Friday, November 28, 2008

I am DRAGGING

We joined in with the annual Black Friday madness. Actually we left the house later then normal. I took Drew, Michelle and her boyfriend Cory. Cory was really interested in seeing what the hullabaloo was all about. Unfortunately we didn't make it to Walmart for the unveiling of the doorbuster pallets. To hear the WHOOOSH of the crowds' movement and hear them suddenly go crazy is quite the experience. Still we made it in the door shortly after 5am and he saw the chaos that ensues when a mob is shopping.

Although we weren't shopping with them, we ran into Della and their older brother throughout the morning. Michelle and I were dumbfounded over one of Della's experiences. We were watching her at a pallet of pajamas. Neither one of us figured out exactly how it happened but a woman ended up getting between Della (who was holding her baby in one arm) and the pallet. When Della tried to finish getting her things off the pallet the woman acted indignant and like Della was rude. Told her something along the lines of...I'll move and you can get to the pajamas in a minute! Ummm lady....she was already AT the display!

Luckily there wasn't anything I really NEEDED. We still price matched a few things and spent a good chunk of change in Walmart. I even went back shortly after 10:30 for a few things I forgot and something Della had wanted to get but hadn't found. We hit Walgreens, Tim Hortons for liquid breakfast, McDonald's for actual eats. Then we had to drop off Michelle at work at 9am. We ran through her work, and hit Big Lots. Drew and Cory stayed in the car with a sleeping Sean while I ran in Radio Shack and Rite-Aid. They were all sleeping when I came out of Rite-Aid for the second time (yes, I ran back in because I forgot a few things). Cory and Sean continued snoozing while Drew and I ran back into Walmart for a bit. They were still soundly sleeping when we came out. Poor Cory had to go into work at 3. I'm pretty sure he got home in time to take a short nap before then then.

I unloaded Sean and the groceries myself since I didn't want prying eyes in the trunk. I changed a diaper, gave Danielle some attention and then the other kids...had a bite to eat and then settled on the couch where I snoozed on and off for about an hour. Then it was back out the door to get Michelle and back home by 3:15.

I'd probably be in bed already if the kids didn't have activity club and need rides. But here I sit, trying to chat, waiting to hear if I need to pick up kids from church. UGH! My mom called me and scared the daylights out of me! I hate late night calls, I"m always expecting the worst. It doesn't help that my baby brother (4yrs younger then me) has been in and out of the hospital. They think he had a mild heart attack a few weeks ago. I'm not sure why but he's not seeing the cardiologist until the 9th I think.

Hmmmm it's a few days away from Pat's birthday. On Monday he'll be 23. Hearing that makes my bones creak. lol I really should get his birth story up since it's the only one I haven't done and it's been 2+ yrs that I've been saying I'll do it. Thing is, his birth was one of my best...so it's not like I'm trying to avoid it. It just keeps getting pushed down on the todo list. Just like me updating the kids page (link at the top of the page). I started to do a new one back in the spring and it's still sitting as a draft. I'll have to update the unpublished update. It's the story of my life.

I'm a bit bummed. We didn't get a family picture done on Thanksgiving. The one over there -> in my sidebar is from last Thanksgiving. We were all there too! It would've been too much to try to do it with the extra people. Last year we were the only ones to eat with my parents. This year my sister was there too and then my brother came in for a visit and pie as we were finishing up dinner. I don't know, maybe we should've set up a mini studio and taken EVERYONE'S family pictures. It would've been fun to take one of all the grandkids. Hmmmm now I'm wondering if we can set that one up during the next month. I wish I'd thought of this BEFORE Thanksgiving!!!

Oh well, all this thinking is hurting my brain. My eyelids are starting to get really heavy. Jake just came in the door so I'm off the hook for rides tonight. So I think I'll chat for a little more and then head to bed.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Heavy heart

While I've been elated with the arrival of my niece's baby boy. I'm also dealing with a heavy heart. A young girl I know is dealing with a due date that will never be. For that she has some deep regrets that'll haunt her for the rest of her life. An online friend is dealing with her second 2nd trimester loss in as many pregnancies. It's hard to stand by and see them suffer, knowing there isn't much I can do to help them in their pain.

