Halloweenie strikes again

I know I've written about this before.

I love dressing up. Dressing myself, my kids, my man (when he plays along.)

Here is my costume this year. Inspired by the lovely Leslie Knope.

I'm currently searching for any and all past costume-y photos.

Here are a few of Halloweens past. Going back in time.

Last year: (I really hope he was trying to make an ogre face.)


I think I skipped a year when we were in Tennessee.
The year before that, I wore this.


The year before that:


And the year before that:


See what I mean?

Here's my kiddos from last year.
(I can't find one of my daughter. She was a nurse.)

We recycled the shark attack costume again this year. It still fit and, I mean, really. It's just awesome.

I did find this pic of Livy as a cheetah.

We've had block partys at camp (the 70's hippie pic is from one of them. I reused that costume for halloween.) They are always more fun when you dress up. 

This is what I wore for a Yee-Haw fundraiser.

Here's hubs from our very first trunk or treat. (Same year I did the Alien van.)

And the year after that, he was a Jonas Brother, but I can't find a pic. (Pam, do you have one?)

This is us at the very first camp block party. It was 80's night.

Big 80s Hair falls for Mr. T.

 

Ok. I've made the case that I LOVE to costume myself and others around me.

Who's with me? 

I know that Pam has pulled off some fabulous costumes, but that's a post she'll have to write. Maybe after her Trunk or Treat this weekend? *hopefully bats eyelashes*

Happy Halloween, everyone!

~Jen

Click below for the 31 days series.

Pinspiring

That’s a little misleading.  I wasn’t necessarily inspired by a pin.  I did keep up with the photo searches I did for inspiration with Pinterest. 

Anywho.  Here’s what I wanted.  Every year Davy gets a bear ornament, Liv gets a mouse ornament, and Gabe gets a reindeer.  Sometimes, it’s difficult and expensive to find good ornaments.  I decided to make them this year. 

So the search began.  Thank you very much Google Images.

Ok.  So that’s what I’m copying.  Here’s what I made.

I’m so proud.  They’re so cute!  Dave LAUGHED at me for being so excited about my work.  Laughed! 

It was fun making them, but even more fun carrying on a tradition that we’ve had all of their lives. 

Oh.  And you better believe these are going on Pinterest. 

(Is it terribly sad that you blog only to have somewhere to pin your work from?) 

Sugar Jesus, anyone?

This is a re-post from Easter Season 2009.  It may become a yearly tradition.  I love this memory.

Pam sent me a link to a lovely blog today. Over at Momminitup, she contends that nothing says Happy Easter like the Cadbury Egg. Or, not exactly that, just go see what she says.

But WAIT!! Read this first. I promise you won't be disappointed.

See the picture above? Of course you do. YES, that is a chocolate crucifix. And yes, you are supposed to eat it.

No, I have never eaten a chocolate crucifix, but I've come close.

See, nothing will ever say Easter for me quite like the Sugar Jesus my sister and I had every year. I'll repeat that. We called it Sugar Jesus. I have no idea what the thing was actually called.

My next door neighbors were two unmarried sisters and their mother. I think, I was small and don't hold on to details like I used to. These wonderful women loved holidays. At Christmas we had a neighborhood Nativity Pageant. I was always an angel. Our front porch must have been Nazareth, because Joseph & Mary started the journey to the Bethlehem next door from there. We had costumes, a huge stable, and all the neighborhood kids doing this every year. Us girls were usually jockeying to be Mary, I don't think the boys cared or they tried to get out of being Joseph. There was hand-holding involved.

That just sets up the point that these ladies loved holidays. At Easter, every year they made the sugar eggs. You know the ones that are hollow and have a little grassy scene inside the window. I'm sure they have a name, but again, details flying out of my head.

That is not the only thing they made with sugar.

YES. Their candy mold looked a lot like the one used for the chocolate creation above. I looked all over the Internet for a picture of a Sugar Jesus, but apparently Sis and I are the only ones who ever had them. That was as close as I could get.

At the time, I never thought, "This could be completely irreverent, nibbling on Jesus' head, left hand, right hand, feet, left arm, right arm, legs...etc." Although I do think I always saved the head for last, and nibble would not be correct, either. We were just little girls, enjoying a tradition that tasted like we simply put a spoon in the sugar bowl.

So now I argue with my fellow blogger. Nothing says "let's celebrate our Lord's death & Resurrection" like giving children sugar versions of the crucifix. I can guarantee that they will remember it for the rest of their lives. My sister would definitely agree with me.

Well, I am thinking of ordering these candy molds and continuing the tradition. Then again...

On that note, I truly hope you and yours have a wonderful and thought provoking Easter.

What are some of the childhood memories of Easter that you have? Can you still taste the sugar on your tongue? I know I can.

***My non-southerner husband had no idea what I was referring to with the sugar egg... crazy, I know!

Even better than that house fire?

If you know me at all, you know I’m a stickler for correct language usage.  And I’ll correct you.  (It’s an annoying habit, I know.  I’m working on not being so annoying in future.)  I get it from my daddy.  Hi Dad!

Well, I was looking through the pics of the mistaken-house-fire-siren-santa-fire-truck.

