Handmade Ornaments

More handmade ornaments adorning Buby's Halloween tree today. These two were made by Grammy DJ. First she sent the circle one with the cool shades. Then she heard Buby was a Spookley {the square pumpkin} fan now and couldn't resist sending up a square one as well! We love Square Pumpkin's eyes!

Boo Cute!

Buby as Mo. His preschool class trick-or-treated today, gathering up all sorts of goodies in these bags they painted two weeks ago. It was pretzels, animal crackers, and stickers oh my!! We practiced saying "TRICK-OR-TREAT" in the car, and I heard him say it every time he saw someone with their hand out. He was so proud of his Doodlebops getup and of his loot by the end. He kept looking inside to make sure it was all still there. Of course, this shot was taken sans the big yellow gloves, the pom poms I bought him and the orange lips. But you get the picture. Tomorrow night we do it all again!

Buby & Lillian caught holding hands, AGAIN.

Halloween Tag

I've been tagged by the fabulous Blue House On A Hill as "one sweet treat to read" this Halloween, so here I am listing three others I admire. My Words, Darlybird's Nest, and Marta Writes. And Buby's inner circle of BFFs, who offer up oodles of sweetness everyday: Barefoot Princess, The Lily Pad, Twin Spot, Blue House, and Reagan's Roundup. Happy Halloween!!

Oh Sweet Treats

Buby and I will make Halloween cupcakes tonight. Good Housekeeping magazine will be here tomorrow shooting for an upcoming issue. It just happens to fall on Halloween, so I will happily provide the sweets. I'm still undecided on my ghostly designs. I think I'll do all white cupcakes and steal this chocolate sprinkle idea from kiddley.com for my fudge brownies.

image: google

I See You

When you smile or squint, I see your dimples off to the side. When you laugh, I see your mouth wide open and the glitter in your eyes. When I see your face, I see the many stages of yet-to-be Buby. I see an older man hanging Christmas lights for his family. I see a young guy going after his dreams. I see a teenager quizzing me at the kitchen table. I see him as strong and sweet. I see a boy full of love and joy and challenges to meet. I see our Terrific Two overcome with giggles and pride and a love for books and music. When I see your face, I see clever like I've never seen it before, I see deliberate mischievousness, I see curiosity and contentment. And I see our itty bitty first born coming home from the hospital so cozy and new. "I SEE YOU" is just one of your many favorite phrases right now.



Buby puddle fishes in the driveway as Daddy and I prepare to take him down to the river to really cast a few before dinner.

Soup Recipe: Chicken Noodle

Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe courtesy Food Network

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 medium onion,thinly sliced

1 small carrot, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

1/2 cup water Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 pound egg noodles (preferably wide ones)

1 1/4 cups shredded cooked chicken (meat from about 1 breast)

1 tablespoon whole flat-leaf parsley leaves AND/OR

1 tablespoon fresh dill fronds, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, parsley, chicken broth, and water in a medium pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the noodles and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes (depending upon the size of the noodles). Add the chicken, warm through, and then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnished with parsley and dill.

NOTES:

For my Soup Swap, I multiplied the recipe xs 4 for 16 servings. I marinated 4 chicken breasts in a roasted red pepper and garlic sauce and grilled them. I shredded the chicken by hand. I used extra wide egg noodles and organic chicken broth. Next time I may dice the onions instead of slicing them thinly, and I will use less celery in the future. Otherwise, it was delish!!

Giveaway: Dante Beatrix Bag

Why YOU MUST HAVE this new Dante Beatrix bag: The zebra motif is so HOT, b+w goes with everything, the handles expand to shoulder length, it has a zipper closure for security, 3 small interior and 3 large exterior pockets, a wipes pocket, a removable changing pad, and superb versatility. This bag is fantastic for the travelling fashionista who likes to compartmentalize and also makes a stunning shower gift. But it is IDEAL for the woman who carries the world on her shoulders. The company's founder, Dante Pauwels, is a renowned product designer who has created iconic items for Martha, such as the ubiquitous rubber tote bag. Her personal work has appeared in the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Art. She and partner Claire Theobald passionately craft the next "it" bag. The Baby Tote shown here retails for

$175, but Dante Beatrix has given me one to give to you for FREE!

