Halloween Stress

Every year, I stress about Halloween candy. It's an illness for sure. But I don't have a great answer with how to deal with it. I want the kids to enjoy their treats, but I just can't have it in the house for weeks afterward. It's just too tempting for me.

So I've done a couple things. One year I let Daph pick out her 10 favorite candies and she tossed the rest in exchange for 10 bucks cash! Another year I posted that I was going to send it away to our troops. But they can't take chocolate, so that didn't help too much and I ended up eating a lot anyway. The troops did get toiletries and some hot cocoa...but it didn't help much with the candy deal.

My sister in law has inspired me again to do something radical. I was preparing myself to aim to let the kids keep it this year and just "be strong!" myself. But let's face it...I'd just be setting myself up to fail.

So I googled ideas (again this year) and found a great blog post. It is me to a tee. Read it here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=50758

I may just do what she suggested, which was having the kids leave their candy bags outside their bedroom doors that night and having the "great pumpkin" replace the candy with a toy...or maybe I'll just do the cash thing!

Will post Halloween pics soon! Write and tell me what your family does~

Time Keeps Going By...

It's almost Halloween here. We carved our pumpkins yesterday. It was a day that reminded me of many that we spent together on Pinehurst Street and Laurel Drive. In fact it was the type of weekend you would have loved.

I was sick so we stayed very close to home. We watched movies and ate comfort foods. It rained hard outside and we hunkered down enjoying each others' company inside. The pumpkin carving festivity ended the weekend. It was the first time Mike actually got involved. I kinda thought he would help the kiddos, but he ended up getting completely enthralled in his own craftsmanship. All of the pumpkins turned out neat this year ~ especially Mike's.

I dreamed about you last night. I can't remember what it was, but it was something about you dying and your services - all the family etc. Sometimes I miss you so much and it feels very surreal that you aren't around to call or visit when I think of you. We're making plans to take the kids to G and G's on Friday - the annual costume show-off. When I realize again that you won't be there to see the kids and enjoy their funny personalities I get especially sad and emotional.

I get pretty mad too that you had to leave us all so early before we were ready to say goodbye. God told me one night in the grips of my crying out to Him for answers, that you were ready. I have to hold on to that in these moments. I hope He meant that you weren't only ready to be done with all the suffering, but that you were ready to be called home to Him.

We all miss you Dad!

Loving these fall days...

This was the craft we did at Connections (mom's group) last week. I think it turned out pretty cute:). These pictures may not quite compare to the ones that Martha Stewart's staff displayed on their website, but I know the ladies enjoyed making them. Since my neighbors attend there are three hanging up in a row on our street!

It's amazing to me the stories I have behind each mom's group. This little feeder meant 18 pumpkins on the Winco check-out counter, a broken bird seed bag that poured over my floor, a carving party with my neighbor girl friends, and a little dose of sleep deprivation turned emotional wreck on Friday. This post makes it all worth it to me!!

Daphne and I had a lunch date on Monday after a trip to the doctor for a wart treatment. Sounds like we will have to return multiple times unless we are really lucky. Daph was so cute. She was enjoying her restaurant size cheeseburger and fries and said, "it is just so hard to stop eating when it is soooo good"..."at McDonalds it's much easier because the hamburgers are so small that I don't have to worry about getting too stuffed". Oh man - she is my child!

Hope this finds you all enjoying fall too!

Camera-LESS

My camera has been dead for a long time now. I've only brought you beautiful pictures of our summer and first days of school through the use/borrow/stealing of Mike and Pam's camera. Eventually though, I felt like I ought to hand it back and that is when my blogging stopped.

I am going to have to sub a few more hundred times in order to afford the new camera I desire. I guess I'll have to settle for Mike's work camera. And I'll use/borrow/steal Mike and Pam's for very special occasions. I'll have to start leaving homemade granola or apple cake in its absence.

I can't even remember why I started this post. Oh, yes...I am shut in my bedroom for the night, because Mike has Bible study downstairs every Tuesday night (just for 6 weeks). It's been a bit boring up here - watching Strawberry Shortcake and keeping Ruby from escaping now and again.

So I got on my wonderful laptop to check blogs...and oh right, that is why I posted....Let's go people. You know who you are and I miss your blogging sorely! So, please don't wait until February - Jill and stop strolling beside the Laine, Ms. Glory - get with it for my pleasure alone:)

Big hugs to all this Tuesday night in blog world!

Take you Back Tuesday!

When it rains it pours!

If you blog long enough you start to doubt your titles, because you're pretty sure you probably used certain ones before. I think I have used that title before, but it fits, so I'll use it again!

Mike and I have had a * %&$#&#& week. It's a hard time to own your own business. Actually it's a hard time for most people.

Today when Daphne reported that our garage ceiling was leaking (again) I thought of the phrase, "When it rains it pours". Mostly because it looked like it was raining in my garage.

We thought we had fixed this issue. And I had been without my wonderful washer and dryers upstairs for over a year up until recently. Right before school started Mike had given me the green light to go ahead and start using them again because we had done all the handiwork to make it possible. I've been on a laundry cloud nine - actually keeping up with all the washing! In my closet, it's been so convenient - kids take clothes off to get in master bath - in go clothes, need to get up early and do some folding and putting away - I just go in my closet and don't wake anyone up, and they have timers on them which are ideal.

This afternoon's waterfalls in garage were evidence that the mystery problem has returned in full force and I am back to doing laundry in the gross garage.

Tonight we are having pizza!