halloween costumes

I am so behind on Halloween posts - it is a long road to recovery after the party :)

Here are the kids costumes this year...

Emily was a pirate. This costume gave me more grief. The pattern was one of the worst I have ever used. It seemed to add 3 unnecessary steps for every one step - it was complicated. I am sure I could have produced a similar costume with much easier steps. However, all that really matters is that it got done and Emily loved it. She looked cute and was blissfully unaware of the mental anguish her mother went through to get the costume done.

Nate's costume did not cause near as much trauma. Frankenstein is an easy costume to pull off especially when all it takes is a $12 suit, a black shirt borrowed from your sister, and $7 awesome high boots purchased from Goodwill. Halloween memories - priceless.
Here is the story with Luke. He was supposed to be the most adorable parrot you have ever seen so that he could accompany Emily trick or treating and repeat everything she said. The costume I was going to make was seriously so cute - covered in feather boas. No boas on the costume below? Why, you ask? After starting Em's costume and realizing I was probably in over my head I decided to spare my sanity. I asked Luke what he would want to be if he could be anything from Costume Castle (our local costume store) and he said Luke Skywalker. So I swallowed my "all good mothers should make costumes" pride and bought the thing, which I might add cost too much money. Why do costumes made with cruddy fabric cost so much? I thought he looked cute and the costume kept me out of a strait jacket. I do feel a little bad for him though...he has had very few handmade costumes in his lifetime.
Megan wore her gypsy costume. This picture is horrible but you can check out the costume here if you have a burning desire to see more pictures.

finally some halloween decor

Our party this year was a Haunted Victorian theme. Our family room looks anything but Victorian so we did a bit of decorating. Keep in mind we are not going for historically accurate, we were going for the best we could while shopping at Goodwill.
I found a bunch of frames,mirrors, candelabras and sconces and spray painted everything black - amazing what making everything one color does. I really love how it turned out (in fact I am keeping it up for awhile)
Here it is all lit. I love candles and the candles reflecting in the mirrors looked really cool.
This last picture is to show you what we did to cover the brick on our fireplace (see first picture) Derek cut wood to fit over our fireplace and then we glued black marble linoleum tiles over the wood to make the fireplace look like black marble. This was a cheap decor trick and I was pleased with how it came out. I'll have to find a picture of it finished.

for aimee

I saw your post today Aimee so this picture is for you and any of your blog readers that happen to stop by here.

Here is another picture from our Halloween party - I have a feeling pictures will show up on this blog periodically for the next few weeks. I just don't have it in me to sit and post them all at once or to get them all on SmugMug.

This picture is of our neighbors Jason and Aimee. They came as Dog, the bounty hunter and his wife. I have never seen the show but have heard enough about this couple from other people to know who they are. Aimee was especially funny because she is pregnant. You can only imagine how great black vinyl is stretched over the pregnancy belly. They looked great - as did everybody that dressed up.

trick or TREAT

Here is an easy idea for visiting teaching, school teachers or anyone else that might need a little treat. I realize that I should have posted this before Halloween but you can tuck the idea away and use it for another time.

I used this same concept for our Halloween party although with some slight variations (pictures to come)

The idea came from Jordon and I loved it so much I had to use it. The little cookie jars are from IKEA and the labels were made on the computer.

forgot one

I forgot funniest. 1st place went to Jack and Wendy. Jack played the part all night. He handed out Jack business cards, brought his own food from Jack in the Box and even gave Derek and I some Jack cash to use at jack in the Box. I can't remember who was 2nd or 3rd but we have Sonny and Cher and gum on the bottom of a shoe.

costume contest winners

I didn't take any pictures at the party so I am waiting on some more decoration pictures from friends before I post them. I do have costumes pictures on my camera that a friend took for me so I thought I would share those with you.

