A T O L

I f you are odd, like me, you know that ATOL stands for 'a touch of leopard'. I can't remember a time  that I didn't know this. It's a part of who I am. Now that is a an exaggeration, but sometimes it's fun to exaggerate, especially about something as IMPORTANT as leopard skin. (See, I'm doing it again! Feeling feisty this morning, I am!)

have loved this light fixture since the beginning of time!

Needless to say, I was thrilled to come across this post from Jenny about the importance of leopard skin at this whacked out blog! Please go read it! I will make another revealing confession here. I love Jenny's blog because she cusses like a tweaking sailor and is pretty darn offensive to some. Not to me though!! She makes me laugh! I love to cuss and I try to contain it, but inside my head I just cuss all the time. In a fun, upbeat, but slightly cynical way. Yes I do. I don't do this around many people, but when I really feel comfortable around you, I'll let it eat. (Joe Kenworthy, where are you?) The genteel and kind southerner in me keeps me in check, along with some good Christian guilt, and the fact that my mom is reading this. And to be honest, Jenny is yucking it up enough for the both of us. Read this post, if you don't believe me. It is hysterical and crude and true. I will take this opportunity to say that I will never get used to referencing certain body parts as she does. It crosses my line and you should know that I DO have a line.  I so worry about her dad (or mom) reading her blog. I should probably just get a life!

Happy Thursday all! Are you ready for Halloween? I'm not!

On the Move

You know it's fall when the tarantulas come out. In Mancos, I would always see them in the woodpile at this time of year. And some might think it odd, but what a gift it is to enjoy one of these wild wooly creatures. We carefully pick them up and study them for the day. We hold them and let them crawl all over us and marvel at their remarkable design. When we have properly investigated them and scared Daddy to death, we release them again to go about their business of finding a mate.

This beautiful specimen was found by Tom Vaughn in Mancos! Thanks Tom!

What's for Dinner?

In the south, gardens flourish early. They thrive in the deep, moist heat. In Colorado, things evolve a bit more slowly. I planted tomato plants for my classroom last spring and they were loved almost to death. I'm not going to be the one to tell an enthusiastic 4 yr. old 'gardener' that the plants don't actually need water because they have already been watered 16 times this morning. If they want to tote that darling little watering can around the classroom and soak every seedling 88 times a day, then so be it. There are plenty of No's for other things. Our seedlings flourished in their sunny windows and it got a little jungle-ish.(we created a very humid climate!) We never got them into the garden because of lots of late frost and at the end of the year I reluctantly brought them home. We left for Georgia the next day for several weeks and these plants sat without water for the duration. But they must have had reserves like a camel....

Long story short. I put them in the ground and then neglected them again. I didn't have much faith and I had worked these poor guys to death already. They had other plans.

Della and I are now dealing with more tomatoes than we know what to do with. Della also harvested a huge basket at Granne and Grandaddys. (My mother in law has her tomatoes in a 5 star hotel....a delightful little hot house with a heater!)

I never tend to eat my sun dried tomatoes, so I thought I would share my surplus tomato solution. It's simple and I pack it up in little baggies like pesto and freeze it. It makes a wonderful sauce for pasta and you can add feta and  bacon to it for a very rich and decadent meal.

Remember that my recipes are very general and can be modified to fit your needs!

Throw all your tomatoes in a large pyrex or baking dish. If they are large, cut them up, if they are cherries just throw them in. Pour a cup or so of olive oil over them. Enough that they are swimming in it. Salt and pepper generously and add lots fresh garlic in whole cloves. I probably add at least a head.

That's it, basically. You can slow roast these on 200 for many hours or speed it up at 300 for an hour or so. Near the end, we add handfuls of fresh basil and goat feta, if we are eating it right away. Toss with pasta and savor!

If you are putting it up, then let it cool and put in individual containers and freeze.

That's what's for dinner around here.

Halloweeeeeeeeennnn!

