The Order of the Creeper

This afternoon, I had the privilege of attending a special meeting.

It was led by Endy, Grand Exalted Supreme Dictator-for-Life, President of the Gaming Order of the Creeper, Chief Architect, and Head of Transportation.  Also present was Cweepy, Grand High Secretary, Chief Munitions Officer, Head Supervisor of the Guard, and President's Armchair.

 

They were meeting with Lightning, Head of Video Gaming Committee, First Pikmin, and Faceplanter of Doom.  He was presenting a report of his recent video game-related exploits, delivered in a highly epic style.

Notable achievements (and a few tragic setbacks) were honored in the club's traditional way: with group faceplants.  Joy says the club's bylaws are highly classified, though, so don't tell anyone you read about them here. ;)

Too Much!

We were in the mood for Settlers of Catan today, so we played not one, not two, but three games of it this afternoon and evening.

Todd's face as Daddy set up the third game kind of says it all: three games is way too much Catan for one day!

 

Squiggles Again

 The kids and I played The Squiggle Game again today.

You know, the game where we each draw a random squiggle on a piece of paper, then pass it to someone else who embellishes it, transforming a random line into something like:

A guy who fell out of his chair reaching for his remote

A Christmas tree

A narwal-serpent startling Christopher Columbus

An almond-shaped spaceship crash-landing on an uncharted planet (just kidding--it's a dandelion seed)

A very proper old gentleman with a monocle sitting in his favorite chair and listing to Mozart

Or a highly accurate map of California

Looks like it's time to rearrange our Squiggle Art Wall!

Eddy

The most popular squishmallow in our house . . .

. . . is Eddy the baby unicorn.

You'll find him at birthday fro yo outings. . .

. . . helping me study scriptures . . .

. . . and making sure game players follow the rules.

You'll even occasionally see his likeness on a cookie rack in our kitchen.  But don't let those calm, head-sitting, fro yo-observing, scripture-reading, rule-studying photos fool you.  The reason Eddy is so popular with our kids is that . . .

. . . Daniel makes up lots of wild games with him.  In most of those games, the only truly consistent rule seems to be that Eddy will act crazy.  And the kids love that.

Apparently, so do the other squishmallows.  Shortly after I put Eddy in the washing machine this morning, I found Luna and Andromeda waiting patiently for their favorite party animal to come out and play again.

A Thanksgiving Feast and Friendly Flowers

Happy Thanksgiving (also known as "Spend All Day Cooking and Then Fifteen Minutes Talking About Gratitude Day")!  Last night, as I steeled myself for the herculean culinary task in my very near future, Anna hugged me and said, "I sorry you have to cook all day, but I'm grateful that you do it."  Aww, thanks Anna. :)

Actually, I have a lot to be grateful for too, including the fact that multiple family members helped me with the cooking marathon this year.  Joy cut potatoes, Anna stirred the gravy, and Daddy sliced the turkey.

Speaking of turkey, I like to cook a turkey breast in the slow cooker because then we don't have a mountain of leftovers, the bird doesn't dry out, and that method leaves the oven free for other dishes.  Unfortunately, I almost never find a turkey breast that completely fits in my slow cooker, so I have to weigh the lid down.  I knew that exercise equipment would come in handy eventually!

While the turkey was cooking, Anna and I hopped in the car and took flowers to some friends.  It was easily one of my favorite parts of the day, and I think I'll do it again next year. 

Each friend we visited talked with us for at least half an hour.  Whether people live alone or with a busy family, they all seem eager to chat with any friend or acquaintance who shows up on our porch because socializing is such a rare treat these days.  I feel the same way--I love my family, and I love that we've grown even closer this year, but the pandemic has also shown me how much I need regular contact with friends too.

Back at home, we finished the last couple dishes and set the table, then I quickly snapped this picture before sitting down to pray and feast with my (im)patient family.  Our table wasn't nearly as pretty as some of the spreads I saw in photos my relatives shared today, but it's hard to imagine a more delicious meal.  We enjoyed turkey and gravy, garlic roasted potatoes, pear kale salad, sweet potato casserole, and cran grape juice (except for Anna, who requested OJ).