The winner in each category won a trophy and skull chocolate. We do a prize for the winner only but we always have the 2nd and 3rd place winners come up too so that we can all get a good look at the costumes.Best Male - 1st place Jack Skellington, 2nd place Red Neck (and yes, that is Derek) 3rd place Boy George

Best Female - 1st place the beating heart bride from the Haunted Mansion (this costume had an amazing red beating heart that doesn't show up in the pictures), I can't remember how 2nd and 3rd place went (there was obviously a tie from the number of people in the picture) The other costumes are Wendy from Wendy's Fast food, Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, and the Snow White meanie (what's her name?)
Most Like Self - 1st place Barbie, 2nd place an injured person (he really was injured from a pretty bad fall he took a week or so ago - his wife came as a personal injury lawyer) 3rd place Red Neck (so does it frighten anyone but me that Derek placed in this category of most like self?)
Best Couple - 1st place Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, can't remember the rest of the order but we have Jack and Sally, Vampire couple (we had a few vampires thanks to Twilight) and Boy George and Cindy Lauper
Scariest - 1st place beating heart bride and her groom, 2nd place Jack and 3rd place Boy George

We had a lot of great costumes. I'll post more costume pictures soon. I love that everyone gets into the costume thing - it makes for a very fun evening.

derek gets a bite of the apple and i'm jealous

Derek headed off to the "Big Apple" last night and I am trying hard to not hate him. No, it's not really that bad. He is only in Manhattan for today and his time will be spent in meetings. I talked to him for a few minutes this morning and he was planning on walking over to see the Empire State Building before his meeting but that was going to be pretty much it for site seeing. So I really don't have much to be jealous about although I still think I could have occupied myself for a day in Manhattan and had plenty of fun. One day I'll see New York.

can't move

I have loved reading about Kristi's marathon secret

I have read all her posts regarding her great accomplishment but today I learned that you can still feel all of this without even running a marathon. The lesson learned? You don't need no stinking marathon to hurt so bad you can't even walk.

The party went off succesfully but boy are we paying for it. If all my friends that helped with the festivities are feeling this way too I am now officially the worst friend ever. Not to mention - the worst wife, ever. Derek has served as president of party slave central for the past few weeks - doing everything I have needed him to do and he is paying for it today as much as I am. Watching us get of bed today would have made anyone laugh - we look like we are in our 90's and I'm not talking about Gordon B. Hinckley kind of 90's. I'm talking about unable to move or function kind of 90's (no offense, if your in your 90's)

So, besides being in "just shoot me now" pain all is good. The fires did not cancel our party nor did the rain we got yesterday ( not much rain but enough to cause me tons of stress) I will post pictures but you have got to give me a few days let's be realistic here - I did just run a marathon, I mean, I did just throw a huge party.

not another day!

So we just found out that school has been cancelled for tomorrow. You don't know how glad we we'll be to have life get back to normal (when will that be?) and to be able to clean the inside and outside of the house. We are seriously living in layers of dust and it is not fun. Everything is just so dirty. I'm ready to have this all be over.

does this sound like me?

I don't think it does. If you need to kill a few seconds go and find out what color crayon you are.

You Are a Purple Crayon

Your world is colored in dreamy, divine, and classy colors. You hold yourself to a sky high standard, and you are always graceful. People envy, idolize, and copy you without realizing it. You are an icon for those who know you. And while it is hard to be a perfectionist, rest assured it's paying off! Your color wheel opposite is yellow. While yellow people may be wise, they lack the manners and class needed to impress you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

happy kids, not so happy mom

Yesterday the fire was 50% contained - good news that didn't last long. Within a few hours that number changed to 30% and school was cancelled for today. Of course the kids are doing a happy dance but I'm a little bit less enthusiastic. Now the kids are home all day and stuck inside because of the horrible air quality - that should make for some good sibling fights. I also have way too much left to do for our Halloween party (yes, it's still happening as long as the fire cooperates) How much can I really get done with 4 kids stuck in the house with me? They are hoping for a fun vacation day but chances are they will be my little party slaves.

closer

The fire continues to inch it's way closer to us. We left the church tonight after a YW's activity and we ere shocked to see the dark, night sky lit up with flames that looked like they were coming from behind our house. Luckily our perception was off and the fire was a ways off but it has gotten closer and it is a bit unnerving.

Oakley had voluntary evacuations today because the fire got close at one point. Driving over to the area tonight it looks like the fire has cleared Oakley and is heading towards Rancho Santa Margarita. The smoke was horrible tonight and the smell almost unbearable while I was shopping at Joann's (I told you I'm there a ton)

We will keep everyone posted over the next few days. Hopefully, they will get this fire out before it gets much closer.

thanks for the phone calls

We have gotten a few phone calls concerned for our well being. We are fine - although it is kind of eerie seeing the smoke all around us.

