apple picking

As we (me, my mom and kids) headed east on Route 82 to Hiram, we passed several small stands selling cornstalks and pumpkins. Anticipation was building for a day of apple picking. As soon as we pulled into Monroe's Orchard and Farm, I knew that we had chosen the right place. Looked to the left- a huge pumpkin patch. Straight ahead- apple trees. On the right- the cider house. Apple crates filled with gourds and apples and squash and Indian corn surround the farm market. There are no corn mazes or pony rides. They do not charge for hayrides or face painting. You simply board the tractor pulled hayride that takes you out in the orchard and lets you loose to pick apples. We picked enough apples to comfortably fill a small crate, half a bushel. Apples were plentiful; yellow jackets were not. The limbs almost tickled the grass and provided an easy reach for one-year-old Kate to grab a Yellow Delicious. Three-year-old Sean, who likes red apples, climbed up on a branch to sit and watch for the tractor to return. Back at the market, we bought fresh cider and goodies. Sean weighed a pumpkin using a good ol' fashioned scale and didn't see the Great Pumpkin. We missed the cider making but all are welcome to watch it being pressed.

a cornbox?

We went to Sirna's farm market for zucchini and instead played with the spunky kitten that was stalking us in the pumpkin display. We had the place to ourselves on this lovely Autumn Saturday. I suppose people are waiting for their Fall Fest next weekend. This crazy cat provided more entertainment for the kids than any corn maze or hayride.

Next stop was Derthick Farm since it was just a few minutes further down SR 44 in Mantua. Now they do have a corn maze. A huge one. Plus a mini maze for the wee ones, hay rides, petting barn, educational story boards and 2 large cornboxes. Not a sandbox but a cornbox. The kids spent almost the entire time digging and raking corn kernals. It was pretty cool. I never got to play in a cornbox growing up. I just had to get in. It was like quicksand. It brought back memories of trudging through the balls at Captain Kid's World at Sea World of Ohio when time was up.

Good Fall day.

birthday angel

One of my girlfriends had a collection of birthday angel figurines. Each angel held on to a number. They were up high on the top shelf of the hutch resting on her dresser. I enviously stared at the sparkly numbers and wondered who gave them to her each year. I coveted those angels.

Kate’s first birthday was on Wednesday and she received one of those angels! I love tradition and family heirlooms so I am thrilled for Kate to have this keepsake. My sister in law, who seems to read my mind when it comes to gifts, found them at Chasing Fireflies.

tissue paper flowers

When I was in elementary school, I was in awe over the older girls who lived next door. Whatever they had in their possession was golden to me. Kristina, who was five years older, would even throw her junk out of her upstairs window to those of us waiting for her treasures on the driveway below. Yes, leaping into the air with arms outstretched, we were competing for jumbo Geauga Lake pencils, heart shaped rhinestone pins, View-Master reels, scratch and sniff stickers and anything else that Kristina had deemed for the trash. One day, Kristina dangled a giant fuchsia and red tissue paper flower stuck on a wooden dowel rod out of her bedroom window. It was beautiful and exotic to me as she yelled that it was from Mexico. I leapt and reached farther than ever to nab that loot. Since then, I've had an affinity to tissue paper flowers. They were at my baby shower along with tissue paper butterflies (thanks to my mother in law). I've seen them in the shop windows of Anthropologie and Room Service. I had to have them for my baby girl's first birthday party.

I found out how to make them on Disney's Family Fun website here which gives detailed instructions as well as a link to a video. I followed their instructions and included crepe paper streamers. However, the flowers were a bit top heavy on the bamboo stakes so I abandoned the idea of having a tissue paper garden and opted to hang them by our light fixtures instead.

The flowers for the birthday party were a success. The girls happily took them home to decorate their rooms.

Kate's first birthday party

The day has come! My little baby is turning one on Wednesday. This year really flew. I've spent the last week preparing for her party. I live for this stuff. It's a crazy balance between sheer joy and exhaustion that I put myself through before a party. I go crazy all week making decorations, baking and cooking while placing high expectations upon myself. I can't just make chocolate chip cookies, they have to be shortbread cookies sandwiched with jam. No chocolate cupcakes, they must be tiramisu cupcakes. I LOVE doing this. I even made my first pastry cream for these adorable pastries that I saw in "Baking with Julia" which look like fried eggs. We are having brunch so we had to have these pastries.

The party was more than just desserts. My mothers helped out by making ribbon sandwiches and salad in parmesan cups. The bounce house was set up (an early Christmas present from my mother in law- yay!). Poor Kate was overwhelmed by all of the attention and didn't find it amusing to smash cake all over. She found refuge in the bounce house and laughed until naptime.

Here's how it all turned out:

the mini social

I'm registered on many sample sale websites such as Hautelook, Gilt Groupe, Ideeli, the fairest, and Beyond the Rack. They all have sales of designer clothing, accessories, and cosmetics for up to 75% off the retail price. Each sale is timed and lasts only a couple of days. Most will occasionally have a children's sale but are focused more on women. By the way, Hautelook and Gilt are my favorite due to the selection and savings. Many of the brands seem to cycle through the sites. For example Hunter boots, Seven jeans, Tarte cosmetics and Michael Kors have all made the rounds. Great deals that I've recently taken advantage of are See Kai Run shoes for babies and toddlers and Nest, both through Hautelook.

I discovered The Mini Social Today after reading the Daily Candy email. It is child-centered. I am so excited about it since I usually go to these sites to buy for Sean and Kate. Now there's one just for them.

sew, a needle pulling thread

I finally learned how to sew! My mom gave me a sewing machine two years ago for Christmas but work and babies kept it in the box. I just couldn't take it anymore. I took a class in late July at Stitch Cleveland in Lakewood from Heidi Massingill who was helpful and patient and fabulous. The space is basically a studio or workshop with large tables, fabrics, sewing machines and everything you could possibly need for a project. Just walking through their door is motivational. I think I giddily smiled during the entire 2 hour Sewing Machine Basics class. I immediately came home and grabbed a cloth diaper to sew up a flannel burp cloth. Can't say I produced the straightest lines but I was excited.

My goal is to make sweet little bloomers and dresses for my daughter and cozy pjs for my son. Being able to hem and mend works for me too. My favorite patterns right now come from Amy Butler (who has the most fantastic fabrics) and Lotta Jansdotter. Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt will be my first major project using a pattern. I'm hoping that Stitch will offer a class. By the way, Amy Butler's studio is in Granville, outside of Columbus.

Lotta Jansdotter's book "Simple Sewing for Baby" is a practical beginner book. The patterns are not quite "simple" to me yet but they can be done with practice. I made horse rattles for all of the new babies in our family. Each one provided a learning experience. With the first horse, I sewed the ribbon ears facing toward the inside rather than the outside and made the nose too pointy. Some improvement on the second but the curves were still too angular. The rest were OK with some ribbon ears spaced apart and some pretty close together. All were stuffed with polyfill and a jingle bell. I had seven horses (giraffes?) staring at me, waiting to be finished. I knew I had to hand sew the ends. I took the second one, squished it under the foot of the sewing machine and hoped for the best. Not a good idea. Laziness. Got out the needle and thread and finished them off.