Halloween Bunko - An Unexpected Treat

Last night was the annual Halloween Bunko. It was a lot of fun as usual just to get together and eat and gab and play and laugh. We wear costumes generally, and we give a few costume awards. Last year, I was feeling creative, and Lisa and I went as dice. That is somewhat clever considering bunko is a dice game.

This year, I wasn't feeling inspired. I have also loaned out my sewing machine and couldn't complete the other costume I was shooting for as a result. Therefore, I opted with an old standby, Trent's fencing costume. Just so you know, my friend Lisa did get a repeat win for her costume. Last year we won most original for the dice. This year, she won funniest. It was perfectly done really. She was a little late, so the presentation was perfect. She had on jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt. She took her shoes off so that she was bare foot and went make-up free. She had on a Rastafarian hat and wig and then brought brownies for her treat. As she came in the full kitchen, she told us all she brought "very special brownies" for us. That sealed it for funniest. I promised some that I would take a picture last night. Trent took it for me at the end of the night, and I look awful, but I am posting it anyway. A big thanks to Trent for making it possible for me to even go. He has to teach the Coast Guard segment at the Domestic Operations Course today and has been extremely busy.

Also, I made a cheese ball for my goodie. It was pretty typical as far as cheese balls go, but the presentation was fun. By the way, all of you who have ever complained about photographing food, I now know where you are coming from.

This picture was also taken at the end of the night. I just turned it around so you really can't see the dug into side. That is why the celery leaves have gone limp though.

Now for the unexpected treat............

Maureen Block took her citizenship test yesterday and was talking about the experience last night. Maureen is a character and just an all around fun person to be around. She is married to Colonel Block (the man most likely to promote my husband in the next few weeks) and has been in the U.S. for many many years. She is from Scotland. Anyhow, she was telling us about her experience and asking people some of the questions she had to answer. It was so great. Some of us are hoping she will tell us when her swearing in ceremony is, but I doubt she will. We got talking about the questions on her test and how disappointed she was that they didn't ask her more considering she had studied and prepared for it. I confessed that I had taken a sample citizenship test a little while ago. When asked why, I confessed that I feel that we require a certain level of knowledge of our country and of how our government works from people desiring to become U.S. citizens and should require the same basic level of knowledge from our own citizens prior to allowing them to vote and participate in government given that we are the source from which our government is supposed to get its power (sovereignty) and authority. I took the test because I do believe this and don't want to be a hypocrite. I don't tell many people this, because I get called an elitist and all kinds of other things, and it really isn't worth it to me to be confrontational given that my theory isn't going anywhere anyhow. What a pleasant surprise that Maureen agreed with me and that all four of us at the table could engage in an absolutely level headed discussion without getting heated, angry, offended or offensive. It was nice to air out my idea. It was getting a little stuffy inside my own head.

For those of you interested in some sample questions from the citizenship test, click here. It is multiple choice, so that makes it easy really. Still, it will score it for you, and it is fun. You don't have to agree with me to give it a go.

With Sadness

I learned while checking in at Article 6 blog that Dean Barnett passed away yesterday. I am certain few if any of you are familiar with Dean Barnett. I came across his writing about a year ago now and really enjoyed reading him. I tended to agree with him for the most part, but even when I didn't, I was better informed for reading and thinking about his arguments. He was so passionate about living the best life a person could live and was equally dedicated to everything he wrote about (politics, sports, family, life). He recently left Townhall to write for the Weekly Standard. I gave up reading the Weekly Standard a while ago but would drift over there occasionally to read Dean. If anyone is interested in the tributes to Dean Barnett, they are cataloged there.

Following early losses this year of Tim Russert and Tony Snow, I think the death of Dean Barnett is an additional loss to those who enjoy really good political analysis and journalism. All 3 men were passionate about their country, about the role of government and about American politics. The world of politics, of journalism, and the world in general is a lesser place with them gone. This election, which has been an ugly episode for American journalism, is less for not having their insight.

