The End of NaBloPoMo, etc.

Well today is the end of NaBloPoMo, and I almost, almost made it, but I didn't post on Thanksgiving Day. I knew I wasn't going to post - - I was too busy watching "Get Smart", I was tired, and I was in a food coma. Last year, I found NaBloPoMo to be rather easy. This year, I found that I wrote quite a few posts where I just didn't have anything to write about, or I was tired, or whatever. I did enjoy being a little more devoted to my blog, and I hope to continue that. However, when I have nothing in particular to say, I'm just not going to clog up the Internet with my drivel.

We had such a great day today! All six of us packed up and headed to Boise for the Festival of Trees. The weather was just spectacular (once we got out of our little valley). After we'd seen all of the beautiful Christmas trees, we headed for the Boise Co-op for some food, and then headed to Camelsback Park so the boys could play on the playground. Next, we paid a visit to the Sierra Trading Post outlet, where we scored some massive shoe and boot deals. Mum and I rounded out the evening with a little sewing, after everyone else went to bed. We are working on an apron that we hope to finish up tomorrow.

Camden heads back to school tomorrow, and Steve is off to work. As for me, I have an Angel Cake to deliver to the Veteran's Home, and then I will spend the rest of the day fasting for an endoscopy and colonoscopy on Tuesday (more than you wanted to know, I'm sure). I am so not looking forward to the fasting/"cleansing", or the procedure for that matter, but alas, it must be done! Please eat something delicious tomorrow and dedicate it to me, because I will not be eating anything!

Brining a Turkey

I've read quite a bit about brining a turkey over the past few weeks, and wanted to try it on my turkey this year. So, I headed over to Williams-Sonoma last week, after reading rave reviews of their brine on Pioneer Woman. I picked up some brining bags, and a jar of their brining solution. The verdict? I'm not sure that I will ever not brine a turkey again. The turkey was so incredibly moist, and loaded with flavor. *I feel compelled to stop here and fess up to the fact that my father actually did 95% of the work as far as the turkey was concerned (I gave myself 5% for preparing the brine). Thanks, Dad!* I've since found a couple of great recipes on the Internet so that I can make my own brine, so I think I will give that a try.

Our turkey, brining itself silly in the fridge

I feel compelled to mention that I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert, and I am still in a snit over how it turned out. For me, it just didn't taste cheese-cakey enough, nor was it dense in texture, which is what I personally prefer. I followed the recipe to a "t", but was not impressed. Due to the caramel sauce being poured over the crust (prior to adding the cheesecake filling), the baked result yielded a crust bottom that I needed a chisel for, in order to serve up a slice. Alas, I won't be making this again...instead I will go back to this recipe, which produces the world's most fabulous pumpkin cheesecake, in my humble opinion.

Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl...

Check it out...I'm actually knitting something that looks like something! My mother has been teaching me to knit over the past few days, and I am enjoying it a lot. My Grammy Dunphy taught me to knit when I was probably 7 or 8, and I've tried it a couple of times over the years, but have never quite had the confidence to really try a pattern. I'm working on a scarf right now, and I suspect I'll be making scarves for some time, until I get a little better at correcting my mistakes. Luckily I am able to hand the needles over to Mum when I have a slip-up, so she can show me how to correct it. I currently have no idea what I will do when she and my father head back to Maine next Wednesday, and I have to figure these things out for myself! Maybe I will have to mail it to her, or perhaps I will throw some sort of hissy fit, which I'm sure won't help at all. By the way, get a load of my new flannel nightgown, covered in cherries. I don't remember the last time I owned a flannel nightgown...I feel very Laura Ingalls Wilder when I have it on, I must admit.

My dear mother, correcting one of my crazy knitting blunders

In other news, I have discovered the joys of downloading music from the Internet, and making my own cd's. I forgot my laptop had a burner, and it had just never crossed my mind to download music in the first place. It is very addictive, I must say. I've looked up about a bazillion songs over the past 48 hours, and I made the boys a cd this evening. I feel like such a technology whiz. That is, until I look at this picture:

Here is a photo of Camden and my father (and Steve's feet), listening to my dad's iPod. I wouldn't know how to turn an iPod on if someone handed me one, along with explicitly written instructions. Each of my parents have one, and on top of that, my father has been downloading music and burning his own cd's for years. Something tells me I need to get with the program.

