Halloween Weekend

Saturday morning:
A couple of Halloween art projects.

Saturday afternoon:
Dress in Halloween costumes to head out to Matt's mom, Linda's, church for a fall festival, complete with a hayride with Aunt Lindsey, and Daddy getting caught playing with Olivia's props for her cowgirl costume!

Sunday Morning:
Daddy got up and moved to the couch on account of my talking in my sleep (its actually described by my husband as moaning and hee-hawing - lovely, huh?) So... when the kids got up, they came straight to the bedroom to wake me up, that's a much better idea than waking Daddy up.  We watched a little TV, then had to start showers and getting ready for church.  We needed to have our breakfast in the bedroom so that we wouldn't wake daddy up.  I have been wanting to try an idea I got from Pinterest to turn your pop-up toaster sideways to make cheese toast for a while, and I figured that the need to have breakfast in the bedroom was just the right time to try that.  I have the ironing board set up in there, so I brought in the toaster, bread, cheese, some paper towels, and milk. After toasting the cheese toast in the sideways toaster, I set the kids up on the bed on a beach towel (to catch crumbs) to have breakfast while I showered and got their stuff ready. Definitely a different sort of way to start our Sunday, but we all enjoyed it :) (daddy included, he enjoyed his sleep, I'm sure).

Sunday afternoon:
Back into Costumes to have a little more fun, have dinner with Mr. Kent and Mrs. Janice, trick or treat at Memaw and Papa's, go to Trunks of Treats at mom's Church, and trick or treat at Mrs. Teri's.

It was a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Friday evening Fun :)

We stopped by McDonalds on the way home to pick up some dinner.  We went in so the kids could play for a minute while I ordered. After we got home and ate, the kids and I started on a fun little project that started with painting their FEET! :) SO fun!!

While we waited for our paint to dry, Olivia was kind enough to paint my toenails for me (she's been wanting to for a while). She even put polka dots on them with a permanent marker that I got out for the writing on the butterfly pictures. HA

After all that, a little reading, and a little playing, it was time for bed! Good times!

It just so happened....

We ate dinner on the deck tonight, and were just chit chatting when Olivia asked what the worst kind of storm was.  I went through a few; tornado, hurricane, tsunami, monsoon... then Tyler informs us that Volcanos are the worst kind of storm. And it just so happened, that I knew how to make a volcano.

Here's what I came up with:
Start with a finger paint tray, a shot glass, 2 plastic bags, brown construction paper, scissors, tape, baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring.

I wadded up the plastic bags and taped them around the shot glass.  Olivia and Tyler cut strips of the brown paper, and I taped it to the rim of the glass and around the plastic bags.  We placed it on the tray, put baking soda in the glass, mixed food coloring with the vinegar in a cup, and voila!

Good times!! :)

Key Lime Cupcakes

My first experience with key lime cupcakes was at Greene's Tavern in Flowery Branch.  My sister went to see my cousin who had just gotten her first waitress job there and have dessert.  They were great! A few months later, I was at my mom's church and someone had made a key lime cake with cream cheese icing. It was also great!

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to surprise Junior with something special.  I called my favorite bakery to see if they could bake him a key lime cake, but they don't make them.  The man who made our wedding cake makes insanely amazing cakes... and he makes a key lime cake/cupcakes, but I didn't want to bother him with such a last minute request.

Today, I was browsing pinterest.com and found a recipe for Key Lime Cupcakes. I decided to make them. Everything was from scratch.  I love to cook, more than most, but I'm actually not a "from scratch" kind of girl.  I like things that are quick and easy. But for my husband, and for Key Lime Cupcakes, I can do "from scratch."

I substituted whole milk for buttermilk in the recipe (I forgot the buttermilk at the grocery store, and Walgreens didn't have it when I stopped to pick up a picture, so I got whole milk) and it was great!

