Confessions of a Bibliophile

Decade in Review

2009-12-29T21:15:07Z

I'm going to keep this short and sweet...something along the lines of We Didn't Start the Fire.

2000:  Rang in the New Millineum with friends and confetti. Tried Dom Perignon for the first time. Single.  Moved to Cayucos.  Relay for Life.  Met a lot of new people. Promotion at the City. Best friend had a baby. Dancing, kareoke, parties.

2001: Dating new boyfriend. A cop. I thought he was cute and nice.  Found out he was...wait for it...Tiger. Did another show. Swore I was done with relationships and wanted to play the field for the first time in my life. Friends started getting married. Still dancing, kareoke and having parties. Relay for Life again.

2002: Went on awfully funny blind dates.  Met Chad. Fell in love. Fell really in love. Moved in together, got engaged, did the Bay to Breakers.  Relay for Life. Did another show, got temporary promotion, ran my first election. Champange, trips to Vegas, roses and candle light. Brilliant year.

2003:  Bachelorette party in Mexico. Got married, went to England, Scotland and Ireland. Bought a house. Moved to Paso. Relay for Life. New boss is a witch. Started looking for another job, but liked the security I had. Met new friends. Niece was born.

2004: Vegas, Ireland, Vegas, San Fran, LA.  Traveling, in love and loving life - except work.  Started blogging. Did another show. Relay for Life. Joined wine clubs, went to shows. Lost some friends to life and different paths. Joined softball team.

2005: Scotland, England, Vegas. Relay for Life. Got pregnant. Lost the baby. Went whitewater rafting. Got pregnant again.  Turned 30. Lost dear friend to cancer.

2006: Joseph. Left the City. Nephew born. So few words, such a big life change. Took Joseph camping and realized it's the ideal activity when you have kids.

2007: Joseph. Joseph. Joseph. Milestones that I get to enjoy while being home with him. Nephew born. Business started. Started working again. Love my job. Love my boss. Love my co-workers. A lot of camping.

2008: Friends have a baby. Joseph is growing. We starting thinking about having another baby. Canning, crafting, reading. Then...pregnant. Tears of joy from our friends and family who were starting to think we weren't going to have another.

2009: Elizabeth. Maternity leave. Precious moments with my babies.

In the last ten years, I've gone from a single party girl to a wife and mother. There have been so many changes - both internally and externally. I wish I could say I'm the same girl who rung in 2000 - I really liked her. But I'm not. That girl was still so naive and opptimistic. Despite once having her heart broken, she looked at the world with rose-colored glasses. She had not yet felt the betrayal of friendships, the helplessness of watching a friend die, the aching emptiness of losing a child. Then again, she also had not felt the unimaginable joy of giving birth, the love - the true love - of someone she's going to grow old with, the excitement of new adventures and challenges.

It's been an amazing decade. I can't wait to see what the next one has in store.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T21:20:13Z

If it were up to Chad and I, our turkey would have remained in the sink, naked and uncooked. Chad, having never seen a raw turkey, was taken aback by the fact that, "it looks like a turkey. A real turkey. Without the head." As for myself, I have issues with touching raw meat. Thankfully Becky and Michael showed up in time to do the "dirty" work.

Ten minutes later, we tucked the bird in the oven and sat back to watch "A Christmas Story". I have more to post later, but wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Running...

2009-12-19T23:46:13Z

I've decided I'm not going to cross post my running blog entries. Too much copying and pasting. lol If you want to follow, you can do so at: http://runmandyrun.blogspot.com/ Should be interesting to see me juggle not one, not two but THREE blogs. I'm trying to look at it as compartmentalized posting.

New Project

2009-12-18T01:24:14Z

I'm starting my New Year's Resolution a bit early this year. Run, Mandy, Run Oops...maybe I should have warned you to sit down first. :D

