Farms Farms Everywhere There's Farms

Two Thoughts Tuesday: Now That's a Thriller

1) I violated one of my personal rules last week. You see, I have this very, very strong dislike for how early stores stock decorative items for the holidays. It makes me feel rushed. I really don't want to be thinking about Halloween in hot, sweltering August. So I refuse to look at any of the displays until we're actually in the holiday month. But, then when that time finally arrives, all of the good stuff is gone. Which is why I broke that rule and bought this:

I mean what mere mortal could resist the cuteness of that thriller?


2) Hmmm... 

So, let me get this straight. You enter as a Woman and exit as a Man? Now that is an entirely different thrill right there.

Halloween Fail 2010: Parts II & III

Fail Part II

Chase ate a cookie after dinner that must have had some trace amount of nut on it because the poor guy started wheezing and retching. So instead of fueling up for the festivities with treats, we tricked him with a hit of benedryl and an alburterol treatment instead. This was so much fun it should become our pre-trick-or-treating tradition, right?

Fail Part III

Chase started feeling better, so we attempted our annual Halloween Night front porch picture. Drew was in charge of the camera, so I should have known it was not going to go well. This is what all the pictures looked like.

Fuzzy, Focusless, Funny-Faced. The dreaded Triple Fs.

Five minutes later, Chase was throwing himself on the ground screaming, "I give up!" Amaya joined in as a sign of sibling solidarity.

One month, Three fails. Still, if I dig hard enough I can find an equal number of wins.

Win #1--Successful play date photos

Win #2--Happy Trick or Treaters. Chase especially enjoyed singing "The Hound Dog Song" for anyone who asked. Child is a ham.

and Win #3 Awesome jack-o-lanterns

I didn't know at the time I carved it how appropriate mine would be.  Boo to our October Fail and Boo to you too--until next year.

Halloween Fail 2010: Part I

For the first time since Chase was born, we did not make it to Cox Farm during the month of October.  So instead of nice happy farm pictures, we have sad little random pumpkin stand photos. I'm so bummed by this I can't even tell you. I was disheartened to the point that I didn't even want to write this post. But, well it's tradition, so here we go.

Cox Farm October 2006

Cox Farm October 2007

Cox Farm October 2008

Cox Farm October 2009

Random Pumpkin Stand October 2010

Cox Farm October 2008

Cox Farm October 2009

Random Pumpkin Stand October 2010

 You may have noticed that the title of this post was Halloween Fail 2010: Part I.  Yep, there's more. So stay tuned. October just wasn't our month. Hopefully, this little detour on the path of Halloween traditions will straighten itself out by 2011.

How To Eat A Cupcake

Miss MellonManners says that to properly eat a cupcake, one must make use of all available utensils. This is to avoid getting icing all over one's face and crumbs all over one's clothes.

Of course, it's kind of boring to eat a cupcake this way. Not to mention painstakingly slow. So after giving proper behavior a whirl, feel free to abandon it completely and just shove that baby in your mouth.

Don't be afraid to get messy now. See this young chap? He's totally got the process down to an art form.

Yep, he's been studying the art of cupcake eating for quite some time. A true master.


All photos courtesy of Miss Molly.

A Lesson in Time Travel--Mellon Style

I am a creature of habit. Well that is until the habit starts to bore me to tears. Then I find a new habit to partake in until the cycle repeats itself. Take lip balm for instance. For the past year or so, my habit has been to use the tubular chapstick kind as pictured below.

 

Birds? What birds? Ohhh those birds. Yes, well I thought I'd kill two--um birds--with one stone and show you a piece of my Halloween decor, too. What? You want to see the whole mantle? Sure. 

As Chase & Amaya would say: SPOOOOKY. 

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes, chapstick. Right. Well, I've been using those tubes religiously, but now I'm bored. My lips are bored. It is time for a change. So now, I'm going to be using the pots. Ya know, the pots? 

I've been down this road before. In fact, when I applied my first coat this morning, the smell of the goop instantly transported me back to my Freshman year at WVU.  I could almost feel myself falling asleep in Chem 15 or filing cart after cart of microfilm at Wise Library.  For those few moments before my nose grew accustomed to the scent, I was 18 again. Isn't it cool how a smell can do that?

