The Rock Wall

Just a little beyond our cabin lies a rock wall, tumbling down and filled with crooks and crevices where our chipmunk friends play hide and seek.

Nothing more than a pile of rocks covered with sweet, green velvet moss.

 But within these rocks, I know there is a story....

Who built this wall?

How long ago?

 What were their lives like?

What did the woods look like then?

Along the path to the pond, lies this rusted bucket. I refuse to move it.

 I like to walk past and think about its previous owners.

These woods were not always ours nor will they always be.

I am always awestruck by the curiousity of the human soul.

 To wonder so much and care so deeply about a person and a family we have never seen, have never meet- the history of this place, the magic of the forest, connecting us together.

Halloween Hoedown

I am not trying to rush the season here- really I'm not. But after the girls have been constantly looking at the costume catalog that arrived two months ago,  I finally got them to committ to what they want their costumes to be this year. Woo-hoo! I'm on my way to a Happy Halloween, so I am in the mood for a little flashback.

This is the Halloween party we threw when the girls were only two, no trick-or-treating yet. Old McDonald was all the rage in our little cottage then. We dressed them up as a cow and a pig and their cousin, who is only four months younger, was a horse- our own little barnyard. The adults wore overalls and flannels to be farmers.

The invitations said,

"Oink, Neigh, Moo and Booooo!

It's a Hoedown Halloween

and we're inviting you!"

I made chilli in the slow cooker (perfect for when Halloween falls during the work week) and set up a simple buffet.

The "corny" cupcakes are from the cookbook Hello, Cupcake!

(Tons of cute ideas in there, check it out if you haven't already.)

I ordered inexpensive bandanas and cowboy hats by the dozen.

For decorations, I knotted two bandanas in a triangle shape to drape over the backs of the chairs and then hung a cowboy hat on each. Guests could then wear them if they liked and it was a cute party favor. Everyone had a rootin' tootin' good time.

As for this Halloween, we're going buggy. The costume committment I finally recieved was for a ladybug and a bumblebee. Stay tuned for more details as I plan this year's buzzin' bash,

Autumn Gold

After the frenzy of the first days back to school, we happily escaped for a quick trip to the cabin this weekend. The weather was gorgeous. No fall foliage yet but there were the prettiest golden wildflowers all around the pond and the fields. A hint of the golden  autumn to come, I hope.