Here it is...

My Halloween costume.

The Annual Little Halloween Costume Party is a big deal in our family, as Halloween is a favorite holiday of ours. Naturally, the hosts' costumes need to be top notch, thus the need to start early. I'm not only making my costume, but I'm also doing Randy's, too. So, with some help from my mom, best friend, and husband, I was able to finish my costume this weekend. It turned out amazing! I can't wait to get started on Randy's. This is what inspired his look.

Refreshed.

Back from our country cottage getaway in Wisconsin. How could I not be refreshed after this...

A Perfect Present

I love my dogs. Anyone who knows me knows that my husband and I treat them like children... perhaps better. My good friend, Mandi, who is very gifted in the sewing department, used her talents to make me a thoughtful gift: outfits for Sophie and Henry. They are the cutest things, and I must say, the doggers absolutely loved them. I just had to share:

Chef Sophie

(can I just say how much I love the hat)

Henry the Lobster

Creeeepy.

Maybe it's their frightening facial expressions or the fact that these meant-to-look-realistic babies are only 6 inches long, or perhaps it's the fact that the slogan is a bit misleading when it implies something "heavenly," but when I stumbled upon this ad in a magazine I was reading before bed, it almost gave me nightmares. What's worse? The fact that you know some old lady has every intent to order every single one at a low, low price of $29.99 per fake baby to keep in her glass case. Creepy. So, what's my plan in case I come across one of these scary things? Well, since they don't melt for anyone, I can't burn them. Instead, I can just pick them up and carry them away to the garbage can.....

I have a passion...

for making these cute vintage aprons.

Here's my (early) birthday present...

Isn't it beautiful? For a while now, I've been wanting to learn how to play the violin. In high school, I tinkered around with the cello (which I love), but the violin seemed like the best choice for two reasons: 1) you can get one for pretty darn cheap and 2) i love folk music, which features the fiddle. Knowing that I now have some time off to play around with it, my husband decided to order one from ebay at a good price. What a great idea!

As Sweet as Pie

There are a few things that I think are becoming lost artforms: baking pies is one of them. On a day off from classes, my friend and I decided to explore downtown Grafton, a small river town that has quaint shops and farmers' stands. We stopped by one stand that had an immense amount of peaches for sale. So, we were inspired to try our hand at making a pie.

Here is our adventure in pictures.

our inspiration: a half peck of peaches

just before the oven

our finished project

up close.

And just in case you're wondering, the pie tasted as good as it looked :)