Whither Thou Goest: Fall

We had a big job to tackle as a family this month. Since we tore down an existing building which housed our stove/heating system and an old barn we used for storage and as a winter area for goats later in the summer than we had hoped to, it took us longer to build the new structure than we had planned. In October we were finally able to get the roof on with the help for a few days of some other missionary men from the area. But, the walls and ceilings still needed to be closed in and sealed up before the winter weather came our way. This winter weather came to us much quicker than usual with temps in the first week of November already reaching -16 to -20 Celsius and temps forecasted to reach -30 Celsius by the middle of November.

There were several days when the entire family worked to get the walls up and the insulation in place so that the heating system could be connected and the pellet stove could be used to heat our home. We use an electric system when the temperatures are more mild but the pellet stove was already needed this year with the colder temps.

Then, as the temperatures dropped more, David, our oldest son, and myself were the ones who spent the final hours connecting the stove and installing the chimney.

One day, after working outside until mid-afternoon, the kids and I enjoyed a trip to the city with Dad. He treated us to dinner and a new dessert treat called "Bubble Waffle"! You choose a chocolate, vanilla, or "classic" waffle with 'bubbles', filling for inside the 'bubbles', choose ice cream or whipped cream inside the waffle, a fruit or chocolate topping, and finally sprinkles or no sprinkles. :) It is definitely large enough to share!

We so enjoyed this Thanksgiving at home with our family.

We were even able to buy our first whole turkey.

This year's holidays are extra special for our family as this is the last time for a while that our daughter will be able to be home with us for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Because of that, we are trying to "spoil" her a little more while we have a chance. So, that meant that she got her wish of goose meat for Thanksgiving. She was happy!

Our family minus Dad taking the photo.

After last year's successful Harvest Party, my fellow missionary friend, Katie and I were looking forward to fall so that we could do it all again. We decided to move the party to an earlier date this year (October 4th) which ended up being a great idea! As you can see in theses outdoor photos we had beautiful weather and even sunshine! We decided to take advantage of the great weather and hold the costume photo session outside!

Since I live in the village, it is easier for me to obtain the props we need for pictures and decorating. This year, we wanted to go with a more 'natural' decor and we thought birch wood would be just perfect. Logn story short, after eyeing some cut down trees which were lying in the front yard of a house in the village, I saw that the family of a boy who attended Sunday school years ago had just taken delivery of a load of already cut birch logs. BINGO! I felt much more comfortable asking them if I could "borrow" some of their firewood and promised to bring it back in a few days. They agreed! The Lord also provided beautiful pumpkins through a new convert who planted way too many and was giving them away! The hay came from another family in the village who owns a few cows. Perfect!

I just love this photo!

My wonderful hubby caught on to what I was looking to do with the some of the logs and was so nice to drill out two holes for tea light candles! Thanks, honey!

An added bonus for us missionary wives was to find BURLAP! We realized we live in potato country but burlap had yet to be found. Go figure, I stumbled upon it one day when I decided to tag along with my hubby. We stopped at a store which he frequently visits that sells all sorts of "stuff". My purpose in going into this particular store was to find some parts for our son's robot costume. Not only did I find my "buttons" that I needed for the costume, but I found BURLAP! I had separated from my hubby to look around a bit and when I found him to share my excitement over my burlap purchase he replied, "Yeah, I knew they sold that here." Hmm, well, I was still excited!

Inside decorations

Once again we planned on this being a costume party.

Dressing up in costumes is definitely a highlight for the kids!

I just have to share all of the costume photos!

We shall start with our kids because, well, I like them the best.

Our daughter - Susan from Chronicles of Narnia

I LOVE this photo of my daughter who is growing up way too fast!

Ryan - Our Ninja!

Timothy - our robot!
MOST CREATIVE COSTUME AWARD

He was SO excited about wearing his robot costume!

The paintbrush!

I think you can guess what this one was!
MOST FESTIVE COSTUME AWARD

Army Man!

The pirate!

A very appropriate costume - the clown!

Karate boys!

A cute little lady bug!

Little Miss Honey Bee!

Prince Caspian!

Pocahontas!

Pippi Longstocking
MOST FUN COSTUME AWARD

Mr. Policeman
CUTEST COSTUME AWARD

Last but not least - a cute little pea pod!

Brother and sister cuteness!

Once everyone's costumes had been judged, the kids changed into clothes they could play in and we all went outside to wear off some of that excitement and energy!

Sack races are great games to do just that!

This year I decided that these missionary kids need to learn what it means to "bob for apples" so that is exactly what they did!

These guys were the first in line and you can tell by the looks on their faces they just weren't too sure about this whole idea!

After a few kids trying to no avail to grab an apple, we had a "go-getter" that went in face and all!

I was enjoying the fact that a few of the parents were even shocked that I (being a nurse) would ever have the kids do something like this!

Priceless face!

Then, once again another winner...

...and another!

Next game on the schedule - pumpkin bowling.

It looked really neat with the colored water bottles and the kids loved this game, but for me, being the one to set up and reset the "pins" every time, it took way too long.

This game will NOT be on the schedule for next year!

Now, on to the food!

In addition to the coffee, teas, carbonated drinks, and water, a new addition to the beverage menu this year was hot apple cider which turned out deliciously!

We decided on soups in bread bowls again this year since it was such a hit last year. We have a lot left over but it is nice to have a variety of soups to choose from.

One of the ladies was asked to make this pumpkin shaped cheese ball as an appetizer and it was perfect - not only did it taste very good but it was a beautiful addition to the table decor.

We also enjoyed popcorn (even caramel this year!), nuts, trail mix and raisins which helps to hold everyone off until it is time for the meal.

Dessert for the kids was scarecrow cupcakes, while the adults enjoyed more grown up desserts such as pumpkin poppers and pumpkin crunch cake!

We had a "guess how many popcorn kernels are in the jar" contest for the adults.

And a "guess how many candies are in the jar" contest for the kids.

One of the last two games for the day was (in my opinion) one of the most exciting. The kids definitely thought so as they could probably be heard from across the street as they cheered each other on!

The kids were in pairs and they had to knock over the bottles of water and plastic bowling pins using a tennis ball which was placed inside the foot of a pair of tights that they wore on their heads. Sounds confusing, but it was hilarious to watch!

The last game of the day was a "build a scarecrow game". Without explaining all of the rules, the kids received bags of clothes and items and they had to work together while being timed to build their scarecrow. A few of them didn't quite get all of the rules so we had some confusion with this one but it was nice to see the kids working together.