Happy Halloween

Hope your Halloween is full fledged spooky, fun and sugar filled!

Close Call

Do you have a dog? We do, but almost didn't a few days ago. I've sprouted a few more grey hairs after watching Tuck who escaped out of the fenced yard, run in front of a car. We heard the sickening thump and then miracuously watched as he ran out from the other side of the car only to run right back across the street and up the porch into the house. A few very minor scrapes, amazing! Love him dearly, but oh the stress he has added to my life! Don't they say pets help you to live longer, by calming your heart rate when you pet them? Not working yet!

The Countdown begins

We have a bunch of end of the year birthdays including yours truly. The young ones around here have started asking how much longer and what does mine come after? As if Halloween was not exciting enough?So as I run through the lineup I'm thinking we are going to be decorated around here for something or other until the New Year. I kinda like that! Hope you are enjoying your October!

Jenny's - Our fall tradition

Its the quintessential just have to do it or it is not the perfect fall if you don't make a visit to the farmstand. We discovered Jenny's atleast 4 or 5 years ago now and have been going ever since.This year we managed to sneak our visit in before the end of September which I was thrilled about, right after Max's 2nd shutout soccer game. The weather here this fall has been rather perfect and it feels like we are getting a rather long stretch of cool crisp days.

Jenny's is located in quaint little Dexter Michigan and right in the Y of 2

country roads and is a picturesque sprawling farm stand dominated by a mountainous straw maize that the kids love to crawl thru. Its pitch black in the tunnels and kids of all ages love the squealing fun of bumping in to each other in the tunnels and ending up at the various exits around the bottom of the massive mound. Such fun!

Probably our best memory came though a few years ago when we decided to ride the horse drawn wagon and as the horses began to trot

up the hill my husband and oldest son almost slid right off the back end of the wagon. Not sure how I did it but managed to grab hold of them with the yougest on my lap and prevent them from landing on the muddy hillside. The kids tell the story to anyone who will listen of how they almost fell off the wagon and we splashed thru the puddles and trotted so fast down the hills we were sure we would be bounced right out of the hay wagon. We were all in histerics by the end of the ride and its one that will probably never be topped! 

I just love how beautiful the mums and apples, pumpkins and gourds mixed in with the tastiest donuts, jams, pies and cider all are eye candy. I managed to snap a few pictures before my camera battery failed as usually happens when I want to take pictures. How I always manage to leave the lense cover open or

forget to check and see if its charged I don't know but I'm really good at it!

This place is so New England, we even have to pass under an old stone railroad track which remind me of all the stone walls that ramble along the paved cowpaths I learned to drive on in Massachusetts. I so miss New England but love the little pockets of it I find here and there in Michigan.

    

I wish I had put in some mums along my front walk this spring or atleast some annuals so it would be lush and full out there like the flowers at Jenny's but the flower thing didn't happen here in our yard, unless it was the hardy perennials out back, for the 1st time this year. I did manage to buy 1 large mum for an empty pot out front but it sits alone compared to these lovely plantings at Jenny's.

Ofcourse I don't have the stone surrounded pond or farmland rolling away from my front yard or a sweetly painted wagon either. There's something for everyone at Jenny's because as much as I love, the quaint, the boys love the giant staw monster that towers over one of the entrances. We've been to the orchards with the rides and the scary haunted houses and all the hullaballoo and I just love the simple country elegance not to mention the free fun at Jenny's.

What do you all do for fall traiditions with your family's? I think its my favorite time of year for weather and decorating around the house. Next on my to do list is the slightly dreaded fall closet switheroo. It seems an endless swapping out process with 6 people in the house and the limited space, but it must be done. Hope yours is a happy and healthy fall!

                                              

Back to School

Well the kids are into their second week of school now and I still am not believing I am now a mother of a High schooler, Middle schooler, and 2 elementary schoolers. The amount of paperwork is staggering from the 4 of them and I know before long I will be buried, but for now I think I am on top of everything. Being responsible is my goal this year for all of them. Not just to lessen my stress load but to help them be in charge of their own lives as much is appropriate for each age. The blame game is popular with my 7 and 11 year old boys and I wish for them to learn more of what the consequences are when they aren't on top of or even just committed to their own responsibilities. (If they only knew how hard it is to sit back and let them fail in order to learn being responsible for their own work, Sigh.)

Here's to a wonderfully educational and fulfilling year at school for all! And lots of Studio time for me!

New Year's Resolution

Had my first root canal yesterday. Why is it that I dread the dentist so much I forget to call for like forever? My dentist is a blast, so funny and all the hygienists are so sweet, so why do I put it off so long? Because I want to add a root canal to my list of experiences? Well check, that's done and I have to say not so bad. Pain no worse than getting a filling, just really time consuming, almost 2 hours tilted in the chair with my head practically on the floor. Don't really want to do it again though so I think calling the dentist more regularly is my new resolution. (it doesn't matter that New Year's is still almost 5 months away right?)
Trading the dentist's chair for the driver's seat today as the kids are busy starting up sports activities again but definitely a preferable choice over a root canal.

Hanging with the dinosaurs

Spent some time hanging with the dinosaurs this weekend at the University of Michigan Science Museum with the family. It used to be a favorite of everyone's but after some grumbling they all found something to get excited about while there and were soon running from exhibit to exhibit.We are definitely enjoying the last few weeks of somewhat unstructured time before adding the school day back into the mix. I say somewhat as we have had some type of sports practice or summer school class to attend through out the summer. Not too much time for a very long getaway this summer. We managed to squeeze in 2 quick camping trips between fund raisers for high school cheer and football car washes and picnics. Next summe,r now that we kinda are in the know as to the schedule of summer activities for High School sports I am planning getaways ahead of time now that we know how limited we are. A whole actual week of camping!

 

Its hard to believe after next summer all 4 kids will be in school full days! Such an unprecedented amount of "free" time between the hours of 8:15am and 3pm. My goal and wish is to be able to really make Laurie Lou a viable business and further develop my product line and dare I say get to the point where I could actually hire someone else to run the parts of the business I don't excel at? Well, a girl can dream can't she?

Short term goals? Well that should definitely be to clean and organize my sewing room. I'm too embarrassed to even show you all what it looks like but maybe I'll do some before and after pictures. Hope the rest of your summer is relaxing and full of wonderful memories!