elliemoon

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOU AND YOURS!

there was only one thing left to accomplish before halloween and bella and i took care of it bright and early yesterday morning::

and yes, the granny smiths are for me. i think these make the best caramel apples. the super sour with the super sweet is just perfection. their size was but an added bonus! really! i tried to explain this to the kids but i'm not quite sure i was successful in convincing them that they weren't being scammed. 

i hope you all have a great halloween weekend. may "your" bags be filled, may your favorites be plentiful and, most importantly, may your children overlook the ones you pick out while they're sleeping!

LOST AND FOUND

while snooping around in my bottomless pit of a yarn chest i found these, which i purchased roughly 2 years ago! i think i planned on knee socks, judging by the amount. too bad i hadn't found them just a tiny bit sooner. look how well they match the colors of the season::

and the foliage, they match the foliage too. but they'll work for thanksgiving i think. maybe i can squeeze another pair of socks in there while we're making this years turkey decorations. there's always hope! 

**i got this beautiful sock yarn at one of my most favorite yarn shops; shuttles, spindles and skeins in boulder, colorado.....i miss you boulder!**

JACK-O'-LANTERNS

this year our pumpkin carving session turned into a four hour event! the little big man, who wasn't sure he wanted to participate, wound up carving six faces around his pumpkin! he also hollowed his out on his own::

o and bella took the matter quite seriously as well. sketching and sawing. you'll notice that we tried a few stencils this time around, which big b considered cheating. in the end we wound up with quite a nice little group::

and the countdown is on for trick or treating! this should prove to be quite a stomach ache inducing weekend what with the birthday bash and halloween being back to back. i may have to confiscate some of the loot, just to be sure no one gets sick.....mostly the milky ways!

while we were working, the little big man reminded us of one of our favorite halloween moments. it was the year that bella was one. we had her in a stroller cruising the streets trick or treating. we were with friends and were all commenting on how quiet and content she was just strolling along so far past bedtime, only to find out that she had gnawed her way through a butterfinger wrapper and was sucking away! she must have reached over and nabbed one out of a "take one" bucket when no one was looking. like mother like daughter!

THIS IS NOW

last night we had little lu's private birthday celebration. just the six of us and some chocolate cake. i still cannot believe she is one. it doesn't seem right. i feel as though that year was one big sleep deprived blur and i'd like to go back and try to remember more of it. but, seeing as i am just waking up from said sleep deprived blur and am able to once again form complete sentences and thoughts, i suppose i should try harder to enjoy the fact that we are moving toward more restful and mobile adventures::

this weekend we will have a bigger celebration so this little cake was just a marshmallowy warm up, although i still haven't decided exactly what i'm going to do for the party. something simple and sweet. flowers? butterflies? i'm hoping something will come to me! until then we will pick away at this one and continue brainstorming. 

THAT WAS THEN

a year ago today we were in the midst of a wet and windy storm, and just like her sister had done before her during a very similiar nor'easter, little lu sensed the change in atmospheric pressure and decided to make her way to dry land. the rain sloshed against the windows, the wind howled, and then we were six::

happy birthday to my sweet little lu! i can't believe it's been a full year since this day. more celebratory news to come!

TICKING AWAY

i got these winter socks started yesterday. and here comes a side note:: when i first started knitting, my tension was nowhere near consistent. more like, furthest thing from it. i would knit one perfect sock and its mate would be three sizes bigger, or smaller, depending on my mood. i rectified the problem by buying more needles and working five rows at a time on each sock. a simple solution! i still work socks by the pair now, even though my tension problems are gone. its just so much more satisfying to have a pair when i finish rather than just one sock. know what i mean? anyway, back to the point, i started this pair::

and realized i was growing tired of my little peg board that helps me count my rows. the pegs are always popping out and i'm always paranoid that little lu will wind up ingesting one or a few. not to mention the fact that i lose count when they fall out of place! of course the choking hazard trumps this concern but its a close call......fellow knitters can relate i'm sure. so, long story short, i picked up this little gadget for short money at the craft store the other day::

i love it. it makes such a satisfying little click! much, much more enjoyable than moving pegs across a board or making checks in a notebook. if only it went past 99....but thats okay. i can overlook it. it may just motivate me to power through all of the christmas socks to be made. we'll see. 

happy weekend!

 

PINK SKIES AT NIGHT

sailor's delight::

i booked it down to the lake last night when i saw the sky warming up. what a beautiful fall sunset! and a little slice of peace during another chaotic school week! 

UNTIL NEXT TIME

i got ahead of myself yesterday and started turning over our annual flower beds. the soil is so rich back here::

i even walked around the bend and got started on the garden. out came the tomato stakes. i wish the soil here was as nice and fluffy. but this was the first season for the new garden area and it did well. next spring we'll dump a few loads of compost dirt into it and we'll be good to go::

oh, and goodbye nasturtiums.....bella made small work of the last few blossoms while i was digging! she's a flower picking enthusiast! i'm surprised we had anything to look at this summer. most she brings in to stick in water.....but these she simply chews up and spits out! she likes the idea that they are edible. the taste? not so much.

COOL WEATHER KITCHEN

i dug out the baking stone over the weekend and kneaded up a couple loaves of bread. the smell was amazing and the house was toasty! both loaves are already long gone and i'm trying to resist the urge to stockpile flour. i could eat a loaf a day on my own.

at some point this season i'd like to try to make some challah or even brioche! but for now these simple loaves are fine. we thoroughly enjoyed snacking on lightly buttered slices  (mine, not so lightly) while guzzling ice cold pomegranate juice:

i cracked open and seeded about a dozen more of them yesterday! if only i could adequately spell out bella's pronunciation of "pomegranate". its priceless. she can just about prep them for juicing on her own now! not bad.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

oysters on the half shell at 9:30am? why not! this weekend we made the trip out to the wellfleet oyster fest. oh yes, oyster season is upon us. and big b couldn't be more excited. sometime in the first week of november we will be down at the waters edge with our bucket and boots and then the real fun begins. no more paying $1.50 a pop! i'm sure some clamming adventures will be coming your way soon. until then, here we are, sucking some down and oyster festing it up::

the little big man is in that shot......can you find him? it took me a while myself. he and o slurped down half the oysters on our plate before i had even squeezed on the lemon juice and horseradish! true cape codders!