pumpkin patch

I took the kids to a Halloween fest at the church on Transmitter the weekend before Halloween. They were the only kids there NOT in costume:) They really don't like dressing up...i'm not sure why? They had a lot of fun doing a stuffed animal walk *like a cake walk, only you win stuffed animals instead* and sliding down the boundy slide. Before leaving the fest, we stopped in the lot in front of the church to pick out our pumpkins. We never did get around to carving them this year.....
These pics aren't that fantastic because I was having trouble adjusting the color/ISO feature on the camera, but since I am documenting our lives...they will have to do!

smashingly incredible~~

I took these pics of the kids on the way to Boo at the Zoo....they were taken in the backseat of the car! I can't believe how great they all turned out....and YES, I am having a few of them enlarged and framed.


Look at those freckles...POP!

She has the angelic look down pat!

Practicing her ballerina moves in the backseat~

Kiddos Halloween

The kids didn't want to go trick or treating this year...they instead wanted to go to a fall fest with their Nana in Wewa. So on Halloween night I went to dinner at Outback with Dawn, Leann, and some new people that I'd never met before, then came home to watch a movie (Atonement). Bub came home after the fest so I wasn't alone on Halloween night:) After spending the day in 6 inch boots at work, I was exhausted!!! The day after Halloween Zoo World hosted Boo at the Zoo and the kids wanted to go out to see what all the fuss was about. I was worried that the place would be a mob house jammed with greedy idiots, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was chaos free, well organized, and the kids were given loads of good candy and cool stuff. We had a blast and I plan on making a trip out there again next year!

Halloween

The Halloween party was a little Humane Society benefit as well....I met a few new people and had a blast with Resa as my "goddess" date! I thought I would stick to something I knew very well...and dressed up as a hot nurse:) Weird thing though...when I walked in the door, the first person I saw was one of the doctor's the I work with...it was kind of awkward but he and his wife both looked cute in their gangsta and flapper outfits:) I am looking forward to next year's gala!!!

vanessa, resa, me
a nurse, peter pan, a greek goddess, and captain hook.

daniel and vanessa
the party has arrived!!

Little Black Dress~ October

We skipped November because everyone was busy or simply too tired to get dressed up to go....but here are pics from October's Little Black Dress party at Boatyard. Dawn, Resa, Leann, and I met up early for dinner *note to self and anyone else who cares to know: never waste your money on the sushi at Boatyard. it sucks.* Be sure to zoom in on my shoes....they ROCK! I got a spicy little deal on them at Envy.

Labor Day

The kids and I went to Vicki's for Labor Day and had a nice time laughing over the way Brooke ate her corn...she'd just lost a tooth and another was extremely loose, so she would gnaw on it with her BACK teeth, if you can possibly imagine that. The girls had fun trying to catch the fish that Jamie had recently stocked the pond with, while Bub was content to hang out on the back porch with me. I also managed to shoot a few pics of the kids with their Nana.....I played around with the color saturation and this is what I came up with. I love love loooove the pics!

random

I am posting these pics for no other reason than....I like them:) They were taken at the "big ball" at Pier Park (that I am always trying to describe to Lori even though she's already seen pics of it!) while the kids and I were waiting to see "Journey to the Center of the Earth" on Brooke's birthday.

birthdays~

Here are some pics from the kids birthday party this year. We only invited a few people...cousins and some church friends...but the kids had a blast all the same.


my fav pic of the day~ I captured Bub's first expression the moment he opened his Wii:)
Dad, Brooke, Hobbes, Bub, Mom

Jacob, Brooke, Jared, Bub, and Anthony.

let them eat "cake"!

I can hardly believe that NEXT year they will be 8 and 9~~~

crash

My friend Stephanie (of NieNie Dialouges that I've written about) was in a plane crash two weekends ago. She and her husband are both in the hospital and have suffered severe burns as a result from the crash. I've followed Stephanies life for a long time, often envious of the sweet, charmed life that she leads....an incredible mom and woman, my heart broke when I learned of the accident. Steph and Christian have 4 beautiful children who are anxious for their parents recovery. Please take time to visit the link that I've posted to the left hand side of my blog. You can read more about Stephanie and track her recovery....as well as donate to help their family out. Please say a special prayer for them!!!

read and watched

Here's a little recap of what I've read and watched this summer, along with my personal critiques of each! After all, what good is sharing the list without sharing MY 2 cents worth??