Applesauce Ornaments

2009-12-17T04:54:27Z

Applesauce Ornaments

A couple weeks ago, a mommy on my moms forum posted a recipe for Applesauce Ornaments. I couldn't quite figure out how it was going to work, but, game and trapped in the house with a crazy Joseph, I decided to give it a whirl. Step 1: Mix equal parts applesauce and cinnamon. We picked ours up a the dollar store to keep this project within a reasonable price range. Believe it or not, within a very short time the mixture takes on a dough-like consistency. Step 2: Roll it out between parchment paper (or tin foil if you're like me and don't keep parchment paper handy). All the directions I read said to keep it about 1/4" thick. I advice to make them closer to 1/2". Step 3: Using cookie cutters, go crazy. (If you're super artistic, you could freehand designs. Don't tell me if you do. I may have to hate you.) Step 4: Use a straw to punch out a hole for ribbon. I'd suggest a stir straw rather than a drink straw. Step 5: Bake your ornaments on a cookie sheet at 150 for an hour. Take them (carefully!) off the cookie sheet and put them directly on the oven rack for an hour and a half. Turn off the oven and leave your cookies in overnight. IMPORTANT: DO NOT forget that you have ornaments in your oven and then preheat it when cooking a frozen pizza for dinner the next day. Step 6: Thread ribbon through your ornament and hang it on your tree. They'll make your whole house smell like apple pie. I wish there were more pictures, but it was all I could do to juggle Elizabeth and keep Joseph away from the knives.

Christmas Cards

2009-12-15T05:14:37Z

Hey kids! If anyone wants a Christmas card from us, please email me your address:

mandyldawson at msn dot com

I swear I'll get them out this year!!

mand_a_lion @ 2009-12-12T00:04:00

2009-12-12T08:04:48Z

Elizabeth is now four months old. Four months!!

We took her to the doctor yesterday and the little darling weighed in at 15 lbs. 14 oz. and is 25.5 inches long.

I just can't stop talking (and writing) about how much I adore her. Let me pause here for a moment...

If you're one of my LiveJournal friends, you may remember me posting about the wonder that is Joseph - especially during that first year. The thing is, I love them both so much that my heart feels like bursting. However, with Joseph, so much of that love was wrapped in worry, guilt and uncertainty - perfectly normal, so I'm told. With Elizabeth, I feel free to relax and love her without fear. I'm not researching milestones or obsessing about percentiles. I'm just enjoying her. Back to my total adoration...

My little sweetie is a genius child. She's talking. Sort of. She's blowing raspberries - and at the most appropriate times.

"Are you ready for bed, little girl?"

"Phhtthhhpptt."

"All righty, then."

She's rolling from her front to her back fairly regularly and she's trying so hard to roll from her back to her front. She gets just about over and the...flops to her back again.

She laughs. She laughs at Joseph's antics. She laughs at her daddy's kisses. She laughs at my singing. She's such a happy baby.

Unless she's not.

She's still sleeping through the night, but we're paying for it during the day with short naps and fussy evenings. She wants to be held. All the time. She wants to be talked to, interacted with, played with, entertained. All the time. Good thing she has an adoring trio of willing supplicants.

She has us wrapped around her tiny pinky finger.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Poor Lizzie!

2009-12-10T20:39:09Z

Elizabeth is trying to take a nap. She's in the swing - her fave location for her early afternoon nap - sucking on her paci. (Hmmm...someone's mommy uses an awful lot of sleep aids.)

The only problem is someone keeps stealing her paci. Every time it comes out of her mouth, she starts crying, angry and hurt little cries. I hush her, calm her, rub her tummy and put the paci back in her mouth.

I don't have the heart to tell her that the mean person taking her pacifier is...her.

At last...

2009-12-08T20:00:52Z

At last...the Great Thanksgiving Post...

Thursday morning, after baking sweet potatoes, we dressed the kids in their holiday finery and headed to Chad's parents' for a day of eating, eating, eating and then maybe some eating.

The cousins arrived just ahead of us, so for a few minutes (hours) it was Cousin Chaos as the kids ran and whooped. After a couple hours of said whooping, I decided it was time to get them out of the house and enjoy the fact that we live in a part of the country that has mild winters.

I drew a treasure map and set out with Nicole and the kids to explore the hills, creek bed and pasture. And of course, to feed the neighbors' goats. I brought along my camera and took a few pictures.

In the meantime, Elizabeth was busy being adored up at the house. We'd briefly contemplated introducing solids to her diet since it was Thanksgiving, but, in the end, stuck with our plan to do so at six months. Besides...she ended up sleeping through most of dinner.

On Friday, we celebrated Sue's birthday. Chad took the kids over early while I spent a few much-needed hours sewing. I arrived just in time to take the kids on a scavenger hunt. Scrambling around for pine cones, leaves, grass and rocks burned a bit of their energy. We came back in from the chilly weather to discover that G had put out real treasure - light up Santa ornaments with - and this is the best part for a kid - their names on them.

It was a great holiday. I can't end this post without one more picture...Elizabeth wasn't sure what the fuss was all about, but she did love the goo's, the snuggles and the attention.

