PIctures

Here are a variety of pictures that I wanted to share but haven't really fit into any of my updates:

First:  A response 

...to my friend Christy's "Ode to a Self-Portrait."  On her blog, Christy pointed out that a lot of her friends post pictures of their families on the blog but rarely get on the other side of the camera.  She challenged her blogging friends, some (me) by name, to get dolled up and get our photos taken!  So Christy, here ya go!  I realize I got carried away with PhotoBooth, but I couldn't decide which to post.

Second: Animalia 

David loves hauling Alea around.  We have a picture of Nathan holding his cat Sammy in a similar way, so we thought a parallel picture would be appropriate.  

I had  to laugh when Alea climbed up on top of the playset and then had to think really hard about how to get down again...

And I've never seen a squirrel so relaxed...

Third: David is getting so big!

Fourth: I've been Crafting!!

Fall always gives me a crafty itch that I just have to scratch.  I can't help it!  

Many moons ago I found a link to a site that has patterns to knit and crochet Chemo Caps.  Having not been especially successful crocheting hats before, I was excited to try this new pattern and learn several new stitches and techniques in the process.  I made this in August, and promised a friend on Facebook that I'd post a picture of my end result.  Ta-da!

And my next craft I finished last night after posting the "6 Quirks Tag" where I said I hate having multiple projects at once and realized I had three going.  That won't do!  So I sat down and finished this.  I must say, I'm super excited about this one.  If I weren't so young and ambitious (ha) I might have called it my magnus opus.

My friend Jennifer called me Martha Stewart when I started making this at her house Thursday night.  Not simply because I glued some silk flowers on a vine wreath, noooo... but because I made the vine wreath!  That's right.  While I was visiting my parents last weekend, I went out and harvested some of the South's most beautiful and fragrant noxious weed from their back yard--wisteria.  Then I came home and soaked the vines and wove them into a wreath, and then wrapped a (pre-made, I confess) berry garland around it and used my trusty (more like "rusty") floral design education to arrange some silk decorations on it.  I was delighted last night when Nathan genuinely complimented my work without any fishing or prodding.  

I was hoping to hang it on my front door, but alas, I cannot find a wreath hanger to fit our door, and still be able to shut the door.  I'm hoping I'll have better luck when Christmas decorations are more easily found in stores.

Conceptualizing and planning the wreath made me want to generally improve our curb appeal, so I did some quick pick-me-ups and seasonal touches:

The process of doing all that was so invigorating, and held some delightful surprises for me.  First, I was talking to my neighbor outside about cleaning up the yard a bit, and she offered to let me borrow her edger.  Nice tool!  I finished with that and then started the very tedious and back-breaking job of sweeping our driveway with a push broom.  Every  time I attempt it I wish to myself that we had a blower so I could just blow everything off the driveway.  My neighbor had some tree guys starting their own cleanup after hauling a dead tree out of her back yard, and then without saying a word, they came over with their blower and did it for me.  How nice!