Earlier this summer I was introduced to a series by Stephanie Meyer. I am sure you've heard of Twilight, unless you've been living under a rock! I am absolutely SMITTEN with this series. It's my new obsession, and unlike the Potter series, I don't have to wait on the next book because the series is all on shelf already!! I am on "New Moon" at the moment, trying to pace myself to finish the series around the time the movie comes out in November *yeah, who sees ME pacing myself...very funny*. Anyhow, Twilight is a phenomonal love story about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. Sounds cheesy, yes....but the story line is gripping and will tie your stomach up in gooey knots. An absolute MUST read, and you will not be sorry....but I guarantee that Edward will tie up a LOT of your dream time :)

Also, I started a new time period obsession. I've been reading more about Ancient Egypt, Nefertitti, Ramses...and a lot of old Egyptian pharoahs/gods. So when I've had TIME to read, this is what has been on my nightstand.

Movies.....

Sex and the City with Beth *there was a little boy sitting in front of us in between his parents....weird and pretty awkward* but the movies was great and i adored the ending!

Wall-E with the kiddos *in which I asked the ticket chick for three tickets for "waAALL-EE, please" in the characteristic WallE voice. the kids loved it and thought it was hilarious, although I am sure the girl at the ticket booth was thinking I was some freak* it was a surprisingly good movie when you think of how little speaking actually took place.

Wanted with James McAvoy and A Jolie....yum yum yummy. This movie was all about the eye candy, and I say that about BOTH of the star parts. Loved the story, packed with action, will watch it again when it's on DVD.

Journey to the Center of the Earth was ok, but I think more could have been done with it. It's one of those book to movie movies that disappoints if you've READ the book. but satisfies if you're a backwoods retard and have never read it.

Iron Man. Hallejuah, who knew Robert Downey Jr had such an incredible body!? I thought this movie would be a disappointment, like the Ben Affleck "DareDevil", but really REALLY enjoyed it!

The Dark Knight. Watched it with Biff and Coco*and pissed a crabby, lonely lady off in the process*, best movie of the summer for me:) I think it was filmed amazingly well and I loved Heath's portrayal of The Joker. Must buy this one when it's on DVD!!!

and my BIGGEST letdown of the summer....The Clone Wars. It was pretty, although all of the characters looked like they were carved from wood....and the story doesn't "FIT!"...I mean, WHEN did Anakin have time for a padawan?? random. weird. was disappointed and give it a D. They didn't even have REAL ACTORS doing the voiceovers. waste of $$ and time, but Bub really REALLY liked it....so not a complete waste I suppose.

Tell me what you're watching and reading:) Did you watch any of these movies?? what is your take on them??

remember me??

YOWZA!!!

So I am officially a slacker.

I haven't blogged in ages, so to those friends who have been bugging me about doing so...this apology is for you....SORRY!!! I know my life is SO thrilling that it is near painful not to read about it, but life has changed so so so very much for me over the past few months, and I have had very little time to write about it. MANY changes, some that I will share, some that I will not. So brace yourself!! I have all Labor Day weekend to update this sucker and I will try my darndest *is that a word!?* to please the masses.

So practice a few more hours patience with me and I promise you will not close the screen feeling empty inside...LOL! I'm gathering pics and working on a few blogs....and now that you're holding your breath and are in ten kinds of suspense, I am off to bed!!! Will finish up tomorrow with loads of juicy fun!!

The Middle Wife

*every now and again I come across something that gives me a giggle that I want to pass along. I know a lot of my mum friends read the blog, so I thought this the best way to share it! A girl from my Meetup group posted it today:)~ ENJOY!*

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.) 'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this. ' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys inside there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

what i am making....

I am heading to Joanne's today to buy the stabilizer for my newest little project!! I have everything else I need....so at this point I am simply frustrated that I have to wait to start on it. I adore this purse and I have B*E*A*U*T*I*F*U*L fabric to make it with! I'll be posting pics of my progress. If my efforts are successful, and I know they will be because I have an incredible tutorial, I am sure to have a closet full of smashing hobo bags!!

The 3 LeaderShip Club

The kids' cousin, Anthony, has been spending more time with them now that school is out for summer. The plan is to have him over 2 days a week for the entire summer. They all have so much fun playing together and I have a blast listening to their little people converstations. Yesterday they they decided to form a club. Not just any club, mind you! This is "The Three Leadership Club", no other members allowed! They were wrapped up in their little world of making plans and dreaming up schemes....and it seemed to slip their minds that they really should ask their mom before they wrote *in permanent INK* the name of their club on their clubhouse. *I do think watching Little Rascals inspired them here....so my fingers are crossed that they will come up with some nifty way to con people out of some money as well!* Naturally, they got in trouble...but I couldn't help but laugh over the whole situation. I have to stop myself from being too harsh with them sometimes....especially when I tell them that it is THEIR playhouse and I want them to be creative with it and make it into something that is entirely their own:)

my buddy: bunny

I was FINALLY able to get an amazing shot of my bunny yesterday! I feed the little guy lettuce nearly every day, in hopes that he will someday see me and think, "Oh! It's the tall thing that gives me food everyday....I think I will see if I can get closer and actually take the food from those dangly things on the side of her body!"

ahh, yes. i dream of petting this bunny...but for now I am content with simply watching it from a *near* distance!!

