Happy Halloween!

are you having fun yet?

we are! photos coming soon!

MEANWHILE...

try this delicious dip!

it's great with ritz crackers (tastes like pumpkin pie),

pears, apples...

2 c powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese

2 cups canned pumpkin

2 tsp pie spice

(or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp each of allspice & nutmeg)

blend & serve!

***

Freak Friday School Halloween Parties

The day began with preparing treats for James' Preschool Halloween party, Heidi's Kindergarten party, and Addie's 2nd grade party (and dinner--wheat bread in the breadmaker and beef stew in the crock pot). 10am to preschool, then grocery store, then back to preschool for lunch/party with the mommies, then home to get the stew done and to assemble Addie's veggie tray & grab the kids' costumes, then off to the Elementary school!Addie as Thing One from Dr. Seuss
Heidi as Thing Two

James was ENCHANTED with this Snow White (Chloe) in Heidi's class.

Daddy joined in the fun

(here he is with James in Ad's classroom)

Addie's class did Mad Science experiments for their party...

...and then the whole school did a parade! Here's Heidi in the parade.

James found another Cat-in-the-Hat to hang out with

(Mrs. Kost) in the parade.

More fun to come...

3 parties down, 3 to go!

(and yes, mommy is draggin' booty...)

So this is Thursday...

My last post was "Monday was fun," but then Tuesday and Wednesday? Not so much. I apparently have a sinus infection, but that's just normal for this time of year. Last year I had swollen Graves eyes, strep and a double ear infection for Halloween, so I count myself lucky this year. I am going to see the doc today just in case it's more than viral. Anyway, we're just pluggin' along over here, having fun with our kids, excited for all the good times coming up...Here's the front porch with all our jack-o-lanterns lit last night...
So much fun!

Two Videos from Last Week

James Loves Babies from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

Fall Color Hunt from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

Monday Was Fun

I was still feeling sick on Monday morning (sinus bug=300-pound-head, at least that what it felt like), so my dear Kim took James to pre-school and brought him home. This week they are learning about I and 9 and he brought home a picture of 9 scoops of ice cream. When I hung it on the fridge, he said, "Mama, I want that ice cream!" ... ...so I made him some Serendipity3 frozen hot cocoa! YUM!
For Family Night, we carved our pumpkins. Addie took a picture.
Rich & Heidi made a cool Jack Skellington

James and I made a Snow White

(yes, he is obsessed with Snow White right now, especially the dwarves Hi-Ho song, and when Snow White "goes to the temple to get married" at the end--I think maybe the castle looks a lot like the San Diego temple where were married). Addie made her own silly face.

Also, notice my hubs' handsome hands in the background...he shoulda been a pianist!

And here is the fruit of our labors this morning!

Happy Spooking!

I bought little flameless tea lights on clearance last year so we now have fake candles to light our lanterns so the famous Livingston wind won't blow them out on Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving, Anyone?

Tonight's family night is all about the pumpkins. Speaking of, did you read this fun little article on msn?

If you'd like a way to incorporate gospel into jack-o-lanterns (I know, it's a stretch, which is proly why the book was a buck), here's a poem from a book I bought for a buck last week, called "My Happy Pumpkin." It's a perfect FHE lesson for the five-and-under crowd. Happy carving!

My Happy Pumpkin

Look in our garden! There are pumpkins on the ground!
Tall pumpkins, fat pumpkins, bumpy and round,
I skip through the patch and I look til I find
The pumkin I want, then my dad cuts the vine.

We wash it & dry it, then cut off the top.
We scoop out the seeds and the pulp and the slop.
We take all the mess and we throw it away
Into the trash—that’s where it will stay.

We cut out two circles to make giant eyes
And a triangle nose that’s just the right size
We carve out a smile and put in a light
My big happy pumpkin shines bright in the night!

My pumpkin is happy & I’m happy, too.
Heavenly Father loves me and makes me like new.
Jesus takes my mistakes & He throws them away.
I show God I love Him each time I obey.
I’m a child of God, he made me complete
From the hair on my head to the toes on my feet.
I’ll try to be good so that others can see
God's love and His light shining through me.

--Crystal Bowman

Melin Kids, October 2007

XXX

[that's "the big 3-0" in Roman numerals]

Happy Birthday to my Sister, Jill!Here's a fun memory of Jill, SIL Audrey, & me with our little babies

Jack, Spencer, & Heidi in 2004.

***

Jill, I hope it has been a fabuous weekend and you know how much we love & miss you!
Zipadeeay and Hideeho!

Last night I listened to The Poet & The Poem on the way home from Bozeman. This episode featured an amazing story/project that made me drive really slow so I could listen to the whole thing. It was an autobiography and poetry by holocaust survivor (who has since died), Hilda Stern Cohen (click HERE to read more). Gail Rosen performs readings acompanied by music that was inspired by the poetry, much of it in German, much of it in melancholy minor chords and reminiscent of Jewish folk songs or German opera. It was amazing and I want to read her book and see the DVD that is coming out of the performance I heard last night. I loved how her husband described that she was raised an orthodox Jew and was very precocious in the doctrine and in her testimony and faith, and how that faith was the prism by which she experienced life and was the one thing she would not let the nazi's take from her. She became a religion teacher in Baltimore after the war. She began her religious education at the Jewish school in Wurzburg, birthplace of my husband. How ya like THAT connection?

I love Yellowstone Public Radio. LOOOOOVE it.

Finally, Friday

Our house is becoming quite the gallery. I love my priceless collections...

This is a recent family portrait by Heidi. I am fascinated when she writes our names in perfect mirror image, although kindergarten is making that more rare.

Last Monday we cut up egg cartons for crafts.

The first thing we made were these witches...

This one is James', hanging in the front window.

This one is Heidi's on the inside of the front door

And here's Addie's...
***
Today we had preschool at our house.
Here are the kids having snack time.

The girls

The boys

The yummy food

A few weeks ago, Kim made these "triangles" with the kids--I love them!

Today we used the rest of the egg carton to make pumpkins (color=orange) and spiders (number=8)...too much fun! Now I am off to read in Heidi's kindergarten class...even more fun! Smell ya later!

***

I am back from kindergarten...love that place, love my Heidi Lynners! I noticed EC Prophet's funeral on the front page of the local paper (some of you may not know that our ranch is only a few miles north of the CUT compound, and our town is only about 30 miles north). I thought you might be interested in some local news, so read up HERE on Elizabeth Clare Prophet & the Church Universal & Triumphant. I love living in Montana, land of the free, home of the brave, haven of the manifesto-writing crazies...it's awesome to live in a place that truly believes in different strokes for different folks...a place where stockpiling food & weapons is normal.

Just Sayin'...

Loved Ones, this invitation will be coming in the mail to many of you next week and we hope you will come (but we'll forgive you if you don't). I just wanted to let our AZ peeps know (like Aunt Lisaree, maybe Stephanie L.) that allegiantair.com is selling Mesa-to-Billings tickets for $39.99 right now. So, ya know, maybe it's time for you to come to Montana....just sayin'...

10pm update: btw, all cousins are invited to sing "I Am A Child of God" in the service, so practice and join in!

Long Time Ago When We Was Fab

I got this stupid jingle in my head, so I logged on to youtube to see if they had the Mountain Dew commercial from 1986 with Lance Mountain and Tony Hawk and they totally did. I recorded this ad on one of my TV tapes back in HS because I had met Tony at a skate shop opening and he told us he had shot this commercial so I was watching for it. I loved it...and now it looks so sadly dated. And it's so sad how starved for sk8 footage (& skaters) we were...sigh...