Thanksgiving

I didn't get too many pics of Thanksgiving day but here are a few...

Jo, T, Abs and Andy and I took a walk after the meal.

Then, we were all invited next door to put together terrariums.

Of course we got some game time in too!

November Cookies

 About a year and a half ago, I auctioned off 2 dozen cookies at a ward auction that was raising money for the youth activities for the year.  The couple that won didn't have a specific event in mind that they wanted the cookies for so it just kind of got put off.  Then I was without a kitchen for a while so it turned into about 18 months before they cashed in on their purchase.  She still didn't have anything really in mind but wanted to receive the cookies so we decided on some Thanksgiving cookies.

I also had several people in mind that I wanted to give a "thank you" to for one reason or another so I used the same basic designs I created for the Thanksgiving cookies for my Thank You set.

Here are the Thank You ones first...

I wanted to do something a little different with the acorns so I used dots of thicker icing on the top and a paintbrush to pull them into what they look like below.

I thought they were super fun and was very happy with how they turned out!

Here is the Thanksgiving set...
just a little different than the first one.

The couple was really happy with them and admitted that when they bought them at the auction they didn't really know what kind of cookies I did.  They had no idea what they were getting :)

Cookies for my niece's wedding shower...

Pink, flower and bow theme!

November Odds and Ends

 Abby gave me some pictures off of her phone.  I thought these were pretty cute!

Ben with Bapa one Sunday evening...

Josh and Ben chillin on the couch

A pretty big thing happened the Saturday after Unsinkable Molly Brown ended...

The theater department at Ridgeline doesn't waste any time between shows.  They literally start auditioning for the next show the same week the last show ends.

Matt had been planning on trying out for Cosmo in Singin in the Rain...had thought it would be a really fun part...but at the same time he thought he knew who would get that part so he didn't feel like he had a chance.  His peers/friends encouraged him to try out for Don Lockwood.  When he told me this and said he thought he probably would it really surprised me.  Trying out for the lead had not been his plan at all.

I think he felt pretty good about the initial auditions and he ended up getting called back for Don!  But he didn't feel like call backs went very well.  I was on edge that Friday night and Saturday morning as we waited for the cast list to be posted.  That morning, Matt slept in but I was up and sitting at my computer refreshing my page and trying to be calm.  I really wanted him to get it but at the same time I would be nervous for him if he did...such a big part with so much singing and tap dancing!

Finally, it appeared on my screen!

I was floored! 

When Matt came upstairs and started checking his texts, he had all kinds of congratulations but he hadn't even seen the list yet.  I hadn't told him because I wanted him to find out by seeing the list himself :)

He didn't quite know how to act or feel but as it eventually set in he was super excited!

We received many congratulations but at the same time heard many parents talk about how sad their child was because this role (Kathy, Lina, Don) was their child's dream role and they were devastated that they didn't get it.  It's hard to know what to say in situations like that.

That same day/evening he had the girl's choice date and dance with Kenna Welker.

Cuties!

Matt decided he wanted to get real tap shoes for the show instead of wearing taps you attach to regular shoes.  He looked on Facebook Marketplace and found some size 13 for a really good price.  He ordered them and they arrived by the end of the month.

The box looked awfully small when it arrived.  Matt said "these can't be my tap shoes".

He opened the box and lo and behold, they were the shoes he had ordered...a child's size 13!  He was so embarrassed!  We all had a good laugh and Matt joked about using them as a Christmas tree ornament because they were so small :)

He got online and found a company that sold his size for a reasonable amount of money (much more than the first pair but considerably less than the high end ones) and we ordered them.

My cute niece, Aubrey, got engaged and planned the date for December so we threw a shower for her the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I made cookies and put together fresh flower bouquets (of which I failed to get pictures :(

There is always quite a spread at a Bryan gathering!

Abby and her cousin Katie in matching striped sweaters and matriarch Nancy with her sister Sheri.

Some fun games were played.  A really simple but exciting one was scratch the face off the man...well, I don't know what to call it but there were a bunch of little cards with a picture of a man but all the faces were covered with the stuff you scratch off with a coin or something.  Anyway, they all had a different face of famous men...politicians, athletes, movie stars etc., but one of them was the groom and if you got him you won :)

The groom, Jaden, was there and surfaced from the boys hanging out in the basement to help with one of the games.  This was the first time I had met him and he is a super nice guy.

All the girl cousins that were able to make it...we were just missing one.