We're Getting Ready!

Pumpkin Masters Carving set from Target: $1.99

Pumpkins from Meijer: 2/$6.00

Watching your toddler experience making Jack-o-Lanterns for the first time ever: Priceless.

Into Hibernation

The looming time change this weekend brings with it the limited ability to wander to the beach at the end of the day. This spring we were overjoyed to be able to return to our walks once again with some regularity, after Barbara proved that she could walk the mile there and back. Not the fastest hiker yet by any means, but it was a welcome return to life as we knew it before she came along.

This summer we enjoyed many after dinner strolls to the shore— making sandcastles, wading in the lake and watching Scouty fetch driftwood. Last night was one of our last weekday night visits, and here are some images captured on that walk.

A Weekend Visit

Friday night found us on the Highway to Hale for a visit with Grammie and Poppa. Good times and a nice visit enjoyed by all. Some highlights include:


Taking it easy...



Working on the concepts of winning with our first board game, "Hi Ho Cherry-O". Barbara has the winning part down pat. Now we just need to work on the losing part.


Mmmm... Sunday morning tradition of Poppa's chocolate chip pancakes.


And a little side trip to see some fall color and visit KoKo bear (who decided not to be a gracious host and come out of his den on Sunday morning).

See you soon Grammie and Poppa! xoxoxo, Ms. Binkypants

My Present.

For work I recently had to take a personality assessment that divulged my top 5 personality strengths. While a few of them came as no great surprise (Hello... EMPATHY anyone?), I was intrigued to learn about a few new little quirks that I have never been able to put a label of sorts on. The quiz revealed that I had strong FUTURISTIC tendencies. Now that's a new one.

In context, Futuristic went on to describe someone as:

"Pondering what you can upgrade, enhance, or perfect motivates you to excel at higher levels than you have in the past. You routinely imagine what you can do better in the coming weeks, months, years or even decades. You envision in vivid detail the things you need to enhance and perfect. These could include your environment, yourself, another person, a system, a project, a product or a job. Your imagination ordinarily pulls you into the future even as you work on current assignments."

Sounds great for someone who fancies herself as a creative designer. I chewed on this newfound description of myself for a few days, even wearing it as a badge of sorts, as it was discussed at our strategy retreat last week. Afterall, I was the only one on our team rocking the Futuristic label. The definition kept rolling around in my head over the last week, to the point of annoyance. Like some bad 80's song you can't get out of your head. Why? How did this go from being cool to this unexplained icky feeling I had every time I thought of the concept.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I was uploading some new photos to Flickr which I had not done in ages. I took a quick minute to review some of the images I posted over a year ago. Pictures at a playground in South Haven. She didn't even look like the girl I had just put to bed. She was cherubic and clumsy. It was almost as if I was looking at someone else's family photos. I couldn't remember what had brought us to South Haven that day, or what we did before or after those pictures were taken. What did she sound like... was she even talking yet? And that saddened me a great deal. As cliche as it sounds, I went to bed wondering that night- where had the time gone? Have I been asleep? Have I not been paying attention?

And then the proverbial lightbulb came on. "Your imagination ordinarily pulls you into the future even as you work on current assignments."

I realized then that my newly-discovered character "strength" is actually my Achilles' Heel in life. My insatiable tendencies to plan the consummate future is robbing me of a perfectly imperfect present.

My weekends are typically heirmarked for a catch-up that never seems to happen. The amount of time spent planning to maximize the weekend, desperately trying to find the time to fit it all in is enough to drive any sane person mad. The endless lists, the filled-in Franklin pages, the volumes of archived magazine tears, the overloaded inspiration boards... all evidence that my pursuit of all things splendid has gotten downright ugly.

Another little gem this personality assessment brought to light.... I am an INPUT junkie, Futuristic's evil twin. That's right... books, magazines, blogs, DIY shows... all my drugs of choice. And all feed my addiction to the future. More articles suggest more ideas, which become more to do's, to makes and to buy's. Which then all need to be planned for. A vicious cycle indeed.

Its high time I use my propensity to envision in vivid detail the things I need to enhance and perfect to do some good in my life. It's late though, and I need to get up early tomorrow morning. I have a full weekend planned...

of living in the moment.

Autumn Goodness

So its shaping up to be quite the busy autumn thus far. So busy in fact, that I have had hardly any time to keep up with Composed Fresh (which was basically my fear from the beginning). We keep trying- so off we go.


I endeavored this weekend to make some headway on projects around the house and have some fun in the process. Mission accomplished on both fronts. My office is clean- and more space/lighting has been made to accommodate my crafting supplies. My husband can attest to 'our' need for some designated project space in this house... otherwise bits and baubles tend to accumulate in just about every room in the house.


Friday night my good friend Sarah and I had our weekly "adult programming and beverages" night. For those not in the know, truly we don't watch adult programming in its most frequently referenced definition. Rather we strictly avoid anything animated or otherwise targeted to the wee ones. ....Typically anything from the Style Network or TLC is decent content ('cept that horrid spectacle of J&K+8). This week my dear friend indulged me by DVR'ing Oprah from Wednesday, featuring my blogging inspiration/superhero Nie Nie. If you are looking for some pure inspiration in the face of adversity, check out the Nie Nie Dialogues blog. Great segment, to read more click here. Mr. Nielson is every bit as dashing "in person" as NieNie makes him out to be. Edward Cullen who? Every girl should find herself a man that would literally break his back, and walk through hell (and disfigure himself in the process) to save the life of his true love. Utterly amazing.



The next day we ventured with kids in tow for an excursion to Lewis Farms and Country Dairy in New Era. It was a day of petting exotic animals and wholesome lunches at the farm. Nick and Barb had a great time. It was alot of good ol' fashioned exhausting fun. And the kids were pretty tired too.


I believe my searching is over for the bedding I needed to find for Barbie's new big girl room that will be taking shape very soon. Bed, Bath and Beyond has the perfect match to the canopy top I bought at IKEA last year for her real big girl bed. We are going from sweet little bees to a fun circus theme. Hoping that its not too boyish. Part of me is feeling guilty for not getting some Dora on in her new space, but lets face it—she'd pick Diego anyways. I'm sure the time will come someday she will want to rock a pink and purple palace of her own, accented with some sassy leopard print. But then the 'boys on the brain' malady usually follows soon after that. BRING ON THEM ELEPHANTS AND TIGERS!

I finally got the chance to crack open Yoga Shakti and give it a whirl. Unlike the other gazillion yoga DVDs I have in my library, this one appears to have the potential to keep me challenged and interested for quite some time. Its safe to say I will be stuck on the beginner set of asanas for A LONG TIME. Typically once I work out for the first time in a long time, I hurt on the second day afterwards. I was smarting all day today and just can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store as official Day #2. Allegedly I am waking up at 5:45 tomorrow am to practice again. Allegedly.

The weekend went way too fast—again. I need like three more days to gut the flustercluck that is our utility room. You better bet some before and afters will appear at some point.