A Brother Home and a Festive Halloween!

November 5, 2008 - This is a big day for the blog because my brother Stephen gets to make his debut! After almost a year in Iraq, Stephen has returned home safely - Elizabeth has her hubby, Lorelai has her dada, and everybody is happy!

Me too, cuz, ya know... I'm a big fan of this guy.

I don't want to touch politics or war in what I write here. All I'll say is that the relief of knowing he had arrived in the U.S. was unbelievable and we all feel so blessed to have him home safely.

Needless to say, there was a sense of giddiness in the household this particular Halloween weekend, and we all decided to get decked out.

I was a cat -

Joe was animal control - and after a chase through the streets - he caught me!

Natalie was a chicken, and wasn't too keen on the whole thing at first. But I think it was mostly because her mummy mother was freaking her out. Once she got up on her roost (aka - dad's shoulders), she felt safe and managed to enjoy herself.

Elizabeth, Stephen, and Lorelai were the family farm.

And here's everybody ready to go out and trick-or-treat.

Yes, we all went, buckets in hand, door to door. Now, some may think it's a little pathetic, being adults and demanding candy from your neighbors. But it was a TON of fun, and I recommend it to everyone. There was only one mean old lady who told us not to come back next year. But I just feel sorry for her... maybe next year we should take her trick-or-treating with us?

Last but not least - what would Halloween be without an old lady in her pjs -

And a freaky guy -

All in all, it was a great time. Very festive, very celebratory.

Now that Halloween's over, we get to focus on one of my very favorite holidays... Thanksgiving! I love food, and I love that this holiday is all about food. My plans are still in the works, but I am conjuring up ideas about a completely local meal. Joe will hopefully get us a turkey, we'll have squash from our garden, and I'll have to find local brussel sprouts, potatoes, and flour to make bread with. I'll make pumpkin pie from our very own pumpkins, and serve some kind of local wine. It will be a celebration of the bounty of our area and the family who gets together to enjoy it. Can't wait...