it was a good estate sale weekend. yup. i did well.

i stated thursday ambitiously making it to an 8:00 sale at 7:50 (with audrey in tow). i was the 40th person in line. then it was such a small crowded house that they were only letting in 20 people at a time. when i got inside i discovered that everything was grossly overpriced and nothing interested me. it was a new experience if nothing else. so i headed home. ok, i took a detour. found a garage sale, picked up a couple of goodies for selling on ebay. then came home, took isaac to preschool and hit a couple other sales. found a couple more goodies -- new slicing disks for the cuisinart. friday brought a few more bargains -- attachments for the kitchenaid, hot wheels track. but today i found my bargain-o-the-week. brand new clogs, real swedish ones, in my size, for $1. they were hidden under a table at a sale i'd visited on thursday. today was half off day. i couldn't believe my bargain. black suede. i'm just tickled.

no sales this week. darn thanksgiving is getting in the way of my treasure hunt. oh well, at least i get to make a cheesecake.

i forgot to write about the opposum in the garage and the dog we tried to adopt. ok, now i've covered the last four days.

i'm so busy i'm dizzy. and it will only get worse in the weeks to come. it's alright. martin & i know that once isaac's birthday arrives, the rest of the year will be a blur. we're definitely on track for that.

yesterday was em's 8th birthday. she had your basic 4-day birthday party. saturday overnighter with a friend, sunday with grandma kiki, monday & tuesday at grandma & papas. and to think, she cried on isaac's birthday because she was afraid that her birthday would be forgotten.

friday night we enjoyed ethiopian food with friends. mmmmm. it had been a long time since my tongue had been so happy. we also estate sale-d from wednesday to saturday. there is one clean room in the house and two pair of clean pants. that's about the best i can do. many other things have kept me busy but my memory fails me and all i know is that the house shows the lack of attention.

next week thanksgiving. the following we head to western kansas for deer hunting. perhaps a christmas tree and the frenzy to boot after that. good times, my friend. good times.

last week i made apple butter. it was a by-product of picking way too many apples a few weeks ago at a local orchard. now, i had made some crummy apple butter a few weeks before so i was a bit nervous but knew i needed to use the apples before they rotted. and it turned out marvelously. i canned (using jars i'd found at garage sales) six half-pints. four came out sealed. (it was my first time canning -- i'll do better next time). speaking of next time, i bought some more apples last night (they were on sale after all) and i'm making another batch. it's taking a different direction in taste -- the apples are a bit more tart -- but i'm pretty sure i can pull this batch off too. don't be surprised if you find yummy apple butter in your stocking this year.

and we're on the countdown (and have been for a month now) to emily's birthday. one week from today. i can't believe my eldest will be eight. that makes me . . . old.

met some more folks today. we did a neat-o craft where we took fall leaves (not dried up yet) and mushed them between two layers of fabric. after much experimentation we figured out that a dragging motion got most of the colors out. it was amazing. one leaf i did was nearly transparent when i was done and the fabric was beautifully stained. fun stuff. and new friends. a good day if i may say so myself.

i've spent a few days under the weather but luckily i'm better just in time for garage sale / estate sale time-o-the-week. unfortunately, it's looking like a slow week around these parts. i'm pretty sure the garage sales will dwindle drastically due to the cooler weather, but estate sales will likely keep my spirits high through the dreary winter. (in case you're wondering, i've resigned myself to selling some of my goodies on ebay so i can keep up this ridiculous habit.) feel free to ask me to keep an eye open for something for you. i need an excuse to get out there in the trenches.

lastly, who on earth will we decorate gingerbread houses with this year?