The Littlest Vampire

Yes, I do actually have a picture of my kid in his costume...bet you were wondering huh? A little late but here the little blood sucker is...



He wouldn't wear any makeup and started gagging on the teeth because of his allergies so he isn't as goulish as I had planned for him to be. He did have this silly vampire pose down though. I think he got it from Scooby Doo. He is making a hissing/growling noise as well. Scary stuff.

He was posing for pictures in the front yard when he got the bright idea to use the tree as a prop. I'm not putting those pictures on here but lets just say that tree looked more like a stripper pole for a moment than a tree. I don't know what episode of Scooby Doo he saw that in but I may need to remove it from his selection!

We went to my dad's before hittin the streets and after that stop we really could have called it a night. Dad had about 8lbs of candy for him and matchbox cars too, of course. Below is a picture of his loot compared to mine. His is the bag on the left....mine is the box on the right. Something is wrong with this picture...



They just have to be called MIKE and Ikes too! After dad's we came back and went trick or treating in Oma's neighborhood. He had fun and managed to make it through the night without biting anyone!

No More Cute, Just Goofy

We have gotten to that stage where The Boy doesn't want to smile nice for the camera anymore. He would rather make goofy faces when he sees the camera come out. I was trying to take a picture of the two of us the other night and every one I got has some crazy face from him going on. This was the best of the bunch.




This is a little late but here is Jaykeb getting his soccer trophy. It was a really cute trophy this time. He had to carry it around for two days even taking it into the Pizza King with us that night. Soccer was way more fun this fall because he was so good. There were two games he didn't score in and that was because they were called short and he didn't get to play much. He scored multiple goals in all of his other games. We start the winter clinics next month. He really likes it so we will keep doing it as long as he is happy with it. His mother needs to learn how to relax at the games a little bit though.





See this shirt! I don't really know who bought him this shirt but it couldn't be more perfect for this kid. Now I only wish I had a matching one in my dad's size. It's perfect for him too! It says "Got Candy" for those of you who are blind...Grammy.



Car update...The flying white squirrel has gotten her estimate and is now just waiting on parts. I am cruising the Camry and not liking it much. There was way more damage than we originally thought but she will be like new in a few weeks. My dad is now calling me the Deer Slayer. Isn't that the name of a movie or book or something?

Flying Goo

We carved pumpkins at my dad's the other night. Here is our weapon of choice. You know there is some serious pumpkin carving going on when you bust out the power tools and start improvising.



What was really funny was that mom kept telling Jaykeb, "Don't flip the pumpkin all over!" Then dad comes in with his rigged up drill and ended up flinging pumpkin goo all over mom. My dad gets way too many ideas from watching The Today Show. Something he couldn't do when he was still working. We sure learn a lot from The Today Show and Ellen DeGeneres.

Sara...don't ask me who Goo is!







Jaykeb insisted that we save the seeds and roast them in the oven. Mom is always agreeable and got the seeds ready to go into the oven. We decided to try two different kinds, butter and salt...and cinnamon and sugar. I googled if to make sure we were doing it right and in they went. Now, if you are a member of this family you should know what the next picture is going to be before even looking. Just remember I said MOM and OVEN.





Apparently if you put cinnamon sugar on the pumpkin seeds you shouldn't cook them as long as the ones with just butter and salt. The picture is showing the GOOD side of the seeds too! They were quite crispy like a lot of things that come out of that oven! The others turned out fine but just like I figured, Jayke hated them.




I was looking through old files and found this next picture of Jaykeb with his first pumpkins. I loved the hat he had on and just came across it in a box the other day. Thought I'd share...

A Squirrel Takes out a Deer...Only Sara Will Get this Title

I had a wreck last night. My dad says that cars and I just don't get along. He maybe right. I have had so many wrecks in my lifetime I can't even count them anymore. It had been a really long time, other than my pot hole incident last spring, since I had hit anything. I thought all my "bad luck" in cars was over...until last night. I hit a deer. Driving home from my dad's after dark in the light rain and high winds. Stupid deer. They need to learn how to use crosswalks!

