Guess they will be voting "NO" on Prop 8!

The girls are playing with their dolls. They have been for hours, dressing and undressing them, feeding them, nursing them, pottying them, etc. A while ago I heard Alex say to Gregorie, "Hey! You wanna get married? Let's get married!" Then just now I heard this exchange:

A: Papa, come here and help with dinner. It's time for our babies to eat dinner.
G: I'm not Papa.
A: Yes, you are. We got married and you are the papa. I am the mama.
G: I'm not a papa! I'm a WEGGIE!

Purple Bat Lullaby

Once upon a time...

Costume Preview

This is the "pre-made" stuff I bought/had. The white skirts are the under layers -- I bought fabric, to match the PJ tops, to make the real skirts -- with some help from Ada, thankfully! Alex also has a hat and they have one parrot and one feather sword to carry. They also have eye patches but I'm not sure about those...




This is the fabric for the skirts:

And Alex's haircut

Before:




And during:

Greggie's haircut

Before, oh my god, look at the ash on my car!



Eating tomato salad:



Collecting acorns:


During:









And you'll have to wait for after -I got too busy cleaning this afternoon and didn't snap any pictures!

The October Garden

The hanging tomatoes/flowers, still hanging, despite the water issue:





The main beds, notice the giant pumpkin, taking over the oak tree, and the universe!






Love this rouge cantaloupe hanging down in the tomato towers. And the gorgeous bean vines in the setting sunlight.




And the day's harvest:

Coffee, tea, or corgi

Halloween Junk Mail

Okay, I sound really pathetic -- uncreative -- "I don't know... I don't know..." but I couldn't see what Alex was asking about! Anyway, they had about an hour of fun with the junk mail!

Sarah, Alex wearing the dress

Halloween (for Sarah)

Alex and Gregorie were SO excited to put up the "pumpkins and ghosts and witches, Mom!" So, today we cleaned. They helped like champs. And we got out the goods.

A Sunday Roast

I'm a good cook. I don't think I flatter myself when I say that. I can braise, saute, grill, stir fry, etc. I can use new ingredients with finesse, I can improvise (in fact, I never follow a recipe), I can make wicked sauces, I can pair dishes as perfect complements, I can time it so all the dishes come out together or staggered as they should be, I/CAN/KEEP/THE /KITCHEN/CLEAN/WHILE/I/COOK! hahahahaha. I CANNOT make a good roast. Okay, my Christmas standing rib roast excepted, my roasts are dry, gray, chewy. My mother can make a perfect every time well done (by design) but not dry or chewy eye of round. She can. It kills me that I cannot. Alright, I don't want a well done one. That should be EASIER. Well, tonight, I had my victory! Juicy, medium rare, tender! The meal came out pretty, well, pretty!

The roast with the fingerling potatoes cooking:



The roast awaiting carving:



The salad:



The veggies:



And the fire that my sweet husband built in our bedroom! The first of the season!

For Thembi

The Target booty.

Alex's:



And Gregorie's:

I can't hear you!

Tonight we were all in the hot tub. The girls were swimming/splashing and Gregg and I were talking. He was telling me about how he pruned the trees. We were fully attentive to them, holding them and helping them jump and swim as needed. They were playing and not really paying us much mind until Alex turned on the lights, and turned the lights to her favorite color.

A: MOMMY, DADDY! Look!
M: Yes, Alex we see. We are talking. Please do not interrupt. If you need something, please say, "Excuse me..."
A: Okay, okay. LOOOOOOOOOK!
G1: Alex, we see, we're talking. Are you being rude and impatient?
M: Yes, we see the aqua. It's pretty, but please don't be so demanding.
A: Okay, okay!
G2: HEY EVERYBODY! Everybody, TALK!!!!!

I looked up, with a WTF look on my face, and there she was, leaning back against the edge, fingers planted squarely in her ears, humming. And smiling.

Um, now, people do that. To be funny. Put there fingers in their ears and say, "lalalalalala" or whatever. WE don't. She has never seen this act. Where did she come from?????

Sierra Skies