First time trick or treating

This is my little pumpkin and he went trick or treating for the first time this year. Last year we dressed him up as Tigger, but for pictures only, no candy. He still doesn't eat the candy, but we went anyway. Its funny how he knew what that plastic jack o lantern bucket was for. He inspected every piece of candy that went in there. We made it to five houses of friends and former neighbors before he had had enough. If it were not for the Kai lan DVD playing in the car we would not have made it that far. Thank goodness for portable DVD's!!!

fall flowers

This morning I brought home a few fall annuals from the high school's greenhouse....pansies, dianthus, dusty miller and snapdragons. Although they are technically annuals, all but the pansies tend to behave more like perennials. I have snapdragons and dianthus that have been in the ground for several years. The pansies will look great all the way through next June. I can't wait to get them in my pots. All I have to do is wait for my husband to come up out of his "hole" (man cave/basement) and watch the "wildman" (son).

Its the Great Gray Pumpkin

I found the most amazing pumpkin this week at Glass Farm Nursery in Rising Fawn, Georgia. Its completely gray. It has deep grooves and an interesting texture. The nursery owner gave it to me because it has a bad spot on one side. I wouldn't dare carve it up for a jack o lantern...its much too pretty. I'm going to save seeds for next year and hopefully have a whole patch of great gray pumpkins.

Construction Project

My daughter is building a playground for her little brother. She needed a project for her agriculture class at school (she's in my class) and came up with an idea to build her little brother some sort of playground. Her dad decided we did not have the skills or time to build it from scratch so he found this playground from an online auction that benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Chattanooga. We won the "Chesapeake" model from the Swing-N-Slide Company for just $650.00. Regular price for these models are $1600.00. Her little brother is inspecting her work and is thrilled with the progress. She still needs to add the picnic table, monkey bars, climbing wall and landscaping. My daughter has done an awesome job and learned several new skills (how to use power tools, how to read and interpret directions and how to measure using a measuring tape. Most importantly she did this for her brother, afterall, she waited 13 years for him.

Samplers

Sampler, sampler on the wall, whose the fairest of them all? This is a small part of the collection I have done over the years (a few of them are really old... 1863. My college roommate way back when taught me to cross stitch and samplers on linen are my favorite. The first one was in 1986 and the last one I did in 1993....I can't believe it has been 17 years since I have done one!!! Its funny how life interrupts some things...not that I have minded. Before my daughter was born, I was working 6 and 7 days a week. After she was born I couldn't quite find time to sit and do another. Just when I thought I could have some time to do the "crafty" things I like to do...at age 45, our "wildman" was born. So many of you in blogland are true inspirations. I don't know how you do what you do. I have really enjoyed browsing the cross stitch creations of Jen at Taylor's Farmhouse Attic. Who knows...in a few years (if he would stay in one place long enough) I might have a few more samplers on the wall.