Happy Halloween

Is there still a Devil's Night?

Because I feel like I have experienced a "Devil's Week" that just happened to end on Hallow's Eve!  Actually, I hope it has ended... I really don't want this week to continue.  It's kind of getting expensive.  And we all know I would much rather spend $$$$ on *FUN*. 

Not that it was a bad week.  Nor does it have anything to do with the children.  Or spouse.  Or pets.  Or me.  Just that everything I touched ...

*Boom*
*Crash*
*Oops*
*Broken*

It's like I woke up one morning and decided to see how much damage I could experience in one week's time.  Setting a record, possibly.  This a small list of the THINGS I am claiming... some were truly NOT my fault.  But, yes, some were.  I can admit it. 

a vase that I adored ... purchased in Germany, hauled in backpack for 5 weeks, only to break it 20 years later.
a bowl ...warning:  cannot see a small glass bowl in a larger glass bowl full of soap bubbles!
a toy or three ... not including the smaller ones that I vacuumed up!
a pencil or two ... stepped on them!
several crayons ... stepped on them too!
a cabinet door ... totally fell off its hinges - not my fault - I just happened to open it at that moment.
refrigerator ... a leak?  you're kidding me? it's only 18 months old!  again, not my fault!
my vehicle ... the a/c!  At any random moment, it blasts 120 degreed AIR!! 
tile floor ... the leak ruined it.  do I call the insurance company? Or just soak it up?
window ... broken
carpet ... where did that hole come from?
key ... no longer works in door!?
crockpot ... uggghhhh
my beloved watch ... this one is a difficult one to accept as gone
microwave ... well, this one is probably my fault!  And, no, it isn't because I wanted a NEW one!

How to ruin your microwave:

1.  Gather all broken crayons lying around your home.
2.  Separate crayons by similar color.
3.  Put crayons in small glass bowl.
4.  Place in microwave for 5 minutes to melt.
5.  Pour melted crayons into molds.
6.  Cool.
7.  New Crayons!
** Repeat this cycle 10 times.
8.  Buy NEW Microwave!
**BUT, we do have cute NEW crayons!!  And a 2010 Microwave!

More Flavors of Fall!

PS  Thank you C.C. for adding cupcakes and callas to our flavors of fall

Autumn in Texas is usually a late bloomer.  It arrives in October.  At first, it is felt only in the early mornings and late evenings when the temperature is perfectly set at 72 degrees.  The leaves begin to change colors slowly and a few fall off the trees; just enough to say "It's Fall".    The afternoon highs of 86 degrees shout that "It's Still Summer"... but the heat does not stick around for long. 

Evening walks.

Crunching leaves that sound like Cornflakes.

Morning stroller rides.

Clear skies.

Crisp breezes.

Happy thoughts.

Serene moments.

Everything seems a little bit brighter.  Sharper.  In Focus. 

I love Fall.

Flavors of Fall

How big are you, now?
"I'm THIS big!"

 

Running shoes on and ready to enjoy some crisp mornings!

When can I play?

Don't forget to DECORATE!

Outside, too!

160 banana peppers reaped, prepped, and frozen!



Part II, Costume Contest!

Continuation from yesterday's post:

We won the Costume Contest!  First Place. 
Prize:  more chicken!! 

I liked living a quiet, unknown, wallflower-kinda, introverted life ... until the 5K/1 Mile run, that is.  I saw a "quote" that was NEW to me.  But, it may NOT be new to you...

But I laughed when I read it, the kind of laughing where you could pee your pants!  Aw, maybe I did - just a little. 

So, based on the quote, I created T-shirts for my husband and me.  Actually the T-shirts are our NEW Halloween Costumes.  For all the extroverted parties we attend!  But since the run came first, I got my adrenaline rushing and my bum in gear to get the T-shirts done before the School Run.  And so this is how we got our new nicknames at my daughters' school:

"SPEEDBUMP" and "FASTLANE" 

(I think my oldest may be embarrassed by us, but I'm not sure, she doesn't seem to acknowledge us in public any longer.  Because when we walked into Church to attend the evening Mass and some unknown person in the pew across the way greeted us with "HEY, it's SPEEDBUMP and FASTLANE!!" our eldest went to the restroom and returned to sit with a new and different family.)

the quote: 

My T-shirt:  FASTLANE

My husband's T-shirt:  SPEEDBUMP

The backside of FASTLANE T-shirt was changed to accomodate the run; live was replaced by run.

The backside of SPEEDBUMP announces... "AND PROUD OF IT" 

PS  The running adults got a big laugh out of it.  Especially the "MOMS".  

PPS  I am so not doggin' my husband!  He thinks the quote is funny too... maybe not "pee your pants" funny, but "chuckle, chuckle" funny.  And he is used to my sense of humor by now.

PPPS  My husband is actually a FASTLANE kind of RUNNER with a sub 2:46 Marathon time.  Yup, that's right, I can brag about my husband running 26.2 miles in less than three hours.  Because I think his marathon time is approximately my HALF marathon time.   And I am proud of his running talent. 

PPPPS  To all my neighbors, yes, that was ME on the ground taking photos of speedbumps.  I apologize to those of you who did NOT know what I was doing lying in the middle of the street.  I am not upset at the phonecalls to the police.  But I did have a difficult time explaining myself. 

