Fall Festival

Part 3 of Halloween 2010 was a little anti-climactic. At least as far as pictures go. Seeing as how we aren't doing actual door-to-door this year and didn't get all gussied up for a big night, I didn't really feel as compelled to take pictures of the kids last night at our Ward's Fall Festival. Add to that the fact that Luke has been dressing up as Iron Man for over a month now and last night Cindy could not even find half her costume and well, there wasn't much new excitement for me to document :) I will say however, that my gypsy costume really came together! DeAnne and I have moved our relationship to the next level by having now officially shared clothing. She lent me a skirt and it was absolutely perfect. (Of which I didn't not get a picture- GO ME!) And for the first time since pre-school, Cindy's fake jewelry actually served a purpose other than littering the floor of my Honda and making me want to hang myself with it. Free costumes are the best :)


Luke and his posse. Nathan and Ben Bailey and Ryan "Bam-Bam" Fallaw.



The only reason we were sure to take this picture was for you, Maggie!


The real-life version of the popular fairy tale where the handsome Prince Charming sweeps the Gypsy off her feet and they have two children; a Merfairy and Iron Man and they all live happily every after :)

A Luke Quickie

Yesterday I was making some pumpkin bread with Luke. He was overjoyed about this project and proved to be the most agreeable kitchen helper ever. At one point we were adding some Pumpkin Pie Spice into a bowl. I wondered out loud, "What exactly is in pie spice?" He said all smiley, "I don't know!" And then I read the ingredients to him. "Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and sulfiting agents." To which he replied with absolute giddiness, "I LOVE SULFITING AGENTS!" Well, they are pretty amazing.

Halloween Parade 2010

Yesterday was part 2 of the Halloween trifecta for my kids this year: The Bartow Halloween Parade. Since my mom's dental office is on the street where the parade is held, we always get some prime seats. And this year we even made the shade! Which was fantastic because it was almost 90 degrees. Another Halloween tradition down in Bartow... Anyway, the parade was good, the kids got more candy, they got to see their friends, and Ronald McDonald and a pony dressed as a sheep. What more do you need?

Yeah, yeah, bring on the candy, lady. Just put it right in there...



Awh, crap. They're all lemon. Why did I even bother to come this year?





Wait, Thomas is here! Well, that makes it all worth it :)

Chillin' with Olivia and Maddie.

2010

2009

2008

2007

And long may this tradition continue!

Here, Kitty Kitty!

In the grand spirit of Halloween, I have been trying to put Mr. Potato Head glasses on Lady Cucuface for about the past 6 days and have had zero success. Actually, a number less than zero would be more accurate. At any rate, I would just like to know how in the world any of the following pictures are possible? I mean, come on cats! Have you no pride? Or claws? Fight back! Resist! Okay, fine. Just look humiliated and get it over with...

Clearly, this cat his given up in probably all areas of his life.

I laugh so hard every time I see this.





And finally, maybe cats really are trying to take over the world....

Degree of Difficulty

I remember reading a church article one time that asserted that Motherhood will draw on every facet of formal education one receives over the years; so whether one actually works outside the home using a college degree or not, the calling of "Mom" will require in some way for you to use all that knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, judgement, etc. you developed while earning that degree. I wholeheartedly agree with this thinking. Mostly because now I have to help my kids with their homework. Which requires nothing less than having to figure out ridiculous mathematical word problems, writing stories about runaway apples, and even magically turning a pumpkin into a pigeon :)

Let's face it, we ROCKED this assignment!
(P.S. Thank You, DeAnne for the pipe cleaners and googly eyes! You're a lifesaver!)

I need your help...again

So coming up for another one of my blog projects, I need your suggestions and recommendations. I am going to attmept to watch 30 movies in 30 days. I know, I know, you wish you could be as original me... However, if you know me well, this challenge might be next to impossible because I am not really a huge movie fan. In fact, any movie I watch at my house usually includes a good 45-minute nap. But I don't want to just choose any old 30 movies. I want your recommendations. I want to watch movies that everyone in the world has seen but me. I want to watch the favorite movies of my loyal readers. So I need you to comment on the blog or send me an email and give me your thoughts. Tell me what to watch! It could be your favorite movie, a movie you just think everyone should see, something ridiculous from your childhood, whatever! (No rated R movies, of course :) I will try to link every movie I watch to one of you. I will even mention you by name and give a brief bio on you and short history of your life. Okay, maybe not all that information. But highlighting one of my readers each day would be pretty cool. I can tell you are excited :) So lay it on me! And don't worry, I already plan to watch a movie they call "The Notebook." Whatever that's about...

