Trick or Treating - Or Maybe Not????

We didn't get off to a good start tonight with our trick or treating prep. Chris cooked dinner so I could get a run in (I am trying to run daily so that I can run a 5K at the end of Nov) and neither of the boys liked daddy's cooking. I ended up making them each half of a PB&J and Owen ate it happily. Ethan - not so much. The deal was eat your green beans and the PB&J and you can go trick or treating. Ethan did not want to cooperate. So after Owen ate we got dressed and headed out the door, being sure to stop on the porch to tell Ethan "byyyyyeeeee."Cruel, yes, being a parent, yes. I left instructions that if Ethan ate as I asked he could come out later with daddy. I think they went round and round for awhile until Ethan saw all the other children coming to his house taking the candy that he thought was his. Suddenly PB&J was a small price to pay. Both boys had a blast trick or treating tonight and Owen is just wonderful at saying trick or treat and thank you. He was completely bessotted with people giving him candy and all he had to do was say trick or treat. He just couldn't believe it. Mind you, he is not a candy junkie like his brother but still, he thought it was pretty awesome. Chris and I are going to a Halloween party tomorrow night, our first night using a babysitter - EVER! We are only going to be down the street, but still a big step for us. I am going to be a sorceress and he is Zorro. It should be a lot of fun. Anyway, here are some pics from tonight. Happy Halloween All!

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming....

We had another great night at swim lessons tonight. Ethan is getting so brave about putting his head and face in the water. He took huge strides in the last session with Mr Mack and was even nominated Swim Super Star - I will post a link to the write up when the swim school posts it. But tonight, he did even better than before. Tonight he started putting his face down in the water while he swam and practiced coming up for air and going right back down. YAY! I was so proud of him I almost got choked up. :-) He has come so far from being scared to leave the steps of a pool to now jumping in, doing the back float and tonight putting his face in to swim. I am so proud of him! And the best part of all of this is even when he dips underwater, he comes up with the biggest smile on his face. I am such a proud Mommy!

Just Trifiling.....

Yum-O!

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Last weekend we took the boys to Dillsboro, NC for the It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown train ride/weekend. This is our second year going and we had so much fun. We were lucky enough to have Aunt Jan and cousin Kallie join us this year which made the weekend that much more special for the boys. We boarded the train in Bryson City and took about a 30 minute ride to what seems like the middle of no where, I think the name of the town was St Paul. There in the middle of a huge field is so much for the children to do. The bobbed for apples, roasted marshmallows, went trick or treating, met Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy, navigated a hay bail maze on hoppers, got tattoos, colored, bounced in a bounce house, took a hay ride (are you out of breath yet?) and finally got to choose a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch. It was just awesome! After a long afternoon with Charlie Brown, we headed to the Jarrett House for the best home cooked dinner you could imagine. The chicken and dumplings are probably the best comfort food I have ever had. And an evening in Dillsboro wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Chocolate Factory. Ahhh.....what a great trip!

Cake Class #2 - Check!

I finished up my second cake class tonight, the Fondant and Gum Paste class. I have to admit, I doubt I will use very much from this class but it was certainly interesting and I learned how to make some pretty cool things. I had no idea all the things that could be made to decorate cakes. We made lots of different kinds of 3D flowers, but my favorite was the thing we made tonight - a little box. I thought it turned out so cute.

NC State Fair Fun

We took the boys to the State Fair last week and I think Chris and I had as much fun as they did. The boys loved the cotton candy and the rides, Chris loved the ribbon fries and I loved the (get this!) livestock! Makes me laugh out loud just typing it, but really, the cows were enormous, the piglets too cute, the roosters gorgeous and the goats, well you all know how I feel about goats. I really wanted to bring them home with me. Interestingly enough, the poultry tent (again - makes me laugh typing it) was one of my favorite exhibits. I never knew all the gorgeous colors and patterns that roosters can come in. We also got to hold baby chicks and ducks and Ethan in particular liked this part. Owen tried patting them but it reminded me too much of the movie Of Mice and Men when Lenny was patting the rabbits. Another of my top favorites was the petting zoo. We all got to pet and hand feed goats, llamas, alpacas (my new love) and get this - camels! They were all wonderful. One other exhibit that got my attention was the Got to be NC tent. Over the past year I have really gotten into learning about NC and all the wonderful attractions, parks, products, etc. that we have here. This particular tent was chocked full of NC products. We purchased a jar of BBQ sauce that was too die for. If you ever see this sauce in the store be sure to pick up a bottle, it was delish! We were there for about 5 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to go back next year and who knows, I may just be able to bring home some livestock.

I want one! (or 10)

Lately I have been on a "salt of the earth" kick. Trying to live more simply (well, aside from my upcoming trip to NYC - a girl needs a little Tiffany's once in awhile), purchasing grass fed beef, free range chicken, eggs, organic pork, etc. I signed up for a local CSA and will start getting my weekly rations in November. I am trying to take baby steps towards living more lightly on mother earth. So, my aspiration right now is to eventually own several goats, a couple of alpacas and throw in 2 miniature donkeys just for companionship. My husband and I took our children to The Goat Lady Diary today to "get my feet wet" so to speak. They were having their fall open house and I loved it! I felt like I had died and gone to healthy heaven. The veggie gardens were abundant, the animals peaceful, the flowers gorgeous and the goat cheese - YUM! I loved the Basil and Garlic and the Orange flavored ones. And have added a cheesemaking kit to my Christmas list this year. I can make cheese right? Anyway, enjoy the photos. I think I had more fun than my children and I know I had more fun than my husband. I don't think they get wifi on the farm. :-)