Roll with the Pumpkins

As usual, I had every intention of carving pumpkins 

a day or two before Halloween,

but we still ended up carving them mere hours

before it was time to go trick-or-treating.

Todd's pumpkin says, "It's all right!

Just be like me and roll with it!"

Joy's pumpkin doesn't say anything,

because motorcycles don't talk.

They just look really cool.

With our pumpkins carved and ready to welcome trick-or-treaters,

it was time to don our costumes . . . 

. . . and go get some candy!

Happy Halloween! 

Parakeet Parkour

Tia the parakeet . . .

. . . likes to hang out on our curtains lately.

She's even started nimbly climbing down them.

This afternoon, I discovered that she had somehow

parkoured her way into the corner of a window.

I thought it was a cool trick (or a clever way to hide from Cici)

 until I looked closer . . .

. . . and noticed that she had been chewing the paint off our window frame!

That's it--back into your cage, young lady!

The Jedi Witch Seamstress

Daniel wanted to be Luigi for Halloween this year . . .

. . . so Joy went online and found some simple instructions

for making overalls out of felt . . .

. . . and spent the afternoon sewing them in preparation

for tonight's trunk-or-treat party.

Anna decided to be Princess Peach this year 

(she bought the wig and crown with her own hard-earned money) . . .

. . . and Joy is a cool Jedi witch.

She's also an awesome sister.

The Annual CWaCA

It's time once again for the annual

combined-ward-youth pumpkin-carving contest!

Wow--that's a really unwieldy title for an activity.

Maybe we should call it CWaCA

(Contest Without a Cool Acronym).

Anyhow, the participants brought pumpkins to carve,

then they all voted on which ones were their favorites.

Some of the kids' carving skills are very impressive.

I couldn't produce something that artistic looking,

especially if I only had an hour to carve it.

Joy and Daniel hoped that a dapper accessory

would give their homage to Lord Vader an edge in the competition . . .

. . . but he was ultimately defeated by Yoda.

If carved onto the side of pumpkin you ever are,

look as good you will not.

You Might Be a Geek

You might be a geek if . . .

. . . you play "Chemistry Hangman" at family home evening . . .

. . . and when you visit a 4-H rabbit club meeting around Halloween,

you ask to take picture of the vice president

in her cool Mandalorian costume.

(She made most of it herself,

but bought the helmet through Etsy.)

Crazy Parakeet Dance Party

Our piano teacher hosted her virtual fall concert this evening.

While Anna performed a beautiful song she's been polishing . . .

. . . Daniel and Todd listened on the couch nearby . . .

. . . and Joy doodled, because she's willing to be present and support her sibs,

but she doesn't find piano concerts particularly enthralling.

After the concert, Daniel played "O Polichinelo"

(which we've nicknamed "The Cici Song")

while the other kids danced a crazy parakeet dance.

Concertos are all well and good,

but sometimes it's nice to let your hair (er, feathers?) down

and have some fun.

Communing on a Chilly Day

Anna, Joy, and I wanted a quiet place to ponder this afternoon . . .

. . . so we headed to the temple to soak up the Spirit there

and commune with God about things that are on our minds lately.

The weather was pretty chilly today

(I decided to do my communing in the slightly warmer van) . . .

. . . but we were still grateful that we could come to the temple

for a little beauty, solitude, and inspiration.

Deluxe Cocoa

This evening . . .

. . . Daniel played a virtual concert for some of our relatives . . .

. . . then the girls and I went to a nearby café

for some white hot chocolate.

Joy thinks ordering deluxe cocoa is even more fun

if you dress up for the occasion.

Atypical Scarecrows

When I drove through the city of Andover this afternoon,

I noticed some unusual scarecrows lining one of its main streets.

They included . . .

. . . a familiar Italian plumber and his buddy Toad . . .

. . . a scarecrow in scrubs encouraging us to visit

a certain dentist for regular checkups . . .

. . . and a bold redhead who aspires to be our "first female president."

She gets full points for her stylish and patriotic outfit,

but since scarecrows are notoriously brainless

I'm kinda reluctant to vote for her.

Only One Cannoli Festival

I had planned a little outing to the Leominster Cannoli Festival last night,

but when departure time arrived, I was tired and didn't feel like going.

"Hey kids, are cannoli really worth a long drive on a cold night?"

Joy, Anna, and Todd (paraphrased): 

"Yes! Tube-shaped fried Italian pastry with sweet ricotta filling

is totally worth any effort required to obtain it!"

So we headed off to Leominster's Monument Square.

It was lit up like Christmas in October,

there was a guy in a tux crooning Frank Sinatra songs . . .

. . . and a bunch of food truck vendors were selling cannoli 

with all the usual toppings (like chocolate chips and crushed pistachios)

and a few unusual ones (like Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch).

Todd chose to try a regular cannoli with sprinkles on one end

and white chocolate chips on the other.

I went with a chocolate shell, chocolate filling, and crushed Oreos on each end.

In case it wasn't obvious, I like chocolate.

Wanna hear a geeky cannoli joke?

What does a Jedi order at an Italian bakery?

Only One Cannoli!

Hunting for Antique Water Troughs

I recently learned that our town . . .

. . . has some antique iron watering troughs

located near a few of our local landmarks.

They're over a century old, 

and most of them have been turned into planters

by the local gardening club . . .

. . . but one is still a working water fountain.

I thought it would be fun to text my family pictures of each water trough this evening,

to see if they could figure out where each one was located. 

I made sure every picture had something visible in the background

to show what part of town it was taken in.

After they found this water trough by the old train depot,

the girls stopped to take a selfie by it . . .

. . . then we watched a commuter train whoosh by

before heading off to search for the next trough by the Historical Society building

(a fitting location for it, don't you think?).

Extra-Homemade French Toast

Our chickens seem very content in their mobile coop . . .

. . . and our well-fertilized lawn seems happier this year too.

The hens lay more eggs than we need on most days,

so it's not uncommon for us to have three or four full cartons of eggs in our fridge.

Sometimes I give a dozen eggs away as a gift,

and other times I crack a bunch on a weekend morning . . .

. . . and make some superb French toast.

(Thanks to Uncle Andrew for telling me about the supernal delight

of making French toast with Trader Joe's Pumpkin Brioche.)

Subway and Purgatory

Joy and I went for a hike this morning . . .

. . . with some fellow BYU alums and their families.

Joy climbed a tree in a unique way . . .

. . . stopped for a drink on the edge of Purgatory Chasm . . .

. . . and scrupulously avoided touching that blue mushroom.

(I hear those can make you shrink.)

Then we tried on some spiffy clothes at a thrift store . . .

. . . and collaborated to create a superb sandwich at Subway.