I have to admit, I actually went Christmas shopping today. I took Mum and Dad with me, and we waited until after 11:00 a.m., which turned out to be a wise choice, because most of the crazy, stampede-inducing sales ended at 11:00, so it was really like any old shopping day. The trip was very productive, and I am happy to say that my shopping is just about complete. My motto this year has been "keep it simple", and I'm happy to say that I have.

Giving Thanks

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Potty Talk

Seriously. Is there anything cuter than this? Our little Griffie is very, very interested in the potty right now. I don't want to jinx him and go on and on about how well he is doing with potty training, but he is doing so well. I don't think we'll go for broke until the end of the year, but every day we make more and more progress. He is so proud of himself, and we are so proud of him, too. Yesterday, I took him to Target so he could pick out his first package of undies, and of course, he picked Elmo. He is so teeny that I think I may have to fashion some suspenders to keep his undies up!

We are busy here, as I'm sure you all are, preparing for Thursday. The turkey is soaking in a lovely brine in the fridge, our menu has been finalized, and grocery list written. I'll work on desserts tomorrow, and am looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Cookies With Nana

Strike a Pose

Griffin's on a bit of a photography kick at the moment. Sometimes, he'll ask if he can hold my camera. Other times, I'll be downloading photos, and I'll come across a bunch of pictures that were obviously taken by him. Here's a sampling of his work:

He especially likes to take extremely unflattering pictures of his mother, but I will spare you from having to look at those.

Girl Time

Today, my mother and I beat feet out of town for a little girl time, and it was fabulous. My mother is definitely my favorite shopping companion, and I forget how much more fun it is to go with her than by myself. First, we hit Anthropologie in Boise, which just about did us in because there were so many neat things to look at. Then, we moved on to a bit of thrifting, and a gigantic binge at JoAnn Fabrics. I had my first knitting lesson last night, and I am quite sure I am hooked . We made the mandatory stop at Starbucks on the way home (one Gingerbread Latte and one Peppermint Mocha Twist, thank you very much), and I dare say that our shopping trip made for a lovely day.

Blast From the Past: Dolly Edition

Anyone remember these two? Did you have them when you were little? Gosh, I loved my dolls. I distinctly remember the Christmas that I received My Friend Mandy. Dare I say, it was about 31 years ago. Holy cow am I old. I use to spend hours playing with these dolls with my neighbor, Alice. My parents brought Jenny and Mandy out to me this fall, and I am so happy to have them. Unfortunately, I'd given both of them haircuts at one point, but for the most part, they are in great condition. I'm having all I can do not to sit and play with their hair. Maybe I will when nobody is looking.


(Jenny & Mandy, circa 1979 & 1977)

Griffin the Terrible, Pajamas, & a Dead Squirrel

Everyone in the house (except me, obviously) has gone to bed, and I need to be heading that way shortly. I think I will be off to the doctor in the morning to find out why my throat still hurts so badly, and why the right side of my neck is so tender (strep? I hope not).

We had an interesting day here at the homestead. Griffin was a World Class Pill for most of the day - - he is a Mumma's Boy through-and-through, and he wouldn't let anyone near him all day. He focused the majority of his energy on being naughty, and insisting that I hold him at all times. Ack! I seriously hope he's snapped out of it by tomorrow, because I don't think I can take another day of that.

This evening, I put on a special event at the library in conjunction with Idaho Family Reading Week. I had a "pajama story time" complete with milk and cookies, and I was so happy with the large turnout. Griffin dug deep and behaved himself while we were there - - thanks for that, Griff. My boss seemed pleased with how it all went, so I'm glad for that, too.

The dead squirrel. Well, a couple of days ago, 12-year-old Riley managed to seriously injure a squirrel in the back yard. Bless his elderly heart, Riley isn't overly swift, so I'm still not sure how he outwitted the little sucker. Lo and behold, we looked out in the back yard this afternoon to find Roy in a mad embrace with a lifeless squirrel corpse, which I'm guessing was Riley's victim from the other day. Roy proceeded to flip Mr. Squirrel's limp little body to and fro, even laying on his back a couple of times and sort of boxing at it with his hind legs. I think at one point, Roy was wondering why the little guy didn't "play back", and he eventually lost interest. That's when I sent my Dad out with a plastic bag to dispose of the cadaver. Thanks, Dad! You're a good sport.

