You know what sounds like pure, absolute heaven to me right now?

A quiet place where it's warm and sunny and where I can lay down on anything light as a cloud and just spend an entire day there, relaxing and listening to my favorite relaxing music (classics, of course :) )and reading a really good book, and just being with somebody who can enjoy it and appreciate it as deeply as I would.

That sounds pretty amazing right now.

So, on a happier note than the last few posts have been... I'll update on the family. :)

Oliver was a vampire for Halloween. I did his hair and makeup. :) Oliver is part of the Green Team at his school and (a program that teaches kids about recycling and how to be more "green"-they also get to go on field trips to special places) - oo it started snowing outside - haha, anyway. Oliver loves his first grade class and has a lot of friends, who he keeps on trying to invite over to his house without their mom knowing or his mom, so it never happens. :P

Grace was a Genie for halloween. Grace is also a part of the Green Team at her school. She is also learning how to play the flute and is doing very well. She's been playing for about 4 weeks and has 5 notes down that she can play fluently without guessing where they are. She's very excited for it, and we're all very excited with her. :)

Sally dressed up from the 80s for the church party and a "wet paint" sign on Halloween night. Sally is liking her honors classes in 8th grade (except for algebra...I didn't like it, either!) and has just started swim team season. She swims with the YMCA Dubuque Dolphins. She made state last year (Molly did, too) and she hopes to make it again, and do even better this year. Sally was also accepted into the Jr. Honors All-State Orchestra with her viola, but unfortunately, the timing conflicts with my all-state and there would be nobody for her to ride home with. She'll still be eligable next year to be in the Jr. All-State, but our conductor will probably make her audition for the actual all-state orchestra (and if she works at the same pace she's working now, she has pretty good chances of making it).

This is what I did for Halloween. I dressed up like a stuffed scarecrow and grabbed people's hands as they took candy. :) (by the time this picture was taken, the makeup was started to fade) My truck also won 1st place in car decorations (you can't see it, but the entire right side of the trunk is one big spider web that I made with fuzzy white and black yarn. I'm leaving for Ames, Iowa for the All-State Music Festival on Wednesday, and I'm very excited for it. :)

Molly was little Dracula's big sister :) Molly is still busy with her classes, but finds them getting better. She is busy with her calling as Nursery leader and her work at a local day care. She's really busy and I don't get to see her that often, and when I do see her, she's either trying to rest or do homework.