Today I found out my sister's last day of work was Friday. She works/worked in the mortgage industry. To say there aren't too many options in that field for her right now is an understatement. At least her situation is fixable. It might not come quickly or be exactly what she wanted...but there are options available to her. It doesn't help that the economy is also putting a dent in her dh's gutter installation business. People are holding onto their money instead of investing it in their house.

UB just let me know that our van needs a lot of work and it's not driveable. *heavy sigh* In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal, but still...it's something I have to deal with. We were planning on driving it to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner. So now I have to do some major planning to get us all there. I haven't ironed it all out but I think it'll be ok. It makes me wish we were staying home though.

My family is getting bigger and I'm afraid it's getting to be too much for my mom. She's not the Martha Stewart type. She gets stressed out trying to cook for a bunch of people. Me, I love that type of thing. As the years go on she also becomes less tolerant of the kids' and their baggage (noise and movement). If I thought my mom would be comfortable at our house, I'd invite them here instead of going there. BUT she's not, so I don't.

I do have a lot to be thankful for though. For a fairly healthy and happy family, for a husband who has and will have a job in these uncertain times, for good friends both in real life and online and being given another day to make the most of.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Get up kids!

It's one of my most dreaded things to do for the day...get the kids out of their nice warm beds every morning. Even if I don't care to sleep and think it's a waste of time, the stark and cold reality of getting up and going is something I don't like. It just doesn't seem right to have to do. Then to have to do it once, twice, a few dozen times (I''m kidding...they are actually pretty good about getting up usually)

Things have been pretty busy around here. The middle and school kids had an extended weekend. They had a half day Thursday and all of Friday off for parent teacher's conferences. With lake effect snow in the forecast, the high schoolers were hoping for a snow day They settled with getting out of school an hour early instead. I had my conferences on Thursday so Friday was all mine (especially since Michelle also had the day off). We worked on getting things in order around here and we did pretty ok with it. I actually made a dent in the laundry situation although it's diminished now that I haven't touched it since then. Hopefully I can get back to it today.

The conferences went well. We're concerned for Carrie a bit. It was rough sitting in front of all 7 of her teachers at once and hearing again and again and again how she's struggling. Some of it is from lack of attention in the homework department and that we can fix. I'm pretty sure a lot of it is residual from her transplant and having had radiation. Her recall abilities suck. You can teach her a concept, she'll get it and do it over and over and over again on her own while she's sitting there. The next day though, it can be like she's never heard of the concept before. I mean someone doesn't score in the teens on a test (or a retest) unless they didn't attempt to take it or truly don't know it. I HAVE to call up to 5C (cancer clinic) and get her in to see the educational specialist...she can't keep going like this. Right now she's ok with school (although she was in tears talking about it Thursday night) But it won't continue to be like that if she's constantly struggling and still not making it. I don't think she minded summer school too much, but I'm sure she'd rather not do it again.

This weekend was nice! Saturday night the youth at church cooked and served the adults a formal sit down dinner. It was SO wonderful to sit, have an uninterrupted conversation and not have to worry about what anyone was doing or getting into. The food was DELICIOUS!...Hors d'oeuvres, wine, french onion soup, roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean almondine, 3 different types of dessert and coffee from the coffee bar! It was sad to see it end. lol Tom and I were surprised when we went to the car and realized it was only 9. We thought about finding something else to do but decided we'd been out for 4hrs so we'd just head back home. It's a good thing because shortly thereafter, Tom had a horrible headache and went to bed....he's coming down with a nasty cold. I think a few of us are flirting with it.

Michelle was here while we were gone and as usual made it fun. She's the type that's always up for some fun and games. I had planned on them having something easy like chicken patties and boxed mac and cheese. She made them that and a smorgasbord of odd things...oatmeal, baby food (apricot with pears and apples), olives, celery with dip and/or peanut butter and something else that I can't remember. She strung up christmas lights to make it festive. Made me want to get the Christmas decorations out. lol

Sunday was an exciting time.... my niece gave birth to a baby boy! The first boy of the family! My SIL has 7 girls and until now...one granddaughter. That little guy is going to be so spoiled! I can't wait to see him! We had a potluck dinner at church. We use to eat together after almost every Sunday meeting but then kitchen construction put an end to it and it never started back up. I've missed it! I don't think I'd like to do it every week (it's HARD to make a dish and get out the door by 11am!) but it would be nice if we could start it up once a month. It allows for some good fellowship. :o)

Della and I ended up taking a trip to Target and Price Chopper. She brought 2 of her older kids, I brought Sean. It was nice to get to talk together and the older kids made sure we had fun. They're very interesting shopping companions. Sean really enjoyed being the only child for a bit. I knew his vocabulary was expanding quickly but I don't think I realized just how fast it's exploded. He makes a good parrot.

