Guarding the stash

T. Willy was just happy to be out and about

MK and Friend, Mekala

T. Willy the Fireman

This was the first and only time he wore the hat....and you can see it's only on because MK is holding it in place.

Trick or Treat - Pictures

Ahoy, MK the pirate.

Trick or Treat

So our little town decided that the kids would trick or treat tonight instead of Monday. They've done this before but tonight it seemed that many people didn't get the word. Still it was a beautiful and cool night so we had a great time. The Big Man stayed home and passed out candy and I took MK and T. Willy out with a friend of MK's. We ran into several friends and were home by 8. That is an hour later than T. Willy usually goes to bed so I'm really hoping that he doesn't get up at 6:30 tomorrow, since he won't know that the time has changed.

I have some pictures and I'll work on downloading them. Have a great night!

I accept your challenge, Noelle

Well, today was more boring than usual. The Big Man is closing tonight which means he was home during the day. We did nothing. We watched some t.v. and napped. Boring. So I will tell anecdotes about my birth to keep Noelle on her toes. They just make me chuckle and it would be nice to have them recorded in cyberspace for posterity.

These are as I have heard them...hope I get them right.

I was born on a Saturday morning. My mom realized that I was coming quickly so they called some friends of theirs (the Knapps) to meet them at the hospital to watch my brother who was about 4 1/2. When they got to the hospital, the friends were not there yet and I was coming fast. So they locked my brother in the car to wait until the Knapps got there. My mom and dad went into the hospital and I was born in a matter of minutes with my poor brother waiting in the car. I am told the Knapps got there quickly, but I cannot imagine that happening today. It certainly ages me, because when I went into labor with T. Willie, MK came with us up until the operating room. Then she sat in the nurses's station and waited.

The other story is about my dad. It was his job to call the family to let them know that I had been born. So he called his parents, my mom's parents, their brothers and sisters, friends...no answer anywhere. He was dying to tell someone so he called the operator and said he just had to tell someone. She laughed and then said that he wasn't the first person that had ever done that. That ages us too, because now it is really hard to get ahold of an actual operator.

Thanks to Noelle and Melissa for their kind wishes. Have a great day!

I am 36

Wow...that sounds so adult. Happy birthday to me.

Today was a lovely day here...cool and sunny. It was so beautiful. After eating breakfast together, MK went to school and the Big Man, T. Willie and I headed to the beach. My parents are planning a trip here next week and the Big Man and I are going to take a little getaway. We went down today to look at some houses we had seen online. It's the "winter" season so the houses are way cheap. We found a few to choose from and are very excited. Then we went out to lunch and did a little shopping. It was a fun day.

I wish there was more to say so that you don't get bored and go away....I just can't think of anything. I'll go watch the Amazing Race and try to think of something.

Hmmm...

Have you seen the commercial where the psychic is advertising herself and her "God-given" ability to tell the future? Is that an oxymoron? Or is she just a moron?

When Worlds Collide

When we were in Atlanta, I picked up the book 50 Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas. It is about her "farm dream" and how it goes from 2D to 3D. (I also have a farm dream, although the Big Man suspects it may actually be a "country dream.") It is one of those books that I can't put down, yet I wish that I could because I don't want to finish it but the end is in sight. So, I went to Amazon.com and found that she has written a follow-up.

Meanwhile, I was reading my hometown paper online and started reading an article when I realized that it was about the father of one of my childhood best friends whom I haven't seen in 20+ years. The article described his journey recovering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome. His wife wrote a book about it from her journal. It was also at Amazon.com, so I ordered it and have started reading it.

Now...this is where worlds collide. The follow-up book to 50 Acres and a Poodle is called The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family. It chronicles, among other things, the author's experience helping her mother to recover from....you guessed it....Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I have read the name of the syndrome before but really had no idea what it was. Now in two days, I've been confronted with it twice. What are the odds? I haven't bought the follow-up book yet, but I will soon, I'm sure.

All is well here. MK has a friend spending the night. They get along so well that I hardly know they're here. They played outside earlier and are now buzzing around the living room and MK's room. It is time to get their sleeping bags out, pop in a movie and settle them down. I have nursery at the 8:00 service tomorrow, so I'd better go to bed too.

Good night.

P.S. It is supposed to get to 52 tonight!!!! I am soooo ready for the fireplace!

A Cat Tale

We spent Saturday relaxing and swimming. The Big Man and T. Willie watched some football and MK and I went to the movies. We had such a great trip to Atlanta but weren't too sad to come home either.

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel near Montgomery and ran into a friend there. Her parents live there and she had taken her boys there for the long weekend. I haven't seen her in almost a year and she lives in my neighborhood! The moral of this story is "Go to Cracker Barrel." (Just a little plug for those in the know.) Well, maybe the real moral is call your friends more often.