The picture above is from yesterday in Irvine. From what I understand, in the beginning the fire was traveling towards the ocean but has since moved it's way inland toward Portola Hills and Foothill Ranch (where Derek works) The pictures below were taken in that area. The first picture was taken from the parking lot of the Oakley building and the second picture is from the shopping center that I shop at frequently. I have been at that Joann's too many times to count in the past few weeks trying to get Halloween costumes done.
Work has been somewhat of a ghost town according to Derek because people are staying home because of poor air quality. The kids are on rainy day schedule (inside for lunch, PE and recess) because of the smoke, ash, etc. Everything just looks brown and gross.

We are a bit nervous because our housing track has wilderness on 3 sides of it. We are in no danger from the current fire but are uneasy because of arsonists. The Santiago Fire (the one by us) was caused by an arsonist and we also had a small 20 acre fire right by us (about 2 miles away in Ladera Ranch) yesterday that they believe was started by an arsonist. The fireman were on the scene quickly to put that one out. I happened to be out running errands and drove by the fire and saw the fire trucks racing to the scene.

We will let you know if anything changes here but for now we are safe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the fires, especially to those that have lost homes and to all the fire fighters.

who knew you could make a fortune with silverware

I am on the hunt for... silverware, of all things.

Last year I went to a event planning trade show in LA. Each year there is a table decor competition and the finished tables are displayed at the show. I was impressed with a table that used mismatched old, tarnished silverware. That wasn't the only thing about the table that impressed me - that is just the part I want to recreate for our Halloween party.

I have scoured antique stores and ebay and am having a bit of sticker shock. I have had some luck at the antiques stores. Some of the silverware has been priced so high I nearly hit the floor but I have been able to find some inexpensively priced sets to use for the party. Ebay has some great stuff but i just keep getting out bid. Why do so many people need old, pitted, tarnished silverware? Had I known it was in such high demand I would have been collecting it since birth and selling it all off to buy a vacation home on some beach in the Caribbean.

So this is my call for help...does anyone know of any grandma's in their neighborhood that want to part with some old silverware for cheap? I want stuff that's old, or at least looks old. I don't want modern designs. I do not care if it is nasty and tarnished looking - I would prefer that.

I realize that this is a strange request and most people probably don't have old silverware just sitting around but I figure it can't hurt to ask. If you see any good garage sales this weekend stop by and see if there is silverware - If you find something call me. If you don't have my cell number email me and I will give it to you.

i won!

Here is the comment I saw today at createmyevents.com....

Denise Baker- you are right! I was reading the post name above your comment. You are the winner! Please email me at jennifero@rosannainc.com to claim your prize for the winning comment.

Posted by: Rosanna | October 09, 2007 at 10:48 AMII

did i win?

I saw these amazing black cake stands from Rosanna in a magazine and I fell in love with them. I thought that they would be a great addition to our Haunted Victorian party theme but decided against purchasing them because let's face it I need to curb the Halloween spending.

While checking out some of my favorite blogs last week, I came across this. Could it be? What are the chances? So I leave a comment knowing full well that some other lucky blogger is going to get "my" cake stands - remember, they're the ones I really need for my party. I'm sure no one else needs them.

So today I am checking out the blog,I check it frequently to curb my party appetite, and there it is...my comment as the winner BUT with someone elses name?!?!?! Who's Kara? And why is she stealing my prize? Her name was above my comment and mine was below - I'm sure the judges just read it wrong. Right? Don't you think I am the winner? Seriously, I'm curious what people think. I think the winner is who placed the comment, right?

I am appealing to the party gods that this goes in my favor - these stands have my name all over them.

black listed

Have you seen her? The girl on the left. That's Kelly and she has squashed my Halloween hopes and dreams by choosing a trip to Kansas to visit family over attending our Halloween bash. Where are her priorities?!?!

She tried to buy her way off the black list - the one created for people that repeatedly miss our party. Can you believe she resorted to bribery? Has she no shame?

