My Halloween Treat...it just doesn't get any better than this!

My sweet little Maggie red riding hood

Would keep you young forever if I could.

You're not quite able to say "Trick-Or-Treat"

regardless your giddy as you waddle down the street

at each door and excitable "T-ank Ooh!" you bellow out like never before.

Your chunky thighs, Your silly smile, Your sense of humor

My heart you've captivated with your quiver.

Maggie's Handmade Cape with an added hood to keep her extra warm on her riding adventures! 

Jack's Halloween Bats

The next couple of days involve me frantically trying to finish Jack's mummy costume and Maggie's Little Red Riding Hood costume.  Thankfully, Lincoln has settled on a repeat performance of a pirate costume that just needs some minor touches to become Captain Hook! 

During today's quiet time, Jack wanted to make some Halloween bats.  As luck would have it I just saw some awesome bat action on a blog I follow, BATS!  Hmmm, Jack's version is much more...colorful....and he insisted that the bats have faces!  As much as I would love for trick-or-treaters to be greeted with an artistic rendition of black bats, this colorful kindergarten rendition is what our resident artist has created this year! 

Children of the Corn

Roseola Maggie, Sibling Play, Red Cowgirl Boots, Handmade Apron and her new favorite Yellow Flower!

The boys love playing "Tea" with Maggie.  They sit in a circle, take turns drinking and serving tea to each other, and sing.  During the summer it was a daily occurrence but since the hustle and bustle of school it has dwindled down to a couple of tea parties a week, much to Maggie's dismay.  There are a couple of play activities that captivate all three kids into playing together.  Really trying to capitalize on this "sibling play" I recently purchased the  Melissa and Doug Bake and Slice Cookie Set as a new addition to our play food and have started an apron project as well...personalized chef hats are only a matter of time! 

Maggie's Tea Apron

Unbeknown to me, until her giant rash appeared the next day, she had Roseola and was feeling miserable at the time of this photo.

The thing that I love about this activity is that it is differentiated for each child at their point of development. While Maggie engages in imaginary tea drinking, Lincoln "prepares" food in their play kitchen, and Jack takes orders on his notepad or prepares menus for all. The thing that is most precious about "Tea" is that the boys have created a whole play period around something that Maggie loves.

What I love about my Roseola plagued Maggie, tuckered out after tea time!  Maggie's High Tea Apron - Fabric: High Tea by Michael Miller/Pattern: WhimsyCouture Half Round Apron.  The apron pattern is modified a little but it is an easy pattern that any beginning seamstress could complete and the fabric is just scrumptous!  Maggie loves shoes and how could I not get these Pediped Red Boots ...especially

with a coupon and grandma flipping the bill!  Maggie is a conscientious objector when it comes to wearing shoes without a bow.  My friend recently opened up The Bloomin Boutique on Etsy and I can't get enough of this headband and flower clip that she made.

Vintage 1970 Toddler Girl Cape Pattern

Maggie has become a VERY tall girl the last six months.  That means all of her dresses come up ridicuously high and reveal those chunky little legs that I love so much!  After hours of browsing on Etsy my decision was made only to realize that someone else had already purchased the beloved cape pattern thirty-eight minutes before!  NOOOO!  Heartbroken and somewhat frantic my fingers slammed down on keys doing endless searches for my dear cape and dress pattern.  Finally I found one and snatched that pattern right up....oh, I can't wait!!!

Here is the one that was ruthlessly purchased from under me [wink]!  It is so cute that perhaps a larger version should be made for myself....I would never hear the end of it from my friends!

Vintage Dress, Scarf, and Cape Pattern from The Vintage Wren on Etsy

Gray's Anatomy by Henry Gray, 1858

Our dear and quite obsese guinea pig, Mr. Franklin, died within moments of Denny during the season two finale of Grey's Anantomy.  Despite our emotional connection, we ditched Grey's after the writer's strike along with a handful of other shows...just made life simplier.

Despite my break-up with Grey's, there were no grudges to be held and was still quite tickled to realize this little play on history while at the Civil War Revisited in Fresno this weekend.  While engrossed in what the historian was explaining about battlefield amputations, a double take occurred after a quick glance to the edge of the table?  A surgical guide book for medical doctors that was commonly located within the medical tents of Civil War battlefields in the 1860's.  You guessed it...wait, did everybody already know this?

The Educational Soccer Mom!

I loathe t-shirts.  They never fit me, the fabric is always too stiff and uncomfortable and they are often so long on me that I might as well sport them as a dress!   However, I make an exception for historical shirts and I sported this one, picked up at Mission Santa Ines, to Jack's soccer game this morning.

I'm on a one woman campaign to make educational shirts fashionable!  Paired with low-rise 3.5" inseam khaki shorts, gold thin strapped havaianas, and a side braid, my educational soccer mom look was complete!

Workin' the vineyard for some fresh California grapes!

The vineyards are dangling with grapes all around us right now! There is a U-Pick vineyard close to our house and it is one of my favorite places to take the kids in the fall, $.45 a pound! They are perfectly sweet, beautifully colored in bright chartreuse, and perfectly sized from petite Maggie grapes to plump table grape.

Accompanied with some good friends, the kids loved going into the fields armed with their scissors to cut those long chains of dangling grapes. Running up and down the dirt rows they resembled little worker bees. These worker bees only lasted about twenty minutes, though. While making bee references it is only right to compare Maggie to the Queen Bee who was dutifully waiting for the worker bees to bring in their harvest only for her to immediately consume grape upon grape. Thankfully the grapes were organic as there was no way that the Queen Bee was going to patiently wait until all grapes were washed and ready to eat.

Mmmmm, California grapes fresh off the vines ...and they were delicious! 

Not to mention Maggie rocked the fields with her Ruffle Bum bloomers!