Beggars' Night

I'm late, I know.  Normal me would have had this up right after trick-or-treating, but due to technical difficulties and one busy Halloweekend, I've left you hanging until November.

When in Fairborn, shop at Foy's, so Foy's it was for this year's Halloween costumes.  Lauren was confident Woody was for her, and Abby couldn't be more thrilled to be a princess.

We suited up for trick-or-treating on Beggars' Night--it's an Ohio thing--Saturday night, the perfect night for such an event.  I have to say, strange as it is not to trick-or-treat on Halloween, they know how to get freaky and crazy in Ohio!  The Minnesotans in us didn't have the hearts to tell the girls that Saturday wasn't actually Halloween; we don't want to scar them.  But this year it may not have mattered.  They were into it completely, the princess and the Woody.

{Posed with Poise}

{Trick-or-Treat}

{Taking Down the Sconnies' Packer}

Day of Thanks--No. One

It is now tradition.  Thank You Thursdays will be put on hold in November, in lieu of our Day of Thanks Journal.  What started last year as a challenge turned into a great way of teaching the girls to look for gratitude in their day-to-day life.

I'm upping the tally this year, from fifteen to twenty-five.  So here goes, Day No. One....

Abigail: "I'm thankful that I got my bracelet back. (Bouncing!) I love my bracelet. I can't even stop leaving my bracelet alone! (Still bouncing!) I can't stop loving that bracelet." (Galloping out of the room.)

Lauren: "Connor wasn't even at school today. How about nothing? I'm thankful for nothing. Mommy, I'm thankful for you.  And I'm thankful for Buddha."

Brooke: "I'm thankful for my girls (as Abby suggested) but I'm also thankful for my missing lip balm.  In searching for it, I discovered Abby's long lost bracelet nestled in the bottom of my purse. She must have taken it off at gymnastics and I put it in there for safe-keeping. It was so safe I completely forgot about it, even turning the entire house upside down in search of it. What a great way to start our collection of thanks.  I'm so thankful I found the beloved bracelet!"

Flashback Friday

In the spirit of Halloween
we're flashing back to the girls' firsts!

Lauren's First Halloween
October 31, 2006 

{Witch You Were Here}

Abby's First Halloween
October 31, 2005

{Mini Mouse}

Thank You Thursday

1. Thank you for a normal, enjoyable night at the gym.  The icing on the cake, they rang the bell for Abby.... She mastered her flip over the bar. Way to go, Abby!

2. I'm thankful for having the afternoon off to spend in Abby's classroom.  She was grateful to have me there.  I was grateful to be there.  I love that girl.

3. I'm thankful for the spirit that lives deep in the belly of those lovely girls of ours.  They were up early, filled with excitement about their school parties today.  Lauren couldn't be more thrilled about her Halloween costume.  There is nothing clever about it, but it is exactly what she wanted.  She is happy as a clam to be going as Woody this year!

4. I'm thankful Geoff made it back to Dayton. After spending all day yesterday in airports, and flying through massive wind storms, he's here and he's safe.

5. I'm thankful for my life.  Sure there are things I would love to change, but they are minor details.  I love my life!

Tricked Out Treat

I was the lucky parent in charge of sending treat bags for both of the girls' Halloween parties at school tomorrow.  A glass jar would have made my concoction look even more like a creepy specimen, but in lieu of putting glass containers in the hands of little people, I opted for plastic gift bags.

Worms on the bottom, topped with Oreo Balls disguised as eyeballs.  A treat for any sweet tooth.

Oreo Ball recipe can be found on my sister blog: www.feedingthelovelies.blogspot.com/2010/10/oreo-balls.html

Ten on Tuesday

1. Whose brilliant idea was it to start making Oreo balls at 9:00 tonight?!  Pat on the back, they do make awesome eyeballs for my treat bags.  I hope the kids get it.

2. I miss KARE11.  Me, in my jammies, at Mom & Dad's.  Or Shawn's.  Dayton needs good local news!

3. The benefit to being up so stinkin' late working on these treat bags: I'm up for the Tonight Show. That almost never happens for me in Ohio.

4. It's a good thing my dryer is fixed; it's too wet on the deck to dry our garnmets.

5. In all honesty, I wouldn't shed a tear if Jennifer Grey was sent home tonight on DWtS.  She's disappointedly annoying.

6. I miss New Englanders.  I miss their wit.  Their smart-ass comments.  Their wicked sense of humor.  Even the liberal ones.

7. Today's tornado evacuation to the basement yeilded over a half an hour of jokes, songs, stories and fun.  Have I mentioned how great my job is?!

8. My pumpkin seeds are taking a ridiculous long time to dry. I've got some intense ideas for this year's flavors.  Dry seeds, dry!

9. Sony has announced it will stop making the Walkman. I didn't know they hadn't already stopped.

10. I have an odd hunger for the Olive Garden. Any chances when Geoff gets back from Boston he'll be up for it?  Hmmmmm.

She Shoots, She Scores

Today Abby attended a birthday party for an old friend from preschool.  I could go on and on about all of the things I saw this afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese, but the bottom line is the girls had a blast!  Lauren came, too, and they both had the time of their lives.

I halfway joked about needing a bar with a one-way mirror for the parents.  The truth is it was worth every bit of it to see the girls having fun with old friends.

 



{Abby Scores a Goal on Her Friend, Lauren, During an Intense Air Hockey Match}

Score one for all of us today!