Story Time

On one of my many thrifting adventures I ran across this adorable book...
I paid a whopping few cents for it. When I pulled it off the shelf, the charming little ghost seemed so familiar. Later, I was sifting through some books at my parent's house and found another Georgie book...apparently it's a whole series. Levi is absolutely crazy about them, so of course Georgie books will now be on the "Oh, I So Hope I Find One" thrifting list. I was delighted to find out that Georgie the Ghost books can still be bought via Amazon. If my thrifting doesn't yield anymore Georgie finds by next Halloween, I think I'll be giving in and getting this one and maybe even this one. To those who celebrate, Happy Halloween! And, to those who don't, Happy Day!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins

I've gotten lots of lovely comments on the pumpkin hat that Levi has been sporting this month. Although, I do make many of his hats, I can't take credit for this one. I bought it last year from the Etsy shop, LA Originals. Not only is it cute, but it also fits a wide range of head sizes...thanks to the rolled bottom edge.
This hat fits in quite well with his current pumpkin obsession. And, since it even fits me (a tad snugly), I'm fairly certain he'll be able to wear it for a few years more.
If you're looking for more hats to get you through the winter, this acorn hat is pretty darn cute...and so is this pink strawberry hat (sigh, it makes me want a little girl to dress up). And, if you're the diy type, I recently enjoyed making this candy corn hat...in different colors.

Motorcycle Love

Levi calls this his motorcycle...
He tries to take it EVERYWHERE...
And, if I don't follow fast enough, he turns to me, gestures, and says, "Come on." He says it in exactly the same way that he calls to the horses. I should probably be offended, but how could I?
I think he's ready for an upgrade. You might remember that I bought this one because he couldn't balance on the cute Radio Flyer trike. At the time it didn't matter that he couldn't reach the pedals. He used it more like a scooter anyway. Now, though, he keeps trying to pedal, but his feet still don't reach (odd considering he's the size of a three year old).
So, maybe...soon...we'll have to make a trike buying trip. That way he won't have to keep running his "motorcycle" round and round. Sigh...they just grow up too quickly. Next he'll be ready for a bike, and then he'll want a car. Or, worse, a real motorcycle!

Sweet Dreams

Halfway through Fall Festival my tail fell off. That's what I get for only loosely sewing it on to ensure that it could be easily removed....hmmm....easily removed it was! Levi loved it. And, in case you can't spot it, he's holding it in his hand above his head...
I think this little bear enjoyed his day.

Fall Festival

This weekend our church had its annual Fall Festival, so that's what I've been working on most of the week. It turned out great. The kids had a blast, and we were able to raise money for our local police dog.
Of course Levi and I went in diy costumes. We were bears...although, I didn't do the most phenomenal of jobs on these, so we could have been a few different critters...
Instead of trick-or-treat we did trunk-or-treat. The adults decorate their trunks and line them up in a row. At first Levi didnt' get it. He got the candy from trunk number one, but he tried to take it out of his bag and eat it right there. Eventually we convinced him to go to the next trunk, and a light bulb went off.
After filling up their bags, we headed inside where a potluck supper and entertainment were awaiting.
Our preacher did a skit that kept the kiddos and adults laughing...
We played pin the apple on the tree, a pumpkin bean bag toss, and a fishing game...
And a Nana kitty made pumpkins with a little bear...
And, of course, there was face painting!! Even Baw-baw got in on some of that action...
When it was all over, we were heading straight for bed. But on the way the little bear fell and cut his lip. So a visit to Nana and Baw-baw's and an overabundance of chocolate were in order...
Stay tuned...tomorrow you'll find out what crazy object from the night this little bear decided he absolutely must sleep with.

There's Always Work To Do Around The Farm

Have I ever mentioned that this little munchkin is obsessed with "helping"...
And doing it by himself...
No matter how many "Speed Bumps" are in the way...
Yes...my child actually refers to roots blocking the path of the wheelbarrow as "speed bumps"...
And, have I ever mentioned that even on days when he tries my soul he's still the cutest darn thing I've ever seen? Especially, when after a long day of lots of hard work (and tantrums), he leans towards my ear and in the teeny-tiniest voice whispers, "I love you." Whispering is new in our neck of the woods. It's so sweet that it nearly cracks my heart in two.

Sweet Dreams

As Levi climbed into bed with the little pony in tow, his eyes grew wide; he gasped, grinned, and ran back for his big horsey....
Who ever said "three's a crowd"?...not so for this little boy.

Pillowcase Jambies

More than likely, we've still got a few warm spells ahead of us, but for all practical purposes winter preparations have begun. And,In case you haven't noticed, Levi sleeps sans blankets...even in the dead of winter. I can't convince the boy to cover up. Warm "jambie" pants are on the must have list. You might have seen the thrifted men's pajamas turned mini-jambies in this earlier post. Well, we have more now....
Except these are made from a flannel pillowcase given to my by a friend. (Ramona, do these look familiar?)
The great thing about making pajama bottoms out of a pillowcase is that you don't have to worry about hemming the bottoms. It's already done for you. Just make sure you line your pattern (i.e. a favorite pair of jambies) up with the hemmed edge of the pillowcase. These really are a cinch to make. I did them during Levi's nap with time to spare.