Merfairy: Take One

Life has been crazy for me the past few days. I have been slammed with errands to run, house projects, soccer games, and most importantly, DJing my first Single Adult dance. It was epic! (Best part of the night was when a guy told me, "My hearing aid battery is dying, so can you turn the music up a little?" Awesome.) Anyway, I finally have time catch up on my blog, you lucky dogs!

Since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, there is not going to be any official neighborhood door-to-door trick-or-treating for my kids. Mom of the Year! So I am hoping that the combination of Cindy's school Autumn Eve Festival, the annual Bartow Halloween Parade combined with the Fall Festival at our Church this Saturday will be more than enough trick-or-treatery. (And even if it isn't, oh well, sucks to be them :)

So here is part one of the Halloween trifecta: Cindy's Autumn Eve. Last year I took both kids. This year I wised up and left Luke at home. That's brutal, I know, but it is just too hard to please both of them at the same time. So Cindy and I got some good one-on-one time while Dad did soccer practice with Luke. Win-win! She decided just the day before to be a "Merfairy" (see Barbie Mermadia for reference). So this is what we came up with:


Fairy on top....


Mermaid tail on the bottom! Ta-da!

I took a ton more pictures last year at the school, so this time around I decided to be cool, calm and collected with the camera. Only the most important events. So here ya go: An elated Cindy on a horse.



Pony rides were a huge hit this year!



Donut on a string. Delicious and fun!



Cindy was a little too wylie for me to catch her on the super huge jumper house. I'll get you, Gadget!



Finally, we had to get some cotton candy. This one's for you, Aunt KaRyn!


The best part of this costume has got to be the pink hair. Cindy was in heaven. The body glitter powder, however, may have been a serious tactical error on my part. Every day since Thursday I have found more and more of my things that are absolutely covered with glitter. Last Friday Lady Cucuface could have doubled for Edward Cullen in the sunshine. However, there is a point where I draw the line. There will be no sparkly Iron Men in this house!

Let Me Blow Your Mind

I am not sure why we, as a society, tolerate the totally inept packaging of sour cream. Giant tubs are useless. Squeeze bottles are the way to go. I mean, you don't see the guy at Taco Bells getting out a little container and trying to spread around a huge dollop of sour cream on your taco with a spoon, right? Of course not! He has a GUN for sour cream! A GUN. It comes out in a convenient steady stream for even distribution. So basically a few weeks ago I decided to go pro. I put my sour cream (only a cup or so at a time, in case I do need a larger quantity from the tub) into my dollar store ketchup squeeze bottle and miracles have ocurred in my kitchen! I just thought you should know about my condiment revolution. And maybe the sour cream people should know too. Oh, and also the peanut butter people. And definitely the guacamole people.

Attention: We have a wiggly tooth!

I can't believe this day has arrived. Cindy finally has a loose tooth :) For some time now, every single one of Cindy's friends have lost a tooth. And not just one tooth, but many teeth. Sometimes her friends have lost two teeth in a week! (How careless, I know...) But not Cindy. Despite the deepest desires of her heart, her teeth have simply not budged. Not a smidge. She hasn't even had a wiggle. Not anything. And she was not happy about it. In fact, Cindy's envy was so green it could be Obama's Jobs Czar. However, last night at soccer practice she showed me that indeed Houston, we have movement! This announcement came about 10 minutes after Cindy got kicked in the face with a soccer ball by her teammate, so I am not sure if that had anything to do with it or not, but remind me to thank that girl later. For now, it is just keeping Cindy up at night and making her do ridiculous things like asking to eat an apple for breakfast. (Fruit? Who are we kidding?!) So now we are officially on tooth watch around here 24-7. Today she has a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and then the park, so naturally something will happen when she is far from home and unable to reach me. But as soon as that thing is out- which will be another fantastic blog post I am sure- pictures will follow. Thank You, Picture Day, for being last week :)

Television's Finest?

You know what's frustrating? Not being able to find enough shows on TV about cops, crime and murder. I mean, really, what's a girl gotta do to do to find a good drama about violence, malfeasance and uber-savvy police detectives that slickly solve crimes in 60 minutes or less with nothing but their dashing good looks and sharp attention to detail? Oh, wait, I guess I just have to turn on my TV to any channel at any hour of any day and I will find one. Silly me!