I'll tell you...driving around the Deep South is so different for me. I am a northern girl, but when we drive through Montgomery and Selma, I just feel the South. It is also wild seeing the signs pointing out different landmarks of the Civil Rights movements. Makes you want to get active stomping out oppression everywhere.

We arrived home around 2:00. There is always that pang right before you see the house hoping all is well. We always know the cat will be waiting at the door and purring. We can hear her from the garage. But this time we opened the door and she wasn't standing right there. We walked in the house and she didn't come running in a sleepy stupor. Uh-oh. The Big Man opened our bedroom door, which is just by the garage and here comes kitty. She had been locked in our bedroom for 71 hours! No food...no water...and (big gulp) no litter box!!!! Our first thought was thankful that she was alive, then the reality of no litter box set in. But we sniffed and didn't smell anything...hmmm....nothing in our bedroom that we have yet spotted. We went in the bathroom. Apparently she had only used the rugs...the not too expensive-lay them down with rubber backing-from Target or Wal-Mart easily replaceable rugs!!! Wow...I was stunned and happy as I easily rolled them up and took them to the garbage can.

I did not grow up with cats. I didn't really care for them. But MK wanted a pet and the Big Man knew a girl from work who had to get rid of hers. Sugar was 5 years old when she came to live with us and has completely changed my mind about cats. She is the best pet. She is docile and loving and very gentle with T. Willie no matter how much torture he inflicts upon her. Remember, he's mobile now and really does love to "play" with her. She sleeps with MK and is a great addition to our family. So here's to Sugar!!!! The cat who has been extra loved and extra fed and extra watered.

It's cooler up North

Yes, all the way up here in Georgia. It's also raining. It has pretty much rained all day. We drove up last night after the Big Man came home from work. Our plan was to go to Stone Mountain Park today and kind of laze around tomorrow. We woke up to rain but around 11:00 it had slowed down, so we decided to venture out. Then it started pouring as we drove. We made it to SMP and thought for awhile. We finally decided we were already there, so we could go ahead and do it. Even though it was pouring we had a lot of fun. We rode a train around the base of Stone Mountain. There was singing and learning...a good time. We walked around (many thanks to my friend, Sandy, for the stroller rain cover) and played in the barn and rode the "Duck." It was a good time and fun in its own way because of the rain. We'd like to come back some year at Christmastime. I'm sure it's beautiful.

So now we're in the hotel and the Big Man took MK swimming and I stayed back so T. Willie could sleep. He is quite a bit off schedule and not liking the port-a-crib. So he is sleeping on the sofa cushions.

That's it for us right now. Hope you had a good day too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOELLE!

Highs and Lows

No, not that kind....it's all about the weather. The Big Man checked the temps at Stone Mountain for the weekend. It should be in the 70's with lows in the LOW 60's!!!! I am very hopeful. Sad, huh? I just got back from Wal-Mart. It was 79 degrees and it's 8:45. But the calendar says it's OCTOBER!!!! Sorry to whine...I get like this every year at this time, but I'm usually not complaining in February.

Today I cleaned and moved a lot of furniture. MK changed rooms. So now she has the big bedroom that was originally hers when we moved into the house and turned her smaller room into something yet to be determined. Of course the other room is bright green with a pre-teen girly border...we'll have to work on that.

That's it. Have a great day!

Field trip and a movie

The field trip was fun and short. I was put in charge of a group of 5 girls and they were all sweet and well behaved. We went to Pensacola NAS (do you remember a show in the 90's with that title?) and, as soon as we arrived, went right into the IMAX theater. We saw a cool movie about fighter pilots and then had just 45 minutes to look around the museum and shop in the gift shop. Then we ate lunch and left. In lieu of riding on the non-air-conditioned school bus, I rode with another mom. She was a lot of fun and we had a lot in common so it was most enjoyable. Quite refreshing, actually, because I have been to several field trips now and am realizing that a lot of these moms still think they're in high school. It's "cliquey"- are you kidding me? We're a bunch of adults there for the kids and they act like they can only speak to the "cool" parents. I've never been the "cool" anything, but I have been known to be friendly and I can't say that about some of these parents. So I was quite surprised and delighted when this mom suggested riding together.

Last night we had some family time. We picked up pizza and then came home and finally watched, "Finding Neverland." We've had it here forever and just never got around to watching it. We loved it.

Hoping next weekend for a little getaway. MK has no school on Friday and my prof. cancelled our Thursday night class and somehow the Big Man has a 3 day weekend. Our plan is to leave Thurs. pm and drive to Stone Mountain, GA. Has anyone been there? I am sooo dying to feel weather just a little cooler and hope I am not disappointed.

Melissa asked about my class. I am really enjoying the face to face class. (Understand why I was never "cool?") And learning a lot. The online class is not so great. I'm learning a lot in it, but the prof. is less than involved. We'll see how it turns out.

So, there's that. Have a great day!