Fall...

I am writing this on Sunday night and scheduling it to post Monday night...because tomorrow night I shall be busy traipsing around town with my children, knocking on doors and shouting "Trick-or-treat!" Then by the time we get home I am sure we will have a big overly-tired and too much sugar melt-down...more than likely it will not be a pretty sight because I will probably join my children and have a melt-down with them...simply because that is easier just to join in on the melt down rather than try to be the only sane one. But I am sure before the melt-down begins, we will be having a blast...and I am sure I will take far to many pictures...

 These pictures were taken a few weeks ago when the leaves were just beginning to turn...now very few leaves are left on the trees. We have a couple trees in the side yard that turn a lovely bright gold colour...I love the look of coloured leaves all over the side walk and grass...you will not catch me raking those leaves up...not because I am lazy, just because I love the look of fallen leaves so much...

 My kids still get confused about the weather...they are slowly catching on to the fact that cooler weather means you must wear shoes and a coat. Lately on the radio we have heard the weather guy talk about a mixture of rain and SNOW! Elsie gets very excited when she hears that...she has visions of waking up to piles and piles of snow.

 After Halloween it feels like fall is over...we replace the Halloween decorations for the Thanksgiving ones for a few short weeks before those are replaced with the Christmas decorations. Time marches on, sometimes a bit to fast...

Friday Phone Dump...

I missed last Friday's Phone Dump because we were busy visiting with my sister and her family who came for a long weekend. So this week there are lots of pictures...mostly from last week and some from this week...

1. Elsie Jane...this is her last week of being a three year old...sad! I will miss having a three year old...but I am sure having a four year old will only add to the adventure!

 2. My silly little Elf man...Elsie fell in love with these adorable elf hats while shopping at Goodwill...so we now have 2 little Elf hats...just in time for Christmas!

 3. The kids discovered a little toy under the stove one evening...they used a fly swatter to reach the toy...talk about entertainment!

 4. James is now the proud owner of a spiffy pair of Cowboy boots! I think everyone needs a good pair of boots...

 5. I brought James shopping with my sisters and I one afternoon...I learned a good lesson...Leave him home!! He was not a terrible shopper...but he was not a great shopper either...I think he escaped several times under the fitting room door while I tried on clothes...good thing one of my sisters were always close by to help keep an eye on the little guy!

 6. James loves going to Grammie and Papa Wayne's house...because that is where we keep the 4-wheeler! Sometimes he gets very sleepy and falls asleep while going on rides...and I am okay with that!

 7. My girl and me...Elsie was pretending to be my stylist and colour my hair with an old paint brush she found in the junk drawer...

 8. this sums up the way I would feel if she were really doing my hair! No one touches my hair with colour!

 9. I think Jon has just as much fun with the swing in the kitchen as the kids do! He was demonstrating the crazy positions he can get himself into while climbing towers...I just hope if he is doing a stunt like that on a tower he is properly tied off and his safety harness is doing it's job!

 10. Elsie's pajamas of choice last night...her brothers 18mo pajamas! This morning she was saying that her belly felt cold last night...mmmm, wonder why?

 11. We went shopping at the Dollar store last week...James seems to think he is too big to ride in carts...he also is quite attracted to the isles with lots of glass. Lets just say I need to find a babysitter for him next time I go shopping!

 12. Picture of me...taken by Elsie...

 13. Pumpkin carving last weekend.

 14. Our pumpkins all lit up by the front door...so festive!

 15. Our project of the week was making a Golden Birthday crown for a certain little girl's Golden Birthday next week! I followed a tutorial from my Pinterest...a fun little project!

I am linking up with Life Rearranged this week...check it out for other fun Phone Picture posts...



Follower Fest...

Today I am linking up with the Follower Fest over at Casey Weigand's blog. So let me begin with an little introduction...

 {The Basics}  I am Shasta...living out my dreams of being a wife and stay at home mommy. My husband {Jon} and I have been married for 4 years. Our first born is Elsie Jane...almost 4...and next is James Hawthorne...15 months old.

 {The details} We make a point to enjoy all the little moments in life. I have an obsession with glitter, sparkles and bling. We drink ice-water out of fancy cups. We love family time. My kids love our bedtime routine of writing our daily happy thoughts and putting it in the "happy Jar". Tacos are our favorite family meal. {we eat them far to often!} Sometimes my kids drive me bonkers...we head off to Grammie's house when that happens. I hate folding laundry. We eat waffles every.single. morning. My son loves to give kisses and it melts my heart. My daughter is developing my sarcastic attitude {oops!}. I think every little occasion calls for at least a hundred pictures to be taken. We only eat gluten/dairy/nut free food. I hate putting gas in the car. I love buying too many clothes for my children. I am a planner and an organizer. I am blessed...I am living my dream..."This is our happily ever after..."



Pumpkin Carving...

Last Sunday we decided it was a perfect day to carve the pumpkins! Elsie was excited all day...and James had no clue what was going on, but he acted excited because his sister was excited!

 It was Daddy's job to cut the tops off the pumpkins...

