easily amused

It doesn't take much to make me happy. Simple minds are easily amused, as the saying goes. Ace, Sweetie and I were coloring a Peanuts Christmas coloring book yesterday, a stocking gift from Santa. Coloring is one of those things I suspect I enjoy far more than the kids do; the smell of crayons transports me instantly to the happy, safe times of my childhood. I can tell that their interest starts to fade after about a half hour, but I often plead with them to linger longer, busting out the big gun bribes of messy oil pastels and fancy schmancy Prismacolor pencils. Luckily, they took the bait yesterday, and we enjoyed a full hour of Charlie Brown coloring. Talk about old school fun! I have so many fond memories of watching Charlie Brown specials- The Great Pumpkin, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown, the Camp Special... And do you remember those Dolly Madison commercials that preceded each special? My sister and I were convinced that they must have been the most delicious treats on the planet, having never tasted or seen any Dolly Madisons in real life.

Yesterday's fun inspired today's Snoopy bento for Ace and Sweetie. I know there are actual Peanuts bento cutters for sale, but the ghetto bento-er in me can't justify paying that much for a single-use gadget... how I covet, though! So, freehand it was, which is why Snoopy's head looks deformed. Oh well. Cheap is as cheap does.

Further in the 'easily amused' department- yesterday, I had my first pumpkin spiced latte of the year. Oh. my. goodness. That first sip was a positively transcendent revelation. All year I wait for this particular Starbucks offering. I know there are a gazillion DIY recipes out there, and- see previous paragraph- I am cheap as heck, but there's just something about this version that signals fall to me in a way that nothing else does. Living in a land where fall means turning off the air conditioning at 7 pm instead of 11 pm, you take your cues wherever you can. I confess to borderline fetish-izing all things pumpkin, as the season is all too fleeting and the flavor so intoxicating. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin crunch cake, pumpkin risotto (blissful shudder).... bring it on!