Happy Halloween

Every Halloween I make Oscar's halloween costume. He has been a cupcake, a piece of pizza, and even Oscar the Grouch. This year, I had the idea to turn him into a glue bottle. My favorite glue in the whole world: Elmers. Don't worry, he loves dressing up. He allowed me to sew him into this costume. Yes, I had a needle and thread in my hand as Oscar stood still. Those of you who know Oscar realize the magnitude of this.

Sidenote: Does anyone else have a ton of left-overs from trick-or-treating? Where were the kids this year?

weekend in pictures- part 2

Had a great weekend! See previous post for details of our trip :)

weekend in pictures- part 1

We spent the day/night in Shenandoah National Park. It was beautiful during this time of year. The leaves were still golden and attached, and the trails weren't too crowded. I definitely recommend spending the day there if you can. We were able to reserve a pet-friendly room inside the park at the Skyland resort. It was a charming, old-fashioned cozy room over-looking the park. Perfect to relax in after a long day of hiking.

Violet Beauregarde

Instead of my normal art teaching Friday clothes, today I dress as Violet Beauregarde. The gum chewing, gold ticket carrying gal of 70s Willy Wonka fame. Several teachers are participating in the theme....we even have Oompa Loompa's.

I have to wonder if the students will recognize the characters. Even though Johnny Depp brought it back, I predict having to answer the dreaded "who are you supposed to be?"

silly Grapple....

pretty grapple

Ever hear of a grapple? Last week, Kyle and I went to our local Amish Market to buy a bunch of fresh produce. We grabbed lettuce, pears, peppers, and then came across....grapples. Hmmmm.... a grapple? The sign said "crunches like an apple, tastes like a grape." We were skeptical but having recently found a love for pluots (a blend of plums and apricots) we thought we'd give the grapple a chance.

Once we got home we bit right into the grapple. Let's just say the bite didn't go well. It tasted like grape soda. Maybe you like that sort of thing. Fanta flavored fruit. I guess I was picturing a true marriage of the grape and apple, but it's more like an apple injected with grape perfume. To sum up, I was disappointed.

It turns out that the grapple has a website. You can read about it here.

Get your voting fingers ready...

This may be a long shot, but.....

Sheena Colleen has been nominated for a 2010 Mobbie, (Maryland's Outstanding Blog) award. .

You can vote for Sheena Colleen, in the "Art & DIY" category, beginning November 2 at 8am. Tell your pals :)

Weekend get-away, autumn style

I don't know about you, but one thing I looove about the fall are weekend trips to places where the season seems to be emphasized a bit more. Last year Kyle and I spent a weekend in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and are hoping to make a return visit this season. During our stay we toured Chaddsford Winery (sampling the wine as we toured of course) and later slept at the Stebbins-Swayne House B&B where our host, Rosemary, served us homemade peppermint patties upon our arrival and pumpkin pancakes the following morning (yes...that really happened).

If you ever head up that way, make sure to stop at Longwood Gardens. It's an amazing place to explore if you love to take in local nature and view beautiful landscaping displays. I highly recommend going into the indoor conservatory to see about a 1000 different species of flowers and plants (And you'll drool in the bonsai room....I guarantee it).

Where do you like to mini-vacay in the fall?