Fall Festival & Scout Camp

We had a great time at the fall festival last night. There were a ton of people and I'm sure the PTA had a great fundraiser. I have a few pictures from it but tyson ran off with my camera. Here's a picture of Caroline & her sweet friend Weston.




Also, Scout camp was a lot of fun! Jed & I had a great time. I'll have to post pictures when tyson gets home! Here's a couple pics of Jed at scout camp.

I have the FUNNIEST story to tell...

Yesterday when I was at a workshop and I thought to myself "I don't have any kids~I think I'll go get my eyebrows waxed"

So when lunchtime came around I opted for eyebrows instead of eating! haha I know something must be wrong with me. So I get to the place that waxes them and the girl takes me to the waxing room. She waxes the eyebrows, then she proceeds to wax my forehead~I'm not kidding! I thought dang what is she doing~then she proceeds to clip and trim and comb it took forever! I just knew when I got up I wasn't going to have any left. But it was a miracle~when I got up I still had eyebrows! YAY!!!

My friend Rachella...

RAWKS!!!!

She made this cute coupon holder

http://www.justussyessam.blogspot.com/

then she called and asked if I wanted one & of course I said yes, then she made me one too! It brightened my day!

Thanks Rachella!!!!

Yes~I'm ALIVE...

barely!!!!! We have a ton of stuff going on at school for the rest of the month so we have been swamped. By the time I get home and get supper cooked, baths, homework, etc. there hasn't been much time to blog.

This weekend is going to be crazy, but hopefully I'll have tons of pictures to show for it. Tomorrow we have school pictures, I have a workshop, & then tomorrow night is fall festival at the school. This will be my first fall festival since I've been working in Lufkin & I'm actually excited! I feel so blessed to be working at this campus. Every one is just so great to work with & I've made some really great friends.

Then Saturday Jed & I will be going to the Mom & me Cub scout campout all day.

Then the weekend will be over.

I want to finish my quilt b/c I got this in an email.

I just found out that CNN will be filming the solders
receiving the quilts on Veterans day and doing a story
about how women from all over the country have been
making and donating these quilts.

I know that some of you have already mailed your
quilts but if you are still working on it, try to get
it mailed by November 1st so she will receive it in
time for Veteran's Day.

So time's a ticking for me. Somewhere in there I need to make Halloween costumes. HUM, wonder if it will get done! haha

I NEVER thought I would have to say this...

but I have a brother from another mother!

My mom has lost her mind & I'm going to need counseling pretty soon. She didn't even tell me. I had to find out from my sister who thinks he's sooooo cute.

First she only cares to see the grandkids & now this! I don't know how I'll ever get over this






My new brother's name is Max~ugh! See he doesn't even fit in~we all have 'A' names~Autumn, Annie, Alison, Max?

Whatever~I'm off to call a therapist.

Happy Birthday~Aunt Franci!!!!

Today is my Aunt Franci's birthday!

She is a great woman! Here's a picture of her with our family at the temple (she's 2 people over from me)




Happy Birthday Aunt Franci~we love you!!!!

Thank goodness for INTERNET

Hopefully you didn't miss the season premiere of Friday Night Lights, BUT if you did miss it you can watch it online (thanks Al Gore~didn't he claim to invent the internet?)

This is one of my all time favorite shows & even Tyson enjoys it.

It comes on Friday nights at 8pm central~

Not much else going on around here.

Congratulations Bubba!!!!

We had some excitement at our house tonight~Jed has had his 2 permanent bottom teeth coming in for about 6 months. We've been to the dentist & they pretty much said if they weren't out by the time we came back they would have to pull them. His perm. teeth are pretty much all the way in~Today he said "my teeth were hurting & I wasn't even eating. I told him it was because he needed to wiggle his baby teeth. So tonight Jed & tyson came in with some string & I asked what was going on~I'm sure you can guess.

They tried to tie string to the first tooth and it wouldn't work~Jed touched it and it fell out in his hand. Tyson talked him into letting him tie string around the 2nd one & he yanked it out. Here's the proof.


minus one tooth



again minus one tooth


minus 2 teeth~that's a little bloody~sorry!


2nd tooth on a string


the 2nd tooth was just as lose as the first one so tyson didn't have to yank too hard.

Do WHAT?

so tonight we went to the cub scout sign up at school. Jed was so excited to sign up for scouts. They had a meeting this afternoon & all I heard from the time he came into my room after school was "Mom, please can I?"

So we went to check it out & signed him up. I was outside on the phone & missed the first part of the meeting so when I go in Tyson tells me the details & then tells me~"There's a Mom & me campout coming up."

HELLO? I thought scouting was for the boys & their dads? No one said I was going to have to go to a scouting campout. HAHA I really don't mind camping (and I'm not sure if it's overnight or not)~Jed would be heartbroken if we don't go so I'm sure we'll go.

He was so glad to be signed up.

His first meeting is next Tuesday. We'll see how it goes.

What's your Favorite?

