First Snow!

Ok, so it's actually the 2nd snow of the year, but the first snow of the year was really very uneventful. Although we only got about 2 inches yesterday, it was the perfect snow for making a snowman. Zoe and Daddy played outside in the snow for hours yesterday. They made a snowman together and Zoe even "snowboarded" a bit. They had a great day. I spent most of the time in the house with Noah. He kept asking to go outside, but every time we got out there something made him cry and he was ready to come back inside. Noah did manage to ride the "snowboard" like a sled a few times and loved it. In fact, every time his sled ride was over he would shout AGAIN, AGAIN! Overall, it was a very fun day!

Tubtime Duo

Bath time is always a favorite for the little Macknickis. Here are a few shots from last night's bath. It's amazing how fun empty bottles can be!

A Family Tradition

Getting Ready for the Parade

Couldn't get Noah to stand still

so this is the best picture I have of him from the evening

Zoe and Daddy enjoying the lights

Hard to see, but this was the best vehicle by far!

Every year, our family enjoys the Trucker Parade in Eureka. It's another classic Humboldt County event. Local businesses decorate their trucks with Christmas lights and parade through the streets playing jingle bells on their horns. It's super hokey but always VERY entertaining!

On the Hunt!

This year's "perfect" tree

Zoe helping Daddy cut down the tree

Yesterday we went to Ben Hurd's Christmas Tree Farm to search for this year's perfect Christmas tree. Let me start by explaining that Ben Hurd's farm is a bit of a hidden gem in Humboldt County. It is owned and operated by an older couple who basically have a tree farm surrounding their home. You walk around their property in search for the perfect tree. The only stipulation is that the tree must be taller than 5 feet (ours is about 9 ft. this year). Once you find your perfect tree you flag it and cut it down.

When we arrived we were invited to have some BBQ lunch...for free. Ben Hurd and his family also offer everyone hot cider, hot chocolate, and homemade cookies. They literally serve the cookies and drinks from their kitchen. They give tractor rides through the Christmas tree farm and there's even a tire swing for the kids.

Finally, once you've cut down your "perfect tree", they take a picture of you and your family in front of your tree and print it out for you...also free of charge. It's quite the family experience, and just another example of why we love living in Humboldt County!

Cornhusk Dolls

In preparation of Thanksgiving, Zoe and I spent the evening making and decorating cornhusk dolls. As you can see, each doll is even accessorized with a basket. The baskets contain "plates" made out of buttons and "berries" made out of beads. It was a great Mommy & Zoe activity.

Owlet

Tonight I had the urge to make Zoe a new outfit. I had some fabric laying around that was I supposed to use to make new cloth napkins, but instead I used it to make Zoe a new skirt. I also found a super cheap t-shirt at Target and used skirt fabric scraps to applique a matching owl. What a great way to spend a Friday night!

Apple Sweater

I love this time of year. The change in weather, the ability to wear long sleeve shirts, and the start of the rainy season...to name a few reasons. Another favorite is being able to eat delicious, in season apples. For a small window of time we are able to eat our favorite apple...Organic Honeycrisp apples. They are awesome! These yummy apples inspired me to make a "sweater" for my apple. It's been years since I've crocheted, but apparently I haven't forgotten how. Now my favorite fruit can be protected from nasty bruises. It also helps keep my apple looking cute...cute fruit is very important :0)

The "Bad" Guy

This picture is taken from our front yard...you can see how close the shed is to our house.

Last Monday my school got broken into. At first glance it appeared to be mere vandalism....just a few broken windows. After cleaning up the glass, we started noticing more "clues" (as my students were calling them). The person who had broken in had actually taken the time to defrost meat from our school freezer. The person then cooked some meat and apparently sat down to eat at a desk in one of the back rooms. Oddly enough, the meat that wasn't eaten had actually been put back into the refrigerator. We discovered that more food had been stolen out of the kitchen...some lunchmeat, crackers, bacon, and a few other things. We also found that one computer and the keyboard had been stolen...but not the monitor. It was all very odd.

That afternoon, Steve happened to be driving by school right as I was leaving so I hitched a ride instead of walking like I usually do. When we got to the gate at the bottom of our driveway there was a very random guy walking on the road right at the bottom of our driveway. He actually had to move out of our way so we wouldn't hit him. Since we live in the country, it isn't very often that you see a random person, that you don't recognize, walking down the road. After looking at him a little longer, I noticed that he was carrying a beverage container with a green lid. It was OUR container. I then remembered that the container had been full of ice tea and was in the fridge at school. I immediately knew that this was the guy that broke into the school. It was "The Bad Guy" as Zoe and the other kids like to call him.

We drove up the drive way and I called school to let Michael, the other teacher, know what was going on. We both called 911 while Steve stood outside and watched where he was going. While I was on the phone, Steve watched the guy hop the neighbors fence and then go inside the neighbor's shed. It was broad daylight, and the shed is literally feet from the bottom of our driveway. 911 sent a couple of sheriff's out and the guy was actually still in the shed. They arrested him, and I went down and identified all of our stuff. We got everything back. I even discovered that he had my lunch bag. (I had accidentally left it at school over the weekend) It was such a random turn of events.

Unfortunately it seems as if he didn't have to stay in jail long. He has already been spotted walking out our way again. When questioned he said "the Lord told him to go to Bridgeville" (a tiny town past our tiny town) So hopefully he just keeps on walking!

She LOVES School!

Zoe started her 2nd year of preschool this week. It's hard to believe she's going to be in my class next year! Where has the time gone. She is so happy to be able to go to school 3 days a week this year instead of only two.

UFO Festival

Last weekend we decided to take a drive to Bridgeville. For those of you who have been to our house, and think it's in the middle of nowhere, you have never been to Bridgeville! It is about 30 miles from our house and the drive took about 1 1/2 hours. We saw lots of animals along the way...including an entire herd of cattle that blocked the road and the one lane bridge. Thankfully at the end of the cattle were some ranchers who were able to get the cattle out of our way. We ultimately drove to Bridgeville to experience their UFO festival. It was pretty small yet VERY entertaining!

Chef Zoe

Zoe was helping Steve cook dinner the other night. One of her jobs was preparing the salad. She got use a "real" knife for the first time. Check out her determination!

Recent Projects

This summer my goal was to accomplish some crafty projects while I had a little extra time. I've managed to finish a few different things. These photos are of two of the latest projects.

Skirt Made from coordinating fabric quarters

Zoe showing off her new skirt

I was inspired to make this purse for a couple reasons

1. I saw a similar purse at Anthropologie for almost $300!!!

2. I found a great tutorial online

Instead of $298 it cost $3.00 to make

All Grown Up!

My baby is all grown up...or at least that's the way it feels. Today Zoe had her first soccer practice. She is the youngest on her team, but the fact is she is old enough to be on a soccer team! We also "upgraded" her bedroom. We moved the play kitchen into Noah's room and added a "craft area" to her room (photos to come shortly). When you walk into her room it just feels like a "big kid" room. She also had me put a poster up on her wall (a poster that she picked out)...which really made me realize how big she's getting!