Baby, It's Cold Outside

So it's been unseasonably warm since the freak snow we got on October 15th. But of course, if we're going to go stand in line at Target at 4AM, it's a great day for a cold snap.

Better yet, if we're going to go sit in town square to listen to Kairi play carols and watch them turn on the Christmas lights, it should be cold and WINDY.

Brrr..... maybe we SHOULD move to Australia!

Thanksgiving

I've been racking my brain trying to think about how to write about this Thanksgiving, but in the end I decided to go with truthful, but not rude.

This year, it was a bit hard to face this holiday. Finding things to be thankful for was a challenge. Barry and Cyndy were separated in August, causing some stress through both their family and ours. Then Cyndy spent most of Monday of this very week in the hospital, causing Jenn's Mom to come down on Tuesday, only to leave on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Jenn was having problems with a student in one of her classes and I had been transferred to a new department at my work in June right before vacation, after spending the past 8 years with the same team leader and group of people. My mom was having back problems, causing her have to use a walker and also to get bi-weekly steroid injections.

With all of the flux going on with family, we didn't know how many people were going to appear. We were assuming at least 9, and as many as 11, so we prepared a lot of food. It turns out the only people who actually came for dinner were my parents. Barry, Faith, and Juli stopped over for dessert and watched part of the Cowboys game. Cyndy never made it over.

The food was great (especially the stuffing and pie), and we enjoyed seeing everyone who came. But it was far from a perfect Thanksgiving. In the end, we did have things to be thankful for. We were thankful that in the tough economic times that Jenn and I both have employment, and were able to have such a nice meal. We were thankful to see my parents and Barry and the girls. And we were thankful that Cyndy was getting well after her medical emergency.

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

Wednesday night, there is a tradition in our house where we start getting ready for Thanksgiving. The house was cleaned, the radio was tuned to Delilah (who starts playing Christmas songs this very night) and then we started on food.

The dill dip was made (and we decided that although fresh herbs are great, dried dill works better for the dip). I did the cranberry sauce solo this year, which was a first for me. It wasn't difficult, actually, once, and I will be happy to do it from now on.

Jenn worked on the sweet potato casserole. The potatoes were thrown in the oven to bake. We learned this year that we should put a pan under the potatoes so they don't leak and mess up the bottom of the oven.

Finally, we made pies. I always make the pumpkin filling and Jenn makes the crusts and apple pie filling. We almost didn't have pumpkin pie this year due to a pumpkin shortage (bad weather in Illinois, or something). Fortunately for us, I think we found the last cans of pumpkin in the Valley. :)

Jenn's pie crusts were perhaps the best she ever made them. The apple pie filling was made with two types of apples (Golden Delicious and McIntosh). Jenn even went as far as evenly distributing the apple slices in the pie instead of just dumping them into the crust. As it turned out, this worked very well because it filled the pie and prevent slipping when the pie was cut the next day.

While hosting these types of things can be stressful (especially this year), I still enjoy getting ready when Jenn and I can do it together.

Turkey...for dessert

Jenn and I were scheduled to teach Junior Church on Thanksgiving Sunday, so she decided that the snack that we would bring in should be cupcakes.

But since it's Thanksgiving, we couldn't bring just any cupcakes. So, with the help of Kai, Nick, Faith, and Juli, we made turkey shaped chocolate cupcakes.

They were very adorable, and the decorating was done mostly with icing and candy corns. And, of course, the Boos favorite part was making sure they tasted good after we were done!

A Minor Christmas Catastrophe

We wanted to do something fun with the kids last weekend, but we weren't sure what. Then we stopped for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts and saw flyers advertising Hershey Park's Christmas Candylane. For about $40, all four of us could have access to rides and holiday fun all over the park with the exception of the roller coasters. So we hopped in the car and headed over.