We have been eating out entirely too much~we've all gained weight except maybe Jed. HAHA Not to mention the hit our bank account takes every single time we eat out. Those of you who know me~know I HATE the thought of cooking, but I'm going to try to be better. So what I need from you is your favorite recipe~either post it in your comment or shoot it to me in an email.

This past week I fixed Chicken Quesadillas & the whole family ate without complain!~it was an amazing experience~probably one we'll never experience again.

So let me hear your favorite~(& easy is good too!)

Our house is decorated for

FALL!!!

I hung my sweet Halloween calendar that my mom bought me for my birthday in the dining room & the kids are soo excited. Just a few more days and the Great Pumpkin will be delivering the goodies in the calendar.



I also found this decorative platter when I was looking for something the other day. My mom bought this for me last year~




So I guess even though she spells my name wrong~she still RAWKS!!!!

Thanks mom!


Here's the front porch/front yard decorations

Last year I made this topiary, so I put it out again. I added some fall ribbon on it and a bow and it made it look better.




Here's my favorite pumpkin hanging beside the front door.



Here's the kids section of the front yard! haha




We still haven't decided on Halloween costumes yet. Heather wants to be a skeleton bride~um, yeah whatever!

Cute Halloween Gift

In case you are looking for something & I know you are! haha Here's something cute that Caroline got from a little boy at daycare. I came across it when I was pulling stuff out to decorate for fall around here. I was just going to do a little something for the kids teachers, so this is what they are getting.

It's a small witch's cauldron with a tag attached to it that has this little poem

Witch Brew

Start with lots of owl’s eyes.
Sprinkle in some colorful flies.
Toss in pointy toes of lizards.
And a bunch of chicken gizzards.

Add blood drops in small doses.
And some little cute ghost noses.
Stir in fine bones of a bat
Along with fat claws from a cat.

That’s one cup of each in a black pot.
And don’t forget ants…they add a lot.
The following substitutions are allowed,
But only for the VERY wimpy crowd!

Owl’s eyes: Peanuts
Colorful flies: M&M’s
Toes of Lizards: Candy Corn
Chicken Gizzards: Chex Mix
Ghost Noses: Miniature Marshmallows
Bones of a Bat: Potato Sticks
Claws from a Cat: Sunflower Seeds
Ants: Raisins



The girl who made it made the really big tags, but I don't think I'll make mine quite as big~of course she might have had to get all the words on it.

anyways, there's my treat to you!

have you seen these shoes?

Tyson's aunt Deby told me about these shoes & I'm thinking about going to get some today. They are kind of "spendy" (thanks sunshine for a new word) but look how many pairs of shoes you get with one sole! when you buy the first pair you get 2 free toppers & I think a solid black one, so you already save money! And everyone that is wearing them says they are really comfy.

onesoles

My name

in Flickr pics



of course, it's my name that my mom gave me 33 1/2 years ago & the other day when she mailed me my birthday present she spelled it wrong~go figure? what do you have to say for yourself MOM? :) he he thanks for the awesome present though!

~Oh My~

check this out~

Mormon Missionary Calendar

interesting take on the mormon missionaries! HAHA Have a good day!

oh and I forgot...

I made 7 of those teacher kits~um, only 1 said thank you for it. She gushed about how cute it was & chased me down the hall to tell me thank you! It was Heather's Math teacher, she's been teaching for 50 years. Her birthday was today~she turned 70. I figured she might be the one we had trouble with, but so far she's been the best! We got her a $25 gift certficate for her birthday. I don't know what the others will get~brats! haha

OHHHHHH a new post....

aren't you excited? I found this on a friend of my cousin's blog




and here's the link to her blog explaining it.

I think this would be really fun~I guess I better start thinking of my 15 songs.

and yes, I have resorted to stalking other people's blogs b/c I have some friends on my list that absolutely will NOT update their blogs!

Teacher Gifts

A couple of days ago I was browsing the net and came across this post

back to school teacher kits
and set out to make these cute things~well of course HL doesn't have the tins for a buck they were more like $4 so that was out of the question. Between the 3 kids I have 7 teachers to buy for~so my friend Rachella & I walked around HL & thought that take out boxes would be cute & a little cheaper. Of course they weren't, but Rachella's dear husband NEEDED to go to Houston on Saturday so she stopped at a Michael's. As she was checking out with a few take out boxes, they started ringing up for a PENNY~SCORE!!!!!

So Rachella & I were back on plan with our idea. We went out today and bought the stuff to go inside these cute take out boxes for our teacher survival kits.




We were so impressed with how cute they turned out. Matt thought up the cute idea for the fortune cookie & Rachella made up some fortune tags that said



We are so excited for the kids to take them to school tomorrow & so are they. We'll have to see what the teachers have to say!

now we can PaRtY with the RoCkStAr!!!!

