Gingerbread in the House

So this happened.

Here's how.













Cupcake Break!

 

Finishing touches:

This is gingerbread pride from the Golem family!

Thanks to Ellen and everybody at Desserts by Design.

Two Videos

Pictures of Gingerbread Decorating Action coming soon. Till then, two videos. We just watched tonight this awesome 50s teledrama, The Answer, starring David Niven. Features the great line, "Let x=world peace. Solve for x." Carolyn Jones also has a brief fun part.







The other comes from realizing that my favorite fun Christmas song had no YouTube video. Found this copyright free old Disney clip, and cut it down to fit the song. Check out the Klezmonauts at Amazon - fun group. Give it a try and you'll watch mit groise fargenign.




Hope that's a treat; 'tis the season.

Halloween 11

 So there was this nice demon...

 ... who could really hit the high notes and appreciated a good Sea Breeze.

We had our usual Halloween gathering, but not on Trick or Treat night which was actually nice. We, of course, regathered a bit for Trick-or-Treating, so it was like getting two Halloweens.

There were epic battles.

Children of the night.

A good variety of creatures and heroes (and a cupcake).

Treats for having and sharing. We estimate about 180 trick-or-treaters.













And our humble pumpkins as well as the Minnebo's wowser-o'-lanterns.

11-1-11

Fall-ing

Halloween music on, Karen making dishes with root vegetables... means it must be ages since I posted.

Some old guy had an awesome chocolate-orange cake with a Tabasco theme.




We got in a visit with Carmen and the Amazing Roelants. Waaay too long since we've seen them, and the girls are a delight.

















But the big fall event was a movie premiere for

Storm Dependent

the local west Michigan movie that threatens to turn super hero storytelling on its head.

Red Carpet, sponsored by Dr. Pepper.

 Co-director and editor, Anna Minnebo.

Co-director and screen"writer," Diablo Cody.

The first showing!

Setting up for the gala. The cake was so good we invited the baker.




Awards the same night as the premiere? Someone's on the ball.

This was the first awarding of the Ultimatums, sure to go down in history as the greatest honor in cinema.


Here are the nominees. Winners are highlighted.



Best Location Supervisor & Craft Service for a Motion Picture: Karen Golden, Storm Dependant; Rachel Ray, Unbearable Lightness of Being; Martha Stewart, The Thief, the Cook, His Wife and Her Lover

Best Riff Raff in a Motion Picture: John Golden, Storm Dependant; Simon Helberg, Dr. Horrible; Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice; Gregg Minnebo, Storm Dependant (it's a tie?)

Best In-depth Reporting in a Motion Picture: Ysabela, Storm Dependant; Michelle Pfeiffer, Up Close and Personal; Holly Hunter, Broadcast News


Best Editing in a Motion Picture: Anna Minnebo, Storm Dependant; The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Jamie Selkirk

Best Super Villain in a Motion Picture: Xavier, Storm Dependant; Jack Nicholson, Batman; Samuel Jackson, Unbreakable; Neil Patrick Harris, Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-blog


Best Sidekick in a Motion Picture: Chris O’Donnell, Batman Forever; Brandon, Storm Dependant;  Sebastian Stan, Captain America 

Best Sword Fighting in a Motion Picture: Mandy Patinkin, Princess Bride; Mason, Storm Dependant; Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings

Best Super Hero in a Motion Picture: Christian Bale, Batman Begins; Chris Hemsworth, Thor; Robert Downey, Jr., Iron Man 2; Lillian, Storm Dependant


Quite a night for Storm Dependant!

Aside from the premiere, we've had the chance to catch a couple rocking Christian shows. The Blind Boys of Alabama at Hope, and the Music with a Mission Tour with Super(chick).

The St. John's youth group took a spin for Crop Walk. The youth were cheered on by Tess the Tremendous.

To wrap up, two videos from this weekend with the kids, showing where they're at...

Xavi did a great job with this belt test. Good concentration and perseverance.

Ysabela finally consented to putting a song to video - she's been working hard on this one.

Happy New Year

With 75% of the house starting school (can you hear Karen rejoicing?) it feels like a new year. Just a few pictures to quickly share.


Both X and Y are at middle school this year, and both reported a great day 1. A mini-tradition we're working on is videotaping their expectations... those are at the end. This school does an excellent job at welcoming new students, and Xavier has had a seamless transition, except for an antagonistic locker door. (Closest thing to Calvin's bicycle we've met.) Ysabela was just happy to see her buds after the summer separation.

We got to go to Mia and Grace for the first time in too long, this time with our good friend Elizabeth. She has the most fascinating English Ivy across from her - this is a picture of the ivy doing a tree imitation. It's on a white pine, so the pine branches don't start up until way above.

 

Karen also loved the cute little gnome door. She did spot the mutant ivy flowering elsewhere, but not imitating branches. The root/trunk of the ivy had to be about a foot in circumference or more.








We can't have two consecutive posts without an Audrey update. So here she is, with bubbles! I suspect she's contemplating how bubbles minimize surface tension by forming perfect spheres.

Fez are cool.

We've been enjoying this back to school advice from our favorite TV/movie writer Joss Whedon. There's other advice in the article as well, but it's a definite mixed bag.

Tabernacle

The Tabernacle Experience is in Holland this week at Beechwood Church. We would highly encourage you to go if you're interested in the Old Testament as a Christian, Jew or anthropologist. They've constructed a lifescale model with an audio tour.  They make it very participatory, and only allow in a few people at a time.  Very well done.

Hebrews 9:9-12 "The first part of the tent is an example for the present time. The gifts and sacrifices that were brought there could not give the worshiper a clear conscience. These gifts and sacrifices were meant to be food, drink, and items used in various purification ceremonies. These ceremonies were required for the body until God would establish a new way of doing things.  But Christ came as a chief priest of the good things that are now here. Christ went through a better, more perfect tent that was not made by human hands and that is not part of this created world. He used his own blood, not the blood of goats and bulls, for the sacrifice. He went into the most holy place and offered this sacrifice once and for all to free us forever."

We attended the outdoor worship service first, and it was also nice; good contemporary music and a nice sermon on the significance of the Tabernacle.  The only thing missing was a Tardis, to give us the impression that we were really there. Although I have to say, the Most Holy Place had a bit of the bigger on the inside feel.