Christmas is Approaching QUICKLY

Yesterday we went shopping for things we probably didn't need. As we entered the mall it was adorned with Christmas music and decorated trees. I even spotted Santa's sleigh. I was thinking it's not even thanksgiving. I am not ready for Christmas music and the like, Not yet. I like to wait until the day after Thanksgiving. I like to enjoy each holiday as it comes with out rushing it out the door. I was looking for thanksgiving decorations and they were nowhere to be found. one of my favorite pastimes is people watching. I love to watch and listen to people where ever I am. As I was watching and listening I heard the same things from many shoppers. They would shake there head and say. "Christmas already? Its only the beginning of November. " Actually many stores have had their Christmas displays up since October. How Sad. I think that retailers should listen to their customers and wait just a little let us enjoy fall and all it has to offer. I love Christmas and celebrating Christs birth. I think about it daily in my walk with the Lord but I am not quite ready to pull out all the decorations and listen to the music just yet.

Fall Activities

This week is a very busy week. Besides teaching school, cleaning house, doing laundry and so forth I needed to have fun doing several fall activities. Our church is hosting an All Saints Eve celebration for the children in our City. The teachers are in charge of hosting the Cake Walk. So I needed to make some super fun cupcakes. After all no one wants their cupcakes to be the last ones picked.

I started with plane white cupcakes. Can you smell them? Here they are innocently cooling on their rack. Oblivious as to what the next hour holds for them. I like to imagine that they are dreaming of becoming cute flowers or pretty fall colors.

I use plain white frosting to create these cute creatures. I wonder if they were thinking , "Thats all youve got . White! Give me a break with all the other colors in the world you chose white!"

Then the decorations take form and perhaps it's not quite as boring as they once thought.

"Oh my goodness. I am a mummy. She made me into a mummy. That is the coolest costume ever! I cant wait to show my friends."

"Hey they are wearing my costume. I cant go to the party looking the same as everyone else. What was she thinking. Doesn't she understand how embarrassing this is?"

Now that the cupcakes are under control. (not happy but under control) I can tell you about my second project. My son decided to be a scarecrow for All Saints. We had a great idea to hot glue straw into a pair of overalls. I think it turned out pretty cute.

This in its self was a fiasco. First I couldn't find my overalls so we had to use Tims. As you can tell they are quite large on him. Then I couldn't find the hot glue gun. I have two guns at my house and both were M.I.A. I finally found one hiding down in the shop.

To add final touches we shoved some extra straw into the pockets. I fear that he will be making a mess where ever he goes. But he will at least look cute doing it. Hmmm I wonder how many people wont like hay all over the church. Oh well I've done it before so I'll take the heat.

On Sunday we decided to carve our pumpkins. I just love this activity. We both chose two very different pumpkins.

Look at how proud he his standing by his pumpkin.

Everyone loves playing with the squishy slimy guts.

Yumm I cant wait for those roasted seeds. They are always so tasty.

Here is the finished product. It looked much more morbid earlier as it had 4 knives shoved in to its head.

There is nothing like the pretty glow of the jack-o-lantern and the smell of the insides getting warm from the candle.

I pray that each of you has a fun safe evening whether you are celebrating All Saints or going Trick or Treating.

The First Middle School Dance!

My 11 year old son came home from school so excited the other day. "There is a Halloween School Dance" He said. I asked if he was going and he said he thought he would if it was O.K.. Then I found out that a young lady wanted to know if he was going. Now I know why he was so excited. However the dance came and went and I asked if he danced with his new lady friend and he told me "no, I only danced by my self and with my friends". It sounds like the boys were on one side of the dance floor while the girls stood on the other. Does that sound familiar to any of you? I still remember the awkward feeling of wanting to be asked to dance, the fear of actually being asked and the disappointment of not being asked. I guess its a right of passage as we grow into young men and women. Before I know it the shyness will be gone and I will wish it would return. I'm not sure I am ready for him to even be thinking about girls. I pray that the Lord will guide his thoughts and actions so that they will be pleasing to him.

Homework Finally Rears It's Ugly Head!

I have waited all year to hear these words come from the mouth of my 11 yr old son: "I have homework." I figured there would be tears and yelling and frustration. But to my surprise there was excitement and laughter. I must be dreaming. This is what the homework looked like.

First he had to create an Egg Man!

Next he had to protect his Egg Man.

Then he had to drop the Egg Man from three different heights. First just standing.

Then on a step stool.

Finally from the window that looks down on the store.


This is what the poor Egg Man looked like after being dropped from the ladder.

And this is all that was left of the Egg Man that dropped from the window.
He actually tried three eggs wrapped three ways and surprisingly the one with the least wrapping lasted the longest. Who Knew?