Apple pickin'

This weekend was beautiful. Warmer, dry and a little bit of sun. We decided yesterday morning to cross apple picking off our list and head to Mt. Hood. We got ready and on the road by 10 am. I still have not bought the boys rain boots but we were going to drive by Target so I thought we could pick some up there even though I usually don't like the styles they have. We got to Target and they had exactly three pairs of rain boots. In Oregon. In October. None of which were Joe's size. They had a whole aisle of snow boots, but no rain boots. Not sure what was going on with that. So we ran into Ross, Marshall's, DSW. No rain boots. So I googled on my phone and found a Stride Rite in Clackamas that we could go to. I needed to get Sam his first real pair of shoes too. They didn't have shoes for Sam that I liked but they did have Batman rain boots for Joe.

We wandered around the mall for awhile. I am not sure when the last time was that I was in a mall. Its been awhile. It was actually fun though. We got pretzels, we people watched. I did early Christmas shopping. We laughed. Then we decided to skip apple picking and go to Ground Kontrol (arcade in downtown Portland) instead. I remembered my October goals though and the weather was great so I kept us on course to go apple picking.

For the past three Octobers, we have gone to Draper Girls Country Farm in Parkdale, Oregon. They have lots of apples, pears, other fruits and veggies, an antique store, petting zoo. The drive is easy to get there and pretty. Drive through the gorge, take a right at Hood River. Head south 10 or so miles, you are there! We picked our basket of apples and pears, sampling along the way. I can never remember what types are good for eating vs. baking. This year I used my phone to remind me. I got Empire, Gala, Golden Supreme. Now I have to get started using them! I planned to start today but I have been feeling not so well so it was more of a lay around the house type of day.






yeah, glad we got those boots before we went. it was muddy. lots of puddle jumpin' going on.




apples beg to be sampled. this one was an empire, a cross between a macintosh and a red delicious. which is funny because it *was* delicious and red delicious is one of my least favorite apples.







even sam got into the apple pickin' action. and the sampling action.







look who is walking now all over the place. including apple orchards without proper footgear.




our loot. i'm thinking apple pie, apple crisp, applesauce, apple butter, appletinis...







our trip home along the columbia river

Portfolio Building

So I'm dipping my toe into the world of professional photography.

A month ago, my friend had her baby shower for her baby boy, due the beginning of November. I got the idea on the way home from the shower to see if she would let me take some newborn photos for free. I could give her the digital copies if she would let me use them in a portfolio if they turned out okay. I had joined clickinmoms.com and was picking up a lot of great information. I just needed someone to practice it on.

I started picking up things here and there for props and reading more and more online, trying to get myself prepared. I figured 6 weeks would be plenty of time to get an idea of what I wanted to do. Although we all know that most of my studying was always done in the day before the test.

Imagine my surprise when I find out she had her baby 4 weeks early! Off I ran to IKEA to get some blankets, a bean bag, get my camera battery charged and more SD cards. I went to her house two days ago to take pictures of her sweet baby boy, Alex, age 5 days. Mama cranked the heat up to 78, I lugged my stuff in and after a few mishaps like a car accident turning I-5 into a parking lot that got me there about 30 minutes late and wrinkled blankets (thank goodness for a clothes steamer), we got started. I took about 500 pictures and didn't get through all that wanted. We got a lot though and I am learning.

I am still working on the editing. It is tough! It was my first experience so I'm noticed all kinds of things. Face sunk in the blanket, hand tucked under when I wanted to see those tiny fingers, underexposure. But there are some good ones too. I am wishing that I had known how to take these kind of shots for my own kids.

I'm really happy with how they are turning out so far. I hope Alex's Mama and Dad will be too.



remember this quilt? i think he digs it.



i love how he's nestled in there with his little legs crossed.



look at that perfect little face. so sweet.

Anyway, its been a great learning experience from taking the photos through the editing process. I'm figuring out a lot of new Photoshop knowledge too. I can't recommend clickinmoms.com enough. Such a great forum for learning about all aspects of photography.

We're still plugging away on our October goals list. More on that to come. And more pictures of Alex too.

tara
xo

October goals

The weather is turning from sunny and warm to dark and cool and rainy, really quickly actually. Usually I put up with it through the holidays because they would not be as fun if it was 80 and sunny. Once they pass though, I just kind of shrink into my house and count the days till it turns sunny and warm again.

This fall and winter season I would like to try to embrace it a little more. So to start off fall, I made a list of fun activities for October with the goal of achieving a majority of them. I also want to complete my quilt that I got started this spring.

25 fun fall activities

1. decorate for halloween
2. pumpkin patch
3. jack-0-lanterns
4. jump in leaves
5. caramel apples
6. go to a halloween party
7. make and freeze soup
8. make pumpkin cupcakes
9. have fun with flashlights in the dark
10. pick apples
11. buy gourds
12. make bats
13. watch a halloween special with popcorn
14. make a black wreath
15. make costumes
16. gourd skulls
17. halloween lights
18. ghost candles
19. read halloween books
20. make apple sauce
21. go to a photobooth wearing halloween costumes
22. plant bulbs
23. go on a nature walk
24. make leaf art
25. make soup in a roasted pumpkin

You like how I did that? Made a list including a few things that I already have done so that I feel like I am on my way. Whatever it takes.

Number 17 is Halloween lights. My Halloween lights are just white Christmas lights that I hung over our windows inside with dixie cups attached every few lights. I painted the dixie cups with acrylic paint and a foam brush (make sure they are not waxed) and then made an X on the bottom of the cup with a knife. Then I just poked the light bulb through the X in whatever spots looked good to me. I have also seen them covered in scrapbook paper so that is a fun option too.

I did this for Christmas last year as an inexpensive alternative to string lights that come with those little shades and I loved them all season long. I loved them so much I wanted to keep them up through Valentine's Day. Okay, St. Patrick's Day too, but they went out and then I was kicking myself for not buying extra strands when they were available. This year I will buy some extra strands and hopefully keep them up longer. The light is so nice in the winter.

Tonight I ran to our little farm stand for some "me" time and got a pumpkin for making our soup (the Cinderella type of pumpkin is good for roasting) and I plan on using this recipe from this month's issue of Bon Appetit. I am kicking myself for not shopping there more often. The prices were the same as the grocery store but it supports a local farm and it was nice to hear the rain drops on the tent above my head. Plus they win points for having strand lights overhead and paper lanterns and no angry woman ramming her cart into me as I swiped my card through the reader at the checkout.




the scalloped bunting is just paper cut in circles, glued over a piece of twine. last year i bought a fall pack of paper from joann or michael's and then i just went to town figuring out stuff where i could use it. This spring I bought a giant (3-4") scalloped punch from michael's. makes it so much easier.



this little moth showed up in my house. he is still there. should we take bets on whether he is alive or dead? i'm certain that he was not there when i put the letters up over the weekend. i would have noticed that, i hope.



i made these letters last year. i am kind of a letter freak. i have several Ms throughout our house. joe has J-O-E by his bed. sam doesn't but he's the second kid so everything is happening later for him. he will get letters. E-A-T in the kitchen. so I made B-O-O last year. i bought the letters at joann and then i painted them black with acrylic paint. i used more paper from the pack i bought. i picked out three patterns and rotated the patterns so each had a different front pattern and then the sides coordinated. i used mod podge to glue it all down but you can see the tear on the bottom of the middle O where it tore after sitting stacked on each other for the winter. so i need to figure out a solution for that.


I'm so lucky that my mom passed along some of my most favorite Halloween decorations that I loved as a kid that I can share with my own kids. Halloween is coming and I am so excited.

tara
xo