I love Halloween. I think that the notion of running through the dark, from house to house, in costume collecting candy is pure genius. Seriously. Whoever came up with it was at one with childhood. As a society, we are working hard at ruining it.....making it 'safe', making it 'all natural', convincing our children that the one night sugar high is bad, moving it to random nights other than Halloween, and pronouncing it evil or anti-Christian. Bah humbug!

Some of my fondest memories as a child are of Halloween. Running, hell for leather, through our neighborhoods with my friends and my dad's flashlight. Eventually the batteries would die and we'd still be flying through the dark. Tripping and falling and getting slapped in the face with branches but thrilled and euphoric, none the less. I have no memory of my parents going with us. They were at home doling out candy to the ghouls and goblins. They weren't worried about us. We weren't out smoking crack with pedophiles, for pete's sake, we were trick or treating!

And it was tons of fun to ponder the old razor blade in the apple scenario. Every kid knew that story and was wary of the fruitcake (or loser) that might dare to give out apples in lieu of candy. And then there were the dark and eerie houses that we'd tiptoe around and speculate on the evil stirring inside....and then someone would hear something or see a flickering light and, again, we'd be off! The imagination works triple time on Halloween and it's probably compounded by an enchanting sugar high. But we weren't too worried about our sugar intake.

We were kids having an inordinate amount of fun on one very special night.

Did you come home and dump your bag out and marvel at the wonders? Did you divide it into categories and pull your favorite ones close to you? Did you barter and trade with your siblings? Did you count every last piece?

Wasn't it grand?

Eeek a Mouse!

Martha does it again. Like her or not, her people come up with some cool ideas! I can't wait for my house to be over run with Halloween mice.

Click here for the free template and easy how-to!

Polka Dot Pumpkins

As much as I like Halloween, I'm not big on carving pumpkins. I do it every year, but I usually offer up standard fare in the jack o lantern face department. None of those fancy, magazine worthy, works of art that some people whip out. And because I have three children, there are usually three pumpkins to be tackled. That's why I created the polka dot pumpkin! I've been doing this since Max was six months old. We lived in Port Townsend, WA and I had a halloween party for our mom's group and I went a bit crazy on the pumpkins with Matt's drill. But boy howdy is it fun.

I would explain how, but I think you can get it just by seeing the photos. Della did this one. You need a drill, different size drill bits and that's it. Drill away. Add candle and Voila! Everyone loves them, especially Max's friends.

I am doing one in Lew's class on Friday along with a scary story.

Can you tell that the top photo is in the bathroom? No one sees them on the front porch, so at night they come in for bath time by pumpkin light.

Spooky fun!

Uber Sunset

Wow. Just wow. We live in a narrow little valley and when the sun sets it feels very personal. Matt and Della took these from our back rock.

I can almost hear the choir singing.

I have always loved a good quote

I found this via facebook from an old  sorority sister. I don't mean that she is old. Hi Kendra! I mean that the sorority days feel like ancient history. So maybe we ARE getting old. But if you are approaching LIFE properly, what the heck does it matter anyway??!?

Fun Project #1

I ran across this awesome project the other day and thought that I'd pass it along. These could easily be bracelets and I love that they are perfect for kids - both boys and girls - and moms! My boys wear lots of 'jewelry'. Do yours?

To find the 'how-to' go here.

And on another note, the Pattons have begun work on a totally handmade Christmas for our friends and family. I am generally not one to plan ahead. I'm a Christmas Eve kinda gal, but we are brimming over with all sorts of good ideas for some really nifty gifts.

I will post some of our ideas here! (as I have just done)

Stay tuned and Happy Tuesday!

The Holiday Weekend in Review

First things first. We changed the dog's name. We took him to be washed and shaved and when we picked him up he was no longer a Sioux. He is now Limas. He is named for the pro football player Limas Sweed. Don't ask.