A Simple Post

No pictures or frills tonight, as I have a wicked sore throat and I am going to bed! My folks were able to hop on an earlier flight out of Chicago today, and ended up getting here around lunch time, so that was wonderful. I took Camden out of school early so he could join us on the trek to the airport. Camden is, of course, sleeping in Nana and Papa's room tonight, and I imagine he'll be sleeping downstairs with them for the next two weeks. It is so great to have my mom and dad here with us! More tomorrow....

One More Sleep

Our humble abode is abuzz with excitement tonight, for Nana & Papa (my parents) blow into town in less than 24 hours. The boys and I will retrieve them from the airport around dinner time tomorrow, and the anticipation is killing us, I tell you! They will be here for two weeks, and Camden has 10 of those 14 days off from school, so the timing is just great. My parents are wonderful house guests, and we just love to have them around. On top of that, their visit also means I can get a hair cut (finally), and that Steve and I can sneak away for an overnight in the Big City. Yahoo! For those of you who have access to family members in your every day life...do not take it for granted! I'm looking forward to morning walks with my mom, spending Thanksgiving day with my folks, and most of all, seeing my boys with their Nana and Papa. See you soon, Mum and Dad!

Muffin Tin Monday: Fruits & Veggies, Dips & Spreads

Muffin Tin Monday is being guest-hosted by Just For Fun today. The theme is "Fruits & Veggies, Dips & Spreads":

Grilled cheese (cut out with an acorn cookie cutter), carrots and broccoli, ranch dip, All-Bran crackers with peanut butter, apple sauce (Camden had vanilla yogurt), and sliced bananas. The boys' favorite part was the inclusion of the red plastic knife, so they could spread their own peanut butter on the crackers. Griffin actually used the knife for spreading, while Camden used his to chop up his sandwich. I love how excited the boys get when I say, "It's Muffin Tin Monday!", and I have fun putting the tins together. Next week's theme is: "Foods Your Kids are Thankful For/Favorites". I'm totally going to let the boys pick their favorites - - I'm sure Monday's lunch will be completely unbalanced, and laden with sugar.

(That's the top of Camden's head on the right, picking his plastic knife up off the floor - those suckers are slippery!)

Weekend Sleep

Sugar Deception

So I cracked open this cookbook today, and made this chocolate cake for the boys. For any of you who are familiar with Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, you'll know that all of the recipes include some form of pureed fruit or vegetable, "hidden" in the ingredients. Besides being able to get your kids to eat extra servings of veggies, all of the recipes are very healthful and low in fat. This cake? Well...it contains nearly an entire can of pureed beets. I'm feeling a little guilty right now, because Steve detests beets, but gobbled up a piece of cake after dinner tonight. He asked me what was in it (he knows about the concept of the cookbook), and all I said was, "You don't want to know". Steve will eat absolutely anything....anything except beets. The cake was nice and moist, and seriously, it just tastes like a chocolate cake. Camden and Griffin loved it, so I will definitely be making this again. However, after Steve reads this, he probably won't be eating it again.

Apron Love

I have a thing for aprons. I love them. I swear, I could look at them all day long on Etsy. Not only do I love to look at them, but I love to wear them. Every day. Someday soon, I show you my growing collection of aprons. Today, I am madly in love with this little number. It is very retro, and it was made by woman here in my town. I love anything with cherries on it, so when I saw this one, I just had to have it. If you love to cook, then I dare you to throw on a retro apron...you will love it even more.

Silhouettes

My interest in silhouettes was first piqued by this post on my dear friend Kate's blog. Then, I saw a silhouette tutorial at The Homespun Heart. And of course, there are Nie's beautiful silhouettes. I finally got around to making some for myself, and they were so much fun! Eventually, I'd like to hang them over our mantle, but since I don't really want to do that until I repaint the living room (and that won't be happening for quite some time, I fear) I went ahead and hung them in our bedroom:

I really like how they turned out, and I actually love them on the bedroom wall. They were so easy to make. All I did was take pictures of each family member, and then printed out the picture in 8x10 size (here's Camden's).

Then, I carefully cut around the image. I placed it on a piece of black card stock and traced it. Then, I cut out that image, mounted it on white card stock, and framed it. Voila! I even caught ol' Riley in a reflective mood one day, so I made a silhouette of him, too. No such luck with Roy, as of yet.

The frame for Riley's silhouette was found at our local thrift store for 50 cents. It was brown and plastic, and really ugly, but nothing that some glossy red spray paint couldn't fix.