To save yourself from the heartache and emotional damage that she has put not only me through but my whole family, heed this warning...Do NOT, I repeat do NOT invite her to any party, soiree, shindig, gala, or anything fun that you are planning to do. She will rip your party planning heart out and stomp on it, making you never want to throw another party as long as you live.

Her husbands not to bad...add him to your guest list.

a serious addiction

I cannot get enough of this divinely, delicious drink. Seriously, I have a problem. I have taken to drinking it from sunrise to sunset. If I only have one bottle in the fridge I allow no one else to drink it. If I have 2 or more bottles in the fridge I'll share but I control the amounts people drink. This is like gold to me.

If you love lemonade and haven't tried Simply Lemonade, you must drop what you are doing immediately and get yourself to the store. Try Target first. At the grocery store a bottle will cost you a little over $3.00. On Saturday I got 3 bottles (bought them out) for under $2.00 a bottle. I need to get back today and see if they restocked since out of the 3 bottles I only have a 1/4 of a bottle left - I told you I have a problem.

family home evening treat

If you are looking for a good Family Home Evening treat, here it is. My sister in law, Gail, sent this to me and to be honest after reading the recipe I wasn't so sure I would like this little treat. Derek made them up for family night a couple weeks ago and I changed my tune - they are yummy! You and your kiddos will love them.

My family was over yesterday to watch conference and we made these for dessert. They were a hit!

Marshmellow Yummies

You will need: Paper cupcake liners and a muffin pan

1 tube refrigerator crescent rolls (8-count)

¼ cup margarine, melted

8 large marshmallows

cinnamon & sugar mixture (¼ cup sugar + ½ teaspoon cinnamon)

wax paper (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place margarine in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it just until it melts. Set this aside, you will use it later.

3. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set this aside, you will use it later.

4. Place paper cupcake liners in a muffin pan.

5. Open container of refrigerator crescent rolls. Carefully unroll dough and tear apart along lines to get 8 triangle-shaped pieces of dough.

6. Tear off a sheet of wax paper and place triangle piece of dough on it. Flatten one crescent roll.

7. Roll 1 marshmallow in melted margarine then in cinnamon & sugar mixture.

8. Place marshmallow on large end of dough – roll up to enclose marshmallow completely in dough pinching edges of dough to seal completely.

9. Place sealed side down in a cupcake liner in a muffin pan.

10. Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Cool slightly before eating.

NOTE #1: You may substitute large refrigerated biscuits (tube of 10 count) for crescent rolls. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTE #2: Your family may like these a lot so you might want to plan to make 2 rolls for each person

it's back!

I forgot to mention this...last week the boys and I went to Disneyland after school. It was an early out day (12:50pm) so it gave us plenty of time to get to Disneyland and hit some rides. (Derek and the girls came out a bit later after the girls got out of school)

Everyone time we have been at Disneyland the Nemo Submarine ride line has been seriously long, way long - no exaggeration. We have kinda gotten spoiled with our passes and usually never have to wait in very long lines because we go at off times or we just don't go on the rides with long lines because we know we can come back another day. Ok, I'm getting off on a tangent.

The boys and I walked by the Nemo line and asked the cast member how long the wait was - 45 minutes, she replied. I was shocked. The wait time had been more like 2 hours plus, the last few times we had been there. The boys said they wanted to wait so wait we did. We got through the line in about 30-35 minutes and now we are finally able to say we rode Nemo!

It was fun for me to be back on the subs that I remember from so long ago. The boys loved it and so did I. What Disney did on that ride is amazing. I'm glad that we were able to get on it and for anyone visiting Disneyland you really should try and work it in to your day. Loads of fun!

PaPa and MeMaw

Derek and I are grandparents again. We have an out of control teenage daughter. Actually, we have a very responsible daughter that is learning all about how difficult and time consuming caring for babies is.

Some of you may remember that last year Megan came home with a baby as part of her teen living class. We only had the baby overnight but in that brief time span there was a lot of crying - mostly from the baby but there may have been some from me when I was up in the middle of the night helping Megan.

