Quick Takes Friday

I haven't had much time to write, let alone think these days, so how about some quick takes to break the blogger silence?

1.  KB will be 1 next week. This year has flown by so quickly.

2.  Because KB was a November baby, this past Monday was her first Halloween. Her costume was a big hit, especially at Star.bucks (I said she was a pumpkin spice latte).

3.  Tomorrow Blood Test Buddy, my mother-in-law, and I will participate in a 5K to benefit our local VA hospital.  I'm walking (ha ha, no running for me) in honor of my grandpa who served in WW2.

4.  This week we celebrated All Saints and All Souls Day.  KB made it through both evening Masses, much to our delight.  We thought a lot about my grandma who passed away this summer.  I cantored the evening All Souls Mass, and it made me feel like I was singing to her. :)

5.  I received lots of wonderful feedback from my last post on keeping in touch with long-distance family.  Feel free to send any more ideas.  When KB blows out the candles on her cake next week, my parents will join us via sky.pe so they can see the big moment too.

6.  My husband and I have become addicted to a wonderful way to enjoy SMORES.  Yes, we are among those deprived of an outdoor fire pit.  However, we have discovered the wonders of preparing smores in the oven.  The marshmallows get perfectly brown (instead of burnt, which always happens to mine) and meld wonderfully with the chocolate.  Plus, if you use foil underneath everything, there's no mess to clean up. And those stacker marshmallows work well too!

7.  As soon as November 1st came, I noticed that many stores immediately switched into Christmas mode.  This is a pet peeve of mine, as I really like Fall and feel rather Christmased out by the time Dec. 25th comes around.  Someone posted this humorous cartoon on Face.book the other day, so I now pass it along to you.  Happy Friday!!