We had tons of festive fun, from the train ride through lighting displays to the strolling bands playing Christmas songs. We also enjoyed some favorite rides like Scrambler, the Kissing Tower, and the Reese's Extreme Cup Challenge. The entire park was wonderfully decorated.
Unfortunately, no sooner did we arrive at the park than my digital camera, which had been dying for weeks, bit the dust. The drive for the lens is completely shot, and the shutter won't open. So I grabbed a tossaway camera with (gasp!) film.

Every picture I took after that point is, well, frankly horrible. I didn't want to spend a fortune to replace the camera right before Christmas, but we needed something. So, for the price of a tossaway film camera plus developing, I bought a digital camera on eBay. I knew it was a downgrade from my old digital. In fact, it's the same model I had for my FIRST digital camera. What I had forgotten was how lousy that camera really was! Still, it will be better than nothing for the holiday season, or until we can afford to get me the camera I really want.

Or maybe Santa will bring me the Canon PowerShot SX20IS with 20X Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5 Inch Articulating LCD.

Or a pony.

Once More, With Feeling

Thanks to the incompetence of the football team, marching band season is over for the year. The band's final show was at the Northern States Championships. They did a great job, but I think they were more focused on going out for pizza after the show than nailing their scores. Oh, well! You win some, you lose some. And next August, you start all over again!

You Didn't Tell Me You Were Gonna Kill It!

Most of our Halloween festivities were over by the actual day of Halloween. (Thanks so much, Pennsylvania!) We actually ended up spending the day doing various Christmas-y things, like filling the shoeboxes for Operation: Christmas Child, and finding a couple of Christmas presents along the way. So by the evening, we decided we needed to do something more seasonal. Nick had the perfect suggestion - why hadn't we carved our pumpkins yet?

Kairi, on the other hand, had the perfect idea - stay back and watch and let everyone else get their hands covered in pumpkin guts.

With a little help from us...

Nick carved his pumpkin just like he wanted. It's supposed to be just like the one Lucy drew on the back of Charlie Brown's head during the Peanuts Halloween party. Yes, he's a bit obsessed this year.

We turned out the lights, enjoyed the pumpkins, and made shadow animals until bedtime. The other pumpkin? Oh, that was mine. Depending on who you ask, the reason mine was completely carved before Nicky's pumpkin was even hollowed out was either:

A) I have mad pumpkin skills.

B) It was less than 1/3 the size of Nick's.

C) I cheated.

I'll leave you to decide.

Me Vs. Me

Friday night's football game is one I've been trying to avoid. Wilson, the school where I teach, played Saucon, where my kids go to school.

Fortunately, it was never really a contest. Our band consistently trounces their band, although I have many former students in the band who I'm very proud to have taught. Their football team? Well, let's just say I wasn't really surprised by the final score. Wilson 44, Saucon 14.

It was also Senior Night, so the band performed three times. First, they played the team onto the field in their traditional tunnel of sound. Then, they played a Halloween themed short halftime show, featuring the song "Thriller" complete with the zombie dance. That way, there was time at halftime to recognize the seniors and the homecoming court. Finally, they did their entire show, with the fire batons, at the end of the game. And that's not counting the stand songs they played through three of the four game quarters. Phew!

Here's some pictures of the evening. First, here's Wilson's band in the pre-game:

Saucon piping the players onto the field:
A shot from the lopsided game:
A shot of the band in the stands:
And some really cute kid playing trumpet:
I'm glad that's over for the year. I tried to be as neutral as Switzerland, but I'm just no good at it!

Thrilling Video

Scott shot this video of the band on his iPod during Friday night's game. Sorry it's so far away, but if you know the "Thriller" dance, you might be able to guess the moves they are doing. Happy Halloween!

A Belt of Another Color

Nick was especially excited about his graduation tonight because he was advancing to his favorite color - purple!

After a demonstration of combinations and kicks, all the students got what they came for - their new belts.

And the parents got the pictures they came for, too.

You Mean It's NOT Raining??

