Happy Halloween! 2009

I can't believe its another Halloween.  This year we had alot of fun with costumes. Maggie wanted to be Meg from Hercules but needed the costume modified. So through a combination of 4 patterns, I was quite pleased with how close I was able to copy the dress.  Josh had a fantastic idea of wanting to be a stick figure. He was really cool to watch walk down the street --- the kids loved it!!  Not only very cool, but very easy.   After a busy day of scouts, basketball and decorating, I was more than happy to have candy duty!  No tricks this year -- Only treats!

Gulu Walk Merced

When Chelsea was a senior in high school I had watched a video by a group called Fall Out Boy.  At the end it told about the "invisible children" of Uganda who had to hide a night so as not to be kidnapped and traumatized into being child soldiers for the LRA under Kony's rule.  I shared that with Chelsea and she took off with it! First she chartered a "Schools for Schools" chapter at Valencia High School, then as a Freshman at UC Merced she chartered the first Invisible Children Chapter on campus.  Last weekend she organized a community event  called  "Gulu Walk"  to raise funds for the children of Uganda and to encourage all of us to write to our representatives to stand up for Disarmament of the LRA.  Some one once said -- "No one cares about Africa" -- with all the media attention today -- do you know how many children are still missing in Uganda?  Sometimes I really wonder ---"who cares about Africa."

Follow the links for more infor and the news article on Chelsea's event

www.invisiblechildren.com

http://localsearch.mercedsunstar.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=chelsea+wood&x=0&y=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT434G38OBg

Fall Came and Went

We had such a great summer - it was hard to believe Fall had come......then abruptly it left. A storm blew in and dropped about 1 in of snow - thank goodness the tulips were put in on time!

Our pumpkins look lovely and I have to say -- I'm quite proud of them. Next year I'll be sure to plant some white ones as well.