Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

First off, let me say that I know a lot of Christians don’t celebrate Halloween and I totally respect that. And we don’t “celebrate” it in the traditional sense. My fall decorating consists of lots of pumpkins and leaves and the sort, then in October I may have a few things that look more like jack-o-lanterns and maybe even a black cat or something. Brady gets a costume each year to wear to Boo at the Zoo and Trunk or Treat at church. I buy candy and we make festive cupcakes and make it really fun – not scary. No witches or anything of that sort.

And today is certainly going to be festive! Brady has his first field trip at school today. They’re going to get pumpkins and have lunch, then back to school to paint their pumpkins and have their party. Tonight is Trunk or Treat, so we’ll get home, put on costumes and head to the church. The weather is going to be gorgeous, so I hope there’s a great turnout. I know we’ll all have a fantastic time.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday

One more day until the weekend!


We have lots of things on our agenda over the month of November – at least 3 birthday parties, a baby shower, MOPS, Playhouse Disney, the Wiggles, fall festival at a friend’s preschool, Thanksgiving and our Sunday School Christmas party (early, I know). My biggest task is to stay organized and make sure my family and their well-being won't fall by the wayside.

I’m taking a cue from Money Saving Mom and I’m going to do a baking day, possibly this Sunday. This will ensure that my family has plenty of yummy baked goods for the next few weeks. I’m also going to rely a lot on my crock pot so we can come home to a healthy meal, not something grabbed at McDonald’s.

How do you survive these busy holiday times?

Random Wednesday

I’ve lost 11 pounds! Snaps for Serah! Yay! I’d like to lost about 5 more, then really work on toning up what’s left.

We’re less than a week away from one of the biggest elections in history. No matter who you’re voting for, please VOTE! Don’t think your vote doesn’t count, because it does!

Finally, a costume, and weekend in review

Well, I am now going to be the Red Queen for Halloween. It was on sale at Target and it fit me. SOLD! Plus, it’s long so I won’t be too cold Friday night. Here’s a picture:


We had very busy and tiring weekend, but it was great. Judgment House was going on and it was amazing. Over 120 people got saved over the three nights! We had a great time and really bonded with the people in our scenes. We all know way too much about each other (and our spouses!) after this weekend.

Now I’m trying to catch up on some sleep and catch up on some housework! DH did a great job of keeping Brady busy and making sure things didn’t completely fall apart, but there is still work to be done.

And what a horrible tragedy for Jennifer Hudson and her family. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now, but I’m definitely praying for them.

There's trouble in Oz

Okay, I went to Target today and actually tried on the Dorothy costume before purchasing it. WOW. It's much shorter than it looks, plus it gives the appearance that you're going square-dancing after trick or treating. And it's itchy. So the ruby slippers are going back and we're back to the drawing board.



And the weather is looking cooler next week, too. I'm heading back to Party City tomorrow to see if they have anything long - Cinderella, Snow White, etc. Any suggestions?

Judgement House 2008

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since Judgement House, but here we are. Here’s last year’s post for you to catch up.

We’re doing a new script this year, 59 Minutes. It’s about the last 59 minutes in 4 people’s lives. This year I’m playing Karen, John’s wife. We’re all really excited about it and as ready as we’re going to be. Tonight is dress rehearsal and taping for the dvd, then tomorrow night performances begin. We’ll be going Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I can wait to see what God is going to do and how He’s going to use this to change lives. It’s going to be amazing.

If you’re local and would like to come (it’s free!), shoot me an email or leave me a comment.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road.........

UPDATED - I found some! Walmart had some red, shimmery Mary Jane-style shoes for $9.00. The thing I don't like is that they're flat. Oh well. Now I need to decide whether to add some glitter to make them extra special. And a bow, of course.

Y’all, I’m in need of some ruby slippers. I was originally going to be Tinkerbelle for Halloween because Brady is Peter Pan, but it’s impossible to find a Tinkerbelle costume that isn’t either for 5 year olds or for strippers. They’re not to be found. So after much searching, I’ve decided on Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Ironically, I hate the movie but the costume is cute and G-rated (well, the one I found is!), so it will have to work.

Target has their costumes 30% off this week, so I’m going to get mine there and now I just need the ruby slippers. I have a lead on some at WM, so I’ll be temporarily breaking my boycott to score some cheap sparkly shoes. Wish me luck!Oh, and the only reason I really need a costume is because we’re dressing up for MOPS, plus we have the church Trunk or Treat and some of the parents dress up. I thought it would be fun.

What are you going to be?

Christmas Shopping

Good morning!

Has anyone started their Christmas shopping yet? I have, I have! I rarely start early, so I’m pretty pleased with myself.

So far I’ve picked up a gift for my mother-in-law and a gift for my husband, three gifts for Brady and his stocking stuffers and I’ve almost finished the photo books I’m ordering from Snapfish for the grandparents. Last year was the first year I did that and it was a huge hit, so I think it’s going to become a yearly tradition. I like to call it “A Year of Brady.” It’s a nice way for them to see what happened over the year, up through Halloween. Plus I have an awesome coupon for 35% off, so I definitely want to get it done soon so I can use that.