As a person living in the land without cable, my TV choices are limited to begin with. But you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cop/crime show on television. First, there is the Law and Order series, which I believe is under some sort of Federal mandate that it be airing on a channel somewhere at least 20 hours out of every day. (Personally, I think the spin-off Law and Order: Food Stamp Patrol is a bit of a stretch....) But then we also have Rookie Blue, Dark Blue, Dark Blueish Rookies,CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, CSI: Tatooine, Bones, Cold Case, Lie to Me, NCIS, Castle, The Closer, COPS, The Mentalist, Southland, Criminal Minds, Detroit 187, Memphis Beat, Rizzoli & Isles- and those are just a few of the ones currently on the air. Not to even mention the fact that Hawaii Five-0 and The Rockford Files are both being remade and coming back to TV this season. (I swear If CHiPS comes back I am taking a hostage...) Seriously? Is there really nothing else to have a show about? It's always about murder. Bo-ring! It's always about insurance money. Yawn! It's always about a mistress and revenge. Predictable! Or kidnapping, or covering up a crime and trying to get away with it, or killing your transvestite boss because he made you work one too many swing shifts. Is this really all we have to choose from? I think we need to ban all future cop/crime shows. There is just no need for them. We have plenty already! And here are the only 5 of those shows we really need:

1. COPS- The original reality TV show. Because this truth is stranger than fiction nearly 100% of the time. And like a bad accident, you just can't turn away from it....
2. Psych- Because it's hilarious. And if there's gonna be murder and crime, let's at least make it enjoyable, am I right? Plus, the facial expressions of Gus are unequaled anywhere on television.

3. Medium- Because it combines a little sci-fi and a tiny creepiness factor into police work that is about as far as I need to go into the world of death and disturbing violence.


4. Alias- I have said it before and I will say it again, Jennifer Garner on this show is one of the only actual, believable, butt-kicking girl spies I have ever seen. Every other character is too over the top in looks and attitude. I believe she really exists somewhere.

5. Monk- Because to make a good show, you need a really unique character to begin with. And 'unique' is definitely the right word for this guy.

Honorable mentions: Numb3rs (as a math teacher's wife, I am required to endorse this one), CSI Miami, Matlock, Moonlighting, Remington Steele (I am my mother's daughter), The Unusuals, and The Sweeney (even though I have never seen this British cop show, obviously it must be pretty awesome).

Don't get me wrong, cop shows have their place. It's just that it's apparently in every television time slot from 8am-8pm. Well, I gotta run, Grey's Anatomy is on. It's a drama that takes place in a hospital! Isn't that original and cool!!??

A Cindy and Luke Quickie

The kids stayed home with Jacob while I made a quick trip to my mom's house last night to borrow a movie from her. When I got home, Cindy was in the kitchen giving Luke a medal for 4th place in the "dance contest" they were having. Since it was Sunday, I was a little concerned about the music they may have chosen for their contest, but Cindy eased my fears when she told me, "Don't worry Mom, it's church music. AND, since you were gone the kitty was standing in for you and you already have three medals." As long as they say Mom and not Lady Cucuface :)


I was helping Luke say prayers last night. Usually he tells me he doesn't need help, but he was acting so silly about it I started helping him to get him on the right track. He was doing fine repeating after me, but then in the middle of the prayer, he did a big growl and said all whispery, "I don't need any help!" So I said, Okay and he started up by himself again. Well, a few seconds later, he sneezed. So I whispered, "Bless you!" He again got all mad and said, "Mom! I said I don't need any help!" Then he did a huge sigh and said very grouchily, "Bless me.....ughhhh...." and went on with the prayer :) Oh how I love that little boy!!

Picture Day

So today is picture day for Cindy. In light of last year's Go-Go-Gadget Grimace, I tried to take a few pics of Cindy this morning to loosen up the old smile muscles. I am very afraid to see what comes home in three weeks...










Well, at least she let me do her hair this morning :)

I Report, You Decide

Jacob is currently reading a psychology book about quirks. In it there is a chapter that discusses humor and jokes. It explains why certain jokes are funny, how your brain processes them, etc. The book gives several examples of different jokes that illustrate these points. So the other night as we were both reading in bed, Jacob told me one of the jokes in the book (#1). It was pretty short and simple, but I laughed out loud and almost came to tears. Maybe it was just really late (9:30pm) or I was really tired, but I just couldn't stop laughing. Then last night he read me another joke in that chapter (#2), this time it was the personal favorite of the pyschologist who wrote the book. I thought it was another excellent piece of humor. So please tell me which of the two you like best. Or neither if you don't find them funny. But come on, certainly no respectable Sweeneyville reader wouldn't find these hysterical :) Okay, maybe I am overselling just a tad...

1.

Two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, "Do you know how to drive this?"

2.

