Count your many blessings, name them one by

ONE.
I have many blessings, which I could literally spend all day documenting, but today I will list only one:

I am grateful to be here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Speaking Of Jack O'Lanterns...

Meet Logan Lantern!


I really meant to post this about a month ago...on Halloween to be exact. Cute, though. He lost one of those teeth about a week before Halloween. The other one is about a month prior. The one on the top is just a gigantic gap that he has been blessed to inherit from me. Cute boy.

Speaking of lanterns, (I had to segway somehow, didn't I?) the family went to the annual Winterberry Lantern Walk with Rebecca's school last Friday. I have no pictures because I didn't take my camera. Besides, it was dark. We all met at Goose Lake, where all the school children got their lanterns they made in school (They even use real fire. Cool.) and walked around lantern-lit trails singing songs like, "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine!" In Rebecca's words there are, "seriously a million verses to that song." I sang her the one about "Jesus is my light, so I'm going to let it shine," but she said they didn't learn one. I knew this, of course, I just had to prove that I know more than she does. (I know, I'm an awesome mom!) Anway, the walk was COLD. it was 6 degrees in town, and probably about 60 below at the lake. They had a big bonfire and sang more songs. Yes, there was hand holding and dancing involved. It's Winterberry, what do you expect? Then we ate some cookies, had some HOT apple cider and went home. Very cool.

Happy, Happy, Birthday, Halibut!

October 30 was Elle Halibut's birthday. (I know, I'm behind!) It was fun. I made her this cake, using modeling chocolate instead of fondant because fondant is GRODY! (Is that how you spell it?) This cake was delicious. It was a pomegranate/white chocolate layer cake with berry filling. (It's all about the cake...) I made the same flavor/colors for Lily's friend Mia's b-day cake the week before. It was a swimming party and I made a large, very tall (for me) whale cake. It was cute, but we were in a rush so I didn't get a picture. Oh, well.

Danitra, Robert, Easton, and Cadance came, but I didn't get their picture. Oops. Man, I'm striking out in the picture department lately! We had a nice meal; Dale made Grandpa Hansen's famous roast beef and Grandma Hansen's even more famous rolls (without sitting on them...phew!) in my soon-to-be worn out brand-new Bosch mixer. (I love all the things listed in this paragraph. Especially Danitra, as she doubles as my housekeeper. Yay for Danitra!)

The present she's about to "open" is an adorable crocodile xylophone, exactly like the one that Sarah and Rebecca had ages ago in Aggie Village. She was banging on the paper and playing the keys through the paper. She loved it! Then we made her open it, and was she mad! Now she loves, it though, so all's well that ends well, right?


The obligatory messy one-year old cake face. It would have been a cuter/messier picture except...



Lily just had to help her eat it neatly! Way to ruin the moment, Lily. Oh, I mean, way to be a big helper! (Is that a more appropriate mom statement?)

Anyway, Happy birthday, girl. To the land of no bottles, talking, and walking for you! Your baby days are OVER! How depressing. For me, not her. sigh.