Just leave any comment on this post, and you'll be automatically entered into Buby's drawing.

Random Giveaway Details:
-You have until midnight PST on Saturday, November 3 to enter.

-Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the word "comment" in blue.

-Just leave a comment--any comment--and you will automatically be entered.

-The winner will be chosen at random by Buby and announced Monday morning.

* For more bloggy giveaways this week, click on Rocks In My Dryer

Giveaway: Zebi Baby Burpies

Don't miss this one!! My favorite new designer has given me a beautiful bucket of burpies to give away to YOU. The set of three 14x21 inch burp cloths are made of super soft absorbent cotton with the most fantastical illustrations on them. The founder of Zebi Baby, Stacy Phillips, is a mom of three cuties. And the girl obviously knows her fabrics! The color scheme here is chocolate and blue... a.k.a. decadent and dreamy!! Get them for your own Buby or to give as a gift. $38 value.

Random Giveaway Details:
-You have until midnight PST on Saturday, November 3 to enter.
-Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the word "comment" in blue.
-Just leave a comment--any comment--and you will automatically be entered.
-The winner will be chosen at random by Buby and announced Monday morning.

* For more fun giveaways this week, click on Rocks In My Dryer


Designs included in the 1 gallon reusable pail

Old Photo Friday

i love this man in the black suit ambling so unaware of me down the brick-paved odyssey that is south street seaport. i love this man way back when, and i will love him indefinitely. to my sweets.

Giveaways!

Check back this coming Monday for a super duper delish GIVEAWAY from Buby & Co. You'll have a wk to win 2 prizes!!

Featured Friday Shop

Garnet Hill. I've worked with these people lots on the editorial side. But never featured their unique kid products. The New England-based company only expanded the "Growing Up With Garnet Hill" line recently, and I'm so happy they did. Beautiful things. Right now I like: The Danish Nordic pixie doll, the wooden forklift, the Skuut bicycle for 2-5 year olds, and of course the bark-covered pencils.

Moonlighting

Buby had been driving his jeep up and down the driveway through leafy puddles for about a half hour last evening when we decided to throw it in the car and head down to the river to view the moon. It was chilly but a really pretty sight in those fleeting minutes of day. Buby and Daddy fished from the river banks, and then our guy drove off into the fields to catch the moon. {The little white circle in the foreground is Buby's helmet.}

Field Trip Friday

Buby + 4 friends arranged a rendezvous at an orchard in the hills. The farm had a humongo hay maze, horses, and a little make-believe village for the kiddos... complete with a post office, ice cream parlor, jail, fire station, and schoolhouse. We've had a rainy few days with a brief intermission this afternoon, so the kids really took the opportunity to run outdoors, skip rocks in the pond, and chase each other in circles. They all packed sandwiches and fruit for lunch and ate together in the back of a vintage horse-drawn carriage. Here are a few fave moments from today's playdate.


Running between the apple orchards and the pumpkin patch.


Lillian and Gilly go nuts when they see a big tractor pulling a bed of people.


Buby fakes a fall and then yells "HELP" so that the ladies come to his aid. I think the girls see right through his tactics, but they are sweet at oblige.


Lillian and Buby waiting to be pulled in the wagon.

Grace gives the best high fives! So proud of her today when a group of big kids staged a takeover of the icecream parlor, and she stood her ground!

Buby giggles in the one-room schoolhouse.

The kids filling their bellies. This photo from Erika.

Jailhouse Buby.

Fabulous

Usually I can't stand the site of anything holidayish until we've at least gotten through the pumpkin and candy phase. But I make an exception for my Sundance catalog. The holiday edition just arrived this afternoon, and it's as radiant as ever. I'm ultra picky about cover photography, but Robert Redford's Sundance always gets it right.

Holiday Fun

Thank you to Grammy DJ for sending up some new Spookley books last week. Buby has read them both many times through. Truth be told, his favorite part of the pumpkin patch stories are the apples in the kids' gift baskets, but he does love that little square pumpkin! We looked for one but weren't successful. We have six small round pumpkins instead. One of my favorite things to do around any holiday is to cuddle up in bed with Buby and read these themed books. He has stories relating specifically to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, and Halloween. Then we can walk around the village {which is always decorated} and see the images really come to life!