Having Tom home all week has been nice. I'm a bit sad to see him going back out the door this morning, at least it's a short week with Thanksgiving in there. He's been getting a bunch of odd jobs around here done...including getting the furnace tuned up and running! It's nice to see the inside thermometer go above 52 again. For me it's the floors. The way we have our ducts running the floors get nice and warm even if the air's a tad chilly. I can deal with chilly arms, cold feet...not so much. Especially when I have an aversion to socks!

OH and as a public service announcement...it might be a good idea to rethink letting a 14yo cut your hair. My hair had been terrible to take care of. I've had to have the girls comb out the back for me a few times because I can't. Most of the time I just made a pony with a huge snarl in the middle. No one wanted to cut my hair on Saturday except Carrie. I figured one straight cut across the back using the back of my bra as a guide...no problem...so I let her do it. I guess I didn't realize I wear the left side of my bra a little high....like over my armpit high!!!! By the time we "fixed" it I went from my hair being past my waist to just past my shoulders. It's still a bit uneven and it's going to stay that way for now.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I meant to add pictures to my last post

So I edited it to include a few. I had a couple more that were taken yesterday that didn't fit into what I talked about.

Liz and Danielle...best buddies


Jake the mystery man. He wore this to school this morning. I guess the principal had a problem with him wearing it so he had to take it off.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Has it been that long?

Yikes! Over a week and still haven't gotten a post up here. I've been trying all week too. Things have been busy. I've been working on doing more around here although it doesn't show. Mostly just trying to keep up with the daily stuff, getting a few not seen but needed to be done stuff done. My lazy susan is very organized and looks great! lol

Actually most of my day is spent following Sean around and undoing the messes he makes and trying to finish fast enough so I can stop him from making the next mess. I've said many times in the last week or so...it's a good thing he's so cute! ;o) Thing is, I know if I had this place in better order...he wouldn't have the opportunities he has now. I mean how many bags of chips have to be left on table and dumped upside down before I realize....the table's not the place for opened bags of chips (or cereal, cookies, bags of rice, canister of salt, etc...)



Needless to say sitting with him up isn't much of an option. When I do sit it's when I'm nursing or acting as a jungle gym for him and Danielle. (they are climbing all over me as I type) Perfect conditions to try to learn a new skill. Yeah right but that's what I decided. My MIL gave me her ottoman that's filled with yarn and some unfinished projects (one being a baby blanket for Danielle). She said I had to learn how to knit and crochet and continue the tradition. Last week I bought crochet hooks and knitting needles. I've been reading websites, watching videos and attempting to do it. The first night I gave up after I realized Sean had become entangled in the opposite end of the skein I was working on. Last night though...I made my first ever granny square!!! I think I might hold off on learning knitting until I have two hands open on a regular basis. Now to figure out what projects I want to attempt first.



Danielle has been entertaining us and we've come to realize she has a mind like a steel trap. The things and details she's remembering have left me flabbergasted. Right now her favorite thing is to tell everyone detail by detail which movie she watched the night before. Liz usually watches a movie with her each night. Nothing like getting the 3yo version of the Lion King. Did you know the baby lions died from the doggies (hyenas) and when the pig dumped water on the baby...he came back to life and grew up. LOL

Pat's been here for the last few days while he worked out a car situation. If everything worked out like it should...he should be driving it by now. It's been nice having him here. The little ones really appreciated him. I think he liked being around them more. I know he's worried that they won't know who he is. I was laughing last night, thinking to myself....I doubt he'll want to move back home anytime soon. It can be a bit hard to tolerate this place when you're used to semi quiet, non chaotic living conditions.