Sure enough!

8 days after the first top tooth fell out, Ashley lost the other. She now has the full front gap.

Thomas Jefferson Parkway

Last Wednesday, the LCS Club walking and hiking group walked the Saunders-Monticello trail which starts at the top of the Thomas Jefferson Parkway. It was a rescheduled walk. We were rained out the Friday before. I am so glad that Lisa rescheduled this. I have walked parts of the trail before, but I have always wanted to do the whole thing. It is 4 miles round trip. The trail goes from the top of the Thomas Jefferson Parkway and ends in the parking lot for Monticello. Sami went with me and though I had the jogging stroller, she walked most of it. In fact, the 3 and 4 year old girls who came along ran at least a mile of the return route. They were having a great time. It really was beautiful and nice exercise.

There they go

Here they (Sami, Piper, Bella, and Louisa) come!

The whole group. I would like to note how brave I am for posting this picture considering how awful it is of me. Also, the sun is just glaring off of Maureen's jacket.

Field Trip to Grave's Mountain

This past Tuesday was Jon's first field trip. I decided to chaperon and to drive. Jon, Samantha, and I went to Ashley's last field trip last year. One nice thing about driving other than the comfort of your own vehicle, is the freedom of time table. I was able to sign Jon out and just take him home with me after the field trip rather than taking him back to school just so that he could get on the bus and come home.

We went to Grave's Mountain Lodge. It is a farm and orchard located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was glad that the driving directions took us via rural routes. It seems like everything has been so busy lately, that I haven't had time to enjoy the fall. Driving through those roads allowed me to really enjoy how beautiful it is right now.

Half of the Kindergarten classes (4 classes) went on Tuesday. Our first order of business was to divide into two groups and get our itinerary. Otis let us know who would be in each group and what we would be doing first. I know it doesn't make him any more or less of a real farmer, but I LOVE it that this man's name is Otis and he was wearing classic bib overalls. So great.

Our group went on a hay ride first through the orchards and to the pumpkin patch. We learned about frost and plants along the way. Something I found particularly interesting was how they deal with bears in the orchards. Because they are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where bears reside, they are often visited by bears. There are corn fields all around the orchards. These are planted for the bear. Apparently, the bear like corn better than they like apples. Sometimes the bear will still get into the apples though. We could see some evidence of that, because when the bears climb up in the smaller apple trees to eat the apples that are in abundance toward the top, they smash the tree. No picture of that I am sorry to say, but now you know what to do if you ever have to deal with bear getting into your fruit trees. :)

At the top, the kids all got to pick a pumpkin. Sami kept going for the nearest she saw and then trading it as she walked up the hill. Jon was a little more discerning, but got the pumpkin he was after and rather than putting it in his backpack, held it or had me hold it for the duration of our field trip.

Afterward, we took our hay ride back to the starting point where we learned about seeds, sorted some seeds, and planted some wheat in the garden. We then had lunch and free time to play around and look at the animals. Among the usual pigs, goats, etc., they had some beautiful pheasants and peacocks. They also have a beehive, which Jon loved. Among the favorites had to be playing in the hay bale stacks.

We had a really good time even though it was a bit on the chilly side. I particularly loved this tree growing through the bed of an old truck, so I am including the picture.

Jon's (Mrs. Strickland's) Kindergarten class

Haircuts and Lost Teeth

Saturday was a fun adventure for our girls. We were out getting a few things done, and I finally convinced Samantha to sit and get a hair cut. Her hair was getting so long, and combing it was a battle. We tried to cut it once last fall, but she wiggled so much in the seat that the lady refused to cut her. She got a hair cut last April when Tamara was here. It has been since then. You can see before pictures in the apple picking photos below. The boys went to the barber so that Trent could get his hair cut, but they don't really do little girl hair, so Ashley, Sami and I went somewhere else. Sami did great. The only downside is that it seems a lot of Sami's curl was cut out. It actually reminds me of mine. If it is actually like mine, she will have tons of curl next time she cuts her hair.

