Fright Night!

It was certainly frightly at our house tonight....after 417 Trick-or-Treaters, we had to turn the lights off and call it quits. The neighbors were still going strong long after 600.

Gregory had the best time ever... he was the official candy passer-outer. He was very good at it and didn't quit until we had to. He delighted in the cute costumes and flinched at the scary costumes, but he still mustered up the guts to quickly stick a Hershey's in the bag. We were very proud of him.

Claesen was mesmerized by all that was happening and didn't make a peep the whole night.

PS What's really funny about the last picture is that the girl with the red hair is our neighbor girl, and Gregory's BABYSITTER!!

It was a delightful frightful night.

Russian Madness

The professional choir I sing in is doing an all-Russian program this weekend. It's a difficult language for native English speakers to pick up. For some of the vowels I have to really let myself sound "dumb" on order to get it right. It's been a very difficult concert to prepare, and I still don't feel ready...the performance is 2 days away at this point. It is remotely appealing to give up and let the fire do a number on this notebook. But I'm thinkin' they would just give me a new notebook, and that one won't have my millions of markings in it, which would be quite treacherous and potentially very embarrassing. So I think I'll keep the notebook and keep practicing....oi vey, where's the Vodka?!

New Goal

There are a few things I want to incorporate into my life to become healthier. I'm finally at the point where I want to make real, lifelong changes rather than quick-fixes. I'm ready to nurture good habits as opposed to do this till you lose ten pounds then go back to "normal" actions. I'm still fine-tuning my list, so I won't share it yet. But I will share the first one-

No snacking after __pm.

Will you help me figure out what that hour should be?

This book is amazing.....

No more visions of flying around on a cloud playing a harp and singing incessant hymns. This book unfolds Heaven like never before. Check back for more talk about this book soon. Or, go buy the book and we can read it together!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today was a great day. Jaye had to leave really early, so I had the kids in the morning (he usually helps me get them going). Claesen and I took Gregory to school, and when I got home, Jaye was just returning home, too, with a surprise! 8 beautiful strawberry plants and a cool hanging basket to grow them in. I am in heaven, y'all. Strawberries are on my top ten of God's most amazing creations. The color, the shape, the texture, the TASTE!, even the smell. Ahhh, fruitly perfection. I can't wait.

The rest of the day was great as well, and although we didn't get to go out tonite, we're going to bust out tomorrow night, complete with babysitters on the scene, so it should be one amazing birthday bash extravaganza, I'm sure.

Musical Vegetables

Paula Abdul was right....

....it ain't fiction,
just a natural fact:
We come together
'cuz opposites attract.

Mini Harvest

Here is our mini harvest after going to the farmers' market yesterday. I think I'm going to grill the squash and zucchini tomorrow. I'll bake the sweet potatoes, and we'll even get to share those with Claesen. That long green one at the top is an English cucumber.

I'm excited to make our yearly trek to the pumpkin patch; hopefully we'll get to go next weekend. There's one close by that is calling my name. It won't be like going to the one back home, but I think I'll live. Gregory had fun there last year, so I imagine that he'll like it even better and understand more this year. He simply must learn the joys of Fall, which his mother loveth above all other seasons. Yay for picking apples and pumpkins whilst drinking hot cider!

Heaven on Earth

Today was a day for the books. Absolutely gorgeous. On days like this it's easy to believe that one day, heaven will be right here on earth. Earth perfected. I can't wait. In the meantime, I'll try to love every moment, and delight in the small things, like watching little Claesen discover such wonderful things as grass! He was so intrigued by each blade. He did take time to pose for a senior picture, though. Enjoy.

Cat Puke and Kid Junk

Today, as I sat looking at my poor house: cat throw-up in the living room, baby throwup in every room, enough stray cheerios hanging around to make at least two full bowls of cereal, a mixture of clean and dirty clothes hung over every chair, toys and books galore, teethers, sippy cups and pacifiers lurking in every corner....I thought to myself, "Self, what have you gotten yourself into?"

And then I opened my Bible and randomly laid eyes on this funny little Proverb that I'd never seen before:

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of oxen.”

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that some things are worth our home resembling the beaten path of a small tornado. I'll take cat puke and kid junk if I get to keep the cats and the kids.

Ok, this blog is driving me crazy. Which is funny, considering I only have about 2.3 readers. (Thank you, faithful few!) Let's suffice it to say that I am a safety first kind of gal and I will be changing up a few things in order to keep my family safe from the big bad world of internet freakos. Sad, but that's how it is.

My Big Backyard

Remember that magazine from childhood? (My Big Backyard). Man, I LOVED that magazine. It was all about catching bugs in jars (and, of course, letting them go) making outdoor crafts, playing water games, learning about weather, hibernation of animals, etc.

In our own big backyard, we like grilling, playing, jumping on the trampoline, hanging sheets on the clothesline, playing cars, catch, tag, watering flowers, watching the bluejays, squirrels and hummingbirds, and swinging. These are the sweet memories I will cling to when I am old and gray.

Happy Joyful Flower Hat Day

HAPPY JOYFUL FLOWER HAT DAY!!!!!





(JFHD for short). JFHD started in 2001 at the University of Northern Iowa, by myself and co-founder Jessica K. The original hat started its life as a prop in our opera closet. It now holds a place of honor in my bedroom in Iowa, along with pictures from the inaugural festival, which included homemade cake, nametags, pictures, original songs, and a trip to the symphony. As you can see from the pictures, the event has taken hold around the world. It's great to see that people are really getting into the holiday and enjoying it to the fullest. I couldn't be happier, really. JFHD for me is the true beginning to the Fall season, and if you know me very well, you know that Fall rocks my world. (I loved some of your emails about the leaves, etc! Thanks for thinking of me!) Which is why Joyful Flower Hat Day is my very favorite of all the random made-up (but deserving!) holidays.

Uh oh. The pumpkin's hungry.

Wow. Why didn't I think of this?

Seriously, though. Have you seen anything cuter?

Making the official move!

Ok. I am moving my blog over to this site. Sorry for the trouble. Here's a picture from the archives to make it all better.