Ghoulish Goodies…

I know they’re tacky treats!  It’s taboo to bring them to a party since they lack both gourmet and originality points.  But I like them so I made them anyway.  Sometimes you just have those days where you’ve scheduled 27 hours worth of stuff in a 24 hour day…these treats are good for those kinds of days!  Party treat aside, they are wonderful for the kids to make and so much fun for them to eat.

A 1st First Day

Poor little guy was a great sport today as I dragged him out of bed after being Disney-ed to death yesterday.  The accompanying Star Wars backpack and lunch box helped out immensely.  There’s no school like the old school, right?  He’s excited for a wonderful 1st grade year and a great teacher.  I noticed the teacher surrounded him by girls on ALL sides.  This should be fun!

A Thanksgiving Tradition

photo courtesy of Will

We headed over to the Rands again this year for Thanksgiving.  They were willing to host this year even though they moved into their new house 3 days prior.  I think she was worried I might pop if we did it at our house and who really wants to risk NOT getting to have turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving.  Dinner was delicious!  Thanks Amy and Curtis!  We tried playing LOST, the game afterward(based on the TV series).  Even with our best efforts we brutally failed, but had so much fun trying.  We were split at the seams most of the time.  If you are ever looking for a White Elephant Gift, we highly recommend it!

Wishing, Waiting and Sulking

photo courtesy of Will

I did a bit of sulking this year – Thanksgiving morning.  Will refused to let me do the Turkey Trot in Oceanside with Amber this year.  What happened to tradition?!  I know the answer…my belly…and yes, I’m learning how to be a more gracious coper when things don’t go my way.  But still, since we have been in San Diego we have made that little trek to pay homage to a healthy lifestyle before our gluttonous affair with pie and turkey…EVERY YEAR!

All my frustration was quickly transformed into productivity and Annie and I found ourselves baking all morning: Swedish Pancakes, homemade rolls, stuffing, yams, pumpkin pie (not from scratch, I cheated), pumpkin cookies, and yes, baklava.  We even got a pan or two of lasagna in there to freeze for when the baby gets here.  I know it sounds ridiculous…but there was a lot of frustration, which equaled lots of productivity.  Hey, and I can get my Christmas goodies out of the house and delivered before the arrival of our baby.  In all honesty,  I love and appreciate Will standing strong and forcing me to stay home.  He always has my best interest in mind, even when I don’t.  I love you, Will!

So Many Keys, So Few Fingers

The kids had their first piano recital on Friday.  I have been asking them for months to play in the recital and they have both continually rejected the idea.  Once the creme puffs and cookies came out, their tunes quickly changed and suddenly, they were both excited to show off their mad piano skills.

Annie decided on, Fuzzy Wuzzy, without hesitation.

At this point, Hudson was trying to find a piano song he had memorized he could play.  Frustration set in when I told him Ode to Joy, Morning and The Bridal Chorus were off limits since other students were already playing them.  He finally settled on the first piece he ever learned…a little duet he and I play often.  They both did a great job and were even willing to dress the part for the occasion.  I decided on playing Toccata and Fugue in D minor this year.  It’s not a difficult piece, but it is so fun to play and easily recognizable.  It’s actually the only song that beckons me on occasion to learn the organ.  All my other students did a fabulous job and I always love hearing them play.  I’m so proud of them.  It takes a lot of dedication, courage and practice to perform and they all did it without hesitation.