We started off the festivities at Kate’s Girl Scout Holiday Party where they learned how to Fence!

They even got to wear the awesome fencing outfit.

Showing off her new look.

Here we go.

The girls watched the women instructors fence!

On Christmas Eve, Gommie & Bob came up to our house for Fondue dinner in front of the fire. The kids decorated Gingerbread Houses.

All fun….until Harry got involved.

Christmas morning….checking out what Santa left.

Will gets special Hundreds pens in his stocking.

Kate got a pipe cleaner kit to make a Sea Turtle.

Then we were off to Gramps & Nana’s for dinner and presents.

Tuesday night….Kate and I had a very special night off to see Wicked. Kate has been listening to the music for years and has always wanted to go. She was the perfect age. She loved every minute of it….sitting on the edge of her seat. We waited by the stage door to see the stars come out. We HAD TO wait to see Glinda and Elphaba! Here is Kate with Glinda!

Then Elphaba….you can still see some of the green makeup on her hands.

They were all so sweet to Kate. This was HUGE for her. She has listened to the music non-stop ever since.

New Years morning I made my Grandfather’s Popovers. Thanks to tips from my brother….we got them pretty big and fluffy this time! We had a nice lazy New Year’s Day! Its all flying by so fast. Now Kate and I are working on getting all of the pink out of Kate’s room….she is ready for a change. Will is in Palm Desert with Gramps & Nana…..golfing with Gramps!

Every moment of the weekend was jam packed……shopping, parties, and gift making. I tried out a recipe I found in Martha Stewarts Everyday Foods magazine to give for gifts.

Tangerine Marmalade. Here is the link! It was very easy…..just need to block out the time to let it simmer.

I found the jars at Ikea…..and they worked out to be a little bit over $1. Here they are cooling on the window sill.

and all ready to go!

Lucy needed a bath….she still has fleas. We think that they may be coming from the family of raccoons that have decided to take up residence under our house.

She so doesn’t like it….but, I think knows that it will help….so she puts up with it. Her face says it all.

Will dried her off while she purred. Still love that face!

Finished up a wreath for our kitchen window. Paula made them for our Crafty Group Boutique. She then generously taught us how to make them ourselves. I used this year and last years Anthropologie Christmas Catalogs to make the whole thing. Punched out TONS of scalloped circles and then rolled them into cones and glued them on with the glue gun! Took me a LONG time but……

I love how it turned out. Pretty from the outside and inside.

Then we “gussied up” and headed down to Gommie’s for our Family Christmas Dinner. Here are the kids in their new spiffy Holiday clothes.

I finally figured out how to download Kate’s Tap routine from the competition a couple of weeks ago. Not super great quality….but….you can get a feel for the dance.

Wow…it was a BIG weekend! Kate had a dance competition all day (12 hours) on Saturday and just 2 hours today! She did 6 of the dances she did at the June Recital but added a special Tap Trio with her buddies Isha and Kennedy!

I was so proud of them….practicing every Sunday for a private lesson with Miss Leslie.

It was so fun to watch all of their hard work….pay off!

They placed overall in 2nd place….BUT….were announced as part of The Allstars invited to go to New York!  Super exciting!

It was a very LONG day….but Kate and I both enjoyed hanging out with her dance buddies and their Moms!

Kate and I spent all afternoon after school getting ready for Halloween. We had seen some fun ideas for a spooky Science Lab on a Martha Stewart Haunted House Special. We filled up the glass containers part way with colored water….then added vegetable oil to finish filling….after that we added 1/2 of a Alka Seltzer tablet! Set up our strobe light and were set!  Very cute at night.

Kate waiting for trick or treaters….and for her buddies to come by!

I had to say goodbye to photos of Will dressed up for Halloween this year! Feels like yesterday……we were getting him ready too! This year….he flew in the door from school…..grabbed his Mickey Mouse Ears and hopped on his bike and headed over to his friends house. All night long while we were out and about…..we would run into friends who had seen Will and a big group of kids “over on the next block”. We never did see him!

I DID get my annual Halloween photo of Kate on the front porch. She bailed on the glittered shoes….opted for comfort……wearing her Toms!

We added glow sticks to her skirt and her umbrella….for nighttime jellyfish effect.

One of our favorite houses….always decorates all the way up their driveway….with fun games…..

creepy displays….

candy…..and…

and a different scary car crash every year. Here are Kate and Paige with the Zombie Babies!

Kate always saves the Heath Bars for me!

Blake manned our house……we ran out of candy in record time! It was a BIG night….but lots of fun!

Kate knew exactly what she wanted to be for Halloween…..a Jellyfish. She searched the internet for ideas! Here she is finishing up her Glittered Sneakers.

I think they turned out pretty fabulous!

Here is her “Dress Rehearsal!”

Here she is walking out to the school costume parade….

with kids from her class….

and marching in the parade! Tonight we are adding glow sticks and makeup! Happy Halloween!

On Wednesday….Kate and I were waiting in the lobby of the dentist’s office for Will. Kate found a friend!

Will quickly came over to the stands at the last Poly Football game to say hello to Gramps, Nana & Papa Putt. Gommie and Bob came to see Will the week before.

Kate at Aunt Karen & Uncle Bill’s for dinner…..wearing her vintage daisy necklace found at The Long Beach Antique Flea Market.

Then I try to take photos and get this!  But…..he makes up for it with this…..

well….maybe!

Lots of Halloween business going on around here! We had our Crafty Group Swap a couple of weeks ago. I put together little scary girl votive candles.

Here they are….already to give away!

Paula made Creepy Halloween Dolls….love the arm floating below!

Lynne made cute little candy holders made out of seed cups.

Rachel made YUMMY pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and included the recipe in a cute black organza bag.

Beck gave us fun clipboards painted with chalkboard paint! My new To Do List!

Kelli made chicken wire baskets and filled them with Halloween colored yarn and beautiful needles. Love the Boo Medallion!

Kate and I had fun decorating the house. We found these Martha Stewart Window Clings at JoAnns.

Our skeleton corner!

We found the man and woman busts at Vintage Emporium….and added black cheesecloth with little flickering lights.

My favorite Halloween items are my collection of vintage inspired trick or treat buckets. Found years ago at Z Gallerie and the 99 cent store.

Kate’s favorite collection is the light up Halloween Village…that we have been collecting every year from Michaels.

We are madly working on Kate’s Jellyfish costume. Including a vintage petticoat and vintage fabric from Julie at Vintage Emporium.

Kate sewing….still with her Ballet Company hairpiece on.

She is sewing all of the fabric strips with a running stitch….so that they gather up….like the tendrils of the Jellyfish.

We glittered tennis shoes from Target….still need to add the rhinestone embellishments to the toe. We have more work to do…this weekend!

It feels like a never ending circle of driving to dance and to Poly for Marching Band!  But….it’s been fun!

Kate and two of her friends at dance are doing a special “Trio” for the upcoming dance competition and may also perform it in Las Vegas next summer. They are doing a super cute Tap Dance routine. Here they are on the day they received their costumes…..trying them on quickly over their regular dance clothes!

Last Friday night Poly played Jordon High School…..there is always so much going on and things to watch.

Here is Kate sporting Will’s new Poly beanie and a scarf I quickly crocheted for her!

Kate is entering an art contest at school. She is going to enter in the photography category. The theme is “Diversity Means….”. She wanted to show how her dance friends all wear different types of Lyrical shoes. She borrowed my camera and took the photo herself….including her feet in pink!