Happy Halloween!

The frightful day is upon us! Happy Haunting!

Halloween 2006

We're off to see the wizard! These were some of my favorites. L's frothy confection of a dress was stunning in person, and she carried off the character flawlessly. J was the perfect tin man, though he couldn't sit down in his outfit. And my brother in law won best costume that year for his scarecrow getup. 

Sibling rivalry. See what I mean about L? She's got Glinda down to the very gracefulness of her arms!

Little Miss C loved the shoes and her little dog, Toto.... who seems to be missing in this photo. Blame it on the Wicked Witch. :)

Halloween 2001

Say "Hi" to Popeye and Sweet Pea! This was the ensemble that started it all. We were so eager to take our little girl trick or treating, but at 2 months old, it seemed like a stretch. So we ALL dressed up. It was fantastic fun, and we've continued to do so ever since. {Please forgive the quality of these photos... digital cameras have come a long way since then!}

Ork Posters

I just received word that the Seattle City Neighborhoods Poster by Ork is now available! It comes in 5 color schemes, but I'm partial to the simplicity of black and white. Is it too early to start making my Christmas wish list? No? Good. :)

Golden Slumbers

This was one of the best moments from the recent concert. When Claire and Jane took to the stage, clutching one another's hands bravely, the whole room fell silent. By the time they were done singing a sweet lullaby to their mother {NieNie}, everyone was in tears. It was impossible not to feel the innocent faith of these girls or the answering hope and love from the audience. Truly, life is beautiful. 

{filmed by Jared & Cameron. Thanks for the clip}

Halloween 2005

Continuing with the Halloween countdown: This was the mother of last-minute costumes. We pulled it together the afternoon of. I was a pool player, J was an 8 ball, C & E were the angel and devil on my shoulder. Really, it was an excuse to paint J's entire head with black paint. That was really fun. 

Weekend

We had a nice weekend, though as usual, it flew by so fast that I'm a bit shocked that the calendar already proclaims that it's Monday. 

Friday was spent watching a scary movie marathon. I sat and sewed costumes and let the kids make an absolute disaster of the house, which we then had to clean in a whirlwind attempt to make the place presentable minutes before guests arrived on Sunday. {As you can see from the photo, it's now clean enough to feed the children off of the floor!} 

On Saturday, Jared helped to film this concert, so I tagged along. It was beautiful, with the highlight being Jane and Claire's touching performance. I enjoyed meeting people that I've only known through blogs, and tried to become accustomed to being approached with the phrase, "You look so familiar, how do I know you?" {Did you see me there? I was the one in the unflattering shade of yellow, hanging out with the hot camera man.}

All in all, a lovely weekend.

Don't I Feel Ancient

{Whilst discussing which of Little Miss C's toys were also around during my childhood.}

Little Miss C: "Wow. Some of my toys are really old. You know how I know why?"

Me: "How?"

Little Miss C: "Because they were invented in the nineteens!"

Me: "The nineteens?"

Little Miss C: "Yup. Like, 1998. Not the two thousands, the nineteens!"

Me: "You certainly make that sound old."

Little Miss C: "That's 'cause it IS old."

Halloween 2003

Continuing the countdown to Halloween! This was the year we dressed as the cast of 101 Dalmatians. Little Miss C was enamored with her doggy bowl and insisted on eating out of it. J needed a thief's mask to make his role a little more clear, but fully embraced his character by speaking in a horrible approximation of an English accent for the entire night. It made me want to giggle and kiss him all at the same time. I had a blast being Cruella De Vil. Putting on airs and giving imperious commands seemed to come quite naturally to me. Scary. :) It was a fun night.

Silence is Golden

I woke up Tuesday morning without a voice. While I don't feel particularly sick, my vocal cords refuse to be engaged, forcing me to communicate in whispers, hand signals, and exaggerated expressions. With three small children to shepherd around, the prospect of being mute was, at first, alarming. However, after 24 hours, I am startled by what this mandatory silence has taught me; about myself, my parenting, and my children. 

Since August, the children have been fighting with each other ferociously. I have been praying for several weeks to know how I may bring a better spirit into our home. I have longed for our house to be a peaceful refuge from the world, filled with a spirit of love for one another. And naturally, I have been convinced that this would happen if I could just find a way to make my children speak more lovingly to one another, fight less, and stop being so dang loud. I should have known to take a long look at myself first.

Silence has changed everything. Since communication is now an effort, I've had to be much more selective about what I 'say'. Immediately, hundreds of "Hurry up!"'s and "Be quiet"'s have been eliminated from my vocabulary. I can no longer yell at my children from another room: I have to walk up to them, make eye contact, and then speak. They in turn, have to pay attention in order to understand what I'm saying. I say much less, they listen {and obey!} much more. Amazing!

