Over the River and Through the Rain...

It rained when we left California and it rained all the way to Sun City, Arizona. It rained, rained, and it was foggy and windy, and floody. It rained a couple days in Arizona, and the temperature was less than to be desired (freezing, in fact). But we had a wonderful time with Mike's mom, his sister and husband the kids' only McCarthy cousin, Georgia. Mike's brother, Tim and his girlfriend also flew down from Oakland to spend a few days with us.

We went to the Musical Instrument Museum and the Phoenix Children's Museum. The Children's Museum will be on our to do list the next time we are down there. It is a sight to behold.

Santa was very kind to the kids and so were mom, dad, Grandma and Aunt Amanda and Uncle Moose, Uncle Tim and Melissa. Katie got ballet slippers and tap shoes from Aunt Amanda, as she starts dance class next week. Grandma made the cutest nap/bed rolls for the kids, including a matching pillow. They also got a few Wii games, including Disney Sing It, and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Colin even got his own mini Wii-mote and nunchuk from Santa. I got a new purse and The Pioneer Woman's cookbook from Mike, and a beautiful new blue and yellow quilt from my wonderfully talented mother-in-law (and finished just in the nick of time!). I'm a happy gal!

Mike got a smart phone after wanting one for over 2 years and I even hooked him up with accessories for it. Mike's mom sent us home with a kid's table from Ikea and two chairs to match. She even made little chair pads in that matches the fabric from their bed rolls. Katie got her first Duplo Legos (Toy Story ones) from Uncle Tim and Melissa. They got us a great set of prep bowls, and reusable paper-like towels.

I even got to make the kids new pillow cases thanks to the patient instruction of my mother-in-law, cut squares for a new quilt that she will make for Katie. She even sent me home with over 100 fabric squares for a quilt that I will be attempting this year. There are many more wonderful presents that we received that we are so grateful for.

We had a wonderful time in Arizona. After an all night drive home (getting home at 4:30am)with rain only when we hit Tulare County we are exhausted and taking the day to recover before the week starts again.

Too bad that Katie missed her first day of Primary today. But I guess next week will be the "first" day for her.

Onto the next: Colin's 7th birthday in 11 days!

We're Ready for Christmas

Are you?

Giveaways at The Vintage Pearl

The Vintage Pearl is having a couple giveaways. One is for a Vintage Silver Pendant Necklace and the other if for a Rustic Bloom Necklace. Both are very lovely. Go to her blog to check them out and the giveaway, too!

http://www.thevintagepearl.blogspot.com/

Traditions

Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, we won't be participating in the usual fair of Trick or Treating. We are choosing to obey the Sabbath and to keep it holy. I didn't even buy new Halloween costumes this year. Our 2 year old is too young to complain, but our almost 7 year old son is a bit put off by it and doesn't fully understand why it is he won't be scoring hoards of candy this year. Oh, we'll still carve our Jack-o-lanterns and I still put up my Halloween decorations.

But, we are going to focus on our roots and traditions. Growing up, my family had many Halloween traditions. My mom would make a dinner in a pumpkin - delicious, meaty, cheesy and laced with pimento olives. Also on the table were rolls, jello molds in the shapes of a ghost and pumpkin, a salad (I think) and for dessert - the Chocolate Cream Snow Ghost Pie. Before partaking of this creamy, chocolaty, whipped cream-topped confection, my mom would read the story of why there was a slice missing from it. Ooooo. Scary. Not really. But it was always fun to listen to. In our neighborhood, there was one house that had a cotton candy machine. Now that was cool. You bet there was always a line of trick or treaters waiting for this tower of spun sugar. There he was, every year with his cotton candy. Awesome.

I've grown up. Got married. Got the 2 kids. I've carried my mom's dinner in a pumpkin tradition to my own family. Even got my husband to like the olives ;). The cotton candy man is gone, though. Thankfully, we are having a Trunk or Treat at our church this year on the Friday before Halloween and you can bet there will be a cotton candy machine!

So with Halloween on a Sunday, and being the faithful, obedient Latter-day Saint that I am, I will obey the Sabbath and show my children that we can still have a fun and tradition-filled Halloween without gorging on tons of candy.

So here's where the new traditions start. My husband has Irish roots. Uh, duh. Look at our last name. A few years ago I looked up "Traditional Irish Halloween." I was excited with what I found. I found a few things including a few recipes that I never made. But this is the year! So in addition to my mom's dinner in a pumpkin goulash (that will be eaten earlier in the week), I will be making some Irish Halloween recipes that will be eaten on Halloween Eve.

Colcannon. It literally means "white head." Now don't get grossed out. It's not that kind of white head. It's mashed potatoes, kale, butter, salt, and pepper. Sounds pretty harmless, right? You can also add milk, cream (yum!), leeks (double yum!), onions, chives, or garlic. This is a year-round staple food of the Irish, but at Halloween it's choc full of surprises - literally. It is served with prizes of small coins concealed in it.

Barm Brack. A yeasty bread with raisins, currants, even candied orange and lemon peel and usually made in flattened rounds. Often served toasted with butter along with tea. I've made Irish soda bread before, but this is sweeter than that because of the raisins. Barm Brack is the center of an Irish Halloween custom. The bread traditionally contains various objects baked into the bread and is used as a sort of fortune-telling game. The objects include: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin, and a ring. Each item carries a meaning to the person who gets it in their slice of bread. The pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, "to beat one's wife with," would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Okay, I admit a few of these are a little off-putting, but it's just supposed to be for fun. I think I might just put a toy ring in the one I cook. Not too sure about baking all those other things in it.

Can't wait to try all this out and to see how my kids handle staying in this year.

Summer is gone...Back to School!

I am really behind on my blogging, but I wanted to post Colin's 1st day of 1st grade before I forget. I have a ton of pictures from summer and a lot to write about that, but I'll save it for another day.

Colin started 1st grade today. He was really excited, but I think a little nervous. On the way to school he said that his stomach hurt. Oh no. Could this be his father's nervous stomach passed down to another generation? But that went away as soon as he walked in and saw his classroom and his desk. He knows quite a few kids in his class so he was happy to see them. I snapped a few pictures before school, including the obligatory one at the front door, and measured him against the door jam of his closet (I've been doing this since we moved into the house on every birthday and now when he starts school). He has grown and inch and a half since January! Katie wanted in on the action, too. She is going to miss him this year. She has really grown attached to him this summer.

This is in front of his classroomand this is at his desk in his classroom. Notice how close he is to his teacher's desk and the front of the classroom? hmmm....