A few notes

A busy week or two, and suddenly I'm way behind on my posts! The October/November time is like that. With our anniversay, birthday, Halloween, stake conference, and all the yard work to tuck things in for the winter, there just hasn't been much extra time.

First, I had to include Kevin from the ward Halloween party. Someone had an afro wig, add a mustache, etc., and voila!

Second, the jack-o-lantern--design by Elizabeth, workmanship--Kevin, pumpkin preparation--Alice and me. A real family affair with a pumpkin that had lots of character.

We had almost 100 trick-or-treaters here on Halloween night. Although it was a chilly night (40 degrees with a north wind), it didn't seem to keep people home. If Halloween had been one night earlier, we would have had 60 degree balmy weather! We would have been able to leave the coats at home.

The girls and I went to a ward member's home Halloween party for an hour, then joined some of their school friends for the last hour of trick-or-treating, in a ritzy area of town. They got king-size candy bars at some of the homes! I haven't seen Elizabeth's stash of candy lately, but I'm sure it is diminishing rapidly. Alice has had a bad cold, and has held off eating her candy, since sugar suppresses the immune system and she wants hers to be as strong as possible. She asked me to put her stash up out of sight so she wouldn't be tempted to indulge.

Then a few days later we had stake conference. Since there was no General Authority or broadcast, the stake presidency had the whole show; Kevin had three talks to prepare. He did well with all of them! For the Sunday session, Elizabeth and Alice, along with another young woman from our ward were asked to provide string music for the prelude. So we worked up a number of hymns and hymn arrangements (I accompanied), and they provided 15 minutes of music. They sounded so nice! Lots of people complimented them after the meeting.

The day before, it was the Young Women's turn to clean the chapel, so we were able to inspire them "we get to make the church look super for all the visitors at stake conference"! And they responded. Elizabeth even got a flower arrangement out of the Relief Society closet to dress up the women's bathroom. It was fun to participate with them in the extra-special cleaning.