We've gotten so used to rainy football games and rained out parades this fall that we were shocked to discover the sun shining on the day of the Bethlehem parade. We left church after Sunday School in order to get Kairi to the high school by noon so she could get into her uniform and get ready to practice and then get on the bus. The rest of us found our way to center city Bethlehem to find parking and stake out a spot on Main Street near the juding tent.

Nick also had a chance to change into his costume.

Cyndy had Faith and Juli for the day, and they spent the early part of the afternoon at Seiple Farm picking out pumpkins and petting the farm animals. They got into Bethlehem just as the parade was starting.

Some of the groups in the parade throw out candy (although not much as they do in Hellertown -- which was canceled this year because of rain). Faith was the only brave one in the group to run out and get candy, but in the end she ended up getting a lot of help from an older girl sitting next to us. While Juli didn't do any of the candy-grabbing, she got to do some of the candy eating, including some of the fall flavor Jelly Belly jelly beans we had bought earlier while waiting for the parade to start.

Finally, the reason we were there came marching down the street.Saucon put on quite a show. The crowd hadn't really gotten excited about anything that had passed by. There was an occasional smatter of polite clapping, and squeals from the kids when candy flew, but Saucon's band had people cheering and clapping when they broke into their rendition of "Thriller" complete with the zombie dance.

We later asked Kai if they had just done the dance that one time for the judges, and she told us they had done it every few blocks all along the parade route. Ouch!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Nicky insisted that his Halloween costume this year be a replica of the famous Charlie Brown ghost costume. If anyone asks him who he is supposed to be, he's planning to say, "I had a little trouble with the scissors." It's a bit silly, but it came out cute, and he's thrilled with it.

Still, if you're going to have a Charlie Brown, you need a great pumpkin! Fortunately, I saved a paper mache sphere I didn't get to use during Vacation Bible School. When the girls came over, and I didn't have anything Halloween for them to do, it was easy to add a cardboard tube to the top and call it a pumpkin. Just add orange paint!

Nick isn't actually going to use it as part of his costume. He's already got an accessory - a Snoopy in full WWI flying ace regalia. So we let the girls take it home. Hopefully, it's sunny tomorrow and they can get their real pumpkins from the patch. We've had rain every weekend since we got to go, and they're really jealous of our pumpkins! (That's because our pumpkin patch is REAL sincere.)

Back in the Saddle

Well, we thought the band did a GREAT job at Giants Stadium in the Yamaha Cup, but they ended up coming in eighth. We were all a bit bummed.

Fortunately, we had another competition tonight in Phillipsburg, NJ. We got Superior ratings across the board and picked up the special awards for music, marching, and to everyone's great surprise, color guard! Go Saucon!

Since we're just now getting home at 10:30, though, it's just fine that we'll end our season in a few more games, parades, and competitions. You CAN have too much of a good thing!

Jailhouse Blues

Poor Midnight! She has to be quarantined for 6 months, since her rabies vaccinations weren't up to date when she ran out the door one Sunday morning and disappeared for a month. We tried to make her habitat as pleasant as possible, but a big, tall cage with fluffy pillow and multiple ledges is still a cage.

She's going to have to get used to it. And until then, we all may need earplugs to sleep.

Miaaaaoooowww!

Our First (and Last) Trip to Giants Stadium

This evening, Kairi and the marching band played at the Marine Corps Invitational Yamaha Cup at Giants Stadium. The band did not participate in the competition last year, so this was our first trip to the stadium. The stadium will be torn down after the 2009 football season, so this is likely our last trip as well.

I hadn't considered the fact that I should not have worn my Eagles leather jacket, and while I got one dirty look when we left, the only comment I heard when we came in was a stadium worker who said "at least it's not the Cowboys".

The stadium itself is amazing. It's a huge bowl of red and blue seats surrounding an impressive football field. It's like a football cathedral. I can see why Jets fans, however, may be annoyed with having to use the place.

