Visitors...

We had a great time with the Ottley girls visiting us...can't you tell?

Ruthanne gets ready to color...

Abby is ready to make some art

Mom and the girls all went on a walk to see the many leaves that are all around - and brought many beauties back...

They even did their homework while they were here!!

Today we went to the Portland Children's Museum - and made some creations in the ceramics studio

Then the doctor met with some patients

And Doctor Abby gets ready to see her patients...

And in the end - we all went shopping...

The girls are now up in Seattle on the next leg of their journey - and I hope they had as much fun as we did!

Quite delighted by...

Good Morning and happy weekend! I'm just about to start the final bits of cleaning for a visit from my cousin and her daughters, but really - important things first:

Isn't this cool?!
It's a magnetic key holder! Keys won't slide around or fall off a table or slip into the very dark corners of your purse again...cool. You can buy one here.

Hope you're weekend is fun and festive...

Cute, no?

I think these camera cases are just plain darling:





Find some at this site.

Recreation...

Tonight I stumbled upon The Wal-Mart Game...and here's how you play:

From the creator:

DIRECTIONS: The game requires two or more players. All players enter a Wal-Mart store equipped with pen or pencil and a copy of the checklist below. Players have a pre-determined amount of time, I suggest thirty minutes, to walk around the store observing the customers and employees, and checking off their many defects and afflictions. The most "hits" in the allotted time wins. Good luck!
-Animal bite -Barbed wire bleeding -Bee sting -Black eye -Blacking out -Blood stain -Botched skin graft -Broken bone -Bucked dentures -Buckshot dimples -Butane rash -Camel hack -Carburetor burn -Chigger bites -Chipped teeth -Cigarette hole -Corn chip toenails -Creeping crud -DT's -Elephantiasis -Face raisin -Female bald spot -Funking whistle -Gasping for air -Harelip -Hatchet gash -Healing tattoo	-Horseshoe bruise -Lockjaw -Neck brace -Neck brace with Nascar sticker -Neck vent -Neck vent with bug guard -Nicotine patch tan line -One Herman Munster shoe -Open sore -Polio limp -Powder burns -Protruding forehead -Radical obesity -Rickets -Ring worm -Shingles -Shrieking in pain -Smoker's squint -Splint -Stinking cough -Sweet potato arm -Teeth like the top of a castle -Vomit beard -Weeping sore

Get your pencils ready. This game is much more challenging to play here in Portland - as the nearest store is thirty miles away - but still...it makes a trip to Wal-Mart not actually hurt as much.

Just another reason I love Paula Deen...

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
• 1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

I'm thinking that I may need to make this for a Halloween celebration!

All this goodness comes via Food Network

Plotting my acquisition of...

Image via here

The backyard...

I was sorting through my photos - and realized that I haven't shown off our backyard at all this year. Mainly this was because I wasn't home much during the summer to enjoy it. But I did get some great pictures of the oasis that is our backyard.

Conversation pit complete with paper lanterns. Seating for eight...and the swing becomes a bed... This year, my folks actually had a "camp out" on the swing...until about 1 a.m. and then they came in. They can comment on whether it was because the "mattress" was too thin or what...

The table set for dinner...it sure was fun to eat out in back. We also set up a buffet/beverage table to make room for all the food.

I guess this one is really just to show off the fact that my mother is becoming her mother. That is our patio...carpeted. I'm not knocking the carpet. I'm just sayin'...

Another angle of the whole experience....

Trixie inspects the grape arbor - and sees that the grapes are getting ready for harvesting.

Now, fall has fully arrived. And we will begin dismantling the furniture and getting it stored for the winter. We've made gallons of grape juice from our very own grapes and now the harvest is drawing to a close. But don't worry - we have plenty of fall and winter adventures coming up...and all too soon it will be time to pull the backyard furniture back out and enjoy it all over again. Happy fall to you!

Sunday Survey...

What do you order when you eat Chinese food?
I love Orange chicken and General Tso's chicken. A crab wonton is delish alongside some pot stickers. I also love noodles more than rice.

What's the best costume you've ever worn?
While I loved wearing the red and black satin corset that was built just for me in Six Characters in Search of an Author, my favorite costume has to be the beautiful dress that was built for me to wear in Tintypes. It has a beautiful plaid bodice, a pink twelve gore skirt, puffed sleeves, and a baby blue satin petticoat. My mother built it - and it was perfection.

What's your least favorite word?
Boobs.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
Georgia

Who's your favorite Care Bear?
Tenderheart Bear. He was the leader - but I love his classic look. He's also all about dealing with your feelings - instead of eating them.