 Elsie is a typical girl and felt that the goo on the inside was really pretty gross...but she did a good job of cleaning her pumpkin out!

 James is a typical boy and just dove right into the pumpkin...he had pumpkin goo all over!  

 I love these next few pictures...the kids love to do everything together...James had his own pumpkin but he preferred to help Elsie with hers...

 Favorite picture of the evening...I asked everyone to smile...Jon and Elsie remained engrossed in carving those pumpkins...but James stood up, front and center and gave me a nice {and super fake} smile! Love that boy and his personality...

 Mommy's turn to carve...Elsie talked me into carving Hearts for her pumpkin's eyes!

 I am busy carving, James is sliding around on the little table and Elsie is sitting in a tote...interesting!

 Slime lover...

 Elsie approved of heart eyes...which is a good thing because carving hearts in a pumpkin with a dull little knife is not an easy task!

 We now have lovely carved pumpkins waiting by the front door to welcome any little trick-or-treaters who might stop by...and my little tick-or-treaters have their costumes and candy buckets all ready...Love the anticipation leading up to a special event!

Sewing Helpers...

This year a certain little girl decided to be Annie Okley for Halloween...and we also have a little boy who will be sporting a puppy costume this year...

 Normally Grandma B. makes the kid's their costumes...but she is so busy and never allows herself any down time...and I have a need to create daily anyhow...so this year I told Grandma B. that I was taking care of the costumes! We found James a puppy costume at Goodwill...he makes an adorable little puppy! Last week Elsie and I went to town and bought fabric to make a pretty cute Annie Okley outfit for her...when we got home I got the kids busy playing with Jon then I snuck off to the dining room to start sewing. That last all of about 10 minutes. My kids love to be my sewing helpers...

 James finds it great fun to try to hold the big knob on the end of the machine...or to do his best to grab the needle in hopes of me not noticing fingers in the way! Or my favorite...to quietly stand beside me and act all sweet...while slyly pulling all the pins out of the fabric I just pinned together and throwing the pins all on the floor...because I do love to re-pin things and to search for tons of little pins hidden in the carpeting! Like I said, my kids are my sewing helpers!

 If ever you look at my sewing and wonder why my seems are not perfect...remember these pictures!

 I must be getting pretty good at sewing with my little helpers though...because the Annie Okley costume turned out pretty cute...but you will have to wait until Halloween to see it...

*a little side note~ Elsie heard about Annie Okley from her little aunties...so we have been reading some children's books and looking things up online about her...so far Elsie's favorite fact about Annie Okley is her husband's name...Frank Buttler. Buttler...get it, BUTTler!? hahaha...best joke ever in her little mind! I love that she came up with that one all on her own...

Pumpkins...

We had grand plans to bring the kids to a pumpkin patch...but the truth is we found a guy with a trailer of pumpkin's in the Taco John's parking lot and decided to just go there in stead. The kids were happy...they just wanted Pumpkins and really didn't care where we got them! Plus it was a rainy day and I really had no desire to go walking through a pumpkin field in the rain!

 Daddy and James...picking out perfect pumpkins...

 Last year Elsie insisted on getting a little tiny pumpkin...but this year she wanted the biggest one she could find! She looked at several before picking just the right one!

 We now have pumpkins and mum's by the front door...and plenty of coloured leaves scattered on the ground...and the perfect cinnamon spice candle lit almost daily in the house. Love fall...it is so warm and cozy!

Bowling...

A few weeks ago we all loaded up and headed into town for a fun evening of bowling! We are pretty close to terrible bowlers...so we went and just had fun...and just maybe some of the adults used the kid's lane so they could take advantage of the bumpers! Truth be told I was the only adult that did not bowl at all...I used James as my excuse to not make a fool of myself! {and bowling with a bulged disk wouldn't be the best idea ever anyhow!}

The 3 little girls shared a purple ball...I love that the kids pay no attention to how heavy or light the ball is...so long as the colour is good that is all that matters to them!

Jon has been working lots of long hours through the weekend lately...so Papa Wayne was the one who stepped in to teach Elsie how to bowl...because I had to work the camera, ya know!

Elsie was instructed to just roll the ball down the alley...

The ball S.L.O.W.L.Y made it's way to the pins...and Elsie stood there watching while tapping her foot rather impatiently...only one time did the ball stop half way down the alley and had had to be retrieved by a worker...Love bowling with kids!

The scorekeepers! James just went around from person to person...

He was the little man who clapped and cheered along with everyone else when someone got a high score!

Proof that I am not a completely negligent mother who always hides behind the camera!

Our little bowling group! I have no clue who won...I just know that I learned 2 things that night...{1}bowling 1 game with so many people takes a long time {especially when trying to keep a little man busy} and {2} wearing a mini skirt to a bowling alley is never a good idea...duh!

Awesome shoes...I really have quite a thing for bowling shoes...

and how convenient to have the size stitched to the back of the shoe...

By the time we left the bowling alley it was late and dark...and the little town was super quiet...perfect for taking a couple quick pictures in the middle of the road...

A fun evening...