I decided to spatchc00k our turkey this year because our apartment gets really hot if the oven is on too long (thank you Martha Stewart).  Naturally it looked much easier, in the pictures of her magazine, to cut out the backbone and break the breastbone of a turkey:

But it turned out okay. In fact, it was terribly juicy and scrumptious. I will probably spatchcook every year from now on. Also, I made Pioneer Woman's sweet potato recipe and it was AMAZING.  Sweet potatoes are now my favorite food. 

The Harveys came down from Seattle to visit us. Van is almost as big as Nanette. (Craig declared that she had shrunk, which she appreciated).  We missed the Thomsons this year; sadly Hannah is fighting off The Dread Disease. But Nan insisted we take them dinner, and so they got to have some yummy food at least. 

And the kids kept busy all day building a lego Christmas scene. 

terribly sorry about the sad lack of posting.  Witness my declaration that henceforth it shall improve and shall also be interesting, inspiring, or funny. 

maybe. 

We made our Thankful Turkey last night for Family Home Evening.  He's sitting under the a/c waiting for an unwary turkey hunter to walk by... 

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! Just 36 days until Christmas!

Autumn decor FAIL.

this ugly garland has been up in my living room for a month now (there's another one, identical, on the opposite wall) because I'm too annoyed at how long it took me to make it, to take it down. It's hideous. I can hardly look at it.  It's going to have to go soon. I won't be able to handle it much longer.

My next project:  Simplicity 2508  (the short one)  with this:

I'll get a jacket that fits perfectly (assuming I don't totally screw it up) and cost less than $50 instead of more than $100. 

We survived halloween again. craig and I didn't really dress up this year (gasp! I know!) but the boys picked Pokemon as the theme and if you are at all familiar with that 'verse you know there are not a lot of adults.  and we didn't feel like being Team Rocket. So I hung a couple of Poke-balls from my belt loops and craig wore a lab coat and went as Professor Oak. 

the boys really had a good time; they just wanted a "serious" photo. whatever:

I had to make a chimchar costume for fletch. The hood was a bit tricky but I think I pulled it off. His tail was his favorite: (it's supposed to be made of fire)

and vanvan was Piplup. at least, for the few moments that he would wear his hood. 

next year i'm making the costumes in July, so I'm not sewing like mad at the last minute like every. single. other. year.   If you are my friend, please remind me of this oath next summer... 

some bits of Helena that we explored.  

naturally we did not go inside the buildings. that would have been tresspassing. 

we followed Dad through most of the explorations; and when we got to a spot that was gated, Dad found a path to the side that went past a gap in the fence and through a large patch of vines. 

Connor: Is it safe to go through there?

Me: Of course. Dad wouldn't take us through if it wasn't safe.

Sharon: Oh, right, HA!

Me: What?

Sharon:  Dad isn't allergic to poison oak. You should ask the Cunningham boys how safe it is to "follow Dad" someday. 

Dad just shrugged. Getting poison oak probably builds character anyway.... like that time my mom had to make a pee stop in the woods (can you tell what's coming? can you?) and wasn't paying attention to where she squatted..(yep, just what you thought).  She had to wear an apron on her front and saran wrap on her butt over the itch cream for DAYS.  Her sister and her mother (who she and I lived with at the time) were constantly cracking up over it.

I'm sure she appreciates me sharing. 

this plum tree is about 7 feet from my parent's back door, it's top leaves here level with the upper deck. This is what it looked like on Friday.

there was a constant "piff, whiffle" of leaves falling all weekend.

by sunday afternoon the tree looked like this: 

we got to see fall colors! I kept exclaiming at trees and pointing them out to the boys. Connor thought they were all very nice but fletcher was less impressed. "more yellow, mom. why do you like yellow so much?"