I *HeArT* Japanese Maples

One of the best things about fall around here are the Japanese maples. Right when all the leaves that *were* glorious have turned brown and fallen off the trees, and you think if you have to rake up one more leaf you'll commit suicide, the Japanese maples pop. It's like a second fall and it's a reminder how wonderful autumn really is........even if it doesn't last as long as I'd like.

This little game

The kids and I play this little game.....well, let me amend that. I always try to make the kids play the "back guessing game" since I get a free back tickle out of it, but it goes like this: The kids draw a number, letter or shape on my back with their finger and I guess what it is. Tonight Garrett and I had this converstation:

Garrett, "what number is it, mommy?"
Me, "Um, a 12?"
Garrett, "NO, MOMMY! It's an F!"

Words that make me run, not walk......

"MOM! The twins got in your make-up!"

The thoughts that ran through my mind as I was sprinting upstairs: "crap, why did I forget to put it back after cleaning the bathroom? Please, please only be on the twins, and please, please let my lipstick and lipliner be intact".
Whew......it was. Just a little mascara.

Here's my question: do you think they applied the mascara to their own faces, and then passed on the wand, or do you think they applied mascara to each others faces?

I'm thinking they decorated their own faces and then decided to be good little sharers.

Loving my new header...

and it's all thanks to Melissa over at Are you Serious? I bought a bundle of headers without realizing that I'd need special software to manipulate them. Duh! Right? So I asked Melissa for help and she inserted pictures and text into all of them for me. It was such a nice thing to do and is a shining example of her obvious kindness and willingness to help. For nothing. I so appreciate all the time she put into helping me out, and now I get to enjoy her labors each and every day.

Happy Birthday to SevEn cLoWn CirCuS

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear blog. Happy Birthday to you..........

2007 Halloween Retrospective

Cowboy 1 & 2, pirate, witch, vampire
All were on their rounds last night, sometimes in ire;
In the moon's golden ray,
Collecting candy in their own unique way.

Juannie says "sanks" and then turns back around for more,

Jacob says "trick" and holds his bag wide as if the candy will pour,

Garrett, Emma and Grace all on a race.

Today it's begs to shove that candy in their face.

This is what happens when mommy gets the kids ready (for a Trunk or Treat last weekend), and when daddy gets the kids ready (for real Trick or Treating). Um, can you tell he's a little better with accessories and makeup?

Jacob (L), John (R)

Jacob (L), John (R)

Garrett

Emma

Grace (my SIL, Jan actually did Grace's make-up after Jeff told her his vision)

Halloween in West Linn

Reasons I love Halloween in West Linn.......

*No one charges admission to their haunted houses because to do so means it has to have been inspected and given a permit.

*When we go to another neighborhood trick or treating because it is less hilly than ours I can ask a random home owner if it's possible to come into their house to use the restroom when someone has to go, NOW.

*When Jacob got left behind the group he was with and I came upon a thoughtful group of strangers asking "who lost a cowboy?" I didn't freak out.............too badly.

*The weather is usually moderate.........not too cold, not too warm.

*And best of all.............they give out GOOD candy. If I had received a bag full of the "premium" candy my kids got as a child, I would have been blissfully happy for months.

Who needs a bed?

When you can be just as comfortable under a chair?

I *HEART* Autumn

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower". ~Albert Camus

John
Garrett, Jacob, John, Emma and Grace

Garrett

Jacob (I messed with this picture and now it's distorted)

Emma and John

That's not allowed, either!

Look at these multi-taskers. They managed to pull a chair into the kitchen, climb up onto the counter together, play with the glasses alerting mom that they were up to no good, and when I catch them, John makes time to reach on top of the fridge and Jacob decides it's the right time to clear that nose.

New DVD storage

FOUND: Lost DVD's. Clever hiding place, boys.

Publiciwhatty?

In the wake of J K Rowling's revelation about the most powerful wizard in her magical Harry Potter book series, other authors who also know that focus has started to shift away from their literary works have come out of the woodwork to hold press conferences and grab back the limelight that they once enjoyed.

No doubt ruing the fact that he had not exercised the gay option before Ms. Rowling seized upon it in a wanton act of publicity, Mark Twain announced in a sparsely attended book reading of Huckleberry Finn that the work's title character actually enjoyed dressing in girl's clothes. Reaction from fans was mixed with a majority of prospective readers wanting Twain to have revealed Huck as an in-the-closet gay.

Not to be left out of the action, Jane Austen announced from a cottage on her brother's estate in Chawton, England, that she had always thought of Elizabeth Bennett as not really ever coming around to seeing Mr. Darcy's finer qualities, but as a brazen coquette who fell in love only with Pemberley, the luxurious Darcy family estate. Sales of the book have not improved, but all the women attending the cramped sitting room press conference cheered merrily and swooned at the thought of passing their days at Pemberley. Smelling salts were applied judiciously, and none of the women sought further medical treatment.

Other post-publication revelations from prominent authors following in the wake of Rowling's announcement:
Odysseus wasn't trying that hard to get home, not really having enjoyed the idyllic family life in Ithaca.
Clive Cussler, also having missed the gay boat, announced that he had written Sahara and other books with the thought in mind that Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino were actually long lost half-brothers, both unaware of there real ancestry.
Fyodor Dostoevsky claimed that had always though of as Raskolnikov as a chronically-depressed dropout with financial issues. Disappointed devotees of Crime and Punishment were quick to point out that the author's statement held no surprise for them as all these characteristics of Raskolnikov are easily garnered from even a casual reading of the novel, and quickly dismissed the author's statement as hype intended to sell more copies of his book.

