Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Today for lunch I decided to surprise Gwen with a special Halloween lunch to take to school. :) So I made her a p.b. and j. Halloween cat sandwich, "spider" hummus sprinkled with paprika, wheat pita triangles to dip into the hummus, a watermelon jack-o-lantern with little watermelon balls, apple juice, and a Reese cup. I included a little note in her lunch too. :)

Unfortunately poor Raven was sick today and missed out on trick or treating, but luckily her sisters got plenty of candy to share with her. Dad dressed in his zombie costume up to pass out candy to the kids. The girls had a lot of fun trick or treating and got quite a haul. Ella refused to let anyone help her carry her candy bucket (I guess she thought we were going to steal her candy, lol) so by the end of the evening she was literally dragging it along the ground but she still refused to let us carry it for her, lol.

A "New" Shelf & Pumpkin Carving

We're almost finally done with our kitchen remodel (as soon we get all the finishing touches on it I'll post the 'before' and 'after' pictures of it I promise). I knew I wanted an extra shelf to store some of the teacups and teapots on that I use on a regular basis for easy access and just because I love the looking at them even though their not my fancy delicate ones. I still think they are pretty. I love tea. Which reminds me I made myself a cup of tea oh about 5 hours ago and I just realized I never took the time to actually sit down and drink it. It's still sitting next to the living room couch. Of course it's cold and yucky now. Darn. But I did get 3 loads of laundry folded and then Ella decided to throw all my neat stacks of nicely folded clothes onto the floor. So I gave up and just threw everything back into the basket. So now I'm back to square one...guess I should of just sat down and taken a break and drank my tea whilst it was still hot. Sigh. Oh well...the life of a mother. lol. Sorry I think my train of thought derailed (mommy brain)...oh yeah shelf, I was talking about the shelf, right?? lol.

Anywhoooo....I knew I wanted a shelf but I didn't really want to spend much if any money on it. Then I remembered I still had a hanging wicker storage shelf from when we remodeled the bathroom that we weren't using anymore. So I decided to remove the doors from it, then I puttied and sanded where the holes were and then gave it a fresh coat of white paint. What would I do without spray paint? I love thee so. I think I've been through about 12 plus cans of it in the past month on various projects. *grin* Sorry there went my train of thought again. Yes shelf...back to the shelf.

So now I have a "new" shelf in my new kitchen and best of all it didn't cost me a dime. Woohoo!
Pictured below are the before pictures and after pictures and of course of my little helper. Isn't she cute? *smile*

Then tonight I made homemade pizza for dinner...mmmmmmm. Then after dinner it was PUMPKIN CARVING TIME!!!!! :)

The girls are designed their own faces for their pumpkins. Mom of course got named the official "pumpkin scooper outer" because it was I quote "icky, slimy, yucky, ew". Thanks. *rolling eyes* Each girl had her own pumpkin that they had picked out at the pumpkin patch awhile back. I also had a big pumpkin of my own that I picked out too so I carved that one (and scooped it of course....ewwwww. *rolling eyes* lol).

I think it's funny that the ones they picked out all on their own actually vary in size by their own age. R the oldest picked the largest, G the middle child picked the middle sized one, and E picked the baby sized pumpkin. :D It's too cute.

Here are the before and the after pics of the pumpkins (oh and a pic of the pizza just to make you hungry). ;)

(Oh and sorry they're not that greatest photos I was too lazy to get a tripod out and I suck at hand holding night pictures lol...but you get the idea. )

Baby Pumpkin says Happy Halloween!!

Tea Gift Giveaway!

I am so excited since this is my first giveaway! I just found out about the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival yesterday at bloggygiveaways.com (yes I do live under a rock, lol)...so even though it's a little late into the game I thought I would join in on the fun. :)

So I am giving away to one lucky recipient a beautiful little rose patterned china teacup filled with an assortment of yummy teas, a beautiful vintage rose postcard, an envelope filled with an assortment of cute little scrapbooking notions, a pretty little white and yellow vintage doily, and of course can't forget the dark chocolate....you gotta have chocolate. *smile*

To enter all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite holiday or family tradition. Don't forget to include either a link back to your own blog or an email address so I can contact you if you win. The winner will be chosen at random on November 2, 2008. Good luck!

The Last of the Harvest

We've already had one frost so far, so I'm a little behind on rounding up the last garden goodies. Oops. :P Unfortunately the few green peppers, hot peppers and puny cucumbers that were left did not survive the frost which is a shame, but luckily the raised beds by the back privacy fence are more sheltered and were fine. So not all was lost at least. Hurrah! So I gathered up what fruits of our labor were left and brought them into the kitchen.

We ended up with 2 huge bowls full of large green tomatoes (I'm thinking a big batch of fried green tomatoes and some green tomato parmesan are in order...mmmmm), a handful of red or nearly red cherry tomatoes (most of which were consumed today by hungry children), and on the herb front I collected 2 large bunches of thyme, 1 bunch of lavender, 1 bunch of mint, and 1 bunch of lemonbalm.

