Extra Sweet Dreams....

....I guess we all get an extra hour for our "sugar coma" :P

A lady from our church made these sugar cookies. :P

Since it was raining, our Parma Church Trunk or Treat moved indoors....I really think we should re-think our name for this party because we have needed to have it inside every year, but one...I think.  Anyway, I hurried to try to make some things that would make it look like we had a stick figure house...we had windows and a roof....and stick figure flowers on our table.

These girls were awesome helpers with all the games and we enjoyed seeing some of their school friends stop by to hang out for a while!

We had one room for Trick or Treating, one room for cookies and punch, and one room for all the games that our youth and kids were helping out with.....sometimes I think it is nasty weather at Halloween on purpose to send more people our way....I always love meeting the whole families.

Vanner and Kenner still love dressing up.  Vanner is a Hipster Cinderella and Kenna wanted to be Wonder Woman this year.

At the end of the event, all the girls went around to trick or treat....it is crazy how much candy we have right now.... I even told them not to try to put it in the pantry yet because I was a little concerned it would break a shelf :P

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt3oAyK_IG8

A very sleepy plum fairy :)  This almost never happens anymore, so it was pretty special for Brad.

Ghost Towns

I remember sitting down on the floor after a successful night of Trick or Treating and sorting my candy.  I DID NOT exercise much self-control as I "counted" the sweets (going into my mouth) :P  Yesterday, Kassi and Danielle came home with some of their Market Day treats leftover and I may have eaten more than two of those Nutter Butter Ghosts...that triggered the Halloween night memory.

Exercising self-control is very much counter-cultural.  We hear messages to GO FOR IT, PUSH THE LIMITS, JUST DO IT....with very little, if any, definition as to what we should be "going for"...phrases like this sometimes become our motto as we blaze a trail of our own self-seeking desires.

There is quite a difference between a tummy ache from Halloween candy and some of the consequences we incur once we are adults if we do not exhibit self-restraint.  I heard a pretty sad story last night....the picture of this man walking through the destruction reminded me of where we find ourselves sometimes due to our own choices.

The only true redemption we have to once again become a BRIGHT CITY ON A HILL is within God's amazing GRACE through His gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation...but, it is up to us to seek that more than we seek any other desires....that is the part we must control. 

Tonight, we took a road trip to Coldwater to cheer for the Western Panthers in their first playoff game.  When Karly heard the plan, she said, "don't you even understand kids?....we don't want to go to the game we just want to play!"  So, Karly, Danielle, and Kassi got to go hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Foster tonight and play to their heart's content.

Kenna's crazy eyes crack me up!

It was a great night for football!

It was fun to cheer and hear the marching band perform one last time this season....unfortunately, Western will not be advancing passed tonight's game.  We have been excited to see some great talent in some of our younger players, so I think the next couple years will be pretty fun.

Kenna says she wants to be a cheerleader and a drum major, Kassi wants to play the drums, Danielle is currently considering all her options, and Karly wants to be a flyer and a twirler....I leaned over to Brad tonight and asked, "How many more football games do you think we will attend?".....He said, "Ten years worth....at least!".....GOOD GRIEF! :P

A Peek Inside The Spooktacu-LAIR

Last night, in our Spooktacu-LAIR, we made our Halloween preparations...

Danielle has Market Day where all the kids take things to buy and sell with tickets they earn for good behavior in school...she wanted to make mini cupcakes with gummy worms coming out of them :P

We all had to try on our costumes to make sure we are set....I have a couple fairies, a lady bug, Wonder Woman, and Cinderella this year.

Love the angle of Kenna's chin :P

Savannah and four other friends are going to school as Disney Princesses....

I hope I get a picture of them all together.

FRIGHTDAY

(Wow, that answer is so transparent :)

Kassi's class is also doing Market Day, so she wanted to make Nutter Butter ghosts.

Brad and I are helping out with one of our church's Trunk or Treat parties, so I had this idea....well originally I wanted our whole family to do this because it would be WAY funnier, but the girls did not grasp the humor in it with me....(it is hard to get 7 people to agree to one costume idea)....really, Brad didn't either, but he ended up going along with it....ANYWAY, we are supposed to be those stick figure people off the back of a minivans....what I REALLY wanted to do was impersonate the stick family off the back of our pastor's vehicle and see how long it took them to realize we were THEIR STICK FAMILY...haha!  Even though we are not doing that, I still got a HUGE kick out of imagining it!  

See the resemblance?  OKAY, this might sound really weird, but I think my stick figure lady turned out looking like Jay Leno because I made the chin too big.

Brad's full costume....hehe....I love him for going along with my weirdness.  

Really, I appreciate him so much I tried to give him great stick-man hair :P

I smile when my kids grab my goofy costume and run around in it.

How I Feel During College Application Week

Haha!  Yep...I bet you didn't even know that was a thing, right?  I KNOW....isn't it funny when we don't even know something exists and it is totally affecting someone else's world? :P  Anyway, I am an application processor at a university and this week is madness for me.  It is exciting, for sure....but when I started the day I had over 50 applications to process....I processed a bunch and went back to print more and there were over 60 in the queue....so much for trying to get ahead.  NO....it's not a problem....it is actually AWESOME!  Most Christian colleges have been experiencing lower enrollment numbers over the past few years....the institution I work for has been one of them, so I am very hopeful and prayerful that this will be a wonderful year for our enrollment as we are recruiting for the Fall 2016 class.

Did you see the sunrise this morning?  

That is one thing I always enjoy come this time of year on the way to work...

...so many glorious sunrises!

I really am blessed to work in a place with which I share beliefs and passions...and, to me, it is very exciting to be a part of furthering God's kingdom through education.  The choice of a college really impacts so many things about a person's future.....our careers, our best friends, many times our spouse....it is pretty crazy the impact that one choice makes on our whole life.

