Pumpkin Time

So I had all those pumpkins from the farm, so the next step of course was to carve them. I did three, one with my toddler room (AM), one with my preschoolers (PM), and one for home.

The first one I did was the one with my afternoon preschool class. I had a few of the children help me cut the top off and then I scraped the insides out. I put them in a couple of bowls at two tables for the children to play with and separate the seeds, and I took those who didn't want to get messy at a separate table and they helped me with the face. I had six children, so I let each child draw one of the facial features, including ears. The result was one of the cutest pumpkins I've ever done.

  

The I did the pumpkin with my morning toddler class. Most of them were less then interested, but I had a few helpers point where we should point the nose and mouth (though I did have to move the nose down a bit because there was no room where they wanted it right between the eyes). But we ended up with an adorable sideways mouth.

Then I did my pumpkin for home. This is the pumpkin I wanted to do last year, but just ran out of time. It is a bit fancier then the ones I did for work, and I am very proud of it. Meet my dog, Finn!

And the inspiration behind the pumpkin...

I can't wait for everyone to see my pumpkin when they come trick-or-treating tonight! Maybe I will bring my work pumpkins home too.

And her is a bonus picture of the ghosts I made with Nutter Butters!

Happy Halloween!

Girls Day Out

One of my favorite fall traditions is a fairly recent one. For the past three or four years, a few weeks before Halloween, my family makes a trip to visit Kelly and to go to a pumpkin farm. This year it was a girls only trip (because our significant others didn't want to go).

 Julie, Mom, and Kelly on the hay ride

My sisters and I

First we stopped to see the animals, but I only got pictures of the alpacas because I got distracted by the 6 week old kittens that they had there. They were so cute, and it is probably a good thing I am allergic because we might have had a new housemate. And then I'd be in trouble. 

An alpaca (not a llama) 

Then we went through the corn maze. Last year they had local school names to unscramble throughout the maze, this year they had two paths, nursery rhymes and U.S. presidents. We started with nursery rhymes, but it was too easy, so we switched. I was always at the end of the line because I kept stopping to take pictures.

 Baa Baa Black Sheep

That's my mom!

And we went on a hayride. There's not much to say about that, but I did get some good pictures. So enjoy it with me.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the farm.

But of course the main attraction was the pumpkins. One of my favorite things about this farm is that they sell pumpkins they call "misfits" for 50 cents. "Misfits" are basically pumpkins that are flat on one side, or are bumpy, have no stem or something else that makes them not "perfect". They are the best kind of pumpkins to get, especially for the day care because the kids don't care if a pumpkin is perfect. Since we went a little later this year, the "misfits" were on the smaller side, so I ended up buying one pumpkin that was not a misfit because I had a plan for mine at home. I think we ended up with 6 "misfits" and my bigger one.

 This was one of the biggest pumpkins they had there, so I had Kelly pose near it for size comparison.

Apparently that is also tradition. Notice the date. :)

After we left the pumpkin farm we headed over to the Boardwalk Market at the Dunkirk pier. I love the little shops with their handmade and unique merchandise. I only wish that it was closer, and open nearer to the holidays. Almost all the shops are closed, or close at the end of the month.

We finished our girl day with lunch/dinner at our favorite local restaurant, and then Kelly taught us how to make the most adorable little origami stars.

Yes, the picture is blurry. My camera hates close ups.

So even though it wasn't a beautiful day weather wise, with the fun times we had, I didn't even notice the lack of sunshine. We made our own that day!

Making Play Dough

I have a real love/hate relationship with play dough.

The things I love are:

1. It is a great fine motor activity, starting with the toddlers- the squeezing, squishing, pulling, pounding; up to the preschoolers who like to cut (with plastic knives or safety scissors) and roll and start forming shapes. It all gets the muscles in their hands working to prepare them for writing.
2. It is good sensory activity. It feels different then the toys they are used to playing with, especially for the young toddlers. Plus when you make it, it can be scented, you can put glitter in it, or rice, or anything else to make it feel different. 
3. The children get to be creative. Play dough can become anything! 
4. It's not too hard to clean up. Play dough picks up play dough.
5. It's just plain fun.

The things I hate:

1. The smell of the stuff you buy in the store.
2. No matter how hard I try, it always gets in the kids shoes (and mine too).
3. Little tiny pieces of play dough on the floor (see above)

So the good definitely outweighs the bad. And I decided to make my own play dough. I worked in childcare for 10 years (11 maybe? I don't remember anymore) and I have never made it before. That is just not acceptable. I got my recipe from this site. http://www.makeplaydough.com/ I did the kool-aid play dough.

