Do you have a bucket list?  I don't.  I haven't really thought about making one but my daughter Courtney has and last weekend in Petaluma we got the chance (by accident) to mark an item off her bucket list-Milking a cow! 

It went like this, after we went to a great art show (Halloween and Vine), we happened to be driving along the road leaving when we saw a cheese shop.  Okay, who can pass up a cheese shop-definitely not us so we pulled in, had a lot of tasties (so good) and then found it was free farm day...free what?  Free farm day!-people could go and see the farm where this delicious organic cheese came from and get a wagon ride, see the animals, buy a pumpkin, and best of all try milking a real cow!  Here's the pics to prove it.   


Okay, I know, we don't leave the city much! 

For as long as "Halloween and Vine" has existed (a really fabulous Halloween art show) I have wanted to attend but every year there is something that I have going on so I miss it.  Finally, last weekend I got to go (it's in Petaluma) and had a fabulous time with my daughter Courtney.  It was a moment I wish I had unlimited funds to spend-I would have bought pieces at almost every booth and yes I definitely would have purchased first at Nicole Sayre's booth-my favorite doll artist.  It was definitely the highlight for me to meet the doll artist who has been such an inspiration to me-I just love her work! Like a typical fan of a celebrity, I did ask for a picture with her and she very kindly agreed-if you ever read this Nicole, thanks for making my day!  

I confess…I’m not a big fan of summer.  The heat and I are not best of friends and though I am tolerant for a reasonable amount of time, there always comes a point in August or September that I’m ready for fall and would like summer to depart.  It usually goes like this. 

The first step of wishing it away is to make fall/winter food dishes.  Homemade rolls, chicken and dumplings (one of my favorite winter tummy warmers!) and some pumpkin pie does the trick (this time I was too lazy to make the pie and had some pumpkin ice cream--does that count?).  

The next step is to start Halloween decorating-yes, 1 week ago our decorations went up (this time I had all the encouragement from my 10 year old son who has been begging me to decorate since August!).

The 3^rd step of course is to make new Fall and Winter crafts (my favorite part of the 3 steps to a changed season). 

I know  it’s still hot outside, and summer is around a little longer but at least I’ve had fun trying--I always do! 

Oh wow-where do I start?  My daughter Brooke just got married a week and a half ago, my other daughter Courtney just found out yesterday she’s having a baby boy (hooray for grandkids), my military son (who’s in Afghanistan) just wrote me a great letter today, and I’ve had two of my favorite people (my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter) visiting for 2 weeks from the East Coast.  Hmmm….I see a lot of doll possibilities here-can you?  Definitely a wedding couple, a pregnant mommy, a little princess in her mommy’s shoes (such a Maddi thing) and the same 2 year old Maddi in khaki’s with a medallion saying daddy’s girl.  Looks like I’m going to be busy for a while.  I’ll post the results as I get done!