I didn't even see it until I hit it and it scared the crap out of me! I'm just glad Jayke was not in the car with me. He is now a pre-school drop out. I took him back out of school so he is going back to my dad's two days a week and the rest of the week with my mom. He had decided he wanted to spend the night at my dad's so I was by myself when I took Bambi out.

The car is not even driveable. It tore up the whole front end and put a whole in the radiator. Aahhhh...the smell of anti freeze. Takes me back to my very first car that overheated every time I drove it down the road. My dad had to come meet me at the VP(Village Pantry gas/convenience store for those not from here) while we waited for the police to get there so I could file my accident report. The funniest thing about this is what he told me while we were waiting. He had the following conversation with my mother...

MOM: Gregg, Wendy hit a deer...she's at the VP in Anderson.

GREGG: Well, which VP?

MOM: I don't know.

GREGG: WELL NEITHER DO I!

This is funny to me because it is my parent's trying to have a conversation with each other which may happen only once every 2 or three years and usually this is how it goes. There are VPs all over both Muncie and Anderson and apparently he was supposed to know which one just because he lives in that town. Funny. At least I got a laugh while waiting on them to come haul my poor car away.

Yes, Sara, the flying white squirrel is out of commission...you can go have your moment of silence now. She will return though. She's resting comfortably down at Gaddis where she will undergo surgery hopefully on Thursday. A little rhinoplasty on the ol' girl and she'll be good as new!

On to other things...Jayke and I took the day Thursday and went on his class field trip to the pumpkin patch. I'm lucky that i work at a great place where they understand that people have kids who they want to be able to spend time with. This was also the first time I took a day off since working there. We had fun even though it was FREEZING outside and we went so early.

First was the hay ride back to the corn maze...



There was a great play ground there and all the kids got to play for quite a while.



When we got in the corn maze another dad and I decided to let his daughter and Jayke lead us through the maze. We broke off from the class and The Boy took us through the maze all on his own. He almost got us out but the dumb parents (me and the other dad) decided to read the signs with the clues and got us all turned around and lost going the wrong way. We ended up having the people who work there come in and find us because everyone else was out already. We should have let Jayke take us all the way and skipped the clues.



Here are a couple more pictures from the day...



I love this one for some reason. It was a big black ribbed pipe and Jayke was sliding down while I was looking up at him. I like the way the edges look and that you can only see him as a sort of sillouette.

Pumpkins pumpkins whatever...

This year I went with an easier pattern for the pumpkin. Last year I did Scooby Doo and it took forever. Won a prize for Angi at her work but still took forever. Since she won't be entering the contest this year I felt I could let my difficulty level slide a little.

Jayke insisted on cleaning the pumpkin out until it was spotless...thanks Mike. Apparently his dad taught him this when they carved their pumpkin a couple of weeks before. We have saved the seeds to plant in the empty lot next to Oma's house next year. Guess that will save me my $3 I spent at Walmart on this dude.






Tomorrow we are hitting the pumpkin patch with Jayke's school and this weekend the corn maze. Hope it doesn't rain! I must say that 6:30 in the morning is a little early for a trip to the pumpkin patch. Not only will it be freezing but I will barely be awake! I don't even get up for 2 more hours on a normal day! Work is having a costume contest but I don't think I will be participating. First of all I think it's pretty crappy that if you don't wear a costume you can't participate in the luncheon and also she just told us yesterday that this was going to happen. I don't have time to find an award winning costume in that amount of time. I do have devil horns and long red eyelashes. That will at least get me the free lunch. Screw their contest! We should have had an office decorating contest...guess who would have rocked that?

I must now go clean out FROG the turtles acquarium. It is tres' disgusting. Yes, Jayke named his turtle FROG...yes, my kid is weird.

Sara...I'm a mom, I'm not YOUR mom!

Yes, I'm Still Here...

Soccer is over again. Jaykeb didn't score in the last two games but had multiple goals in every other game we had. He got his new trophy which I like way better than the one he got last time. It will be a few weeks before we start the winter clinics.

