pumpkin painting

This past year, while setting up some art projects for my students at Birchtree, I found a love for painters tape and it's ability to let me manipulate a canvas while still letting my little artists paint to their heart's content.  While I haven't done anything as brilliant as last year's masterpiece, O and I have been getting into the October spirit by painting some pumpkins.

Classroom One student art :: Birchtree 2016

I bought a bunch of sugar pumpkins for fall decor around the house.  When I'd originally set out to do this project, I planned on using some leftover white paint from our recent house painting adventures.  Though I loved the idea of painting our pumpkins white, I was still in love with the orange, and torn on what to do.  

Cue crayola and their all-things-washable line of art supplies.  And bonus - I figure, after Halloween, one of our projects can be cleaning the paint off the pumpkins!

Using painters tape, I cut out some pumpkin face shapes and stuck them on the pumpkins.  Though I'm sure O would've enjoyed sticking them on, stickers aren't really her strong point yet, but I imagine in a year or so that she would really like doing this again, but with that added job.  She has really enjoyed painting the pumpkins though, and we've managed to make this a several day project - partially because the paint is thin and I want these pumpkins to be really, really white.  The hardest part (for O... and myself) has been not pulling off the painters tape for the big reveal.

Once they were dry, Ollie kindly peeled off the tape.  Some of the paint definitely came off during the peeling process, but it was washable paint, so I didn't expect it to stick all too well...

And here they are.  I'm really happy with how they turned out, and I think they'll add just the right amount of spooky to our subdued decor this year.

pumpkins and potluck

Let me just start by saying that I love fall.  I love everything about it.  Cozy sweaters, big boots, reasons to eat soup and drink warm drinks.  Summer is great and all, but for the last two years I've had two babies in the middle of summertime, and it's kind of put a hold on my summer activities.  So fall is what I look forward to.  Plus, it's BEAUTIFUL outside.  The leaves in New England are so brilliant I'm surprised I haven't driven off the road while staring at trees.

Our friend Meara is a bit of a fall hater.  I understand that most people prefer summer over fall (I'm just not one of those people).  However, in hopes of embracing the spirit of the season, Meara decided that she wanted to throw a potluck pumpkin carving party.  Sounds wonderful right?  I thought so too, and was excited to go.  However ... she didn't exactly have a home base to throw said party at.  Luckily we just bought a house!  I quickly offered up our humble abode and promptly marched myself to the dollar store to buy up all the halloween goodies I could find.

Paul's mom came over the morning of the party to help out in any way that she could (read: hang out with Olive).  Paul and I scampered to tidy up, decorate, and make food.  Olive made chocolate chip cookies with Grammie, and everything really started falling into place.  Paul had grabbed the pallet patio furniture we bought earlier this summer, and we dragged out a fire pit that we found in the back yard.  The deck, porch, and house all looked just the right amount of creepy and cozy.

It was a small gathering, where everyone was asked to bring a dish to share.  There was a hot second where the hostesses were concerned that there wouldn't be enough food.  Luckily, there was more than enough, and people were even able to bring leftovers home with them!  It ended up being a relaxing afternoon of mixed drinks, good food, great friends, eventual pumpkin carving (by our friends, not us...) and the whole thing was over before 8pm.  

I had way too much fun with the whole thing (setting up, hanging out, all of it).  I informed Paul that I'd like to have an annual party like this.  Something simple and during the day (read: kid friendly).  But seriously, it was a really great time.  Here are some highlights.  My phone was in charge of music so I didn't get a chance to snap any action shots once everything really got going, but I did snag a few from friends. 

 What's the best part of a festive fall/October party you ask?  Still having trick or treat, Hocus Pocus, and Halloween to look forward to!

Happy Fall!

some days are better than others

I have a confession to make.

Before I had kids, when I was just an observer working in the behavior field with kids, I thought of myself as rather knowledgeable on behavior management and children.  I mean... I did it all the time at work, how would having your own kids be any different?  Similar thoughts applied to staying home with kids - how hard is it to fill their days with enriching activities while maintaining the daily upkeep of life?

