Conductor or Farmer?

For three seconds, Harrison kept on this railroad conductor's hat, the rest of the day he hung out in his overalls and bandana. Our Halloween was pretty low key and we only had two sets of trick-or-treaters. H seemed more interested in raking the leaves than going to stranger's houses.

Mr. Fix It and Son

At last, we made a decision on the knobs for the bathroom vanity. Just a few paint touch-ups and some decorations and we'll be good to go. I hate the current mini blinds but haven't figured out what to do there. For my neighbor's sake, I'll keep them up until a purchase is made.

Recipe Catalogue

I found this old library card catalogue collecting dust in my in-law's garage. I'm old enough to remember using them and the dewey decimal system. With everything turning electronic, I still appreciate a hand-written note or hand-written anything. So I've decided to make this piece into a card catalogue of recipes. I thought it would be neat to pass down through generations. So if you want me to include your recipe, post it or better yet write it down on an index card.

Spooky, Scary, BEWARE!

Sorry to frighten you with our jack-o-lanterns. The "H" looks a little warped on the left side because there's an real slug crawling around in it. Good Eats is what he's thinking. The tongue sticking out is for our Florida friends who think they are master carvers. They gots nuttin' on us.

Please Wash Your Hands!

It's officially cold and flu season and everyone seems to be paranoid about catching something this year. This restroom is catering to left-handed, right-handed and taller folks for sudsing up. So please people remember to use soap when you wash your hands.

The Accidental Purchase

A couple weeks ago, we were craving pizza and decided to make a picnic of it. We ordered our favorite and had 20 minutes to spare (a lot can happen during that time with a toddler in charge). I've been wanting to check out one of my favorite boutiques across the street so this was the perfect opportunity. The boys joined me in the store and just when I was ready to go, I heard a CRASH. Harrison was holding a candle and Ryan held the pieces of a broken Halloween skull. We were embarrassed and told the owner we would pay for the item, ya know, you break it, you buy it. She said it was fine and not to worry about. So I picked out this necklace instead and I'll think of our shopping adventure every time I wear it.

Bumper Committment

There are the have's and the have not's, I'm a have not. I don't have any bumper stickers on my car and I can't imagine I will ever. I would think you have to feel pretty passionate about something to let the world behind you know what you're about. This car must have a VERY passionate driver . . . Got Weed? to Branson . . . maybe they get them for free . . .

The Beast

We attended Mass tonight and my aunt Becky pointed out the numbers. We weren't sure if we should laugh or be scared :)

Mag Junkie

I heart magazines. We subscribe to about 10 different ones, ranging from cooking to decorating to parenting to biking and more. Delta has a rewards program to cash in miles for magazine and we take advantage of it since we don't fly very often. I like to tear out pages of ideas and collect them in a binder so when I'm looking for that perfect gift or recipe, I'll know where to track it. There were tons of great ideas in this month's House Beautiful, decorative bubble wands, chalkboard paint in 24 colors, and mail-order masterpieces for $8!

The Room of Living

Here's an updated shot of the fireplace with the mantel. No, this room is not completed, still needs quite a bit of TLC. We still need to paint the molding and window seals. Clear junk out of the back room for Ryan's bike. I'd like to get a comfy chair for the right corner and definitely add some plants. Slowly but surely we'll get it together.

Gotcha!

We try to take a photograph of Harrison during each wellness checkup. As he gets older, it becomes harder and harder because now he likes to stick his little fingers on the lens. He was putting on quite a show for us today. We asked him to point to his ears, nose, mouth, hair, etc. when he got to the eyes he closed them for a long time (3 seconds is a long time for a toddler) and kept doing it. I guess he was discovering darkness. The doc was he was a healthy little boy and see you in six months.

Take Me Away

We've been waiting for a couple of weeks to put out all of our recycling for collection. It's been raining quite a bit and we didn't want to the get the cardboard all soggy. Unfortunately for us when we checked on it later, they only took the items in the bins! Can you believe that? They have to physically lift up the tubs so why not throw the rest of it in the truck.

No, No, Sun

The sunset was right in Harrison's eyes and he decided to use his book to cover them. So inventive :) He really enjoys "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond.

A Day at the Patch

On this beautiful afternoon, we had the pleasure of roaming around a pumpkin patch. We found just the right pumpkins for all of us (Lucy included) and I promised Ryan we would come back. They have a giant corn maze that we'll conquer on Halloween.

18-Months!

I wanted to take 18-month-old shots of Harrison today but by the time we made it outside it was bad lighting. We decided to set him on the porch swing and hoped for one decent shot. Here it is . . .

Autumn Glory

We found the first leaf of autumn. As you can tell from the background, it will still be a couple of weeks before all the colors explode.