A dog goes into a telegraph office, takes a blank form, and writes: "Woof woof. Woof Woof Woof. Woof Woof Woof Woof."
The clerk examines the paper and politely tells the dog: "There are only nine words here. You could send another 'Woof' for the same price."
The dog looks confused and replies, "But that would make no sense at all."

Mom, you are not allowed to leave a comment regarding joke #1. It is hilarious, end of story.

The Big Reveal!

As promised, the laundry room is done!

Well, okay, techinically it stil needs a doorknob and a threshold, but it is amazing.

I can't beleive we didn't do this sooner!

After all, it only took a few weeks and...

a circular saw
bandsaw
roto zip saw
jigsaw
wet tile saw
door planer
pvc pipe and couplers
pvc cement
pvc primer
sandpaper
hand wrench
drywall
6 pieces of door trim
36 feet of wall trim

cement backer board
one million drywall screws
insulation panels
electrical wire
2 blue boxes
2 gallons of paint
14 boxes of tile
7 sheets of glass tile accents
utility knife

drywall knife
cordless drill
regular drill
chisel

hammer
scissors

tape measure
flat head screw driver
phillips head screw driver
a level
12 tubes of caulk
caulk gun
nail gun
staple gun
finishing nail gun
wood putty
6 cans of texture
6 bags of grout adhesive
2 x 4's
1 x's
64 sq. feet of peg board
a shop vac
3 c-clamps
8 gallons of joint compound

AND

One amazingly talented and hard-working husband :)

And a big thank you to Sweeney's Tool Supply Co.

So here is our video:

(view it soon before YouTube takes away the music...)

It's Tentastic!

In honor of today's date being 10-10-10, here are ten random things that have to do with the number ten:


1. At least 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals were used during the filming the movie The Ten Commandments.


2. Famous people with October 10th birthdays: Brett Favre, David Lee Roth, and Tanya Tucker. And out of my 179 friends on Facebook, ZERO of them have a birthday on October 10th.


3. Here are the ten events that make up a Decathlon:

100 yard dash
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400 meters
110 meter hurdles
Discus
Pole Vault
Javelin
1500 Meters


4. Ten things that came up on Google when I typed in the word “ten” in the search box:

Tennis elbow
Tendonitis
Ten commandments
Tennessee
Teneroc high school
Ten ton hammer
Ten thousand villages
Ten years after
Tenacious D
Big Ten

5. I just looked at Jacob and asked, “Quick, what is a shape with ten sides called?” And without hesitation he said, “Decagon.” He really is a Geometry teacher! (And then he proceeded to tell me that a shape with 13 sides is called a “Thirteenagon." I'm not falling for that one, mister. So I just Googled it and NO WAY, Jose! I think it might be real, but more importantly; it is almost a veritable Googlewhack- just 2 RESULTS! I am still in shock…

6. A ten gallon hat is often thought to be large enough to hold ten gallons of water. This is not true (unless you have an exceptionally large head). The gallon in "ten gallon hat" derives from the Spanish galón meaning braid. So a ten-gallon hat is a hat with a braiding around the brim.


7. Don Carter became the first athlete of any kind to sign a $1 million (U.S.) endorsement contract, inking a multi-year deal with Ebonite International in 1964. He was a professional ten pin bowler. Boo-yah!


8. The edge of each dime has 118 reeds, or small grooves milled into it.

9. Here is the 10th picture, from the tenth picture folder on my computer (entiled "Bingham Beach Trip"). Ha! I LOVE this picture of Cindy. Best one I have ever taken :)



And finally......

10. Top Ten Rejected Top Ten List Ideas

10. Top Ten Ways to Steal Cable
9. Top Ten Roman Numerals Between ii and xviii
8. Top Ten BYU Football Victories of 2010
7. Top Ten Reasons It's Better to Build Your Laundry Room Yourself
6. Top Ten Twelve Apostles
5. Top Ten 11 Herbs and Spices
4. Top Ten Obama Speeches
3. Top Ten Vowels (Including Y!)
2. Top Ten Episodes of Dora The Explorer
1. Top Ten Things Better Than Reading This Blog

A 3-year old's Guide to the Galaxy

And now Luke offers you advice on how to have the perfect day:


First, wake up and put on your Iron Man mask. No worries, it looks awesome with dinosaur pajamas!



Awh, heck, cutting corners never works. Go and get the full Iron Man costume on. Now we're talking business!!



It borders on pleasure overload, but next head to the couch where you will watch Return of the Jedi and look completely adorable at the same time.



Great movie! Next, go find Lady Cucuface and snuggle and play. Who cares if she was peacefully sleeping? She is the family pet and we have play-on-demand in this house, dangit!



