Emmett

Caeden decided just a few days ago that he did want to dress up and go trick-or-treating.  I had a
not-at-all-fun fiasco with Amazon trying to get this hoodie here so Caeden could be Emmett from the Lego Movie.  It all worked out at the end, but I wasted a lot of frustrated, fruitless hours on it over the past 2 days.  I'm glad it ended well and he could have fun dressing up as Emmett.  

Sylvia covered a box with red paper for him, so he could have "the piece of resistance" as part of his costume too.   

It was really cold and very windy, so Jeremy just took Caeden down to the community center for trick-or-treating all in one place.  

He was a happy trick-or-treater!

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight the kids and I carved our happy pumpkins.  The kids did much more of it themselves than they have in years past (- 2007 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - ), including actual carving!   

We had pizza and iTunes radio kids' halloween music.  

I cut the tops off and did some of the scraping of the insides, but the kids did most of it.  

The girls even carved their pumpkin faces completely on their own this time.

Caeden tried some carving too, and found it was kind of tricky.  

We worked together to finish his pumpkin.

Sylvia carved hers without drawing it on, and Annah drew hers free-hand then carved it.  In the past, we've always used stencils.   

All 6 cute litte pumpkins... 

Tummy bug

I came across this wonderful quote again this week and had to make note of it again.  Such a good reminder for me...

Today, Caeden is home from school.  Actually, he came home from school not feeling well yesterday.  I was there volunteering with the school nurse and the Smile Illinois program, and Caeden ended up in the nurse's office doubled over with stomach pain.  After a while of him trying to rest and not feeling better, she found a replacement volunteer for me and we came home.  He rested and didn't get sick until about 5:30 last night.  Then, he realized he was experiencing his first bout with the stomach flu.  He was sick for about 4-5 hours, then slept all night.  However, he had to stay home from school today to recuperate.
(Sylvia came home with stomach pain yesterday, but never did have any other symptoms.)

After he got a shower this morning, he settled into the recliner...

He watched some Pink Panther, Felix the Cat, Shaun the Sheep, and Rocky and Bullwinkle.  I love that he loves the old cartoons!  

Hog roast

Just a few weeks ago, Jeremy was talking with Pastor Todd about the fact that we're not having a fall event at church this year.  Many factors went into that, but Jeremy mentioned that he would like to roast a hog and just invite everyone he knows to come eat and hang out.  They decided then and there to do just that--nothing fancy, no big to-do--just have a hog roast, invite friends, and hang out.

Yesterday morning, Jeremy left home before 5am and drove to his dad's butcher shop in Indiana to pick up the hog.  He came home and took a couple hour nap this afternoon.  He got the huge hog roaster into the back of Shannon's truck (with a tiny bit of help from me).  He left home about 5pm last evening to  pick up a few more supplies he needed, then went to the church to get things set up.  

He said he managed to get a little more sleep before his buddy Dave arrived at the church at 2:45 a.m. to light the roaster and get that hog going! Dave posted this picture on his Facebook about 6 a.m.  Not looking too sleep deprived yet.

Meanwhile, back at our house...I was having unexplained stomach pain, and these two weren't helping!  They tried to play together outside and were inside complaining about each other within minutes.  Time for another 10-minute hug.  Thankfully, this works for them.

When we got to the church, the guys were finishing pulling the meat apart.  

The "hog masters" surveying the crowd...

It was a pretty good crowd--about 125 people and lots of new faces.

These ladies saw our event on Facebook and had called me a few days ago to ask if they could come! One of them had never been to a hog roast before, and they just came and introduced themselves.  Awesome!

It was a perfectly gorgeous afternoon! 

 It was about 80 degrees--almost too warm for hot chocolate and s'mores over a fire, until the sun set and it cooled down just right.

These guys played Star Wars Monopoly inside, but most everyone else stayed outside.

It was a beautiful day for a hog roast, and such a nice way to celebrate fall.  I was able to meet and chat with every guest that came and have conversations with several people I don't know terribly well--something I don't always get to do on a Sunday morning.  It was just the kind of thing we needed at this time--time to just hang out and get to know people better.  Thanks, Lord!

P/T Conf week

This week is the beginning of the second quarter at school.  That means parent/teacher conferences are this week.  

The girls' art teacher requested a conference with me, which we had by email.  She recommended Annah as a good candidate for art in high school if she can make room for it in her schedule next year.  I mentioned that the girls would like to be more active in Art Club, but since it meets on Thursdays they can't come because they have music lessons in town.  She replied immediately by changing the day of art club meeting!  Art Club involves junior high and high school students, and 2 teachers staying after school--one who commutes over an hour and has children of her own in school!  I am just blown away by the fact that she would do something like that just so Annah and Sylvia could be involved in an extracurricular activity!!  I was never encouraged by the art teachers I had in school (even though I loved art and wanted to do more with it), so it means double to me that my kids are being encouraged in art.  They are so excited to get to be part of Art Club each month now! What a blessing!

I had a face-to-face conference with Caeden's homeroom teacher last night, which went well.  She said his being in class adds to it, and I was glad to hear that.  We had a great discussion about his strengths and things he needs to work on.

I sat at the wrestling sign-up table with coach Scott while waiting for coach Jeremy to get there after a meeting at work.  Several kids signed up; looks like they'll have a good club again this season!

I made 77 corn muffins with love and prayers for the chili supper the PTA is putting on for the teachers tomorrow night. It is the very least I can do for all they do for our kids!

Today, while I was at school working with the choirs, I was reminded there was an honors assembly for the elementary kids.  It was fun to go and see Caeden recognized as one of 4 kids in 4th grade to receive all A's for the 1st quarter.  He was really stressing out that he was going to get a B in reading, and was so relieved to bring it up to an A with his last assignment.  Proud of our boy!

Fall in Arrowsmith

We had a beautiful, crisp morning here in Arrowsmith--31 degrees and radiant autumn colors!  I decided to go for a walk around the village after the kids got on the bus.  I took these pictures just after sunrise with my iPhone.

hard frost last night

our house in the light of sunrise

neighbors' gourd birdhouses and windmill

at the corner of the cornfield

beside the church

  

 A Time for Everything 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

 a time to be born and a time to die, 

 a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal, 

 a time to tear down and a time to build, 

a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

 a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 

 a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

a time to search and a time to give up, 

 a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend, 

 a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

a time to love and a time to hate, 

 a time for war and a time for peace. 

What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 

Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account." 

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (NIV)