Monday Motivations

Yesterday was beyond beautiful.  A lovely 62 degrees with bright, crisp, clear skies.  Perfect day for pumpkins.

October 28th, Thing 3 turns 15.  Look out world, all three Things will be street legal {-ish: Thing 2 hasn't gotten his license yet, & Thing 3 will only have a permit-- but still, they'll be out there...forewarned is forearmed & whatnot}.
On her birthday weekend we are having all the Things plus a Stretch {Thing 3's boyfriend,on the right in the pic below, looking cool next to Thing 2} & a Blondie {Thing 1's adorable best friend & possible new roomie} for a birthday feast & pumpkin carving extravaganza.  Then, we'll meet up with Nina & Poppy {my mom & dad} to go see our college's production of Night of the Living Dead.

Because nothing says 15-year-old girl's birthday like a theater full of zombies~*

Today was part 1 of birthday prep: Pumpkin Retrieval Day.  Off to the local patch/corn maze/haunted farm house for a good scavenge.

The last two pics feature the Things making fun of me trying to get them to pose for a picture.  In the background of the lower picture is a cute little family experiencing baby's first pumpkin patch.  Little do they know that 15 short years later their son will be goofing off for the camera, refusing to pose nicely & insisting on cuddling the pumpkin he named Zero.  Because its round.  Like a Zero.  Sigh.  I wonder if I can send this pic to the girl he likes in school.  Ah, revenge...

Anyway.

When we got back home, Thing 3 took some pictures of the view from our back yard.  According to the local news, last weekend was optimum leaf-looking time, but you'd never know it by today.  It was beyond gorgeous.

Not kidding.  That's our back yard view.  In that first pic, the closest trees are ours {we have just shy of an acre}-- the fence line is the same in the pic below, which separates our yard from the hay field that runs up to a wee patch of woods a-top the hill.  The same wee woods that I can see from our kitchen window.  The mountain range is to the left of the woods-- we have that view out our living room window.  So awesome.
Have I mentioned that I am totally in love with our house & property?  *blissful sigh*

The leaves on the ground are starting to pile up.  Sometime next week I'll scoop them up & chuck them over the flower beds to help insulate them from the cold to come...at least, I figure it insulates them.  I'm not much of a gardener.  

And here are the Chosen Ones for those overcome by curiosity as well as for Thing 1 & Blondie who foolishly trusted us to pick their pumpkins for them as they had papers to write {mwahahahaha}

Small orange round one is Thing 1's {she said to get a perfectly round one}, Stretch & Thing 3 are sharing the big guy, Thing 2's is hanging out next to the broom.  Blondie gets the funky ridged one {she said to get an ugly one}, my hubby chose the  bumpy- lumpy dark orange one & the pale pumpkin is all me~*

Here's hoping you have a glorious day, full of beautiful, squashy, crunchy goodness~*