whatever

happy halloween

today was good.

much much better.

my hormones have leveled out again....ahhhhhh.

today was perfect for halloween!

 

 

while out walking the dog i caught some of our neighborhood in pictures.

love the black pumpkins this year!

i stopped by annie's preschool to watch them trick or treat with the grandma and grandpas.

you can't see too well but the sign behind their parade says Friendship Lane.

sweet.

one of the grandpas took out his dentures for the kids.

kristin covered his face with her cape so she could warn the kids what was coming.

they were freaked out...little micah's eyes were huge!

it was hysterical.

the kid on the far right was a bowl of fruit loops!  very original.

annie wore talby's old pirate costume...with sean's old pirate costume over it.

and a piece from one of my dance costumes from when i was a teenager.

we scored the last pirate hat at target on thursday.

talby decided to add a wig for a more dramatic effect.  

she said "NOW i look like SuperGirl!"

we pieced her costume together out of a shirt and skirt from the thrift store, 

some red vinyl and sean's old super man cape.

she loved it.  (thank goodness)

trick or treating was a success.  

we can keep our dentists in business another year.

scott was too cool this year to dress up or trick or treat.  

that was a bit sad for me...growing up too quick.

but talby did say while chomping on candy "this was the best halloween ever!"

* edited to add....lauren ended up getting grounded before her halloween party.

so we never got to see hannah montana in all her glory.

it was such a bummer.

and now it's november.

happy birthday jenny.

love you super much.

make art be happy

i kept saying this to myself in my head.

trying to will myself back to happy.

and it worked...for a few minutes.

it's funny to me after all those lovely sweet comments on the play room post...

i was having the crabbiest day i've had in a long time.

i skipped my bible study because i just could not bear the thought of being around people.

i would (should) have sent annie somewhere if i could.

poor baby kept saying "i'm sorry i did that mom..." all scared i was going to yell (again)

sigh.

i know it's hormonal.

i KNOW.

but it still sucks.

i was not nice to craig either.  

no surprise there.  

he's a saint to put up with mom-zilla.

so i stick with my motto.

Make Art BE Happy.

other things that occasionally work:

sunshine.

gratefulness.

coffee.

blog reading.

pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.

baby-sitters.

prayer and bible reading.

bath tubs.

chocolate.

shopping.

movies.

michael scott and dwight.

house cleaners.

sleep.

am i forgetting anything?

answers to many playroom decor questions tomorrow.

thank you girls for ALL the compliments.

it was overwhelming.

pumpkins are 'squirved.'

yesterday annie asked me if was "time to squirve the pumpkins yet."  HA!

it went pretty quickly last night.

no big elaborate plans...Just Jack! (name that line)

scott was very distracted by the world series game.

and lauren wanted nothing to do with us.

 

i saw a book last week called Extreme Pumpkin Carving.

it was great....but a bit gory for kids.

and i found their website.  

very original if nothing else.

 

the white ones glow all the way through!

so cool.

how can it already be the last week of october?

i have a super girl costume to make for talby

from a bunch of odd things from the thrift shop.

wish me luck!

slimey

we had some pumpkins to clean.

seven.

it was a gorgeous fall day outside.

so i got busy.

i had helpers.

talby agreed to help if she could wear the gloves.

funny.

and i loved how totally disgusted they all were when i reached in 

with my bare hand and pulled out the guts.

think of what a distinct sound scraping the inside of a pumpkin is...

 

picture by sean.

and these too.

that's my first white pumpkin to carve.  

it is a weird light green color inside....strange.

of course there was lots of "ewwwww" and "YUCK!"

scott cleaned one too.

we finished them all and they are ready for carving tonight.

$5 clearance

the conversation went like this:

Lauren:   will you take me to the store to buy my halloween costume.

(has not had a costume in 2 years...now she wants one?)

Me:  What do you want to buy....

     we aren't really spending money on halloween anymore.

(i have become jaded in my 13 years of halloween purchasing.

i want to buy the cute costumes but it's just not worth the money to me

they need to make something up with what we have or wear an old one)

L:  i'm going to be hannah montana.

     i need a wig...and a new outfit from Rue 21...and some sparkly stuff.

(translation -when we get there i will beg my mom 

for more things that are not HM related)

M:  a hannah montana wig is going to be like $20!!  NO.

     and why can't you just find clothes we already have?

(it's called cre-a-tiv-i-ty)

L:  you don't understand me!

     that would be so stupid!  

     hannah montana would never wear anything i have!

(translation: you are such a smart mother.  how did i ever get so lucky?)

**************************************************************************

fast forward to me at the mall.

Claire's Boutique.

SCORE!

$20 Hannah Montana wigs on sale for....

Buy one for $5.00 and get another one FREE!

WHAT?

