Happy Hallowe’en!
This is my costume for today – not so much a costume as my actual clothes, but hey. Whatever works right?
It was really nice earlier this afternoon, so I’ll take you on a pumpkin tour of our neighborhood.
Holidays
Archived Posts from this Category
February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Mr. Cleaver and I are off to Boothbay Harbor for a few days, see you when we get back!
December 24, 2008
To all my family and friends, a very Merry Christmas.
May it be filled with warmth, cheer, and love.
December 17, 2008
Our First Christmas Tree Adventure
Posted by Ms Cleaver under Christmas, Holidays | Tags: christmas tree, ice, ornaments |[2] Comments
The day was cold and bright.
We followed our guide to our chosen tree in Field 2.
We claim our prize
I take the first cut
Mr. Cleaver takes a couple swipes of the saw.
The tree is free, though not free of ice!
The tree is thawed. A lot of ice is removed.
We decorate.
Ornaments are hung.
We enjoy!
Our first Christmas tree together!
December 8, 2008
Decking the Halls – Part One.
Posted by Ms Cleaver under Christmas, Holidays | Tags: Christmas, decorations, holiday, paper |Leave a Comment
I think I waited all of five hours after getting home from my California adventure before taking out the Christmas Decorations.
I refuse to do Christmas before Thanksgiving, but once it’s Christmas time I am all to eager to jump in!
I’ve got too much going in way of making Christmas presents to get too crazy with the decorations this year, but when I saw this how-to on Design*Sponge, I had to pull out my cardstock and scissors to do some paper crafting.
I’m quite please with the results!
December 4, 2008
Giving Thanks
Posted by Ms Cleaver under Holidays, Thanksgiving | Tags: family, southern california, Thanksgiving |[2] Comments
So after a week and a half of work at the new job (by the way, I’m working at a Community Development Entity -we’re helping people through building business and bringing development to low-income areas – it’s very cool), I was allowed to take a day off of work to take a 5:30am flight to Southern California for Thanksgiving.
Yes, the weather was nice (65°F!). Yes, I enjoyed my In-N-Out Burger on the way back from the airport. Yes, the food was excellent. And yes, Mr. Cleaver ran into a cactus. But the best part of the whole trip was this:
I got to meet my little cousin. I got to learn a three-needle cast off with Jeanine. I got to go through my grandmother’s quilt collection. I got felting tips from Zoe Ann. I got to hear about Alexis’s wedding plans. I got to talk about living in the Midwest with Ray and got to know my sister-in-law better. I talked photography with my brother and Mr. Cleaver spoke French with my Uncle’s mother. I tested the law of probably with my grandpa on the Roulette wheel in the “man room” and walked the Huntington Gardens with mother. I learnt that most of my family reads this blog (Hi Family!) and got to see the lighting of the Mission Inn with all of the population of Riverside.
In a word, my trip was wonderful.
And I couldn’t be more grateful.
October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween Everyone!
(p.s. for those following my job hunt: I got one!)
July 9, 2008
The City of Chicago, traditionally schedules their Independence Day fireworks for 3rd of July, and this year I found out why – they couldn’t compete on the 4th.
It was as though every father on the North Side of Chicago was competing for the Cool Dad of the Year award – and Mr. Cleaver and I seemed to be only people along the Illinois side of Lake Michigan without a personal arsenal of fireworks. On the Forth, as we grilled burgers and sweet corn, we were treated to the cacophony of whizzes bangs and pops of hundreds of firecrackers and small fireworks. As the evening grew darker, the serious displays began. We saw at least three separate private displays of large-scale fireworks, more or less, continually shot off for an hour and half, and that was before the big show started just behind our backs.
As it turns out, a golf club located on the block adjacent to our apartment building sends off Fireworks on the 4th, as well as the first and last days of summer – and their display was a real treat. Mr. Cleaver and I agreed that these were on par or better than the Portland or Napa fireworks (our respective hometowns).
There were in a couple fireflies joining the fray and adding a twinkle or two of their own.
All in all, it was a pretty perfect fourth.
February 14, 2008
Is my Alma Mater saying I turn it on?
Posted by Ms Cleaver under Holidays, Valentine's Day[4] Comments
A few days ago I received a valentine from the most unlikely of sources, the Office of Annual Giving at my Alma Mater or if taken literally, the even stranger source of a light switch.
Now I’m all for almuni donations, and I make a small contribution every May, but somehow, I doubt this is really going to rack up the donations for old WU.
I tired to photograph the card, but it was too long to get the whole poem in clearly, so for your reading pleasure, I shall transcribe it here:
Sometimes it’s a student’s hand,
Sometimes it’s a prof’s.
They come and flip my switch straight up
Or sometimes switch it off
So much learning goes on here.
You help me play my role.
It’s not just intellects we shape,
But hearts and minds and souls.
I couldn’t do it without you.
I couldn’t light the way.
Your love for this place makes me shine,
That’s why I want to say,
If you keep giving every year
This room will ne’er be dark.
Your gift, no matter big or small,
Always gives me a spark!
All my love this Valentine’s Day!
-Light Switch by the Door, Eaton Hall, Room 212
——————-
In other news, when I bought him the blue argyle sweater I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened, so of course it happened on Valentine’s Day.
Oh well.
This was totally unintentional, but I guess it means we’re officially “those people.”
February 7, 2008
Wo ai ni! 
