To bee for the Annual YMCA Fall Festival. Not to bee for Halloween. You'll have to wait for those pictures!
Last Saturday we went to the Y for their Fall Festival and again were so grateful for the generous sponsors of this event. We had free dinner (chicken fajitas, fruit salad, chips), free craft tables, games with prizes, a candy trail, and we even got our pumpkin for free! We thought it would be a perfect practice event of costume wearing, candy gathering, and seeing other people in costumes. Of course we couldn't ruin the official Halloween costume unveiling at this so we used a costume that Cupcake's friend Lillie wore last year...a Bee. Isn't she BEE-utiful?
The candy trail was maybe a 1/2 mile loop total through part of the Y's outdoor facilities. Every 100 or so feet there was a costumed employee to hand out candy. We approached the first one and urged cupcake to say trick or treat. Nothing. The employee dropped candy in her can anyway. We walked to the next one. We urged cupcake to say trick or treat. Nothing. Again candy anyway. Cupcake looks into her can. Thinks. Looks again. Starts to run. Next employee cupcake proudly spits out "TREECK TREET" the girl let her pick her own. Guess she's bold like her mama. She dug around to fetch the longest tootsie roll out of the bowl. From there on I was pretty sure that Halloween will be no problem....
Luckily she was willing to make one pit stop for a picture with her Mommy who would NEVER take a bow out of her daughters hair to pin back her own bangs.
It was a super fun festival and its safe to say Halloween is around the corner with much expectation from one little bee who won't be a bee!
Have you started your Christmas shopping, making, or creating?
I have. But I can't exactly start posting about that here or it would ruin sooooo many surprises. But I can FINALLY share Baby D's presents. From the moment we heard "I'm pregnant" we thought the Lord was bring our friends Brian and Liza a boy. Of course we have a 50% chance when guessing but something just felt like boy. So months and months ago I started planning his baby gifts. Luckily we got a confirmation somewhere along the way He was a HE! His Daddy is quite the musician and his Mommy always had burb cloth envy when our girls were little ones. So, I knew the set had to include some burb cloths. Of course I couldn't post the finished products before the shower but last Thursday I FINALLY got to celebrate with the Mommy-to-be and chocolate fondue. Yum! Now we just have to wait a few more weeks to meet him.
Check out Baby Dawson's presents:
So, back to Christmas shopping. For those who read the blog who might have me on your Christmas list here's a hint:
This week is their customer appreciation week so with the code: customer20 you can get an extra 20% off at check-out. The cartridges I've been drooling over lately are
- Simply Sweet - From my Kitchen - Doodlecharms (not to be confused with Doodlefont)
Now, off to work on a few more gifts that you won't see for another month or so because of due dates, holidays, and the like.
How do we eat local when farmers markets are only once a week?
We find other options! I know Austin is probably more local-friendly than some cities (also less local friendly than CA - miss you JENN!) but I also am surprised at how many hidden secrets there can be. If you are looking for some options try these:
1. Look into a CSA. We are part of Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA and we LOVE it (thanks Liza!). Yesterday I picked up my veggies and the box was literally FULL of yummy local goodness that would shame the produce department of the grocery stores. Don't live in Austin? Check out CSA's near you here: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
2. Read the Edible magazine from the city closest to you to see what is local and in season. http://www.ediblecommunities.com If you are Austin, the edible Austin page is here.
3. I also love to occasionally google "eat local austin" and see what comes up.
Anyway, for us, we do the farmers market on Saturday, the CSA on Wed, and I also love to stop by the Angel Valley Farm stand on Wed. mornings. Between that we just about make it through a week. Of course there is the occasion where I run out of eggs and I REFUSE to buy any at the store. Usually I just wait it out. However, last week I visited my latest fun find...The Sassy Pea Market. I was able to get my fresh local eggs, some stew meat, AND Cupcake got to have some farm fun.
First she called for a Donkey named Abby. Abby came running and cupcake was THRILLED. She fed almost her whole food cup to her. Then I asked her if I could take a picture and she did this pose while saying "MILE ABBY" (that's "smile abby" in case you don't speak cupcake). She also found some hairy pigs but they were less interactive than Abby so cupcake just shook her finger at them and said Ewwww poo poo. I think because they smelled like pig but since it was foul cupcake assumed it was poo poo.
Finally she climbed up this awesome chair (with my help of course) to check out the farm and wave at the sheep and goats that didn't manage to get any food this time.
It was such a fun little farm visit for us. Now, with the Sassy Pea I do really think we can make it through a week and eat only local produce and meat with the occasional exception for our cupcake. And, don't be surprised if you find a Crack Team Creation for sale at the Sassy Pea soon enough. Just a little hint. More on that later.
While I never intend to ruffle feathers, I realize sometimes I do. In case this ends up being one of those posts, I apologize in advance.
Each year there are somethings that are the same for me about October: 1. A final goodbye to insanely hot days and fighting the summer time frizzy hair. 2. Root veggies make their appearance at the farmers market. 3. Candy inevitably becomes a daily tease. 4. Some ridiculous stores put out Christmas decorations. Note - I try to avoid most of those stores. 5. Fabulousness arrives at Einstein's: The Pumpkin Bagel
And finally, let me not forget
6. People post their annual blog about why they don't celebrate Halloween and how they will hand out bible tracks instead of candy.
