Halloween fun

Each year on Halloween, the girls want to make jack-o-lanterns. Each year, they choose a pattern and help me "gut" the pumpkins. But the sliminess soon gets the better of them, and they leave me to finish. Fortunately, I've come to really enjoy carving them each year. They're really not that hard to do. Just purchase one of the little carving kits that comes with a few simple tools like tiny little saws. They're only a few bucks. Then find some patterns. The carving kit will probably come with some, or you can do what we did this year and look online. I found dozens of web sites that had patterns. These are from Jammin' Pumpkins - a membership giving access to all of their patterns was only a $5 donation.

Swans again

Maybe you're here looking for some stamping pictures. Sorry to disappoint you this time, but I wanted you to see this. Remember the swan family we watched over the summer in England? I wrote about them back in June, again in July, and once more in August. My husband took some more recent photos for us. This one is from late September. Look how big the babies are now! I'm amazed that they're still gray, but I guess they'll be white soon enough. I've learned a lot about swans since watching these guys grow up. I found out that swans are one of the slowest bird species to fledge their offspring, with the young usually staying with the parents for about seven months. Since we first met them in early June, they're at least five months old now.