Painted Rocks. Fall's new tradition.

   This year my family is so busy with this and that we've had to skip a few of our normal Fall traditions. I was stressing about this, until I realized it's a perfect excuse to create a few new mini traditions to add to our normal mix. One we worked on this week was inspired by Color Me Katie, a blog with lots of great rainbow-ie ideas, like this one.
   We thought, as it's almost Halloween, some of the rocks and shells kicking around our backyard might like to dress up. Maybe even take a trip to the local park. So we got to work. Baelin made a few "green-eyed-ghosts" while Romyn created a fortune-teller and Harry Potter. We had a lot of fun stacking them around the dinning room table before introducing them to their new home.



    While hiding them along a busy path, the boys imagined all sorts of things passersby might say when their little friends were spotted. Things like, "Ooooh, what a cute little face. It makes me happy!" and "Oh no, it's a chopped off head... someone call the police!!" (Yikes.)
    Baelin had the hardest time finding the perfect spot for his favorite piece, the big clam shell "ghostie". It was left and run back to so many times I thought we were going to have to take it home, but eventually, after almost jumping off a bridge and into the stream, it found a very satisfactory spot in a tree, and B was happy to leave it.


(Romyn loves his "I'm a fan of Dogs" tee I made him.)

       We had so much fun with this little project we may not be able to wait a whole year to do it again. Snowmen rocks would be really cute after all.

        One of the best bits of our day was discovering one of Daddy's hidden talents! Can anyone else whistle into an acorn cap? (Really I might have been more impressed then the boys.)



       We didn't make it out to the pumpkin patch this year, but on our way home from this adventure we did swing by a local church to pick some up for our porch. (A pumpkin on the porch is one tradition I cannot skip!) Yummy seeds will be coming out of the oven shortly.
        Have you created any new traditions this season? Wishing you fun in all you do!  -Kendra

The Summer Fort.

          We made an awesome fort this summer. I miss it. It was so big, and so awesome, Romyn had to make a map to find his way around!
          It's a good thing forts are fun no matter the season, because I am thinking that an end-of-October-hello-fall-we're-so-happy-you're-here fort is a good idea. And I am pretty sure I could make an even bigger, even more awesome fort with a little extra planning. Then we could all snuggle up inside with candy corn and donuts and watch the first Harry Potter movie. (Romyn and I are almost done with the book!)

 

         Maybe candy corn and donuts don't really mesh, but today I am in the mood for both. Have a great weekend! -Kendra

Halloween Costume Countdown.

               I like to make my boy's Halloween costumes. It's a good thing too, because their costume requests are usually so outlandish that I wouldn't be able to find them down a store isle. Last year, after much back and forth, Romyn decided he wanted to be a grilled cheese sandwich. Yummy!

                 Baelin on the other hand, dressed up as his favorite lovie, Big Grey Cat. "Except with green eyes.... and a jet pack!"

                  We had to explain to more than a few people that our cat WANTED to be strapped to a rocket.... honest.
                  I've set a deadline for Halloween costume decisions this year, because, like last year, there is much fickleness. The boys started with this....

                    ....a Mario mystery block! Very creative, and no sewing for Mommy! I was thrilled, but of course, my boys are predictably unpredictable. The mystery block transformed into Toad from Mario, then Yoshi, Pikachu, a dachshund, then a sea turtle, which became a flying turtle shell, a star, a coin, and then seemed to settle on none other than Mario and Luigi. I was a little frazzled by this.... I mean, I really do not want to have to make overalls, and I don't want to buy something the boys will only wear once. Mario and Luigi are kinda bumming me out. Might as well just pick those up from Target.
                  With two days left before their Halloween costume deadline (Whatever you pick on Friday is what you're stuck with!) I had an epiphany. We've started Star Trek with the boys this month, and of course they are obsessed with Tribbles.
                  "Hey boys? Wanna join Star Fleet for Halloween this year? Maybe we could cover you in...."
                   "TRIBBLES!??"
                  Yes... those. Red shirts, black pants, and puff balls? Sounds like I win. At least that is what I was thinking before this morning when Baelin let me know over breakfast that he has been thinking about his Halloween costume, and he'd really like to be a Tribble. A giant, pink, Tribble. Oh dear. T-minus two days and counting. Maybe there's still time to sway him back to a red shirt.
                 What was your most creative Halloween costume growing up? The very last year I trick or treated I was a lunch lady... inspired of course by the Adam Sandler song. :-) Kendra