Crafty Crafts

2009-12-05T07:35:47Z

My booth is set up, my warmers, bags and blankets complete. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

After last year, I'm not as...gung ho...this year. Sure, it'll be fun and I'm really curious how my leg warmers do, but I realize now that craft fairs are not the same as they were when I was a kid.

When we were little, my sisters and I joined our aunt and Mom at craft fairs every December. The booths were filled with mothers and grandmothers selling the fruits of their crafting labors. There were chotchky holiday ornaments, giant homemade cookies, hand painted candy jars and carved wooden toys. Each "booth" consisted of an 8' table with a table cloth covering it. We wandered the community center, eating chocolate pizza and looking our fill. It was wonderful.

Last year, I entered the craft fair with warm childhood memories and a tub full of bit and pieces that I put together. I left with the realization that times had changed.

Today's craft fairs resemble exhibition halls. Most booths have lattice walls, lighting and enough merchandise to fully stock a small store. The vendors are no longer merely crafty men and women, they're traveling boutiques, complete with wholesale prices, discount stickers and websites. They even have credit card machines and store quality cash registers.

It takes a bit of the fun out of it.

On the other hand, if I didn't have this outlet for my manic crafting that is the winter equivalent of my summer gardening and jamming, my garage would fill and my friends would start to lock their mailboxes to prevent craft unloading.

mand_a_lion @ 2009-12-04T11:29:00

2009-12-04T19:29:10Z

I know. I know. The Thanksgiving Weekend post. Still working on it - in the middle of working on blankets and baby leg warmers and experimenting with felted soaps. Oh! And did I mention that Elizabeth's teething?

But I did want to sit down real quick and jot down something I want to remember...

Every morning, around 4:30 or 5:00, Elizabeth wakes up and comes to bed with us for an early morning breakfast. We usually doze off and, when I wake, it's to the sight of a rosy-cheeked little girl smiling at me. It's one of my most favorite parts of the day.

Looking at her, with her beautiful blue eyes and chubby little face, always makes me sing a little bit of this song to her:

"Good morning, beautiful. How was your night?

Mine was wonderful with you by my side.

When I open my eyes to see your sweet face.

It's a good-morning-beautiful day."

Mommy singing this to her guarantees a laugh or even a chortle. I think she understands me.

Someone slap me...

2009-12-04T17:23:54Z

Someone, quick, slap me. I just found out a friend is pregnant and my first thought was, "I'm so jealous. I want another baby!"

Pause while that sinks in.

What the hell am I doing with baby fever?!! I HAVE a baby. A teething, nursing, little baby. Why would I want another at this point??

Obviously the hormones are working overtime.

Poor Spiders!

2009-12-04T08:35:39Z

As Elizabeth and I were laying in bed this morning, I overheard a conversation between Chad and Joseph:

"Daddy! There's a spider!!!"

"Okay. Let me go get a shoe."

"We must destroy it."

"Oh really?"

"Wait. That's just for robots."

What's up with this kid and robots?

Bakersfield

2009-12-01T01:40:29Z

I can't believe that I haven't posted about our day trip to Bakersfield to meet up with Mom and Dad!

We made a last minute decision a couple of weeks ago to make the trek to Bakersfield. I needed to go to a good fabric store. (Read: A fabric store that doesn't charge $8/yard for cotton.) On top of that, Dad had yet to meet Miss Elizabeth. Or shall I call her Princess Elizabeth since that's what she is? But I digress...

We woke up bright and early, per usual, and got on the road in time to be at Joann's when they opened. A quick (had to be with two kids in tow) trip through produced enough fabric to keep me in blankets, quilts and taggies for quite a while. Mom and Dad showed up, Dad immediately taking Elizabeth into his arms.

Side note: Joseph ran as soon as he saw Grandpa. I think it's time to stop threatening to call Grandpa if he doesn't behave.

I had a quick giggle while Dad was standing in the checkout line holding my baby pink and yellow minky fabric. He had engaged a poor woman in a conversation that went a little something like this:

"Darlin'," he said to me, "Do you think this is enough fabric for me to make a blanket?"

"I'm sure it is," I replied playing along.

"Excuse me," he turned to the woman in front of him, "Do you think this is enough fabric to make baby blankets? I'm fixin' to sew up a few and sell them online."

