An Award

I'm sorry this took me so long to get to! I am falling way behind lately and having a tough time keeping up!

Marie Antoinette Award- a real person, a real award! Thank you to Judy of Vintage to Chic. Here are the Rules for the Award:

1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Place a link to the person from whom you recieved the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

1. Judi of Cranberry Blossom

2. Lorri of The View From My Door

3. Angie from Madam Zelda's Prestent, Past and Future

4. Alaura of Cottage Rose

5. Nola of Alamo North

6. Rhonda of Scotterblu's Whimsy

7. Kim of Kim's Treasures

I hope you all enjoy the award.

take care,
Dawn

The costume, the clone, the candy!

Tim wanted to be a Clone Trooper from Star Wars this year for Halloween. I really didn't want to go out and spend ALL that money for a costume. He got the Clone Trooper helmet for her birthday in September so I figured we could make the costume. It doesn't get any easier than this. I bought a white sweatshirt and white sweatpants and gave Tim a paint brush and some paint. He drew what the Clone Trooper costume should look like and then painted over his pencil drawings. He can wear this now for bed. :) I am certainly not sending a 10 year old boy out in white sweatpants. They will never be the same again!!

I'm sure on a cold winter's day Tim will be happy to wear this again!!

Last year we had NO trick or treaters come to our house. Half of the houses in our neighborhood are summer homes. The rest are older couples and retired people! This year we had a total of THREE trick or treaters and an abundance of candy left over. Rich and Tim are sneaking into it so much so that already little is left. I bagged what was there up and brought it to Brittainy's (with a small stash I hid for Mackenzie when she comes over!).

I guess it's time to start taking the Halloween decorations down....well maybe in a few days.

take care,
Dawn

Pumpkin Carving

I don't know how the time got away from me. As the day was coming to an end on Thursday, I realized that Halloween was the next day. I knew that Friday was Halloween, but for some reason I thought I had the weekend to carve the pumpkins. We didn't get home from school until 5 PM and I had dinner to make, work to do, etc. Tim assured me this was a task he could do on his own....and I let him. I did cut the top of the pumpkin for him but the rest was his doing. I gave him a lesson on how to use the knife (it was a small one...he wanted the huge one I had used to cut off the top...that was a NO GO!). I asked him to please be careful. I didn't have time for a trip to the ER!

He did very well for it being his first time. I took a picture of the jack-o-lantern with my flash on last night.

and another with it off.

Tomorrow will be pictures of the costume Tim created himself.

take care,
Dawn

Friday Favorite Family Foto ~~ Raggedy Britt

Deborah of Pictures Pots and Pens is hosting Friday's Favorite Family Fotos. Stop by and see who is joining in on the fun. Be sure to visit them as well.

Last week I posted a picture of Tim when he was one! This time it's Britt! This was taken in 1982 when she was 2 years old. She had a Raggedy Ann doll that was the same size as she was. I took the dress off the doll and put it on her. It was a perfect fit! I found an old pink crocheted hat that I made a wig out of by adding LOTS of red fringe. I made the fringe from a skein of yarn I had lying around the house. It was one of the easiest costumes I've ever made.

Is she cute or what?
This year she'll be taking her 3 year old daughter and 8 month old son out trick or treating. When did she grow up and have children of her own????

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

take care,
Dawn

A trip to the farm

Yesterday the kindergarten took a field trip to Cob Webb farm. The name of the family that owns it is Webb. I thought it was a cute name for the farm. It was a bit chilly but the children had the best time!!!! So did the teachers (and I hope the parents that joined us!)

I'm sharing some photos of our trip. These were some decorations around the farm.

I liked the white pumpkins! :)

We also went on a hay ride. They had some not too scary decorations throughout the ride. This picture looks scarier than it was. I think changing it to black and white makes it look that way. All the kids loved this and they all wanted to look and touch (it was foam rubber).

I loved this display, even if the pumpkins were starting to rot!

