Happy Halloween..on October 28th?

Yep, here in Oregon we celebrate Halloween twice. Once when we have our church trunk-or-treat party and then again on the proper day! It's twice the dress-up, twice the make-up and twice the candy! (Also twice the work!) Last night was the first of the two previously mentioned events. The kids looked way too cute and had lots and lots of fun! One celebration down...one to go!


Cascia was the very cute and delicious Orange M&M. Check out those super cool toe socks that actually say M&M all over them! (Hey that rhymes!)




Presley wanted to be an "80's Punk Rocker" but then decided that she was actually ME when I was around 12 years old...I was a punk rocker several years in a row back in the day! :) She was so excited to have her hair in a side ponytail and also to have it crimped...with my original crimper circa 1988.






There's a new Sheriff in town and he is very serious about his job!




The Kersten kids all dressed up and ready for some Halloween fun!

Ready...set...carve!

Last night we joined forces with the neighbors and carved a few pumpkins. The kids had a great time and the pumpkins turned out really good.


Stratton loved scraping out the pumpkin and didn't want my help...of course

Presley showing off her "goop"

The pumpkin carving crew

Get in there, Cas!

I'm not sure which one has the cuter smile! :)

Bryce, Stratton, Cascia, Presley and Kara

Wanna go to the patch?

Today was a day that Stratton has been anxiously awaiting for a couple of weeks...the preschool trip to Liepold Pumpkin Patch. We went there last year so he knew what to expect and wanted to go experience it all over again. We couldn't have asked for a better day...the sun was shining (sometimes a rare occurance here) and it wasn't too cold. We had a great day playing in hay mazes, the cornbox, taking a hayride, scouting the patch for the perfect pumpkin and wandering through the corn maze. It was so much fun for Stratton and fun for me to see him enjoying himself so much!

Hmmm...which one...

I'll just sit down here to think about it.

Lovin' the big John Deere tricycles

Yep, that's a cornbox!

One very cute pumpkin patch enthusiast!

Me and Clee

One of my very best friends came all the way from Colorado for a visit this past weekend. Caralee and I met while living in California and quickly became good friends while we lived there. It had been two and a half years since we'd seen each other so a reunion was certainly called for! We had tons of fun spending time talking about everything we could think of, eating out, going to a movie, sight seeing a little bit and remembering why friends are so important. There are times when you meet people and you know that there is a deeper connection there then just "friends". Thanks for coming to visit me, Caralee. You're the best!!



I had to take Caralee to Multnomah Falls so that she could see just how amazing the Columbia River Gorge is.

Ready to try something new?

I am forever trying new recipes out on my family. (I get easily bored with the same old thing for dinner.) They are great sports about it and rarely complain. The weather here in Oregon is quickly changing, so when I found this recipe it sounded very "Fall-ish". A few nights ago I decided to try out this recipe for Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and it was a hit with everyone. It was very tasty and after mentioning it to a few friends, they asked for the recipe. Here you go...let me know if any of you are brave enough to try it! :)

Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
1 pound penne pasta
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper
One 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

*I also added 1/4 t. cayenne pepper to the sauce because we like it with a kick!

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and the heavy cream and bring to a boil.

Add cream sauce to the cooked and drained pasta along with the reserved cooking water. Stir in the Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with parsley and more Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!!

H-A-P-P-Y-V-A-L-L-E-Y

Last night Presley and her 2nd grade class, along with two other classes, were able to sing at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new elementary school. She was super excited about that because Presley loves to sing and singing in front of people is fun for her. She tells me that she has to get over being nervous singing in front of people if she is going to be a rock star when she grows up. So true.



Presley with her friends Brooke and Abby after their big performance!

Homework? What's that?

Three mornings each week I take Stratton to New Hope Christian Preschool. He went there last year and we were all very happy with it, so he's back for year two. It has a great atmosphere and the teachers are fantastic. Last year was all about coloring, playing and crafting. This year is more academic because it is the year before Kindergarten so the kids now have a page of homework each week. The first week that Stratton came home with his sheet I told him what it was and his response was, "Homework...what's that? You mean I have to do this at home?" After some more explanation, we worked together on his first homework assignment. As he colored it he felt the need to tell me that all this homework was giving him a headache. Once he finished though he was so proud of himself that he made me take a picture so that he could have it forever and ever! We can only hope that he'll continue to be so enthusiastic about his homework for many years to come!