That reminds me! If it's been over 6 hours since you watched this cat video, fire it up! We have a quota to reach, you know.




Ah, I love that one. Time for lunch! I know the movie made you a little sleepy, but don't worry, you can totally fall asleep halfway through your sandwich. Just hang over the chair and it's actually pretty comfortable.






It's 1 O'clock: Fake mustache time! I love this part of the day :)



And what's on the menu for afternoon snack? Yep, it's one of those giant suckers you only see in old cartoons when a villain is trying to entice a child. (Or when a child from the 1940's is dressed like a sailor and tap dancing.)





Almost bedtime. Cuddle up with your favorite sibling and watch some Tinkerbell. I mean, some Iron Man. Tinkerbell is for sissies. I never watch girl movies.





Finally, drift off to the land of Nod, while keeping your eyes mostly open. It will freak out your mom, which is great revenge for that wretched zucchini she made you eat earlier :)

Only in the South

Well, there are a myriad of things I could blog about today. Like the fact my windows are open right now because the morning air is so pleasant (and it's only October 6th- UNHEARD OF!), or how Luke went to the dentist yesterday and allowed them to take x-rays, clean his teeth and he didn't even really cry! (SO PROUD!) or how my lifelong friend Karin is moving and I still haven't really come to terms with the fact she is leaving me :( But instead, I am gonna go with this:



The business card a very odd man left the other day when asking if he could give me a quote on trimming my oak trees. Only in the South.

Russian Velvet, If You Please

As we continue to work on the laundry room, we have hit the stage where it comes time to paint. Oh joy of joys! Let me just get this fact officially out in the open about myself: I suck at picking paint colors. I SUCK! I like to think I'm okay at it, but let's be honest, Stevie Wonder would do a better job at choosing a color scheme than me. I always, always, ALWAYS guess the wrong color. And not by a little. A month ago I was going for the color "sage" in my TV room and when I bought the paint, got it home and put some on the wall, it was like I was living in Wrigley's Spearamint Gum World. So going to Lowe's this past week and committing to a color for our laundry room was absolutely excruciating. I finally picked "Light Sage" and though it is not exactly what I wanted (big surprise there!) it'll work. Anyhow, the entire point of this story is to point out the ridiculous names of paint colors. Have you read some of these things lately? You don't get to have just blue or aqua, you get to have Beckoning Sea. Forget red, you get Lava Flow. Brown is out. Pumpkin Bread is in. Oh, the poetry! And here for your entertainment is a little online quiz I found called The Paint Game. It gives you the name of a paint color and you have to match it to the correct shade. It changes a little every time you go to the site and I have yet to do better than 3 out of 10. Jacob did 7 out of 10 first try. I guess we all know who should be picking out colors from now on.

Click here to play the game.

And after a bit of further research I was able to get ahold of a top secret memo from the executives at Valspar. According to the memo, here are last year's....

TOP SEVENTEEN REJECTED VALSPAR PAINT NAMES

17. Mystic Liver
16. Sun-dried Gauze
15. Flaming bagworm
14. Artisan Truck Stop
13. Vintage Gizzard
12. Whisper of Bolus
11. Shimmering Cess
10. Moldy Fudge
9. Jaundice Everlasting
8. Barely Bruised
7. Cream of Elmo
6. Bloody Pulp
5. Fungal Monsoon
4. Hard Boiled Hornet
3. Spiced Gopher
2. Spearamint Mistake
1. Septic Bisque

Let's just say that 2009 was a rough year for turnover in the Valspar marketing department...

AND, that my awesome laundry room will be debuting in T-minus 7 days. Next Monday all shall be revealed!!!

2 Luke Quickies

It was 4:30am a few Tuesday mornings ago and I was awakened by a sleepy Luke who told me two things: "Mom, I need to go pooh. And I need some cheese balls." And he really did need those two things. Once he finished both, he went right back to sleep. He is nothing if not efficient.


The other day Luke and I were in the car waiting for Cindy to get off the bus. While we were waiting he was out of his carseat and happily playing with a little train named Percy. Then he spied a stormtrooper action figure wedged down under my seat. I fished it out and said, "Awesome, now it can be Percy Vs. the Stormtrooper!" (hoping he would catch my vision of having them have a pretend battle with each other.) He did not catch my vision. Instead he got really excited and asked, "OOOh! Do we have that movie????!!!" Come to think of it, a Star Wars/Thomas mash-up movie would be flippin' sweet! For now, this photo is closest mash-up we get:


Yet again, I love the Internet. And so does Luke, who can't stop looking at this picutre and smiling.