Fast forward to present day me, who's currently maneuvering through the stay-at-home-mom life one day (sometimes hour) at a time.  Some days, I feel like I'm drowning, and feel the need to justify any and all accomplishments to anyone in earshot.  Other days, like this past Monday, I feel like I've actually got this thing down.

The three of us got up early and set out to Target (a 35ish minute drive away) to return some items and pick up a few CraigsList goodies.  From there, mama needed her Starbucks fix.  Afterward, we scooted over to a neighboring town for a little playground action with friends.  I'm so glad that having Knox has condition

ed me to carry around a towel in my car, because all slides in the morning seem to be soaked.  After pounding the aforementioned Starbucks, as well as endless yogurt covered pretzels from Target, we moved onto our next adventure - a corn maze, petting goats & donkeys, and tipping pumpkins.  I hadn't planned on the pumpkin tipping, but no pumpkins were harmed (thank goodness).  Since there were no real meltdowns in sight and I was starving, I decided to be extra adventurous and take the babes out for lunch.

If anyone out there has had the opportunity to meet Olive, they know first hand how wonderful of a restaurant goer she is.

With that being said, it surprisingly didn't go bad.  We did Panera (because, common, I wasn't about to try anything too involved) and sat outside (because how much longer will we be able to eat outside this year?).  O was so great, to the point where she semi restored my faith in taking her out to eat.

After our break for lunch, we met up with more loves for kid-friendly famish activities at a local farm stand grocery store.  The terror that Olive subdued at Panera came out at the grocery store, and I ended up purchasing a couple bruised apples.  I also snagged a seven layer bar and whoopie pie that I'd stashed in our candy cupboard and forgotten about until just now (#winning).  At this farm, we fed some goats, watched a lama annoy a cow, bounced back and forth between two bounce houses, sang about pumpkins on a horse drawn hayride (thanks Barney), and O almost got her face painted.

Afterward, we played at my bff's house (oh ya - best friend forever) until dinner time.  It was, to say the very least, a really good day.

life on the hill

Well, we're all finally moved in at the new house.  Or, at least as moved in as we're going to be.  There's still boxes everywhere and at least one box that must be full of items that I know we have but for the life of me cannot locate.  They're just silly things, like a shower curtain, and baking pans (I have no idea why I seemingly packed them in the same box) but I'd really like to find them more sooner than later.  I'm also having trouble decorating with the current configuration of the house.  There's a chair rail and faux beams that are obstructing my creative flow.  Paul tells me they won't be coming down anytime soon, and since I know he's probably right, I'll continue to sit here and wonder what I'm going to do with my broken up walls.

With the house mostly unpacked however, and me home for the second week now, it is finally starting to really feel like home.  Oh ya... did I mention that I've joined the stay at home mom's club?  It's pretty exciting stuff!  I'm still getting into a routine here, so bear with me.  We had ZERO internet up here for the first week, and since then we've gotten DSL (don't even get me started on that one!) but shortly after connecting to the outside world, we quickly crawled back into our shells as everyone but myself came down with a lovely case of croup.  So, we're just starting to re-enter the world.

I still have a laundry list of projects that I want to complete around the house, but I'm quickly coming to learn that all good things happen in time.  Olive, Lou, Knox and I started doing some demo to the front yard and steps, but seeing as how I was the only adult (and I happened to have a baby strapped to my chest) the demo was more of knocking things over.  I do think it looks a little better out front.  Paul and I spend a lot of time talking about the grand picture of what we'd like to accomplish, and let me tell you, the yard (both front and back) have a lot in store!  A recent 'bump up' on the list was to add a fence to a good portion of the property for Knox.  He was exceptionally spoiled while living at Paul's parents and now he's a little too eager explore his new surroundings.  I can't blame him really.  Olive, Lou, and I have found a wonderful little dirt road to stroll down during nap time.  Complete with rolling fields and livestock to look at. 

So here's a sneak peak on life on the hill in the new house.