Next week we’ll probably get Brady’s big gift – a bike. I need to go to Toys R Us and check out what they have. Target only carries a Thomas the Tank bike for his age, which is fine, but I just want to see if there is anything else out there.

Happy Shopping! There are some great deals to be had this year!

Monday

It was another fun-filled weekend for our family!

Friday night was Boo at the Zoo, a yearly event where you can wear your costume to the zoo and get candy. The kids love it and it’s always fun to go and see everyone’s costume. We went with our good friends from church. Brady and Vivian had a ball. He was Peter Pan and she was a pirate.

Saturday we met my friend Karyn and her son, Jacob (he and Brady go to school together), back at Niven’s Apple Farm. I know we were just there last week, but we returned with the intention of doing the Corn Maze. Unfortunately, it had rained a lot the day before and the corn maze was too muddy. So we did the hayride again and picked apples, which was a lot of fun. We got some more pumpkins and came home exhausted!

Sunday was church, yard work and just hanging around the house. A nice end to the weekend.

Have a great week!

I Hate Walmart

Never again. I’m never shopping in Walmart ever again! You know, I’d pretty much stopped shopping there. This last grocery cycle was the first one that I did without going to WM at all and I saved $40. But today I went back because I heard they had some grocery items on sale and I had some good coupons, so I could have gotten stuff for $0.25. So I battled Woodruff Road, the parking lot and the general population to find they had NONE of the items I was looking for. I wanted 3 things and they had none of them. This is how it’s been there. I would leave with only half of my list done because they were out of stock or didn’t carry them at all. Besides the fact that the store is consistently dirty, smells and the employees are less than helpful.

I submitted a complaint to the Customer Service Manager and just sent an email to their Corporate Office. Bloom and Publix are getting my business from now on.

Saving Pennies

During these days of economic turmoil and gas shortages, it really makes you aware of what you spend. I’ve always tried to use coupons when possible and if I saw a good sale, I’d try to jump on it, but that was the thing – I would try. I wouldn’t always succeed.

Thanks to some friends who have really done their research and some great websites like Money Saving Mom. I’m with it now! Now I look forward to grocery shopping week to see what deals the stores are running and how much money I can save between coupons and rebates and BOGOs (But One, Get One Free sales). It’s almost a game, but with a nice outcome in my checking account. Last week I save $40!

We’ve started to cut back in other ways. I used to get lunch almost everyday or at least drive somewhere during lunch just to get out of the office. Now I rarely do that. I bring my lunch and stay in, which saves a lot of gas. We just cut back our Directv and our Netflix. Small changes, but they add up over time.

What are you doing during these tough times? Have you made any changes or none at all?

Happy Monday!

We had a fabulous weekend. The weather was beautiful. We went to Niven’s Apple Farm and had a ball. Not so many apples as pumpkins, which was fine with us. Here are some pictures:

Happy Friday

We’ve finally made it to the weekend! It’s so nice to wake up and realize it’s Friday.

This weekend is pretty low-key for us, relatively speaking. Tonight we’re having Movie Night, which involves the three of us snuggled on the sofa with popcorn, watching a movie. Brady has requested The Little Mermaid, but I’m trying to persuade him to watch Enchanted instead.

Tomorrow we’re going to Niven’s Apple Farm. We went last year and had a great time. You can go on a hayride, visit the farm animals, pick pumpkins and apples and they even have a little country store to visit. Here’s a picture from our trip there last year:

Sunday will be Sunday School and church. A nice, relaxing fall weekend. I hope everyone has a good one!

Check, Call, Care

Two of my co-workers and I spent the day at CPR training at our local Red Cross office. My job requires me to be certified each year and that's fine. These are good skills to know and it's always fun to go to stuff like this. Anything to get out of the office for a few hours!

But I did not anticipate being rolled around on the floor like a rug. I was chosen to be the "dummy" so the instructor could demonstrate how to move someone. Not the day to wear black pants, let me tell you!

I'm back!

Hello all! I know all five of you have been wondering where I fell off to. I’ve been here, but it’s been crazy busy in our world. Let me fill you in on what’s been going on:

First off, we finally turned the corner on potty training. Yay! I was at the end of my rope, so DH stepped in and conducted a “potty training boot camp.” He and Brady spent three days at home doing nothing but potty training. I guess Brady decided he was ready, so here we are. He’s got #1 down, but #2 is still hit or miss. But he’s only using pullups at bedtime/naptime, so I’m elated! DH’s getting a big treat for working on this!

MOPS started for the year this past Thursday evening. I’m head of the Hospitality Committee, so the last week leading up to it were crazy with last minute preparations, but it went off without a hitch. We’ve got a great new steering team and a great group of ladies, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where the year goes. God has been so good to us so far! Now to come up with centerpieces for the November meeting…………..

We had a big fall festival/block party at church this past Sunday afternoon. I made snow cones for two hours straight. It was sticky, but it was fun! I wish I had gotten some pictures of Brady having a good time, but oh well! Hopefully someone else did!

The next few weeks are busy, too, with various fall activities – pumpkin patch, Boo at the Zoo, Trunk or Treat, Judgement House at church, etc.

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday! Chopped it off! I love it!

I hope to be around here more often, updating you on what's happening. As Kate Gosselin says, it's a crazy life, but it's our life. See you soon!