Happy Halloween

I've been a sewing fiend lately, getting ready for Halloween. I enjoy sewing costumes because the stakes are low - they don't need to be perfect or very durable. They turned out great, and the boys loved them.

Here are this year's jack-o-lanterns. (Connor, Dylan, mine, Brad) This was the first year that Dylan carved his own pumpkin, and he managed to keep all his fingers intact. I love carving pumpkins!

Leaf Pile!

Dylan and Jake take a break from raking leaves. What a beautiful October we've had.

Pioneer Days

Second graders at NR study a pioneers unit, including creating a vegetable critter. Connor (pioneer name Tom Baker) was very pleased with the result of his.



Another game they learned about is Cat's Cradle. I played a lot of Cat's Cradle when I was in elementary school, and it was fun to revisit the game.

Romp in the Hay

We made it out to Papa's Pumpkin Patch for an afternoon of the usual fun with haybales, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chuckin', and pumpkin shopping. I love this fall tradition.

Happy Birthday, Dylan

Dylan is 11!

Party On The Prairie

This year is a milestone birthday for me. We never have parties, so I wanted to throw a big one for this.

Marcy offered to make cupcakes, and she even set them up on a tiered display. They looked so good that people didn't want to eat them.

They really were delicious, with a Hershey Kiss baked into each one. Brilliant touch.

Brad set up a sound system and dance floor in the garage. How awesome is that?!

It was a beautiful fall evening, and we all ended up sitting around the fire pit.

Over 40 family, friends, and neighbors came - I was thrilled and honored.

An Echo in the Bone

The latest installment in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon arrived today. Yippee!

My friend, Jenni, got me hooked on these books, and I'm totally obsessed! It's a romance, wrapped in a historical novel, with a touch of science fiction, all rolled into one.

Can't wait to start it!

Window Shopping

We had the upstairs windows replaced this month, nine in all. The living room window is very long, and this was a crazy sight - an enormous, gaping hole in the front of our house.


This was a portion of the oak trim that I stained and varnished for the new windows. After a coat of stain and three coats of varnish, I got pretty good at it by the end.

The new windows are a definite upgrade, and I look forward to a less drafty winter season.

Paper Disproves Spock

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Brad and I discovered Big Bang Theory over the summer. We are totally hooked on the genius/geek humor and vivid characters.

This is a great clip that someone put together chronicling Sheldon's twist on Rock-Paper-Scissors. Maybe his version will catch on.

Zumba!

I've started going to Zumba classes at the YMCA. Samba! Merengue! Cumbia!

When I've tried exercises classes in the past, I got bored after about three months and quit. If it's not dance class, I'm not interested. That's where Zumba might work for me. It's dance exercise class, and the routines change from time to time, and from one instructor to another.

So far, it's a blast. I've made new friends in class, and even when I don't look forward to going, I'm always glad I went.

It's On Fi-yah

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Here's JT in a funny ad for Sony Bravia TVs.

His self-deprecating sense of humor and ubiquitous talent make me like him more and more all the time.

Click here to jump to the video of his SNL "Single Ladies" skit. "We're the dancers!" Hilarious!

Happy Birthday, Connor

Connor is 8!

Back To School

Here's the whole neighborhood gang getting ready for the walk to school - grades K through 6.

They were devastated to arrive at NR and discover that their "meeting tree" had been cut down!

Connor - 2nd grade

Dylan - 5th grade

The Four Heads

The stars aligned, and we took a family vacation to the Black Hills! The last time I was there was about 1982. Things have changed a lot since then.

We stopped in Medora on the way down and saw the musical. The featured act was a troupe of Chinese acrobats. They were truly incredible; unfortunately, my camera battery died before they went on, so I have no pictures.

Our first stop the next day was at the Mount Rushmore National Monument. It was foggy and rainy and kinda cool to be in the clouds.

The Monument has a beautiful viewing terrace and ampitheater, where there is a nightly short program.

We took a side trip up to Rapid City and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

We got to tour the Minuteman Missile Silo. The site was once a training facility, and it was very interesting.

The kids' favorite part of the trip was The Cosmos. It's a cheesy tourist trap, with all kinds of gravity- and physics-defying exhibits. It just made me nauseous.

My favorite part of the trip was a complete surprise. We almost didn't even stop there, but I'm so glad we did because it was wonderful! The President's Tramway in Keystone is a chairlift up to a beautiful mountaintop garden.

In the middle of the garden, there is a little outdoor cafe with burgers on the grill and a gorgeous view of the Monument.

Connor and I rode the chairlift back down the mountain, but Brad and Dylan took the Alpine Slide down.

Brad as George.

Dylan as George.

Connor as George.

At the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, the boys got to assist our tour guide with her props. Here's Dylan holding a replica of a mammoth jaw bone.

Here's Connor with a replica of a mammoth leg bone.

This is my favorite photo from the entire trip.

Bison in Wind Cave National Park.

Several mules were blocking the road, and this bold one sauntered up and licked the side of our vehicle.
This is a side view of the Monument on the way down the mountain. A fitting final photo from our trip and for this entry.

I'm so glad we could make this trip happen, and I hope the boys always remember the amazing things we saw and did.

This One Time, at Band Camp...

Brad has taught at the BPS 5th grade band camp for many years, but this year Dylan was there, too. Brad had about 30 drummers all together. Here he is directing the entire band at the concert. They sounded pretty good for only 8 days of camp.

Dylan is easy to spot with his pink hair.

Listen to THIS

James McAvoy voices this ad for Samsung. Mmmmm.

Purple and Pink

Dylan just finished his 6th season of summer soccer with Parks and Rec. I like their program because what it lacks in organization, it makes up in equal playing time and fun. I'm glad he still enjoys it.

Where My Bees At?

I just returned from Brainerd (for the second time in a week) where I attended Just For Kix Directors Convention. One of the highlights was a class I took from Casper Smart, a star in the Hip Hop dance world. He is funny and very nice and has some truly amazing skills.

I missed my opportunity to get my picture taken with him, so I'm posting this video instead. It's a PSA for Help The Honey Bees, using a play on the Hip Hop term B-Boy. Casper is in the white hat. His line at the end makes me laugh every time. Enjoy!



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Minnesota Lake Country

Each year, Rachel returns for a visit to the States, and we try to meet while she's here. This year, her whole family invited us to join them at a campground/resort north of Detroit Lakes.


The whole gang


Rachel's three and my two. The kids all got along well.


They had a blast playing in the sand and the lake.


Dylan got buried.


Benno


Partway through our stay, we had a change of plans when we got an invitation to stay with friends of Norman and Sylvia's who have a lake home on Gull Lake near Brainerd. This definitely was a step up in accommodations. Their home is new and beautiful and huge, with beds for 9, plus a loft with room for 10 sleeping bags. Amazing.


Sunset over Gull Lake.


I could get used to this.

We are so grateful to the Kempf clan for this opportunity. This trip meant so much to me, and I hope the kids remember it as a special time in their childhoods.