Our Halloween House

Halloween!!

 

We adore it in the Gardiner home.

chickies planning their pumpkins

The spookiness, the smells of seeds roasting, the crisp air, sewing and gluing costumes together, and snuggling up to scary movies.



Pumpkin this - pumpkin that, dancing like zombies to The Monster Mash, gutting jack-o-lanterns and lighting them with the accompanying ooo's and awe's.

Crazy hair, makeup, and traipsing through the best neighborhoods requesting treats.

 

 

The girls got to wear their costumes to school this year. It really is a shame that more and more schools aren't allowing it. The kids love it!

The little chicks aren't in their costumes yet today, but here is a glimpse of them from a few days ago.

 

Rosie is the third Gardiner girl to wear the mummy costume and Gigi stuck to being a kitty - just like last year.

Have Fun Tonight! 

BwaHaaaahaaahaaa!

Last couple years:

2011
2010

Pumpkin German Pancake

Pumpkin German Pancake



1 tablespoon butter

5 eggs 
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup flour, sifted
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt  
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch ground ginger 
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and add butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or 9x11 pan and place in the oven until butter is melted.

Meanwhile in a bowl, lightly beat eggs then add remaining ingredients being careful not to over mix it.

Swirl the melted butter around in the skillet to get all the bottom and a little up on the sides. 

Pour the batter into the hot skillet and transfer back to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until it gets all nice and bubbly. (You can also throw your pecans in a little pan here and get them all nice and toasted while your pancake cooks).

We ate it with sliced bananas, real maple syrup, and toasted pecans. Sooo perfect.

1st Snow

It was late and Easy and I were up talking and catching up on our lives and plans.
The girls were all nestled in their beds. Dreaming.

He and I took a little look out the window and there it was.
Just as promised.
 
Everything was covered in the most beautiful white snowy powder.
We got giddy and wanted to wake them up from their slumbers to watch with us. 

But decided to wait.

In the morning we huddled in the big girls' room and watched them sleepily rub their eyes then bound over to the window when they realized the news we brought.

Squealing, jumping, hugging, ooo-ing, and awing they planned for a snowman, snow angels, snow balls, and tasting.

These warm weather girls are sure in for a treat this winter.

  

 

  

Resident Jack-O'-Lantern

Have you ever had one of those dreams where your teeth fall out?

And they just keep falling out?

One right after the other? 

It has to be one of the worst nightmares and if I'm right it's a fairly common one.

Well that is sort of what is happening to our Ava girl, but in real life.

She keeps losing teeth.

One right after the other.

And none are growing back in.

 She is our perfect little 2012 Resident Jack-o'-lantern.

Leaves Have Fallen

So glad we got out the other day after school to play in the leaves. 

After all, last night it snowed! 

           

         





 

We have totally embraced fall this year.

A trip to the mountains.
A trip to the farm.
A decorated house.
Costumes sewn, glued, and glittered.
Hot cocoa with fresh whipped cream + cinnamon and sugar on top sipped.
Pumpkins gathered.
Pumpkins baked and eaten in pumpkin cookies, pancakes, and curry.
Apples sliced and eaten daily.
Leaves gathered + jumped in + raked up and bagged.

Come on Halloween!

We are so ready for you.

Patch 2012

The girls had been asking all week about getting our pumpkins. Everyday GM thought that it was the day and everyday I disappointed her that it in fact, wasn't Friday yet.

When Friday eventually rolled around we couldn't have asked for a better scenario - slightly overcast for perfect lighting, clean air, the Front Range as our backdrop, 70+ degree temps, Easy and friends meeting us there, and 4 little girls on a big adventure to find the perfect pumpkin.

 

Perhaps I should say 2 little girls were on quite the adventure. The other two...well...Roo was frustrated on how dirty they all were and that none were as small and sweet as she envisioned and Rosie just sorta hung out, kicked her legs, and squawked a lot.

Now GM is constantly asking when we are going to carve them. 

And the truth is, I kinda can't wait too. 

Celebrating Our Roo

We were all so excited to celebrate Little Roo turning into a big girl this last week. I've always thought about the age of three being that way. It's what separates babies from big kids. I have always loved calling her "baby" and she sternly corrects me now.



She woke up to three big bright balloons hanging over her bed in the morning. During the Day we painted, made her Pope-like crown, played like crazy, and her big sisters doted on her endlessly. She requested PB&J for dinner with Sprite and we played a round of Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin.
  

When Roo said she wanted a spider cake for her birthday I was a little surprised, but gladly accepted the challenge envisioning the 6" double layer Devils Food chocolate body and double cupcake head. I also knew it had to have big angled legs and pretzel rods did just the trick.The M&M eyes, chocolate sprinkles on top, and rough Chocolate Buttercream Frosting really made it come alive.

The girls chose to eat the butt first. :)

 

While opening her presents this girl cracked us all up. She sat in our new Ghost Chairs proudly and with every gift she was completely speechless. She just made little noises and pointed at everything, gasping, with the biggest grin slapped across her face.

We love you Gingeroonie!

Looky Who's 3!

Our little Roo is 3 today!!!

Ahhhh! 

She is a beautiful bright light in our home and we are so blessed to have her. 

We have big plans today (at her request) to make a spider cake. We will see if what I have in my head for it can come to life. Going right along with that theme she helped me make her crown this morning and keeps telling my how beautiful it is. Maybe because the spiders sparkle?? Hahaha!

We love her with all our hearts!  

Happy Birthday Baby!

Farm Gone Bust

After a week of running the kids around and wanting nothing more than to spend a little more time with my husband we all saddled up, put on our warmest coats, pants, and hats, and went to the farm with our newest friends.

 

It was freezing, but didn't faze the girls in the least bit!

Gosh, she is growing up! Agh!!

So is this one! Agh!

So the crappy thing is that it was pretty drizzly when we got there, but we decided to press forward anyway. By lunch it was steadily raining and we knew there was no way we would make it through the hayride and out to the fields to get pumpkins with 7 kids, 4 adults, and one umbrella. We threw in the towel after lunch and packed it up for home where there was promises of hot cocoa and snuggling. 

The pumpkins would have to wait.

These two cracked us up the whole time with their adventurous little personalities. They didn't as much as speak a single word to each other, but constantly gravitated in the same direction all morning long.

Greta + Drew = Friends Forever