones that Finn drew would be more of a stretch to relate to harvesting and Todd's contribution was a drawing of a beer (ha) and the hops that would be harvested to make that beer). Anyways, we hung the flags proudly in our garden to celebrate this most wonderful time of year.

The kids and I also made some fall-colored hand-trees. We simply traces our arms and hands as the tree trunk and then added pieces of tissue paper in fall colors for the leaves. Finn has so much fun that he made a second!

Have you done any fun fall crafts lately? I am looking for some simple things to do with the kids to celebrate the seasons!! Pin It Now!

Yarn Along

Happily joining in with Ginny at Small Things for another October Yarn Along. Life around here has still been crazy. Very crazy. And I haven't found much time for knitting, reading, blogging, hiking, or most of the things that I wish I was doing. I have been enjoying the small moments of freedom: a 10 minute stroll with Phoebe or sneaking in a chapter of reading in between business. My family has had a lot on our plates these past weeks, and most days it seems that nearly every moment is scheduled. But, I think we are starting to move past that, at least a bit. And until then, I will take my 10 minutes of unscheduled freedom when I can.
I am sort of in-between knitting projects right now. I should be casting on a hat for Finn for Halloween. He is going to be yoda so I am going to knit and felt him a hat. I saw an infant hat here, and I want to make something similar, but Finn has a big ol' head. Bigger than mine actually. And I am not sure how many stitched to cast on. I got size 13 needles and pencil size roving.... anyone have any clue how I figure out how big to make something before felting? I am a little nervous to begin, although tonight I think I will just need to dive in and see how it goes.
I finally got the book Gone Girl from the library. We are reading it for our book club (that has taken the past few months off) and I have been on the wait list at the library for months. I started it and it is hard to put down. It's s thriller, and not the type of book I normally read, but it is nice escape from reality these days.
What are you reading and knitting? Pin It Now!

A Weekend Farm Trip

This weekend, Phoebe's playschool (which used to be Finn's old playschool) took a field trip to a farm about 40 minutes away. We have been to that farm several times over the past 2 years, but each time we go back it is a treat... enjoying the seasons, watching the animals grow, and seeing how things change over time. It was a perfect fall day, full sun and blue skies, with plenty of blueberries ripe for the picking! Yum!

we saw some chickens...

found some friends....

ate LOTS of blueberries....

explored the woods....

acted pretty silly.....

lost our way for just a moment...

chose some pumpkins to bring home.....

ate sweet corn fresh out of the garden....

and made some new friends....

How was your weekend? Pin It Now!