The Great Unmasking

Some of the best known moments in film are the unmasking scenes.  I was laughing yesterday about the idea of dressing like one of the Scooby-Doo characters and THUS having permission to pull off other's masks on Halloween.  Remember when there wasn't ONE GREAT UNMASKING in an episode...BUT TWO on the same person?....you were like..."no way"....and then like "NOOOO WAAAAAY!"  HAHA!

God is awesome at removing our masks.  Sometimes we wear multiples as well.  Do you remember the story of the woman at the well?  I read recently that she was at the well in the middle of the day...in the HEAT of the day...on purpose....in order to avoid the rest of the people who liked to come at cooler times.  She was hiding in broad daylight, right?

I think how Jesus treated her is one of the greatest unmaskings of all time....calling the REAL HER out of her sin and releasing her from it....loving her to freedom with the truth.  Yes....the sad truth of who she really was and why she was hiding....BUT, also the good news that He is truly her salvation.

Her Savior was revealed to her when her mask was removed.

Drink From This Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dp9x9xvvwk

Scooby-DOO Try This At Home

I've had this pumpkin dip at several parties and it is yummy, so I looked for the recipe so I could make it.....all you have to do is mix one can of pumpkin, with a package of instant vanilla pudding...add some cinnamon or other pumpkin pie spices and then fold in a large container of cool whip.  For my girls (of course :), I bought some Scooby snacks for dipping.....the cinnamon sticks are really good with it.

Here's another fantastic idea...

Oh, I would love that!

No Artificial Ingredients

His last name made me think....so we're "good to the last drop". :P

Gold...And Then Sapphire...I Guess Today God Has Designed A Beautiful Piece Of Jewelry

Tonight was leftover night because I really need the fridge cleaned out so I can get groceries again...I was warming each plate separately and a truck stopped at the end of our driveway, parked and people crossed over into the field.  I was like, "What is going on out there....why would they just park across our driveway like that?"  Anyway, I couldn't see this from the window I was looking out, BUT upon further inspection....

A hot air balloon, The Sapphire, landed in the field across from our house.  A man had bought the ride for his wife's birthday and that was where the operator decided to land :)

I thought this was a pretty picture.

We ran across the street and shimmied under the wire fence (even those of us who already had our PJ's on...I guess you don't really care what you are wearing when a hot air balloon lands near your house : ) and the girls got to help pack up the hot air balloon....

...which included rolling all the air out of it...that was an ultimate experience :)  We almost lost Kassi in the balloon, it was good she was wearing such bright jammies so we could find her.

Fun times!

They taught us all about hot air balloons and why people used to think they were aliens so they started bringing champagne with the ROYAL SEAL on it to show that they came in PEACE and that they were humans....that is always good to know.  The balloon operators brought sparking grape juice for our group.

Due to all the rolling, it looks like Kenna has become a zombie...hehe!  

Caught her at the perfect moment to claim that she is dancing to Thriller :P

Midas Well

....tell you, you are receiving a heart of gold :P

It looks great on you!

BETTER ChocoLATE THAN NEVER

I think this is one of the best kept secrets EVER...why am I just now learning this?

I KNOW! RIGHT?!

Your Personal Hopetown Tour

We had our GRAND OPENING tonight for HOPETOWN, so now I can post pictures....YIPPEE!  This has been a huge project and blessing!  I hope the Lord uses it in awesome ways for many kids to learn about God and receive Him into their lives.

This is Li'l Sprouts Grocery Store and Rescue 316

Karly, dancing inside Hopetown Theatre....my girls have been so wonderful throughout the whole process when I needed to work on things or Brad and I needed to work together, they have never complained about the amount of time we have been at the church to get this accomplished.

Danielle and Karly, inside Moe's Red Sea Splits Ice Cream Shop

The large multi-purpose room in Hopetown...setting up for the Grand Opening

The bathroom is Jonah's Aquarium....yesterday I was putting all the bubbles on the walls...and singing BU-BU-BU-Bubb-a-lin'....remember that song?

We still have a little bit of work to do on Hopetown Depot, but it is starting to look like a train station.  This will be the main entrance to Hopetown.

Inside the nursery...I love the window decals.....we ordered these and they have pictures on the side the kids can enjoy, but the parents can still see inside the classroom to check on their children.  That way the babies won't cry for mom and dad when they catch a glimpse of them....at least that's the idea.  

Samson's Barber Shop...this is a craft room for all the kids.

Prophet's Post Office is just a facade, but there is a working mailbox/drop box that empties into a closet where the kids can put their prayer requests....we are going to be working on making it more of a priority to teach kids how to pray and to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit by creating a special area just for prayer.  I hope they will get into a habit of bringing their requests and praying for one another's needs.

Kenna and I outside of Hopetown Theatre...my mom and dad actually made the marquee for the theatre as well as many of the windows for the town, the awnings, and wood cutouts for us to paint to add some 3-D objects to the storefronts.

Inside Hopetown Theatre...this is where they will have their praise and worship times and their class Bible teaching.

I spent some time in this hallway :P  Me and the Piano Guys.  This is just an emergency exit hallway.  It was a good place for me to try some things I have never tried before....like painting a mural :)

I really like this firetruck :)....this is one of my favorite parts of Hopetown....Rescue 316 will eventually be a classroom set aside for prayer stations for the kids.

The first shop is Noah's Pet Shop.  There is a special deal right now on the animals that you may not want to miss....buy one get one free :)

It's hard to believe this is ready for kids!  There are still a few details I want to add, but I was thinking a few days ago when I posted the quote about doing something that my future self will be thankful for.....that Hopetown is one of those things.  I praise God in advance for how He will use this to reach his precious children!