Skip the knife -- use the drill!

I'm not exactly handy with tools, so the prospect of working with a knife to carve my pumpkin is a bit daunting. Try as I may, I can't cut shapes more complicated than triangles.

A few years back, our friend Martha Stewart demonstrated how to make holes in your pumpkin with a power drill. I figured I could surely handle using a drill on a pumpkin...I mean, how difficult could that be? Sure enough, I found that it is very easy to do!

It's been a few years since I've drilled a pumpkin, so I decided that I'd try it again this Halloween. For those of you who have not tried this, I've outlined the process below. Believe me, if I can do it, you can, too!

1) As you can see, the first step is to have your pumpkin inspected by the cat or cats living in your house. Assuming the pumpkin meets quality standards, you can proceed to the next step.

2) Cut a hole (as you usually would) in the top or bottom of the pumpkin. I cut the hole in the bottom so that the lid wouldn't get in the way of my highly complex design. :-)

3) Scoop out the innards of the pumpkin.

4) Find your power drill. This was the most difficult step of all for me. I found it underneath a tarp and some little-used golf clubs out in the garage. It was covered with cobwebs and probably hasn't been used since the last time I drilled a pumpkin. Attach a drill bit in whatever size you desire. I chose one slightly larger than a pencil.

5) Use a pencil to make marks on the pumpkin for your holes or, like me, live on the edge and make your design up as you go! Since time was short, I decided to cover my pumpkin with randomly drilled holes rather than attempt an intricate design.

6) Begin drilling holes in your pumpkin. You probably should do this part outside, because bits of pumpkin will fly!

7) Wipe the shavings from your pumpkin. Clean up your mess! :-)

8) Put a candle inside your drilled pumpkin, then stand back and celebrate the fact that you've moved beyond triangle eyes and noses!

Feline Friday: Trick or Treat Elf

'Twas the night before Trick or Treat

And all through the house

The tabbies were sleeping

Each with a mouse.

The children would dress

As a witch or a ghost,

Obama or Palin,

Or a piece of plain toast.

But mama was worried

About costumes to wear.

The tabbies had nothing

But ears and cat hair.

She ran to the toy chest

And sorted through clothes.

“Much too tight or too small:

They can wear none of those!”

When all of a sudden

The green suit did appear

It had not been worn

In many a year.

Mama snatched up her Lily,

The camera, and suit.

To the bathroom they went,

For a quick photo shoot.

She grabbed the Temptations

And slammed the door tight.

Then on went the suit

Only somewhat too tight.

Lily posed on the throne,

Her eyes filled with glee!

She snacked on Temptations --

They were the key!

Then came a rattle...

It shook the closed door.

‘Twas Tinsel!

She wanted to settle the score.

She, too, had Temptations

And checked on the shoot,

Then scurried away

After getting the boot.

So now Lily has something

Attractive to wear!

She looks like an elf

Or a large, lumpy pear.

When Halloween comes

She’ll be totally dressed.

But costumes or not,

We know kitties are best!

Special thanks to our blogging friend, Daisy, for the Temptations modeling tip!

A good laundry day

Oh, how I love ROYGBIV! Cardstock, colored pencils, crayons...most everything goes in ROYGBIV order at our house.

Now, I DON'T love it when Bailey lets her laundry build up into a mountainous pile, but having a lot of laundry means that there just might be enough t-shirts to hang in ROYGBIV order.

This transforms laundry day into a thing of beauty!

And THIS little thing doesn't hurt, either. :-)

Wordless Wednesday

An unsuspecting Tinsel :-)

The Thing That Wouldn't Leave

In the corner of this room sits an unfinished dollhouse.

Normally, the family who lives there leads a peaceful life.

That is, until this morning, when their kitchen was invaded by a very large visitor wearing tiny white socks.

And, like many unwelcome guests, she just wouldn't leave. In fact, after she tipped over the kitchen table and scattered the chairs, she found there was plenty of room for a nap.

So she settled in, the Dalmatian dog eying her suspiciously...as he should.

Bad photo, simple layout

Sometimes I have plenty of great photos to use for a scrapbook page, but often I don't. My philosophy is to use what I have. After all, it's the memory that counts, and sometimes even a bad photo can trigger a memory.

Such was the case with the one photo I had from this year's academic lettering ceremony. It was blurry, the audience heads were green, and Daughter was dressed in shorts (she was headed to a show choir practice afterward), but I used it anyway. In fact, I enlarged it and made the most of the colors. Turns out my hoarded Ki Halloween striped paper worked just fine with this bad photo.

The layout itself is based on a sketch from Cathy Zielske's class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It's a super easy sketch for those single horizontal photo layouts. It even works with bad photos!

Feline Friday: Wur kampin!

Our mommie setted up part of a nilon plai toob thingie in our familee room. Itz not fur kitties but Tinsel and me liek to go insied and purtend dat wur kampin! Its liek a reel tent!

We can jump in an out of da holes on da sides of da tent. Wee evun moved our beddie insied da tent so wee can purtend like wur slepin under da starz.

Maybe mommie will set up dee uzzer secshuns of dis plai toob for us. Wee hope so! It iz ginormus!

On Autumn

Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up.

What was is not and never again will be; what is is change.

Edwin Way Teale

A Short Film Starring Lily

Ladybugs have infiltrated our house and Lily is captivated.

While enjoying the movie, Lily asks that viewers focus on her adorable face and kindly refrain from looking at her bulges. The camera adds 10 pounds, you know.

Tabby Tuesday: The Look

Although this photo is out of focus, Tinsel's message is quite clear:

Feed me. Now.

End of the season

Yesterday, our marching band performed in the state marching contest and an evening competition, taking first place and the drumline caption award .

All in all, it was a good end to the season. All marching band seasons are memorable, but this one brought some special challenges. This fall, our kids have played in freezing temperatures, rain, wind, and snow. They bought hand warmers in bulk and became well-acquainted with Toasty Toes. They even wore garbage bags for the homecoming show because the weather was so miserable.

This season, the H1N1 virus also showed up and wreaked havoc on our band, taking out 18 kids last Saturday, the day of our biggest competition. Yet those who remained rose to the challenge and delivered a second-place finish in spite of difficult odds and horrendous weather conditions.

The season is officially over, but those who have been in marching band know that it never really leaves you. Many of these kids will go on to march in college. Some may become music educators. And some may have a child of their own one day who decides to play an instrument.

And their eyes will light up as they tell that young child about their altogether wonderful days in marching band. Those vivid memories become the spark that ignites the torch as it is passed from one generation to the next.

Thanks, Marching Dragons. Pass it on.

Feline Friday: Our mommie is sik!

Our mommie is not feline gud at all. She has not even bin on her blog fur a cupple of daiz. So we telled her we wud help her sins it is Feline Friday tooday.

When somebuddie is sik, a kittie must slepe in da bed wif dem. Mommie trayned us to do dis when we waz littul kitties. And sumtimes kitties shud need on da blankie. This helps da purson feel bedder.

Mommie thinks she has da flew but we do not understand. She is not flyin like da birds on our DVD. She iz layin purty low. We hope wif our help she will bee bedder vary soon.