All I want for Kwanzaa is my 7th tooth

G's wish came true. So, naturally, he ate his first apple. And loved it!

I love pie

We hosted our first Thanksgiving! 25 people, including kids. I did no cooking except for pies - a pecan, a chocolate pecan (the winner of the evening) and a salted caramel apple which was a total bummer, despite its delicious and exotic-sounding name (booooo Food Network magazine. This was the second loser I've made from your pages).

I was motivated to actually put pictures up on a few walls so guests had something to look at (in most rooms). In the dining room, however, it was just sheetrock on the walls and ceiling. But that was better than dangling insulation the night before. With my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and her fiance, we were able to put it up on Tuesday night. We ooohed and aaaaahed over the gleaming, beautiful white sheetrock, which was sooooo much classier than wood paneling and wood beams. Then, my initial excitement fading, I felt like we really had no business having guests over to eat in that room. But it all turned out fine and my husband even creatively pulled out colored pencils and invited everyone to graffiti the walls before painting, which turned out to be a big hit.

Here I am looking happy because it's almost time to eat, and I've had a glass (or 2?) of wine. Thanksgod it's over!

A bust

Halloween was, that is. Both boys were sick the day of; G with hand, mouth and foot disease (which sounds way worse than I would have imagined, though the Dr. said we were lucky considering G's mouth, hands and feet were all blistered when it's not usually all three at a time) and T just feeling yucky all day, culminating with a major barf attack in his bed that night. But, we have sweet neighbors who brought candy to him so he didn't miss out. I felt it was my duty to eat most of it, however, considering he was having stomach issues and all. Don't worry, I left him a couple rolls of Smarties.

T did have fun with holiday prep a few days before, which included pumpkin painting and a witch make-up trial. The pumpkin painting came about when a playdate mom asked me what I used to teach and upon hearing art she exclaimed "how fun! you must do all kinds of fun art projects with your kids all the time!" I said "er, oh, uh, yeah, not really, I mean, sometimes" and promptly ran home to pull out whatever art supplies I could find to do something with T right that minute. Shamed, I now have a few other things in mind for the holidays (gingerbread houses = candy!).

Here's T, chillaxin' in his socks and flip-flops, rehydrating after an intense pumpkin painting session.

T enjoyed being a witch for his school holiday parade. I wanted to do more with make-up but he really only wanted the green face and I had to sneak the eyebrows on. He wore black play clothes and an old black pashmina for a cape. The piece de resistance, if I do say so, was the broom I fashioned out of a tree limb from the mulberry bush in the front yard. After sanding it and taping the edges (no sharp ends!), spray painting it and cutting up a yellow trash bag for the fringe, I showed in to T proudly. He flew into a rage, saying I ruined his "hanging stick" (wtf is a hanging stick?) and refused to use it until I threatened to give it to G to be a Sweeping Dragon instead.

My dinner

and what I'll probably be eating for the next few months, aka basketball season: one dirty martini and one bowl of generic velveeta melted with salsa alongside stale chips. I licked the bowl clean with my index finger, thank you very much. (Two martinis and I surely would not have used my finger).

And, NO, the boys did NOT have velveeta and salsa for dinner. They had highly-processed potstickers around 5pm so that I could get them to bed early so I could have my drink. Er, I mean, my dinner.

Dinner party, anyone?