High Five for Friday (11.17.17)

1. On Friday we - the PTO at Hallie's elementary school - hosted our first ever "Night Under the Stars". At this free event for families we served a simple dinner, put out a variety of space-related crafts, set up a space-themed photo booth, invited the TAMU Astronomy Department to set up their telescopes so guests could view the night sky, and brought in a traveling planetarium that offered frequent and regular shows about stars and planets. We had no idea what to expect in terms of attendance; we thought we would likely welcome 250-300, but we hoped for 350 and planned for 400 as our max. (After all, the Facebook page we created for the event showed 19 people were coming and 73 were interested.) In the end, more than 500 kids and family members showed up. We were exhausted by the end of the evening, but being able to offer this kind free community-building, family-focused, educational event to our school family is really special.

Hallie and the planetarium.

3...2...1...blast off!

Hallie wanted to dress like a star so she wore a $1.99
Christmas tree topper from Wal-Mart in her hair along
with a black and gold glittery shirt and tutu.

2. I'm not sure how I went so many years without ever visiting one, but on Sunday I attended my first holiday/Christmas market. I know a lot of friends in my area like to shop at the Nutcracker Market in Houston, but for me, driving 90 minutes, paying to park, paying to browse, and then driving another 90 minutes home takes a lot of the fun out of holiday shopping. This market took place here in town, didn't cost me a penny to park or browse, and offered quite a few cute gift options. I only purchased from one booth but I grabbed business cards from many other vendors so I can peruse their websites from the comfort of my couch. A fun afternoon activity!

Oh, and it may have been 75+ degrees outside, but I still wore a Christmas shirt and listened to a Christmas CD in the car on the way to and from the market. I'm ready for the holidays!

3. I survived Parent Participation Week at Hallie's dance studio! Last year, despite going in at a decent level of physical fitness (I go to the gym almost every weekday and try to fit in long walks on both Saturdays and Sundays), I suffered the worst muscle pull - my hamstring - of my adult life. Turns out I shouldn't leap as a 30-something adult with the same enthusiasm I had as a 3rd-grade dancer... My goal was to make it through Hallie's five classes without an injury from which I would need to recover - mission accomplished!

I even put my hair in a bun for ballet class! I later
realized - after watching myself dance for hours - that
a bun does not complement my face shape. Oops!

4. Tonight I'm heading out to grab drinks and see A Bad Moms Christmas with friends - I can't wait!

5. Happiness Highlights

Will's selling chocolate to raise money for his school orchestra,
which means there is always chocolate (though each bar costs
me $2) available in my house when I need a little pick-me-up.

Hallie learned how to create a Maypole at school! I remember
learning to do the same thing in Girl Scouts 30-some years ago.

They looked so comfy I almost didn't ask to join them...

Saw this at the Jingle Bell Market - I LOVE it!

"God is in My Jewelry Box". It's sure to be a hit.
Thanks for the memories, Facebook.

We have our first lemon!!!

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here: