Fall

So we've been keeping busy - football is over, soccer is over, our schools Haunted Woods is over, heck even Halloween is almost here and gone. Ah fall, I love fall - I love the weather, the crispness, the gardens are all sleeping, the trees are naked, you can eat chili because it warms you up. I love everything about it - I do. Even though I've only been blogging here once a week, I have been taking photographs of my kids - I have. I'm trying to capture those perfect Christmas card pictures. Since I got my new camera last winter - I'm trying to perfect my images - sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and thank goodness for digital because my kids can be a real pain when it comes to getting them to not make that awful I am forcing a smile, smile.

Like this:

or this one:

although he looks like this for real most of the time.

We've been slowly cleaning up the outside, Ryan was my hero and made three sets of corn hole games for our elementary school - I think he's starting to cringe when I come home from PTO meetings. We had our first Halloween party at our friends the Webbers. It was our trial run for costumes and I think it went well - Jon is going to be Harry Potter -Drew - Ron Wesley (Harry's BFF) - Penny - The Little Mermaid. Jon was the only one that actually wore his costume. Drew refused to wear his cloak so he just looked like a disheveled frat boy with red hair and Penny wore her costume, but not the crown, shoes or jewelry we had to have when we were at the store. I dressed up too because I offered to paint faces at her house and then painted faces at our school event. Leslie was gracious enough to take a few pics:

Her daughter wondered why I wasn't a vampire - apparently my "twilight" reputation proceeds me. Truth be told I didn't get my costume until that morning, I was going to be perfectly happy wearing my butterfly wings and being a butterfly again - Jon informed me of my potential faux pas and I went out last minute- much to Ryan's chagrin - looking for his and my costume. I had a hard time, first off because I wasn't sure what to be and second there isn't a lot that a woman can wear in front of kids when it comes to available costumes - hell I blushed just looking at some of the pictures. Ryan informed me that it isn't about others seeing you in it - hint, hint - sorry babe the sleazy SWAT team get-up is still on the shelf. Witch was about the most benign thing I could get away with and I STILL had to add a turtleneck to hide the girls. Ryan will be dressing as Sirius Black from Harry Potter - prison breakout version. He donned it for us on Saturday and he looks great. For someone who doesn't like Halloween, he does pretty great.

It was a fun day - like I said Drew had his last soccer game:

Yes he scored, yes he's a good 5 inches taller than most of the kids in his league - my gentle giant

On Sunday we picked pumpkins:

Why couldn't I have THIS picture for the Gap Casting Call?

Penny had the best luck in the field - we went later this year so most of the field pumpkins were green, Jon eventually found an orange one and Drew was happy to pick one out of their bins.

That was our weekend in a nutshell - fun, busy, and at this point over. We have fall break this week and then we're celebrating Drew's birthday this weekend with my dad and brother and sister-n-law. I can't believe my baby boy is going to be 5 - some of you may be saying I can't believe he's ONLY going to be 5, but he still wuvs me and that's just fine by me.

Penny and Mom (photo credit: Drew)

Rock Star Pose

Thanks!

i think i might be in trouble...

So I wasn't on the initial Twilight bandwagon, truth be told I didn't pick up the books until last May. I didn't think I'd like them, they were long and I'm not really into vampires, or were I should say. So last May I traveled to Seattle, optimistic, so I packed three out of the four in the series. My friend Heather had read them, loved them and owned the movie. So since I had a long flight out, I thought, what the heck. I finished the first book and started the second before I landed in Seattle. While I was in Seattle, I read the rest of the second and started the third. I finished the third before I landed home. I arrived home on Mother's Day and visited with my family and dad, I started the fourth book that afternoon and finished it by the next afternoon. I neglected my children, my chores and everything else around me. It was awesome. I fell in love. With all honesty, I have a thing for teeny-bopper movies, 10 things I hate about you, Mean girls, Bring it on, you name it, I not-so-secretly confess that I love getting lost in their ridiculous plots and story lines. While in Seattle I watched Twilight, which sealed the deal for me. I mean sure it isn't Sophie's Choice, but I enjoyed it for what it was - a low budget, teen love drama with a touch of supernatural mixed in. I'm not a big fan of those dirty, skinny, British boys, but Robert Pattenson had me as a vampire. I like him, I liked what he did for the character, I would let him bite me, maybe.

