Happy Halloween

We had a super fun Halloween party last night!

Here we are in our scary costumes

We worked hard for three days getting ready.  We made our own piñata and Maisie made the Pin the Hat on the Witch game.

We pulled together the few decorations that we brought with us to Switzerland (why did I think I wouldn't need any of my Holiday decor while I was here?) and made some spooky snacks.

Of course we had to play Wrap the Mummy and all of our favorite games

 a pumpkin masterpiece 

Happy Halloween!!

The Goods

Our first Halloween package came from my Mother.  She sent purple and green jello mix (for a game we'll play at our party), creepy spider webs, some white paper sacks for luminaries that Maisie has started to decorate, and some medical bills I keep forgetting to pay....SCARY!

Our second Halloween package came from the Myklebusts.  They sent Maisie a great October outfit including these funky striped tights and a skull shirt (that she's wearing under her coat).  It was so cool that Maisie insisted on wearing the get-up on our first day in Edinburgh, Scotland (more on that later).

Our third package came from the Halloween experts, the Lunt family!  Check out this loot...gummy fangs, pumpkin peeps and scary skulls just to name a few.  OK, the book about the Brooklyn Bridge isn't Halloweeny but people died building it so that makes it spooky, right?  

Thank you so much!!  

I know that postage to CH is ridiculous so I owe you all BIG TIME!  You have helped make our Halloween as American as it can be!

Now, to get ready for the festivities next week (if I can tear myself away from Mad Men!).  Anyone have any tips on how to make a piñata without using a balloon?  I want to make a squarish Frankenstein head.  Will a box work or will that be too hard to break open?

Chestnuts

Last week we went to a town called Fully (pronounced foo yee) to collect chestnuts.  They have a beautiful forest of chestnut trees and you're allowed to collect anything that has fallen to the ground.  You have to wear gloves though because the casings are dangerous, ouch!

Below is a shot of the forest.

 And here is Maisie and her friend Francesca looking for chestnuts.

We gathered a nice sack full but now I'm not sure what to do with them short of roasting them on an open fire.  Anyone have any good chestnut recipes to share?

Climbing Club

Maisie has also joined the Climbing Club after school.  They meet at a local Gym and have climbing instruction for an hour each week.  It sounded fun on the write-up but then, when I went to pick her up on the first day I was so jealous!  What a cool climbing wall!

There is Maisie down below (in the bright blue shirt and black pants) just finishing her climb.  Hopefully I'll catch her in action next week.

Luzern

Last weekend we decided to day trip it to Luzern/Lucerne for this beautiful Fall Fair:  

First we hit the Ferris Wheel to scope out the landscape.  Poor Maisie doesn't just get to enjoy the ride, she has to hear a story about the invention of the Ferris Wheel.  Her parents are nerds like that.

Views from the FW

Our spoils from the Crane Machine (I would be a rich woman if the Crane Machine had never been invented, or is it stuffed animals that are breaking the bank?) and our tickets for the Magic Carpet Ride.

After the fair we strolled around the beautiful old town and enjoyed the scenery.

I think this bike has been sitting here a while.  It's covered in bird poo.  Maybe it's art.

Oh yes, and our combined efforts at the Whack-a-Mole table garnered this major award:  A Simpsons blow up bat!  Score!!

This photo is for Susan (although she never looks at this blog).  It's Maisie and Unis the Unicorn.

Stay tuned for a post about our upcoming Halloween Party....  Anyone who wants to send us American style Halloween candy (tootsie rolls, starbursts, candy corns, sweet tarts, etc.) to stuff in our homemade piñata will get special mention here on the blog.  Now if that's not incentive, I don't know what is!

More Kayak Club and Other Stuff

I have never wished to go back to middle school until now.  Maisie had Kayak Club again this week.  The instructor made them stand up in their kayaks and try to shake their partner into the water.  That's Maisie on the back of the near boat.

Her partner Alexa was in no mood to play the game so they both ended up (relatively) dry.

Lesson over, the girls row into the dock.

and tow their boat in.

Lots of fun!  The club will only run until mid-November when the water gets too cold.

In other news, now that school is back in full swing, I'm back to hiking with my friends.  This hike was above a town called Les Avants.  

This was the meeting point in the center of town.

Restaurant at the trailhead

  

 views along the way

and my hiking pals.

Life is good!

Kayak Club

Maisie joined the Kayak Club at school.  Here she is on her first day rowing on the lake:

You'll have to trust me, it really is her in the front of the boat on the far right.

Here is the little harbor where the boating school is (no, Mrs. Puff isn't the instructor, I checked).

She loved being out on the water but we'll see how it goes when the temperatures start to drop!