Friday, October 31

thoughtful friday... happy halloween...


I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau


Friday, October 24

brothers and sisters thoughtful friday....

These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago during a walk. The wispy bush was just awesome as a background and we took the kids out of the stroller to sit on the sidewalk and "say cheese" while bribing them with 'cat tails' (what we called the clippings from the bush)

... so here we are... Thoughtful Friday quote and the inspiration lies just beneath... if you have a brother or sister I hope this reminds you of them...

My favorite was this picture. I love his expression, he's just too cool and her body, her hair is as wide as her shoulders and she just looks little and big at the same time.


brother and sister...

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~Vietnamese Proverb






brother and sister...

It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea. ~Dylan Thomas


brother and sister...


Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown
brother and sister...
A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

Tuesday, October 21

Help... please find me!!!!

posted on our mailbox... and several others

This is Rah... aka Rah Rah (this name came about when my son was a year old). He has been missing now for 2 weeks and I am getting a little nervous that I may never see him again. Rah is one of the sweetest cats ever and has been with me and my husband for 10 years this month... it was right around Halloween.

Rah has thumbs.

Rah slept with us every night.

Rah loves grass.

Rah loves to be outside.

Rah loves catnip.

Rah has to be on special food for his sensitive urinary tract system.

We miss him very much.

My two year old... if you ask her where is Rah Rah... she will say.."Don't know... Wah Wah yost"

Our other cat, Cleo aka Kilo... is very lonely. She seems lost without him.

So... please say a prayer that little Rah Rah will return home soon.

Monday, October 20

Mom is great, she make us pumpkin cake...

this is how it started...

a trip to the local Safeway and there on the shelf was only the 29oz of pumpkin vs. the cans of 15 oz pumpkin that I needed, its spot had been wiped out ... so double batch here we go... (I should have taken a picture of the bowl before I started divy'ing it out... it was literally up to the brim of the bowl... stirring was a challenge, my son and I were wearing it!!!)

October 2008 002

I was baking these with a friend in mind for a gift, when the thought came to me that my cute little pumpkin cakes kinda actually LOOK like little pumpkins (well in a very Martha kind of way) I used cinnamon sticks for the stem and cut out leaves on a piece of green velum... stamped some pumpkins on brown paper added a bit of raffia for a 'straw' like feel... and .."Voila"

these little pumpkins came to life......

October 2008 047


and something for me to always remember, when doing a 'double batch' you will have cake coming out of your ears...

October 2008 049


I had my cookie jar full of little cakes and the large cake was ours to keep too! Which was really a bad idea because in just a few short days we are down to just a couple of slices.

If you would like to try making this cake I promise that you won't be disappointed. It is the most perfect cake when you are itching to feel and taste the season of fall.

Pumpkin Cake

1 15oz can pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cups water
1/2 cup blended oatmeal
2tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 bag of chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecan pieces

Open pumpkin and scoop into large mixing bowl. Add sugar and whisk. Add spices and whisk well. Successively add the following and whisk well after each addition, being careful because it will become splashy- canola oil, eggs and water. Add blended oatmeal, and baking soda and whisk. Add flour 1 cup at a time and beat with beaters on low speed. Once all the flour is blended increase speed and beat for 2 minutes scraping bowl with spatula as you go. Then add chocolate chips and pecans and stir. Pour into well greased and floured bundt pan
(using the little bundt pan has become my favorite when making this cake)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes



Friday, October 17

Thoughtful Friday....

thoughtful friday



When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.
~Louis Pasteur
(this picture of our family was drawn last year this time, Corbyn was 4. Dad is on the left and mom is holding his sister. This picture is on my bathroom mirror. It use to be on the wall near my computer monitor. I love him so much. I can't even begin to explain how very proud I am of him. Yesterday we met with his teacher... for the most part he seems to be above average (but I already knew that...lol)... but to hear that his teacher really seems to understand him and that she has earned his trust says alot to me. I couldn't have been more proud of my son... he is growing so fast... I can't believe 5 years later he still takes my breath away. He is amazing.

Sunday, October 12

I VOTE for HOPE...

I have written several posts about this election, but could never bring myself to hit the publish button... but with all the 'BIG STICK'(S) walking around and with less than a month until the election, I can no longer sit on my hands and not stand up for what I believe.


This is for any and all that want to listen to my opinion. This isn't meant to offend, just merely the way I see it. This is for my friends and family (because I love you) that still seem to be blinded by the Republican parties' attempts to smear not only this campaign, but this family. A family that cares about the future of the United States of America. If McCain and Palin won the election on THEIR policies, THEIR principles and THEIR morals alone, I would be okay with that. However, I am not okay with the campaign that portrays this family as anything but what they are. It's not okay. (if you would like to check out some of these links that I have come across....here and here could get you started)








When I look at Barrack Obama I see a man who loves his wife... loves his daughters... and loves THIS country as much as I do. He seems to have a general concern about me, my family and the future of America. When I see Joe Biden I see an intellgent man that stood 'alone' during the V.P debate and has plenty of knowledge about foreign affairs... has raised a respectable family and seems to be fighting along with Obama for the good of our country. Both men I would be proud to say were the President and Vice President of the Untied States of America.