Both Nick and Jenn were impressed by the stadium, as well as the view of the New York skyline that could be seen from I-95 and the parking lot. Both of them now definitely want to go to a football game. Maybe we will try to get tickets to the Giants/Eagles game, but it would probably be safer if we just saw a game in Philadelphia. And, of course, we will have have to find a way to Lambeau Field one of these days.

Jenn had auditions for drama club which were already scheduled for today (the competition was originally supposed to be on Saturday, but was rescheduled due to weather), so that lead to an hectic trip to the stadium. We got there just in time to see the previous band leave and our band take the field. That was too close.

The band did an amazing job with the performance. Both Jenn and I thought it was the best we had seen the band perform. Both of the solos were the best that we had ever heard them.

We got a kick out of seeing the band on the big screen. Kairi only showed up once or twice passing through the screen one way or the other. Mostly the cameras were focused on the soloists (Tommy and Jamie), the drumline, and the pit. We did get to see a few more familiar faces though, and of course, we ended up buying the DVD.

Unfortunately, the awards ceremony isn't until 11:30PM, so at this point we don't know if we won. But everyone has the feeling that they scored very well, even if the didn't take first place. And if not, we are very proud of Kairi and the whole band.

Count Your Blessings

When you're worried and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep,
And you'll fall asleep... counting your blessings.

So. We COULD write a blog post about everything that went wrong this week. Really, we could. But here's our attempt at finding the silver lining:

Saucon Valley Teacher Strike

Guess what? Our kids get an extra vacation until November 11th! We can get to work on time every morning because we just don't have to get them out of the door. And even though Kairi has band practice and marching band competitions, she doesn't have to worry about getting her homework done. Woo!

Vet Bills

We have our cat back! She went missing about a month ago, and came back on our anniversary. And there have been many times throughout our life together that an unexpected $500 expense would have been very very bad. This week, it only means we can't pay off a credit card. Not too shabby. And once the 6 month rabies quarantine is over, we'll have a really nice cat condo cage to donate to charity.

S-Q-U-I-R-R-E-L

And isn't it nice that Scotty will have such a funny story to tell his grandkids about the day the squirrel got in their dad's/uncle's bedroom?

Weather, Whether We Like It Or Not

Snow in October! Such fun! Haven't you always wanted it to snow really really early? The cold and rain and snow gave us a free Saturday when the Yamaha Cup at Giants Stadium was rescheduled.

Balanced Scales

So, we only lost a pound or two this week, but at least we didn't gain any! And we got to have a nice anniversary dinner, too. And between us, we've lost 110 lbs. That is a very good thing.

We've Got The Power

And, yeah, even as I wrote this blog post at 11:30 this morning, our power went out. But Blogger saved the post, so no problem! Better yet, we had already planned an afternoon out of the house, and the power was on at the Rave, where we saw a double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D with our very delighted kids and nieces.

Hey, sounds like a great week to me!

Cookies to Fall For

Pumpkin Blossoms

We found the most delicious Hershey's kisses at Target a few weeks ago. Since we've been losing weight, we've been trying to avoid them ever since. But today we gave into temptation and decided to find a use for "Pumpkin Spice" Hershey kisses that didn't involve simply stuffing them in our mouths. (Yes, technically, they'll still get stuffed in our mouths on cookies, but we've gotten pretty good at giving away baked goods lately.)

I scoured the internet and couldn't find any recipes that didn't involve adding chocolate (which seemed to defeat the purpose of the delicate spicy taste of the kisses) or chopping the kisses into small bits (which means I would have needed to freeze them last night).

So, I decided to experiment a bit. I found a recipe for a ginger cookie that was rolled into balls and dipped in sugar like the peanut dough in peanut blossoms. (Thanks, Paula Deen!) Then, I made much smaller cookie portions than the recipe suggests, and smushed a pumpkin kiss into each baked cookie.

The result is too delicious to be allowed. So the cookies are all packed up to go to coffee hour at church tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to stop wearing my "skinny" (ish) jeans!