Oh yeah, and we had pumpkin cookies for dessert (in a very practical, un-fancy serving container).  Why bother with pie when pumpkin cookies are so easy and so yummy?  They're the perfect way to wrap up a heartwarming yet exhausting holiday.

As my Grandma Sorenson would say, Thanksgiving is gone, and it didn't take long!

Noodle Dueling

 'Tis the season to buy rolls of wrapping paper at the grocery store . . .

. . . then watch your kids immediately start a light saber duel with them.

When the rolls began bending at unnatural angles . . .

. . . I insisted that the kids switch to pool noodles.  I guess you could say that I care more about fostering fun childhood memories than ensuring that our lamps have a long lifespan.

Cocoa, Egg Nog, and Fictional Outbreaks

I'm usually the one experimenting in our kitchen . . . 

. . . but this weekend, Daddy decided to try not just one . . .

. . . but two new recipes.  He and Anna made some egg nog, then Daddy made his own hot cocoa mix.

The initial version of the cocoa turned out OK, but the flavor was a little flat.  I suggested adding some brown sugar to round it out.  Phillip was skeptical, but when I added a little to my mug of cocoa and offered him a sip, his eyes widened with surprise.  It was a big improvement!  He then added a bit more salt and cocoa powder, which made it even better!  Hopefully we can replicate the recipe next time.  As for the egg nog, the flavor was good, but the eggs were a little overcooked.  Lesson learned.

In other news, multiple outbreaks in Asia doomed our family's game of Pandemic this afternoon.

In fact, as Daniel demonstrated, the outbreaks were literally off the chart.  Kind of like Massachusetts, where we're seeing a second COVID surge with over 2000 new cases a day in our state.  The difference is that in real life, we won't give up no matter how many outbreaks we get.  Take that, ya germs!

Smile!

These pictures made me chuckle this weekend.  I hope they'll make you smile too.

I saw this on my friend's car.  Might as well call it like it is.

Sweet aviators, Abe.

"Pain" is French for "bread".  And a lot of French people start their day with "pain" and CHOCOLATE.  Now that's what I'd call the breakfast of champions.

Indifferent, Yet Cute

What is Joy doing . . .

. . . in the bathtub with a beach towel?

Trying to bond with Doc, of course.

He's not very interested, but he's still disarmingly cute.  As Daniel put it, "I don't know why I'm so excited about a hamster in a bathtub, but I am."

That's enough hamster taming for one day.  Who's ready for some of the chicken pot pi(e) Anna helped me make?

The Village in Our Basement

When is a basement not a basement?

When the kids add a bunch of boxes and common household objects . . .

. . . and transform it into an imaginary world for their tiny Minecraft figures.  I love that they took such simple things, and turned them into a creative game.

There's a blacksmith shop with building materials, an alchemy shop for brewing potions (and blue Gatorade) . . .

. . . and a sentry tower, where the captain of the guard is currently on duty.  The little community has no known enemies, but hey, luck favors the prepared.  Actually, the sentry's main job is probably to warn everyone when Globey is approaching.  Globey means well, but she can be a little overexuberant sometimes.

Jack Frost Comes to Town

You might want to bundle up . . .

. . . because it's getting chilly outside!

Jack Frost has been decorating our bushes . . .

. . . and the autumn leaves scattered across our lawn.

He's turned parts of our street into a whimsical wonderland . . .

. . . but it's still warm enough for a pleasant walk, as long as you admire the frosty scenery from the sunny side of the street.

It's even cozier inside, where the kids have rediscovered the joys of hot cocoa.

A Geeky, Sparkly Shopping Trip

The girls needed some new cold-weather gear, so this afternoon . . .

. . . Anna, Joy, and I grabbed our jackets and masks, and got ready to go to the store.  Anna was particularly excited to wear her new cupcake mask.  I think she looks like she should be named "Sparkle the Cupcake Elf," but I suspect she'll veto that nickname.  Sigh--comedic genius is rarely appreciated in its own time.

While we were shopping, we spotted some fun, geeky merchandise.  We ended up passing on the creeper hat and the ugly-sweater stormtrooper . . .

. . . but Joy found the Christmas sweater of her dreams!