481 Halloween

(I still can't figure out how to add pictures to different areas of the post on my phone, so... Hopefully they post in order)

We decided to decorate a bit more than usual this year.

We pulled the playhouse around the side and rigged a glowing jack-o-lantern head in a black robe to pop up when you opened the door. The movement didn't last long, but the kids still thought it looked cool... Except for the older kids in one group who looked second after the first were scared. "That is SO not scary!" Uh... Duh! You already saw it... And maybe you are too old to trick or treat then. Give me back the candy!!

We also set up a mini graveyard. I made two new headstones this year. Katie chose which ones she wanted, so we got Bloody Mary and Pennywise ... Katie has a thing for horror. They turned out pretty cute, and the best thing was it didn't cost a dime since it was all stuff just taking up space in the garage. Spare wood and paint. Voila! I had to giggle when a few kids refused to walk by them. Doing Halloween right :)

Katie also chose how we should carve the pumpkin. She wanted the Monster High skull... And we must have pulled it off because a few girls squealed and said how much they love Monster High. And it was darn funny to see the pumpkin attacked with power tools...

Chip took the night off to take the kids around with Mia, Mikey and Chris from up the street and I handed out candy. The kids saw the vampire/witch costume in the bins I found for $3 and a junk store years ago and insisted I wear it... We put all the seats down in the van and laid out a bunch of blankets and they were off... After I forced them to pose for a few pictures of course.

We had about a hundred kids show up and I ran out of candy pretty early (though it was a school night so Halloween ended early, too). I turned out the lights and put my feet up... And wished I had held some chocolate back for myself.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween filled with more treats than tricks!!

480 Halloween is Coming

Katie and Connor's costumes came yesterday (and Katie's bestie got her's today)! Let the excitement begin!

It also had me surfing around for fun Halloween craft ideas :) I have some ideas... And a huge stash that needs to be used.

Let the Haunting Season BEGIN!

(I finally installed the Blogger app on my phone... I just need to figure out how to place the pictures where I want them.)

479 Let's Get Physical

I have slowly been losing a few pounds here and there... Cinching my belt a little tighter.... So, I decided it was time to add a workout into my day.

It is nearly impossible for me to consistently set aside an hour or so to ride the exercise bike or hit the track. I knew I needed something FAST.

A friend I met through tumblr started doing The 30 Day Shred... She mentioned she just watches it on YouTube and it only takes about 20 minutes! DING DING DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!

So, I did it. Arrogantly thinking that having been in shape 17 years ago was going to make this a breeze!

I was SO wrong!

The first three days were hell. Everything hurt. EVERYTHING. My poor old lady knees most of all. Seriously, who knew doing 30 seconds of jumping jacks was SO hard?!

Then it started getting better... By day 6 I was looking forward to sweating. So, of course, my internet went out. I have managed a few workouts by writing out a list and using a timer... However, I made the mistake of working out in front of a mirror...that is enough to make anyone give up.

Internet got fixed today, so tomorrow I am going to start all over (it has 3 levels, you do each for 10 days)...

Oh, and I need to buy a new battery for my scale... Or not.

478 Summer Is Gone

Well, summer break is over... same difference when you are a kid or you have kids. And I haven't posted a single picture or word about our summer.

We had a laid back summer.

I was able to take the kids to Atlanta for a couple weeks to visit friends and family. We had a great time with Grammy and everyone else. Katie and Connor also fell in love with the Chattahoochee River. We had so much fun hanging out at Jones Bridge Park, and it brought back a ton of memories from my childhood. I finally took the kids to Zoo Atlanta.... and was a bit disappointed. I forgot how limited the space is because of its location. The main goal of the trip was to visit with family and relax, so I will count it as a success!

Jones Bridge Park!

 They didn't float away once. Pretty sure that beats my record...

 We were also able to be there for the balloon release for Matty.

It was a great trip home. I can't wait to see everyone again. SOON!

Fourth of July requires sparklers... There were a few bigger and louder explosions, of course.

 We saw some cute animals at the library...

 Played with some of our very best friends...

 Introduced the kids to the Sardis Dam (and took a horrid picture)...

We goofed around with friends in Oxford taking pictures...

And they swam... A lot....

It was probably not the most exciting summer on record, but we built some new memories and had a good time. And isn't that what matters.



477 Luau Subway Art

Google some luau words.

Check.

(Katie had printed up some coloring pages that inspired the turtle and the fish)

 Sharpie outline.

Check.



 Watercolor in some fun.

Check.

 Realize your paper is an odd size, but just stick some old patterned paper behind it, and frame.

Pat yourself on the back for finding the frame on clearance for $6.99.

Check. Check.

Cute, easy, fun .... (fine, cheap) ... luau party decor.

Check.

476 Katie Turns Ten

On the 23rd of May my little girl turned ten. I didn't expect it to be an emotional day, but I was wrong. How could ten years have passed since I held all six pounds and two ounces of her for the first time! And now, she is old enough for her very own phone. We did force her to wait several years since the first time she asked for one, and she finally got her reward for (impatiently) waiting.

This year Katie decided she wanted a luau for her birthday. This is the front of the invitation I created. She requested the flamingo, and she is currently obsessed with zebra print (like 95% of girls her age right now), so I came up with a combination of the two. 

We accomplished a massive feat by getting the house ready for family and friends to come over. Not to mention getting the pool back up, which required several truckloads of sand. All the work and sweat was worth it. Katie was all smiles (not only when she was opening all the cards stuffed with cash)... well, until the sun started to take a toll on her. She had spent the entire day out in the pool, so by the time the party rolled around she didn't last too much longer in the sun.

Ginger wasn't very cooperative with the leis...

It was great to see our friends and family having a good time! For once we managed to properly estimate the food we needed, so we didn't end up with a refrigerator full of leftovers. I know, it is sad that I count that as one of my main accomplishments of the day (along with managing to take a shower before guests arrived). It would have been nice to have a little more cake left though.

Another successful birthday is in the books! Happy birthday my beautiful girl! I am so proud of you, and I can't wait to see the wonderful woman you become .... but, if you don't mind, can you slow down just a little bit!?