Sami's after look. It isn't any different. It is just shorter and easy to comb.

Meanwhile.........


Ashley had been showing everyone she possibly could her loose front tooth. When Sami was getting her hair cut, Ashley told the lady cutting Sami's hair about it. The lady asked Ashley why she didn't just pull it out. Ashley told her she couldn't and took a hold of her tooth to wiggle it and demonstrate. It came out when she grabbed it. The look of shock on her face was hilarious. I wished I had my camera then. We were all laughing. Now Ashley has the characteristic toothless wonder grin. The other top tooth will be following soon I think. Then we will have the famous front gap.

Apple Update

Because some of you were wondering about what I was going to do with all of our apples, I thought I would let you know that almost half of them became 9 pints of apple butter that I bottled. More have been eaten and will continue to be eaten. The rest will become applesauce and apple pie filling later this week I hope. Thanks for asking!

Apple Picking

This past Monday was Columbus Day, so Trent was off, and the kids were off from school, so we headed up to Carter Mountain Orchard to pick some apples! Last year we went during apple days, which is the first weekend in October. This year they extended apple days for two weekends. As we would drive past the turn off for the orchard on our way to or from town, we would see so many cars turning to go up to the orchard or coming back down. It was crazy. There was even some guy standing out on the 53 trying to direct traffic so that people leaving the orchard could get out. Trent expressed some concern the day before we went that there wouldn't be any apples left. Last year, there were plenty of apples, but there were types that were limited picking such as the Fuji and Gala apples. The harvest wasn't nearly as large last year. I heard repeatedly that this year was a very good harvest. I haven't seen anything like it. There were apples everywhere! We picked 36 pounds of Stayman apples, which they have a lot of at the orchard and I like because they are a great all purpose apple, from three trees in less than 30 minutes. It was absolutely amazing. We didn't grab one of the long poles for picking up high until later when we picked some Fuji apples. We wished we had only because the tops of the trees were hanging with big fat beautiful apples. The weather was beautiful and plenty warm. The kids had a great time.

Trent picked up our picking sacks while we.........

played in the pumpkin patch.

Picking apples

Jon, who much preferred pole picking, just hung out until it was time to get the Fuji apples. Then, he wanted to pick them all. That pole is fun.

Aren't my boys cute?

Amazing Things You Didn't Realize You'd Love

Around this time last year, we popped into Harris Teeter to look for something. I love Harris Teeter but don't go often, because it is out of my way. Ashley noticed their small shopping carts with tall flags attached and has wanted to go back ever since just to use one.

Well, our local Food Lion has undergone quite a bit of remodeling over the summer. This week, they added a small supply of those small grocery carts with the tall flags that say customer in training. I never realized how much I would love a gimmick like that!! Ashley thinks it is great of course, but on the more important end, Samantha loves it and behaves herself perfectly and helps me shop now! I never like taking all the kids to the store, but even Sami alone can get rough. She doesn't like to ride in the cart, and she runs all over the place. This little shopping cart has made my grocery shopping experience, (dare I say it) pleasant!

Amazing. Now, I just have to make sure there is always one available when I am shopping.

Farm Days

The first Saturday in October here in Fluvanna County is Farm Days. It is a county fair like display that celebrates the farming heritage of this area and the history of this area in general. We missed it last year. We went to Apple Days at Carter Mountain Orchard (first weekend in October) instead. We have been looking forward to it for a year, so we headed down Saturday afternoon to see what it was all about. The kids thought we were just going to the Farmer's Market at first, because it is held in the same place, but Farm Days stretches on MUCH further than our little farmer's market. It really was worth going, and there were a lot of fun things to see. The kids loved seeing the animals. There were pigs, goats, sheep, horses, the cleanest cow I have ever seen, and even some llamas. After our kids mooed at the cow, it mooed back. This encouraged them, so they tried the same thing with the llamas. After awhile, we asked them to stop. Ashley did it again, so we asked her to stop. Then, we kept hearing noises and kept getting after Ashley. We realized, finally, that it was the llama. We felt bad, of course.

