Holiday blues...

I don't know if anyone will believe it, but I do not have the holiday spirit as of yet. What I'm talking about is that really excited, warm, happy feeling that just wants to leap out of your chest--the "can't wait for Santa to come" feeling. This is very abnormal for me. I have been trying--last weekend I sewed Taylor's red velvet Christmas dress and watched Santa Claus 2 at the same time, and I have been listening to all of my favorite Christmas music for the past couple of weeks (Seth even put a new visualization on our Windows Media Player--a little snowman who dances to the music!). Nothing seems to work. I'm guessing it is because things are so different.

John is a little worried. He keeps asking me how I'm doing, if I'm excited for Christmas yet, etc.

Sigh...

I am going to get out a few more decorations today, work on Madi's dress, and order a few gifts off of Amazon.com. Maybe that will help out.

.

Seth is downstairs playing "Jingle Bell Rock" on his electric guitar...

Halloween Flashback!

I need to have some Halloween closure. So here are a few pumpkin-carving photos:

We had an open house for our subdivision at our home on Halloween night. For it I made:

80 frosted sugar cookies (50 ghosts and 30 pumpkins)
90 carmel apples (with a choice of sprinkles, mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts)
100 maple bars (yes, homemade!)
spiced apple cider

Our neighbor brought ingredients for homemade rootbeer, which was soon bubbling and brewing. We put in "Hocus Pocus" for the kids downstairs, and sent bags of microwave popcorn down periodically. Although I significantly over made goodies (I invited 75+, so I just wanted to make sure there was enough!), it was a great success. A little too sweet, however. Next year I think we will do the maple bars, rootbeer, and maybe add some nachos--we are big fans of Mexican food at our house.

Today in Roberts, ID...

I was the P.E. teacher. I had P.E. with every child in Roberts who was under the age of 11 and over the age of 5. It is 5 miles from my house to Menan, and then 7 miles from Menan to Roberts. I wasn't sure I wanted to sub that far away...but I accidentally said "yes" (I have subbed for this teacher before at Midway in Menan--I didn't know she spent Mondays in Roberts) and so I instructed Taylor to leave for school at 8:00, and I left at 7:50am down highway 48 to find Roberts Elementary School. The fields were golden all around, and as I crossed the Snake River, I noticed the ruby red willow branches lining its banks. The air was crisp and the clouds were low.

"We are 2000 ft. closer to the clouds here in Rigby," John explained to the girls on the way home from church yesterday.

"Could we build a ladder high enough to touch them?" Madi asked jokingly.

"We all know what happened to the people who tried to build a tower to heaven," John replied, "but we could drive up a mountain into them if we want to."

The drive was beautiful. I wouldn't mind subbing in Roberts again. Until the snow flies, anyway.