I copied this from my friend Jeremiah's blog. I thought it was so clever I couldn't resist publishing his "faux news article" here.

Have I mentioned that Garrett LOVES preschool?

Now I know why. At dinner last night Grace asked Garrett what he is learning in preschool. He promptly replied, "about toys". We thought he'd already learned about toys at home, but apparently there is much MORE to learn about the art of playing.

And onto a different note. I need suggestions. My big 200th post is coming up, and if I do it on my blogs ONE year birthday (November 2nd), I need to get cracking. I'm going to do a little giveaway. I have a couple of things in mind, but I do have a few male viewers so I want it to be appealing to them too....I also have to decide what I want to post about. I'm thinking maybe posting 200 little things that drive me crazy. j.k. Suggestions here would be welcome, too!

I knew it wasn't a train because........

OK, here's the big journal entry from October 1st, 1987. Was it really 20 years ago? GULP!

"Today we had a 6.1 earthquake. I was in the kitchen putting away dishes at 7:42 and everything started shaking-at first I thought it was a train but then it dawned on me it was an earthquake-I figured that out because the house was shaking and not vibrating and it was rumbling, not tooting. It lasted about 15-20 seconds. 7 people were killed-one a wall fell on her, one a man was buried under 30 feet of dirt so- There was another guy but I forgot what happened to him. Then 4 other people died of heart attacks. If you are wondering, I am in 7th grade and go to Goddard Middle School. Anyway, about the earthquake-it was freaky. People were saying we were going to have another one at 1:00 pm-they were full of crap. Poeple say we're going to have another earthquake in 1-5 days. I personally think they are wrong. If they could predict earthquakes they would of predicted this one and they sure didn't predict it."

It's funny to read it now in a sort of analytical way. Looking not at the writing style, or lack thereof, but content. It was so factual. I didn't say at all how the earthquake affected me emotionally. It was a really scary time. It was the first big earthquake I had experienced and although it didn't claim a huge number of lives, it caused tons of damage. I remember sitting at school that day wondering what would happen if there was another one and the school fell down. Classes that day were empty. More than half the students stayed home, and there was a steady stream of students leaving throughout the day. After shocks continued for a few days, and each one was terrifying....more scary than the big one because we didn't know if it was going to be "the big one". Yet I didn't say anything about that. I wasn't surprised to see that I didn't forget the gory death details. Geez!

Hope this wasn't too anticlimatic!

Anyone notice that in both journal entries I mentioned work that I had to do? Ours was a family that worked. I was bitter about it growing up because no one I knew had as many chores as I did, but I'm thankful for that training now. Not grateful enough to say thanks for working me like a horse though. ha ha.

Flashback to the 80's....

I just ran across my old diary from middle school. Oh boy. I could hardly even stand to thumb through it. Seriously. That bad. Here's my plea: please, please don't let my girls be so inane.

So, here is a little sampling (word for silly word)-I was in the 7th grade when I wrote this-and I can't stop laughing at the latest greatest invention that rocked my world in 1987.

"Hi! Today is so hot-I had to do yard work today in the humid 105 degree temperatures. I was so mad I had to come out front and pick weeds out of the rose garden-my mom said I had a bad attitude and that I have to mow the back yard I just mowed 2 days ago. I was so mad. We have this cool thing on our phone it's called "call waiting". If your talking on the phone and someone else is trying to call it will beep and so you will kow someone is calling-you push the recivier and you can talk to 2 people at once. gotta go. Angie"

I'm still debating whether or not to post my entry from the previous day (for purely historical reasons). October 1st 1987. The infamous day of the 6.1 Whittier quake. Anyone intersted in hearing how I brillantly concluded it was an earthquake?

What flavor are you?

I can't vouch for how true these are, but they are fun! Click on the picture to play.

So what do you eat for lunch?

Making lunch for myself is one of the banes of my existence. I hate making meals 3 times a day, and I don't like to eat what my kids do for lunch. That's their "free" meal, meaning I let them eat things like macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So, most of the time I just pick at whatever is around and junk, and never sit down to eat. So here's my question to all of you that eat lunch at home. Do you make time for a real meal? Do you make an effort to eat good healthy foods? I'm trying to do better......today I still stood up to eat, but I ate a bowl of endaname and a vegetable patty. Hope that's a step in the right direction!

Breaking News.....

Here's a sure fire way to get the news spread:

My dad is getting married. In January. To his longtime girlfriend, Margaret. It's kind of weird to think that the two families will be joined, and that I'll have 3 "step brothers" whom I don't even know. I hope my dad tells them I'm pretty much MIA all the time. I'm happy for them, and looking forward to seeing everyone in the new year. Oh.....that also means I'll finally get to meet my newest brother in law and nephew. Can't wait.

Opening soon........

...in a city near me.

Let's just say I'm beyond thrilled. Check out their website here: Panera Bread They have these really great soups and sandwiches, and don't even get me started on their cinnamon roll bagels.

Variations on some of my favorite quotes...

Rough night last night. Two vomiting children, no power. I've got a lot of cleaning up to do......before I tackle it though, I thought I'd have a little fun (see quotes in sidebar for comparison):

"It takes practice to grow up and barf in the toilet".

"Gratitude is healthy children."

"A room without children is like a tornado without a vortex".

"An impish smile is the light in the window of ones face that tells mom that you've been in trouble".