Here are some scarecrows throughout the farm.

This was my favorite one!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I have a private school blog that I posted these on with pictures of the children and their pumpkins for their families to enjoy!

take care,

Dawn

Glitter, Glitter Pumpkin

Both of these pumpkins are new pumpkins for me this year. Can you guess which one I absolutely love??? The one on the left I bought at Marshall's this year. The one on the right was made by my sweet granddaughter, Mackenzie!

Yes, you got it right. I just adore the pumpkin that Mackenzie made. Have you every seen anything more beautiful? I wish this pumpkin would last year after year, but alas I will have to keep the photo as a memento.

The pumpkin reminds me of a poem I teach my kindergarten students.

Glitter, Glitter pumpkin

Sitting on a stumpkin

Scary, scary pumpkin

Thump! Thump!

THUMPKIN!!!!

Speaking of pumpkins, the kindergarten is headed out to a field trip to a pumpkin patch today. We got rained out last week. Let's hope for dry weather!

take care,
Dawn

I've been Boo-ed!

Here is how the Blogging Boo will go. Go to as many friends as you want and tell them they've been "Boo-ED". Have them link back to your blog to pick up their Halloween Treat (picture) and tell them to Boo their friends. (Then put the pic in your side bar so everyone knows that you've already been Boo-ed) and to send the pic to someone else.

take care,
Dawn

Remembering Dad

I wanted to thank you all for your comments and concern. Last week was one of the busiest weeks I've had in a long time and I just needed a break to regroup! But I'm back today.

And today I am remembering my Dad. On October 28, 1995 my father passed away. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. My father's nick name was Tex. I think my mother told me that he got his nickname because when he was a little boy he used to deliver newspapers by horse. Cape Cod is not notorious for naming their children Tex. The only person I ever heard only call him by his name, Allen, was my grandmother. :)

What a cute little boy!

I've posted this picture before but I just love his smile.

This is how I remember my father looking. It's no surprise where my big round cheeks come from.

My father had lung cancer and just a few months after my wedding in 1995 he died. This picture of him looks so sickly. He lost so much weight. It's not how I see him when I think back on him.

I have dreams about him all the time. In my dreams I know that he has died yet he is always there. When I first found out I was pregnant with Tim I had a dream that I saw him and told him and he told me that he already knew.

Tim was born with club feet and the first trip to the hospital in Boston was a difficult time for me. I remember sitting in Boston traffic worrying, and saying a little prayer. I asked for some sort of sign to let me know that everything would be alright with Tim. I looked up at the truck ahead of us and there was a sticker on the back that said "Tex". I knew then that Tim would be OK.

There was another time when Tim was VERY VERY sick and in intensive care at the hospital which was a very frightening time for our family. One day I felt my father by Tim's side. It was such a powerful feeling.

I knew that if I was to ever have a son he would be given my father's name. Timothy Allen was born just shy of three years after my father's death.

So, today I remember him, miss him and love him very much.

take care,
Dawn

Friday's Favorite Family Foto ~Tim the cow!

Deborah of Pictures Pots and Pens is hosting Friday's Favorite Family Fotos. Stop by and see who is joining in on the fun. Be sure to visit them as well.

This week's picture is Tim's second Halloween in 1999. He had just turned one the month before. This little cow suit was actually an outfit he was given. If you pushed on the cow's mouth it would "moo". I sat him out in the front yard in front of our fall display and took this picture. It is my all time favorite Halloween picture of him.

Rich an I put Timmy in his wagon with pillows to keep him comfy and covered him in blankets. We went to several of our neighbors who filled his little pumpkin with goodies . One of our neighbors would give him an additional pumpkin that they had filled for him. They did that every year. Sadly, last year they both passed away. Tim was heart broken because he had grown so fond of them. Last Halloween was hard for Tim. Walking by their dark house was a reminder that they were no longer with us. Now, they remain a pleasant memory and we smile looking at their home remembering how friendly they were.