Wordfull Wednesday: The Act of Giving

This week, I've decided to join in on Wordfull Wednesday, over at Chocolate on My Cranium. The topic is The Act of Giving, so here are my thoughts:

When I think about giving, one thing that quickly comes to mind are simple acts of kindness, such as, saying "good morning" to someone you pass on the street. Asking the cashier at the grocery store if they are having a nice day. Holding a door for a stranger. I hate to be cynical, but, more often than not, it seems that the general population keep to themselves. I know there are still many, many good people in the world, but why don't people make eye contact anymore? Why do some people find it easier to pretend that they don't notice others in need? Why does it seem to be difficult to get pleasant customer service? I don't know the answers to these questions. What I do know is that when I find myself feeling down, I try to remember a quote that I heard once. "You can't control how other people act, but you can control how you react to them." Go ahead and try saying this to yourself...a mantra of sorts...the next time you are faced with a rude person. Don't get hung up on how someone is treating you, but rather, focus on how you can step up and do better.

I love this website. Take a few minutes to visit it. My favorite acts of kindness really are the random ones - - where you do something for another person, whether you know them or not, but expect absolutely nothing in return. Keep this concept in mind, as it will be part of an upcoming giveaway.

"The best portion of a good man's life - his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love." - William Wordsworth

Proud

I'm sure you are well-aware that I am very proud of my husband. Not only is he a decent human being, but he loves me just as I am, he takes great care of me and our children, and he is truly my best friend. Today, I am thinking about all that he has sacrificed - - not just while he was deployed - - but also in his every-day job, and as a commander in the Idaho Army National Guard. He works so very hard, and doesn't get a great deal of "Steve" time, although I think he is getting a little better at making plans to recharge his batteries. He is a good man - - the absolute best, in my eyes. Today is the day that I remember how truly lucky we are to have him, safe--and at home with us. If you have the opportunity to thank a Veteran today, please do so. We will never really know what any of them have gone through, but we can give them our respect and our gratitude.

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On a slightly different, yet related note, I thought I would include a video that Steve recently shared with me. I found it very moving. The part I am referring to is really the second half of the video, so please be patient and watch it all the way through. I am not posting this to make any type of political statement - - I simply think Colin Powell's words speak volumes.

***Edited to add: After rereading this post, I wanted to point out that this is not a post about fishing for compliments for Steve (or for myself). It is a post about my personal experience, and my thoughts today. I originally closed the comments for this post, but then worried that readers may think I closed comments so as not to allow political opinions. Just wanted to make that clarification. Thanks for your compliments just the same!

Dad Time

Steve has always been so good about spending special time with Camden on the weekends - - going fishing, hiking, launching rockets, or other such boy & dad related activities. Griffin has caught on though, and he doesn't want to be excluded any longer (mind you, he was "left out" based on age, but he's now old enough to join in the fun). So, Steve recently took Griffin on his first solo canoe trip, and Grif loved it. Steve tells me Griffin would have gladly stayed in the canoe all day. He's obsessed with his Dad, and with good reason. I'm not sure that two little boys have ever had such a loving, patient, involved, and devoted father.

Mickey, Griffie, Buzz, & Camden

Today, Steve and I surprised the boys and took them to Boise to see Disney on Ice. We didn't know what to expect, what with Griffin being a loose cannon and all, but I'm happy to report that we had a really nice time. I only just purchased the tickets this morning, so I wasn't able to get four seats together. I ended up with two tickets in the "good" section (i.e., more expensive) and two tickets in the nosebleed section. As it turns out, the cheap tickets were the better seats, in the front row of the balcony, overlooking the ice rink. I wasn't really too hopeful about Griffin because he doesn't have much of an attention span at this age, and he is a little under the weather today. The boy was a trooper though, and sat through the entire 2-hour show. We had a near mishap during the Beauty & The Beast portion of the show, which he didn't care for (Beast=scary). Luckily, Buzz Lightyear came on right after The Beast, and saved the day. The picture you see is Griffin with his $8.00 popcorn feed bag, which he would not share with anyone, by the way.

Again....Nothing

I want to post something witty...really I do. However, I took some Nyquil about 45 minutes ago, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Must go crawl into bed. Darn cold. Hopefully I will be feeling more like myself by tomorrow.

