Halloween 2011

I thought about making up a rhyme in the style of Dr. Seuss for today's post, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I think I'll just take you on a simple photo journey through the day.

First, the Cat in the Hat, all ready for school:

It was late, but I threw the Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes on as quickly as I could, sans hat and mittens for Thing 2, and grabbed a super quick, albeit blurry, early morning picture.

It was a beautiful day for the outdoor costume parade at Thomas' school. Unfortunately it was also very cold, and we spent quite some time outside, waiting for the parade to start. Even with all the Thing 1 and Thing 2 jumping, running, and playing, we were getting pretty chilly and were ready to pick up Thomas and bring him home as soon as the parade was through.

Thankfully it was only a half day at school because we still had some very last-minute pumpkin carving to do.

After some cleanup and a quick trip out to deliver a pie, it was time for more pictures. Logan didn't want to wear the hat at first. Nor the mittens. He was not a happy camper.

:(

...So we ran around the yard for a while and tried to get used to it. He left it on but still wasn't too sure...

...until it was time to bring out the pumpkins.

Then he started to get pretty excited, and when we went to visit our neighbor and she gave him a lollipop, he was just bubbling over with happiness. "Look Mommy! There's pop in mine punkin Mommy! Look!" All three of them were a pretty big hit, and from that point on instead of wanting his hat off Logan would only tell me if it needed to be fixed.

By the time we returned it was dark enough to light the jack-o-lanterns and grab one more picture for the memory books.

I really liked the one Thomas made. He designed and carved the face 100% on his own. I carved... a pumpkin... in my... pumpkin... because, well, when I asked Gabe what he wanted me to carve in his pumpkin, he said... a pumpkin.

Last but not least, we were in for another treat when some friends surprised us with a visit and joined us, along with our neighbors, for free cider and donuts from the fire department. I didn't get any pictures since they came after dark this year and I had my hands full, but it was pretty great. (Can you ever go wrong with apple cider and cider donuts?)

All in all, it was a pretty nice and really fun day, and by the end, I was beat! I hope you managed to have a little fun too. :)

October at a Glance

I realize October is not over yet, but here is a quick look at what we've been up to this month so far. ...Well, semi-quick. Clearly I still take a gazillion pictures as these honestly are just a small sample; I took many more and had a very hard time choosing which ones to post here... I hope I haven't posted so many that you have trouble getting them to load!

(Click on any photo to enlarge. ...Except the first two. Blogger evidently doesn't like those... ;)

My Little Fiber World

Just when I might think my crafting cannot grow any more it seems to, and the great thing about crafting is that there is always more to explore and more to learn. Today I learned how to use iron on adhesive, and with some materials left over, I am anxious to do it again--but more on that later.

This year I've managed to make a number of things. There is a group on Ravelry called "111 in 2011." I joined some time around Easter as I was cranking out the projects right about then and thought I might have a chance. However, for several months after that I really didn't make much of anything, and now my chances of completing 111 projects before January are pretty slim. (The group's idea is that any craft can count, but I really wanted to focus on knit and crochet - and limit those still, to projects that I both started and finished this year.)

That said, I was curious, so I started making a list of all the things I had made this year, and I counted them up. I later realized that I had left a few things out and added more, so that list is now gone, but when Brian found it before and started reading it aloud, I just started laughing. I guess you had to be there. It went something like this, though the following is the updated version:

1 shoulder bag
1 seal
1 alligator
1 giraffe
1 walrus
1 monkey
3+ baby washcloths (probably several more)
3 headbands
1 clutch
1 card sock/phone thingie
1 owl
1 dragon
1 scrubbie
1 potholder (frogged; yarn re-purposed)
7+ newborn hats
1 preemie hat
3 eggs
1 bunny
1 bear
3 butterflies
3 coasters
1 ladybug
1 sheep
1 Yoda
1 Wicket
1 cupcake
3 gnome babies
2 lace dishcloths
1 pair of socks
1 pair of fingerless mitts
2 Halloween hats
____________

50ish knit/crochet projects both started and completed in 2011 so far

Not included in the above:
1 pair of slippers (started in 2010, finished in 2011)
2 shawls (one done but not blocked and another in progress)
1 baby afghan (in progress/hibernating)
1 slouchy hat (frogged after I ran out of yarn just a few yards short of finishing - but I'd rather use that yarn for something else anyway)

...I still have a long way to go. That said, I can turn into a very busy bee when I see Christmas approaching, and that time is now. On the other hand, I've chosen some much bigger projects this year than are common for me, so it probably won't happen in 2011. Still, the basket of handmade goodies is overflowing, and I love it. Of course, most of them are gifts, so I can start all over again in 2012 if I like. All of the hats and washcloths, plus some things I made earlier, are for a charity organization, but I want to make enough to fill a nice-sized box before making the trip over with donations. I'm really looking forward to that, and I will explain why on another day.

If you want to see pictures of some of the things I have made both this year and in years past (you won't find everything, but there's plenty there), you can check out my Ravelry projects page. Also, I planned to share the cupcake pattern here but have somehow misplaced my notes. If I ever find them, you'll be the first to know!

Fiber Fest

For at least a couple of years I have known of the existence of fiber festivals, namely Rhinebeck. (To me it is not a town. It is a fiber festival.) I've slowly come to learn a bit more about these festivals and finally made my way over to the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival with my boys on Saturday. Even though I went with an essentially non-existent budget, it was pretty cool. It only cost $4 total to get in with a coupon, and as if it wasn't enough to drool over all the barns full of yarn, fiber, spindles, and such, there were enough activities to keep the boys happy too (museum, caboose, animals, sheep dog demo, etc.).

Now I can't help but look ahead to making a tradition of finding and attending as many fiber festivals as I can reasonably manage (probably 1-2 per year, depending on the year). I think, too, that even though it's not in the budget this year, Rhinebeck might just be a necessity in 2012. Hopefully I can save up a little cash the next time around; I just can't find that much variety in one store - at least, not anywhere near where I live, and I hate to pay shipping, so... If I plan well enough, I can surely buy a year's worth of fiber goodies there, at good prices, and not have to scramble to find something locally, as the need arises, throughout the year. (I don't really buy that much yarn each year anyway; at least not comparatively to so many others who share the same love for fiber.)

Or maybe I'm dreaming, but that's okay too, right?

I was wrong.

I do have peppers, and they look great!

I have ten jalapenos now plus several more starting, and they look fantastic. There are about five or six cayenne peppers at this point, and there may be more of those on the way as well. I think I lost some of those (actually, some of each, but especially those) to the wind and rain when they were just flowers. My sweet bell peppers aren't looking quite as promising; I have only three tiny peppers starting now, but they took forever to germinate, so I'm not giving up yet. They may just have to stay inside for a while...

This makes all the disappointment with my other gardening failures 110% worth it. (Yes, I'm ridiculously excited about these peppers!) I still haven't decided what to do with them, but if I manage to pickle some of them, I will be doubly excited, and I'll look forward to trying again next year. ♥

P.S. I definitely saw a woodchuck in the backyard today. He may have been disappointed to see that I have no outdoor crops for now...