Election Day Chili

 I got carried away on the Election Day Chili and made two kinds.  One is a white bean chicken concoction and the other is modeled after my grandpa Bill's recipe, the traditional election day meal.  It's fitting that there are two kinds;  you can vote for your favorite!  Since I was already channeling my inner domestic goddess, I made a batch of pumpkin cookies, too.  As usual, the chili (and the cookies!) will be out and ready to eat all day and all night today.  Stop by!  No tea parties...just a bowl of fall comfort and some sugary, non-partisan treats.

And here are some forgotten Halloween pictures.  I call it my anti-Hee Haw album!

 Root beer for Ruby's party last Friday, to go with the pizza and plentiful snacks the kids ate while they played games inside and out.

 Freestone's pumpkin had L's for eyes and an F for a nose, with a D on its cheek.  Cool!

 Birthday flowers from Brooke and candy, candy, candy, made up the centerpiece for our girls' lunch Thursday.  The runner is a scarf Jen R. gave me for my birthday!

 Tolly dove into the flower bed and found a bunch of cherry tomatoes!

 Xanthe and MeiLing in their matching dresses.  She's still wearing the dress!  She wore it yesterday to get shots in her leg.  (kindergarten booster and something else that's new.)  Then she wore the dress again today because her leg is so sore.  It's red ribbon week at school and the kids are supposed to wear boots today to "stomp out drugs."  Xanthe was so worried all morning about not being able to stomp.  I don't know what she thought her teacher would do to her if she was unable to stomp, but she was pretty terrified.  Three hours of resting on the couch with Curious George and some ibuprofen and she felt like she had the courage to say no to stomping out drugs.  I hope this doesn't negatively affect her future..."I wouldn't have become a crack addict if I had just stomped out drugs in kindergarten while I had the chance...If only my leg hadn't been sore that day..."