Paper Airplane Saga

A couple of weeks ago, Tyler asked Junior to make him a paper airplane. That led to the four of us having multiple airplanes and multiple races for both distance and speed. Well, I thought it would be a funny trick, and a good way to win the distance if I rolled my plane into a ball and threw it across the room.  I did win the distance, but Tyler Lance was NOT a fan of my idea.  He was pretty upset by it.  He was equally upset when his dad suggested flying it into the fireplace (while the fire was burning). Tonight, he was looking for something in the basket where I have a lot of different art/craft/writing/drawing/painting supplies, and found poster sized paper... can you guess where this is going???

It actually flew pretty well :)

Then and Now

Every once in a while, Olivia will ask to wear my pajamas to bed.  I used to let her every time she asked, but lately I've been telling her "no." I'm not sure why.  I'm going to let her start wearing them again.

Here she is tonight, in my pajamas: (and my halloween socks)

And here she is in September of last year:

LOVE HER! THEN and NOW!!

Ready for the Halloween weekend!

I forgot to tell Olivia that I'd picked up a pink bandanna to go with her cowgirl costume for halloween.  So, when she discovered it, she had to try out the ensemble.

Here's her Halloween Dress Rehearsal: "trick or treat" followed by the cutest smile you got! ;) LOVE HER!!!

And here are our awesome Jack-O-Lanterns in action.

Love it when things just fall into place!

We had a wonderful night tonight.  I picked up some steak on the way home from work, and cooked and ate as soon as I got home.  It was good, and Junior cleaned up the kitchen. YEAYAH!! After dinner, I was so excited about the idea for bath time I got from Pinterest.com, I couldn't wait until normal bath time.  I ran the bathtub FULL of water and threw in  a bunch of glowsticks!! The whole tub was glowing. It was AWESOME! Olivia had already asked me if they could "swim in the bathtub" which means they get to take a bath together with bathing suits on, and each child jumps into the shower when he/she is done playing, so I thought that would be great for the glow-tub adventure! The picture didn't turn out great, but you can sort of tell that there are glowsticks in the dark. When Olivia got out, I painted her fingernails and toenails, and put her new flower stickers on them. Tyler was almost done when we finished with that.

With having baths so early, there was a lot of time to play and have fun (and dessert) after they got out of the tub.  Junior built a fire after we ate dinner, and the kids wanted dessert when they got out of the tub, so we decided that Ice Cream, Fireside would be an appropriate dessert :).

Tomorrow is Olivia's turn to bring snacks for her class.  I asked her what she wanted to take, and she said Rice Crispies Treats (wierd... she doesn't usually eat them, but maybe one of her friends brought them one day and she wanted to too.) I was going to just run to Ingles and get some pre-packaged ones, but Olivia wanted to make them.  We didn't have enough stuff to make the treats for the whole class, but we did have enough to play :).  Here's the girl licking the spatula... there were rice crispies stuck everywhere! LOL (you can see the ones in her hair, here, but you can's see the ones stuck to her belly and legs).  You've probably noticed that she's not wearing a shirt.... that's because she and Tyler both sleep in their underwear, like Daddy.

And for Tyler's entertainment, while Olivia was making her treats, he used a sharpie to decorate the tiny white "pumpkins" he picked out at Jaemor the other day.

After all this, we did a little reading, and playing, and the kids headed off to bed :).

I went to Ingles to buy the rice crispies treats, and ended up spending 50 dollars! Ugh! But I saved almost 30, and I don't think that's too bad for an unplanned trip, with no list.  I got breakfast AND lunch for me for the next week or two (depending on leftovers), I got 2 packs of chicken that will be enough for dinner for the family, and leftovers, I got ingredients for pumpkin muffins, and chips and bread for the kids' lunches, plus 3 blocks of cheese, some crackers and dip, and 4 tubes of toothpaste. Oh, and halloween candy!!! I don't think that's too shabby for fifty bucks!

I feel so very blessed to be able to do all these things. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow has in store. (If nothing else, I know I'll have plenty of food and candy :))

Almost ready for Halloween :)

Daddy helped the kids carve their jack-o-lanterns tonight.  Each year, they help more and more.  Junior said Tyler did his almost all on his own this year.  We're so proud, you know :).

Olivia told me, yesterday, that she wanted her pumpkin to look like her, but with pointy teeth.  I was impressed with what she and Daddy came up with :).

TOO MUCH HAS HAPPENED...

in the last two days to blog about it all.  I think that's why I never blogged about our trip to Disney World.  But I wanted to share a few pictures from the Boshears Skyfest at Daniel Field in Augusta, Ga on Sat, and our trip to Jaemor Farms today to get pumpkins for carving, and to have a little fun.

The airshow was AMAZING!!!

 I think the highlight of Tyler's day, though, was the ride in the monster truck!

 He wanted to ride the mechanical bull, but turns out, he didn't love it.

 Olivia has seen this bouncer at several festivals, but has not gotten a chance to try it yet.  Well, Saturday at Daniel field was her day.... and she didn't like it :( but once he lowered her back down and she just got to jump with everyone watching, she was content.

 

We got lost for almost an hour on the way down there, but luckily we'd left with plenty of extra time (I was hoping to get to spend some time with my dear friend Tracy, who invited us) so after the delay, we ended up getting there just in time for the opening ceremonies. Tracy sent Mrs. Sherrell on her golf cart to pick us up at the gate, and she gave us a little history and background, and told us what to expect.  It was wonderful!! I felt like a rock star :). Thanks Tracy and Mrs. Sherrell. We didn't get lost on the way back home, and got home just in time for bedtime. PERFECT DAY!!! PERFECT WEATHER!!! (not really perfect behavior from the kiddos, but it WAS a long day, so I'll give them a little slack on that)

The next morning, the kids had to get baths before church since they got home in time to go straight to bed the night before.  Tyler wanted to take a bath first, but Olivia's hair takes longer to dry so I put her in first.  I distracted Tyler by asking him to help me make breakfast.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES... not pumpkin flavor, just pumpkin shaped!

Church was great, and after church we had lunch at Mrs. Janice's and she went with us to Jaemor to get pumpkins while Daddy helped Mr. Kent.

This is an "apple cannon" they shot apples at this school bus. I don't even know what to say about that, but the kids loved it, so that's what's important :).

 I just thought the side of this building would be a nice background for a picture.  I like it :)

 Tyler was supposed to get two slides with the ticket he bought, but one was enough.  It was a pretty cool idea, though.

 I thought this one was cute too :)

After we got our pumpkins, we went over to the pasture where Mr. Kent and Daddy were working, and the kids got to climb up into the deer stand they worked on the other week, and we just hung out for a while enjoying the environment, and the weather.

Dad has a rope tied up to the top of the ladder for the deer stand to pull your rifle up after you climb up and get in, they kids were playing with the rope, and then I got an idea.... uh oh... there was some scrap wood still in a pile with the brush from when they fixed the deer stand, so I dug out a 2x4 and tied it to the end of the rope to make a swing.  Not the sturdiest of swings, since it was a small rope just for guns, but it was strong enough for the kids :).

Then Mrs. Janice made us a delicious dinner, we enjoyed it, then headed home to crash.

Back to work tomorrow for me, but I have had a WONDERFUL weekend!!!!!!!!

laughter in the car...

Tyler: Knock Knock
Olivia: Who's there?
Tyler: Pencil
pause
Me: Pencil who?
Tyler: Pencil fall down if you don't wear a belt!
HAHA

moments later...
Mrs. Jance: Knock Knock
Olivia: Who's there?
Mrs. Janice: Wanda Witch
Olivia: Who's she? (bwa hahaha)

Mrs. Janice: You're supposed to say "Wanda Witch who?"
Olivia: Wanda Witch Who?
Mrs. Janice: Wanda Witch you a happy halloween :)

moments later....
Me: I've got a knock knock joke for you mom, you start it
Mrs. Janice: Knock Knock
Me: Who's there?
(pause)
Me: HA HA Joke's on you


 This one is totally unrelated, but it made me laugh like a crazy person, I guess because I know these crazy kids.

