It's my first time joining this
enormously popular meme, but I had lots of little things to say so here it goes. Be sure to visit
Jen's for more quick takes
1. Kids had an All Saints party today. They were supposed to dress up as saints. Thanks be to God I managed to pull together a few costumes. Laine was Mary, Luke was St. Maximilian Kolbe, Ryan was St. Peregrine and Jake was St. Phillip of Neri. Come to think of it, the last All Saints party we went to they were all the same except for Luke who was St. Michael the Archangel. They ended the day with some games and food and the kids enjoyed it.
I have to admit, I am ambivalent about the kids dressing up for All Saints. Sure, I think it's great to celebrate the saints and all, but I am not thrilled about scrambling for a costume and playing the silly games though like Fishing with St. Peter, where someone behind the cardboard cut-out attaches a treat bag to a fishing pole. I don't know, it all feels kind of forced to me. Maybe I am just being a bah humbug grump though. (I hate kids birthday parties too. shhhhh!) Like I said the kids all had fun and were very enthusiastic.
2. Sara's two upper teeth cut through this week and she's learned the thrill of tapping them and grinding them together. So cute! So cringe inducing! Oh and apparently she's a nature lover too.

(when I was posting this I noticed again how much she looks like Ryan. I mean she has the same ears even! See how that one is a little bendy... just like Ry's!)3. We made the best three ingredient cookies, maybe the best cookies evah (well except for chocolate chip, cause they will always reign supreme in my book):

Yep, just canned pumpkin, a spice cake mix and a bag of white chocolate chips
4. I bet your house doesn't have one of these:

In case you can't see, here is a closeup of the sign on my hall closet.

Yes folks, we have our very own
Transmographier right here in our upstairs hallway closet. Just set the dial to whatever you would like to become, then enter the closet and instantly you will be
Transmographied. Luckily the inventors added a Human selection so you can return to your natural form when your Mom calls you for dinner, cause if your mom is like mine, it's humans only at the dinner table. (well,
ok, maybe unicorns sometimes, but
definitely NO armadillos allowed!)
5. We're loving the new deck! Visit my sister's blog (Young At Art...over there on the sidebar) for the final pictures.

6. Speaking of my lovely sister... Her sister-in-law (whom I am now claiming as mine too) and I held a shower for her and also attended another one recently. Doesn't she look wonderful!

The one I went to on Saturday was so cute! The hostesses outdid themselves with a totally adorable Dr. Seuss theme. One of the girls is an event planner and every detail (I mean every!) was themed.

7. I need to end these 7 quick takes on a serious note. Please keep my wonderful mother-in-law, Jojo, in your prayers. She is in the hospital with severe anemia caused by some unknown internal bleeding. She had a few transfusions today and will be having lots of tests run tomorrow.