Tom's been home this week which has been nice. He's getting a bunch of little projects done that have been on the todo list for a while. He's also helping me drive Michelle (it's where he is right now). Lucky me! I think I'll like it when (or if) he retires. For now at least. :o)

The chickens are starting to crank things up a notch. We're now getting 8-10 eggs a day (maybe even more today...I've already gotten 9 this morning). It's amazing how fast they can fill up my cartons. It'll be really interesting come spring when they are in their prime for laying. Would be nice if we could sell some. Last night I scrambled up one short of 7 dozen of them. (pics on my food blog later...link in the nav bar up above) They were yummy and everyone had as much as they wanted. I'm sure scrambled eggs as one of our meals every week will wear off quickly but for now....WOOOHOOO! Go chickens go! I'll have to start finding more recipes for things like custard and angel food cakes.

Hmmm both the little ones have fallen asleep on my lap and the couch. Think I'll attempt to get up, go potty and do some fun, exciting things like switch over laundry and fill the dishwasher. Aren't I a lucky girl! Maybe I'll even be able to make and eat something without little birds chirping for tastes. Oh wait! The first trip bus is due here in 10mins. Then I'll have vultures looking for samples. Gotta run!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

I'm sitting here under a blanket

with Sean across my lap...wishing someone would turn on the tea kettle and make me another cup of coffee. It's a grey, damp, chilly day today. But it's a GREAT day! NO ONE has to go anywhere! Michelle has it off from work, the kids are home from school and Tom has the day off from work for Veteran's Day. Well Tom is on call so may have to leave at a moment's notice and for that I feel sorry for him. But me, I don't have to leave! YIPPEE!

I originally had planned to take Jake to buy new sneaks. The soles of his sneaks had come undone and they flopped when he walked. He stayed home yesterday and went with me when I dropped off Michelle so we took care of it then. One night we were fooling around with his sneaks, making them talk. Sean got ahold of one, pulled the sole from the top of the shoe and put his head between the two pieces...like a lion tamer at the circus. We all started saying OH NO!!! The evil sneaker is eating Sean! He just stood there with this huge smile on his face, laughing. Another funny man...I'm in trouble! lol

UB just came in the kitchen and said it seemed like a Walmart chicken day. Walmart sells a huge 50pc box of greasy yummy chicken for about $30. It's enough for us to eat as much as we want for dinner and still have enough for lunch and snacks. As much as I like it and know how everyone else likes it (not to mention a meal I don't have to pay for!) I refused to be talked into going into the city and buying it.

I think I'm going to try to get some help in the basement. I want to do a ridiculous amount of laundry, clean up the laundry room, get rid of some things that got ruined by the leaking bathtub faucet, clear off and clean up some wooden shelves down there and make it into my pantry. I've been building up my pantry again and it would be nice to have it there. It's closer and more accessible to the stairs and it's sturdier then the old metal ones I'm using right now. Of course I've also been wanting to get my sewing machine moved back into the living room, tuned up and ready to start sewing. I was hoping Liz would be agreeable to doing that for me, especially since it will also allow her to do some projects. :o)

I'm trying to convince Tom to throw up a piece of plexiglass over the coop window. It's getting way too cold for them to have that window open all the time. Thing is he has his own todo list going, including trying to get the van running again. It's still parked on the side of the road and now has the fuel tank out of it. They think the fuel pump is bad and it's INSIDE the VERY full tank. (had put over 28 gals in the tank the day before it died) So it might turn into a "do it your own self" job.

As far as Chick Inn news goes....the girls are starting to give up the goods! Yesterday was a SIX egg day. Unfortunately one of them was a green egg that was laid on the floor that I stepped on. :o( One also was found under the roosts in the icky bedding. I'm not sure why that happens every once in a while. I can only imagine it's a first timer that has no clue what's happening and it gets dropped where they are. But I could be wrong. I also got a huge green egg (so more then one EE is laying!!!!) that proved to be a double yolker...our second. I was also happy to see that someone used the other nest boxes we have set up. So far they were only using one certain one. When I found the floor egg I became concerned that there were too many layers for the one nest so they were dropping them on the floor. I'd still like to make a few more boxes that they seem to like (rubbermaid tote laid on the floor with a hole cut in the lid that's bungy corded on). I certainly can't ask or expect Tom to get the permanent boxes built now. It's getting too cold and he has too much to do. The temp ones will be ok until spring.

