Halloween Costume Spoiler!

This was a photo I took late last summer but didn't get a chance to download from the camera until just recently. The boys are wearing their Pickathon shirts. Bennett gets a kick whenever he sees something that make us "match" him.

Here Bennett tried on his pirate costume I got off of Craigslist for $8. He wore it at CJ Herndandez's (son of college friends) birthday party. He had a blast at the party and got to feed goats, go on a hay ride and hit a piñata.

Craft Nerd

Yep, Ben's mama is a craft nerd. Last spring I purchased a gift from etsy.com that was needle felted. It was for a friend's daughter, and it was very cute--a little strawberry "baby" from the Rosemary for Remembrance shop. It seemed like a very cool medium to work with. So, when I earned a little bit of money from an art commission this fall, I spent some of the money to buy some basic felting supplies. The little witch was my third try at this. It was surprisingly easy and more than just a little addictive. She is made out of 100% wool with नो sewing involved. The only thing you really have to watch out for is to not try to needle your fingers.

So these little monsters are not needle felted except for their faces. I have been playing around with making "plushies" for about a year now and often give them away as birthday gifts. I think I really like the look the needle felting gives them. The eyes are buggy, and the 3-Dness of it really adds to their "charming" quality.

Pony Ride!

Here's Ben and Craig at the Steilacoom Apple Press Festival. As you can see, they had a pony ride. Ben couldn't wait to try it. We went originally because we heard you could press your own apple cider. You could, but it looked like it was going to take more time than Ben had patience for. Conveniently, fresh cider was also available for purchase.