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Around the House, Family Time, Parenting

Scout Cake Baking

Our old scout pack used to do a Cake Auction this time of year, so we’re used to baking cakes by now. Our new pack, though, doesn’t sell the cakes off to raise money (they make plenty in popcorn sales apparently)…instead they EAT THEM ALL UP!  The kids were so excited. They put ALL the frosting and ALL the sprinkles on them.  Look:

Greg's Christmas themed cake of love and joy
G’s Christmas themed cake of love and joy
Ben's cake of randomness.
B’s cake of randomness.
Even after I took the pictures, they kept coming back and sprinkling on "just a little bit" more.
Even after I took the pictures, they kept coming back and sprinkling on “just a little bit” more.

And for those of you asking “Why all the blue and yellow?” Well, our old pack did scout themed cakes and so the original plan had been to make a Tiger Cub seal and a Webelos seal. Once we found out we could make whatever we wanted, those intricate design plans went way out the window. Whew! Was I ever a relieved Mama.

The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me

Guess what I’m doing?

Guess what I'm doing?

Band bus chaperoning

Family Time

Winter Wonderland

Ok, so not really. It feels like fall around here, y’all, except for the ongoing Christmas carols and things being horrifically busy.

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Wrapping gifts for the Angel Tree with the Tiger Cubs

 

So we’re trying to put the decorations up and get ourselves ready for the season:

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Ben puts up his first ornament of the year

I think I’m still tired out from Thanksgiving.

Family Time

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Party

2013-11-23 18.51.09

We’re Doctor Who fiends at my house. The 50th Anniversary of the show occurred the weekend before Thanksgiving and we just had to have a party for it. I searched the web high and low for all the best ideas (marshmallow Adipose? Check! Sonic Screwdriver craft? Check! Pin the Face on the fleshy chick? Check!) and invited all our fannish friends.

Sadly, no one could come. They were all traveling for Thanksgiving or preparing to have loads of people come to them. So we had my parents over, decided to postpone the watching of the 50th episode, and chose a kid friendly episode to use as the party went on. We still had all the treats (fish fingers and custard, Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey Punch, Jammy Dodgers, etc) and the games and had a great evening. 🙂

 

 

Family Time

Thanksgiving, recapped

Did I mention that I had the WHOLE UNIVERSE here at my house for Thanksgiving?  Well I did. Just about a week ago (late Thanksgiving is SO weird) I had my family, Nick’s family, and Kay’s family here for Thanksgiving.

It was quite busy and full of fun, game playing, eating, and togetherness. 🙂

My mom, dad, sister, and me at Thanksgiving

Writing

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Well, The Good first: I wrote a lot last month. A lot.

The Bad: I didn’t finish NANOWRIMO. 😦

The Ugly: I didn’t even come close.

 

I started out strong, met a lot of daily goals, and then one day just stopped writing all together and never went back to it. Two solid weeks of not cleaning and not paying attention to life in general took its toll on my household and my sanity and I had to go back to real life and feed my kids.

 

So, some time in the next month or so I hope to go back to the novel, but for now I’m taking a little break and going to read a friends manuscript and a few writing books and see what kind of magic I can put back into my writing.  We will see how that goes.

Writing

NANOWRIMO has eaten my brain…

…and all my words with it…

Blogging will recommence December 1st… 

Around the House, Writing

My Crazy Week

So out of the last six days, I had kids (one, two, one) home three days, I worked two days, I had events going on five nights and parents in town the last one, it was the first anniversary of a friends murder, AND I started Nanowrimo.  So you’ll forgive me for not following up on the Biscuit vs. Scone bake-off.  Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.  Nothing’s happening tomorrow, right? (Don’t tell me.  I like being blissfully unaware today.)

Kids are well now, they’ve all had haircuts, they’ve had a sleepover (either at church or at Nana & Pa’s), and they’ve already eaten most of their Halloween candy.

I’m something like 5600 words into my latest novel for Nanowrimo.  It’s going pretty well.  This year I have Beta Readers, too, which is different and fun.  I’m awaiting feedback.  I think it’ll be nifty having a braintrust behind my novel.  I’ve got an artist, a photographer, and a librarian reading my stuff.  WHEE!

My husband is being sweet about all this.  He said “You choose what you do with your free time.  I watch football and drink beer.  You spend time with crazy people inside your own head.” It’s all good.  I still think mine’s better.  🙂

Family Time

Happy Halloween!

Trick or treat!

Family Time

Scone versus biscuit

ImageWe’re having breakfast this morning, one of those Martha White bagged breakfast bread kind of mornings, when the topic of biscuits versus scones comes up.  These drop biscuits really resemble unfettered muffins more than biscuits or scones, with their weird shape and overwhelming sweetness.

So we took to the Internet and found that most sites will tell you that yes, there’s a difference, but nowhere did they state that exact difference (other than the whole “one is Scottish, one is associated with the American South” thing).  So later in the week when we’re not so pressed for time, do expect us to have a scone versus biscuits extravaganza.  Yes, we’re going to bake this out.  🙂