The woman looked at my dad, his hair wild and wooly, his flannel shirt hanging untucked from worn jeans and said, edging a bit away, "Ummm...I think so." Dad winked at her, casting her a grin. Mom rolled her eyes. Chad and I tried not to laugh.

We finished with the fabric and went to the Olive Garden for lunch followed by a few hours at a nearby park. Joseph ran and played with Nana and Grandpa while Elizabeth slept in my arms. It was a perfectly cool afternoon, the sun was out and the sky clear. Dad napped a bit on a blanket, with Elizabeth in his arms. Before leaving, he very seriously informed us that she was going home with him.

With four daughters, you would think he'd be done with girls. Instead, in a few short hours, Lizzie wrapped her tough, ol' grandpa around her tiny little pinky.

Joseph, in the meantime, was horribly disappointed that my parents had not brought their dogs. Have I mentioned The Kids? That's a story for another day.

We were home before dark. It was a long, but fun day. I'm so glad we were able to visit with my parents for a bit. Now if only I could get them to drive this way...

Oh Joe...

2009-11-19T03:13:05Z

"Joseph Henry! Don't throw food on the floor."

"I'm not."

"I just saw you do it."

"I didn't throw food on the floor."

"Then who did?"

"My hand did it. He's a bad boy."

The kid has a future as an attorney.

Hatchet Job

2009-11-18T17:21:15Z

Sometimes it pays to go "cheap". Other times...

On Tuesday, I took Joseph to Supercuts to get his hair trimmed. The child's red locks were unruly and out of control - and not in a cute way. I've been feeling that postpartum "blah" which can only resolve itself by either a) losing fifty pounds in two days or b) getting a new hair cut. Since former is highly unlikely - did you see the banana bread recipe? - I decided to go for the latter.

If I were a more patient person, I would have just made an appointment with a salon and left it at that. Instead, in a burst of "if I don't do this now, I'll take the kitchen shears to my head" energy, I sat down in a chair next to Joseph at Supercuts.

Fifteen minutes later, I looked in the mirror at a hack job. I had asked for long bangs and some layers. It looked like I'd allowed Joseph to cut my hair. With safety scissors. The layers were abrupt and uneven. The bangs weren't bangs at all.

Now, I'm not one of those gals that has an emotional attachment to my hair. For years, a dear friend was my stylist and I enjoyed her experimentation. Dye it burgundy? Why not? Chop off twelve inches? Go for it! Bleach it blonde? What can it hurt? But this. This was not good.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to put a paper bag over my head. I had asked for enough length to wear a ponytail, not for hair that was required to be in one.

I immediately put out the call to find a stylist that could fix this mess. Thankfully, I found one in town. She was inexpensive and available. After a 45 minute appointment, the damage had been repaired without resorting to a buzz cut.

I still need the bangs to be a bit shorter. I've decided I'm not they type of girl who can brush her bangs away from her eyes in a casual, sexy motion. Maybe when I was in my 20's I could have pulled that off. Now I just look frantic. In the meantime...

Lesson learned. For some things....don't pinch pennies.

mand_a_lion @ 2009-11-14T19:11:00

2009-11-15T03:11:08Z

I have no excuses as to why I'm already a week late for Elizabeth's three month post. None. Well, except I have a three-month-old baby. And a three-year-old big brother. Besides that, no excuses!

Little Elizabeth is growing by leaps and bounds. She's in 3-6 month clothing and, I have to say, is looking cuter and cuter every day. We were walking in grocery store yesterday, she in her baby pink polar fleece, with the hood up, and I was struck by how absolutely beautiful she is. Stunning, really. Her round, pink cheeks glow with health. Her bright blue eyes are so inquisitive. Her chubby little hands grasp and cling. Her toothless mouth seems to be caught in a wide smile.

She's still happy baby - in spite of her "moments". But honestly, sometimes a girl just has to put her foot down and let her displeasure be heard. And hear it, we do! Our little Leo roars!

She adores her big brother. I catch her watching him with a grin on her face while he dances around, talking a mile a minute. Every now and then, he'll look over at her and swoop in for a hug or a kiss. She'll grab at his hair, he'll cry out for help and, as I'm detaching strands of hair from her vise-like grasp, he'll look at me and smile, "She doesn't mean to pull my hair, Mommy. She just likes me."

