The Perfect Pumpkin

A few weeks ago when I picked up the October issue of Living, I found the best idea on page 78. Instead of using a gourd as suggested, I found the perfect pumpkin.



So this little project became the highlight of my rainy afternoon. My mother had the challenging portion of the project since she was the one looking for the wood burning stylus.

All I had to do was find the font I liked and enlarge my number and Mr. Pumpkin and I were off to the races so to speak. ;>

Here's how it turned out. My hope is to get it to its proper setting before the birthday party ensues this afternoon. It's still too cold and wet to traipse through leaves and there's some raking to be done.

Edited to Add at 12:04 EST:



The day has cleared beautifully and I can tell that it's a perfect day for a party. Oh and I cheated with that photograph for those with eagle eyes...there are no yellow mums actually growing on the left side. There just ought to be. ;)

Tammy

"There's another Storm Coming" the tv ad says. We've been listening to the warnings about the first Nor'easter of the season for a few days now. And it is quite the storm with lots of thunder showers, wind, and rain. So I am pressed for time and trying to judge carefully about my computer use between the thunder and lightning storms.

Thought I'd share this pic of my Tammy doll today. She sits on a bookshelf looking as cute and coy as ever even if she did get a haircut and have to borrow Shirley Temple's dress somewhere along the way.

New England Autumn

It has rained all week. All week except for one magnificent day. That day I had shopping to do and my camera in tow. What I discovered was New England in my own hometown. Since a number have remarked how beautiful my corner of the world is in autumn, I am sharing my best photos despite my new concern about the limits of my camera.







Leaving you with this little vignette on my back door steps. I love that white pumpkin; I believe that the farmer's wife called it a "Lumina." A few years ago, I had great success with making a pumpkin pie from a white pumpkin. It was mild and delicious. The farmer's wife also shared that the pumpkin could be saved in a dry place for up to five years.

Happy Birthday, Child of Mine

Child Of Mine

Although you see the world different than me
Sometimes I can touch upon the wonders that you see
All the new colors and pictures you've designed
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

You don't need direction, you know which way to go
And I don't want to hold you back, I just want to watch you grow
You're the one who taught me you don't have to look behind
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

Nobody's gonna kill your dreams
Or tell you how to live your life
There'll always be people to make it hard for a while
But you'll change their heads when they see you smile

The times you were born in may not have been the best
But you can make the times to come better than the rest
I know you will be honest if you can't always be kind
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, child of mine,
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

~by Carole King

It's an unusual place that I am in. I don't imagine that too many women have enjoyed my position. Here I sit smack dab in the middle of five generations. My grandmother is nearing the century mark and the baby grandson is nine months old. Guess I've tipped my hand about my age. ;> I've seen a whole lot of mothering go on and the one thing I've learned for certain is that mothers are always mothers. My grandmother takes her role as my mother's mother very seriously. (I know that there are times when my mom would like her to relax just a bit.)

My own daughter has been a delight since the day that she was born. I remember holding her for the first time and saying, "Just you and me, baby girl." That wasn't quite true even if her dad was stationed in Germany and I had been unable to join him because of the political pressures of the time...Nixon resigning, heightened alerts along the borders. But it felt that way then.

She grew and she grew...so darned fast. Where does the time go? I remember hearing older wiser women remind me that it would all go by in a whirlwind and they were right. She has grown to be a woman I am proud to call my daughter.

Earlier this week, this daughter of mine called to say,"I'm not sure about buying a new living room set. I can't seem to make up my mind." I wound up telling her to trust her instincts...that she was perfectly capable of making an excellent decision and that our tastes are not the same anyway. "Do you want the sofa that you want or the one that I want?" That cinched it! Hahaha

Besides, I can't even make up my mind about a birthday gift. I went with the pillows and I even followed LaTeaDah's (Gracious Hospitality) suggestion about pillowcases. Then, in a flash, I decided to go with a five senses theme...a gift for each one of them. (Thank you, Melissa of The Inspired Room.) I figured if it works for essay writing and room decorating, it might just work for gift giving, too.

Grape Salad, etc.

This is such a cool, refreshing, almost dessert-like addition to the table. Even my little 20-month-old grandson loved it. Adjusting it for my diet was very easy by switching to yogurt cream cheese for the regular, to plain yogurt for the sour cream, and to Splenda for the sugar.

Grape Salad

Ingredients:

* 4 lbs grapes both red and green seedless

* 1 8-oz package cream cheese

* 1 cup sour cream

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

Blend the last 4 ingredients until smooth and creamy. Fold grapes in gently. A half hour before serving, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and a few chopped walnuts or pecans.

Hope that you'll try it!

Challenging gift decisions happen to all of us. Right now I am at wit's end trying to figure out what to give my daughter for her birthday tomorrow. Wonder if she'd enjoy a bowl of grape salad; she's not big on cake and ice cream.

I'm really debating whether to give her some good bed pillows or to pick up a piece of jewelry that will probably get tossed in a drawer. Pillows are practical and something that she may not have and might need after being on her own for a dozen years. It's not very exciting, though. Any ideas?

Columbus Day

My mother has been experimenting with her camera. This is a shot that she took last night after dark with her flash. I commended her for doing a great job of experimenting. I love those shots that look dramatic...remember, I'm a Bohemian at heart. ;>

So today is Columbus Day in the States and Thanksgiving in Canada. Hope that means a lot of relaxed, happy folks enjoying a holiday.

I wasn't planning to yabber on about Columbus, but he gets such a bum rap these days that I decided to include this link to an excellent article. "Excellent" in my opinion because it strikes some balance. It's called Christopher Columbus: A Sinner With a Heart for Frontier Missions by Rick Wood.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.



"Look for me another day.
I feel that I could change,
I feel that I could change.
There's a sudden joy that's like
a fish, a moving light;
I thought I saw it
rowing on the lakes of Canada

Oh laughing man, what have you won?
Don't tell me what cannot be done.
My little mouth, my winter lungs,
don't tell me what cannot be done.

Walking in the circle of a flashlight
someone starts to sing, to join in.
Talk of loneliness in quiet voices.
I am shy but you can reach me.
Rowing on the lakes of Canada,
rowing on the lakes of Canada.

Oh laughing man, what have you won?
Don't tell me what cannot be done.
My little mouth, my winter lungs,
don't tell me what can't be done.

Look for me another time
Give me another day
I feel that I could change..."

~ Innocence Mission

With strong ties to Canada flowing in my veins (my mother is Canadian), I want to wish all my Canadian friends and family a wonderful Thanksgiving. In years past, we would spend our October Thanksgiving at the family cottage in NB. I sure miss those happy times...hence the photo and the song from Innocence Mission.