I'm sad to see the growing season come to an end, but I love the beautiful changing colors of autumn, the crisp smell in the air, and the crunch of leaves under my feet. Nature winding down getting ready to slumber.

I also look forward to taking some time to slow down a bit...curl up on the couch in front of our cozy little heater, snuggled under a soft, fuzzy warm blanket with a steaming cup of homemade dark hot chocolate sprinkled with marshmallows while the winter winds whip outside my door and do some embroidery, read a good book, or maybe even attempt knitting again. *smile*

100 things

Share 100 things about yourself. :) I got this idea from Analise's blog over at Sugar, Sugar. If you've never checked out her blog please do it's just lovely. *smile* http://leesiebella.typepad.com/leesiebella/2008/10/i-am-analise.html?cid=134118719#comments

(And no I don't know her personally or anything, I just thought it was a really cool idea, so I'm stealing it, lol). *wink* And if you have a blog I'd love to see your list. :)

I am Kimberly

1. I love making lists, lol

2. I love, love, love to read

3. I read more non-fiction than I do fiction

4. My favorite colors are white, teal, and pink

5. I'm a romantic at heart

6. I feel more alive in nature more than anywhere else on earth

7. Cooing mourning doves always remind me of camping (it's one of my favorite sounds)

8. I collect vintage aprons

9. I love relaxing with a book, a fancy little china plate full of mini Lorna Doone cookies (gotta love those 100 calorie packs) and a nice steaming cup of hot tea

10. I hate changing diapers

11. I keep a daily gratitude journal to reflect on all the blessings in my life

12. Until I started keeping a gratitude journal I never realized just how blessed I am *smile* I think everyone should try keeping one

13. I think my Grandma is the most amazing woman and hope I can at least be a little like her in this life

14. I am a procrastinator

15. I probably spend too much time online

16. I have a love/hate relationship with t.v.

17. My favorite flowers are lily of the valley

18. My second favorite flower would be pink roses

19. I collect vintage handkerchiefs

20. I love photography

21. I am 5' 2"

22. I have lived in the same state my entire life

23. I would love to live in the country one day and be totally or mostly off grid

24. I love gardening and growing my own food

25. I am very family oriented

26. I love peace and quiet

27. I am an only child

28. I used to want to go to college and become a vet

29. I am so glad I am not a vet

30. I never went to college

31. I like scrapbooking

32. I actually hate the sewing process itself but I love the results (usually that is, lol)

33. I don't know how to read patterns, I gave up trying (maybe one day lol)

34. I gave birth to my 3rd daughter at home in water

35. I collect vintage postcards

36. I love hummus and warm pita bread

37. I love decorating my home

38. I love to snuggle with my girls

39. I have blond hair

40. I have scoliosis

41. I love dark chocolate

42. I am a bit of a loner at times

43. I am a very shy person by nature

44. I have been married for 10 years, 11 in November

45. My favorite magazines are Country Living, Victoria, and Countryside

46. Fall is my favorite season

47. I am addicted to mint chapstick and clear lipgloss

48. I haven't drank anything with caffeine in it for over 11 years

49. I use smilies and the expression lol way too much in my writing, but I don't care :) lol

50. I hate paying retail for anything

51. I recycle and compost

52. One of my favorite places is in my hammock

53. Since I've had kids I can't watch horror/scary movies anymore (used to be all I watched)

54. I have 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 doves

55. My favorite dogs are chihuahuas

56. I like writing letters the 'old fashioned way'

57. I love picnics

58. I have never had a cast before

59. I never change my earrings

60. I love funky necklaces

61. I got married in my Grandmother's church

62. My favorite childhood memory is of sitting in the swing in my Grandmother's garden

63. I have yellow German moonflowers in my yard which bloom at night

64. I used to play piano when I was little

65. I took 5 years of French in school

66. I do not own an i-pod and have no desire to do so

67. I just realized my foot is asleep lol

68. My usual bedtime is at 11pm

69. I like to embroider

70. I am not very good at knitting

71. I used to hate to cook

72. I wish children came with an instruction manual

73. I am not very organized but inspire to be

74. I love to eat (a little too much at times)

75. I love bike riding

76. I only buy comfy shoes

77. I do not like sports

78. I have dyed my hair almost every imaginable color at one point in time

79. I rarely blow dry my hair

80. I don't like clowns

81. I co-sleep with my youngest daughter

82. Hearing the theme song from Frasier once made me throw up while I was pregnant and suffering from "morning" sickness (..."tossed salad and scrambled eggs") *gag*