I'm also starting to wonder if two specific hens are wanting to get broody. One is an almost bald one that the boys seem to be especially lusty for. They bug the snot out of her so she spends a lot of time on the roosts (where they won't bug her). She also is very easily handled, hangs out with me in the coop when I'm working and likes to "sneak" into the small room when I'm getting feed out. I always manage to "drop" a few tidbits for her to enjoy. :o) I just worry I'll accidentally close her into the room one day. So I have to start thinking of whether I want to encourage them to be broody or not. And set up an area for them if I want to. I personally would love it but Tom....he's not so gungho on the idea. But then again, he readily claims they're my chickens (not what I intended to happen when we started this thing lol)

OOPS! Jake turned the tea kettle on for me. When I went to give him my cup so he could make me a some coffee, I found it 3/4 full still! Thanks anyways Jake, guess I should've checked my cup first.

Well, coffee is almost gone. I've managed to slide Sean off my lap without waking him. I guess I should go do something before he wakes up. Hmmmm a shower or the dishes or head into the basement. Maybe a quick side trip to the coop to check out what the girls have been up to first. Eeny Meany miney moe

Sunday, November 09, 2008

What's been going on


Oops, it's been a few days since I've been here. Between the nice weather, my dentist appointment and grocery shopping things have been busy. It doesn't help that I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with mastitis. On Friday afternoon I was feeling a bit sore and thought I was getting engorged. Della and I had taken the little kids out shopping most of the day (with my niece as a BIG help!) so I hadn't nursed Sean since early morning...made sense. I have no idea why but I was EXHAUSTED on Fri night. I took Danielle and Sean into bed at 7:30 and we promptly fell asleep. My stupid body would only let me sleep until 3:30 the next morning though so I was up way too early. Running around after dropping Michelle off I noticed that my nursing side (yes, I only nurse Sean on the left side) was a tad sore and I was feeling a little icky. This morning there is no doubt...I feel like garbage! There's no getting near my left side, my glands under my jaw are tender and I'm chilled at times so figure I'm flirting with a low grade fever. Luckily I don't feel exhausted like I have before and can get through this. Life still has to go on. Tom is on call so can't leave the area, that means that I have to run Michelle even though I'd prefer to cuddle under a blanket. If I can just get Sean to not crawl all over me and cause me to jump through the roof...I'd be ok. I feel bad for warding him off but a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

I've spent an obscene amount of money on groceries the last few days. You can see just how much here. (hmmm, just realized I don't have a link to my food blog up above anymore...I'll have to try to fix that later). Thing is my cupboards, pantry and refrigerator/freezer were getting pretty bare, so I had to do a bit of stocking up. The good thing is that I shouldn't have to shop for too much for the next few weeks. I'm feeling a little low in the veggie department though but that's a common feeling, so we'll see.



Yesterday was a good day in the chicken coop! We had 3 brown eggs in the nesting box yesterday morning, a green egg was in there later in the day. FOUR eggs in one day...never happened before. Thing is I don't know if a few girls just started laying or if it was because I didn't let them out until almost 11AM and they couldn't lay around the yard. (haven't found evidence of anything in the hedgerow yet) I'll guess we'll see what the next few days bring. If I drop back down to 2 eggs a day again I may have to confine them to the yard all the time, maybe even the coop for a few days. On a not so great note though, I think there was one less chicken last night. I only counted 41 before closing them up for the night. It was too dark to try and see if I could find the missing hen. Hopefully she's ok and will be back tonight.

Here's a shot of all the eggs we collected for a week. The white egg in the middle is store bought and was added for comparison purposes.



Yay! Michelle got a ride to work this morning, I don't have to drive her (but have to pick her up). I have to go quiet the kids. Tom's trying to take a nap. He got called out twice since midnight and only got a few hours a sleep. Not good for someone who likes their sleep.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Could there be a better day?

It's November and I'm sitting outside without a coat on and no shoes! My laptop with my full coffee cup next to it on my free patio table. My butt firmly planted into one of the free chairs that came with it. Danielle is on her swingset in her own little world. Sean's in for a nap which is allowing me to stay planted. Hmmm...a chicken just tried to go through the propped open kitchen door...maybe I won't be able to sit like I thought lol. (it's always something!)

Ok that lasted long. The phone rang (note to self...bring phone outside too) which woke up Sean. So now I'm sitting here with Sean on my lap watching Michelle almost kill herself doing flips on the trampoline. But good news...Drew is coming down, getting our car and taking Michelle to work for me...YIPPPEEE! I don't need to leave the house until it's time to pick her up at 8!