Step one: Gather all the ingredients. I started with grape kool-aid simply because I like purple and grape.

Step two: Mix the dry together in the pot- burner off.

Step three: Mix in the wet.

Step four: Turn on the burner to medium heat and stir constantly. Sorry, no pictures, I was busy stirring.

Step five: When the dough makes a ball on your spoon, transfer it to another pot or bowl for it to cool a little.

Step six: When the dough is cool enough to handle, kneed it for awhile- this is the most fun step. After kneeding I formed it into a ball to cool. Then I realized the center would never cool so I flattened it.

Then all you have to do is store it in an air tight container so it doesn't dry out. I made three different colors/scents. The yellow/lemon didn't turn out too vibrant, but it still smells good.

Some tips:

1. The dough will actually form a ball while you are stirring it. I didn't believe it would, so the first batch I took off the heat a few seconds too early. It is just a little stickier then the other two batches, no big deal though.
2. After it cools completely kneed it one last time before you put it away, I felt like it helped bring everything together a little better
3. If you are using this with your kids at home, make sure your pets don't get it. The play dough smells like people food, so dogs will try and eat it, and it will cause a bad salt imbalance in their system. I only found this tip on one site, and I think it's important to know.
4. It tastes terrible. Yes, I did out some in my mouth, I needed to know what it was like, because the toddlers will taste test. It is like pouring salt in your mouth. Now I know to have some water nearby.

I go back to work tomorrow after being off for seven months! I am excited. And a little apprehensive. And excited again. Wish me luck!

Package Swap and a Giveaway!

I've just participated in my first package swap through Carissa at Kissed a Frog! I found it through my sister Kelly's blog, and it sounded like so much fun. Basically all I had to do is send Carissa my address, and she matched me up with a partner and we sent each other a package of items that reminded us of Fall. I just got mine in the mail yesterday, and was I ever excited (still am)! So here is what I got:

A nice handwritten note, a leaf garland, a knitted cup cozy, and some tea!

Almost everything I got was handmade, which made it that much nicer. The leaf garland is already hanging on the front door, I can't wait till it is cooler so I can enjoy the tea. I am especially excited about the black currant that is at the end, I have never tried that kind. And I am seriously considering keeping the cozy in my purse so that I can use it asap!

The leaves on the door.

I can't wait till Ann gets my package, I hope she likes it as much as I like mine.

And on to the next order of business, Kelly (remember her?) is having a giveaway on her blog! She is giving away store credit for Carissa's Etsy shop. Check out her blog for all the details and links: Distracting from Halloween Giveaway

Maybe I will do my own giveaway someday. When I get 10 followers perhaps.....

A Massive Update

I know I haven't written anything in a long time, but I go through some times where I go through terrible writer's block and everything I write sounds wrong. I just have to get write through it and how it ends up is just what you get. So I am going to write massive update and catch everything up.

Summer Photo Challenge- I have an IOU that I have to fulfill: Trees! We recently came back from visiting Mikey's mom and step-dad (and other family and friends) in California which extended our summer. And I knew there would be tons of palm trees.

 

I also have to finish the last challenge which is simply Summer. I couldn't just summarize it with just one picture, so you get a collage, pictures from the Summer Photo Challenge, and other ones that just say 'Summer' to me.

 Therapy- This past week, almost everything I do at therapy just got harder. Not because I got hurt or anything, but because I am doing so well that my physical therapist said I needed more of a challenge. Most notably I have to do my 'favorite' rolling stool exercise for 4 minutes instead of 3. I also had more weight added to a few exercises, and for my balancing exercise I am standing on something different, a kind of inflated disk, and it is harder to balance. I also have a new exercise where I do sidesteps and squats with an elastic band around my feet. It isn't too bad. My PT said that I am doing well for a patient with an ACL replacement, but considering the both surgeries, I am doing extremely well. I have been having a small issue where my knee feels like it is hyper-extending, but I asked, and that is normal while the ligament stretches and the muscles get back to normal.

I also went back to the doctor the day after we came back from vacation, and I for the most exciting news of the week.....

I AM GOING BACK TO WORK!!!

Am I excited? I sure am. Am I a little nervous? Yep, I'm that too. By the time I go back it will have been 7 months that I've been out. Even though my knee is getting better, and is not unstable anymore, I am still afraid of falling, or getting run into. Falling shouldn't be an issue (knock on wood), but there is no way of avoiding getting run into. That's just the way kids are. So a week from Monday, we'll see how the knee is really holding up. :)