Olivia: I want us to go out to eat together, Me, You, Mrs. Janice, Lindsey, and Daddy and Mr. Kent.  And Matt can watch Tyler and Harry (Matt's dog).

Tyler: What!?!?! I want to go too.

Olivia: I'll bring you something back.  You want a hamburger?

Tyler: NO!

Olivia: Okay, I'll bring you a taco, and Matt a taco, and a taco for me.

Tyler: YOU DON'T EVEN EAT TACOS!!!

Random, I know, but those two CRACK ME UP!!!

Teachin' em young!!

After dinner tonight, Olivia wanted to make a cheesecake.  I asked her if she wanted to go to Ingles and buy one. In 5 seconds flat, she and Tyler were both dressed, had shoes on, and were ready to go.  Its not often we go to the store on a weeknight after we're already home and have had dinner.

They wanted to do self check-out, so I let them, even though I hate self check out. They scanned our cheesecake (okay, we got Ice Cream too), and Olivia wanted to "do the debit."

Oh yes! She knows the PIN.  She even reads and answers the questions. "Do you want cash back?" (No)  "Is this the correct amount?" (Yes)

And here's our knight in shining armor, doing the heavy lifting :).

Sassy Girl

I got Olivia some new earrings, but left them in the car.  When I came in and realized I didn't have them, I told her I had something for her, but forgot it in the car, and I'd be right back with her surprise.  She wanted to go with me, so I told her to get some shoes. 

Here she is with her new earrings and her shoes of choice :).

Shopping with my sister

This was a while back, but it still cracks me up! I was just thinking about it this morning. We were at the grocery store getting a few things:

me: hey babe, will you go ahead and get
2 of those?
Lindsey: yeah
me: (looking back around the shelves at my sister) Do you love how I just called you "hey babe"
Lindsey: (laughing) yeah I answer to that all the time

Dumplins with my dumplin'

I put some chicken in the crockpot this morning, not knowing what it would become for dinner.  I started thinking about it on the way home.  It was cold and rainy, and I decided Chicken Dumplins would be exactly what we needed. The last couple of times I made them, my dumplings didn't quite stand up to the soup, so I called my mom and my Memaw for tips.  I was going to call my aunt Millie, but she's in Pigeon Forge :(.  After discussing the dumplings with the experts, I decided to opt for canned biscuits rolled out and cut.  It WORKED! They turned out much better than the homemade ones I've been making.  I'll try making them myself again, but I think I'll use the whop-'ems a few more times. I'd already started cooking when Junior and the kids got home, but Miss Olivia was just in time to roll out and cut up the dumplings.  She did great!

As I was dropping some in, I gave her the next biscuit to start cutting.  When I turned back around, she'd done quite an interesting cutting job.  She informed me that she decided to do that one a little differently. It was a hot mess, but I loved it, and dropped them in just like she had them.

Here's my assistant holding up her dumplings :)

(don't you just love how the kids' artwork has outgrown the fridge and migrated to the cabinets?!?!)

Here's out finished product. It was Delicious, I think, the best ones I've made yet!

I do love my tea :)

And my favorite brand, Luzianne, has started printing little messages on their tabs.  They make me smile :).

Specially blended for unplugging.
Specially blended for takin' it easy.
Specially blended for favorite pasttimes.
Specially blended for getting away.
Specially blended for running through sprinklers.
Specially blended for no worries.
Specially blended for lazing around.
Specially blended for family dinners.
Specially blended for knocking off early.

And my favorite:
Specially blended just for you.

*sigh* Thank you Luzianne, I love your tea :).

On a rainy Monday off from work...

I've spent the morning watching TV and playing on the computer.  The kids are at school because their fall break is Friday-Tuesday.  I had the day off today.  I'm leaving in a bit to go have lunch with them, but in the meantime, I'm just hanging out on the couch :). I love the fall, and I love the rain, and I even love the cool weather so I can build a fire in the fireplace, but we all know, summers and vacations are my favorite!!!