Which leads me to the real point of my post. I'm going to teach you how you too can travel back in time. It's simple really.  Whenever you're about to embark on a vacation that you would like to have the opportunity to vividly revisit in the future, buy yourself a new body wash, perfume, or shampoo. It needs to be brand new to you and have a very distinct aroma preferably one you actually like. Buy a big bottle--maybe even multiple bottles. Then while you're on your trip, use it everyday. Even multiple times a day. Inhale the fragrance as you think about all of the magical moments you've had that you never want to forget. When you get home, put the remaining product away for awhile--the more time the better I believe. Then when you feel the desire to recapture that blissful feeling, pull it out and let the memories waft over you as you breathe in the aroma. You'll feel for a moment like you're back on that beautiful beach gazing out onto the turquoise water. But use this magic potion sparingly, so as not to desensitize your nose to the smell. You don't want this to become your daily routine--save it for those moments when you need a little pick me up. It's the closest thing to a time machine I've found. At least in this universe.

Two Thoughts Tuesday: Volume Two

1. The other night, I had a dream that Jillian Michaels died in a car crash. I woke up 100% convinced that she was dead to the point where I was angry that my entertainment news feed was filled with Lindsey Lohan headlines instead of reporting on her passing. Of course, at some point I realized what had happened, and then I wondered--is this how all of those celebrity death rumors got their start?



2.  I found the coolest app for purposes of child entertainment: Pottery Barn Costume Finder for iPhone: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pottery-barn-kids-costume/id387049651?mt=8 
When I say found, I mean that Pottery Barn sent me an email telling me about it--but I clicked on the provided link, so I should get full credit here.

It is not only totally awesome, but also super simple--the perfect combination if you ask me. All you do is take a picture of your subject using the handy guide marks, and then you can superimpose all of Pottery Barn's Halloween Costumes over the image. The hardest part was actually getting my little airplane and butterfly to stand still long enough to snap the photo.

The kids have no problem independently using the app since it's just a simple finger swipe motion to change the costume. That's not to say that it's always a peaceful exchange, as I constantly hear squawks of "It's my turn now!" and "No, Amaya do it!" If anyone ever invents an app that puts an end to sibling squabbles, let me know. Send me an email or something.

Best part? It's free. Yes, I know that's because it's essentially one giant advertisement for PBK products, but I'm ok with that.

A Little Less Conversation

Tonight after dinner, Chase and I passed the time by looking through the Wishcraft Halloween Costume catalog. Upon spying this,

Chase most emphatically stated that he wanted to be Elvis this year. Even with the such tempting options as astronaut, firefighter, and Batman; he clung to his choice like peanut butter to bananas. He's so excited about being The King that when I told him we had to wait for the costume to arrive in the mail, he suggested that I give the mailman a call to help speed the process along. He ain't nothin but a hound dog...

Now Amaya, on the other hand, is not so solidly sold on any one costume. Which isn't so surprising given that she has multiple personalities, and that she's two. Plus, she's my daughter, so girl hasn't got a prayer of being decisive. So, I thought maybe you guys could help her out. I've narrowed the field down to these candidates:

A. Squiggly Piggly

This was what I wanted her to be last year, but I waited too long to order it and they ran out of her size. Drew votes for this costume as she would make the perfect pint-sized ambassador for his new business venture: Pig.com. I can just see her handing out marketing swag to all the little trick-or-treaters, can't you?

B: Buzz, buzz Bumble Bee

This was also a possibility last year. I think it fits her for a couple of reasons: she buzzes around the house like she's the Queen Bee & you want to watch out for her stinger.

C: Wonder Woman

Ok, so I'm envisioning matching Mother/Daughter costumes here. I've always really wanted to be Wonder Woman, but I don't think I'd look nearly as cute in my costume. I'm not sure I'm ready to be upstaged by my daughter just yet--give me 10 years or so.

D. Nurse Petunia

I'm sure after all of that candy intake, we'd appreciate having a medical professional on hand. Though since her drug of choice is chocolate chip cookies, I'm not sure she's our best bet for healing sugar-induced tummy aches.