HUH?

who needs two wigs...oh yeah me...3 girls in my house!

sold.

i felt like super mom when i came home.

(i think i should have a cape for these moments...maybe i'll make one!)

and now everyone can be hannah montana!

"you get the beeeeeest of both worlds!!!"

"this is the LIIIIIIIIFe!  Hold on tight!"

(you knew it was coming right?)

"Everybody makes mistakes...Everybody has bad days!"

"we are the champions. WE are the champions!  NO TIME FOR LOSERS.

cause WE are the chaaaaampions.....of the WORLD!!!!"

(i know - it's not HM but it just felt like singing it)

"take it off mommy!  waaaaaaaaaa.  you're scaring me!! waaaaaaaaa!"

seriously.

"it's a hard knock life for us!  it's a hard knock life FOR US!"

and they did an entire medley tribute to Annie the motion picture.

ahhhhh....good times.

even scott was adorable as HM.  

he kept shaking it saying "YEAH! YEAH!"

i guess that's what he thinks she says.

we'll have to wait for halloween to see lauren in her wig.

so what do think as this for my new profile pic?

i think the double basket stack of laundry behind makes it even more 

perfectly appropriate.

is it too much?

payback

this is what happens when i sew cute shirts.

i guess i have some folding to do.

i could have the kids do it...

but cuddling up in a blanket and watching a movie 

while folding laundry on this cold rainy day sounds good to me.

loving preschool (again)

everyone knows how much i love annie's preschool....because i tell everyone.

i wished i'd had my camera on monday.

today i turned the car around half way through to go back to get it.

they have each brought a pumpkin.

working on properties like smooth, bumpy, heavy, light, big, little, etc.

and next week they decorate them.

i can't wait to see that.

they have journals....which is the most adorable thing!

seeing them all sit at the tables and "write" is precious.

they all love to show you what is inside.

annie likes to write letters or her name and very scribble-y swirly people.

are they not the cutest little books?!

knocking down a paper that's hanging off the ceiling is hilarious.  

every time.

it's a no brainer.

and time for a snack at the preschool diner (that apparently has free wi-fi).

i made it to the door and said 

"goodbye annie. have a great day!  do you need a hug?"

micah was closer so he grabbed me first.

then annie latched on.

eliza saw and wanted in on the fun.

gracie came running in giggling.

and mckenna squeezed around the other side.

they were just laughing and group hugging.  

i was feeling the love.

they did it again one more time and then eliza's eyes got big 

and she said "let's go hug MY mom!"  

great idea.

i was on a roll.

i got going and i couldn't stop.

alvin and the chipmunks inspired this one.

i bought annie a bunch of garanimal t-shirts.

and got busy.

(a month later that is...)

princess lasertron and her awesome craftiness inspired this.

although hers are much cuter and more detailed.

annie turns 4 in twelve days.

she wants to wear this to her party.  

and crystal inspired this one.

have you seen her shop?  super cute stuff in there.

and i am not finished.

more projects to come....

shopping with the girls

while at my mom's we squeezed in some shopping.

we started with brunch at panera...my mom's treat...yum.

then off to the toy store.

it's a favorite.

it has everything but it's nothing like toys r' us.

they even have webkinz!!! 

(that all talby could think about.)

 

 

 

new profile picture?

i think i look like the lady from the old navy commercials?

remember her?

was she a spoof of someone else?

i got to spend time in sarah's fabrics.

my mom kept my girls busy in the costume shop.

i was in fabric dream land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

every fabric that i been dying to see was there.

i got to touch them.

and i tried not to drool on them.

i thought about just wrapping up in all my favorites 

and staying the rest of the day.

but sarah probably wouldn't be happy about that.

("i would drape myself in velvet if it was socially acceptable" name that line.)

we love urban outfitters.

other than having to steer my little reader away 

from all the things with swear words on them.

i kept saying loudly "look at THIS!" or "look over here!" to distract her.

 

i don't think this shirt was meant for me but it works.

i DO make good babies.

it was a good girls' time.

just the girls

every year my mom's side of the family has a girls only fall dinner.

my mom hosted this year.

i decided very last minute that we could make it.

i took my girls and we just showed up.

so much for RSVP.

i am so rude.

not only did i not RSVP...i showed up 11 PM unannounced.

while they were brushing their teeth to go to bed.

surprise!

it was so nice....just the ladies.

my mom made a great dinner.

i loved that salad!

ohhh....spoooooky!

the self-appointed entertainment.

they wrote silly stories and drew pictures and read them to all of us.

giggling hysterically the whole time.

 

thanks for hosting mom.

it was all very nice.

and yummy.

oh yeah...i forgot to call you to tell you i got home safely last night.

sorry.

i made it.

it was good to see all you girls.

this is fun tradition.

i think everyone should start this!