So...... while I sit here on this cold and rainy day, I'll just be daydreaming about cruising to somewhere tropical..... *sigh*

This is the Carnival Fascination. This is the cruise I've booked for Junior's and my anniversary trip this year. I'm too ready for it to hurry up and roll around!!

That's why I'm Jessica Raye and not Rachael Ray

In honor of the lovely fall weather, and my sister's bonfire, I decided to try out some of Rachael Ray's soups.  Well, actually, one soup, Roasted Root Vegetable Soup.  It had been a while since I saw the episode where she made it, so I wasn't quite sure on the ingredients at the store.  I got Carrots, Parsnips, and a Butternut Squash. Guess I should have known that Butternut Squash wasn't a root vegetable.  When I looked up the recipe, I saw that it was supposed to be sweet potatoes, and not butternut squash. Well... I decided to use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes in that soup, then make butternut squash soup separately.

Well, everything was going great.  I got the root veggies cut up and in the oven to roast, then started on the butternut squash.  So I follow the directions on both, continuing to feel like a chef as I have the 2 soups going using ingredients I'd never used before. Then I get to the part where you add tobasco sauce to the vegetable soup, and put it in the WRONG SOUP!!! and if you've had butternut squash, you know it has a sort of sweet flavor.  I was supposed to put honey in that one.... oooops! It actually wasn't too bad after I added a lot of honey, but I definitnely want to try it again.  The vegetable soup was pretty good too.  It probably would have been really good if I'd added the tobasco, but after I put so much in the other soup, I couldn't put it in that one too.

Oh well... maybe the second time will be the charm :-)

Here's the bon fire :)

Winning Wednesday Afternoon

We've had quite the eventful Wednesday afternoon.  Here's the short version:
1. McDonalds for dinner
2. Played outside with Daddy
3. Went to the park
4. Stopped by Brusters
5. Went to Walmart
6. Got ready for bed and zonked out

Here's the detailed version:
Junior and the kids picked up McDonalds on their way home from daycare because I was meeting my mom and sister at 6 at the funeral home.  We all sat at the dinner table together and enjoyed our meal, then I headed out while Junior helped them finish up homework.  When I got home, they were outside riding bikes and scooters while Junior was working on a dirt bike for his dad.  (If you know anyone who wants to buy a dirt bike, they have 3 for sale right now.) Tyler is starting to get pretty good at riding without his training wheels, but we just don't have a long enough, or flat enough driveway for him to really get comfortable with it.  So as I was pulling in, I decided that we should throw it in the back of the car and go to the park to practice.  We walked around, played on the playground, the kids rode scooters, and Tyler was doing GREAT on his 2 wheeler :). He put his bike down, climbed in the car for a minute, then came over to the playground where Olivia and I were with something in his hand.  Olivia asks, "What's that?" Tyler responds, "A Nova." I was pretty impressed until I checked out the matchbox car and discovered that it was a T-Bird.  Oh well, it was still cute.  After a while, we heard something buzzing, then we saw a huge cloud of smoke approaching.  It was Junior.  He got the dirt bike running, but I think there's still a kink or two to work out :).

While the kids were playing, I was thinking about Tyler's cowboy boots, that he loves so much, and how they're too little for him, so I called wal-mart to see if they had some in his size (That's where I got the ones from last year). They checked and had one pair in his size, so we left the park, and headed to walmart.  We passed Bruster's on the way, and the kids asked for an ice cream.  I thought about it, said "no," thought about it some more, and decided to stop.  Their baby cones are free for kids 3 and under, and a dollar for anyone over 3, but the lady didn't charge me. I was SO excited :). (I know, it doesn't take much.)

When we got to walmart, the pair of boots they were holding for us at the dressing room was labeled wrong. I got kind of nervous, since she said that was their last pair, but decided that if those were labeled wrong, maybe there was another pair that was labeled wrong.  And to my delight, there was one pair in his size. He wore them out of the store, and even sat on the conveyor belt and got scanned :). The cashier was super nice!