Jayke is back in school and that is going well. He goes to kindergarten readiness two days a week and is making new friends. He still has some of the same old friends too. We have a field trip coming up next week to the pumpkin patch. After that is his fall festival but I'm not sure if he will get to go to that. He may be with his dad instead. He and his dad have already carved one pumpkin two weeks ago when he was here for the weekend. Jayke and I will be carving ours soon. I bought all the cute patterns but he hasn't picked which one we are going to do yet. I have his "boo" gift ready too. We don't live in a neighborhood so we don't get to participate in that but I still "Boo" my own kid.

Tomorrow and Saturday I will be selling off my old life. BIG sale planned. Out with the old and in with the new. I went and bought new dishes for the house that we are in the beginning stages of planning for. The house in SC went up for sale and my mom has found the perfect house in the school district I want to be in and just down the road from her and gramma. Also closer to my best friend, Angi AND in the same neighborhood as my new friend I work with, Sharita. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY OWN HOUSE AGAIN!!!

My weeks leading into the end of the month are planned down to the minute I'm so busy. I've got trips to the haunted corn maze, field trips, school parties, work parties and lots of other stuff. I love this time of the year. Thought it would be hard this month but it really hasn't been at all.

Work is getting easier but I still don't feel completely comfortable with my new job. My supervisor seems happy though. She was even in a good mood at the end of the month last month which is saying something. I have a plan to get Angi a job there with me. I've already gone to my boss and told her about her and she said that the next thing that opens up she will consider her. I don't know though, if Angi, Sara, Holly, and I are all working in the same place it could be dangerous. Sara and I are already taking longer than normal lunches with Angi now and she doesn't even work there yet!

Have to go out with Sara and Nate Friday to say goodbye to him. He is heading back to Florida Sunday. I'm pretty bummed about it. Hopefully he will come back to visit more often now that he has been here for a while and seen how fun it is hanging out with his crazy aunts. The crazies are heading to Amsterdam Saturday. I'm anxious to hear the stories they will have when they get back. You know ANYTHING goes in Amsterdam!

I may be able to get back to blogging on a regular basis soon. We are switching back to the old phone co so I will be able to get the laptop and everything running correctly again. Jayke is so sick of listening to my mom deal with the cable co that he has banned the word COMCAST in our house. He says he hates that word and doens't want to hear it again. I don't blame him...they suck! What is really weird is when our phone goes out my mom's goes out at her house too. That's just not going to work! I get called downstairs every time it stops working to try and fix it and there is NOTHING I CAN DO!!!

So that is my rather long boring update. I will get some pics of that cool soccer trophy up soon. Promise.

Still Here

We are still here. Just haven't felt like blogging lately since MY MOM MADE IT SO I CAN'T USE MY LAPTOP ANYMORE! My other computer is in Jayke's room and I guess I would rather sit in my room and internet than sit in the junk yard...Jayke's room is full of trucks EVERYWHERE!

So anyway, here is a team picture of Jaykeb's soccer team and a picture of Jayke and his best friend Brayden waiting in line to get their pictures taken individually. Don't they look happy? I'm thrilled to tell ya that my kid has not played a game yet which he has not score in. He is learning how to be a good little defender now too which is new. Usually those kids all just run after the ball and don't worry aboaut the other team scoring. I think he gets it now.



Jaykeb is back in school now and I think he likes it. We were greeted by some of the same kids yelling "Jaykeb's here~" and "Hi Jaykeb's Mommy!" Funny. We also have already gotten sick from him being back one week. Love school and all it's germs!

I think we may go get pumpkins today. Jayke is over at Meemaw's and P'pa's playing in the dirt. He spent the night there last night and all he could talk about on the way over was the dirt pile in the back that he would get to play in. Nate was there and had a new Hummer for him so he was excited about that too. I don't know how much longer Nate is going to be around and we are going to miss him when he has gone back to Florida. It's been fun having him here all summer. Maybe if I beg hard enough he will stay.

Sorry, not a very exciting update. I may have to start an anonymous blog in the future. I will try to get around to blogs and see what everyone is up to later tonight and I did add you on Facebook if you recently sent me a request...sorry it took me so long!