What is your favorite Cyndi Lauper song?
"Time After Time" - with Rob Hyman. I had the She's So Unusual tape way back when and even won the lip sync contest in my second grade class to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
The thesaurus...which is not easy to say ten times fast.

I made this!

A little boy in our ward at church is currently going through chemotherapy. He's only six and it's rough. Let's face it here: chemotherapy is rough at any age - but this boy is so sweet and is currently adding major anxiety attacks prior to each treatment. And, since I'm part of the worlds most rockin' Primary - we wanted to do something that might help and at least remind him that he is loved - even when his body is being pumped full of toxins...

SO - each family/child/Primary worker was given a quilt square to decorate and then donate to a big quilt to be given to him before his next treatment. The due date is...today (now that I look at the clock) and here is what I did with mine:

I stitched the writing and the "Jolly Roger" on the sail, the rest was just applique.
Detail of the top
Detail of the bottom. I do hope he likes it. If not...I'm taking it back.

Saturday Survey...

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. No question. When I was three I'd memorized the book and gave the illusion of being able to read. But - my ying sings high and I sing low - and we are not too bad, you know!

If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
No question - "Robin's Nest" on Magnum, P.I.! A 200 acre estate in Hawaii?! Yes, please.

What's the longest you've gone without sleep?
I believe that it was about 38 hours back in high school. During college there were a lot of long stretches with some naps thrown in - which I think is harder than going without sleep all together. It just taunts your body but never gives it what it needs: brains.

What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?
"Copacabana."

Who's your favorite Muppet?
While of course it's hard to choose, I must say Statler and Waldorf. They have the best lines and the best seats.

What's your favorite school supply?
Loving all office/school supplies makes this difficult but I love Crayola Crayons the most. Even just the simple pack of eight jumbo crayons brings joy to my soul. But my soul is damaged when I see a box of crayons that is out of order. My OCD kicks in and I must organize it...otherwise how would you find what you needed?!

Who's your favorite TV attorney?
It's a tie between Dan Fielding (John LaRoquette) on Night Court and Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) on Law and Order. So different from each other - but still so great in their own right.

What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
Most recently I flew back to Portland from Chicago - which is way more than 50 miles. I checked.

A little inspiration...

I'm not sure if you've been over to visit Fall Down Tree Creative...but you should. I'm currently working on a quilt square to contribute to a group project...and I'm probably going to use some of these ideas for my square. You should check it out, though - because seriously - the artwork is just SO GREAT. Some of my faves:

Today...

...we are out of school. And can I say that sleeping in was AMAZING!? Holy Cow, I 'd forgotten how good that felt...really. So - I'm reflecting today...

Today I am loving the feeling of not waking up to an alarm of any kind. Even if the alarm is for 10 a.m. - I still feel like I just need more time. But if I just wake up on my own - I feel fantastic...like today!

Today I am loving the smell of my new body wash. It reminds me of being with a certain family in Shorewood, IL.

Today I am loving the taste of hazelnut hot chocolate. Having the syrups in the house is not good...or IS IT!?

Today I am loving the sight of a full TiVo que and plenty of time to get caught up on my stories.

Today I am loving sound of my iTunes library. I normally just listen to my play lists and mixes - but this morning I just set about shuffling through the whole library. Fun and and a little funny. Apparently I have a lot of Christmas music. Huh.

Please respect my privacy...

Oh man...with these on my desk - now I know how the Kennedys feel.

What's good, Stavros?

Are you a little sad that fall has arrived, and the fresh produce at the market is becoming more expensive? Well - be sad no more, friend. Epicurious has a wonderful interactive map that will allow you to see what is currently in season as well as wonderful recipes to use the in season fruit and veg. What will you be enjoying? Go find out!

Image via Epicurious

Huh.

Is lunch theft still a problem? Well - if it really is, LifeHacker really has come up with a perfect solution.

I know, right? Gross.

Image from LifeHacker

SO MANLY!

My Dad is super manly - and I wonder now if he's been secretly visiting The Art of Manliness. I am so impressed with the wealth of knowledge of how to be manly - from how to jump a car to how to survive a street fight or how to rock a pocket handkerchief. Check it out...you may learn something!



Image via The Art of Manliness

I went to Seattle...ALMOST.

Only a few people out there will fully appreciate the title (and you know who you are) - but I had planned for months to go up to Seattle on October 3rd to hear Neil Gaiman read from his newest release, The Graveyard Book. But now that I'm working at a school (which really means working in a petri dish) I've finally come down with a cold and decided that no one would appreciate me coughing through the entire reading.

So - instead - I headed over here to watch what I missed last night and now I feel like I went to a live reading from one of my favorite authors...ALMOST.

Image from here