Pssst! It's FALL!

Tonight we made a homemade pizza. Definitely homemade, because I doubt there is any pizzeria out there serving 1/2 leftover bbq pulled pork, 1/4 pepperoni, and 1/4 leftover zucchini, and crookneck with ranch and red pepper sauce. It was delectable.
Meg-o's tips for homemade pizza success:

1) let the dough rise twice....that means you should start early, or you'll just end up with a lame pizza and a hungry hubby.

2) dust the bottom of the pizza dough with cornmeal. Once baked, your pizza will slide right off the pan and have a beautifully crisp underside, yet a fluffy thick crust. Works every time.

3) Don't let toppings sit on the dough...this makes for a soggy pizza, and who likes that? no one.

Our FHE lesson was titled "Come What May, and Love It" I based it on a talk I heard this weekend via the LDS General Conference Broadcast. How blessed we are to have living prophets on the earth again. The talks given this weekend were by both men and women and every one of them testified of Jesus Christ, inspired me to continue my efforts reach my potential to be the best Meg I can be, and brought hope, happiness, and light into my life. All good things.

We talked about the uncertainty of the future and how we can better prepare ourselves for what lies ahead, and also how we can face each challenge with a smile on our face. We are optimistic as we anticipate the future of our nation, economy, and happy (albeit sometimes exhausted, sticky, pouty faced, and/or poopy...) little family. We talked with Reese about the difference between how it feels to happy all the time, or grouchy. It is OK to feel sadness, but not over things that are irrelevant and unnecessary. "Pouting" and "Grouching" can be an issue in my house (so can "Sassing" and "Whining", but that's another time and another big batch of cookies...) and I'm getting tired of the Grumpies. We are putting on a smile, waving, "Adieu" to the Grumpies, and sending them out the front door...hoping they will go reside somewhere far far away. In our house this week, we focus on hope, optimism, and faith. All three are big words for my girls, I hope to teach them the importance of these values while they are yet young.


The activity...decorating a Spooky Tree on the porch in the rain. Totally unrelated to the lesson, but I don't really care. We were together, and we had a good time. That's what Family Night is all about around here. Last week, a garbage truck came flying down the road, and took out a HUGE branch off an oak tree across the street. Of course, he pulled over, assessed the damage, made sure no harm was done to THE TRUCK, then left, with the branch in the middle of the road. I watched with jaw dropped as he drove away...seriously considering calling Allied Waste to let them know how inconsiderate their drivers are for leaving tree branches to block the road. We were packing the car to leave for Nauvoo, and I was going to go down there and move the branch out of the road before we headed out...but before I took the chance, ANOTHER garbage truck (a smaller one) came flying down the road and ran over it..but not before dragging it 30 yards under the vehicle. Lessons learned-1: don't drive so fast you won't be able to swerve around the tree in the road, and 2: don't hesitate to clean up after someone, just because you are mad at them. Guy in truck #2 really could have been hurt. He pulled over and hauled the branch to the edge of the woods, also examined his vehicle, and left.

Lucky for me this big branch will not go to waste. We'll give it a month to dry out a little, and then cut it into little logs for our fireplace. I did go over and cut some long sticks off so I can make these again. (it is so sad you won't be here this year to make them with me, Nicki! I'll eat a silver dragee just for you... but Nicki you might check this out as well, for future knowledge.)

I also cut a little section off for a spooky tree for my kids to decorate. I spray painted it black, along with a crusty flower old pot left behind by the previous homeowner. (thanks again, Dorothy. For once, your nearing-death decorating taste actually suits our ghoulish needs!) Then I filled the pot with gravel from the side yard, and pulled out all our knick-knackie Halloween decorations that I've never had the perfect place for, until now! We're in the sticks, so unfortunately we don't get trick or treaters, so I plan on wrapping dozens of dum-dum suckers in kleenex and hanging them from the tree for kids to pick from when they come to my van to trunk-or-treat at our church Halloween party.

Another tradition we will be starting in the Willy house this year: will make a visit.
The Halloween Witch will be stopping by our house this year.
Here's how it goes: the kids will be allowed to glutton themselves to their little prone-to-be-diabetics-by-age-40-hearts on the great All Hallows Eve....but before they go to bed, they will put their treat bags on the front porch for The Halloween Witch to come collect (aka Allied Waste).
We leave a broom on the doorstep so the Halloween Witch knows to stop by our house.
She comes once the children are asleep and collects the leftover candy, and leaves a present in return. (a new toy that will not make them psycho and hyper, or cause cavities in my destined-to-look-like-they're-actually-from-arkansas children's teeth.)

Now, don't get me wrong, and accuse me of being some kind of mommy-dearest-fish-shaped-crumb-free-tofu-cookies-only kind of moms. I love Halloween and I love candy. I mean, I REALLY love candy. But I don't like wannabe candy.
You know, the crap left at the bottom of the bag that you only eat because it's there? The black and orange butterscotch/peanut butter taffies, bits-o-honey, the chicco sticks (only you eat those, Tammy), vanilla flavored tootsie rolls, cafe rio breath mints (another post), pencils (who invited them to trunk or treat?) bazooka gum that cuts your cheek when you try to chew it, and the mystery gummies that are shaped like crabby-patties or a sandwich, the pixie stick that breaks in half in the bag and makes everything dusty, the slightly unwrapped blow pop you're not allowed to eat because your parents insisted on inspecting your loot before you could sample anything, chiclets (black licorice and peppermint flavored gum...really? and the spider ring that cuts off your circulation. Not candy and not funny when you find it 3 months later on the floor under your desk and it scares a little pee out of you.

The Halloween Witch takes it all away, and leaves something fun, useful, and calorie free. So that's what was always in the bottom of MY trick or treat bag anyway, what gets leftover in yours?