This year Megan is in Advanced Teen Living and got the bring home baby Bella (yes, Megan named her after Twilight) for a whole weekend. 3 wonderful days of baby bliss. Actually it wasn't too bad. I think baby Bella was a much better natured baby then Emma. The highlight was seeing Megan carry Bella around church - too funny. Meg also let some of the young women at church hold her. The next day when Bella was plugged into the computer Megan learned that the young women holding her were a bit too rough and baby Bella had shaken baby syndrome. Note to self...be careful about who you leave your baby with.

By the way...my grandkids will call me MeMaw - I love it!

it's beginning to sound a lot like halloween

When you call us at home this is what you hear. We have used this for our answering machine for quite a few years. People either love it or think we are nuts (which we probably are) It wouldn't seem like Halloween without it.

holy envelope, batman

Do you love these stamps or what?!?! I was at the post office the other day and just had to get these. Think of the possibilities, people.

After I bought the stamps I went and picked up some red envelopes because you know super heroes are all about the color. I got on the computer and made an address label that looked like the "pow', "kaboom", etc bubbles and then added the name and address. In my attempts to foil the evil forces that lurk around every corner I have changed my friends address, although it would be cool to live on whatever street. This one is going to my friend to thank her for being a "super friend" but these stamps and envelopes could be used for a ton of stuff...

thanks for sharing your "super powers" with me (for someone that helped you do something or brought you dinner, etc)

Have you gone out with friends lately or been to a party or dinner? How about thanks for a "super" time.

I think a super hero birthday party would be a blast and you could use this idea for the invites.

What else? I'm sure there are a ton of ways to use these way cute stamps. Let me know if you think of anything.

added...for those interested the font used on the address label is International Superhero

like, totally

Megan and I were walking out the door last night to get her to Mutual when the phone rang. It was one of the young women telling Megan that all the girls were going to wear 80's clothes.

First of all, it was about 4 minutes to seven and mutual starts at 7 - "How are we going to pull this off?", I wonder.

Second, why are my kids dressing up like the 80's? You are supposed to dress up in outfits from really old eras. It's fun to be a 50's girl, or a flapper from the 30's (is that even the right time frame for a flapper?), how about a 60's hippie or you can push it a little bit with a disco diva from the 70's but the 80's?!?! I'm not old enough to have my era be for dressing up.

That being said, we pulled together a fairly decent valley girl in about 3 minutes. Leggings, check. High ratted side pony complete with big bow, check. Now this hairdo could have been improved with more time. It needed to be crimped and the bangs...we all know those needed a ton more height to them. Somewhat decent belt, check. I would have preferred a huge leather, studded one but hey you do what you got to do in 3 minutes. No big belt should be without a big blouse so I pulled out of my closet a vintage (is it really old enough to be vintage?) Tears for Fears concert t-shirt, circa 1985. I suddenly became very possessive of this bit of fashion history and basically made Megan swear on her life that my shirt would not be harmed in anyway. She was good to go. Granted with a few more accessories she would have been tubular...bangles for the wrist - black rubber ones, thank you Madonna. Big cheapo plastic earrings. Some cute red jellies. Oh, those awesome 80's fashions.

halloween phantom

Each year our family spends family home evening nights in October "phantom'ing" some people call it boo'ing. Our ward (church congregation) has done it for many years and our neighborhood does it occasionally. We combined out invitation delivery with phantom this last Monday so here are some phantom shots...The kiddos ready to deliver. They love the ding dong ditch part of being phantom. I happen to love it too. Why is it that we find joy in disturbing someones evening by ringing the bell and running? Oh, well - disturbing or not I think it is way fun.Here is a bad picture of the treats we left. I couldn't get the color adjusted on the computer but rest assured the cupcakes were orange not this nasty yellowish color. Keep in mind that when you phantom your identity remains a secret or should if you don't get caught. I am fairly sure that no one from my ward reads this blog (at least not the people we phantomed) so I believe our identity is safe and secure.

If you don't know how phantom'ing works you leave a note with the treats. At one home we didn't leave enough cupcakes for the family - we were one short, we just weren't paying attention. This picture is of Derek writing on our phantom note so we could go back and ding dong ditch again leaving only one cupcake to go with the 5 we had already left.