Rainin' and Pourin'

Y'all, it's been raining buckets around here. It truly feels like we'll never see sunshine again. The rain just keeps going on and on and on....On the bright side, Levi can enjoy pretty much any weather (as long as he's not teething, sleepy, or just plain grumpy). Yesterday, while the weather was still warmish...by the way it is COLD today...anyway, while the weather was still warmish, Levi decided that some puddle splashing was in order.
Note the seriousness. I swear this child grins and laughs a lot...just not while painting or puddle splashing.
Hope y'all enjoy your weekend. Lucky for us we'll be enjoying a little drying off spell. We're actually due for a week long rain break, but then I think it's back again. Hmmm....in June I'd have been happy as a clam to have had some of this rain. Now...not so much. I'm ready for that pretty, crisp autumn weather that I love. Not the mishy, mashy, mushiness that we're getting. Oh, well, at least it makes for good puddles...the silver lining around the cloud.

More Painting Fun

We couldn't just stop at a pumpkin yesterday. Levi was so into painting that we had to do more.
The first time Levi painted, I used brown paper as a floor covering. It did its job well but couldn't be reused more than a couple of times. Since, I have great hopes for tons of future painting sessions, I decided that we were in need of a reusable option. As I was rummaging through a closet I found this perfectly sized piece of primed canvas lurking in the back.
It worked like a charm. I'm considering binding the edges with some scrap fabric...just because I'm crazy like that. ;)
If you don't have a random, perfectly sized scrap of primed canvas lurking in your closet, you could also cut up an old tarp or drop cloth. And, if you don't have those lying around you could just buy a yard or two of this and call it a day.
After we painted we cleaned. I think that might have been Levi's favorite part...
The kid is fascinated by the sink...that and the toilet.

What To Do With A Pumpkin And A Munchkin

...pull out the paints, of course! Pumpkin carving with a not quite 2 year old is out of the question in this house. I did consider it, but sometimes I have to remind myself that there is only one of me...I am not superwoman...and...ahem...I actually don't like carving pumpkins. I promise Levi will get the full on pumpkin carving experience, but we're going to wait on that one until he's old enough to really-o-truly-o help out. Until then we're gonna paint our pumpkins...
That photo above of Levi double dipping...that was the one and only time he mixed the colors. I'm beginning to think I gave birth to a mutant. From that point forward he insisted that I "keen" (clean) his paintbrush every time he wanted a new color. What?!!! I've taught enough preschoolers to know that none of them do that. Maybe it's just a phase. Do they have clean paintbrush phases?
And, the mega-serious look he's sporting in the pic below...that's how he was the entire time. The child did not crack a smile...not even once. Apparently painting requires loads of brow furrowing.
Despite the seriousness he was smitten.
And, the end result was pretty darn stinkin cute!

Sweet Dreams

Since Levi was itty bitty he has loved for me to read to him. Lately though, his love for books has gone to new levels. He has begun to really study his books....trying to decipher them I suppose. He slowly flips pages and intensely stares at each one. When we're reading books together he stops me on pages of interest. When he's ready to move past those pages he lets me know, and we continue. This week he's even taken to sleeping with his books. It's been a different one each night...a fairytale, a little story about a boy named Bill, a book about monsters (good ones of course), and one of his all time favorites...I'm Quick As A Cricket.
Sigh...I think he takes after me. I have fond memories of sneaking books and a flashlight under my pillow.

State Fair

It's been raining cats and dogs around here for what seems like FOREVER. It's more than made up for June...enough now...seriously. Rain is in the forecast every day this week. So, we decided that today would be just as good as any to take Levi for his first trip to the State Fair. According to the weatherman the rain was supposed to clear up while we were there. Ahem. It got worse. No worries though. We still managed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. We really just went for three things...the animals, the food, and the cars...and that's exactly what we got.

Levi fell in love with the cows. Now, every time we mention them, he shouts (very, very loudly with loads of enthusiasm and hand motions), "Coooows!!!!"
We finally had to tell him that the cows had to go nap-nap, so we could get some food in our bellies. The boy takes his napping seriously. So, of course, he thought the cows did too.

No trip to the fair would be complete without massive quantities of artery clogging goodness. Our lunch consisted of ALL fried food...fried chicken on a stick, french fries, fried pickles, fried green beans, fried green tomatoes (hey at least we got our greens, right?), and a fried funnel cake. It's just not possible to leave the fair without chowing down on one of these...YUM!!!
I can't believe there are actually people in this world who eat this stuff on a regular basis! Definitely a once a year kind of meal.

After filling our bellies (and our arteries) we headed for the antique car display. Levi couldn't get enough.
He dragged us from car to car and then back again...
And this...
Was his reaction to seeing this...
What can I say? The kid loves fire trucks.
And, this little boy who wanted to be carried or strolled through the entire fair had a new found sense of independence in here...y'all, I really don't think the kid would have looked back...ever.
The intensity was killing me it was so cute!
But, of every last automobile in the place, this lone tractor was his favorite. He kept going back to it. Oh, and, this little hands on hips stance...it popped up a couple of weeks ago. He does it all the time now.
After all of that adventuring of course he was whooped...
Is there anything in this world sweeter than a sleeping little one?

BOO!

October is hands down one of my favorite months. The weather is generally beautiful (except this year...rain, rain go away). The leaves begin to fall. The air begins to cool. And, the best part...I get to decorate!! Halloween is coming, and I'm pretty much smitten. Give me an opportunity to make stuff, and I think I've landed in heaven.
Okay, so I'll admit that the top two pumpkins probably should have landed in the trash bin since they resemble apples more than pumpkins, but they've grown on me.

~The Boo pillows were inspired by some cuties spotted on Etsy. Wish I'd saved the link for y'all, but I can't seem to find them anymore.

~The pumpkins were made from the piles-o-scraps given to my by a friend. There were quite a few silks that were perfect for the occasion. On a side note: the front pumpkin once had a little curly doo-dad coming from the stem. However, Captain Destructo was on the move and that was the end of that.

So, how do y'all decorate for Autumn/Halloween?