An Autumn Storm is Brewing...

Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive Autumns - George Eliot (my very favorite autumn quote).

Autumn has blown in. The winds are whipping fierce today. I love it! It's cold and it's a bit gloomy...yet my soul desires this enviornment with every ounce of my being...I can't really explain my relationship with fall...my need for the crisp air...and the beauty of it all. Autumn is when I feel most alive and connected to the earth. I feel the most inspired and relaxed. Seeking warmth and finding it. Treasuring moments of pure bliss. Anticipating the magic of the leaves and wondering where they shall carry me to or what they may bring to my front door this time. What a pleasure this fleeting season. Embrace & Enjoy these breathing days & courting nights - Love, C

Pink or Blue?...

...only time will tell! We are expecting number #3! (sorry I didn't have a better photo to go along w/ the news...but I really don't have any baby stuff around here!). I am a little over 11 weeks now and approx. due April 20th. So, in the spring we will be welcoming our new little love. Isabelle is thrilled beyond the moon, she can't wait to help take care of her new sibling and teach it (she keeps saying her although a boy would be just fine too. hehe) things. Ben is happy also, he is telling everyone he comes across. Every day they both share how excited that they are for this addition. Ben wants to name the baby Taco. I told him I will add it to the list. I've been pretty sick this time around, so it has been hard. I am hoping the nausea & tiredness lets up a little soon. I had a wonderful dr. appt in which an ultrasound was done and we saw a very strong heartbeat. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers these upcoming months for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Other ramblings:
It's raining and feels like fall and I love it.
I have been craving chocolate milk.
I finally sucked it up and paid a huge fine at the library for a lost harry potter movie.
Isabelle has gotten pefect 100% on her first 2 spelling tests.
I am really enjoying the new bible study that I am in, it is about the power of women's words.
I am also enjoying MOPS & MosaIc, two wonderful groups that I am in with the most amazing friends/mothers. I feel so blessed. :)
I have done NO crafts lately.
Progress is coming along on the house again: the fireplace is being worked on and the remainder of the house windows have been ordered.
Isabelle is loving ballet again this season (and will take part in The Wizard of Oz recital in Spring). She has also started Brownies and is very excited about all the things that are planned.
I am looking forward to anything/everything fall.
I think that is all for the moment: Happy Weekend friends & family!

spelling

Here, currently residing on our fridge is: Isabelle's very 1st spelling test ever! 100%

This is Ben planning on what kind of trouble he will perform next.

Isabelle waiting to leave for dance class.

Hello all - sorry nothing to report at the moment, I have a headache, but I wanted to share a few pics quick. Have a lovely day, it's beautiful out there!

Mums the WoRd.

It's starting to look a little bit like fall around here! Noah recently decided to landscape the front lawn a bit, this means tilling up all the grass in front and re-seeding in hopes for lush wonderfulfulness to sprout up in the future. He also tore out some old stuff that was lingering around and planted some beautiful fall mums!

Yesterday we traveled to a nearby town for a fall festival (although it felt kind of summerish) and a parade. It was enjoyable. I can't believe how much candy the kids hauled in, i'd say it was close to the Halloween bounty last year.

Isabelle learned a tip that if she waved alot she'd get more candy. We'll this kid never stopped waving for the whole 2 hour event. There were times she even had to hold her arm up to continue on, yet she never ceased. Dedicated to the cause for sure.

Ben on the other hand, got a piece and focused on that one piece. Instant gratification instead of storing up for the long haul. He sampled most of his candy (probably knowing Isabelle was getting enough for both of them).

Besides the lovely parade, it was quite a busy week all around. Things have been crazy around town since Extreme Makeover Home Edition has rolled in. Several of my friends have met the cast and many people are volunteering at the home site. I have heard many amazing and inspiring stories throughout this process. The family comes back to see their new abode on the 16th. MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) has started up again for the season and the new steering team did an amazing job with the 1st meeting, I have a feeling it is going to be a wonderful MOPS year! Isabelle was thrilled to make applesauce at school this week. She is really enjoying 1st grade. Even today, she wanted to make sure that there is school tomorrow because she can't wait to get back. Today I had to go to church with a major sunburn on my forehead (from the parade), that was lovely. The best part of Church today was during a silence, Ben loudly announced: "Me have to go Poop!". Although truly embarrassed, I couldn''t help but laugh along with the surrounding pews. If you don't laugh, you cry. Busy, busy week ahead... Happy Sunday!