So fast forward to now, we're about a month away from the New Moon release. If you didn't know, I am throwing a New Moon party, if you haven't been invited and want to attend, let me know - the more the merrier. I've invited who I know would enjoy the event, I have some friends who didn't like the books or the movie and no offense, I love you, but no buzz-kills thank you very much. I find it amusing that I have several friends who are frantically finishing their books so they can come - I promise no quizzes will be given.

So here's where the trouble begins, so my girlfriend Jill in the summer surprised me with a Cullen Crest bracelet that I had my eye on over at Etsy. Then for my birthday my girlfriend Leslie, buys me this killer (and ridiculously hard) Edward puzzle. I then get an email (from Leslie) with a picture of me-turned-vampire. Hilarious! Last week she surprised me with a window cling for my car (which is my van is totally sporting) and then today I get a phone call from my other friend Lisa informing me NOT to buy a certain magazine, highlighting a certain movie coming out that I am hosting a party for, it's in the mail. After that phone call my husband says, "I was going to save this, but it seems appropriate," and surprises me with this! little gem that I can't wear around Jon because he can read. "What's dammit, mom?" Nice. I am so excited and tickled by every ones enthusiasm. Leslie is looking up limo's to transport us to the movie theater, but a party bus was recommended. Wow, this is getting big. (But now that I think about it maybe Leslie has the problem.) ;o) Can you picture it - 25 thirty and forty somethings piling out of a bus to go see New Moon - not to mention that I've already heard mutterings of Blooding Mary's and homemade Chianti making it's appearance for my gathering. Picture 25 or so thirty and forty somethings slightly intoxicated - hello fun with a capital "F"!

In any event, I am excited, I am thrilled my friends are excited and I am so grateful for every one's thoughtfulness- I do really love all my little Twilight treasures. You gals, and you know who you are, are so cool.

All I need now is that trip to Vancouver to watch some filming and a tour of Forks.... overkill? I think not! Do you think they have a 12 step program somewhere...

Thanks!

Get 'em while their tots!

I have to say that I love creative people, that isn't to say that I don't love non-creative people because frankly I think everyone has their own "brand" of creativity - even those people who say their not creative have their own strength or skill to do something unique to them. That being said, I am very blessed to know some REALLY creative and talented people. One of those people is a girl, I guess woman now that I grew up with in the great Village of Dolton, Illinois. Angie or more appropriate Angela, and I were friends way back when, I was always so jealous of Angie because she could rearrange her room whenever she wanted, she had some of the coolest things ( like this swan barometer thing that I accidentally broke and still feel bad about) and she looked, acted and dressed like Punky Brewster. In the 80's you really couldn't get cooler than that. I was none of those things - tall and skinny with short hair because my mom refused to deal with my mogwa mop every day, so as you can imagine I studied Angie with enthusiasm. I'm not sure what year she moved to Indiana, it was a year or two before me and she went to a different Junior High and High School. Later she attended Purdue for Landscape Architecture. I remember going to the Children's Museum and seeing some of her work - apparently the school partnered up for a project or something of that nature, but I was floored by her talent. Long story short, too late, one of my best girls, Brooke, went to school with her. Small world, so I knew she grew up, and then moved to California.

Fast forward to now, I find her on facebook - where else of course! and she and I became online friends, once again. Okay - enough background I know - anyway. Ang has a DARLING little boy - I mean he is a DOLL - beautiful seriously, I can't imagine what a handsome boy he'll be - she and her husband are IN TROUBLE is all I am going to say. I can hear the phone ringing off the hook now. I digress, yet again - Ang decided to embrace some of those creative juices flowing in her system and create a beautiful keepsake for parents, grandparents and family alike.

Presenting: (okay so I am IN LOVE with the name)

Get ‘Em While They’re Tots - Petite Profiles

A timeless keepsake for your family and a unique holiday gift for

Grandma and Grandpa.

You can not keep your little one from growing, but you can freeze their little

profile in time and capture the essence of who they are. Add a quote of some-

thing cute they have said or a custom message on a gift. Five themes from

which to choose. Each profile comes matted and ready to frame.

Profile Price $50.00, add $30.00 for frame

Duplicate order $30.00, add $30.00 for frame

(If you want one order of “Jack” with “Classic” theme and one order of “Jack”

with “Sky’s the limit” theme, the initial profile would be $50.00, but the second

with them and/or quote change would be $30.00.)