There's ton of work I should be doing, could be doing...but too bad! There aren't going to be too many more days like this this year and I'm going to enjoy them. Besides, my little ones need their healthy dose of Vitamin D!

This time of the year is so busy with projects. Seems everyone has one going or has just finished. Jake just handed in his cell project, Carrie has to make her inanimate object using building materials with specific characteristics (pliablity, brittleness, magnetism, etc), Eileen's native american project is due next week, and Olivia has the turkey book report (which is actually an easy one to do). Then it's onto all the fun stuff for the holidays!

I'm actually starting to look forward to the holidays. Even if they'll be tight this year. I know the kids are thinking...yeah mom you say that every year. But this year I think they'll be surprised when it actually happens. I'd like to some things different like Secret Santas where the kids don't give gifts but are nice to their recipient. Make more of an effort to do things together like baking cookies. I think I'll ask the kids what they want to be able to do differently that doesn't necessarily involve money. I'd love ideas for anyone if they have any, so let me know. LOL...I just asked Michelle if she had any ideas and she said yeah! We can give away the chickens for christmas dinners! (the big kids hate the chickens, think they're gross)

Well my laptop battery is getting low and Sean is making me jump up and down too much so I'll have to cut this short.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world


I've never been so head over heels in love with my husband as I am right now. Just writing this brings me to tears. Tom had to do something that went totally against everything he stands for. He did it for us. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for him. Thinking of him doing it makes me want to climb into bed and never come out. It would've been nice if he could've stood up for his principles and reputation but our financial situation and family size didn't allow it. There will be some that don't understand why he agreed to do what he did. But I totally support him and he can still live with himself...that's all that matters. God brings all things for our good. A renewed love and respect for my husband is EXTERMELY good!!

And yes, this has to do with the thing I can't talk about. It is over or is suppose to be. We don't like the outcome but we can live with it. We'll get through the rest of the year and then we'll be in a good position all around. Thanks for your support, thoughts and prayers over these last few months. They are greatly appreciated.

See I'm doubly lucky since I have such great friends who are there for me both IRL (in real life) and online. Who tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. Who can bring me to tears with their caring words and heartfelt prayers. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Wait for it....

I haven't said anything here but I haven't seen my wallet since hurricane IKE hit us on Sept 14th. I had it when we were grocery shopping that night. There was a instant when we pulled out of the parking lot that I heard what sounded like something falling off the roof of the car. I have a bad habit of putting my wallet up there when buckling Sean in. But I was almost sure that I felt between the front seats and felt my wallet there, although I wasn't absolutely positive. I watched our accounts to make sure there were no unauthorized uses.

We looked through the house and it didn't turn up. I figured when we cleaned for Michelle's party we'd find it...no such luck. I thought it might be in my bedroom so started tearing it apart, no luck. I was starting to get desperate. I NEEDED the kids' social security cards. I NEEDED my license. I found myself in the only room it could possibly be...my bedroom...time and time again....searching. Still nothing. I prayed...nothing. I finally came to the conclusion I couldn't wait for it anymore. I had decided that if I didn't find it by the end of this coming week...I'd bite the bullet. I'd go get my replacement license and apply for new cards for the kids. I then prayed that if the wallet was in the house, God would let it be found before the week was up. I mean I really don't have the time or the money to replace everything.

Yesterday as we were just about to go out the door Danielle comes up to me and says...Here yo'r wallet mommy! I thought she'd found one of the girls' wallets that looks similar. I turned around and looked and SHE HAD MY WALLET!!!! When I asked her where she found it she pointed to the middle of the living room floor and said...on da floor. I questioned her a few times to see if her story changed but it didn't. Still got it from the living room floor. So THANK YOU GOD! I'm not questioning it, only embracing it.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Trick or Treaters


Froggy Sean


Dancer Eileen and Cat Olivia


The group that went with us
Cowgirl Carrie holding Froggy Sean, Dancer Eileen, Cat Olivia, Princess Danielle


Goddess Allison, Cowgirl Janna, Pink Power Ranger Michelle


Gangsters...Val and John

What an exhaustingly beautiful night!

Picked Michelle up from work and ran to the store. I thought for sure I'd missed the kids that were leaving for Canada since we pulled into the driveway at 5:15. But plans had changed and they weren't leaving until around 6. PHEW! Luke forgot his sleeping bag as he ran out the door. Liz took it with her, hopefully she had the chance to get it to him before he needed it.