Nothing

I've got nothing tonight. However, I didn't want to miss a day of NaBloPoMo '08, darn it. I have a head cold, and I mostly just want to go to bed. I just finished watching the movie Cast Away (love that movie) and it just reaffirmed the fact that I adore Tom Hanks. Steve returned home from his trip this evening. He's just taken over control of the channel changer, which means we are now watching "Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal" (on PBS). If I had my way, we'd be watching What Not to Wear, but that would mean I'd be sitting here by myself. Basically, there appears to be little to nothing that Steve and I can watch together on television. Time for bed!

Butter & Eggs Make the World Go 'Round

There is a fundraiser at the library tomorrow, and I volunteered to make a cake for one of the auction tables. My only direction was that it couldn't be a chocolate cake, and it had to be "a winter theme". I have a couple of Wilton Christmas pans, but I couldn't use those, because that winter theme didn't include Christmas (because that just isn't politically correct anymore, you know....sad!). Anyway, I drove my self nuts all day yesterday, trying to come up with something winter-y, and finally settled on this recipe for coconut cake, from Barefoot Contessa. When I saw how many eggs and sticks of butter it called for, I knew it had to be good, because eggs and butter make everything good. I chose coconut cake for the snow effect, but still needed to decorate it, so I be-bopped over to the Dollar Tree, and spent $2.00 for the topper and the snowflakes that I secured around the side of the cake. I did tweak the recipe just a tiny bit - - I only put 1 tsp. of almond extract in the cake batter, and I used buttermilk instead of regular milk. The texture of the cake is almost like a pound cake, and it has a really nice flavor. I'm not usually a big fan of coconut, but I would definitely bake this again.

A New Day. And, a Bit of a Rant.

Oh Lordy.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you are aware that I don't tend to inject my opinion about things very often, mostly because I prefer to keep things light. However, I'm a little testy this morning. Over the last 24-48 hours I've seen, heard, and read so many things that have frankly been a little depressing and disappointing. I'll do my best to present my thoughts in an organized fashion, but I can't make any promises.

I voted for Barack Obama. I'd like to think I made a very informed decision. My husband and I had many, many lengthy conversations about the election. We went back and forth. We watched. We read. We considered. In the end, we each, individually, made up our minds. It wasn't easy. We both agreed that for the first time since either of us could legally vote, we were presented with two superb candidates, each with outstanding qualities and ideas. How refreshing it was to choose from two such candidates, rather than basing our choice on who we disliked a little less than the other, as we feel we've had to do in the past.

While I appreciate how passionate we can each get about our candidates, how tiring it is to hear people implying that others (who didn't vote as they did) are somehow ill-informed. I'd like to think we all vote based on what we believe to be the best choice for each of us. That's democracy. That is why we live in the United States of America, people.

Yesterday morning, I was preparing to teach Story Time at the library, as I do each Tuesday morning. A mother asked me if I'd voted. I replied that I had. She then asked me if I was a Democrat or Republican (I'll remind you that I live in the very Republican state of Idaho). My first thought was, "none of your business!" but instead I replied honestly, "Neither...I'm registered as an Independent." She looked at me like I had two heads! When I voted yesterday, I voted for democrats and republicans. Again, I'd like to think I made informed decisions.

Another thing: I'm sick of hearing that Sarah Palin is evil, crazy, etc., etc., etc. She's the Governor of Alaska, and you aren't. She must have some redeeming qualities to have accomplished what she's accomplished. I'm pretty sure if she knew all kinds of details about your life, she'd find things she didn't like about you, either. I realize there is a difference, since she was running for vice president, and we weren't, but still. I think it is sad that so much focus was taken away from Senator McCain, because so many people were busy jumping on the bandwagon, bashing her. Sad.

Lastly, I have to address the whole argument that Barack Obama doesn't care about our troops. Believe me, this isn't a topic we take lightly in our household. Steve spent a year and a half of his life away from us, in Iraq, and will most likely be deployed again. He voted for Obama, and will happily discuss his personal experience and thoughts with anyone (email me if you need our phone number).

Please don't think for a moment that this is a post about how "I voted for Obama, and if you didn't, you're stupid. " Please give me more credit than that. Mostly, this is a little rant about the sad state that our country is in, in so many different ways. My opinion. I respect and welcome yours as well.

I am hopeful this morning that change is indeed coming.

Now, back to baking, crafting, and child-rearing!

