Snow Sisters

Snow Sisters

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Lily's Pumpkin Bread

So Lily didn't have the greatest of weeks last week (as you can tell from these pictures). The upshot of course is that we got some quality daddy-daughter time. Here are some pictures from our adventure making pumpkin bread!


Trunk or Treat at Grandview



Grandview had their trunk-or-treat tonight, so we braved the cold to take part in the festivities. Lily decided to be Cinderella this year, and we helped Caroline decide to be one of Cinderella's mice....Suzie. I pretty much think Emily has gone too far this time with the level of cuteness that is going on...these two were just adorable running around the parking lot!




The designer - with her adorable daughter wearing the home-made costume.


While Lily tried out the moon-bounce, Caroline discovered that she had two hands, one for her candy bucket and one for Lily's!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Storybook Character Day at School

Today was Storybook Character Day at school (which as we've come to find out is the less ghoulish way to celebrate Halloween for preschoolers). Lily is dressing as Cinderella for Halloween this year, and Caroline is going to be one of her little mice. The parents were invited to come in and read the story that generated their child's costume choice. So here is a piece of the Reflection for today that has Lily dressed as Cinderella in the top picture, and me reading Cinderella to her class in the bottom picture.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

2010 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences Peter Diamond

On Monday I had the opportunity to take a group of students to hear Peter Diamond, the 2010 Nobel Laureate in Economics, lecture at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Its not often that we are able to drive a few hours to hear such a prestigious speaker in this part of the world, so the students were almost as excited as I was. Professor Diamond was recognized with the Nobel prize for his work relating to search costs in the labor market. A consummate mathematician and modeler, Professor Diamond's work sought to include the real world frictions that are often overlooked in the tidy world of neo-classical economics. Among his most contentious conclusions is that unemployment benefits do not significantly affect the ability of employers to fill job vacancies during recessions (when labor markets are slack). President Obama tried to appoint Professor Diamond to the Federal Reserve Board several times in recent years. However, after his appointment was blocked by the Senate he withdrew his nomination.

On a personal note, Professor Diamond is an extraordinary lecturer. He has a clear voice that carries very well. If not for his intelligence and value to the economics profession, I'm convinced he could have had a successful career in radio.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Juicy

The first apple farm we went to on Saturday was a relatively small, Mom-n-Pop type affair. They had a really nice selection of pumpkins and gourds....Lily and Caroline each got to pick out their own personal pumpkins. But the best part of this place was the apples! When we walked up to their apple selection area we were greeted with a smile and a sampler! We each got a Fuji apple and were sold instantly. We bought a bag of them and a bag of Granny Smiths.







Big sister...point of order...I'm not currently choking, enough with the Heimlich!




We got to meet Juicy the Apple Bug!




In case you are wondering, the answer is yes....Lily is rolling around on top of a $50 pumpkin...thank goodness it didn't break!


Lily found Papa's hokie bird (though he's hard to make out in this shot)


My two blondys!


Caroline was very interested in the billy goat...I'm pretty sure that she had designs on riding him around the barnyard.


I see you billy goat!


The girls each got to pick out their own personal pumpkin/gourds here. Caroline chose a uniquely colored acorn squash, while Lily opted for a striped sugar pumpkin.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Grandad's Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard

We did a little driving in western North Carolina over the weekend and made it to Hendersonville, a place known for its apple orchards. You can do pick your own or just buy freshly picked at a stand. We go with the stand approach and manage to have some fun while we're at it. This is the second farm we stopped at on Saturday. What drew us here was the barbeque stand. Pitboss barbeque is apparently award winning in NC (they had all their trophies lined up on the stand), and while I'm not a celebrity barbeque judge, I can tell you that it was delicious! CJ, who was a big fan of it as well, became my barbeque buddy.








Mary Hudson's 4th Birthday Party

So it was a girls affair, with Mary Hudson traveling to a super cool water park in Pigeon Forge for her birthday this week. While Caroline stayed home with Daddy, Lily got to go out and enjoy the festivities. Naturally, Lily really enjoyed the water park, particularly the wave pool where she checked her fear at the door! The cake and ice cream made it the perfect birthday night!



Adventures in Food



Sometimes, its the ordinary things such as a spaghetti dinner that can become such memorable experiences :)




A Family of Jeep Lovers

So its been a year or two since Santa brought the Jeep to Lily for Christmas. She has never taken a great liking to it, possibly because on Christmas morning she put her foot on the pedal and took off, not knowing how to stop it (by letting up) and got scared. Well, there is nothing like an interested sibling to rekindle your interest in an old toy that had fallen from memory. These pictures tell the story, the only remaining question is about Santa's lack of forsight in bringing a one-seater!







Hey big sister, hop on, I'll give you a lift!


Uh-oh! Big sister, where'd you go?!?