Man In The Moon

It was one of my favorite sad movies growing up. Now when I hear those words I think of my Buby gazing up at the moon. We often walk before dinner, just after the sky goes dark. Last night Buby and I were in the playroom monkeying around when he suddenly stopped, looked out the window, and asked "LITTLE WALK, MOMMY??" I said you sure you want to go for a walk... it's chilly out. He said "WALK FOR A MINUTE IN THE STROLLER, MOMMY!" He's adorable and I'm agreeable to almost anything he asks for in that sweet voice. Buby put on his rain boots and a jacket and stood patiently on the front porch watching me get the stroller out of my car. As soon as he heard the seat click, he smiled and clapped! He climbed in and immediately reclined to look up at the stars. As soon as we turned the corner I heard, "MOON, MOMMY, MOON!!" I crouched down and we sat silent for at least 5 minutes watching the clouds zoom past the moon. I hope it doesn't rain tonight. Daddy is home.

Strokes of Genius

Original brush painting by Buby. Dated: 10.17.07. Origination: Buby Land. Value: Priceless.

In the Band

As you know, friends Matt & Alicia spent last weekend in Buby Land. Matt is a rocker in this band. He's a severely talented musician, and we knew Buby would get his sound. Shortly before our guests arrived, we played Matt's CD for Buby. He totally LOVED it. Dare I say better than the Doodlebops. So after our hiking adventure on Saturday, Buby took the opportunity to show off a bit. He jammed hard with his own five-piece drum set. Matt said that's it... his drummer is out and Buby is in. Whenever our guy is ready {and potty trained}, he's welcome to tour with them!!

First Act drum set shown from Toys R Us

Apples 101

Click to enlarge. I picked up this fantastic Apple Guide at an enormous indoor farmer's market last weekend. It is indispensable for a family like ours who buys a lot of apples and can never remember the difference. Buby's favorite apple right now is Jonagold. Mine is Granny Smith. Daddy likes to make apple crisp with McIntosh.

What a Life!

This was the most hilarious thing to watch. Seriously, we have been waiting to go on one of these things for like a year. Nearly every festival, fair, and outdoor movie screening had one this summer, but it was always jam-packed full of crazy big kids. Not toddler safe. We were thrilled to spot one yesterday at the farm during the kids' preschool trip. Buby and Lillian had the entire inflatable gym to themselves! {I swear, there are A LOT more kids in the class, but they'd moved on to other amusements by this point.} For these two toddlers, it was the most fantastic use of time. Buby kept yelling, "JUMP, MOMMY, JUMP!" No thanks. It's all you, Bub. They were laughing so hard and trying to land on their butts, which propelled them forward instead.

School Field Trip

Today was Buby's first ever school field trip. I figured our family had hit just about every farm in the state by now. But not this one. It was a new experience all around. We hung out with some scarecrows on tractors when we first arrived. Buby kept saying "GRAMPY'S TRACTOR!!" over and over.

Then he saw Lillian arrive and went bonkers. He immediately started handing her pumpkins she didn't particularly want and saying {in all his sweetness} "HERE YOU GO, LILLIAN. HERE YOU GO."


Then they moved onto these pumpkin holes.


"I SEE YOU!"

Buby, MacKenzie, and Lillian. This photo by Erika.

I'm so happy that Buby has found his own friends that he loves.

We were so happy to hop on our first hayride of the season. You wouldn't believe the size of these John Deere tires! We stopped halfway to the patch to feed the most beautiful Scottish Highlander cows some whole carrots.


Buby and Lillian both love animals and didn't hesitate to put it right in their mouths. Our guide says these are the oldest species of cows.


At the patch, Buby was again more concerned about finding pumpkins for Lillian or unauthorized trading of hers! Finally he settled on a little sugar pumpkin and back on the hayride we went.

This photo by Erika.

The kids hugged once more before getting off the ride.