She's discovered her hands and feet. She watches them move about with utter facination. She loves to hold on to anything that gets in her path. Most often, whatever she finds ends up in her mouth. So far, her favorite "toy" seems to be my canning jar rings. I gave her one to keep her busy when she was in the kitchen helping me cook one night. From that point on, the bright, plastic teething toys have been pushed aside. She'll look at her flower ring and toss it, eyes and hands greedily latching onto the bright metal rings instead. When she's not chewing on them, they end up as bracelets.
She's rolling from front to back and from her back to her side. She gets around too. The child can scootch across the floor using sheer leg power. I shudder to think how fast she's going to be once she's really mobile.

We're able to "tri-pod" sit her. Basically, if we spread her legs into a "V" and balance her just so with her arms resting on her thighs, she can maintain a sitting position for about two seconds before crumpling over. Right about now you're feeling very, very sorry for her, aren't you?

She's still sleeping through the night, but whereas Joseph was the Nap King, logging two or three hour naps three times a day, Elizabeth is a cat napper. She takes a nap every three or four hours, but only for an hour or so. I'm not going to complain if the trade off is uninterrupted sleep through the night.
Overall, we're growing even more madly in love with our princess every day. Who wouldn't?

Hmmm

2009-11-10T18:38:29Z

Why is it that if I were sitting at home right now, I'd be eagerly anticipating lunch with a snack under my belt, but when I'm at work...I'm eating a snack, not because I'm particularily hungry, but because I need the room in my lunch cooler for the bottle of milk I'm about to go pump?

Working, while detrimental to my new mommy mental state, could be the key to dieting success.

Sitting on my hands...

2009-11-10T17:47:51Z

If I could access Facebook from work, my status would read...

Mandy is try very hard not to call her parents-in-law to check to see how they're doing with Elizabeth. She realizes it's been less than two hours since she last called and doesn't want to annoy them.

I don't know if I'll make it much longer without calling to check in.

mand_a_lion @ 2009-11-09T17:44:00

2009-11-10T01:45:18Z

Oh, wait. That's me now.

Joseph started to display one of the Most Annoying Habits Ever. Of course, said habit is usually used upon a hapless sibling, but considering Baby Sister isn't easily annoyed at the moment - unless you take away her milk - he decided to practice his evil machinations on me.

He's copying me.

Seriously.

"Joseph. Put away your toys."

"Put away your toys."

"I'm serious, young man. They're all over your floor."

"I'm serious, young man. They're all over your floor."

Arrggghh!!!

A conversation

2009-11-09T21:02:29Z

"Hey Josie," I said while dishing up a bowl of mac and cheese, "how would you like to watch a meteor shower next week?"

"A meteor shower?! I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Oh," I said stumped. "Why not?"

"I don't really want to go on a rocket ship to the moon."

"Well...I wasn't really thinking of going on a rocket ship. I was planning on just laying on blankets in Boppa and G's yard."

"But we have to go on a rocket ship to see meteors," he replied patiently as if I were the child. "And then we'd go to a planet and there would be giant aliens and scary robots."

"Really?"

"No, silly. I was just kidding about the robots."

Hi ho, hi ho...

2009-11-04T17:53:09Z

It's back to work I go. And I'm really sad.

I really shouldn't complain. I'm only back one day a week until after the first of the year. At the same time, it was so hard leaving Elizabeth this morning. I can't help but realize that this easing back to work is the first step to going back for real.

On the plus side, she's with her Aunt Rachel who will take very good care of her. I'm going to get to see her in 45 minutes when Rachel brings her by so I can nurse her. (This is a special Mommy's First Day at Work deal. From now on, I'll have to pump.)

Really, I shouldn't complain. I shouldn't be sad. I shouldn't be near tears.

I need to look at the bright side and realize that I'm back at a job I love with co-workers who are amazing and understanding.

But what I wouldn't give to win the lottery and be able to stay home full time and snuggle in bed with my babies every morning.

*sigh*

Trick-or-Treating - Round One

2009-11-02T05:52:49Z

We left Pacific Grove after a relaxing breakfast of toasted bagels, tea, orange juice and USA Today. Oh. And Dinosaur Train.

Our final destination was Davis. We hoped the kids would make it to lunch time before we stopped. Bless them, they both passed out by the time we hit the 101. They slept peacefully until we came to Concord. (So close to making it straight through!) We stopped for lunch and a bit of a break.

Side note: I hate making stops on destination trips. If the purpose of a road trip is the drive, I'm all for a meandering little trip, making stops at whatever roadside curiosity tickles my fancy. If the purpose of the road trip is the desitination...just get me there! I have a feeling that two kids are going to greatly increase the number of stops.