Our phantom note reads...

halloween time is here, hooray!
the las flores ward phantom has struck today
we hope you like this spooky treat
because we think you're really neat
hang this in your window for all to see
so the phantom strikes once, that's how it should be
wouldn't it be lots of fun,
if you'd be the next phantom to strike someone?
then what a happy loving sight...
a phantom in every ward members window
by halloween night!!

make two copies of this poem and deliver it along with some goodies to two families in the ward. please "phantom" in the next 2 days so that we can be sure every family is included - Have Fun!!

The words could easily be changed for your own ward or neighborhood. This is one of our favorite family traditions.

pink goodies

I am excited to participate in this year's Pink Christmas organized by Kristi. I am sure it has been a huge undertaking for her this year but many are thankful for her hard work.

My pink envelope arrived last week full of goodies - it was unbelievable. Check out the sponsors...they have some fun products.

Now I just need to buckle down and figure out what it is I am going to do for a gift.

jam session

Derek pulled out his guitar the other night for some practice and Luke immediately ran upstairs to his room and got his guitar so he could jam with dad. Derek 's guitar has nothing on Luke's fine instrument, imported from a sweet little shop on the streets of Tijuana.

visiting teaching or just because

I thought I'd share this quick and easy Visiting Teaching idea.

I was at Smart and Final the other day and they had T. Marzetti's Carmel Apple Dip on sale for a dollar. I bought up a bunch not really sure what to do with them all but unable to pass up the deal. I mean a dollar for a tub of goodness - you would have bought it too.

The next day Derek and I were at Cost Plus one of my favorite stores and I found cute little jars for under $2.00. The ideas were rolling and I decided to put together these gifts for the girls I visit teach and a friend that was having a hard time.

I had the baskets so I threw in some apples and the cute little jars full of carmel dipping yumminess. The labels on the side read "an apple a day can't keep us away, we love being your visiting teachers." For my friend it said "an apple a day can't keep me away, I love being your friend"

The labels were all made on the computer using Honey Script and another font that is called June 15. I'm pretty sure that is not the name of the font but I probably put the date I downloaded it or did some equally lame I can't work the computer thing.
These could be done up with something besides carmel. How about a little jar of salsa with chips or some yummy dip with vegetables. These would work well as a teachers gift too.

is anybody out there?

So I'm thinking that the 4 people that normally read this blog have probably given up because of a serious lack of posts. It's Halloween people and that means that life is busy here so please cut me some slack and stay with me. I promise to get back into the grove as soon as the holiday festivities slow down here.

With that being said I thought I would share some pictures of the invitations I just finished up for our Halloween party. You can check them out on our SmugMug page. I had to post this picture of the kids though - I love it! The kids hand delivered the invites for us dressed like this. They did their own make-up and where genuinely good sports about going to so many homes.

you're gonna want this...

Someone at the blog class I taught mentioned that she heard you could turn your blog into a book. That got me interested so I did some searching and found beautiful books done by Blurb. I have not looked over their entire website but what I did see was amazing. The books are amazing and just imagine having your blog entries and pictures preserved in a hardback book. I am sure the prices can get a little pricey but I personally think it is a worthy investment for your family history.

Take a look at the site and tell me what you think. Would you spend the money on a book like this to preserve your blog to paper? Or are you happy having it all at your finger tips on the internet?

like father like son

Derek is really jacking up the kids.

So we have these teeth and many more lying around the house. Why you ask...remember we are all about Halloween so we have various sets for different costumes. One of these days I'll have to post pictures of Derek with all his different costumes and teeth.

Back to these pictures...what have we done?!?!
When we were getting ready for the HSM party Luke wanted to try the teeth. Are these not the funniest? The teeth were obviously way to big for Luke's mouth which made this all the more funny and Luke hammed it up just like his daddy. I will have so much to explain to Luke's wife when he gets married - my apologies to her now, whoever she is.

i got my head in the game now

So it is time to catch up on all of the events I haven't been posting about. Although I'm thinking only some of the events will get a post - lets be realistic. I am so far behind I'd have to spend weeks catching up.

As you may recall, we used the High School Musical 2 premiere as Emily's birthday party. We did the movie set up in the backyard (see previous posts if you're interested in seeing the set-up) and had dinner and played a few games before Troy Bolton and the rest of the crew danced their way into our hearts.