The huge turkey that kept puffing up and trying to look fearsome as people passed by.

Those naughty trouble making llamas

It was nice and warm Saturday afternoon. Ashley was too hot in her sweater. We found some snow cones. Yummy! Jon says the snow cones were his favorite part of Farm Days.

There were several BBQ places set up. Since this is Virginia, they take their BBQ seriously. You can see that this place had all of their trophies displayed.

We kept hearing the sound of a train. We finally figured out where it was coming from. This is one interesting contraption. It is hard to see from the picture, but there is a little motor that moves back and forth and the whole thing is steam generated.

This was a festival about the heritage of the area. Sure enough, a cavalry of the sons of Confederate Veterans came riding through the festival area. They had a camp set up that you could look at complete with supplies. One guy was talking to Trent about all the things they could pilfer from captured Yankee soldiers. Trent, who has absolutely loved reading Battle Cry of Freedom, talked with him for quite a while. He tried to recruit Trent. Trent told him that his ancestors would have been attacking settlers as they traveled west. The man then asked if he was from the mid west then. Too funny.

What would a fair/festival/Farm Days be without a train ride of sorts. This makeshift train did not require tickets. Therefore, there was no line. That made getting the kids on and off a madhouse. In fact, Ashley got on, and I couldn't help Jon and Sami to get on the same train quickly enough, so they had to go on the next one. They all loved it though.

Legoes

Friday night, we had a great time putting together Trent's new Coast Guard patrol boat and tower lego set. He purchased it at the lego store in the Mall of America while he was in Minnesota last week. Trent says it is the biggest mall he has ever seen in his entire life. He says the only thing he can think to compare it to is the grand covered bazaar in Istanbul. I don't doubt it since there is a roller coaster in the middle of it. Anyhow, he shipped this set home, and the kids not so patiently waited for it. On a side note: the Coast Guard sets are available at Target, so I would imagine they aren't hard to find locally.

Lego Store at Mall of America

Huge Lego dinosaurs (BEHIND Trent, Col. Poche and Sgt. Turner in case you mistake my meaning)

We all had a lot of fun putting it together. When we were done though, the kids were like moths to a flame wanting to play with it. This, however, is Dad's toy. After several covert attempts to play with it, one resulting in the temporary loss of the surfer's hair, we packed them all up and took them to Trent's office (their intended destination) after Farm Days on Saturday.

Everyone building. Never mind Samantha. She got distracted while trying to put on her pajamas.

Done!

They look good. Don't they?

They look even better in Trent's office.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

My friend Megan posted this recipe a while ago, and then Nicole posted it as well. It has been sitting in the back of my mind. So, for bunko last week, I tried it. It was a HUGE hit. Of course it was. It was from Megan. Anyhow, it is easy and yummy, and for those who may have not seen it yet, here it is:

2 10oz. cans chunk chicken, drained
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (I use the 1/3 less fat stuff. It might change the consistency somewhat, but it was fine by me)
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar

celery
tortilla chips

Heat chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, and ranch dressing over medium heat. Add 1/2 (3/4 cup) of the cheddar. Stir until all melted. Transfer to crock pot or slow cooker and top with remaining cheddar. Keep on lowest heat and serve with tortilla chips of choice and celery sticks.

I REALLY like the celery sticks with this as I think if you use a chip that is too salty, it isn't as good, but that is just me. I used multi-grain tortilla chips, and I liked that.

Also, for those who might want it spicier (I can think of a few), you could increase the Frank's sauce. That would change the consistency though. You could also use some dry cayenne. That should work fine I would think. For most people, it is just spicy enough.