I don't know why I was so determined to finish this project or why I was so dedicated to it~Well I guess it's because my aunt Franci instilled in me a sense of patriotism & I always get a great sense of pride from our service men & women. Of course anyone who knows me also knows that my house is decorated with an Americana theme & I haven't changed it in years. So tonight I finished my quilt top & tomorrow I am taking it to work to ask a friend of mine how much she'll charge me to quilt the top~I would do this part but I have no clue about the quilting (although that will be something I learn someday). So here's a picture of the finished product & it almost makes me sad to send it away, but I know someone will cherish it~



I don't think you can really tell but in this picture around the brown there is a blue border that is 8 inches wide. I think it turned out quite nice actually & I am very impressed with myself that I actually took the time to make sure everything lined up. Of course this has now got me to want to sew more. There are a couple of mistakes on this where the seams don't line up but maybe it will give it character! haha

So I'm sorry you had to listen to my obnoxious self the last couple of days, but at least now I know I can do it (make the quilt top).

Because I AM a RoCkStAr...

here's what I finished tonight on the flag quilt.




I think I can get it finished tomorrow.

I know you are impressed~be sure to leave a comment! haha

The...

quilt has been started. I'm going to try to finish the top tomorrow so I can take it to school Tuesday & see if a lady will quilt it for me, since I haven't learned that yet! haha

RUN!!!!

to get this cute lunch tote! It is only 9.95 & $5 of it goes to the Susan Komen Foundation.


If you miss out, you can't say I didn't tell you!

I Challenge YOU....

Ok over on the sidebar you see a link for Everything's Pink

She posted about the wonderful quilt project & then another girl who was challenging people to make them and then send them to the lady who usually does it by herself.

Here's her link

If that doesn't inspire you then you are pretty much hopeless! HAHA

I want to make a ton of them (although in reality I'll be lucky if I get one done!). I am going to try to work on it this weekend. Tyson has to work, so it will be me and the kids!

Oh, and if you do it~don't forget to either post pictures or email them to me!

First Week of School

Well, we started school this week & we have been trying to get into the routine. Heather & Jed have been enjoying school so far. They both really like their teachers. Here they are on the first day.




I almost forgot to take our annual first day pictures, but snapped them at the last minute in my classroom.

So far I am really enjoying my job. It's a million times better (and less stressful) than Pre-K & it amazes me what my students know at 7 years old AND in both languages.

Friends DO NOT let Friends...

do things like this~

Heather's supply list asked for a 1 1/2 inch 3 ring binder. The only one we could find was one with a pink see through cover. So I let her take it to meet the teacher night, then I picked it up from her teacher on Friday because I told her we would decorate it.

This is what I came up with



the front cover


the spine



the back cover

I have to get the pictures printed off to put on there but we are going to use some of her, caroline & her friend Maddie.

So see if I had true friends they would have already taken me to have my head examined b/c I do stuff like this quite often.

Oh yeah and I forgot to mention I did this while I stayed home from Church this morning. When we woke the kids up (Caroline mainly) she was in a horrible mood & I wasn't in the mood to deal with her at Church so the girls stayed home & the boys went!

Our new pet

Heather came inside yesterday and said there was a tarantula outside her window. I ignored her b/c she thinks every bug is going to eat her alive. So when I did go outside this is what she was talking about.






I am surprised she went to bed last night b/c that thing was right outside her window.

Halloween Calendar

isn't this cute?




my mom is going to buy it for me~she just doesn't know it yet! haha

It's from Pottery Barn Kids

I got this in my email this morning...

and i thought it was quite humorous!

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess.

A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family ro room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the tab le, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife.

He was s worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door.

As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor.

Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "Wh at happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."


Thanks Rachella!

What an exciting week...

Well lots of exciting things have been happening around our house. Tyson FINALLY got the playground finished. We had more sand delivered today & then next week we'll have something else delivered to put on top of that.






I had to go to work this morning so Caroline got to start her class since she's in the teacher's Pre-k this year. Here is a picture of her this morning at her classroom.



She was such a big girl this morning. She told me she could walk in all by herself & I insisted on walking her to class. She had a great time & never even missed her mommy.

I don't know what I love more...

the convience of shopping online in the comfort of my home & not having to drag the kids with me OR the sound of my doorbell ringing when the brown truck comes to my neighborhood.

I got 2 packages today~Jed's school shoes



& these shorts that I ordered for the girls for school~Caroline has some clothes to start school.



I've decided that I'm doing my Christmas shopping online this year!

Progress is Being Made...

I know it's a miracle, but Tyson has been working hard on the playground this week. Here is what he's gotten done so far.

Survey Says....

Remember Family Feud?

As I was cooking supper this evening, I began wondering how many sets of pots & pans do normal people have?

I only have one set that is Pampered Chef that I bought several years ago. They have been fine up until now but I am trying to cook better & include more of a variety in our dinnertime. I am running into 2 problems. The first is I don't have enough pans & second is the ones I do have aren't that great.

I've been eyeing this Kitchen-Aid set at Amazon.




My cousin's husband, Dev at Dev's Deals
posts them on sale every so often.

So how many sets of pots & pans do you have in your kitchen?