One Pink, One Blue, Sometimes Blessings Come In Twos

Tammy's shower was a hit. :) She looked beautiful and we all had a great time eating yummy food and spending time together. I stayed the night with her over at Ross & Carla's on Friday to help prep for the party and to make headbands for the occasion. We stayed up late chatting before getting some much needed sleep.

On Saturday morning we finished preparing for the event before I nabbed Tammy for some primping. I had so much fun and it was awesome to have time with such a wonderful woman but I am relieved that I can just relax at home tonight. I made the boys orange/cranberry chicken roast with sweet potato stuffing and gravy. Now it is time to watch a movie with Steen before passing out from exhaustion. Yippee for the holiday rush!

Over Indulgence

Overindulgence. That was the theme of Anna's beautiful "New Moon" release party. She made an awesome spaghetti sauce from scratch to go on cheese & mushroom ravioli. We had red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory as well as many other goodies. Anna put together goody bags with a CD, candy, and vampire teeth; really it was like a grown up slumber party. :)

Most of us had our picture taken with Edward before loading up our plates and sitting down to giggle and watch "Twilight". We left for the theater a little before ten and then sat for a couple of hours, laughing over the fact that Anna's sister-in-law, Chandra, took a spill and she sprinted for the theater (the funny part is that she is a grown woman, happily married with two kids and yet she acted like a 13 year old with a movie star crush).

I loved the movie. :) It was much better than the first, although the overload of sugar and carbs at the party combined with the spinning shots resulted in miserable sickness after the movie. I took a sick day and spent most of the morning and afternoon laying in bed and catching up with Steen on how things have been going for him at work. It was a magical night filled with rich food, fabulous entertainment, and great friends. The perfect way to kick off the Holiday Festivities.

Scorer's Block

Wow, as much as I love my colleagues, I am thrilled to be heading to bed and taking time away from reading persuasive papers. :) We worked through our common assessment today and it was both encouraging and frustrating. I have included two videos that Tammy showed me. Both of them work as motivation and comic relief when the days get long and the grading pile remains deep. Enjoy!

Tea With Jane Austen: JASNA

We have a delightful tradition in my Jane Austen Book Club. Every winter we attend the JASNA Jane Austen Tea which includes delicious tea, yummy scones, and interesting guest authors (writers of the popular Jane Austen fan fiction). The years event is going to be on December 12th and I can't wait. It will be a busy day (Spencer's birthday party is that evening) but well worth the fanfare.

Last year's event was enchanting; they brought in a string quartet that created the perfect ambiance. Syrie James, author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, was the guest speaker and we all enjoyed it immensely.

The first year we went, we were all amused to see a young gentleman in a period costume. When we asked him about it he explained that he dressed up "just because". He did so the following year as well. Pamela Aidan, author of An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, was the speaker the first year. She was a treat.

A Reader

I have always wanted to share the love of books with Spencer. It was something my parents and siblings all bonded over; I still remember the exasperation my mom expressed when she would find us kids up in the middle of the night pouring over the latest book we checked out. I had imagined that same passion for reading in my own child, yet he never seemed to show an interest. This past summer, Spencer found his own genre to love. He was given a Star Trek kids novel and suddenly reading became a fun pastime. Now, as long as the topic interests him, he will pour over books himself. The tradition lives on. :)

Trick-or-Treat

We had fun trick-or-treating with Tammy & Asher on Halloween. We went around their neighborhood and then walked over to Anna's house to see Ethan, what a cutie. Asher was adorable as Bumblebee Pooh, Tammy was a princess, Spencer was Bumblebee (the transformer), I was Medusa, Steen was Steen, Anna was a cowgirl, and Ethan was a horse.

Tammy was adorable with her huge twins baby bump and it was fun to waddle along with she and Asher as Steen and Spencer went ahead of us to "get more loot."

After collecting enough candy to cause terror to any dentist, we went over to JP and Trisha's house to see Piper's costume and to have some egg and cheddar biscuits.

I have always loved Halloween. For me it starts of the holidays perfectly with a magical and slightly dark evening where people get to live in an imaginary world, even if just for a few hours. This Halloween was no exception and we all enjoyed a whimsical evening until we fell into a sugar induced coma upon returning home.

The Fort

Growing up in the BBJ house meant that when the dryer broke (which was common) my mom had to hang the cloths to dry. This meant that every laundry day was followed by a day in the wonderful world of fitted sheet forts.

We made castles (complete with dungeons and dragons), Atlantis, tree forts, ice cities, and military bases all without leaving our house. Childhood is a wonderful time when our imagination is encouraged to have free reign and our worlds are so much larger than the reality of adulthood. Watching and joining Spencer in his many adventures is one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent. I love that kid and through him, I am reliving the wonder and joy of the imaginary world. :)