For those of you not particularly worried about your waistline, here's the recipe:

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 lg. egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients, add them to the shortening mixture, and beat well. Roll dough into small balls (approximately the size of a Hershey kiss), and roll the balls in sugar. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until edges are browned and cookies crack on top. Top each cookie with a kiss as soon as the cookies are out of the oven.

I used parchment paper, so I don't know if the cookies will stick if placed directly on the cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

Two for Two

The 2009 Edition of the Saucon Valley High School Marching Band is now two for two. Two competitions, two first place trophies.

Or what amounts to a first place trophy in the second competition, anyway. The "First Flag over the United Colonies" Band Festival in Easton doesn't give places. But it does give ratings, and it's not hard to tell that you're the head of the pack when you recieve the highest rating of "Superior" in Music, Marching, and General Effect, with an overall score of "Superior". We also won the special category of "Best Music".

Unfortunately, it's freakin' freezing out tonight. So we all shivered and shuddered and thanked God we weren't one of the scantily clad twirlers for the duration of the two hour festival. The wind is gusting up to about 40 mph tonight, and combined with the low temperatures, it was nearly unbearable. It was really surprising to see the bands pushing on with their shows in the wind - one color guard was using umbrellas (which promptly turned inside out) in their dancing, another went ahead with their fire batons, which were quite frankly a hazard - the wind kept blowing them out of the twirlers' grasps and nearly into their bandmates.

In fact, we thought the wind was having a negative effect on the ability of the bands to be heard - almost all the bands were quiet and muted from the stands. Until Saucon took the field. Then everyone in the audience realized that the other bands just weren't playing loud enough! Our show was phenomenal, and we're really proud to be band parents of such a hard working and talented group!

Pickin' Punkins

If we could have ordered up a perfect pumpkin patch day, it would have looked like today. The weather was picture perfect, the Eagles had a bye, and it was just the four of us for the afternoon.
We stopped by the carnival games first, where Kairi and Nicky rode on this cute fun-house style mine ride. They also spun themselves silly in a giant bear, and we all split a bag of cotton candy - which is suprisingly low in calories and has no fat. Really! Look it up!Next we explored the farm a bit. We loved the sign on the second bin here - it read "Red Warty Things - .30 lb" Even THEY don't know what they grew.Even though they're really too old for it, Nick and Kai walked through the haybale maze. Loses its charm when you can see over the bales!We also checked out the farm animals. According to Scott, since these baby birds are under a lamp, I'm supposed to tell you all that there were "hot young chicks" at the pumpkin patch. *groan* We take lots of pictures at the pumpkin patch, hoping for a few of those perfect autumn shots.
Kai and Nick tried to take a picture of me and Scott kissing, but kept messing up with the camera. So we had to keep kissing. Tragic. Really.
Then we hopped on a hay wagon and headed out to the field. We decided to give the corn maze a try this year, although neither Kai nor Scott were particularly excited about it. It was sponsored by the Crayola Factory this year, though I bet you can guess that from the overhead shot.
Nick, on the other hand, was very excited about the corn maze - and especially about the scavenger hunt to find 16 different crayons hidden in the maze.
After much trial and tribulation (they don't actually clean the paths so much as sort of clear the paths, making for very rough walking) we found every single crayon.
Course, it might have helped that I took a picture when we found this sign and used our digital camera as a map from then on!
Nicky claimed his prize, a free session in a local batting cage, and we headed to pick out our pumpkins.
We all found just the right pumpkin of course. Taking a picture of all four of us together is harder than it looks - my arm only stretches so far, and I tend to make funny faces when I'm trying to frame a picture at arm's length. For fairness, Scott wants a picture of me in here, too.
Finally, with aching feet and corn stalks in odd places, we headed back to the car. Hopefully we packed enough fall into this weekend to last us - with all of Kairi's upcoming football games and competitions, it may be the only fall we get!