october things

yesterday i pulled the "autumn" tub out of the attic. luckily i put everything away in a semi-organized manner last year, so i was able to find just what i was looking for.

little pumpkins, scarecrows, and autumn lacing cards that we've had for years. we got out one of our favorite games "harvest time"... even though the harvest is almost over now... but that is why we have time for games again. i ordered a couple of themed puzzles. i love the one pictured.. "scarecrow festival". it is a 100 piece, so it's just a bit of a challenge without being overwhelming, and the picture is festive and beautiful. i have noticed that when i put a puzzle out in a basket the kids are much more drawn to it. i'm not sure why that is but i plan to switch seasonal puzzles in and out of that basket over the next couple months.

we have many halloween themed books too, but above are some of our favorites. "and then comes halloween" and "too many pumpkins" are hands down my absolute favorite halloween books. they are wonderful. "the little old lady who wasn't afraid of anything" is an adorable interactive book (great for a preschool class) and it was written by my preschool teacher... so that's pretty special. although we have many special "holiday" books, we don't really have many "seasonal" books. i would really like to get some books that focus more on autumn itself.

do you have any recommendations for me?

then stickers, autumn colored cards, stamps, and i printed out some coloring pages from this site. i love their coloring pages. i think they are all very sweet, and you don't have to download the pages to print them off... i really appreciate that. 

i have some more seasonal ideas that i am very excited about and hope to find time to set up. they are more montessori, and i am very excited to implement more of that into our home. i also have some new ideas for some seasonal stamps that would be SO FUN! i am really hoping to dig into that soon.

picking, pressing, and a new friend

apple picking.

one of our favorite fruit providers, the king tree.

not only the best apples but also a great climbing tree and so photogenic.

she said that we need to put handles all over this tree and then she would climb all over and pick every apple for me. hmn. big smile. i love little moments like this. i used to record more of them in this space. i want to try and get back to that. what fun it is to look back on recorded memories.

pear pressing.

my two little tag alongs and i. the pears were a bit overripe. as you can see, they squished out of the press pretty bad. i had to strain all of the juice with cheesecloth and then i pasteurized and bottled it. 

i think next time i will try to press them when they are still a bit green. isn't that a beautiful press? my mother in law traded fresh fish for it. she's always making the most amazing trades.

our new friend.

i found him wandering our road with no collar. our road is full of blind corners, cars that drive much too fast, and this time of year... huge logging trucks. he was so sweet and beautiful. i couldn't leave him. so i brought him home, called the animal shelter, put up "dog found" posters all around, and in the mean time... we started to fall in love with him. we called him "woolie bear" since we didn't know his name. he was such a snuggler. he slept right outside the little ones bedroom as though he was guarding them. he ate ALOT. then pretty quickly we got a call. his name is ezra. he lives fairly close to us. at his house he guards sheep and goats on a spread of 80 acres. his owner was a kind old man who had recently had hip replacement surgery and was staying in the valley with a friend while he was recovering. another friend of his was checking on ezra and feeding him while he was away. i believe he said this was the first time ezra had wandered. i offered to dogsit any time he needed someone. he said he just might take me up on that. i hope he does. we really miss ezra.

signs of seasonal change

foggy farm mornings...

all of this produce has been tended to now... and the preserving is starting to wind down... we are just left with the last of the apple harvest (apples are my favorite... well... once you get past the picking).

i've been reading this here and there for months now. it was hard to get into at first because it jumps back and forth through a town's worth of characters, but i am finally getting lost in it and loving it.

and every book is brightened by my favorite book mark from summer! 

we have been litter box training our bunny and having him in the house quite a bit. did you know that you can litter box train bunnies? i didn't. it is easy too! similar to a cat so far. i guess the trick is getting him neutered right before his hormones get wacky. that is the conclusion i've come to from my recent research anyway. he is so sweet.

waiting for the bus. we had some bus confusion in that first week, but everything is going quite smoothly now.

she came out bare foot and i sent her back for shoes (and pants).... pouty face.

in the beginning school started, and everything was quiet and calm for a bit and i thought "oh yes, i can do this". then preschool started... then soccer started... then volleyball started... and suddenly life is crazy all over again. i am enjoying it though. i actually started this particular post about a week ago and then never quite finished it.... so i thought i would finish it up now and post it... although it really doesn't feel finished... which is why i didn't post it to start with. sometimes i think if i don't post the random little bits like this that i would never post anything (and that may be better), but i do have plans to post some (hopefully) more interesting bits soon... as in this weekend soon.