Pictures (because I'm a good daughter-in-law)

A good Halloween was had by all (Addie put it very concisely). Of course you're all pretty anxious that the evening will pass without finding out what the kids' costumes were this year, so I'm writing this post so you'll be able to sleep well tonight. After all, you need a good sleep because most of you don't have the Homeschool Privilege that lets you declare All Saints' Day an official school holiday.

Actually, I think it's mostly my mother-in-law who is actively anxious for pictures. I'm happy to oblige her and let the rest of you get the benefit.

Addie and Daphne were ladybugs, thanks to these very cute costumes from CVS. Stuart was a blue myconid.

Myconid. You know, the mushroom creature.

From IceWind Dale, the computer game. Come ON, what's wrong with you? Are you seriously telling me that you've gone this far in life not knowing what a myconid is? Yeah, well, so did I until I had to make a costume of one. Stuart knew what wanted, though: he'd already had me help him with a stuffed version.



Phillip wasn't really into the trick-or-treating thing. It was windy and chilly and he had a bedtime to think about. But we took him out for a little while, dressed in this coat. It has a special place in the Jones History: all four of our children have worn it.



We went around the neighborhood in company with eight kids, one toddler, and two babies. Partly because we have friends who love us and like to share special occasions with us; and mostly because we live in a small, friendly neighborhood with lots of candy-dispensing houses. The Morgans and the Whelans and the Joneses moved in a large, amorphous group, with adults taking charge of whichever children were handy. It made it very easy to see how Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus on the way home from Jerusalem, assuming that someone else had him.

(We didn't lose anyone, at least not for long. I mean, Stuart spotted Daphne before she got very far away, in the middle of another large amorphous group.)

We've now got enough candy to last us weeks. Or a few days, depending on how well Mama hides it from the kids and herself.

-- SJ

P.S. As we were watching excited, costumed kids run from house to house, chorusing "Trick or Treat!" and even occasionally remembering to say thank-you, I mentioned to Jeremiah (of the Morgan department), "Just look at all this Halloween evil going on!" Both of us coming from the backgrounds that boycotted the occasion.

"You could call it Reformation Day," he suggested.

"I used to observe Reformation Day instead of Halloween."

"Back before you got less Reformed. I guess now you're Deformed."

Winners!

Not, as I originally typed, "Winders."

With the assistance of my three small assistants -- who chose the random numbers without much hesitation because they wanted me to go away so they could continue watching "School House Rock" -- Keeping Up announces the following lucky commenters:

#1 Cute Little Pitcher: Liane! I hope Keith isn't too upset that he didn't win it.

#2 Music: C! Maybe TGM will like L'Angelus as much as Wee Sing, but don't count on it.

#3 Nancy Drew game: the Dozen Halls! And yes, Geni, I WILL come for sweet tea one of these days.

#4 Book: Darcy! DJ liked the Mr Norrell book; I tried it but the characters' situations were too distressing for me.

So, there you have it. Winners (or, winders, if you like), email me at exaltedwater at comcast dot net or on Facebook so we can get your prizes to you.

Thanks for celebrating with us!

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaways Not Forgotten!

I've been without a computer for the past week, hence the bleak, empty cybersilence in this sector. We'll choose our giveaway winners this week. So you've still got a chance to comment and enter. You should do so.

-- SJ

cLASSIFIED aD: tODDLER TO gOOD hOME

tO gOOD hOME: tODDLER, EXCELLENT CONDITION, TWO DIMPLES, VERY CUTE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY. eNJOYS PLAYING IN WATER (ESPECIALLY THE TOILET), GOING OUTSIDE (ANYTIME THE DOOR IS LEFT UNLOCKED), CLIMBING ON THE TABLE, AND HITTING THE CAPS-LOCK KEY ON THE KEYBOARD. rECENTLY TURNED ON BLINKER IN THE VAN W/O OUR KNOWLEDGE AND RAN THE BATTERY DOWN. nOTE: TODDLER'S POWER-OFF BUTTON DEFECTIVE. WOULD WRITE MORE BUT AM TRYING TO BLOCK TODDLER WITH MY LEG SO CAN FINISH TYPING. IF INTERESTED, EMAIL ME. GRANDPARENTS AND AUNTS PREFERRED.

-- sj

He Likes, He Has, He Is

Darren likes carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

He loves royal blue.

He has an extensive knowledge of WWII, Polish history, and the nine levels of angelic hierarchy.

He won't use his hands to mix up biscuit dough.

He is ridiculously ticklish.

He makes funny jokes that we can't publish on a family blog.

He is a believer who is very comfortable in his devotion to an unseen God.

He is a father whom his children respect.

He is a daddy whom his children love.

He is a son and brother who values his family above nearly everything else.

He is a husband who remembers his vow to cherish his wife.

He is thirty-seven today.

He is someone worth celebrating.

I love you, DJ!!

-- SJ

Giveaway #4: Sacraments or Spellcasters

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Darren reads a great deal in two genres: theology and sci-fi/fantasy. One or the other is up for grabs now.

1. Covenants by Lorna Freeman (this is the Fantasy one)
2. Is the Reformation Over? by Mark Noll (this is not the Fantasy one)

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what book you're currently reading. And be grateful that Darren didn't try to initiate you into the Wheel of Time cult (series length: 13 books and counting).

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll randomly choose a comment, but we all know that the winner is probably predestined.

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #3: Nancy Drew

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Hey, y'all, you gotta try the Nancy Drew games! If you're the type who liked Myst, you'll like the original games, which have mysterious objects and impossible scenarios (who in the world would build miles of passageways underneath the ground? In Nancy's world, practically everybody who ever owned any property.) If you like puzzles but not a long, drawn-out game, go for the hidden-objects version. Both types have good voice actors and interesting dialogue.

If this type of game, in any form, makes you want to break pencils in half and then stick them into your monitor, then you should just back away slowly.

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling where you'd like to find a hidden passageway.

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll pick the winner. We'll post it in code, and you'll have to collect seven different tokens and arrange them in the right order before the ceiling caves in. (Not really. That's just a day in the life of Nancy Drew.)

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #2: Music

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Two brothers and two sisters make up L'Angelus, a cajun-folkish band out of New Orleans. Not only do they have great voices, but they play all their own instruments. They're totally homeschool nerds. We love their music and even got to see them live. Twice. In one weekend. It was pretty wild and crazy for us. We'd love to share them with you.

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what your current favorite song is.

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll randomly choose a comment as a winner. We already own this CD so won't try for the prize ourselves.

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #1: Really Cute Pitcher

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Sara loves Fiestaware, but hasn't justified buying any for herself yet. But now, she at least gets to buy a piece: Fiestaware Mini-Pitcher. It could be yours!

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what your favorite way to show love is. Do you buy a gift? Write a note? Give a kiss? Throw a party?

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

We'll choose a comment at random next week to find out who wins this adorable little pitcher. Wouldn't it be funny if we commented on the post ourselves and won it? Haha!

-- SJ and DJ