Happy Halloween slash Reformation Day

Today is both Halloween and Reformation Day. This morning I sang A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, and tonight I passed out candy to trick or treaters. Tomorrow Amy Grant and I will start listening to Christmas music, and I will extinguish the glowing pumpkin on the front porch. I love this time of year.

i'll be right here...

Tonight my parents and I watched ET to celebrate the Halloween Season. Last night we watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Two classics. Treat yourself to a screening in a home near you. It had been awhile since I had watched ET. I watch Charlie every year. Can't get enough Linus in my life.

Now, I can't stop the ET theme from running through my mind...

Just a friendly world wide web reminder...

There are 55 days until CHRISTMAS

forewarning...

Just to let you know... if you had faith in me finishing the Harry Potter Series by midnight on October 31st, prepare yourself... it is not looking promising. I am thinking a more likely date would be my birthday (november14).

The last of the last...

And finally, the seventh thing I love about fall to finish the week long shout out...

I know it sounds crazy but... Raking Leaves!





Since I was a kid, I have always loved raking leaves into piles and playing in them. I love the pumpkin bags we used to buy and fill up with leaves. I love the way that they leaves change into all the colors of Autumn. I love the smell of them, the way they crunch under your feet, and I think the whole process of a tree shedding its leaves is fascinating. Take some time to go for a walk and enjoy the colors of fall, breathe in the crisp air, and enjoy the season!!

S.I.X. spells six.

The sixth thing I love about the fall season are the HOLIDAYS.
Halloween and Thanksgiving!

a brief history: Halloween is fun because of three things.
A. The excuse to eat a lot of candy
2. The constumes... and
D. Carving pumpkins

Every year I watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
In years past I have dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake, Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz, Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast, a pack of plain M&Ms, a fifty's girl in a poodle skirt, a fat clown, a brick... yes that's right, you didn't read that wrong, a brick, and last but not least...
THIS, an Ipod advertisement.

Still not sure if I am going to be dressing up this year or not... right now, I have not been given a reason to do so. But I do have to dress up for school on Friday. The teaching staff in our class room are going to be the "Spice Girls." I am going as nutmeg... Get it?!

and now, for the best Holiday, minus Christmas and Easter... Thanksgiving!
prepare yourself for the "kolmodin" traditions...

First and foremost, we always have Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family, and even though all of us kids are grown adults now, we STILL have a kids table and during the meal, we laugh till our stomachs hurt.
Nana makes her famous, mashed potatoes. You haven't lived until you've tasted these!
There is always turkey, green bean casserole, my mom's sweet potatoes, dill pickles, herring (yuck!), and PUMPKIN PIE.
Then to start the Christmas season off right, our family all sits down and watches Home Alone. By this point we all could probably quote the movie, but hey, it's tradition.

Scenes such as these come to mind...





And so MANY more...

Salutations...

I still can't stop laughing

the fifth.

For those of you just tuning in, I am taking a week and devoting it to seven things I love about fall. Today, I am proud to proclaim the fifth...

Bonfires

Something about fire has always been fascinating to me. I could sit and watch it for hours. I love to gather friends around a fire and relax, reflect on life, and enjoy the fellowship. With the crisp air surrounding you as you inch closer to the warmth of the fire... there is nothing better!

Numba Fo

The fourth day of what I love about Fall...

Mulled Cider and Mulled Wine... Mulled Everything!!

I love to smell all the spices of fall simmering over a hot stove. The rich aroma warms your insides, and the spices create a flavor that screams crisp air, candles burning, fire roaring, go read a book under a blanket in your favorite comfy chair!

Wishin this was closer... not in Korea.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did...

A Little Behind... This counts for two days :)

Last night the power went out, and my computer was out of battery. A terrible combo when you are trying to post one thing you love about fall for one week... each day. So, this counts for two days.

What I would have wrote yesterday:

Any Apple Dessert.

I love honeycrisp apples!

I love apple crisp!

I love Dan's Candies caramel apples. Sold only this time of year in downtown Joliet, and you know what they say... If it's fun, it's downtown Joliet!!

And as for today:

I love how you can see your breath in the morning, but it's still warm enough to wear a jacket and jeans.

Prisoner of Azkaban!

My favorite Harry Potter yet. I loved how this book developed. Leave it to my pal JK to make me believe one thing and then TOTALLY change things at the last minute and leave me in my bed with my mouth open. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't fall asleep until I was done. On to the Goblet of Fire. Hoping to finish the series before the clock strikes midnight on November 1st!

In other news, I thought it might be fun for the next week to dedicate each blog post to one thing I love about fall.

Number One:

Orange tree in my front yard. I forgot to take a picture before most of the leaves hit the ground... but here is a tree that could be its kid sister.

small group.

excited to read The Knowledge of the Holy by AW Tozer with a bunch of great people!

ready to be blessed and encouraged by uplifting and edifying conversation.

Have you Heard?

Yesterday at work, a kid in my class at school earned some computer time for good behavior during the day. I got to supervise him during it. As soon as he sat down he turned to me and said, "Um, Laura?" I responded, "Yes?" He exclaimed, " Have you ever heard of Bon Jovi?" Without giving me a chance to respond he cried, "Bon Jovi is AWESOME. He is just the best ever!!" I encouraged, "Well look him up!" This is what he went to... and every so often during the song he said... he is just the best, he is so awesome... Look at this Laura... it is so awesome.

I LOVE MY NEW JOB!!

My New Job...

I can't keep it in any longer.... I LOVE MY NEW JOB! I am so blessed to be able to work where I work and to have the co-workers I do have. I have a feeling that I will be stretched and that I am going to grow more than I ever have before in this coming year, and that couldn't excite me more. Praise God for He truly has blessed me well beyond measure.

Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:33-36

forgotten favorites...

I was driving home from babysitting last night and this song came on, on the radio.





I forgot how much I loved it. It took me back to the third grade, when I treasured my Jock Jams cds and C&C Music Factory... when I would make up dances and do flips on my bed. It took me back to a time when I wore long t shirts and stirrup pants to school... when my neighbors were my best friends... when we would order Mother Bear's Pizza for dinner... when my hair was longer than my arms... when I didn't have to think about what I was going to do with my life. Life just happened. My hands were out the windows, I surprised myself as the words just flowed naturally out of my mouth... Who knew I knew all the words to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's Good Vibrations

excerpt from a puritan prayer

When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin

He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been;

His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny.

Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued

I must not only labour to overcome it,

but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,

and He must become to me more than vile lust had been;

that His sweetness, power, life may be there.

Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin,

but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me

that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,

but in Christ I am reconciled and live;

that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest,

but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;

that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,

but in Christ I have ability to do all things.

Though now I have His graces in part,

I shall shortly have them perfectly

in that state where Thou wilt show Thyself fully reconciled,

and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely,

with sin abolished.

O Lord, hasten that day.

unintentional foreshadowing.

I think it hilarious that after the last post that I wrote, I finished the Chamber of Secrets and Hagrid had a huge role. Harry Potter October is so much fun for me guys! So much fun. I understand how incredibly nerdy that must sound, but I am having the time of my life reading these books. On to Azkaban!

The Chamber of Secrets

I never thought I would say this, but it is HARD for me to put Harry Potter down. I can't stop! Last night I was reading and I was trying to keep myself awake because I was enjoying it that much, but then my eyes started to ache so I gave in...

The Chamber has been opened. Characters are being developed... I wish Hagrid was around more in this book. He kinda seems to have taken a vacation of sorts, but maybe he will reappear toward the end of Book Two. Draco could not be more of a spoiled brat. Harry speaks to snakes... yet I can't see that as a gateway drug to the Dark Arts. Hermione is breaking the rules right and left. Ron keeps blushing! Keep blushing Ron!

Excited to see where JK takes this book!

hymns.

Harry Potter in October.

For those of you that I have not told... I am going to read the Harry Potter book series in its entirety during the month of October. I just finished the first book today.

Whenever anything gets big really fast, I tend to shy away from it. It's that same feeling you get when all of your friends are telling you to go see the same movie over an over because it was "the funniest thing they have ever seen," or "you will be laughing the whole way through," or "you will laugh so hard your stomach will hurt." I tend to shy away from it because what if I don't think it is funny, what if I don't laugh the whole way through, and what if my stomach never reaches the said "hurting" point?!? So much pressure to like it! So much pressure to LAUGH!

BUT, despite these feelings of hesitation, I am tackling JK Rowling and her books on Potter. You should be happy to know I finished the first one in a matter of hours, and it was really well written, it was exciting, it kept me in suspense, and I even cried a little. I am excited to see how this storyline develops... DON'T LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG! I want to be surprised :)

What are these silly bandz you speak of...?

I know, I know... you are probably thinking, "Really Laura, you haven't heard of silly bandz?" I had seen them once at a Walgreen's store, but I glanced right past them. I also had heard stories of bracelets the kids were into these days that reform into a shape after you remove them from your wrist. So I am a little behind the times... you don't have to go all Franck on me and say, "Well, welcome to the 90's Mr. Bonks!"

This afternoon, I went to meet the kids that I will be babysitting every so often. The youngest little girl had bracelets half way up her arm, so I said, "I like your bracelets..." She responded, "Thanks they are silly bandz!!" I said, "Are those the bracelets that turn into something when you take them off?" She goes, "Yeah look, a bowl of popcorn!" She removed it and it looked like a sheep to me, but she insisted that it was a bowl of popcorn. Then she put it on my wrist. After that she took of another one, "This one is a pink pig. Here you can have it too." "Thanks!" I said.

So here I sit with two silly bandz on my wrist. I somehow feel a part of something huge... like I have been initiated into some secret society, or like I was picked by the "cool kids" to be a part of their club.

Lewis.

My brother and sister-in-law just got a puppy, Lewis. I get to dog sit him for two weeks.

What are you doing Thursday night?

The Spares in Lincoln Square!

6:30-9:00 pm

If you live in Chicago, I suggest checking this out... or even if you live near the city, it will be well worth your time!!



On Thursday, October 7th, The Spares will perform for Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church’s benefit concert for Homes in Haiti in Giddings Plaza (4731 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL), located south of Lawrence Avenue on the one-way stretch of Lincoln Avenue in the heart of Lincoln Square in Chicago, IL.

Jodee Lewis and Steve Hendershot formed The Spares in 2004. The Spares make twangy, bluesy, roots music ...-- call it alt-country or Americana. The Chicago duo writes and sings about characters in hard places whose stories hint at love and truth in ways that the characters themselves don't always recognize. Their lyrics are thoughtful and honest, just as their acoustic music is raw, beautiful, and compelling. To find out more about The Spares, you can visit their website, http://www.thespares.net/, or their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/thespares.

Homes in Haiti is committed to supporting and taking part in the rebuilding efforts of Haiti by providing permanent housing for victims of the earthquake that occurred earlier this year. We will continue to work with U.S. construction experts to provide training for local Haitian contractors and to raise funds to pay for construction materials. To learn more about “Homes in Haiti” check Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homes-in-Haiti/123102027734461?ref=ts.

comfort

these two songs.



AND