A Big Kick in the Rear

Our six-year-old nephew came to visit us and said "your place is a mess, you need to clean up." This is coming from a child who always has something spilled on his shirt. YIKES! It put us into overdrive. Here's a shot of the dining room with Lucy supervising. We finished painting the trim, mopping the floor and clearing the clutter.

More Mimi More

Harrison's favorite word is "more" and he likes to repeat it over and over and over again while also signing it (the tips of your fingers together). Today he insisted that my mom wanted "more and more" and she was stuck getting "more and more" from him.

Does It Get Better?

I had about a second to snap this photo before he moved on to something else. He climbed on top of the chest with a book and I sprinted to get the camera. He brings so much joy to our lives, I just want to give him a big squeeze.

BTW, do you notice how short our curtains look? The rods were already hanging and we're not moving them (we have plaster walls and that would be another huge mess). I'm looking for wooden clips but they still might be too short . . . what do you think?

Author, Author?

We've had tickets to see David Sedaris for about three months and I finally got to attend the event last night. He is one of my favorite authors and we caught him on a book tour about 6 years ago so I was pretty pumped about seeing him again. After each talk, he signs books for the public and talks to you for potential material. Years ago when he chatted with him, he asked Ryan how long we've been dating. "Three years" said Ryan, "hmm" responded David. He signed our book and we left. In the parking lot, I checked the inside cover and it said "I think Ryan has something he wants to ask you." We were engaged a couple months later :)

Click here to hear a podcast of a piece he wrote for the The New Yorker, called "Author, Author?", it's about his book tour and the strange characters he meets.

Looking GOOD!

Meet Designer Girl 007! She's looking so good AND she's half way through her pregnancy YEAH!!! We through a shower for her today to get ready for the twin baby boys. She racked up on plenty of diapers but I have a feeling that will only get her through a week maybe two. Check out her creative blog to learn all about her journey during this exciting time :)

Pacifier Cookies

In preparation for a baby shower tomorrow, Andria and I attempted to make Pacifier Cookies. Click here for the full recipe. However, I could not find jelly beans at the grocery store. Isn't that crazy I spent 15 minutes and one aisle walking up and down but no luck. You would think with all the holidays coming up they would be stocking up. Geez.

Art?

No, this house isn't under construction. A couple of years ago, this house was on my way to work and the owner always had some kind of strange wooden sculpture in the front yard. As I drove by it today, I had to hurry and snap a shot. Maybe it will catch on like hyper color shirts.

Rock-a-bye Baby

Uncle Steven came to visit us for the day and as you can see, H had too much fun. It kills us b/c he NEVER falls asleep on us. I've only known him to do this to Kristy, Bob and now Steven. Lucky ducks.

Harrison hates "Rock-a-bye Baby". If I start to sing it to him, he says "no, no, no", shakes his head and turns the page. He knows what happened to that baby.

Pucker UP!

I'm not sure what this face means. He just finished dancing to The Gap Band "You Dropped The Bomb On Me" and is taking a broccoli break. I remember I heard that song a couple of times while I was pregnant and he had quite the moves then too.

Fireplace Duties

So our couch is coming tomorrow and I'm in a panic trying to finish the sanding. I was going to re-tile around the fireplace but it's not going to happen this year. So I've had to add more drywall mud over the heavy stucco. Tonight I'm sanding it down and cleaning up the residue. I'll add a coat of paint before bed and we should be good to go. I'll take a picture again once we have the mantel painted.

Can't Catch Me!

Our neighborhood has several elementary and church playgrounds. H and R like to scope out a new one every couple of days. At this one, they are learning to master the game of chase. Harrison is starting to look more grown up each day. It all happens way too fast.

Just A Good Ol Boy

The Dukes of Hazard theme was going through my head as I snapped this shot of my good ol boy.

Wheelin' Cousins

Harrison's cousins were putting on quite a show for us this weekend. Check out their homemade ramp engineered by Dan of Dan's Daily Disasters. Today's disaster happened before this picture when Dan decided to fly over the big ramp created by his oldest brother. Just brush the dirt off the elbows and move on.

Waste Knob

Our bathroom is finally coming together (somewhat). The subway tile is finished around the edge of the bathtub. We decided to clean up the original knobs and I think they look fabulous. The middle one for the drain says "WASTE" on it, which I had never seen before. There's plenty more work to be done in that room but we're beyond exhaustion at this point.

Best Airport Award

The Cherry Capitol has so much to offer including a pleasant airport experience. Here's a shot of the sitting area before the security checkpoint. There's actually a working fireplace and leather recliners. Money Magazine named TC one of the top places to retire and I'm inclined to agree. Now when's the retirement going to happen?!