Halloween 2013

Gone are the days of the sweet costumes, the ones with fake muscles, or the adorable matching hats.  We have entered the dark and gory days of Halloween Costumes.  

Currently, we have a Zombie Football Player...

 

And a vampire haunting our home.   

For weeks, I've heard them perfecting their zombie walk or their vampire accent.

As for me... I chose something a little more ironic. Wendy from Wendy's Hamburgers.   I have endured YEARS of Wendy's Hamburger jokes, so this costume seemed perfect.  I've always believed that people named Wendy should get free Frosty's for life for enduring the endless jokes about... "You must get free hamburgers... heh heh."

I enjoyed this Halloween Season, it was the first year the kids carved pumpkins without a ton of help.

 

 I love this picture of my mom and brother and set it out every Halloween.   It's weird to look at a picture of your parents and think, "Wow, they were just kids once."  

 Happy Halloween!

Witches Tea

I love my family, I love Mr. Man, but I need some girl time every once in a while with my lady friends.   My life is just too busy to have meaningful conversations with my friends.  We might have a quick chat at school pick up or carpool, but it's not the same.

My friend Hillary told me about an idea she saw on Pinterest for a "Witches Tea" which sounded like a perfect girls night in. I rounded up all my Witches and had them over for a ladies night.  I had the best time prepping for the party.

I really am beginning to wonder how people planned for parties before the internet and specifically Pinterest.  I stole borrowed so many ideas from Pinterest, such as these floating witches hats which hung above my table.

I made Cranberry Spritzers which were Sprite with a syringe of Cranberry Juice.   They looked spooky and kind of like drugs, which meant it was a hit for my wild witchy friends.

I was running a little bit behind because AK's ballet rehearsal went long, but that's okay, my friends joined in with some of the prep.

In fact they enjoyed my demonstration of how easy it is to make caramel using Werthers Baking Caramels. #gotitfree  They also enjoyed watching me overcook the caramel and learned the proper technique to get it splattered all over the microwave.  Just a tip, melt it slow, a little bit at a time. 

I asked everyone to wear black and don your best witches hat and they all did.  Everyone looked great.

All these ladies are my "witches", they totally have my back.

I'm pretty sure this is going to be an annual event.  It was a lot of fun, and I needed this time to cast spells with my friends.

Of course, Pinterest provided me with the perfect party favor, "Witches Warts" and "Ghost Poop" which made me look like a rock star and gave my kids a project to help with while I prepped for the party.  

It's events like these that make me so grateful for the life I have.  We only moved here three years ago and it is humbling to look around my full house and kitchen and see that we have such an amazing circle of friends.  I am one lucky witch.

A Post for October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month and there are pink ribbons everywhere. However, I don't need a pink ribbon to remind me of the toll Breast Cancer takes.  I am reminded of this everyday as my thoughts drift to my mom who died from breast cancer.   The reality is that after two years, I still miss my mom like crazy.  I miss her everyday and am still surprised how much her death has impacted my life.  I think of it like a stone dropped into a pond.  After the splash, there are still these ripples of water, that eventually become waves that lap the shoreline.  Those waves are still washing up on the shoreline in my life

My father is completely consumed in what he constantly refers to as his "new life" and doesn't want to be reminded that today was his wedding anniversary to my mom.   He lives almost 2,000 miles away and his interest in our lives has waned over the passing year. There are many times I feel orphaned, knowing he isn't someone I can call for comfort or advice.  As the holidays roll around, I feel that pang of grief knowing that I don't have to take my family into account when planning events.  It hurts, it makes me sad, and I miss my mom.

A few weeks ago my daughter was baptized and while I was trying to decide what to do for the lunch after the baptism, I actually reached for the phone to call my mom.  I haven't done that in a long time, but the instinct was there to ask for her opinion on this event.  I think I can best sum it up that is "lonely" without my mom, even though I'm surrounded by a great support group of friends.

This month to honor my mom for Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am doing a couple of things.  First off, I am getting a mammogram, my very first of what will be an annual event.   Second, each day I have sought out a random act of kindness to honor my mom who was kind.  Third, I have set a goal to drive my kids crazy... just a little bit less.  My mom drove me nuts sometimes, because that is what mothers do.  So, I'm obsessing a little bit less on whether their hair is combed before we leave the house, and getting the backpacks put away.   I'm trying to nag less, and compliment more often.  Encourage more than discourage.   And the last thing, instead of wallowing in my feelings of being without my parents, I'm going to embrace the holidays, because my mom loved Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I might even put on one of my mom's ugly Christmas sweaters and wear it with pride, because that is just the type of thing she would do.

Had some work done...

So I had some work done, just a little maintenance.  I bet you could instantly tell there was something different. Don't they look so awesome? 

I think they look pretty sweet.  For those of you who couldn't quite put your finger on it, yes, it's true... I got new tires.  Yeah, a whole new set and it cost a small fortune.

The thing that bugs me is that, I am going about my day after unloading some serious cash, and I really don't have a whole lot to show for it.  No one walks up to you and says, "Wow, look at the treads on those tires." 

If I were President of the United States, I would make it so that every time you spent a fortune on something annoying they would hand you a button you could wear that says,  "I spent a small fortune on...(fill in the blank) today!"  Then we could all slap each other on the back and say, "Wow, love the tires."  or "Those brakes really look good on you."  Whose with me?