First Snow of the Year!

Not a blizzard, I grant you, but enough for us to get excited and make hot chocolate with whipped cream:)...

Dad, the boys, and I played cards in the living room while enjoying the blazing fireplace and watching the snow fall from the sky.  This is one of the many reasons Winter is my favorite season!

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked...

...warm eggnog with whipped cream

...snow

...suddenly losing my fourteen-year-long aversion to cheese

...roaring fireplaces

...my new book of Christmas carols

..."Saving Mr. Banks"...a WONDERFUL movie with only one part to mute...

...UGG boots to wear on cold days

What I Didn't...

...chapped lips and no chance of getting any lip balm for another week

...tearing my only pair of tights

What Made Me Laugh...

...my brothers loudly protesting my new love of cheese..."She's eating us out of house and home!"

...our cat Winkin who now thinks she's a dog

...our new goose, MacHenry, who has NOT been accepted by our ducks

What I Accomplished...

...ordering my first eShakti dress (fingers crossed...please let it work for Christmas...)

...starting the Ketogenic Fat Fast...only twelve hundred calories a day, all from fat...

The Inferno...

My first clue was the sirens echoing through the neighborhood...

When I came downstairs I learned that our elderly neighbor had a trash fire that had gotten out of hand behind our house.  About seven Volunteer Fire Department trucks showed up (this was probably the most exciting thing they'd done all year), wailing like the whole street had gone up in flames.  The phone was ringing off the wall from all the neighbors (at least those who didn't show up) to see what in the blazes was going on.  Our poor dog, Lottie, didn't know what to do, so she just sat in the middle of the driveway watching the firemen.

Needless to say, the inferno was dealt with post-haste, and we had a story to tell at quilting that evening.  And we were all able to take an unexpected break from school/work/cooking/etc.

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked...

...sitting in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops when a mini van pulled in and parked close to our car.  A little boy (maybe six years old) jumped out, ran to the back, opened the door, and pulled out a wheelchair that was almost bigger than him.  He set the whole thing up, put a pillow at the back, wheeled it to the driver's door, and helped his mom into it.  Then he ran around to the other side and helped his little sister out of her car seat, had her put her hand on the arm of the wheelchair, and started pushing it towards the store.  It was soooooo sweet...

...the cold front that is supposed to come tonight...highs in the forties tomorrow!

...playing the "Dear John" theme on the piano

...chocolate truffles from Whole Foods...mmmmmm...

...the demo track of the credits song from the newest "Hobbit"movie sung by Billy Boyd

...selling our Jeep Compass!!! Thank you, St. Joseph!!!

...new neighbors who are living behind us for the winter months

...discovering eShakti.com 

What I Didn't...

...windy days.  And I don't mean days with a little breeze...I mean the "Tornado-Winds-Don't-Even-Think-About-Wearing-A-Flared-Skirt-Or-Fixing-Your-Hair" days we've been having lately

...getting the results from my hair analysis test and being told that I am one messed up girl with high levels of Aluminum in my system and practically no thyroid gland left...

What Made Me Laugh...

...a friend's little boy at church, who looks all around until he sees me before he can settle down for Mass

...my brother opening up the birthday gift he bought for his friend because he wanted to build it first...and his friend being the only one who completely understood because he would have done the same exact thing

What I Accomplished...

...sewing a new nightgown for Mom

...converting a "Cream of Mushroom Pot Pie" recipe from a neighbor into a more Paleo style dish...and yes, it did taste good.

...making a birthday card in less than five minutes

Weekly Roundup...

What I Liked:

...attending the beautiful ceremonies at the Abbey for All Saint's and All Soul's Day

...Daylight Savings Time

...finding the original sheet music to "River Flows In You" by Yiruma online FOR FREE!!!

...all the lovely Fall colors

...this WONDERFUL weather we've been enjoying

...my brother's Paleo Samoa Donuts...to DIIIIIIEEEEEE FOR...here is the recipe

..."Dear John"...such a sweet movie, though it requires some editing

...getting some new leather boots for this winter

...a campfire/chili night at a friend's house

...organic, all-natural, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, fruit-sweetened blow pops...and chocolate truffles...and Tootsie rolls...oh my!  Didn't realize these things existed...

What I Didn't:

...suddenly realizing there weren't any meals made in the house...and I am starrrrrvvvviiinnnggg...

...Dad taking the laptop to South Carolina for a week, thereby preventing me from using it

...the library notifying me that the movie I ordered had come in...after I had picked it up, rechecked it twice, and returned it

...old friends who were supposed to come for dinner but couldn't because they got sick

...four hour old Whole Food's rotisserie chicken...ugh...

What Made Me Laugh:

..."Seven Brides For Seven Brothers"...I love that movie!

...winning the "St. John Bosco Relay Race" at our party and hearing all the younger boys cheering me on...until they remembered I was on the other team...

...King St. Edward and St. George chilling out on the porch with their blow pops...

What I Accomplished:

...beating my friend at "Dunk the Devil"

...making myself and both of my brothers costumes for All Saint's Day

...learning the words to "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" after hearing it only twice

...Paleo Italian Flat-bread

...introducing my friend to Pinterest...Her life will never be the same...

All Saint's Day...

So we decided to have an All Saint's Day party this year...

Some good friends down the road graciously contributed the games and came over early in the week to help set up...

 The guests attending were (top row, left to right) St. (Dr.) Moscotti, St. Isadore the Farmer, St. Charles of Austria, St. Hedwig of Sweden, St. Prudentia, St. Edith Stein, (bottom row, left to right) St. Joan of Arc, St. Edward, St. George, St. Edith, and St. Ia of Ireland.

Some of the games included "Rock of Peter" (or "Musical Chairs)...

St. Isadore was the DJ...

It ended with a show-down between the British king and the Irish peasant maiden...

...with the peasant maiden as the victor!!!

Next was the "Works of Mercy Relay Race"...

And the "St. John Bosco Relay Race"...

...which the girl's team won =)...

Afterwards was the "St. Anthony's Cake-Walk"...

..."Dunk the Devil"...

..."St, Kateri's Pumpkin Bowling"...

..."St. Patrick's Snake Toss"...

..."St. Isadore's Pig Roll"...

...and "St. Damien's Aqueduct Race".

When we had won all the prizes and finished all the games, the boys built a campfire and we all sat around eating chili, white bean soup, salad, potato chips, sour cream dip, chocolate and gummi worms.  After dark we all grabbed quilts and coats and piled onto our trailer for a "hay ride minus the hay" to a neighbor's field, where we all sang every song we could think of (from "Under the Sea" to "Ave Maria" to "Whiskey In The Jar" to "Misty Mountain") at the top of our lungs.  Hot Apple Cider was waiting for us when we got home, and by the time everyone was ready to leave we had decided that we were going to have to do this again during Christmastime.  Everyone had lots of fun... and we were all thanking God for Daylight Savings Time at Mass the next morning. That extra hour of sleep was just what we all needed...