I love my Zoo!!

Toledo Ohio's Zoo tag is 'I LOVE MY ZOO', and we do. We get a family membership every year. 2010 courtesy of Auntie Kari (thanks Kari). During the holiday season, the Zoo is transformed into a winter wonderland. The Lights Before Christmas event features over a million lights, over 200 images of some of the zoo's favorite animals, ice-carving demonstrations on Thursday evenings, carolers, holiday treats, the Swanton Area Railroad model trains, and visits with Santa in the Indoor Theatre. Also there is an 85-foot Norway spruce located behind the Conservatory. Adorned with over 32,000 lights, this spruce boasts more lights than the famous Christmas tree in New York City’s Rockefeller Center! This has become a definite Nicholson family tradition. The kids give it a definite thumbs up and we all love the hot chocolate.

I LOVE SUPER SATURDAY

Being the age I am has with somethings made me, you could say, old school. A while back now Relief Society changed its format somewhat. All I can say is I miss the way it used to be! So I can not wait each year for SUPER SATURDAY a short flash back to the past, when we sisters all get together to make and bake. I love it!! Here are the things I made this year. Oh...I wanted to send a shout out to Amy Lester and Janna Kurtz for their superior crafty skills!!

At this time of year we all need to remember that harvest time is not just for us humans!! This is the reason for the new insanity that has hit the Nicholson house hold. We have two dogs Boone and Belle. Boone spends his days now parked in front of the window beside the front door...waiting...! Waiting for the new little visitor that has discovered the corn stalks tied to the posts on the front porch. As you can see the corn is no longer on the cob. I'm sure you can imagine the havoc it causes for us when both dogs suddenly go wild barking and trying to break out of the house to reach the little trespasser. If I am talking on the phone to someone, well forget about it. I have to shut myself into the bathroom just to hear the call. Once scared away it takes forever to calm the dogs down. Of course this happens off and on all day. Making it very noisy around here lately! I left the camera on my little table by the front door for a week trying to get a picture for my 'WANTED' poster, and today success!!

WANTED!! $500 REWARD

So Halloween has come and gone. The days have ended for me that my kids will let me dress them as a cute animal (lion,cat,elephant). For them the darker, the scarier, the grosser the better. Here are the pictures I took of them before our wards trunk or treat. James had a horrible looking mask, but I wouldn't let him wear it to church, so we made up his face instead. Rebecca was at school this year, we missed her. I don't think James will dress up next year, apparently he is getting too old for 'trick or treats', plus he had to give 3/4's of his candy to his brother because of his new braces. But fun was had by all, on to Thanks Giving!

Autumn

Every time a new season has started I say it is my favorite one. I think I just enjoy change. But as we start our new AUTUMN season I am excited to be doing all that new fall stuff. I traveled back from the local pumpkin patch with; 1 large pumpkin, 4 smaller pumpkins, two hay bails, and 6 bundles of cornstalks. I drive a P T Cruiser. Luckily the local pumpkin patch is less than 1 mile away, as my nose was nearly pressed against the windshield, hatch was up, and said cornstalks were sticking in the back of my head. The visual was not pretty I assume as a few passing cars were laughing hysterically. I painted my pumpkins this year (very Martha Stewart), I love how they turned out! Here is a picture. Cornstalks have not turned yet, our pumpkin patch sells them green because they are stronger for transporting, and set up. They will be brown in about a week.