We had a holiday on Friday and went hiking with our Columbine friends. It was our third annual Spud Lake hike and it was beautiful. The leaves are still breath taking and the weather was perfect.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with cousins and neighbors and lots of cleaning, cooking and laundry. It's amazing how much seven children can eat. We topped it off with a late night Dairy Queen run.

On Monday we headed back up into the mountains...Gibbs Peak...for more leaf viewing and some boulder rolling.

Did you know that you can use an Aspen tree for sunscreen? It's true. Rub your hands on the bark and then apply where ever needed. You look ashy and pale, but that's OK. My kids love it.

Happy Fall, all.

Blame it on Michael

love his bare feet!!!

  I got a ticket the other day. Michael was playing at top volume and I was jamming. And speeding. I was doing 45 in a 25. I don't often get pulled over, but when I do, I can generally talk my way out of it. I start off by apologizing profusely.

"Yes, Officer, I know. You're right and I am so sorry. I was late for work and that is no excuse. I am REALLY sorry." (and that's for real, because who wants a speeding ticket?!?)

It works best if there are three wide eyed children in the back seat and I tweak the southern accent just a tad.  

But she wasn't having it. She said that she had to issue me a citation because I was so far over the limit. Dang. She asked me where I worked. I told her that I teach. And that I mom. And that I'm normally a good driver. And do you know what she said?

She said this....

"Ma'am, I believe that you are a good citizen.  You should go to court and ask the judge for a deferment based on the fact that you are a good citizen. I will make a note on my report that I believe you to be a good citizen."

Whoa. I felt like I should get out of the car and say the pledge. I think of myself as lots of things, but 'good citizen' is not on that list. Not that I'm not. I do my part. But being a good citizen ages me. Retired vets are good citizens. I am just me.

But no longer, folks! On October 26th I will go on record as being a good citizen. 

Before a judge! Watch out!

And speaking of good citizens, I do think it safe to say that Michael Franti falls into the category. What a concert! He is good energy incarnate. How many rock stars let every kid in the audience on stage? If he is performing anywhere near you, don't miss the chance to see him and hear his message of peace.

Totally worth a speeding ticket. 

Transformation

Zucchini Before

Zucchini After

This was as yummy as it looks. Go here for the recipe.

Soccer Saturday

News from these parts

The biggest news out of the Patton house may not sound exciting to you, but I am beside myself.  Up until yesterday, my precious Max was COVERED in warts. Both hands.... covered! We were studying together last night and I was watching him write when I noticed. I squealed! I ripped him out of his chair to go show Daddy. His fingers are virtually wart free. They are evaporating before our eyes. His thumbs are the last hold-out and we are praying, wishing, voo-dooing them away before our Halloween deadline.

Sooooo, A big thank you to Dr. Wickless and his suspicious sounding 'beetlejuice'!

Soccer has taken over at our house and I am not much of a Soccer Mom. Thankfully I am married to a fabulous Soccer Dad. We spent a chunk of yesterday lining 14 fields for a tournament this weekend.  Good Luck Max!

Della is in the news with a full room makeover and I can not wait to show you pictures. Daddy is building her a new bed and as soon as it is done I will do a photo shoot. I must say that it is my favorite interior paint job EVER! (for those of you who don't know, I used to be a decorative painter. Murals, faux finishes, etc...) This one was sooo much fun that I almost want to start back up!

Lewis is very popular this weekend. His schedule includes a Friday playdate, a train trip on the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge to see the amazing fall foliage and visit the Big Foot Museum with our sweet neighbors, a sleepover on Saturday night, and a family fall party at one of his new school friends on Sunday. And I was worried about him assimilating?!?

Fall is in the air and it is truly amazing. Our mountain has changed colors almost overnight and the firewood is stacking up out there. I'm in the mood for apple pie and soup and warm bread. In the fall, I get the bug to spruce and decorate and cozy in. Go here for some fun fall recipes and design ideas.

And I leave you with Lew, in his drawers, splitting wood.

Work it, Brother!