 And finally we have Chase's choice for his sister and I quote:

E: "The Girl Elvis"

Ummm no. But don't tell Chase I said that. I plan to tell him that the Girl Elvis went on vacation to Graceland, so she won't be able to join us for Halloween this year.

So what do you think?



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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Today, Amaya and I were extras on the set of a science fiction movie. No, not really. But it did feel that way when we were sitting surrounded by little kids wearing masks in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

I do believe it is possible that another life form has taken up residence in Petunia's body and is growing inside of it. How else to explain how ridiculously big she's becoming? She weighed 26.4 pounds putting her in the 90th percentile and was in the 97th percentile for height at 32.5inches. What was truly surprising though was that her 18inch head only placed her in the 50th percentile. Surprising because the original 12-24 month sized Halloween costume I had picked out was too small for her head. Apparently, that company only makes outfits that fit on 10% of the appropriately aged population. Had I known how little she would actually allow the headpiece to be on her noggin, I would have just kept the too small costume. Live. Learn.

During the visit, Amaya got 4 shots. Tonight she is cranky. Cause and effect? Perhaps. But additional factors leading to the crabbiness include the four teeth that are at this very moment digging through her gums clawing for the surface. She doesn't get a tooth here and there, not my daughter. She cuts quadrateeth. At least now I have something concrete to curse when she's fussy for the 17th hour in a row. Dadgumteeth.

She did put the fuss monster away for a bit during her play date with Emma and Mikey on Sunday. As long as I stayed near and no other mother tried to touch her without her permission, she was fairly happy. She didn't have any problems sharing her brother's toys with everyone and even took special pleasure in showing her friends how to work Handy Manny's tool box.




But then we had to go and change the plan by trying to take a picture of everyone sitting on the sofa. Not only that, but Emma's mama touched her. Have you ever heard of anything so terrible befalling a chicken? What choice did she have but to unleash a crying jag of record breaking proportions?


What is it with my kids and group pictures? I mean really? As if I needed any more future blackmail material.
I guess that she could blame it on the alien that has taken over her body. That excuse will work. Once.

October 31, 2009 in Pictures

Our Halloween festivities began with our community's parade. Amaya enjoyed running around checking out all the other costumes and didn't seem to mind that everyone called her a duck when she's supposed to be a chicken. Chase was upset that he didn't run into any Imagination Movers. We did see lots of princesses, pirates and puppies though.

I think this picture has a spooky kind of feel to it. It's really just a smudge on my iPhone lens. Had to use the camera phone because the battery was dead in the real camera. I have preparedness issues.
Then the pumpkin needed to be carved. Chase actually participated this year. He's growing. I can't stop it.



Amaya did not participate. She did contemplate and give her opinions though. She also tried to eat pumpkin guts. Trouble.


Annual outdoor, pre-Trick or Treating photo.



Checking out his handiwork.

Trick or Treating!! Chase was excited for the first 3 houses, and then he said he wanted to go home. At least he didn't welcome himself into anyone's house this year. Amaya just wanted to follow the bigger kids around. She did get a Kit Kat somewhere that she refused to let go of--glad to know she won't be fighting me for the Snickers bars.





Their most favorite event of the day had to be handing out candy to the kids who came to our door. Chase was more excited than I think I've ever seen him. He kept the door open, and he and his sister kept peering through it looking for more visitors. He was very polite, telling people that he liked their costume and saying "You're Welcome" when he was thanked. Cute. Also cute? Amaya's tail feathers.


Who's that walking toward our door?


Why it's John, Jeanne, Julia and Sophi! What a perfect way to end the evening.




Amaya decided it was time for the party to be over, so she closed the front door while we were all outside. Subtle, that one.
I believe that this may be the last of our laid back Halloweens. Chase was definitely more aware of what the holiday meant, and Amaya was just a little ball of energy running around. Next year, I'm sure that I won't be able to only take the little munchkins to 6 houses and call it good. Of course, that means there will be more candy for me to eat...perhaps them getting bigger isn't such a bad deal after all.