Voting With My Trusty Sidekicks

Camden has been very interesting in the whole voting process, so he really wanted to go with me to vote today. I had planned to do it after I'd dropped him off at school (so I would have one less kid to wrangle at the polls) but decided to just go for it and go first thing this morning. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived, because we found only a couple of other people at our precinct. We walked up to the election volunteer, who said to me, "Name, please" to which Camden replied, "CAMDEN!" We got our ballot and headed over to our voting station, where Camden proceeded to say, over and over, in a very loud voice, "MUMMY! ARE YOU PICKING BARACK OBAMA? VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA, OKAY? YOU'RE VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA, RIGHT???" I had to gently remind him to keep his voice down, and finally had to resort to making both boys sit on the floor and zip their lips. It seems Griffin thought it was fun to shake the legs of the polling booths, although I'm pretty sure my fellow voters didn't find it too amusing. So, the deed is done, and I am very excited to watch election returns tonight. Camden wanted his picture taken next to the sign on the way out of our precinct, and I was happy to oblige.

We decided to skip Muffin Tin Monday yesterday, so that we could do it today instead. I went with an "election day" theme (beware - - I had to really reach, coming up with names for a couple of the items). We have: Craisins (since they are red), cannon balls (Pirate's Booty), American apple sauce, constitutional carrots, Presidential roast chicken, and half of a banana-chocolate chip muffin. Of course, the boys liked the crazy cup cake topper the best. They cleaned their plates, so I guess this one was another success.

Not What I Had Planned

I had something a little more interesting in line for today's post, but alas, I woke up feeling just horrible this morning, so my day took an instant detour, straight for the sofa. Unfortunately, Steve left today for business in Eastern Idaho, and he won't be back until Friday. Luckily I am beginning to feel a bit more human - - I'm quite sure today's malady is directly related to my ongoing intestinal troubles, but thankfully, I should have some answers to all of that in the very near future. My boys are being super today - - probably because we are holed up in the family room with a never-ending stream of cartoons. Today, I am thanking the Direct T.V. gods for helping me in my time of need. Yay, children's programming!

I'd also like you all to know that my home is in such a state of disarray that I am very tempted to take pictures of it. I mean, think of your house at it's absolute worst, and then multiply that by about a gajillion. That is what my home looks like today. It is just going to have to wait until tomorrow, I fear!

I took the plunge recently, and purchased a temporary membership to Sam's Club. While I like the idea of wholesale shopping, I've resisted the urge because I figure it is just one more opportunity to buy a bunch of stuff that I don't need. However, I recently read about their "10 Weeks for $10" offer, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to give it a try and see if it really is worth it to be a full-time member. More than that, I learned of a service that Sam's Club offers called "Click 'n Pull". I can do all of my shopping online, then just show up at the service center, pay my tab, and they will bring my cart of goodies out to me. For me, this is super appealing because I don't have to torture the boys by dragging them around yet another store, and it also eliminates any impulse buys that could potentially end up in my cart. I made a quick trip to Sam's the other day so that I could "case the joint" and see just what they had. I was not disappointed - - they had so many things that are always on my list - - applesauce, honey, Ranch dressing, sugar, flour, etc., and all at huge savings.

Now that our day is heading into late afternoon, it has dawned on me that the boys and I could use more days like this...no agenda, no housework, snuggling on the sofa, and getting a little rest.

How Do I LoveThee? Let Me Count The Ways...

Steve and I had a very, very long overdue date night tonight...as a matter of fact, we had a hard time remembering the last time we'd been out together...alone.

Anyway, it was fabulous, and so very nice to have the luxury of totally enjoying each other's company. We had dinner at a lovely little restaurant in Eagle that we love. We ate summer rolls, roasted edamame, and then some wonderful sushi, and finished with some green tea ice cream. From there, we headed over to Starbucks for a warm drink (and a couple of cell phone pictures). Tomorrow, Steve heads out of town on business, so I'm extra glad we had a chance to spend some time together tonight.

NaBloPoMo '08!

It completely slipped my mind that today is November 1st...the first day of National Blog Posting Month. I had a good time participating in this challenge last year, so I think I'll give it another try this year. Here's hoping I don't bore you all to tears!

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In other news....

This sweet girl turned 3 years old on the 30th ... Happy Birthday, Violet Jean! (photo by Kevin Davis)

Halloween lunch - - "bone" bread sticks, the standard carrots and ranch, "mummy" hot dogs, and severed finger cookie. Camden was not the least bit amused. Wouldn't even touch his lunch until I removed the finger from his plate.

Halloween pizza...

Griffin, Josie, and Camden

Cousins ... Camden (in mid-Batman pose), Banzer (as Johnny Cash), and a bewildered Griffie/Spiderman