Weekend Report: October Days, Dresses, Apple Sauce

This weekend was relatively slow.

Saturday was Yom Kippur - the kids and I went to the services. I fasted for a good chunk of the day - but I just never seem to be able to keep the fast for the full day. I start getting dizzy and feel like my head is full of wool. I also get very moody, in a scary way. 

I spent a decent chunk of time in a hammock, reading Anthony Horowitz.

I also spent a decent chunk of time cooking. I do like to cook, generally, but sometimes it feels like it just takes up so much time.

C helped me make apple sauce (it is delicious!).

On Sunday, my husband and E went to see a local luthier. They got an estimate on what it would cost to fix up an old family violin and E tried out a few bows (he asked for a new violin bow for his birthday). 

C and I went to a local Arboretum for a very scenic walk. It was wonderful and made my soul sing and made me feel calm and relaxed. 

I took H + C to the King of Prussia mall (I hate that place but it didn't feel too terrible after the morning at the arboretum) because H needed a new dress for Homecoming.

H has a couple of nice dresses she wore for her Bat Mitzvah and the semi-formal dances at the middle school. One of those dresses was a backup plan in case we didn't find anything. We went to 1 store, she tried on about 5 dresses, and settled on a dress that had a very reasonable price and looked very cute on her. Phew - that was easier than expected and everyone is happy. That said, getting new dresses that will only be used once or twice seems... sad. I remember, soon after coming to the US, someone was explaining to me what a formal dance was. One thing they said - you buy a dress that only wear once - seemed shocking at the time. Maybe they didn't mean it quite that literally, I don't know. Thinking back - my prom dress, I don't think I ever wore it again... I kept it and it still hangs in my closet. I am quite sure I will never be able to fit into it, but maybe H or C will use it (even if it's for a Halloween dress-up).

We stopped by another store to look for some winter every-day outfits for H and C - and we could not find anything in the sizes we needed. There were tons of clothing for age 10 and under. There were tons of clothing for adults. But nothing in between! H is very petite and C is tall for her age, so they both need something in the 12-14 range (and sizes run small at that particular store, which is perfect for H). Ugh. I suppose we could have looked harder, or asked a store clerk, but by that time I was all malled-out and was quite ready to get back home. 

The rest of the day was spent helping E study for tests, helping C practice cello, reading, hanging out in the hammock, cooking (yes, again! no matter how much I cook, we always need more food...), doing laundry, playing a couple of board games with the kids, and catching up on work stuff.

Do you own fancy dresses? Do you feel judged if you wear them to multiple events?