Oh yeah! I did get a floral job from an old customer we used to decorate for! First one I've had since I left for SC 3 years ago. Not quite the same working in mom's laundry room making them but still $80 for 20 minutes work is pretty good! I was going to charge $69 but the lady said that wasn't enough and paid me $80 for it. Guess I can consider it a tip or something. Now if I can just get some more of those jobs I may work up the nerve to set up a design studio out in the old workshop behind the house like my dad thinks I should.

Stupid Purse Lady

Had my purse party this weekend. I don't think I will be having any more parties. I had a lot of plenty of people show up but we were all totally disappointed with the purse lady and the selection of purses she showed up with. I am going to go to one in December that a different girl gives and see how I like her then maybe I might have one again someday.




This would be the Dourney and Bourke bag I got. Love it! Sara got the other one that I loved and my mom got one kinda like it too. Jayke was all about going to that party. He set all the purses up and helped load them all back up when it was over. His buddy Brayden was even there and they ran around like little maniacs.

That is about all for my week other than discussions of Grammy going to the Senior Citizen Center for belly dancing lessons and me catching the microwave on fire. Apparently easy Mac catches on fire if you forget to put the water in. Hmmm. Will try to remember that. The funny part about it was Grammy was standing right there as I'm trying to get the burning mac out of the micro and fanning the smoke and she just kept talking about my clothes she sold from the rummage then turned and walked out without even noticing the flaming mac. The entire house smelled all night and she never said a word! I laughed til I cried later telling my mom about it.

He Scored How Many Goals?

All I can say is that summer soccer clinic must have really paid off because my kid scored 9 GOALS tonight! Yes, I said 9. Yes it was beginning to get embarrasing. I couldn't believe that was my kid out that tearin' it up. It was fun too because Jaykeb's best friend, Braden, is on his team. Braden is my mom's next door neighbor and I went to school with his dad. He and Jayke have become best friends and I recommended that Rachel put him on the soccer team so she did. They were funny to watch and it really increased Jayke's cheering section with Oma and Opa and Braden's parents there yelling and clapping for him.

I called and told everyone how many goals he scored and now he is going to have more grandparents coming to watch. Watching soccer is way more fun than watching t-ball which is what they came to before. They better come soon though before I ship him off to Europe to join a pro team and support his poor mom!

At Last The Weekend Post

I know...it has taken me forever to put this up here. Sorry, I've been busy. Against my better judgement I'm going to participate in two rummage sales. Gotta lighten the load...believe me those who helped me pack it up know what I'm talking about!

We made it to the lakes last weekend and as with any family trip it wasn't without drama. I'm not going to talk about that though...mostly because I have been threatened but also because I just don't want to. I do want to tell you about my little tuber though! My kid is going to be a waterbug afterall. He was all for getting on that tube and flying across the water...and fly he did. He and AJ who was trying her darndest to slow us down but unfortunately for her Jayke learned the hand signals and was controlling the speed from start to finish!

Jayke would be holding up his thumb telling us to go faster and AJ was sitting behind him trying to pull it back down and giving all kinds of signals of her own! We just kept going faster because it was hysterical. They were bouncing across the waves all afternoon. When we finally pulled them in AJ was exhausted. She was having to hold onto The Boy with her legs to keep him from flying off the tube. We all knew if he went off he probably would never get back on but we knew AJ wouldn't let him go and she didnt'. It was probably a great workout!

Here he is thinking he is Captain of the ship or something.



It was just Kim, Sherri, AJ, Jayke, and me out on the boat that afternoon and we had a great time. I'm sure we would have had a picture of AJ like the one below if we would have given her a chance.

So you are probably wondering where the pictures of the tubing are huh? My battery died and they are all on Kim's camera so who knows when or if I will get them. I do have some though and will post them when I receive them.

Before we came home we got to do a little decorating. Sherri has told AJ and me that we can decorate her house and we wasted no time. There was a trip to Pier 1 where we got a huge canvas piece for over her couch and two vases. I like that kind of shopping I point and Sherri buys. I could get used to that!

We had a birthday party for Kim and AJ...belated and just all hung out together. It was fun and we all came home exhausted. I think we will have lots of fun up there next summer...we will probably invade Sherri's house on a regular basis. She better get her boat and golf cart purchased soon! She is probably just glad it is the end of the lake season and she won't have to worry about it for a while!

