Holy Schnepf!

We go to Schnepf Farms every year in October and love it. What a fun place to let the kids get dirty and be kids. This year we decided to go on Halloweena (in normal land that would be a typo but here it is perfectly acceptable). What better way to celebrate, right?

It was AWESOME! The Farm had candy at all of the vendors so the kids got to trick-or-treat. Here are all of the super spooky things we got to do:

• walk around the farm and enjoy the agriculture...big beautiful sunflowers, pumpkins, peach trees. It felt so good.


• ride roller coasters, swings, slides and tricycle races


• roast yummy marshmallows and make s'mores- my kids' favorite thing to do


• eat dinner at the d-lish Farm Restaurant


• take home scrumptious Caramel Apple Pie!!!

Needless to say, Peter, John, and Tink had a blast and the parents did too!

One More Day 'til Halloweena!

That's what we called it when I was little. I haven't thought of that word for years and it just popped in my head the other day. What an amazing day. I don't have any bad memories about this spooky holiday. I can remember years when it rained and we couldn't go outside. I remember years that were not as exciting as others. But NEVER have I not loved Halloweena. Here are the reasons why I love "Halloweena":

1. I won't even begin to recall each costume. I don't think I could even tell you half of them because my memory is SO bad. What I do know is that this crazy special holiday never involved store bought costumes or treats made without love. My mom made this holiday (most holidays actually) over the top special. It's a gift she possesses. She would stay up all night long hemming, stitching, glue-ing, and pressing. We would wake up to these amazing feasts of fabric. Because of her vision, I was the most beautiful Cinderella there ever was or has been. Robin was the most juicy set of grapes, the truest Dorothy, and even Barbie and the Rockers back when she had more fans than Hannah Montana.
2. It was never about candy, what we would get, who's costume was more expensive, or how much candy we could eat. Well, hold on....I'm sure it was like that last one at least a little!But looking back the best part was walking around the neighborhood with friends holding treat bags and pillow cases. It was the excitement we felt when we were finally old enough to go around the block instead of just staying in our cul-de-sac. It was about carving the pumpkin setting it on the porch for all to see. It was about checking out the spooky houses and getting that funny feeling of fear in our tummys.
3. It was about crafting. It's no wonder I am a crafter. My earliest memories of crafting stem from this haunting holiday. It wasn't just about the cauldrons and witches brew though. It was about leaves and the beginning of Autumn. It was about baking yummy treats and coming home to after school snacks.
4. Remember having to check the TV Guide for your favorite shows? I remember getting this old flashback and power reading it to find out when "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was coming on. And then, I would hound/irritate my mom until the day of.

I've been trying over the past years to really pass on my love for the spook. I think that I've succeeded. The kids beg to go to the halloween section of Target. We walk around the block to see all of the tombestones and monsters decorating the neighborhood. They have been SO patiently waiting. And now...tomorrow...it all comes out and we get to have the spookiest day of the year!

We're going to Schnepf tonight. I'll post tomorrow with some super duper shots of Peter, Tink, and Brother John. I wish you all a...

"Happy Halloweena"

Hugs-Amanda

spook⋅y

spook⋅y  /ˈspuki/
Spelled Pronunciation [spoo-kee]

–adjective, spook⋅i⋅er, spook⋅i⋅est. Informal. 1. like or befitting a spook or ghost; suggestive of spooks.
2. eerie; scary.
3. (esp. of horses) nervous; skittish.

This is Grant's new favorite word. Both of my boys have inhereted my passion for all things that go bump in the night. "It's bananas" as Rachel Zoe would say. When we pull into Target now, Grant says "Mom, go see the spooky!"

In the spirit of my favorite holiday, here are a few [spoo-kee] shots.

http://domesticbliss-domesticbliss.blogspot.com/

http://www.kmckaydesigns.com/

Okay, so this one isn't spooky, but man....it's HOT! It's from the photo shoot for InStyle. I will for sure be making that mag a priority!

P.S. As a reminder, I {heart} Edward.

Schnepff Farms

We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend and let the boys roam. Here are some shots of the family.

Our trip to Orlando!

So Terry hosted a few workshops in FL this last week and so we decided to take the kids on a Minnie vacation (pun intended). The kids had a BLAST! It was great. My favorite part was that Disney decorated for Halloween. Growing up in California, it was interesting to see the differences between Disneyland and the main park at Disney World. I will say that while it was totally worth it, traveling with three kids is NOT for the faint hearted.

Here are the kids on a ride with dad/Terry. He was smiling, but really hates rides.

The kids and Big Bertha...one of the clydsedales at Sea World

The kids with the sea turtles

Those cool decorations I was talking about

Crazy Week...

What a whirlwind week it's been. We've been dealing with the whole car wreck/insurance thing all week. I wouldn't even bring it up, but I'm not sure James will EVER let me live it down. He's told every person we've come in to contact since then. We went to the market and I kid you not he said the following to the clerk: "Hi, my name is James. My mom got us in an accident and wrecked her Nalli. We are okay, but she totalled the car." OMG!!! Can you say embarassed? I think I shrunk down to the size of a pea.

Anyhow, we are all okay and poor Bessie is probably in yukon heaven wishing evil things upon me. But I'll miss her. She was absolutely my favorite car in the history of my driving career. She wasn't just a mom wagon. She was family. RIP Bessie.

Okay, enough sad stuff. Let's talk about HALLOWEEN!! Yay for October. I may have jumped the gun a little, but only by a couple of days. A couple of my friends (Meg and Tara) already have their fall decorations up so I really actually feel behind the eight ball. I put mine up Friday and I am so excited. I made new ones this year. Here are some pictures of my crazy metallic pumpkins.

Spooky enough? I love the ravens! I changed out their eyes for rhinestones. I painted roses black and frosted them with black glitter. Then, I added loose featheres to the pumpkins...SO cool. I love the way these turned out! I also made a wreath for the front door. As if my house isn't scary enough?

And finally, my sister Robin and her husband came into town for the weekend. We had a blast. We went through baby things and cooked. We tend to do that. When we spend time together, we enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Anyhow, we had some really great conversation. Last night we played CLR and Farkel. It was a blast. Thanks for coming out guys!!