My apologies to my blogging friends for not visiting yesterday. I was at school from 6:30 yesterday morning until 7:30 last night. It was a LONG day.

take care,
Dawn

Pumpkin treats

I've seen all of the wonderful fall creations out there in blog land. They are all so well made and classy. It got me thinking, what I have. I realize that I don't have the same caliber as many but I did find this.
Years ago I used to watch Aileen's Crafts. It was one of my favorite shows. I remember once they made these cute pumpkins with clay pots and saucers. I tried my hand at it. Painting is not my forte but this was fun to do. I put Styrofoam in this pot and added Tootsie Pops to it.

I've made others that I've given away. I did keep one for myself.

Please stop by Darlene's blog Darelen's Days and enter her giveaway in celebration of her 100th post!!!

take care,

Dawn

A Walk in the Woods

Last Saturday was a glorious day. Rich and Tim were camping and I was enjoying my day alone. While I was out in the back yard getting firewood, I decided to take a little walk. Our back yard turns into town conservation area. I only traveled a few yards when I decided to go get my camera.
The first thing I spotted was the yellow mushroom. I don't think I've ever seen one like this before. I really liked the yellow color...how nice and fall like.
This one didn't have the same beauty as the yellow one but caught my attention, nonetheless.

This has been a year of mushrooms around our yard! I posted about them last summer here.
A little more than a year ago (I think) we had a storm and lost a tree in our back yard. Rich got out his chain saw, cut it up and put it out back to dry so we could use it as fire wood. I am assuming this is some kind of fungus. ICK!
I like how this single red berry just stood on its own. I don't know what it is. With my luck I trampled through lots of things I shouldn't have.
The summer before last Britt and Jay were here and Jay happened to be looking out into the woods from our deck. He noticed this rhododendron bush in full bloom. I am sure someone tossed it out there at some point in time and it took root and continues to grow.

Yucca! I don not like yucca plants. I asked Rich to pull them up out of our yard. He tossed them out back and here they grown.
This is the view from our driveway into our neighbors yard. I was taken by the yellow and red side by side like that.
I hope you enjoyed your little walk with me. You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

Please stop by Darlene's blog Darelen's Days and enter her giveaway in celebration of her 100th post!!!

take care,
Dawn

Blue Monday Suzy Homemaker

Sally of Smiling Sally is hosting a Blue Monday event. She has invited anyone who would like to join in to do so! Go on over to her blog and see who is playing today! Today I am sharing a post I did in April of 2006.

That is me on the left and my sister Cindy on the right. Cindy was born the day before my first birthday so we aren't even a year apart in age :) Notice the blue of my Suzy Homemaker oven!


Do you ever hear or see something that jogs your memory back to your childhood? Yesterday I received a catalog in the mail called Betty's Attic. It is full of lots of retro things. I remember having so many of the toys they show (including the ugliest monkey!).

So, getting the catalog made me think about some old toys that I had. I remember having a Suzy Homemaker oven when I was little (I'm the one on the left!) I knew somewhere I had this picture. It was taken in January 1967 when I was still 5 years old. It's one of the few pictures I have of me as a child. I remember making cakes in this oven. It was sort o f the precursor to the Easy Bake Oven. :)

What I remember most about this picture has NOTHING to do with the Suzy Homemaker oven. I remember right around this time I was tattling on my sister Cindy for saying a bad word. (I think it was hell). I remember my mother asking me what she had said and I cried and cried because I just couldn't bring myself to say the word.

Memories are funny things!!

take care,
Dawn

Weekend Wonders

This was a wonderful weekend. Rich and Tim went camping this weekend. It's probably the last time until next spring. The temperature the last two days has been in the 50's. Last night it was supposed to have gotten down to 32 degrees. Rich stopped at a store Thursday night to buy long johns for the two of them. I hope they stayed warm!