Waterfalls

10p.m. last night I was going down to make sure all the doors were locked when I heard a weird noise. Grammy was in bed so I knew it wasn't her. I started walking around the house trying to figure out where the constant sound was coming from. I finally went to the dining room and I immediately knew. I turned on the kitchen light and sure enough the sink was blasting away. This isn't the first time this has happened, in fact it happens a lot. I don't know why I didn't know what the noise was right away. It never fails that she leaves it on the hot water too. It had to have been running for at least 2 hours. She had been in bed since 8 when we came in and I'm pretty sure she hadn't gotten back up. I probably didn't hear it when I came in for the tv blaring and The Boy on full blast. Thank GAWD she doesn't cook anymore!

Off to the lakes tomorrow. I just hope we all survive!

Wendy's Needs

It's been a while since I've done a "Meme" sort of thing. This is a little game I saw over on Patti's blog and thought it was kinda funny.

What you do: Go to Google and put in your name + needs. Take the first 10 things that "Your Name" needs and list them as your post.

Here goes...

Wendy needs a sewing machine. I've often thought this but then I already have one named MOM!

Wendy needs to "Stoppy Shoppy"! Boy is this ever true!

Wendy needs to add passion and talk a bit more about herself and her experiences and things that make her angry. I have no problem doing this and any one who knows me knows that I don't!

Wendy needs time and space. Nope...had plenty of that, thank you.

Wendy needs to warm up to animal welfare. I'm trying to get the money to give my dogs a bigger fenced in area...geesh!

Wendy needs to add more chairs for these oral sessions. WHOA! BACK THE TRAIN UP! I'm not even going to touch this one.

Wendy needs our prayers. Amen sister!

Wendy needs every measuring cup and teaspoon she can find. Only for making jello shots.

Wendy needs Peter. Snicker

Wendy needs your time and money. Mostly just your money.

Wendy needs morning spunk. Yes! Yes, I do. I drag ass in the mornings.

Okay I went one over the 10...so sorry! Some of mine were pretty funny...cracked me up at least. Let me know if you play!

Tuckin Bucks

Jayke had his lunch date with The Grandmas on Friday. I would say it was a success. I arrived to pick him up and was immediately told how he sold hugs for a dollar and got an invite to their next ladies trip. He even requested the phone number of one of The Grandmas so he can invite her to his birthday party in January. I guess you can never have too many grandmas to spoil you. One of them even showed up to the birthday party with a gift for Jayke. I think I will have to keep a closer eye than I thought on that boy!

Since he ate at his favorite spot on Friday he is now asking for "Cattail Shrimp" for every meal. I shrugged this off at first thinking he was just being silly until my mom told me he was asking for "Cocktail" shrimp. We tried to explain that they weren't cattail shrimp but he is pretty sure that they are and that is what he is insisting on calling them. He also was taught by my dad that boys are better looking than girls because boys don't have to wear "all that paint on their faces". Yes, it takes a couple of days to deprogram him after a visit there.

I finally made it to the casino last night only to be the big loser I always am. Good thing it wasn't my money I was losing but dad's. I saw my friend Kim and her husband there. I've decided that part of going to a casino is walking around half the time looking for the other people you are with. Seems like I always end up doing that a lot! We were all losers last night except dad...he played for 5 hours and was even. I would have just stayed home if I'd known that was going to happen. Apparently if you are a "gambler" the fun is in the playing...I just don't get it I guess. I played and lost and was mad and wanted to go home. I did have an interesting conversation with a guy at the bar about beers and may now drink a Blue Moon occasionally after trying his. It was weird being at a casino where you see lots of people you know. Guess that's what happens when you don't have to drive 3 hours or fly 4 hours to get to one. I was actually surprised at how big it was too! I may have to add a label for Casino if this continues to be a habit...talking about the casino on here that is.

Tonight there is a party at Angi's house to celebrate/christen/break in the new deck they just had on. I may or may not make it there. Other plans may have me elsewhere...we will see. Tomorrow Nate and Sara will be helping me move everything out of the warehouse I have it all in now to a new warehouse. Mom and Jim rented the ENTIRE building finally and need my space. Gee, I wish they could have picked a HOTTER weekend to need me to move my crap. Good thing I have help!

Oh yeah! I'm having a purse party. September 13th! If ya wanna come let me know and I will give you the specifics. I will send out invites probably but I'm telling everyone now so they can get it on the calendar...LOVE THE PURSE PARTIES!

How Did He Manage THAT?

How does someone end up with bbq sauce from their armpit to their waste? I'm just wondering. My date the other nite managed to pull off this feat. At least he picked up the check when we were done with our bbq bath. He picked it up and handed it to me!

Edited to add: My "date" was The Boy! I sure hope I never date anyone who does something like this!

The Ladies Man Strikes Again!

About a week ago Jayke went to lunch with my "Other Mother...Meemaw" and her sorority sisters. They went to Applebees and I'm pleased to report that Jayke was well behaved. Like that is shocking news or something. He skipped lunch apparently and went straight for desert though... isn't that what is supposed to happen when you are with Grandma? Especially when you are with a table of grandmas. Jayke was sitting there looking around the table at the women and all of a sudden said, "There sure are a lot of Grandma's at this table!" Lucky for him he is so cute and they found this revelation amusing coming from the short dude.

Tonight I was sitting at the computer brousing the multitude of forwards in my inbox when I saw one titled Jayke's date from Meemaw. When I opened it it was a copy of an email she had received from one of her lady friends inviting her to the Red Lobster for lunch Friday. Inviting her AND Jaykeb. I guess the ladies liked The Boy and are requesting a repeat performance. I think they are expecting him to pick up the tab as well. When they were at Applebees and the check came Jaykeb wanted to pay...they gave him the bill and he looked at it then looked at the ladies and said, "I just need a pen!" The note made reference to the fact that he'd pay if they just gave him a pen. I think I will have to keep an eye on the ol' piggy bank to make sure he isn't trying to play Sugar Daddy to the sorority girls.

Meemaw was a little concerned when she got the email that they didn't really want her to come just The Boy. I told her they did pick his favorite restaurant so maybe she was on to something. I'll give you an update on his "Date" with the ladies next week. Little Devil.

Blah, Blah, Blah...

Nothing exciting going on so I haven't blogged lately. I thought I had Jaykeb in the early kindergarten class at his school but they had made a mistake on his birthday so all my excitedment about that was short lived. He is going back into the same class he was in last year and next year will go straight to regular kindergarten. Stupid.

Friday night I went to a piano bar with Angi. It was fun. I'm afraid I'm just not much fun right now so I'm sure it would have been more fun if I weren't in a funk.

Nate got the cornhole games all made. I watched him work on them on Thursday so Sherri could take the one she has sold to NC. He went out of town this weekend so I couldn't hang out with him. He did, however, finally get a job! Yeah! The family made their usual trip to the casino Friday and it paid off...big time. Dad won $4000! I'm relieved that the Christmas fund has been replinished.

I finally got the girl trained at work who is taking over the main portion of my job. Woohoo! No more credit cards or checks for me! I will have to check on her from time to time still and probably answer questions but now I can focus mostly on my new job which is going much better now.

Jayke was with his dad this weekend so last night I hung out with Annette and ended up running to an old "friend", Chris. It was good to talk to him and see him. It is always funny to me to see what people remember about the time they spent with you. He had stories I didn't remember at all. I think I have a terrible memory anyway. I am glad for that though...maybe I will forget some other stuff soon. Stuff I'd like to forget NOW!

So there ya have my wonderfully exciting update. I will try to spice it up this week. I will be back with the crazy aunts, who are actually my sisters, next weekend so I'm sure I will have something to talk about after that. Maybe I'll even go to the casino. I hear a friend of mine, who told me she didn't want to go to that casino, went last night...ahem...Angi. Maybe she will go with me Friday and we will win a bunch of money. Maybe my mom will drag me back to my storage unit and make me sort through more of my life to get rid of. Maybe I won't even go through the boxes just sell it all! Who knows! The anticipation of the week to come is killing me I better stop talking about it now.