PPPPPS  Halloween costumes will be for sale soon!

Part I, We Won!

The finish!  And the baby is sleeping!  Whew!



Preparing for the start



Petra crossing the FINISH and receiving her Participation Ribbon. 
She ran the ONE MILE in 14 minutes. 
Way to go my 2 year old!!



Victoria and Coach Daddy finished 7th OVERALL. 
She was the first girl to cross the FINISH. 
We are so proud of her.  She is a great runner! 

Ahhh.  Done for the morning.  Now it's pancake time. 
And then off to Victoria's Soccer Game!

Second place, that is!
Winners of a "Chic-Fil-A" meal.
Woo-HOO!

Wanted:  one decorated stroller for our elementary school run!

There was a contest for this "sillyness".  And Victoria wanted to enter the stroller contest because we, in fact, DO have a stroller to push during this 5K/1mile run.

How does one decorate a stroller?  Balloons?  Streamers?  Frankly, my sleep-deprived brain cannot even begin to be creative for this Saturday endeavor.  Besides, by Fridays, I am so out of it... I am amazed I even remember to pick my children up from school. 

So, there you have it.  I have NO idea what to do for a stroller?!  Originally, I contemplated decorating for Halloween but then I decided that since it is actually a school spirit run I should focus on school colors and symbols. 

Plus, a sidenote:  my husband is in Turkiye (as IN the Country that lies within two continents -- he is in the Asian continent) and I was clearly NOT invited on this trip.  So, I had to manage the home and the children and life all on my own.  Which is not too difficult nor is it stressful, but it does make me extra tired especially knowing that my loving husband is actually getting a wonderful 8 hours of UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP with ROOM SERVICE while I get to wake every three hours or so.   And adding a decorated stroller into the mix makes me extra extra tired. 

The stroller idea blossomed from a "Halloween Mantle" I saw ...
We made two Pennant Banners with Red and White triangles.  Red and White being the school colors.  The pennants were then sewn to Red, White, Blue ribbon for easy tying access to the stroller. 

The first banner read:  "SAS   W I L D C A T {paw print} R U N {school symbol}".

The second banner read:  The class of _________ .  On the red triangles, we displayed the Class 8th Grade Graduation Years for each of our daughters. 

Class of 2017.  Class of 2022.  Class of 2024. 

We were asked several times if that was High School Graduation?  or College Graduation? 
No, people, it is 8th Grade Graduation ... Graduation at the end of SAS!  There is an end.  But really, 2024 seems so far away.  Almost a JOKE.  Because one needs to add 4 years to each class year to obtain the High School Graduation date.  And add another 4 years to obtain the College Graduation date.  Do the Math.  My brain cannot comprehend those numbers.  UGH.  Can that even be possible?

Well, We WON!  Second Place.  The first place winner was a Rocket.  That's right, a rocket.  We lost to a rocket. 

We did beat the stroller with balloons and streamers!

recaps of the last six weeks

21.  More Random. Ness.  More beauty.  That could not be displayed with bugs.

Cats.
Double Rainbows.
Shadows.

These are some of my favorite kind of days. 

recaps of the last six weeks

20.   Random. Ness.  Not exactly Stream of Conscious. Ness.

Does anyone know what kind of BUG this is? 

I know what kind of bug this one is... but. Holy. Mary. Mother of Jesus.  Look at the size of this la cucaracha. 

And God gave this slimy vegetable a Gorgeous Flower.  The OKRA is thanking you, God! 

Have you ever noticed the odor of Marigolds?  Frankly, they STINK. 

Unless, of course, the scent that waves to my nostrils is somewhat skewed due to an AFRIN addiction that killed my taste buds and sense of smell.  So, take it from me, JUST SAY NO TO AFRIN !!



recaps of the last six weeks

19.  The cons of owning a digital camera.

Usually, I take my camera with me at all times.  The small one.  I need to become more habitified in using the big one.  We all know the big one is better.  Better quality.  Better stabilization.  Better satisfaction.  Just Better.  By the way, I am still thinking, writing and talking about my camera. 

After one of my outings... a day of giddiness that girls seem privy to... this is NOT, I repeat, NOT, discrimination against you guys out there.  I mean, face it, we don't really laugh at the same funnies.   This day outing... was interesting because the entire town was closed.  (same town from yesterday's post - except I did not learn my lesson on visiting on a Sunday.)  Can you believe I actually returned to this town on another SUNDAY?  Insanity.  Alzheimers.  Schizophrenia (Aurora wanted to go).  Schistosomiasis. 

I wanted to buy Fig Preserves.  With Strawberries. 

I drove miles.  hours.  just for some figgy jam.  probably could have bought the same figgy jam at my grocery store less than two miles from my front door.  but, I wanted to visit the market again.  Because there is definitely a sense of humor hidden in that sleepy little farming town. 

Sidetracked... the cons of owning a digital camera.  Your husband, spouse, partner ... whoever you reside with ... can sneak peeks of the photos you have been capturing.  Before deleting.  And so the deducing begins. 





Scarecrow says, "If I only had a brain".

A trip for Strawberry Fig Preserves