Dinner was served in the East High cafeteria by some fantastic cafeteria workers. I made aprons for Derek and I to wear and we completed the ensemble with hair nets. Derek took it one step further by inserting his always funny Billy Bob teeth. I'm not sure Emily's friends knew how to take it. Emily has had to live with those teeth and her dad's silly antics so she is already immune to him however I think her friends may be scarred for life.
The meal was a gourmet feast - yeah, right! Mac and cheese, tater tots, cookies, hot dogs - I did throw some fresh fruit in there for something healthy to offset the other garbage.
We had East High water bottles. Just a hint...personalizing water bottles is an easy thing to do and packs a lot of punch when it comes to parties. I print out whatever design I want on the computer, run the paper through my Xyron and slap it on the bottle. No Xyron? No worries, use spray adhesive, tape, whatever.
Each chair had a pennant with the girls first initial. The table was set very plain. I wanted the red cafeteria trays to stand out.
The take home gifts (didn't get a picture) were small photo albums that Emily and I turned into yearbooks. I downloaded a bunch of different pictures of the cast and then added pictures from the party. I also added autograph pages. During commercials the girls could sign each others
yearbooks.

for jodie and anyone else that cares

We finally saw Hairspray and we LOVED it! I haven't laughed so much in a movie in a long time. The casting was perfect, the music fun, the comedy hilarious...it was great!

If you are lame like us and still haven't gotten out to see it you should. You won't be disappointed unless you hate musicals, people in drag, politically incorrect comments, and great dancing.

Was this mother not the funniest character ever? We were laughing so loud in the theater because of her. See what a "devil child" can turn us mothers into.

time to get serious

I know, I know, I keep saying that I will update this blog yet days go by with no new posts. Now I really need to buckle down and update because my blog class is in a week. I need help with something...can anyone tell me how I can link all the blogs I read daily and get an update on who has updated their blogs? Did I even word that right? I believe there is a way to see on one page who has updated and who hasn't. Is this true? It would lessen the amount of time I spend catching up on everyone's life and I would like to share it with my class. Anyone? Anyone?

all things halloween

I think my fingers are permanently black from all the spray painting I have been doing this week. I have sprayed it all...flowers, frames, candelabras and more. Nate has been a big help spray painting I just hope I am not creating a tagger - look for his work coming to a freeway near you!

Today I have been busy working on costumes, running from fabric store to fabric store. Megan is easy. She is going to wear the gypsy costume she wore for her medieval faire at school. Nate is going to be Frankenstein because I found some killer shoes at Goodwill for $7.00. They are black, huge and clunky - totally perfect for Frankie. Emily is going to a pirate and I think we have convinced Luke to be her side kick. My hope is to have the costumes done in the next couple weeks - we'll see if that actually happens.

Does anyone else do anything fun for Halloween? We'd love to hear what you do.

we are back on schedule

Love this picture of the kids on the first day of school - just had to share it.

So we finished the first week of school. We are happy to be back on a schedule although the mornings have been a beast. Everyone has managed to get up early with out too much drama but I think we are all struggling with the sound of the alarm clock.



The kids are all happy with their teachers and so are we. Emily seems to have made the transition into middle school easily and our hope is that it will continue to be an easy adjustment for her. Middle school is one of those scary rites of passage that can send even the strongest parent into bouts of worry and fear - now think about the poor kid facing the peer pressure halls of doom. The whole thing has drama written all over it. We are just glad that all seems to be going well and that with Megan and now Emily we seem to have passed the first scary week of 6th grade with flying colors.

attention all bloggers...

I need your help. I have been asked to teach a blogging class for the women at church. Not sure why, as evident by my lack of posts lately, I am not the best blogger out there. Anyway, here is what I need...

please answer some of these questions and feel free to share whatever else you think would be good for me to teach.

• why do you blog? for yourself, to keep in touch with family, other?
• how often do you post?
• what do you post about?
• what cool things have you learned to do on your blog? post video, have music playing, etc?
  
• what do you wish other bloggers did on the blogs you read?
• are you worried about having too much info out in cyber space?
• anything else you want to share?
• if you were taking a blog class what would you want to learn?

Thanks for the help. I am hopping to get my posts updated soon. It will look really bad if I teach the class and I haven't posted for a month :)