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Monday, October 31, 2011

Day 304: Trick or Treat!

October 31
We had a great night trick-or-treating with friends.  Happy Halloween!

Day 303: U2

October 30
We have quite the U2 CD collection.  I think there might be a few more that didn't make it into the shot.

Day 302: Zombie Lexi

October 29
Today was our church Halloween party, and this zombie came along for the ride.  I love that this is the one of my girls who was the most into princesses and pink glitter.

(Don't ask how long it took to get her hair back to normal.  It was worth it, though.)

Day 301: Getting Ready for Halloween

October 28
I worked at the school book fair this morning and forgot to take pictures, so the best I have is this detail of Lexi's Halloween costume.  It's going to be awesome.  Gruesome, but awesome.

Day 300: Another Fall Tree

October 27
I remembered on my way into class tonight that I hadn't taken a picture yet, and this tree caught my eye.

Day 299: Seize the Day!

October 26
Vicki has been working on this song for several weeks now, and, amazingly, I'm still not tired of listening to it.

Day 298: Dessert?

October 25
Ellie came up with a "dessert" recipe all on her own and insisted on making it.  It included (lots of) sugar, apple pieces, chocolate chips, sprinkles, tomatoes, and cheese, and would have included goldfish crackers if we'd had any on hand.  Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as tasty as she'd envisioned.

Day 297: I Love Fall!

October 24
Fall is my favorite season because of all the colors, and I've loved this particular tree for as long as we've lived here.  Now that the house is for sale, I'd love for it to be mine, but I think I'll have to be content to admire it from afar as we walk to and from school.

Day 296: Brownies

October 23
Lexi made these brownies from scratch.  (She also decorated them herself, with liberal amounts of powdered sugar and sprinkles.)  They were fantastic!

Day 295: Good Food with Good Friends

October 22
Our friends loaned us the entire 6 seasons of Lost on DVD with the understanding that we'd have a Lost discussion dinner once we finished.  It took just over a year, but we finally got to have that dinner party tonight!

Day 294: Guava Cheesecake

October 21
Chris surprised me with lunch out, something we can actually do on a weekday now that the kids are all in school.  We went to Pambiche, a tasty Cuban restaurant here in Portland.  All the dessert choices looked and sounded excellent, but I highly recommend this cheesecake.

Day 293: Yay for Me!

October 20
My first test in, oh, 11 years.  And in chemistry, no less.  Needless to say, I'm pretty proud of myself!

Day 292: Paper Bags

October 19
Of course the first week the "no plastic bags" law goes into effect, I forget my reusable bags.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Day 291: Homework

October 18
Keeping myself busy during Vicki's piano lesson.

Day 290: Laundry

October 17
Just a small sample of the clothes I have washed and folded today.  And it's only about half done.  I should really just do it more often, but I despise the laundry.

Day 289: Trick or Treat Candle

October 16
After begging me for days and days, Vicki finally took matters into her own hands and got out the Halloween decorations this afternoon.  This is one of three similar candle holders that we made with her Girl Scout troop last year.  Mod Podge is fun.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Day 288: Celebratory Dinner

October 15
Thursday evening I took my first test in a long, loooong time.  This morning the scores were posted.  I got 77 out of 75, woohoo!!!  To top it off, mine was the highest score in the class!  Needless to say, I'm very pleased with myself.  The rest of the family is excited for me, too, and we went out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  I think I can do this college thing after all!

Day 287: Corn Maze!

October 14
Every year we take Vicki's Girl Scout troop to the corn maze.  This year we made them do it blindfolded.
(Well, okay, they took turns leading each other through.  It was a trust-building exercise disguised as fun.)

Day 286: Whoops

October 13
I have a bad habit of almost setting cookbooks on fire - this is the third.  It was laying on the stovetop, and when I went to cook a pot of soup, I accidentally turned on the wrong burner.
I should probably stop leaving cookbooks on the stovetop.

Day 285: New Ride

October 12
Ellie got this scooter for her birthday, and today was the first day she was able to ride it to school.  Check out the determination on her face.

Day 284: Worm in a Bowl

October 11
Ellie and her friend found a tiny worm outside and decided to adopt it.  They put him in this bowl, filled it with dirt, found a mismatched lid, and then left it sitting on my kitchen table.  Ew.

Day 283: Pillows

October 10
This was an "oh, no, I haven't taken a picture yet!" kind of day, and I didn't want to get out of bed.

Day 282: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

October 9
Yum!

Day 281: Daddy-Daughter Sewing Project

October 8
Lexi and I went to the fabric store today so she could pick out some fabric for a project we've been meaning to start since her birthday (back in August).  Once we got home, I had some schoolwork to get done, so Chris took over as her assistant.  I love that he'll do stuff like this with the girls.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Day 280: Birthday Girl

October 7
We celebrated Ellie's birthday tonight.  She was very clear about the type of cake she wanted: chocolate, with blue frosting and a rainbow.  I think I did a pretty decent job of carrying out her demands wishes.  We got her a scooter and a new helmet, which she wore all evening.  I can't believe my baby is 6!

Day 279: New Art Supplies

October 6
Today is Ellie's birthday.  We didn't get to do much celebrating because Vicki had a doctor's appointment and I had class, but Grandma & Grandpa Y. sent her an art set, and she and Lexi used it to collaborate on this picture for me (which is not of me, but Rapunzel from Tangled), which I found taped to my door when I got home past bedtime.

Day 278: International Walk & Bike to School Day

October 5
Our school was one of the first to participate in the local Safe Routes to School program, so we received major recognition today.  Among our high-profile visitors was State Senator Jackie Dingfelder, who spoke to the kids about how important it is to her that we have safe ways to travel to and from school.  "Sidewalks" is a word that was used repeatedly, so our fingers are all crossed!

Day 277: For all Your...Special...Medical Needs

We drive by this place every week on our way home from piano lessons, but I've never noticed what it's called before.

Day 276: Here, Kitty Kitty

October 3
This is our kitty friend, Stormy.  Most of the kitties in the neighborhood are too skittish to play with on our walk home, but Stormy always comes to say hello.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Day 275: Star Punch

October 2
I guess someone thought the plant needed a little sprucing up.

Day 274: Centennial

October 1
Today was the centennial celebration for our little part of Portland.  We didn't really get to participate in the festivities because we had a lot going on, but Vicki and I happened to be at the Farmer's Market right before they handed out the cupcakes.  Sadly, we had to leave and didn't get to enjoy eating them.  But we love being a part of this community!