November continues, with her shortening days and glorious sunsets. There were colds to be fought off and power outages and the slow calm before the holiday storm and at last the fulfillment of many fond dreams... the Peanuts Movie!

The Right Shade of Orange :: Tea for All :: Preparing :: Migration :: Tea Tastes Better when Filtered through the Tardis :: These Two Always Make Me Happy :: Sometimes its Better to be a Shadow :: When the Lights Go Out :: Shimmer :: After the Storm :: Battleship doesn't Require Electricity

Take a Look, Its in a Book

Jimmy Fallon as The Doors singing the "Reading Rainbow" theme song?

Thank you Colleen, for directing me to this little bit of brilliance.

Since I can't keep my eyelids open past 10:45pm, I rely on people like you to keep me clued in.

Nostalgia

Its pretty great when a favorite piece of childhood clothing...

stands the test of time and fashion...

I lost count of how many compliments I got at church yesterday on her dress.
But then, I think she could wear a burlap sack and look adorable.

Firsts

First corn harvest of the season...


Followed by our first family game night (ever), featuring "Hi-Ho Cherry-O", circa 1979-ish (a favorite saved from my childhood)...


followed by a new ritual, that has been going on for a week or two, the Daddy and Kids evening game of checkers...

Fashion Through the Years

Avocado Green Danskin Charlie Brown Jumper circa 1976 (yes, my Mama paired it with RED tights and a RED turtleneck... why???)...

and that same particular article of clothing circa 2010 (being made of polyester, this baby shows absolutely NO signs of wear, and will most likely still be wearable when my Great Great Granddaughter is 2)...

And speaking of fashion, I just discovered Odd Molly... am I the only one with a penchant for EXPENSIVE foreign clothing brands that are next to impossible to find online, let alone find enough money to make a purchase? Many of their pieces are too Bohemian for me to pull off well, but I am positively in LOVE with this cardigan:

It reminds me of an early overshot coverlet...

And here is a brown version, which I like *almost* as much... or maybe I like it better... I just can't decide...

I would love to wrap up in this:

Oh wait... I could MAKE this! Or at least something similar, don't you think? Seems pretty straightforward...

But I probably won't. I'll save myself from the disappointment of getting it horribly wrong and looking like a 30-something frumpy Grandmother wearing an afghan.

My Little Republicans

It really wasn't premeditated.

I've been waiting for that first truly cold, damp day for my Baby Girl to wear her little hat, the one with the circus elephants and Elvish point, you know, the one that her Auntie wore when she was a baby. Its really adorable. And also happens to be red, white and blue with Elephants. Hm. And we were heading to town to vote. Double Hm.

Being a bit of a Conservative in a state that never fails to show up blue on the US map come election day sometimes makes it seem pointless to vote at all. But I am so proud of my free right to vote my opinion and conscience that it really doesn't matter as much to me what the outcome is, so long as I have made my voice heard. That is the beauty of the America that I love. So many different opinions, and we get to have a vote.

And I love the state of Oregon, despite... and probably also because of... its more liberal bent. We are Pioneers, after all. Mavericks, even!

So, as I laughingly realized that the hat wasn't about the circus, but rather a cute little Republican pixie hat, I decided that I might as well make the most of our little outing, and Jack got to drop our ballots in the box!


We simply couldn't leave the Library without stopping by the children's section! His book choice resulted in a few rousing rounds of Winnie the Pooh's theme song as we went about our errands.

The adorable Girl, the wet pavement, the Autumn leaf, the beaming sunshine, I couldn't resist taking this celebratory photo. Voting makes me feel festive!

Refortifying with snacktime at the grocery store... She gets her old stand-by Cheerios,

And the Firechief gets a corndog!

All tuckered out...

So now we are home, and the wait begins. Who will be the new leader of our country, we don't know. But, we are satisfied. We voted, and hopefully you did too, and whichever way the vote goes, we as Americans got to choose. This wasn't a hostile takeover or a military coup. It was Democracy at work. God bless the USA!

Now, let's see, what shall I make for dinner?

For Grandma

I couldn't stop giggling the whole time, but I had to do a photo shoot with Katie wearing a dress and bonnet that my Mama put on me as a baby. The giggles came because she looked so NOT like the way I dress my girl, all ridiculously pink and frilly.

I am apologizing in advance, dear Sweet Girl, for nostalgia is going to appear from time to time in your young life, and you are just going to have to deal with being dressed up in your Mama's old clothes!