We went to the Pumpkin Patch with the cub scouts. Charlotte loved seeing Snoopy, and gave him a kiss. Her dad has been showing her Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin a lot!
She also got her first chance at helping carve her own pumpkin, scooping with confidence...
and sketching her designs. This girl LOVES to draw, especially faces.
Great job! :) Happy Halloween.
This week there were a couple of really nice days and Charlotte and I decided to go out and pick up the acorns that had fallen from our tree. We had a ton of fun. I had gotten the idea to make them into a wreath from a Martha Stewart Living magazine, so while the acorns dried in the oven, off we went to Michael's to get the wreath form, my first glue gun and a ribbon (all with JoAnn 50% off coupons, of course!). I also got some almonds and hazelnuts to add color, and the next few days really enjoyed putting this together. I wish I was a better bow-maker, however...
This was another project I mentioned before - cleaning up the living room area and making some sense of all the toys. I LOVE this shelving unit and the tubs that I found on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond. 
Family Picture! At Safety Town's annual trick or treat fest. This year we wised up and get there very early, so we could get good parking, and in and out in a reasonable amount of time and avoid the crowd. Charlotte the Kitty was nervous at first but warmed up to it...
... due to her dad's enthusiasm for candy (notice he is already snacking on the booty!)
But of course her favorite part was the go-carts.
It still may have been too soon for picking... or something. It was edible but didn't exactly have much flavor.
Our tomatoes also decided to come out in full force, but doubt they will have time to really ripen well due to the chilly weather that has come. Oh well - maybe next year.
When it got dark they lit up all the balloons. Next year hopefully we'll stay for the fireworks. This time Charlotte had had it by that time.
I got a new soft green cover for my Boppy pillow which Charlotte really likes. I found her looking so comfortable reading her books that I picked up another Boppy at a garage sale (for $2!!!) just in case we need two of them.
A couple weeks ago Helaman went to Supercuts armed with a $2 off coupon found in the AdPages. The sole employee at the store didn't know how to enter the coupon in, so he couldn't use it. Since that was the reason he went there, I sent a quick email to Supercuts to report the incident. A couple days later, I received a coupon in the mail for a free cut.
Today is Helaman's birthday! He gets to celebrate by getting up as usual at 4am, though I advised calling in sick, or calling in just plain tired. Hopefully he finds the Snickers and Twix I left him. I love you H!
beanbag toss
and general cuteness
Worthy activities all.
It is NOT easy money. I read a deal blog called Money Saving Methods. Carrie the author outlines a very detailed summary of all the companies who do the deals and exactly how to do them. She had tons of pictures of readers who posted their pictures along with their gift cards, so I thought I would give it a shot.
Old Faithful. The geyser behind us is a different one, but this is a better picture.
White water rafting!
Quality cousin time.
Cool wildlife.
Helaman coming. I was so glad Helaman was able to fly out for a few days to join us. His flight was severely delayed going home and after 13 hours of travel he arrived home just in time to go to work at 6 a.m. He is a trooper!
We were away for almost two weeks for our family vacation in Yellowstone (full blog entry to come) and came back to find the above chillin' in the garden! Needless to say, the state fair-sized ones are past their prime, but I am busy canning the ones that are suitable for pickling. 
If you are craving pickles, you should head on over! Yesterday I picked 7 fresh cucumbers from the garden. Knowing that I couldn't eat enough salads for that many cucumbers to be involved in, I used some old jam jars and a pickle mix and made some of my own pickles! It was very fun. Charlotte and I got a lot done today - we hung at the pool with our friends for a long time, did sock laundry (the worst!), weeded the garden and mowed the foot long grass in the backyard despite much protest from the lawnmower. I also had to get out some weedkiller. Apparently some very determined weeds are busting right through the landscape fabric and mulch in the rose bed. More mulch may be needed. Anyway, it is good to keep busy while Helaman works so much. We miss you H!
This weekend Steve and Kalina came to visit us from Houston to celebrate a hot, hot, humid weekend here. Thanks for hanging out and leaving so many good treats and leftovers in our fridge! Charlotte keeps asking for "Steves" and "Tina" who she loved playing with. We will see you soon!
Last week the Ericksons came to visit us during Helaman's week off. We had fun going to the Book Depository Museum downtown, visiting family, eating out and seeing Charlotte follow her "honey" and "bear" around. She still won't say "grandpa" or "grandma"! We've had a hard time adjusting to Helaman's being gone all the time after having him home all year. He's now working 12 hour shifts every day, and staying overnight on call every few days.
Our first garden harvest were these two HUGE, delicious cucumbers! I had just about given up on the plants producing anything, but these were hidden amongst all the leaves. 
I can't even keep up with the garden's growth - the corn is as high as the fence and we can see the ears developing. Yum!!!
Our favorite little plant is also growing like crazy so we got her a real bed to sleep in. She loves climbing in and out of it.
New buds are already emerging and I think the roses are thankful. The garden is also doing well, though I'm nervous about the cucumber plants trying to take over the whole area... 
Here is the same scene today, after about three days of torrential rain. 
Here are the rest of our plants. Life will find a way.
Here is our rosemary, mint, basil, parsley and cilantro collection.
Despite great neglect, our roses also bloomed beautifully.
