Our Halloween at Home!

Snowed in.

This was actually the first night of snow (Wednesday). The drifts were up to 4 feet by the time the storm ended Friday.


No chance of getting out Friday night for the church Halloween party and the community's Moonlight Madness (which was postponed until next week! Yay!) So this is how we celebrated our Halloween at Home!




Before the storm hit, and before Daddy left us in the middle of the storm with no power so he could beat the weather to Missouri to take a farrier exam, we colored pumpkins! (It's just easier for us right now, AND then I can use them later to make yummy pumpkin treats!)

Friday's Frightful Fare:

Potion Punch (pink lemonade Koolaid with green food coloring. Looks gross. Tastes great!)

Batty toast. (Spread with nutella with white chocolate swirled holiday baking morsels for eyes.)

Monster fingers (coctail weinies wrapped in tortilla strips with ketchup nails.) and Eyeballs (mushroom caps with mozzerella cheese, black olive slices & a tiny piece of cherry pepper in the middle - my kids actually liked these better than the monster fingers. Weird kids.)

Pear ghost with chocolate chip facial features.

Pumpkin pizza.

What we did to cure the cabin fever on Saturday afternoon:

This is gonna be awesome....

here I go!!!

Climbing Everest.

Wheeeeeeeeee!

Who needs sleds when you have slick snowpant hineys???

Yummy snow.

More yummy snow. The kid couldn't get enough and found it was easier to just stick his face in it for a mouthful. Crazy boy!

Aaaaaaaaahhhh!

Our snowman.

Saturday's Spooky Supper:

The Pear Witch Project (Pear, pomegranate seeds, craisin, shredded carrot, tortilla & Nutella. The cat is a tuna sandwich with cream cheese we colored with black food coloring.)

Black food coloring is awesome. *EXTREME SARCASM*

All dressed up, and nowhere to go! Batman & Batgirl. Total for both costumes: $9.00 (would've been $4, except Clayton HAD to have the Batman snowmask, and I caved so I wouldn't have to engineer the construction of one myself. Plus, it perfectly matched the onesie I freezer paper stenciled myself.)

Pin-the-tail-on-the-black-cat. Clayton didn't want to play, so Caroline commandeered all the tails.

Chunky Monkey

Connor & I had our 6-week checkup on Wednesday. It was actually 7 weeks because that was when they could fit us in the schedule.

The doctor had us go in at 1 week instead of two and Connor weighed 8 lbs at that point (he'd gained 8 oz in the 4 days since we'd taken him home from the hospital. So here we are 6 weeks later with a 12.6 lb baby boy. He may not have started life out as heavy as his big brother, but he sure seems eager to catch up! I just want him to stay little a bit longer. But I have to admit, those chubby thighs and kissable cheeks are definitely an adorable bonus to the weight gain!

Autumn Harvest

Back in June, when the hail hit and I lamented to my mother that all my hard work in the garden was for naught, she encouraged me to keep taking care of the garden and pray that our efforts to follow the counsel of latter-day prophets would be blessed. I'm so grateful I listened to and followed her advice!

In addition to the hundred or so jalepenos and bushels of tomatoes (some of which we picked while still green and are ripening in a box) that are slowly being made into salsa a batch at a time; we have loads of beets, 5 huge heads of cabbage, 5 acorn squash, 3 big white pumpkins, 6 baby boo pumpkins and 3 lovely large broccoli crowns. We had fresh corn on the cob with a few meals and we've also enjoyed fresh cucumbers and had zucchini and crookneck squash coming out of our ears!

A few days after I returned from the hospital with Connor, I walked through the garden and couldn't help but offer a silent prayer of thanks for the hail. Not only had I learned to have more faith in the Lord and exercise it when following his commandments, but also to trust in him to know me and what I need at a certain time. Had the garden not been pulverized and survived to be in the condition I originally planned, I would have had tons of vegetables to can and not been able to do it as I recuperated from the C-section. Heavenly Father knew this back when I planned & planted the garden.

I'm still able to provide for our little family with the bountiful harvest we've had, but not over do it. "I know my Father Lives, and loves me too. The Spirit whispers this to me, and tells me it is true. And tells me it is true." How thankful I am for these little "tender mercies" that teach me to trust more fully in Him, and help my testimony to grow stronger each day!