thirty degrees out? brrr!!!

a different kind of pumpkin cookies...these are moist and yummy and I could eat them for breakfast every morning. I made them somehow yesterday. Halfway through I discovered there was NOT another bag of flour like I thought there was. Joseph and Sam ran to the store in town because flour was on sale there. They were gone an hour. They went to the small city to sell a video game at the Game store. rrr. In the mean time, I sliced ten pounds of red potatoes and a large sweet onion, and made lots of scalloped potatoes to go with our broccoli and pork chops for dinner....the cookies made it into the oven during dinner, which was a bit hectic, but we had some for dessert. The kids really liked them. I will have to save a few for Aaron..... This lovely work of art hangs on my kitchen cupboard. I don't know what it is supposed to be, I will have to ask Joe.

Frost on the pumpkin....

Frost on the glass table....

And the "dog picture"....her fuzzy head....

Charlotte Claire still has her kitty suit on. Since Sunday. She looks cute, and the kitty suit is looking more and more like a real kitty. Sort of a wild kitty. It is so cold out though, I don't blame her. I would wear a kitty suit too, right about now. It is going down to 26 tonight. brrr. I know, I know, come January, 26 will seem downright warm. But for now, it is cold. That is why I started baking yesterday, to make it warm and cozy in here. I think tonight we shall make our first fire in the furnace/woodstove.

Tonight...aah, lucky me. I get to pick Aaron up from the airport at midnight. He gets to experience Daylight Savings twice this year, since Norway already started, and it starts here next Saturday.

We are still talking about Jamaica. It was SO nice last year.....and I am pretty sure it was the last time we actually had some conversation. Just kidding, but not totally. It was so nice on so many levels. The weather, obviously. The food, the hotel, the beach, the pools....but being with Paul - the RELAXED version of Paul...the un-busy version of Paul....I am certain that we had much much more fun last year than we would have had if we had gone when we first got married. We appreciated it so much. Anyways, being with Paul was so nice. For all these years, we have loved each other and had nice times together, but the babies and the kids and the teenagers and the shopping and laundry and church and conferences and meetings and school and work and driving people places and appointments......all of those things going on....oh, the magazines all say to have those weekly dates, and make "couple time" a priority. And we have tried to do that. But all I can say is this: ha. (our kids seem to have a knack for asking these really important questions every single time we are trying to have a conversation....)(or someone will fall and get hurt just as we are trying to decide something. Or a fight will break out. And at night, the older kids are up way later than us. The other night, I thought everyone had gone to bed - I though it seemed like a good time go sit down next to Paul and talk....then I noticed one teenager still sitting there on the couch...) Just for the record, if I had it all to do over again, I would still accept every single one of these children that God blessed us with. I have no regrets. Just an extreme appreciation for the time Paul and I get to spend together without kids everywhere! Anyway, we are going to try to work out some details and perhaps sneak in another trip down there next month. I hope hope hope so.

Kitty wants some cocoa to go with her waffles, Miss Camille is still sleeping, all the kids went to school, Mirielle went to college, Joe has to work this afternoon....Ben is shipping out three weeks from today....wah.