The Great Cookie Caper

The target: A small pile of black and white cookies....creamy white center missing.

The culprit: Small black dog of the chihuahua breed. Notable traits: white mask around eyes, questionable snarl with right tooth overbite. At large, possibly armed and dangerous, especially if harboring stolen goods.

The crime: Grand Cookie Theft.

The proof:

Evidence was sufficiently distroyed, verdict will fall solely on the pictures taken during the crime.

webbie wednesday on a thursday

Again, didn't feel like blogging yesterday so I am doing my webbie wednesday on a thursday this week:) hmm, I may just start a trend!

My fav of the week is another that I've been in love with for a while now. It's WhistleStop Cafe. I don't remember how I came across this site, but I DO remember the recipe that made me ear mark it as a fav! It was sometime late last year when I found her recipe for FRESH pumpkin ravioli...I tried it and was amazed as to how easy it was to make fresh pasta and then stuff it with real pumpkin! I'd fallen in love with butternut squash ravioli, but Publix had stopped carrying it at the time, so I had to find an alternate to fill in the void:) Since then I have followed her blog and have come to realize that she cooks the way that I do. A mix of ALL sorts of food, with a heavy leaning toward the Southern style of cooking. Her cornbread recipe is to die for...there is a super easy Pad Thai recipe...tiramisu...and even a simple recipe for the great Southern delicacy, BOILED PEANUTS! *btw, I found a place to buy fresh green peanuts this week, so I am planning on trying that recipe out soon!* I do hope you check the site out...and VICKIE, there are loads of baking recipes there too:)~

*click on the pic for the link to the whistlestop site. from there you can access the CAFE site which is full of recipes broken down into categories. Enjoy!*

update. update

yeah...I was having a bad day yesterday and didn't feel like updating my blog. First I have to address the fact that my lovely lady friend Lori could not come to town this week due to the fact that the powers that be in the Army decided that Duane was unfit to take a vacation at the moment. No matter that he'd put in for it in, oh...FEBRUARY! Ah well, I am learning the heartbreak of the Army that I've been told of many times:)~ Alas, if it weren't for the dear old Army, I would never have met my Lori girl! So...to them I am thankful, albeit a bit perturbed with them *the powers that be in the Army* at the moment! Still, our fingers are crossed that the Schrier's will still be able to make the trip sometime this summer. If not...I may just ditch the Disney plans and head to Amish country so I can get my Lori fix AND view Ohio in the fall:)~ To D and L and kids....I love you guys and really wish you were here right now so the guys could be fishing and WE could be chilling on the beach amidst the smell of coconut and salt water!



For everyone else, check out this clever little pic that Lori made in memorandum of our would be vacation! You can see more on HER blog, LORI. Click on it:)~

{putting the brake on things}

so, after nearly singeing off my eyebrows yesterday evening *haven't blogged about that yet, but i will be soon*, and cleaning up my nephews puke this morning....i didn't think the day could get any worse.

until i actually ventured OUT into it.

as MY luck would have it, this was one of those days in which i actually had PLANS.

with people. *i know, YAY!*

alas, my first date with our meetup group is STILL on hold because of what someone upstairs had already mapped out for me:)~ now, the story....

i was leaving Hobby Lobby this morning, gearing up to pull up to the red light beside Publix when.....swwwwoooooshhhh.



my breaks went out on me. i ended up spending over 3 hours in the holding room of Big 10 Tires....JUST the way I wanted to spend my afternoon. come to find out, the break shoes were dust, the pads down to metal, and one rotor was cracked.

still, i have to count my blessings here.....
1} the kids were DIVINE! my kids are so well behaved when we are in public and i was super proud of them today....considering we were stranded for over 3 hours:)~
2}the brakes went out on a nearly empty parking lot. *and not on a busy highway or when i was crossing said busy highway to hop into the median.
3} *perhaps the best of all*, the brakes went out dead center....BEHIND A TIRE SHOP!! seriously....i was nearly in front of the shops entrance!! wow. i just kinda sashayed the car into the curb where she came to a halt.


so...thank you to everyone looking out for me and my kiddos from way upstairs!! i am truly counting my blessings today:~)

webbie wednesday

cute website this week...full of crafty fun! best part about paperandink is that almost everything i've found on her site is simply crafted, easily made....even if you have ten thumbs and are lacking all creative skills:) enjoy!