My Latest over at CAGW: Witch Hats and Wooden Checkers

a tutorial for making Sydney's newspaper and cardboard witch's hat for her Halloween costume

and a tutorial for making Willow's tree branch checkers

In other news:

• I've once again been researching DIY Montessori math materials. Could this be a better solution to Willow's math resistance?
• I painted all the doors in our hallway pink, because that's the color paint that we have and it matches the hallway walls, which are painted purple.
• I also, coincidentally, have a pot of pink play silk dye on the stove right this minute.
• I'm cooking salmon for dinner tonight, even though I don't like salmon. Since I'm the sole cook, I generally only cook things that I, personally, happen to want to have for dinner, but sometimes I get suckered in by an easy recipe. Also easy? The cheese and crackers that I'LL apparently be having for dinner.
• As soon as the girls finish the comic strip that they're writing together, we're headed out the door--first to the public library, where Sydney plans to do some research on pandas, and then to Brown County State Park, where we'll be until either it rains or it's time to go put the salmon in the oven. Our fall foliage is near peak here, and I have lots of crafty, schooly plans for the acorns and colorful leaves that we'll collect.

Obviously, I'm ignoring the leaves in my own yard. I'm pretty sure that they'll eventually rake themselves if I leave them alone.