While they were camping, and I'm sure sitting by a roaring fire, I decided to do the same. I was talking to Brittainy on the phone yesterday morning telling her how I had to rough it and walk all the way to the "back" of the back yard to get some wood for a fire. Britt asked me if I was walking uphill, barefoot in the snow both ways. Yes, she can be fresh. Look how far away from the back door I had to go LOL!

This wood bin is one Rich built for his mother's house YEARS and YEARS ago. She died in 1994 and Rich brought the wood bin to our house. Then, 12 years ago when we bought this house he brought it here. For many years it was filled with wood that was cut down after hurricane Bob in 1991 (?).
I treated myself to take out last night from a local restaurant. I had sirloin tips, baked potato, butternut squash and a salad. Oh was it good. Then I sat down in front of a fire to watch some TV. What a wonderfully relaxing night.
I hope your weekend brought you some relaxing time as well.

take care,
Dawn

Manners

I teach in a public elementary school and see all to often the lack of manners many children have. It could be something as simple as interrupting people talking to a total lack of respect! I think it is sad when a child who is polite stands out in a crowd for being one of the FEW who still has manners. I work very hard in my class helping the children understand how to be polite.

I also do the same with my son. Granted, he's a 10 year old boy and is often the "act before you think" kind of boy but for the most part has pretty good manners.

One thing that happened recently sticks out in my mind. I had stopped at a local coffee shop to get coffee to bring to Brittainy's. While there, I noticed that an elderly man was speaking to Tim (it's a small shop and no other people where there). Then I saw that Tim was helping him get up out of his seat. When I walked to them, the gentleman was telling Tim that he was shot in Germany during WWII and needed his cane to walk. Tim, then walked to the door to hold it open for him. The gentleman was happy to share his story and Tim was happy to listen.

I was proud of the kindness Tim showed that man, and the fact that he knows what the polite thing to do was without being asked. I always see him hold the door at school for people coming in and out of the building. He makes me proud. I wish more parents would install good manners in their children.


take care,
Dawn

Friday's Favorite Family Foto

I've been searching through old photos of Brittainy the last two weeks. I've found so many that bring back tons of memories. Today I am sharing a photo of Britt on Easter when she was four years old. What a cutie pie she was (still is...Britt I know you are reading this!) Look at the white gloves on her hands. Oh, I miss my little girl. She's all grown up!

What stands out most in my mind about this picture is how this Easter brought Brittainy more good fortune than most children have had the opportunity to experience. She and I lived in this apartment for about 10 years. Each year she and I would go to my mother's house for our Easter dinner. This particular Easter Sunday began like most. She and I woke up and Britt went through her basket to see what the Easter Bunny had brought her. Later that morning I dressed her in her finest attire and headed out for the day. When we returned, Britt found a present in the living room with a note from the Easter Bunny. He had brought her a gift that he found he had "overlooked" when he made his first delivery. For weeks all Brittainy could talk about was the Easter Bunny coming back to her house to bring her yet another gift. Oh, the thrill she had thinking she was so special that the Easter Bunny found her worthy enough for a second visit in one day.

Deborah of Pictures Pots and Pens is hosting Friday's Favorite Family Fotos. Stop by and see who is joining in on the fun. Be sure to visit them as well.

take care,
Dawn

While on the topic of nature....

Yesterday I shared that LOVELY picture of the spider that was visiting me a couple of years back. Today I'm sharing some turtle pictures. One day during the summer of 2004 I was going out to the front yard to turn the sprinklers on and saw this guy in the yard. I am guessing by the paint along his back that he belonged to someone. Again, my first thought was to grab the camera.

I got a little up close and personal with him. :)
Then, in 2006 I looked out in my backyard and here he was again!! I couldn't believe he came back to the yard.
Just this past summer Rich told me that he saw him again in the back yard. Normally I wouldn't be so sure it was the same one, but the markings on the shell make it hard to deny.

take care,
Dawn