Yes, I am The Queen

I think I'm starting to feel better finally. I swear I have West Nile. I had about a million skeeter bites on my ankles a couple of weeks ago and now I think I've got the virus. Last fall I had the Mursa...so I thought...this fall it's the Nile Virus.

I missed two days of work. Two days where I lay in bed and thought I was dieing. Finally got up Saturday and went to my dad's to try to infect everyone else with my germs. "The Crazy Aunts", which is what I will from now on be referring to my sisters as,were there. They had been out casinoing the night before. Mom went out of town so the Crazy Aunts ended up going to the casino with my dad. I can only imagine his face when he found out he would be hauling them around all night. Turns out the crazies hit a royal flush on the poker machine and won $1000.00. Why doesn't that happen to me?...probably because I don't play huh? Anyway...they were still on a high from their big win and decided to pick up a Cornhole game.

Yes, I was still ill but the thought of spending an entire afternoon in the back yard with the crazies, Nate, and Jayke chucking bags of corn at a board at the other side of the yard must have sounded like my kind of medicine. Nate and I teamed up to take on the Crazy Aunts. Now I don't like to brag...snicker snort...but I ROCK at back yard hillbilly games! There were looks of shock and awe as I demonstrated my talents at heaving corn filled bags. I can toss them under hand or over...it doesn't matter they are heading straight to the hole! I have now been dubbed the "Cornhole Queen". I'm not really sure if this is a feat I should be proud of. I am proud of my concept of cutting the tops off tiki torches to make beer holders for the game though.




So, playing Cornhole with the Crazy Aunts is not all that crazy. The crazy came the following day when they sent Nate and me up to Menards to buy enough materials...using their casino winnings, of course...to make 4 Cornhole games. I guess we are in the Cornhole business as of Sunday. They are serious about this crap too. They have printed off the American Cornhole Association rules so we can build everything to their regulations. We have managed to sell one already. (Now I just have to make sure Nate makes the damn thing) We don't do anything easy though. The one we sold is going to North Carolina on Friday. One of the Crazy Aunts is moving from NC to IN so she is driving down there to pack up and will deliver the game then...if it gets made on time.

There has been talk of playing in tournaments up by the lake. I hope they don't think they are taking their ringer because I AM NOT ENTERING A CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT! I don't care how much I've had to drink. I think there would have to be training involved in that because my legs are killing me from our one day of play in the backyard. I think it was the constant bending over to pick up the bags. My throwing arm is just fine though so don't worry. I don't need to go on the injured list yet.

Two weekends in a row with the Crazy Aunts. We've had the MEGA trip to Toys R Us to buy Wii stuff and now a weekend filled with Cornhole. I love the random phone calls you get from them too. They will be out shopping and you will get a phone call...

"HEY! Does Jayke have water shoes?"
"NO."
"OK, Bye."

And now Jayke has water shoes to wear on the boat.

"Hey! Do you need Guitar Hero for your Wii?"
"Um...yeah."
"Ok, Bye."

And now I have Guitar Hero for my Wii. They are still on their quest to buy better fitting clothes for Nate too. He had to bring everything he owns over for their approval for him to wear to his job interview on Monday. Crazy Aunts. They sure do make it more fun around here though.

Yuck

I'm having to blog from my mom's house...internet trouble. I'm hoping that I can get the issue resolved this evening. That is if I am well enough to remain upright. I've got the flu. Missed two days of work and I still feel like crap. Therefore, this will be about it for my blogging today. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my symptoms and that is all I have to talk about right now. So check back Monday...I may have a real post by then.

Your Opinion Has Been Noted

Guess what! It is almost fall! My favorite time of the year...well...it used to be. It has bad memories now but I'm hoping this year will be the beginning of me being able to enjoy fall again. I began my quest to bring the fun back to fall by shopping for The Boy's Halloween costume. Yes, it is early. Yes, I like to be prepared. I do this every year. Actually I'm a little late this year. Kinda like making my Christmas list. I usually have that done 6 months ahead of time. I'm late with that this year too.