I've discovered that whispers are contagious. Receptionists, grocery checkers, and the children all unconsciously answer me in whispers. {You'd think that buying diapers was some kind of covert operation by the way we whisper over the entire transaction.} This has been invaluable when dealing with arguments between the kids. Remember the proverb, "A soft word turneth away wrath"? True. I have found that when I intervene with whispers and eye contact, my children's tone changes. They are still upset. They still fight with one another. But it doesn't escalate as far or as rapidly, and our home has been more peaceful. 

I feel humbled in the light of these revelations. For so long, I've wanted a loving home. I've always known that I am responsible to set the tone and guide my children in this, but the experiences of these last few days has taught me just how much influence I truly have. Next time my senses feel assaulted by the cacophony of our home, I pray that I remember this.

Sad Realization

Yesterday, I bought a yellow cardigan {this one in Cornsilk, to be specific} and brought it home to subject to more careful scrutiny. This is often how I shop. I buy. I wear. I return. I rarely keep. While the cardigan looks fabulous with black and white prints {I have the perfect skirt for it!} I've been forced to accept that this uber trendy shade is just too golden/warm for me. As my husband so astutely pointed out, it seemes to clash with my fair coloring. I've been forced to return it, relying on my {lemon} yellow bangles and skinny belt for that pop of color. Happily, I found this grey cardigan instead. The chiffon flowers are delicate and ladylike, and I am once again excited about dressing. {cue the contended *sigh*}

Halloween 2002

Little Miss C was just a year old, and Jared wanted to be something SCARY. He had all the little cousins in tears. Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf? Everyone, apparently. :)

Halloween Letterpress

Love these Halloween cards by Lab Partners for Hello!Lucky. They have just the bold, graphic nature that I so adore. {via Black Eiffel. She always finds the greatest things!}

Home Grown

Last night, we made fajitas using our own home-grown bell peppers. They were fresh and delicious {and much more photogenic after being washed}. We also have a large crop of hot peppers, which I delight in looking at from the kitchen window as they hang heavy and red, but can't eat. Those babies have Jared's name all over them.

Experiencing some small success with gardening has stirred up all kinds of feelings in me. I am often torn between the romance of city living {Cafes! Film Festivals! Shopping!}, and the deep sense of stability that I imagine would come from a homestead. I can picture living on acres of land, in a straw bale house with solar panels and composting toilets, farming and raising animals with my family. Such a life seems appealing when compared to the fragility of the desert suburb, utterly dependent on a government system for water and electricity. {Wow, that makes me sound like a hippy.} As much as I love the modern aesthetic, a portion of my heart will always be devoted to self reliance.

For now, I'll have to be content to try not to kill learn to raise our small garden. It's a step in the right direction, and hopefully, that's enough.

Halloween 2007

I'm starting the countdown to Halloween! Every few days, I'll post a photo of one of our past Halloween ensembles-- perhaps you can glean some ideas for your own last-minute costume. Or maybe you can just point and laugh. Whatever works for you. 

Last year, we were Fast Food Chain Icons. I'm the {pregnant} Jack in the Box. My brother and sister in law were Col. Sanders {KFC} and the creepy Burger King. Our daughter was Wendy {of Wendy's}, and our son was the cow from Chic Filet. Jared was Ronald McDonald, and was, by far, the most popular. We couldn't walk 5 feet without him being stopped for a photo. All of the adult costumes were homemade, which was half the fun. My sister in law and I had a great time hunting for pillowcases to use as robes and an Ikea lamp to turn into Jack's head. I guess we never grow out of dressing up!

P.S. Need a costume? Buy this one!

Sick Day

Today is a pajama day. The children are sick and sprawled on the sofa amid blankets and pillows. The baby wants to be held constantly, his hot forehead nestled in the space above my collarbones. The dishes are piling up, the floor is becoming sticky. And I am content. 

There is a peaceful snowed-in quality to days like this. I like having my family nestled in close, their needs easily met with orange juice, chicken noodle soup, and a few extra snuggles. I find it makes the world feel small, manageable and safe. So let the messes accumulate. For today, I'm happy to read a book and build a fort with my kids. Popcorn for lunch, anyone?

{image via Toast}

Splurge vs Steal

Living within my means always requires that I reconcile my caviar taste with my peanut butter & jelly budget. Case in point: I coveted the dress on the left {Banana Republic $150} so I satisfied my yearning by buying the dress on the right {Target $25}. While it needs to be taken in at the waist, and the fabric is not nearly as luxurious, I find that it's not bad for a fraction of the cost!

