pumpkin carving!

so… I’m kind of a bad mom when it comes to stuff like dyeing easter eggs and carving pumpkins. I really just don’t like to do it. I really don’t feel that bad about the easter egg thing, but I do feel bad about the pumpkins. but, nonetheless, I think the last time we carved pumpkins in our family was when layla was about 2. pathetic. BUT we had 4 big pumpkins growing in the garden and we (and by ‘we’, I mean shane and layla) were determined to carve them!

well, I guess I haven’t been checking on the garden so much after everything else quit growing or got eaten by deer, because when we went out on sunday evening, to harvest them, we were surprised to find them all still in varying shades of green! oh well, we brought them in and decided to carve anyway.

after I clipped them on the vine, shane basically took over the whole operation (score!). he grabbed the wheelbarrow and brought it around, loaded the pumpkins in, brought them over to the hose and washed them off, and then we brought them into the garage, where we weighed them (all between 11 and 17 pounds), dried them off, borrowed newspapers from the neighbors, and set to work. initially, we had grand plans to carve all of them. layla chose the smallest and orangest pumpkin to be hers. of course she decided she was scared of the knife, and later, the guts, so she basically told shane what she wanted and where, and he carved it for her.

repeat with the largest, greenest pumpkin for micah! after those two, we took a break to eat dinner, with intentions of shane carving his own pumpkin.

well, he was coming down with ‘the heinous cold’ and wound up losing his motivation. so, we had 2 jack-o-lanterns, which we brought with us to my parents’ house – where we traditionally spend halloween. I thought they were pretty darn cute.

Comments

finally!

here are layla’s curtains! actually up on the window! i have to say i’m quite pleased with myself for actually getting this done. but i have to give credit where credit is due… so thanks to my MIL for going to the fabric store w/ me and helping me with measurements and all that. AND, thanks to debbie for letting me use her sewing machine and for ironing all the hems for me! YAY!!!!

for my not-so-american friends

i didn't have an actual roll w/ the green plaid on it, but i found a refill and an empty roll in my junk drawer (yeah, i know, that should tell me something). but even the empty one says 'scotch' on it. there you go! SCOTCH TAPE!

i’m sure i will offend all sorts people with this…

… but i just don’t get why the entire world is so torn up about the death of michael jackson. yes, he had an insanely successful career as a singer/entertainer/pop star. yes, he took a lot of that to a whole new level. yes, i remember thriller and doing the moonwalk. yes, i remember wanting one of those red leather jackets, and one of those sparkly white gloves. however… i’m also wondering why everyone else is seeming to forget how he bleached his skin (and then had a big hit stating that it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white… always wondered about that one), underwent so much plastic surgery that he barely looked human anymore, made crotch-grabbing an acceptable dance move, hung his kid over a balcony, showed up for court in his pajamas, and, oh yeah, was accused of child molestation HOW MANY TIMES??? this was a VERY disturbed man. i have never understood why being a celebrity excuses people from upholding the same morals and standards that we expect of normal people. i w...

what I wore wednesday

iiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s wednesday again!!! which means it’s time for me to brag about all of my incredibly well-thought out and likely expensive fashion endeavors prove to the world that I didn’t wear jammies all week. well, not all week… wednesday: tank: old navy, thrifted cardigan: handmedown jeans: thrifted flip flops: kohls earrings: target scarf: thrifted I was SO excited to find this scarf! it’s gorgeous! very silvery and shimmery, the blue flowers and so cute, AND it’s short! for somebody like me, who is of the not-so-tall persuasion, really long scarfs (or even standard length scarfs) can sometimes be a little overwhelming. you know? it’s like, “how many times can I wrap this thing around my neck before you can’t see my head anymore?” at any rate, this one is awesome and I love it and expect to see it on me a lot! I also found the process of trying to take a picture to be quite entertaining. I have a ‘people dog’, meaning, wherever her people are, that is where she th...

beef stew recipe

another taken from the betty crocker cookbook, but i mess with this one so refer to the disclaimer … 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, pressed (or some good shakes of garlic powder) 1 lb. stew beef 3 cups of hot water (I probably use closer to 3.5 or 4) 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 3 medium carrots, cut in thick coins 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1-2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 tsp salt 1 bay leaf *optional: 1/2 bell pepper of your choice; 1 turnip; 1/2 tsp browning sauce (whatever that is) 1/2 cup cold water 2 tbsp all-purpose flour heat oil in large pot. cook beef and garlic in oil about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. add hot water, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. cover and simmer ...

rachel's continued ramblings

Search This Blog