We arrived in Davis around 2:00. In a whirl of activity we dressed Joseph in his costume, piled back into the car and headed to downtown Davis for an afternoon of trick-or-treating.

One of the stores - a natural healing shop - decided to skip the candy. Instead they handed out tiny, painted animals. Brilliant. Simply brilliant. It may have cost a bit more, but I have a feeling every parent remembers the shop and every child is enjoying their toy far longer than they would a candy bar. Of course, Joseph loved the orange plastic spider ring even more.

One of the things I love about living in this particular part of California is the mild weather. Sure, we get triple digit heat in the summer, but it's nice to be able to stand outside in short sleeves during cool autumn evenings. Lately, it's been warm. Warm as in the high 70's to low 80's. While this is great for gardening and playing outside until dusk, it's not so great when your three-year-old decides to be a dragon for Halloween and said dragon costume is designed to keep a little guy warm on cold East Coast evenings.

In less than an hour, his dragon feet started dragging and his dragon hands sweating. He decided he'd had enough of this whole trick or treating business and took off the top part of his costume. His t-shirt was stuck to his skin, his hair a sweaty jumble. He asked for water and drank half a bottle in one guzzling swoop.

Poor Joe!

Oh and Elizabeth? Well she was having none of it when I tried to put her in her costume. The little angel screamed like a she-devil two seconds after we put it on her. She was content in her Peanut Shell in a onesie. Slept like a baby. (Well, the proverbial baby. We all know real babies don't actually sleep. They just rest between rounds of eating.)

Road Trip

2009-11-02T04:30:37Z

This weekend marked Elizabeth's first road trip. We started off early Thursday afternoon, heading north to Pacific Grove. It was a gorgeous, crisp day...perfect for a little girl and her leg warmers and a little boy in his monster shirt. We checked into our hotel and then ventured out to the beach.

We found a rocky point with enough tide pools to occupy a little man and enough sharp rocks to make a mommy wish she'd worn her Crocs. I took a few pictures and then put away my camera to follow Joseph as he traipsed across the beach. A little boy had plucked two starfish from a rock and offerred to show them to Joseph. Joseph gently slid his finger over one and then the other.

Side note: I don't know why, but it really bothers me when kids take starfish off their rocks. I guess it's because they really have to work at it to pry them off and honestly, it seems...rude. I don't have the same qualms about catching hermit crabs or pill bugs. Maybe because they roam about? Hmmm...

We left the beach and headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We drove the two minutes into Monterey and went to dinner at Hula's, home of the best fish tacos yet. Blackened sea bass on a bed of cabbage and tomato with a creamy salsa dressing. Paired with a glass of pineapple wine, they were amazing.

After dinner we walked around Fisherman's Wharf, Elizabeth sleeping snuggly in her Peanut Shell while we wandered in and out of shops selling everything from hats to sand glass. We finished the night at Ghiradelli's with a cup of hot cocoa for me and a scoop of strawberry ice cream for Joseph while watching the sun set across the Bay.

No pictures of a perfect sunset. I was too busy holding Chad's hand and watching Joseph chase after sea gulls.

Practice

2009-11-02T03:06:01Z

It's fall on the Central Coast. While the East Coast shows the change of the season with a spectacular display of turning maple and elm leaves, we show our autumn colors with vineyard harvests.

Kendra and I took Elizabeth on a cross county jaunt to photograph the rolling hills of red, yellow and orange.

We hit up a winery in the midst of harvest. One one side of the road, the leaves had turned brilliant scarlet, yellow and orange. Grapes that were left on the vine were shrivled into raisins, their wrinkled skin dull and dusty.

On the other side of the road, workers were walking the rows picking great bunches of grapes, filling box after box. Long rows of barrels glowed golden in the sun, waiting to be filled.

After taking pictures, I chatted with the winery manager for a bit about the weather, upcoming frost, gardening and the four giant beasts roaming the grounds, masquarading as dogs. One German shepard looks large. Four is enough to make even the biggest dog lover take a second look.

We got back on the road to a winery that boasted a large open yard. While I fed Elizabeth, Kendra wandered the property taking pictures. After my little baby had a full belly, we plopped her down amongst the fallen leaves and took a few pictures. You didn't think I could take the little elf along and not take pictures, did you?

We finished our afternoon with lunch and a walk around town.

Per usual, my mind pictures were much more vivid than the ones I captured with my camera. But practice makes perfect, yes? Besides, it was a wonderful way to fill a fall day.

Here are a few more photos...