drizzly lovely morning...

Suzanne

Jonathan all ready for school the other day... Sonja K.

Sonja and Camille, singing a little song

Aaron, if you are reading this, yes, this is your camera. Jonathan says he is taking good care of it.

Camille says she looks "pretty, Mama!" I am waiting for one of her sisters to start screaming that someone has been into her lipstuff.....and just a reminder: I did NOT do that hair cut.

I slept in this morning. 9:17. It was heavenly. The younger kids didn't go to school today. Today is the Halloween celebration in school. I asked them if they just wanted to stay home, and they jumped on it. See, sending Jon's costume in a bag (they aren't allowed to wear them to school), and having him put it on by himself.....I don't know, something about that parade in school makes me feel sad for the kids...and my kids say it makes them feel funny to march around with everyone looking at them. And since they probably wouldn't do anything much other than party and play and be excited and eat cupcakes, I offered them to stay here. They are so content to play here. Camille is playing school. Charlotte Claire is playing house. Suzanne is singing, "I am Jesus' Little Lamb", Sonja and Jonathan are playing something....it is peaceful and good, and I am glad they are home.

I was planning to take them somewhere, but they seem okay just to be here, and since I have been going too many places this week, I can stand a day home to do laundry and catch up. Yesterday we went to my favorite bakery, bought a hot loaf of Italian bread (why I only got one loaf is beyond me!), one dozen donuts (only six dollars a dozen. And they are delicious. And big enough to cut in half), and two ghost cookies for the two little girls. We went to Target (I bought some computer/desk chairs for $12.48 each! I am giving them to myself for Christmas. Perhaps then the kids will stop transferring my kitchen chairs to the living room and back a couple times a day). We also took a quick trip to the grocery store, spent under a hundred bucks, which is indeed a quick trip. I am trying to use all the meat from the freezer and defrost the freezer and start over.....

We had spaghetti and hot sausage for dinner last night, and a nice salad that Benjmain made. Oh, and the ONE loaf of Italian bread. Paul cut it in thin slices, so it went around. Later, I passed around some Lindt Truffles. There were enough for two each, and I was glad I cracked them open with everyone home. Otherwise, .....because, they are SO good. Melty deliciously good.

Our pool cover arrived from the Fex-Ex man, and it is still sitting in the kitchen in the box. Meanwhile, the leaves have already fallen from the trees into the pool. The pool is already greenish brown. So it makes me really question the need to put that cover on this year.

Our hot tub is still sitting there all broken. A pipe is broken underneath it and it has to be lifted up to be fixed. It isn't high on Paul's priority list, but I would really like to have it going again. Our winters here can seem so claustrophobic to me, too icy and dangerous to actually go walking, no place to get out of the way of cars on country roads with snowbanks. Going out to sit in that hot tub under the snowy skies is just heavenly. So perhaps I need to put on my nagging voice and get to work on Paul...poor guy.

I sneaked two of those donuts out of the box last night, wrapped them up and put them on top of the refridgerator. The kids were eating them after school, but I rationalized that if I had one AS my breakfast, and not in addition to a meal, or in between meals, it would be okay. So this morning I took them down and sat down with my coffee, and of course I didn't eat both of them...because I cannot eat yummy stuff in front of the kids, even though they had some yesterday.... I invited them to come over and have as many bites as they wanted to. It was nice to share with them, and the donuts were excellent. One was a long frosted chocolate, the other was a rasberry tailight, with the nice white fluffy frosting....I hope the kids took enough bites.....and I am glad the box is empty...although I kind of wish it wasn't.....