Pirate Boy

These days, it is difficult to leave the house unless E. is dressed up. Sometimes it's his {too big} Spiderman costume. Other times, he stuffs his blanket into the neck of his shirt and proclaims that he's Super Why! But most of the time, he's a Pirate. 

He races behind me, ahead of me, everywhere within a 50 ft radius of me at the grocery store, struggling to grasp both a sword and a telescope while wearing a hook on one hand. He's constantly dropping his hat, or stomping his foot because his eye patch has slipped down to his nose. He says "Arrrgh!" in a deep, menacing voice and has made up his own "Yo ho ho!" song that he sings while swinging an arm and pinching one eye shut. 

I've received some odd looks whenever I take him out in public, which always surprises me. Isn't this one of the supernal joys of being a 3 year old? He is so uninhibited, so joyfully embracing these different personas, I can't help but smile. 

Someday, he'll have outgrown this phase and moved on to the teenage version of playing dress up. I could be walking through the store with a sulking goth, or a skater boy, or a sloppy outdoors-man type. I suppose that when that time comes, little boys in pirate costumes will make me stare, too. 

Autumn Afternoon

A recipe for a happy afternoon: Gather friends together. Get a babysitter {or three}. Drink lots of haunted punch....

Make a few crafts. This will fit in with my black and white decor....

Get a little sugar high....

Admire the fruits {or gourds} of your labors. Thanks for a great afternoon, Camille!

Black & White Halloween

Yesterday, we made cheesecloth ghosts. Little Miss C liked using a marker to give them faces. E preferred to watch while eating a cupcake. We all think they look spooky on our new table runner.

Black & white candy in the candy jars. Looks like we need a refill already...

Paper eyes on my pitcher collection. Because nothing is scarier than a ghostly Mr. Kool-Aid. 

Happy Haunting!

The Art of Words

Did you catch this post over at A Cup of Jo last week? I get excited over the idea of making poetry out of unexpected materials. {and isn't the shark one perfectly concise? Love it.}

Renewed

Today has been crazy-busy {as Mondays quite often are.} so I'm just now getting around to posting. I had a wonderful weekend listening to General Conference. My soul feels fortified, buoyed up by the spiritual feast. Even as I've gone about my errands with a screaming 3 year old {what is with him today?} I can't help but have a lightness to my step and gratitude in my heart. How I love our Prophet and his wise councilors! 

{If you wish, you may learn more about my beliefs here.}

Arizona Sky

The other day, while we were driving to the gym, my son pointed out the window and exclaimed, "Look mommy! A mountain!" His words made me wince. It was not a mountain. It was a hill. A butte at best. After growing up in Washington State, nothing in the desert even remotely resembles a mountain in my eyes. I grew up with volcanoes in my back yard! With mountain ranges that remained capped with snow all throughout the hottest days in August. People traveled from all around the world just to ski or hike or scale the cliff faces of my mountains, so you can bet that no child of mine will be allowed to think that some dusty desert formation is equal to the majestic cascade peaks.

While the desert may not have proper mountains, it does have other advantages. One feature I've come to love is the endless sky and glowing sunsets. Of course, my husband {being a native} is hopelessly smitten with this place. As I watch his latest video, I feel as if it's a love letter to his home state. And in my own way, I suppose I've become enamored with the beauty that can be found here as well. We are so very lucky.

My Little Linus

All of my children have loved blankets. Each of them has become attached to at least one special blanket, which they drag around with them throughout their toddler years {bringing to mind the character Linus from the Peanuts cartoons}. 

My daughter likes crocheted blankets, letting her fingers become entangled in the web of yarn. E. likes chenille, rubbing it over his face as he falls asleep. The baby likes silk, and is especially drawn to the satin tags found on both blankets and stuffed animals. He seeks them out, letting his tongue loll around them, exploring the texture.

So when I first saw Taggie blankets at a local boutique, I immediately thought of baby L. I was, however, unwilling to shell out $25 dollars for what amounted to a scrap of fuzzy material with ribbons along the edge. Instead, bought a remanent of incredibly soft chenille and a spool of satin ribbon, then sewed a Taggie of my own. I think the baby likes it, and it cost less than $7. 

Taggie Blanket mid-project. 

It's October!

If it were a bit chillier outdoors {and I had a few hundred dollars to spend without remorse} I would be wearing this outfit today. I like the subtle Jack Skellington vibe. I can't wait for the weather to get knee-high boot friendly! Shirt and short-sleeved sweater both from Anthropologie. High-waisted denim pencil skirt and bag from J Crew.