And the Winner Is . . .

Cami and Annaleigh - you got it.
It is Mark kneeling and Kyle peering over.
Congrats!
Since there were just two we are going to send you both a print! Yaaayyy! Thanks, everyone, for guessing - it was fun for them.

Christmas Print Contest

For a brief moment, our ruff-an'-tumble boys turned into 'Twin Shepherds Adoring', which will be our family Christmas card this year. Psssssstt! To my minuscule readership . . . if you'd like to enter a

Contest for a 5 x 7 print of 'Twin Shepherds Adoring' :

• Leave a comment naming the twins (Kyle and Mark, or Mark and Kyle) in the correct order.

• On Monday, November 16th at 6:00 pm, we'll very scientifically place all correct responses in the hat and one of the shepherds will draw a winner. I'll post the winner Tuesday morning and you can email me your mailing info.

Aesop Missed This One

Have you ever been in the same room as someone else, but known your presence doesn't register with the others? I got that lonely feeling yesterday with our twins. They sometimes are in their own private world. The perk is that I get to listen in on their conversations and sometimes I get a great laugh. This time I laughed, and then mused. This is how it went: Kyle: Mark! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Mark: Yeah! (pause, pause) What are we thinking?

Moral: Happy is the person who can have so much faith in someone's friendship (mortal or heavenly) that you know you want to think like they do - even if you're not sure what it is.

Sign of the Beaver

Besides having just read 'Sign of the Beaver" we found one on our last fishing trip of the year today. They were fresh and fascinating. And surely the dam was not far away . . .

And heeerrrrreee it is! No 'sign of the beaver', however - just the dang dam.

The one who always makes it fun. HE is the Patient One who actually hooked the trout and let Mark . . .

. . . reel it in! Kyle is saying, "Mom! we caught one THIS big!"
We were going to take it and one other home right away and have them for dinner. Alas, while scraping mud off his boots, Mark laid the string down and never picked it up again! We had leftovers instead and we MAY have forgiven Mark by morning.

A Fund Raising Gala

This purdy thing was the result of a day with Keli and Mom. It's headed for the auction block for Meridian School fund-raiser. It is just the sample, now it will be remade fresh for the bidder when they want it in the upcoming months.

In Which I Discover Sugar Cookie Glaze and Ruby Blooms

Ruby Blooms is a charming florist shop managed by the lovely and talented Chelsey. Its Grand Opening is today(Saturday, the 7th) If you're in the vicinity, go see an artist at work, eat a cookie (see below), and take one of these beauties home like I did.

Cookie Glaze! Whoever invented the stuff is a genius and I'm just grateful to my Keli sister for bringing it into my life. I've always been a buttercream sort of gal - you know fluffy and buttery-sweet. But GLAZE! . . . Glaze takes sugar cookies into the realm of fine art.

Keli and Mom spent a day with me fashioning marshmallow fondant into beautiful things. Mom colored, and marbled, and cut, and veined dozens of beautiful autumn leaves. They now rest on top of a glazed sugar cookie for refreshment for the grand opening of "Ruby Blooms" today. We made 90! Errrr. . . now there are 80. Oh, I almost forgot! Heeeerrrre's the recipe I used:

Sugar Cookie Glaze

1 Cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons water (or milk)

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. almond or lemon extract

food coloring

Mix together and spread on cookie with back of a spoon. Kind of like spreading pizza sauce.

The glaze will set up quite quickly, shiny and dry - you can touch the stuff. Better yet, eat it. Go get one now!

Questions I Have

This morning I am doing the laundry and I find several pants and a lot of shirts of the twins', but only 2 pair of underwear (and WHY are they called 'pairs' of underwear anyway?, what's so 'pair-ish' about one article of clothing?) Why is that? Perhaps a short, friendly discussion (again) about personal hygiene and what to put on after a bath is in order for breakfast conversation.