Natty!

No, your eyes do not deceive you! These are, in fact, our Hallowe'en outfits. Steve & I are going to a party tomorrow as, you guessed it, giant playing cards. One of those ideas that seems simple, but when you actually try to do it, turns out to be a royal pain in the deck. More evidence we're not playing with a full one...Flush that!

Batty!

Nana and Grandad came over to help Miranda decorate the house for Hallowe'en! The best part is, we can enjoy all the naturally-occurring spiders and webs for the next couple of weeks with impunity, and have happily re-christened our Huckleberry Hill home as (believe me, a much more apt name at this time of year) Graveyard of the Sow-Bugs! Spooky!

Big!

This was definitely our biggest gathering since moving to Bowen! We hosted a party in honour of our neighbour Sue (bottom right in the photo on the right), past president of the Family Place Board of Directors (I'm currently the Secretary). With most of our board--and their families--we totalled 25 people for a potluck dinner! Miranda was astounded (and initially dismayed--but she adjusted eventually) to see 10 other kids playing with her toys, and my Betty Crocker chocolate cake (garnished with blueberries!--what was I thinking?) was a real hit with young and old(er). OK, so I'm not Martha Stewart, as evidenced by my "seasonal" green-and-orange themed decorations (featured in unadulterated form in the first photo, which was taken just before the guests started to arrive), but I definitely get an E for effort! As in EEEEEEEK! Actually, it was a lot of fun!

And...

A happy Thanksgiving was had by all! Vancouver cousins (Auntie Jane, Uncle Mernie, Dan, Jenny, Aidan, and Lach) as well as Nana and Grandad joined us for turkey and all the trimmings; princess Miranda (pictured here with her new book from Janie, "Wee Smoot" [?!]) led the eleven of us in all eleven (or was it more?) verses of "Found a Peanut" during dinner. Many hands make light work--and I bought blueberry and pumpkin pies from Savary Island this year--so I was still smiling when I snapped this self-portrait at the end of the day...and generally feeling there's a lot to be thankful for--including one last glass of Merlyn's wine before bedtime. Cheers to all, & good night!