Sew What.

This weekend I had a little time to do some crafting. I decided to make some bean-bags for the kids and a stuffed owl plushie. I enjoyed creating, but honestly sometimes it is so exhausting. Getting out all the materials & supplies..preparing and planning and executing with constant interruptions....then cleaning up...I don't know , I am thinking of taking a little break from crafting all together for a bit. I love it but its stressing me out lately and that's not what it's all about. Although, I may scrapbook a little tonight...

I swear my dog hates me. He wants to give me a heart-attack. He may just succeed. Noah tore up the whole front yard this weekend to put in new grass. My job is to water it. joy. I am still waiting on new kitchen windows, but I decided I would hang my curtains anyway because I am tired of waiting and I want a little more warmth and character in my kitchen. So although the windows are not finished/framed, etc... I hung the curtains anyway. I like them. I bought gala apples today. those are nice apples. So, I got so many tasks done this morning without the children. It was amazing. I almost felt like a superhero. well sort of. But seriously, glad I got a lot done. Nothing good in the mail today. Was it worth walking to the mailbox for? I think not. I wish I had some mums and mini pumpkins. Soon enough I suppose. today I am wearing my Brookfield Zoo shirt. I sure do miss that grand zoo. got to get back there sometime. This week is moderatley busy, but next week is extremily busy. Many activities starting. (ballet, girlscouts, Mosiac group (mothers of school age children), bible study, etc). I wonder what I should make for the evening meal tonight. I have no taste for any thing and no ideas.

Here is Miss Isabelle at the Art in The Park this weekend. She made puppets for herself and for Ben. Also this weekend Isabelle made tons of jewerly with Aunt Mary. Bye for Now.

Garden Tomatoes

So, I must say that this photo is a lie. Well, not really a lie, but misleading. While it is true that these are indeed our homegrown tomatoes....they are not this years tomatoes, but last. Laziness took over me as I realized, I don't have any new photos to share so I wandered around the oldies but goodies and found this gem. I think it serves the purpose and the intention of displaying garden tomatoes, so I would think it would pass as an o.k. thing to do in your book...so here I am, showing you an old photo, let's just pretend it's new.

My favorite produce from the garden, besides snap peas..oh and acorn squash....and pumpkins when we got them (not this year). We do many things with tomatoes, but unlike my amazing and talented friends, I do not CAN. Canning is not for me, not right now anyway. We make sauces, salsa, freeze them ,fry them, bake them, salad them...but my favorite way of all to enjoy these beautiful globes....is to slice them, sprinkle them with a dash of salt and pepper serve them with cottage cheese. <-- the perfect dish. Just my two abe lincolns.

Currently the family is asleep and I am drinking hot chocolate. I feel a cold coming on and I am not too happy about that at all. I am looking forward to this holiday weekend. I have goals of sleeping and crafting hopefully. I really want to make something. anything. It might be softies (stuffed dolls), it might be scrapbooking, it might be something completely different... I might actually get my canvas and paints out this weekend, who knows!

The kids are loving school, but I can tell Isabelle gets quite tired. It is a long day for her. We had parent night the kids school last night and that was very inspiring. Such a good & positive atmosphere to be embraced. I am so excited for this school year.

With Labor Day weekend upon us, I shall leave you with a quote that I enjoy: "Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But, other times it is essential to take time off and make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow" - Douglas Pagels, These are the gifts that I would like to give you.

Fall upon us.

Pictured: Boy Child eating his lunch.

Yes!, is there anything more exciting than turning the calendar to the month of Sept? Well, maybe turning it to the month of October. Seriously though, I so love that Fall is upon us! The crisp in the air has begun. The Autumn is so comforting and magical...it is so many wonderful things wrapped up into a short yet sweet season. I can't wait to start making stews & soups! We get to pull out the blankets & sweaters... apples, mums, pumpkins....yeah! I even got the Martha Stewart magazine halloween issue at the store today to kick off the season! I have no clue what the kids will be this halloween. I better get my noggin thinking on that one. I wish we could host a halloween party but I don't think that is possible this year, but Who knows. Anyway...bye for now.