I know I am behind on my Oct project, the photos are all taken but well it’s finding time to edit right now.

Today I wanted to blog about the importance of shopping small, local businesses and let you know about a chance to win a $25 gift card to American Express.  VocalPoint, an online website that I use to get coupons, check out deals and learn from other Mom’s is offering a great deal.  All you have to do is pledge to shop local small business on Saturday November 26th.  I personally think it’s a GREAT idea.  We need local businesses in our communities.  While often I can get something for less if I just drive to the nearest big retail area, I often will purchase it locally, because it does our local economy more good.  If anything my problem is that we do not have ENOUGH small local businesses for me to shop at.

I support a local hair dresser, but I only need a cut/color ever few months.  We don’t have a local coffee shop (trust me I would be there almost daily if we did), there is not a bakery or many other small businesses that offer services that I need and can use.  However, when it comes to things like going to the Chiropractor I love the clinic I go to and they are local (Great Lakes Chiropractic ), I go to the local eye-clinic (Albertville Eye Care), I use the local Drop Ship place – (Going Postal), MarketPlace is sort of a chain, but it’s still a local business and not a huge chain.

I try to do my part.  What do you do that promotes local small businesses? Remember when you hire a photographer that’s also supporting a local small business you can support: your day-care provider, the local spa/hair salon, the drop ship place, thrift and second hand stores.

I have always loved music and the fact taht Kate found an old disc-man brought home a few facts about how different life is for my children.  My daughter has never seen a walk-man or a tape.  A disc-man is an equally odd thing, because after all we just download songs to an ipod now.

I think it’s great that the loves to listen to music and even better that she’s finding joy in things that are so ‘outdated’ by today’s standards.

I came home from work today and was greeted by a super enthusiastic Kate.  She had made this necklace for me today and was so excited to share her creation, and of course I just had to photograph it as it was truly a fun surprise.  I think that best part about the transition we are all going through is that MOST of the time when I am home I have more time for the kids.  There are exceptions, but overall I spend less time here but not here!

I mentioned that I loved to bake in the fall, but another fall favorite is to make crock-pot roasts.  They come out so tender and juciy and they are plain easy to do when you are a busy working Mom.

Kate loves to help peel the carrots and did a pretty good job, no body parts got in the way and the carrots were clean and ready for me to chop up!

When I was little I loved to dance.  I was blessed enough to take dance lessons in Hawaii where I learned the the hula and to play a ukalali  After that I was just about the only one in my class who could do the  Hawaiian war chant with feather gourds.  Since she was two Kate has been begging asking to take dancing lessons.

In fact dancing is in her blood, her Grandparents, my parents, were ball-room dancers. In fact, I bet my Mom could still do a mean chi-chi or jive if she had to.  So it’s no surprise that our favorite show on Monday nights is dancing with the stars.  We don’t always get to watch the entire show, or even the results, but she loves it all the same.  Last night she wanted to wear her ‘skirt’ to watch and dance along with them.

She always sits and waits for the scores, even though she has no idea what they mean, she cheers for each contestant equally.

This has to be my favorite it’s like she wanted to tell Bruno — you are wrong- see I have a pretty skirt and can dance with the best of them!

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is bake. This year with my transition back to working outside the home, I have not had time to bake as much as I would like.  So today I managed to make two loves of Pumpkin Bread AND try out my new fish measuring cups!  They are so fun and bright, I love how they make baking even more fun for the kids and I!

I will share the recipe another day, but for today I am sharing photos of the new measuring cup!

I love books — which would explain why I embarked years ago to get my Masters in Library Science. I believe that information/books/literacy (both print and digital) are all important things for kids and adults.

Today I went to the library book sale where I bought a friends of the library bag, and got 63 books for about a quarter each.  If I hadn’t stopped for a few books for me I could have gotten even more for the kids.  John has already read nearly all the Freddy Ready’s pictured. They are great quick reads for him at night before bed.  Kate has her books in her travel bag for easy access on the go, me I am still trying to get to mine, but think I may start with the James Patterson book tonight.  I do have to say I bought the Real Mother Goose because I had that exact version growing up and LOVED reading the nursery rhymes!

OK anyone who knows me knows that I have a problem, I am addicted to Diet Coke. I have managed, at times, to stop drinking it all together.   Do they have a 12 step program for Diet Coke?  If they do I really should try it – because the second life get’s stressful I am headed back to drinking it again.   I have said that come November 1st, I am going to stop again, but we all know that I will be back.  Thank goodness for My Points (at least I can save for rewards).

I wish I could say that I took a photo everyday, but I haven’t.  I have done more then one on some days, because life has gotten hectic. I also wish I could say I am posting things daily, but again I am not.  Today’s post reflects that.  These were images taken the same night as the one’s of John with the lightsabre, but then it was Wednesday.  Wednesday is a busy day around here and I didn’t take photos.  The thing is while the GOAL is to take a photo everyday, I don’t think I will until I have a point and shoot as I don’t take my big camera everywhere I go.

However, for me this project is more about capturing the things I love to photograph and getting the photos edited and then printed at the end of the month. I have years of backlog to do, but if I can keep up going forward, I can slowly pulg-away at Kate’s baby photos and John’s first three years of school.

I love that it’s nearly the middle of October and the kids still were wearing flip flops at night — without freezing their toes off!  I love those brief moments before the cold weather comes and we feel like all we do is run from a building to a car and little else.  While John played Star Wars, Kate was busy writing her name in chalk.  I love that I was able to capture that little moment — the one where she’s discovering writing.  The next time it’s warm enough to play with chalk, she probably wont’ write it backwards and with extra lines in the letter E.

Today when we went out to catch the bus, we found this surprise, the Moon. It was a stunning sight and something that really caught my eye.  I wish I had more time to set up a tripod and truly capture the beauty of the clouds, moon and early morning.  However, I am glad I did stop to photograph the moon.  It also explained why Monday and Tuesday of this week feel odd — it was the full moon!