Christmas music

Last night when I went to get Clarence after her band trip (They took first place,  hurrah!)  I was listening to KOSY 106.5.  Karen Carpenter was singing--"Just hear those Sleigh bells jingaling, ring ting tingaling ..." When the song was almost over , it sounded like someone knocked something over.  I thought someone was comandeering a take over to silence the holiday music.  The station didn't broadcast anything for at least 10 minutes...then I was home and I went to bed.  This morning on the way to Christmas Choir, I told Jeff about the incident. Then I turned the station on to listen and see if it was fixed, and the exact same song was playing.  Strange ... of course,  I had to listen 'til the end...at which point another Christmas song came on...YAY!   Christmas is on KOSY.  I love it, even though the playlist is so predictable I can almost tell time by it.   

Happy 1 November...

Well, Jeff is playing the piano roll he made a few years ago..."Once in Royal David's City".  Clarence is accompanying him on flute and Peterman is holding his own on the cello...Getting better every time.  It's very Holiday-ish.  So nice.  I love Christmas.  I know that only yesterday it was Halloween, but today is November 1, and that means Christmas is next month.

Googla is asleep on the sofa.  Her throat is bothering her, as in it's sore.  I love the time change !!!!!  It's night and it's only 7:16 p.m.  Maybe (?) I can trick kiddies into going to bed earlier...or at least on time.

Last night Lila & Jeff made homemade caramel and began decorating apples...I trekked around the neighborhood with the kiddies.  We went with the Sorensen's...funny thing, I don't think they knocked on our door, nor did we knock on theirs...but we were together.  Dibs was a skeleton.  He and Shannon painted the bones on black sweat pants & shirt...looked good!  Claire was a 1980's spandex wearing aerobic instructor. (She didn't walk around with us, tho').  Peterman was an orange gingham caped super hero. Wacky was Madame Geri from "Phantom"---black flowy dress and her red hair was french braided around her face, resting on her shoulder. (She is so pretty!!)  She wore the gold tapestry, purple lined cloak, too. (Honestly, how many 11 year olds do you know who know who this person IS?  Let alone chooses to be her on Halloween???)   Googla was a Queen Bumblebee---with antenae swooping from her headband, yellow bug eyed sunglasses, and a yellow tulle cape, and of course a gold bead necklace with a crown on it.  So much fun!  I wore the Reeses pnut butter "apron" as someone called it.  Someone actually yelled from their car, "I want to eat you!"  Funny people!  

Halloween Eve Multi-Stake Dance--so "hip"!

Dibs, Shenanigans, Norm--Mr. DJ Disco dancing, Jeff ... "YMCA"
Norm, Ingrid, Shannon, Dibs, Jeff..."Ye Ole Skeleton Crew".
     Funny bones, hanging around the set.

Dibs and Jeff helped at the Stake Dance.  Dibs and Shannon painted Jeff and Dibs' outfits.  Notice the 3-d ribcages/spine...my artist son!  It's so cool!  My favorite skeleton wore his baseball cap.  Pretty fun!  Thanks for the photos Ingrid.  Whenever the Sanford's and Sorensen's are together we have fun!  Love it!!!!

Where has the time gone?

Wow-  It's almost November and I haven't posted anything yet about our family September Birthdays nor my October Birthday...I just don't have alot of extra time!!!  I'm hoping to make time this Saturday to remedy the situation.  Bear with me.  I need a camera of my own and a computer photo program that works, so I can quit bothering Lila about pics I want to post. Time for school.

vrooom, vrooom

What does an 18 year old do when he has his driver's license?...Gets his scooter license of course...he passed with flying colors.  

Homecoming 2009

Dibs asked Natalie Larsen to the dance...kinda.  He came home one night telling about the scheme he devised.  He had carefully opened a box of popcorn and wrote his name on the inside, and then hot glued the box back together.  The note that went on the outside said something like:  "Find my name inside."  He told of delivering the box and getting caught kinda.  I then asked,"But did the note say anything about the dance?"  He had a puzzled look and then said, "No, No I guess it didn't."  We laughed and tried to figure out a solution.  I finally said, "You should go back with a note that says : Now that you've popped the corn, I'll pop the question--Will you go to Homecoming with me?"  He never actually had to take the note.  She figured it out and answered him with a box stuffed full of "Yes" and "No" slips.  At the bottom of the box there was a cookie the size of a pie that said "Yes" spelled out in M&M's.  It was the tie breaker.  

They had 5 other couples with them on the date.  Homecoming consisted of a day date and then dinner and then the dance.  For their "Day Date" they went on a photo scavenger hunt, in groups of 4.  I don't know who won, or if it was even set-up as a competition. Dinner was yummy lasagne, green salad, and bread at the acclaimed restaurant: "On the Rooftop"... :)   The family had fun putting that all together!  Dibs made Natalie's wrist corsage.  It's a white band that buttons, with cotton flowers--a pink one, a tiny black one and a white one.  I wonder if he took a close-up photo of it.  It matched her beautiful dress perfectly.  The dance was enjoyable.  Dibs wore his nice Sunday shoes but switched into his comfy Converse sneakers.  From what I know it was fun for everyone.  I hope so! 

The Electric Peterman

Well, here's the finished product. Jeff made a coal box for our woodstove that is electrically run. It's pretty nifty. The kitchen stays cosy warm. Peterman puts in a bucket of coal in the magic black & red box, once in the morning, once in the evening. The electric part: a motor and timer. You can see the gear/pulley thingy. It's connected to an auger that advances the coal from the box to the stove's fire box. It will "purr" all night, coming on for 15 minutes every hour...that's how I understand it. I can cook without needing to figure in firebuilding time. It's virtually ready to go when I am. We can still use the stove if the electricity fails, but we'll just have to tend it ourselves. Jeff keeps things interesting at our home. He always has a new project on the back burner (pun intended!) :) We love his inventions and we love Him!!!