Here’s the next photo.

Can you see the sign on the back of the truck?

Well, here’s a better look.

Hahaha!  It just made me laugh.  They’re wishing the Mount Carmel Mayor AND Alderman and Fire Department a Merry Christmas. 

Poor Fire Department.  It is not only at the end of the list, it only gets a lower case and.

Well, I thought it was funny.  Laugh or I’ll re-post my Major Award post from last year.  I’m totally not kidding.

It’s better than a house fire.

Been a while.  I know, I know.

Seems like all of my posts start out with an apology for not posting more.  Whoopsie.

This past Saturday, I was lounging around, catching up on GLEE when Dave comes and asks what all the noise was.  I had my earphones in so I had no clue what he was talking about.

Lo and behold, sirens.  Not just sirens. 

SIRENS!!! 

Everywhere, sirens.  Well, one neighborhood over, everywhere.

I immediately start praying for the poor family whose house is burning just at Christmas.

I mean, can you imagine?

Then Davy sees the fire truck. 

With Santa riding on top.

Apparently, in this small shire of Mount Carmel, TN, the fire department rides around every year throwing out candy/stuffed animals/heart attacks to the fine residents.  It really is wonderful. 

What would have been more wonderful would have been to know about it before I started an intercession session for that hypothetical  now-homeless family.

Oh well. 

It was all good fun, and well, see the title.

 

Merry Christmas!!!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Retro Christmas Pic ~~ Merry Christmas Eve!

I could look at this picture all day. But it's Christmas Eve, so I won't.

This is my sister and myself at our grandparents' house. I love that she has a laundry basket of apples under the tree. She always did at Christmas.

Grandmothers.

Who knows why they do things they do?

Well.

These two little Christmas Elves are wishing you a Merry Christmas!

“It’s a Major Award!”

I’ll now be taking questions regarding the photo drive-by that I was involved in this afternoon.

Yes this is the house in question. Yes I participated from our family vehicle.

Yes, I made my husband stop in the middle of the street so that I could get a good picture of this house. I also made him turn around to give me time to change my camera settings back to auto. We sat in the middle of the street, but it’s not a crowded street, so it was ok.

Yes this window is the reason we stopped. Yes I shouted out “They have a Major Award in their window!!!” the first time I saw it. Yes it took my family a moment to know what I meant.

Yes I was aware that these were sold (or perhaps they won it????) I was not aware that anyone actually bought them.

Last question.

YES, I’m totally tromping around their backyard tomorrow looking for that Italian delivery crate.

This interview has been my early Christmas gift to you.

Schleich Nativity up close & personal

Last year for Christmas my sister (Hey there, Sis!) gave our family this wonderful Nativity set. If you have any Schleich animals, you know what this is like. It’s like a hard rubber. AKA indestructible. With my kids, that is important.

I had forgotten about it, until we pulled out the Christmas decorations yesterday. The kids were excited all over again. And this set always makes me smile. Let me introduce you.

The Holy Family. And Wayne Brady.

Here’s various pictures of the magi/shepherds/livestock.

I didn’t realize that the Amish had a community in Bethlehem. I also didn’t realize some of them have taken a liking to the smoky eye. Watch out Adam Lambert.

This cracks me up. Look at her face. It looks like she’s thinking “I just had a baby, in a barn & now all these people are in here?!!” Well, to ease your mind Mary, things haven’t progressed much in this area. Nurses, Interns, Lactation Consultants, In-laws, heck even Janitors hang around during most births these days. But now we have drugs that make us not care so much. I guess that is progress.

Joseph looks, well… a little… stoned here. That’s all I’m sayin’. Maybe he took all of Mary’s pain meds. Give that man some cheetos.

And here’s our star. As a mom, that baby looks cold. Everyone else has on cloaks and robes and the Savior gets a loincloth.

But, all cynicism and sarcasm aside, this is really the point of it all. That He would humble himself to such a low place in order to make a way for us. And that is what makes me smile every time I see this Nativity.

*ps*

I just wanted to show how small this really is and what a kickin’ micro setting I have on my camera.

What is your favorite Christmas Decoration and the meaning behind it? Come on. You know it’s not your favorite just because it’s cute.

A lesson on Thanksgiving

My oldest son is reading books for his History and English parts of school. One of the books he read was The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty. So for a “break” today, I asked him to come up with a lesson from the book for Livy & Gabe. He read a chapter from the book then had them re-enact it. With props. It was great.

I don’t think you can see it, but they are harvesting and shucking paper corn. (Please ignore the vacuum in the other room.)

Davy is explaining the animals and how to kill them with the beads he provided.

“Stay there, bear. Let them kill you.”

He made all of the props himself out of construction paper. He tapped the creative portion of his gene pool.

Livy is aiming and throwing the beads to kill the paper animals.

Look at the rack on that deer. Can you tell the boy loves hunting? I think that’s his dream deer.

“Let us give thanks for our paper meal.”

“Now, dig in!”

They rounded out the lesson by telling things they are thankful for. Family, food and dog were in the top 3.

I’m thankful for 3 things as well. Can you guess what they are?