this is halloween

beware of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, or dogs that can steal your heart.


it took a whole lot of jumping and treats, but i finally got the shot i was after.

happy halloween!

gladness and sadness

there is so much to be glad about here.
and i am appreciative of every moment,
each day of love.
enjoying friends, new and old,
sunny days and rainy days,
fall festivities and cooler air.

yet there is also a sadness.

i lit a candle in church today,
for baby althea grace.
born to my sister and her family this week
at just six months.
we are mourning her loss
and i am deeply sad,
that i never got to know her.
sweet baby, althea.

may you light a candle for their family
and keep them in your thoughts.

How do grown-ups change?

After reading a social studies passage about "growing and changing" the kids were asked,
"How do adults change?"

The top three answers were:
1. They run slow.
2. If they drink alcohol.
3. They do it and then they don't have any energy.

Kids crack me up.

parade of parents

its conference time again.

exhausting, challenging, tiring

this smile is enough to make my cheeks sore for the next two days.

we met until 8 last night and we go all day today.

i love the chance to communicate,

but i am never quite sure how what i have said has been interpreted.

and then there's the girls' cliques and clubs to work out-

ah, second grade.

my husband was sweet enough to brighten my day.

my business:

the calender marks all the fun we are having, birthdays and conferences, picture day, and ice cream parties, programs on bullying, and then halloween, of course.

all, of course, as we finish out our rock theme and move into dinosaurs.

i am in preparation for boy nephews, i suppose... all these dinosaurs.

the things we learn when we're teachers...

in the works

when willy went to visit my parents, he fell in love with a little bear that was mine when i was young. out of bear-preservation, we needed to make willy a replacement that could be all his own. so while he was here, i let him pick out some fabric and then in about an hour, i traced the old bear, sewed a new face, cut and sewed the body, and stuffed him up, halloween style.

he's a bit awkward and mangy, but you gotta love a personalized bear, made while you watch.
build a bear has nothing on me.


now i have begun willy and maggie's christams gift. its an advent calendar with a small gift each day, to make the holiday last. christmas has so much from santa that i figured this would be way more fun... and it already is.

creating the calendar, selecting and wrapping all of the little gifts, and being able to start christmas at thanksgiving.
now that it what its all about. :-)

a week of...

this week was full of:

• a monday off for napping
• decaf coffee with soy creamer
• two apple days
• peace and yoga
• friends and conversation over mexican food
  
• dinosaurs
  
• second grade stories
• a delicious bean and spinach soup
• "veggie" parmesan cheese
• sweater days (yeah for fall!)
  
• baseball
• organic sea salted peanuts from the farmers market
  

this week-end should be full of:

• more baseball (go Red Sox and Rockies)
• more peanuts, maybe a new flavor this time
  
• visits with an old dear friend (a high school teacher of mine)
• farmer's markets and flea markets
• juried craft shows
• crafting of my own
• groceries and cooking
• cleaning and napping
• a roasted veggie lasagna, prepared yesterday and waiting in the fridge
• getting gifts in the mail
• washing the car
• cuddling up in fleece.

easton got his come off, too, so perhaps a walk is in order...

the visit in review, a week later

it was a super fun time.
todd made a new fan, reading halloween books and playing with plastic snakes.
also, he taught willy drive in three different vehicles: a golf cart, boat, and tractor.



we scored bubbles for $.25 at the school rummage sale and go to play outside a bit.



took a boat ride on a gloriously warm fall day.


and does it get any cuter than a boy in jeans with no shirt?

we caught crabs, just to look, and harassed them a bit on the dock before releasing them.


then of course ate out at our favorite little crab pickery, where willy could feed the ducks, and we could eat outside. willy did actually eat some crabs, after declaring them "disgusting" in the cutest surprised tone ever after sarah pulled one open.
Yum.


p.s. In case you were wondering, sarah is due with a girl in january. :-) #3.

self portrait: food

its all about the choices we make.
tonight i reached for the soy milk and organic fig newmans
instead of the ice cream.

and it felt good.

see other people's relations to food here.

guess who's coming to town

my favorite superhero is on his way this week-end...
watch for photos!



p.s. now that i have broached religion, i will approach politics, too.
today i stood at a peace demonstration.
it was small, about 15 of us.
but the group gathers every thursday in front of the courthouse.
i borrowed a sign.
one man held the "honk for peace" sign and it was amazing how many people did.
it was discouraging how many people did.
i wish the government could acknowledge all those horns.
only one man stopped to express disagreement.
just smile.
it is a free country, after all.

in the mail

i have finally sent out the last of my fall postcards for the postcard swap.
i am eagerly checking my mailbox for the ones still on their way to me...

it was really a joy to create these,
mini quilts and all,
and to send happy messages
about the joys of fall.
apple picking, apple pie, apple cider.
pumpkin carving, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie,
beautiful foliage, raking leaves, jumping in piles,
candy corn, trick or treating, costumes,
cool air, evening walks, bon fires.