November Arrives Cloaked in White

On Halloween evening I was thankful for the mild weather that allow the kids to have their fun without having to dress for the arctic. In Colorado Halloween can go either way. The adults think of the years where lovingly made costume creations were cloaked in layers of sweaters, parka, mismatch gloves and the first knit cap you could lay your paws on. When the night is so cold that the thin handle of your trick-or-treat pail feels like it is out for revenge. The kids are oblivious to such goings on. We send the kids out on their own, trusting that they would look out for each other, hoping that the wind would not whip tornadoes of leaves upon the cheery groups begging for the goods.

But soon enough Mother Nature let November slip out the door and into the night on quiet, padded cat's paws. November morn was quiet, but cradled a small promise of snow that evening. As October turned her coat tails to leave, the wind blew in, stirring up the leaves, hustling many of them down the street. We braced ourselves for cold rain during rush hour, but it waited until most of us were tucked in a home to begin the rain. It too started quietly enough, but soon changed its tune, with the rain drops turning chunky and chasing snow flakes. The rain eventually gave way to the snow that covered the night trees and roof tops with a few inches of graceful whiteness. We knew it was coming so we were prepared. The outdoor cat seemed to know it, too, as she kept asking for more dinner. Her bed lain in wait for her two houses down where she really lives, but she takes up residence in our back yard, sleeping under an overturned wheel barrow by the pond. Gone were the sounds of cracking branches that rang out with last week's storm. In its place was the gentle, soothing sound of snow brushing against the dry leaves that remain on our grape vines. The sky decided to match the mute white wonderland, not allowing blue to peak out of the horizon until late this afternoon.

I am thankful for the calm that comes with November. October was great fun, but also crazy busy. I will welcome more nights when I can put on my slippers and have a cozy evening a home.

Halloween Night - Not Really a Fright! (Plus a Halloween Punch Recipe)

Ellie, Ariana, Maxl and Stephen had been planning to spend Halloween evening together for some time. They had planned to go trick-or-treating together and having fun. Then Maxl broke his ankle in a race and the plans changed. At first his ankle was very swollen, making it difficult for him to be mobile. The kids were faced with a choice of hanging out at his house watching movie and playing games or going trick-or-treating. They didn't even have to think about it. Maxl was way more important than free candy.

By the time Halloween came around Maxl's ankle did not hurt so much, so trick-or-treating was on. Ariana has to bow out at the last moment and could not join in the fun, but we had a blast.

A Snowy Weekend in a Wiki-Up - Ethan's Weekend

This weekend Ethan went winter camping with Scott.

The snow was incredible.

Here, he tries to show the size of the snow crystals.

And the foggy lake in the distance.

They spent Saturday building a wiki-up.

They had to collect the tree boughs from another spot.

They built a fire inside and kept it going all night long for warmth.

I think that both Ethan and Scott felt a sense of accomplishment. They left a note in the wiki-up inviting others to enjoy it, hoping that it would not get simply torn down needlessly.

What a Difference a Day Makes

This fall has been one of the most beautiful ones I can remember. As I drive, I try to take in the glow of the trees and the feeling of the season.

These are the scenes I witnessed as I drove around last Monday. Tuesday started just as nice and many of us began to disbelieve the forecast for a storm that would dump a major amount of snow starting that evening. When we went to bed it was just raining...

But this is what we woke up to. The morning started with at least five or six inches of snow, with more falling throughout the day.

Those glowy trees were noe dressed in a heavy blanket of snow.

Halloween Party at School

Pumpkin Carving Party

We had our annual pumpkin carving party last night. We usually have a big shin-dig, but this year I could not get my self together enough to pull that off. We had a much smaller group who had a great time none-the-less.

I made some fun cupcakes for the event. I love the tiny cupcake banners from michael's.

In addition to the pumpkin carving, there were a few tickle fights. Can you see that mischievous look in their eyes?

Toby loves to be part of the party each year.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
From: Savour Fare Blog

1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large pinch sea salt
1 small pinch cayenne pepper
Wash the pumpkin seeds, remove any traces of pumpkin flesh, drain them in a colander and then spread on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and dry in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The seeds should be dry and crisp.

Combine the melted butter, the brown sugar, the cumin, the garlic, the salt, the cayenne pepper and the worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Toss the pumpkin seeds in the mixture to coat. Raise the oven heat to 375 degrees, spread the spiced pumpkin seeds back out on your tinfoil, and roast for 8-10 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy.

Read more: http://savour-fare.com/2010/10/31/sweet-and-spicy-roasted-pumpkin-seeds-happy-halloween/#ixzz1bvBdtr7L





Spiced Apple Cider (sans alcohol)

1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves

In a slow cooker, combine apple cider and cinnamon sticks. Wrap allspice and cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth, and add to pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and keep warm.

Dia de los Christy

Ellie and I had so much fun doing the Day of the Dead photos that we thought we would share the fun with Christy who would like to be a model.

She was very accomodating and had fun, too. When we did Ellie's make-up I used cheap white clown paint. This time I dug out the nice Ben Nye professional stagemake up white that I had. It was so much nicer to work with. We still have to figure out how to make better thin lines. I suspect that Ben Nye has stuff to solve that, but I just didn't want to make any more trips to the store.

I modified the photo above.

I thought the girls were cute together.
Ellie did a few modifiacations on some of the photos. I hope to add those to this post soon.