So this year I am posting my First Annual (actually probably won't be an annual thing, I think once is good, don't you?) Why We Will Celebrate Halloween. As previously mentioned, this isn't meant to ruffle the feathers of those guilty as charged for #6. Instead I just want to let you in on the Crack Team thought process behind the coming holiday. We aren't just derailed by candy and cute kids in costumes...we too have a purpose.
I will not be making my house a Haunted Home. My child will not be a ghost, witch, or devil (though I was a witch as a child and my brother was a devil and neither of us has been zapped up by the evil one yet). We will not attempt magic.
We will however welcome the neighbors. As our friend Kenny pointed out this is the one night of the year the neighbors will be coming to knock at our door. We will take our cupcake who won't be a cupcake door to door for as long as she'll last. It's also the one night of the year the neighbors will for sure be welcoming us to their door. We will use this night to enjoy community with the friends we know and make a point to get to know others so we can see them again soon after. We will eat candy. (Just being honest here!)
We won't be handing out bible tracks, we will be handing out hot chocolate and candy. (Please Lord make it cold in Texas on Halloween night so Hot Coco is appropriate). I personally have had the best outcome with bible tracks in the context of a relationship. Now I know that someone who is reading this has a sister who has a cousin, who's roommate once went on a mission trip during Spring Break and handed a bible track to some scantly dressed, alcohol ingesting teen on the beach who dedicated her life to Christ right then and there. I'm also sure someone's Grandpa is 90 years old and has smoked everyday of his life. That doesn't mean I'm going to smoke and expect the same. So, as my secular neighbors swing by with their tots in tow ready for ohhs, ahhs, and candy, I'm not going to greet them with a non-celebratory tot and a bible track. Somehow I think it just puts a big old boring, party killing, restrictive feel to a loving, forgiving, graceful Heavenly Father. Instead we'll try our best to meet them where they are, relate to them, find a way to connect, and of course oooohhh and ahhhh at their kiddos while dropping candy in their pails.
We won't do it perfect because we aren't perfect. But, this Halloween, the Crack Team is celebrating because the opportunity for new friendships with our neighbors is worth a celebration!!!
Now back to October....here's a look at what eating local, in October looked like for us tonight:
Local raw milk cheddar cheese, local apple slices, kale butter made from local kale, butternut squash soup (local butternuts) in a pumpkin shaped (not flavored) bread bowl made with flour, water, yeast, and my own two hands.
Cousin Packy came to town this weekend for a Fall visit and Cupcake was THRILLED! She love love loves her Packy.
We took them to the pumpkin patch we love but found it nearly impossible to get great pictures. Who would have thought that in bright sun, with people everywhere, and dust being kicked up that two toddlers wouldn't want to cooperate. Sigh.
Here's what I did get:
Thanks for coming to visit us Brudder, Aunt Amazing, and Packy! It was so fun to be part of Packy's first pumpkin patch pictures!
Ummm where did my little princess go? On this day we were determined to keep the hood up and talk on the phone for most of the afternoon. I finally interjected a snack to ward off crankies.
Two weeks ago today we needed to run a few errands together as family so when the Hubs got home from work we packed up and tried to do as much as we could before dinner. Of course things take longer, 18 month olds don't love to shop, and it was a Tuesday night....so we opted to eat out rather than rushing home to make a dinner and testing everyone's nerves (does anyone else's family get ridiculously grouchy when hunger calls?!). After the food was delivered to our table we got everything cut for Cupcake and started to eat. I noticed she was looking at us with expectation. She reached out for my hand, then for the hubs's, and then bowed her head while saying "pray" very matter of factly. Tear. Our sweet princess was reminding us to pray at dinner. So we did. Apparently it wasn't long enough because after saying Amen, she looked at us, said "pray" again and put her head back down. The hubs added a few things, why not? Then "amen!" Only for her to do it again....and again....and again.....once we had prayed our food cold we finally put an end to the praying for that night. She's wanted to pray every night since. It warms my heart.
Cupcake LOVES to find pumpkins. We're reading books, shopping in the store, driving by a cute doorstep, and she will yell with glee PUNNKINNN!!! Too bad she is NOT going to be a pumpkin for Halloween. In the meantime, Fall is here and we're putting our own decorations out for our little pumpkin. Albeit that little pumpkin turned 19 months today.
Sues is about what it sounds like when Cupcake says "shoes." For months now she has been obsessed. She goes in our closet and pulls out her favorite pairs. She also likes to try her own on for fun...even the ones that don't quite fit. She notices when other babies don't wear shoes. She notices when toddlers have shoes untied. She notices if a shoe has a scuff and says "Uh-oh" while pointing (That's fun while in line at the grocery). Basically, she LOVES shoes. And, it is probably no surprise that she comes by it honest.
Imagine my thrill when she finally learned to walk around in shoes much too big! I was preparing our picnic lunch (love the weather right now!) and she came in saying "Mommy cute sues!!!"I'm not clear on whether she was saying my shoes were cute or that she was cute in her shoes but I couldn't resist snapping a picture of my precious, shoe-loving, princess (albeit it was horrible lighting in the kitchen at 11am)!!!
It was a super fun festival and its safe to say Halloween is around the corner with much expectation from one little bee who won't be a bee!
