Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween!  May your little ducks, firefighters, and princesses have a safe and fabulous time, and may they avoid the worst of the sugar high.  May the rain hold off, the wind stay away, and all the cars keep to the other side of the street.  With any luck you'll be able to put your feet up long before midnight. 

Halloween Eve

Twas the night before Halloween, when all through the house
All the creatures were stirring, especially the mouse.
The spiders were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that trick or treaters soon would be there.


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of goblins danced in their heads.
And mamma in her costume, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains on an autumn trap.


When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.


The moon on the shadows did seem to glow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a yard full of ghosts were suddenly near.

Ten Things I'm Obsessed With Now

1. Flannel (sheets and shirts)
2. Halloween (costumes, pumpkins, fake spiders and all)
3. Squash, root veggies, kale, and other fall produce
4. Hot spiced cider
5. Library books for my Kindle (more on this later)
6. The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain
7. All things Beekman 1802 (TV show and books at least)
8. 5k races (okay so I mostly walk, but still!)
9. Hunting for autumn colors
10.My fabulous little girl

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Autumn Spices

Warm, creamy, and oh-so-fall, this recipe is a must on the first really frosty morning.  Even if you have to get up early to prepare things, it will be worthwhile once you're cupping that fragrant bowl in your hands.  I hear the recipe also works with cream of wheat, but I have yet to try it myself.  Maybe tomorrow morning...

1 and 1/2 Cups pumpkin puree
4 cups water or milk
2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 Tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
2 cups oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Pumpkins at Jubilee Farm

Our friends recently invited us to meet up for a pumpkin hunting mission, and they're chosen destination was Jubilee Farm in Carnation.  We were most surprised to find a farmstead full of activities tucked away down a rural road.  The girls enjoyed the hayride (some are even pulled by great big horses!) and the pumpkin hunting almost as much as we did, but I think they're favorite parts were the pony rides and the chance to shell beans.  The Christmas beans they had on the shelling table were a beautiful mottled purple, and I was amazed at their patience in shelling one long bean after another.  We came away with a monster of a pumpkin and a real desire to go back again soon.

Babies and TV

Oh dear.  Here are two articles about children and screen time that dovetail in a disturbing way.  The first is about the renewed plea by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit screen time among children and especially among babies younger than two.  Speech delays, cognitive delays, etc, etc, etc.  The second is about all the extra tech time kids are getting, and the forms it's begun to take.  It seems that poorer kids are much more likely to have a TV in their bedrooms where they often watch as much as they like.  The richer kids, by comparison, tend to use computers and handheld devices at much higher rates.  There is great debate about the pros and cons of each form of entertainment, but one thing is certain: kids are spending lots of time in front of screens.

18 Months!

Please inform the town crier; Delphinium is eighteen months old! She's the sweetest little "wobbler" (though she doesn't wobble much anymore. now we're more about running as fast as possible) that there could ever be. She loves baby dolls (especially Bess) and stuffed animals and books, books, books! She also loves to play in the backyard, go for walks, visit the park and the library, and play with her friends. She especially loves when Dada comes home at night, and when her cousins and grandparents come around.


She gives the best snuggles and knee hugs you can possibly imagine. Most of the time she's very sweet and easy-going, but she does have opinions about things, and does her best to let you know what she needs. In the hour before bedtime she often becomes the silliest little person. I'm celebrating Thanksgiving a little early this year.