Pumpkin Oh Pumpkin

Hello there bloggies!

I hope you are having a great week and enjoying the last weeks of Fall.  Did you have a nice Halloween?  Did you eat way too much candy??  Carve pumpkins?  We did a bit of all of the above!  We carved some awesome pumpkins.

We usually are just the kind of people who wing it with the pumpkin carving, but this year we decided to be fancy and try out the template thing.  While it was work....I am not going to lie, the end result was worth it.  Next year I may not pick one with so many curves.  That or I may look up better ways on carving those curves out. 

Then as all good pumpkin carvers should, we toasted up our pumpkin seed.  Yummy!  This is one of my favorite things to do after carving pumpkins.  There's actually a pumpkin on the porch that has been unscathed due to Arabelle painting it.  I am tempted to break into that baby and steal those seed. 

And keeping with the fancy theme for the year we weren't to just have plain jane pumpkin seeds.  Oh no.  We spiced these babies up.  I tossed them in olive oil and salt and roasted them in the oven in three batches.  The first was plain for tradition sake.  The second was smothered in cayenne pepper.  And the final batch was covered in pumpkin pie spice.  They were so yummy and smelled so good. 

Mmmm....I have to go.  I hear that pumpkin calling me...I think it's asking me to please remove it's seeds!

DIY Christmas Tradition

Hello there,

Since the weather is starting cool down and things are beginning to look a lot like fall, I have been thinking about Christmas.  I know, I am jumping way ahead.  It just happened.  I think it's from years of stores putting out things way too early.  I am pretty sure Hobby Lobby is already marking their Christmas decor and setting up for St. Patrick's Day. 

Anyways, last year while making nifty ornaments during craft time with Mary, I had an idea.  Maybe we, as a family, could make new ornaments for our tree every year. Yes lots of work, but what a fun tradition. Then we could donate the ornaments the next year.  I figured I could set a couple back from the bunches each year for Arabelle and Lincoln.  Then by the time they move out on their own they will have a good set of ornaments to decorate their first trees with.  What do you think?? 

Since I am seriously addicted to Pinterest right now, I have been looking at loads of crafty fun projects.  This is by no means limited to Christmas, but here are some super fun items I have found.

Like this sweet wreath, I mean how cute and you could so do this for just about any season:

Two Junk Chix

How about this cute tree idea I found on Pinterest:

And how precious is this?

 

 

 

Craft Rookie

I know not many ornament ideas, but I am still in the planning stages here folks.  Well I have to get up early for a track meet.  Yep, I am running in a track meet.  Have I mentioned I am 28 and not some amazing professional or Olympic athlete. I mean sometimes when I am dreaming I am...sometimes.  Nope my work participates in this Corporate Challenge thing every year.  Pretty fun actually.  So I am off to rest up so I am good and speedy in the morning. 

Wish me luck bloggies!

More Than Just a Place

Good morning bloggies,

A few years ago in a magazine called Real Simple, in a section where they pose a question and readers weigh in, they asked "What does home mean to you?"  I loved this simple question and people's responses.  None of them were basic as in it's that place I go to after work and wake up in the morning at.  They were all more thoughtful.

So I started thinking about this to myself and realized for me...

Home is my family....
Home is intertwining my fingers with Arabelle or Lincoln's little fingers....
Home is snuggling up next to Ryan...
Home is where I can eat a big bowl of ice cream while drinking a glass of wine without judgement....
Home is where we laugh and cry and stay together forever....
Home is way more than just a place....


So let's hear it, what does home mean to you?