83. I love thunderstorms

84. I don't like wearing shoes

85. I am a pretty laid back, boring person

86. I love road trips

87. I love the sound of crickets chirping at night

88. I sleep with a sound machine on

89. I've always wanted to live in a commune

90. I love taking nature walks with my family

91. I am easily entertained

92. I have a fondness for quilts and vintage linens

93. I am sometimes a very moody person

94. I would not want to own a giant house

95. I am happy with what I have

96. I've never had a real manicure

97. I really miss my Mom sometimes and wish we had had more time together on this earth

98. I am very close to my Dad and feel blessed to have him in my life

99. I would love to go somewhere where the water is crystal clear and the sand is white before I die

100. I believe in happy endings

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

So I came home tonight after taking Gwen to her art class and I found Raven in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. Not sticking them in the sink like they normally do (if I'm lucky) but actually in the dishwasher. Then I realize she's not just loading a dish, she loading all the dishes! *shock* I asked her if her Dad had asked her to do that and she said no she just wanted to. Ummmm....okay. I gave her a hug and said thank you that is really nice of you. *smile* Then she said "look in the cupboards". I opened them up and I couldn't believe it. She had put away the whole load of clean ones too!

Then she cleaned out the sink and wiped down the kitchen table. I gave her another hug and told her I really appreciated her help and gave her a dollar (the girls can earn allowance if they do extra chores). Still in amazement that no one asked her to clean but that she had just decided to do it all on her own I sat down on the couch to unwind and watch tv. Then I watched in utter amazement as she opened up the livingroom closet, pulled everything out, and started cleaning it and organizing the it! I told her you know you don't have to do that and she said "no I want to". Well....okay. *smile* Then she disappeared for awhile (I thought she was in her room playing) and when I went in my bedroom to fetch Miss Ella a nightgown I found she had made my bed.

Not that I'm complaining or anything, but seriously who are you and what have you done with my child? lol. ;)

Our Day at the Pumpkin Patch

It was perfect weather for our day at the pumpkin patch. Sunny, warm but not too warm. Beautiful. The girls had a blast running through the hay maze, the sunflower maze, seeing the animals, going on a hayride, picking out pumpkins, and their favorite - THE HAYBARN!! Ella thought the slide was THE best thing ever! After going down it with me she took off on her own, scaled the giant bales of hay all by herself and went sliding down the slide into the piles of hay backwards on her belly, lol. She then got up and said "I gotta do that again!", and she did. *smile*

Sweet Picture of the Day

Bento - Making Lunch Fun

I love Bento style lunches. They are so much fun to prepare and even better...fun to eat. Perfect for kid's lunches, although to be honest I originally bought all my fun little bento lunch accessories and containers for my own lunches to take to work back when I was working since #1 it gave me something to look fwd to during my dreary work day, #2 they are perfect for portion control, and #3 just cause they are just so darn cute and I'm a sucker for all things cute, lol. The girls were never really into packing their lunches last year so I never even gave it a thought to pack a bento lunch for them . Bad mommy, lol.

But this year Gwen has been really into packing, but she takes the same thing every single day... mainly pb and j. So in an attempt to get Miss Super Picky to start eating healthier and try a new variety of foods I've been getting creative in packing her lunches. She loves it. I've actually gotten her to eat some fruits and veggies she wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole before. *grin*

Every so often I hide a little note in her lunch just letting her know I love her or wishing her a nice day. My Dad used to write little notes and stick them into my brown bagged lunch every once in awhile or write I love you on the bag itself. *smile* It always brightened my day when I would find a note from him, especially if I had been having a bad day at school. So I am keeping the tradition going. :)

If you're interested in checking out more about Bento here are some fun websites to check out:

http://lunchinabox.net/ - a great guide to easy bento lunches
http://www.cookingcute.com/aboutbento.htm - all about bento
http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/bento - photos of AMAZING bento
(the lunches I make are no where near that cool)
http://www.ichibankanusa.com/ - a great shopping site to buy inexpensive bento boxes and accessories

Pictured below:
heart shaped carrot slices, mini fruit ka-bobs, and Gwen's lunch from Thursday (p.b. and j. and flax seed flowers and heart sandwiches, red apple slices with peanut butter sprinkled with mini chocolate chips to dip the apples in, and heart shaped carrot slices with hummus and pine nuts for the dip) in her new Clickity Clack bento box from Ichibankanusa.com

It's a hot pepper, no it's a bell pepper...no wait you're both right!

Dh found these growing this way in the garden. Apparently I must of planted our green bell pepper plants just a little too close to the hot pepper plants, LOL.

Ella was so cute today (not that she's not cute everyday, she was just extra cute today). *smile* When we got home from grocery shopping and got out of the car she went over and picked me flowers and said "Here these are for you Mommy, happy birthday!" (and no it's not my birthday, she's just really into birthdays these days lol). We took them inside and I told her we'll go put them in some water. She handed them to me and said "Here Mommy, they're thirsty" *giggle*.