We had a PERFECT night to go out. There was hardly a breeze and it was warm out. Couldn't have asked for better in Central NY. Most of the kids didn't even need a coat on. I won't have any pictures of the kids dressed up until Val gets home with my camera. Sean was a frog. I bought the costume really cheap after Halloween 2 yrs ago. Danielle wore the same dress she wore last year and was a princess. Olivia wore her costume from school and was a cat. Val did her makeup and it looked pretty cool, she heard a lot of compliments on it. Eileen wore a long shirt and leggings with a glittery hat and was a dancer. Carrie was a cowgirl and had on a jean skirt, boots, tank top with an overshirt tied over it, pigtails and a cowboy hat. Without the hats on, it was hard to figure out what they were though. Jake wore a dress shirt, suit vest, black glittery hat and carried a toy rifle to be a gangster. I was going to do the mom getting a beauty treatment gig with my hair in a towel and a white face mask but the kids said I couldn't wear it. So instead I wore the hooded fleece blanket that has a dinosaur face on the hood. Everyone said I was Princess Danielle's dragon, so I guess that's what I was. Tom had on his army jacket with a camo hat.

There were cars pulling in and out of our driveway all night, only one of them was trick or treaters. lol We got home, Luke left for Canada, Jake got picked up by my niece's husband, Thomas, to go out trick or treating. Liz left to go to Canada. Val's boyfriend pulled in to pick her up. Then we headed out the door. When we left Michelle was still trying to finish her pink power ranger costume. She spray painted a pair of boots white and some triangles on her shirt...she stunk!! The whole house stunk even though she did it outside and had a fan going in the house and the window open. I was joking...who needs booze, just hug Michelle. I don't know how she did in that all night.

We parked in the bank parking lot and started down the road. It's funny, all the kids knew everyone...yet I've lived here almost 20yrs and hardly knew anyone. Oh well, I'm happy. It's not like I'm lacking in friends. And if I wanted to be so integrated into the town, I could've done the work to make it happen and gotten involved.

I felt bad for the village houses, they really do get bombarded with a ton of kids. It's the only neighborhood for a while so all the people on country roads go to their houses. I was wishing I had bags of candy to give them and help them out. lol But I'm sure if they didn't want to do it, they wouldn't have. That's the thing to remember...it's voluntary and most people want to give.

Tom pushed Sean in the umbrella stroller and the little snot picked up on what was going on pretty quickly. Tom held back from taking him up to the door since he already had some candy. Sean threw a fit and was pointing at the house!!! We went up and down all the main streets and ended it at the pizzeria. They give all the kids in costume a slice of pizza. Tom hadn't eaten anything all day (BAD TOM! I keep telling him it's not healthy!) so I let him scarf down Sean's piece. We dropped Carrie off at church for the youth girls' party and pulled into the driveway at 8:30.

Michelle was putting the finishing touches on her costume and the cars were pulling in and out again. Allison got here and was dressed in her toga from Michelle's birthday party and was a goddess. Thomas pulled in to drop off Jake and Tom talked, and talked, and talked him into coming in and having a beverage. I was cringing as I saw him scan the house. It was all I could do not to throw out a bunch of excuses why things were like they were. HEY! At least my counters were clean and did you notice the pile of clean pans waiting to be put away? lol

Anyways, back to the goings on here. Janna arrived dressed as a cowgirl, then Pat and Alex stopped by on their way home from school. Pat borrowed Jake's vest for his costume and hit up the box of butternut squashes I bought at the apple farm the week before (he really liked the ones I gave him last week!). Then everyone started leaving. Thomas finally managed to break away and escape to his house. ;o) Everyone else loaded into 2 cars and headed out to Pat's house.

In the house the wheeling and dealing was going on. Bags were done, inventory was taken and the trading started. I don't think Danielle was involved so I stayed out of it. I didn't hear any cries of injustice so I'm assuming everyone was happy with the deals they made. Candy was eaten, snacks were had and then kids headed to their rooms. I sat on the couch, chatting online and nursed Sean to sleep. Danielle climbed up next to me, buried herself in a pile of towels and was zonked out in no time. I as I've been prone to do lately, fell asleep at my keyboard mid chat. UGH! I'm getting old! But we had fun and that's all that matters.