So last night I sat down at the computer and started browsing the selection of costumes. Somehow The Boy seems to think he gets a choice in what he will wear this year. What? Why would he think such a thing? Doesn't he know that he is MINE until he is 18 and I will make all decisions such as what he will wear on Halloween, what sports he will play, and who he will date. How dare he think he gets an opinion!

Being the wonderful mother that I am I went ahead and took his preference of frightful costume into consideration. I then went on to look at the costume I thought he should wear. I came up with all kinds of great reasons why he should dress up the way I want him too. He actually was persuaded and reluctantly gave into my choice. "Okay Mommy...I'll be a(fill in blank)." sad look AHA! I had won! Another battle I won! Then I took another look at the selection for the character he WANTS to be. I found one that was pretty cute and since, like I said, I'm a wonderful mother...I changed my mind. I copied and pasted the picture of what he wants to be into an email and sent it along to my mother so she can start making it. I'm not, afterall, going to spend the $80 they want for this costume when Oma can make it like she did last year's. Remember the super cute chaps and vest she made for my little cowpoke?

In the end it wasn't about winning the argument or getting my way, it was being able to recognize that The Boy is able to make decisions on his own now and I'm just going to have to let him on some things. This is probably my last year to be able to convince him to go with the "cute" Halloween costume instead of something disgusting and ridiculous like most boys once over the age of four like to wear. It is just another thing...no matter how little...that reminds me he is growing up.

The compromise that we made on the costume was that I agreed to the character he wants to be and he agreed to let me choose which version he will be. I picked the cutest version, not the scary version. Even though this wasn't my choice I think it will turn out darn cute and NO...I'm not going to even give you a clue!

You Smell Like Broccoli

It's a good sign that your weekend isn't going to be half bad when you get your favorite guy at the nail salon to start if off with. I like several of the techs in there but the guy who did them the very first time I ever had them done is by far my favorite. It's hit and miss when you go in there. You get whoever is available unless you want to sit and wait. I got lucky this time. Decided to follow up my trip to the nail salon with a trip to margarita ville to meet Annette for dinner. I don't know why I continue to drink Tequila. It makes me feel all weird and hot every time I do. I should put it on the banned list. Actually I should just stick to my occasional beer and be done with it all.

The Boy and I headed to my dad's early (for us) Sunday morning. We thought we were in for a day of Rock Band and Guitar Hero Aerosmith on the Wii. Turns out the sisters had another idea and had headed to Toys R Us earlier to hit the big Wii sale. Turning them loose in a store where they have anything Wii related is dangerous. Turning them loose with Wii items that are on sale is deadly! I know my one sister bought like $700 worth of stuff. She even bought another console! WTH are you going to do with that? Just because they happened to have 1 left of something doesn't mean you need to buy it! Geesh! And people wonder where I get it. I get it from the whole damn family!

Apparently Wii accessories and games were not the only thing on sale at Toys R Us today. See below...







Not one but TWO bumper boats that spray water! Can you say spoiled much? My step mom bought him these. One for him and one for her to cruise around in the pool in. I know they are only for him and her because they have a 100lb weight limit on them so leaves everyone else out. As you can see, the orange one has issues. Like a big hole in the side of it. We are calling the company to get that one replaced but the blue one works just fine!

It is funny to me that they bring these home and then try to tell him not to spray them with it. Well, not to spray them in the face. When you are walking in the pool on your knees or swimming in the deep end your face is the only part of you that is available as a target! Oh yeah and don't spay the water out of the pool either. LOL! They are funny.

I actually got in the pool today with them all and now I am exhausted! Swimming must really be great exercise because it wears me out faster than anything else. I don't think Jayke likes swimming with me. I splash and throw him around causing his face to go under. He is better but not quite over his fears of the water entirely. Mommy isn't so careful with him. I just want him to get used to having it on his face so it won't be such an issue anymore.

My dad got creative with his sunflowers. He did it for Jaykeb who wanted to know why the sunflowers were smiling. He wants to send some pictures of Jaykeb and the smiley flower in to try and get it in a magazine. I think they look a little Tim Burtonish.






Weekends over. It's back to work to start training someone how to do my old job. That and more medicaid reports that will turn my brain to mush again!