(one of the best parts of this video is about 3 mins in...)


He wants to rebuild our America bottom up, and from what I can see I'm not far from the bottom. Yes, I am extremely lucky to have a roof over my head in a nice neighborhood, in a great part of town, in a 'good' public school system... but all I have to do is drive less than 10 minutes and realities change. That's a little too close to home. Is it possible to regain hope and prosperity for those that have less than myself? To help them overcome what has been dealt to them and have the same opportunities as my son and daughter? For my son and daughter to have the same opportunities as those that have more than us?


My husband works full time...I work from home... we clip coupons... we conserve gas... we recycle...we conserve energy... we conserve water... we eat out on occasion, but not excessive... and still in the end we seem to live paycheck to paycheck with not much left over to go to savings. Actually when there is extra money something unexpectedly comes up. Just recently something as simple as car registration soaked up $400... so, yes just as soon as we are ahead... we go back to just being 'even', which seems in our economy is better than most, others are coming up short each month after paying for just utilities, morgages, and gas. So, I suppose that we are lucky.


My son attends the public school here in our neighborhood and I tell myself that we are lucky to live in a good school district, and to take advantage of it. But am I selfish to want more for him? I want him not to get lost in the system because he is quite and a listener by nature and not worrying about another budget cut in the school system and opps oh well there went the teacher aids(that happened at the end of last year)... what will be next... art? music? I want his future to be wide OPEN and full of opportunties. I want a school system in which to be proud of sending my children to day in and day out.

As I type this, it reminds me of a conversation with a friend earlier this summer as she and her husband were looking for a place to call home... her biggest concern was the school district. Our thoughts quickly were the same... "as a mom, and as ALL the parents flooding the school campus picking up their children, they must want the same for THEIR own children as much as my husband and I do for OUR children..." Right?


I come from a small town in the south... most there want nothing of an African American as President and have been taken advantage of (in my opinion) and scared deep down to their core because of what happened on September 11th... because of a picture that the Republican party has painted of a man that against all odds has made it this far... I am proud to say that I will be voting for the Obama/Biden ticket. I am proud to say that I believe in his words... I feel it down deep. I see a man that has the best interest of this nation for his daughters to grow up in.


This video I came across and picked because it really bothers me that some vote strictly based on a 'party'. I know that some live 'black and white' with no grey or pink or yellow in between, but what happened to choosing a canidate based upon his skills and or visions, whatever party that they might represent? So I am proud of this guy for standing up against the Republican party and planning to vote according to what is important to him and what he believes is best for his country.






I am a registered Democrat. I'm a liberal I suppose. Even still in this election and in the last I looked at EACH candidate. I listen to each. I choose because of 'who' seems to hold the same outlook of my future. You might think that I was a supporter all along of Barrack Obama... but I wasn't.... I looked at Paul, Nader, McCain, not so much Hilary... and in the end Obama seemed to keep me intrigued... wanting more.

I guess I should wrap this up... all I am saying is that you have the right to vote for who you believe in... utilize that right as an American and make up your own decision based on your faith in the candidate... and not because someone bullied you into believing something for a vote.

(as I re-read all that I have written I realize that I have only been speaking of the 'education' part of my reason for voting Obama/Biden...so apparently subconsciously I have picked this as most important to me... and rather than add my concerns of McCain/Palin's health care proposal... and the importance of renewable energy... I will leave it as it is... the education system of our country and most importantly the future of my children.)

And because I have put so much on this... I would like to end with this message of hope...

Wednesday, October 8

Thoughtful Friday....

Thoughtful Friday


The childhood shows the man...
As morning shows the day.~John Milton
(though I think that the quote is a little weird to say at first, ... it fits. Corbyn is one of the most gentle guys on earth. Here in this picture I see my baby that has lost all his BABYness...in fact he has a 'skinny little boy body'. His smile in this picture is infectious... the placement of his right hand I think makes him look older and I get a small glimpse of the man he will be.... he loves COLD water and was just thrilled this afternoon. (the picture was actually taken a couple weekends ago... but I'm holding on as long as I can... he and his sister had the best time. All he wants to do is race... and Myla, though she amuses him a little by running a good 5 ft behind him, could care less. She is quite something herself. )
While everyone else is getting ready for fall...
While everyone else is getting ready for fall...
While everyone else is getting ready for fall...
While everyone else is getting ready for fall...

Friday, October 3

Thoughtful Friday

thoughtful friday


From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
~Dr. Suess