Contact: angela@pravdesign.com 925-899-1232

I've encouraged Ang to set up an etsy store because I think these will sell like hot cakes personally, if you are interested send her an email or give her a call. Christmas is around the corner and I'm thinking grandma would be pleased as peas to get her hands on one of these! Best of luck Ang with your new endeavor - when she gets her site up and running, I'll be sure to post the link. Until then - Thanks!

feeling like mayo...

Yep that's me at school volunteering - it doesn't pay well, but I have fun!

Curious why my title is what it is? I'm spread thin, like mayo. Or at least I spread mayo thin on my bread, maybe you don't, then this title makes no sense to you. Can you believe I was able to carry this on for a few sentences? I reminds me of the stand up act of Jim Gaffigan when he devoted like a good thirty minutes of his routine to bacon, mmmm, bacon.

Anyway, I am spread thin, but it doesn't look like things are going to lighten up, so I am just going to suck it up and face that this is the new norm. Hmmm.

I've had a fun weekend. It started off on Friday going shopping for fabric (so fun) for three sisters jumpers. I am SO excited to measure those girls up and get going on their dresses. Their mom and I went shopping and found some fabulous options - I am pretty geeked at how they are going to turn out. I also have a pattern now for my top for Merdi and for the skirt I'm going to do for Penny. Then I found more fabric I bought with the intention of doing something creative with it - it's amazing what you can find when you take it out of the bag. I had ribbon, buttons, the whole deal. It was like mini-Christmas. In any event Friday kicked off the weekend of chaos. At the end of the day I jetted with Jon to swim practice to practice blocks and starts. He and I got a leg up the night before after watching YouTube video of Michael Phelps and then proceeded to use our kitchen table as a starting block. I have to admit it was fun and I never dropped him, not even once.

That evening we had cousins over for dinner and then my in laws arrived a tad earlier than expected. We all visited too late. Saturday we jetted to Drew's soccer game only to leave immediately to get to Jon's football practice prior to his game. We had a full house with my in laws and my brother and sis in law in attendance. We watched an entertaining and heart breaking last minute loss for Jon's team, but everyone had fun. Especially the boys since they had quite the cheering section.

After looking like the quintessential soccer mom, complete with make up and hair and jewelry I jetted off to the Hair Ball Charity benefit that started right after Jon's game. Which is why I was dressed up to begin with - I know that most of my friends thought I was a tad over dressed for kid sports - but honestly I had no time to run home and doll up - so overdressed I was. I went with my girlfriends Brooke, Annemarie and Lisa- we had a wonderful time listening to live Bluegrass music, drinking hefeweizen and trying to decide if I should bid on that Addai signed football and how much Ryan would kill me for doing it. (If you are curious, I did not). We were at the Irsay Pavillion at 116th and Ditch and Holy Shenanigans are those houses huge. If you can google earth that area, I recommend it - I nearly crashed three times just trying to figure out what was house and if it could be a hotel.

Curious why we have grass in our pictures? It's wheat grass, its good for you and Brooke and Lisa bought some and we all tried it, it was interesting. Then we wondered where we suppose to try it? What if it's catnip? Luckily it was not and I have suffered no adverse effects from eating grass.

Sunday ended the weekend of fun with tailgating and a Colts game. My friend Mike and his lovely wife Lee Ann invited Ryan and I out. Unfortunately Lee Ann fell ill and it was just the three of us to meet up with some other friends downtown. It was awesome - nothing spells football like a burger and a beer at 10 am. The game was awesome, Freeney surprised us all and played and best yet, the roof was open - I had yet to experience that - it was all that it cracked up to be and more. Best part: Colts won, we had awesome people around us and our seats were great. Worst part: I really shouldn't try to drink beer for beer with my husband whose semi-professional when it comes to imbibing on beer during football season and has about 60 pounds on me. But being the fun loving girl I am, I did and then thought BBQ chips would be a good choice to fill up my stomach - I was wrong. The final straw was trying to watch FRINGE on a beer and BBQ filled stomach - lets just say it didn't break the camels back, but the camels stomach is a different story.

Today I am well, recovered and trying to do all the things I should have done this weekend, laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. So far all I've done is blogged and looked at my laundry. My mind powers are still weak, perhaps a nap will help?

Okay - I'm off to be a house frau, I hope everyone is having a good Monday. Take care and Thanks!