Giving Thanks

To me Thanksgiving is all about gathering with family, eating yummy pie and taking a rest.  From the guys to the small fries, by the looks of these pictures it looks like we did just that!  

Sweets for my Sweets!

Bon Appetit!

When I came home the girls escorted me to the basement with a surprise.  They had transformed the unfinished, box filled basement into a five star restaurant complete with flowers on the table and a menu.  From appetizer to dessert they were all so professional about it I was really able to settle in and relax.  They wouldn't let me lift a finger.  Kate and I sat down and enjoyed our dinner.  While we were waiting for our order they even had things for us to color.  I don't know if it was the fact that I didn't have to cook or that they really are good cooks but it was one of the best dinners I've had in a long time!

Neeley's Spa Oasis

Neeley wanted a grown up party theme this year.  I decided it would be fun to do a spa.  So when the girls arrived we put them in a robe and escorted them to the waiting room that had soft relaxing music playing.  When they had all arrived we took them into the candle lit spa where they started with a pumpkin spice facial accompanied by a cucumber eye mask.  Following that we had a towel critter folding demonstrations along with mani/pedis and a hair styling contest.  After they were all pampered the girls sat down to a dinner of mini cucumber sandwiches, dipped strawberries, eclairs and sparkling cider in fancy goblets.  Neeley loved every minute of it and I think it was safe to say the same about her friends judging by the way they skipped down the front steps in their cute little robes!

Boooooo!

A bumble bee, pajama girl, two cheerleaders and home made caramel apples!  Now that is what I call Halloween!  Lilah knew what she wanted to be since this summer when we bought her costume at a garage sale.  Kate and Kayla made their chose on a whim one night when they were playing cheerleader with costumes from our costume box.  Neeley on the other hand could not think of anything "cool" enough to be.  She's at that age this year when everything has to be cool.  After suggesting, what seemed to her, every stupid costume in the book I gave up and told her to just wear her pajamas and say she woke up late and didn't have time for a costume. She bought it.  After all, what is cooler than no costume at all....

Round two...

Jeremy often reminds me that Lilah and Kate are like having a round two of Neeley and Kayla.  It is like reliving those first years of parenthood all over again!  The other night when I went to check on the girls before going to bed this is what I found.  Lilah is ever so patient with Kate and her antics.  She wants so much to be good but some times she gives in and follows Kate down the path of mischief.  This picture says it all.  Kate is always on Lilah's tail.  Lilah bares Kate's burden a lot of the time.  And well, Kate sometimes stinks as you can see for the leak on her bum!  I am so glad to see them being best buds just like their older sisters!

Cake Tastic

Decorating cakes is one of my new hobbies that I really have come to enjoy.  They take me a day to make but I love to see what concept I can create next.  The pink one is the first and last one I ever got paid for.  By the time it was all said and done I made next to nothing and it created much more anxiety knowing I was being paid to create it.  It was however for the baptism of a daughter in a family I adore so it was still all worth it!  The super hero and safari cake were both for cub scouts.  It is fun to create a boy cake for once.  I think the safari is my all time favorite.  I have discovered fondant and have fallen in love with working with it.  The last was a service for a dear friend who's son loves balls.  The look on his face when he saw the cake was payment enough.

Some stats on the three larger cakes:
7 pounds of powdered sugar
around 14 cups of flour
21 eggs
3 pounds of butter
12 different colors of icing on the safari cake alone
at least 10 hours of work each

I think they each weighed at least 50 pounds!  And to see the entire thing devoured in 5 minutes can break your heart but the smiles...