Say "Cheese"

Happy Halloween, folks.

I took some pictures of my sister, John and Megan last weekend. She is dying to see them. I am posting them here so she can have a peak!

Oh and be honest... If you have some helpful suggestions, let me know!!

ignore the line on the bottom of the picture

Blogs

I read way too many blogs. Here are some things I've learned about blogging...

* Everyone is PERFECT. Seriously, perfect. And they are soooo grateful they are so perfect.
* A lot of people use photoshop.
* Every blogger eventually has a "give away". Trust me, I've considered this. I was going to put my doggy Vegas up as a give him away but my husband said shipping would cost too much. This brings me to my next point...
* Just about every blogger is in California, Utah or Arizona.
* They have blog awards. Seriously.
* Everyone has a "button" on their blog (I'm the blog exception - I'm a leader, not a follower)... Look on the side bars - some cute little graphic appears on these mega bloggers.
* Quiz - what is the point? I took one this morning and the Halloween candy that reflects my personality is a snickers. Thank you internet - you figured me out with just 2 questions. One of them was "what is your favorite candy bar?"

I just don't get the blog hoopla. I don't get it but I love it. I love blogging almost as much as I LOVE reality tv - btw, did anyone see what Johnny Bananas and Kenny did to Paula on the RW/RR Challenge last night? gasp. I hope they give her a heartfelt apology at the reunion. Oh and who did Paris vote off this week? I didn't see the episode and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the bestie announcement. I don't have time for LC talk either... but really, will Heidi get fired???

ok - I'm done for today! Gotta use my time wisely. Colin has a trick-or-treat bag that needs to be finished!!!!

Letters

Dear political people,

Please stop coming to my house and leaving junk on my front door. Please stop sending me mail - really donate the stamp money to a charity of your choice. The election is in 5 days and I'm pretty sure I've made up my mind - the political sign on my lawn should pretty much tell you that - and if you come on my property to ARGUE about my vote, I will hit you with that very political sign.

Hugs and Kisses,
Fed up

Sentenced

Justice has been served.

Pray for Kerry's sweet family. I'm sure it was hard. My cousins are amazing people.

More Apples

I spent most of the day Friday making homemade applesauce. The first batch turned out great.

The second batch, too much cinnamon. It was my first attempt at applesauce and I was satisfied with the results. I even gave some away to my family, per their request.

Recipe

3-4lbs peeled, cored, and quartered apples

4 strips of a lemon peel

3-4T of juice from a lemon

3 inches of a cinnamon stick (don't use this much)

1/4C dark brown sugar

up to 1/4C white sugar

1 cup of water

Put ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat - take out the lemon peels and cinnamon stick. Mash.

Halloween Parade

Thank you to Potterybarn Kids for having Halloween costumes on sale for parents everywhere who waited until the week before Trick-or-Treat to shop.

Thank you to my sister for dragging us to our small town Halloween parade and stuff.

Thank you to the small town costume contest judge for not picking Colin. I didn't want him to get a big head. Plus, he wasn't in costume yet. Technically, he was still in his car seat. BUT I know you could see his award winning costume from the judge's circle.

Thank you.

Florida

Here are some of our vacation pictures

Colin in front of a waterfall in Downtown Disney

We spent a lot of time playing around at the kids pool. It was nice to sit, relax and enjoy some "quiet" time!! C had to bring his trucks and tractors everyday. The other little boys flocked to him!!

The resort had an activities center - we borrowed games almost every night. It usually ended up just Justin and I finishing the games.. Let me tell you, we seriously played Candyland about 8 times - I was on a winning streak and Justin wouldn't quit until he caught up to me :)

I won't go into our Scrabble scores though... My mother always taught me if I have nothing nice to say - I shouldn't say anything at all. I swear he makes up words... Ok I'm done.

Of course, Colin sniffed out a train at Downtown Disney one night.. He rode it twice before we removed him kicking and screaming.

This is all I have time for today! I'll post more later...

Happy Birthday to me

My birthday was last Saturday and we spent the day driving home from Florida. We stopped in Locust Grove, GA to hit up the outlet mall and ended up spending the night in a hotel. I didn't get to celebrate my big birthday..

We had a family party at my mom and dad's house on Wednesday. I got home last night and had yet another party waiting for me, compliments of Justin and Colin...

(I can't get my photobucket account to work so sorry for the blogger pictures)

The kitchen was decorated and Colin screamed "surprise" when I walked in the door. Justin made me the BEST dinner ever... He found the recipe for my fav dish at PF Changs. We had some homemade brushetta for an appetizer too!!

They even bought me a small little cake. I am a cool mom and told Colin it was ok to take a little taste before we sang happy birthday.

Thanks boys for the great evening! It was a lot of fun and I loved my presents. Colin got me the CUTEST collection of tractors (not a lie, Justin let him pick out ANY present for me in the store and he got tractors)... I ended up giving them to Colin - duh...

Yellow Alert

Colin was lost at the store with my dad today.

They put out a yellow alert and locked all points of entry.


According to Colin he was "hiding in the shirts" and Grandpa found him.




My sister asked a good question, "why can't other shoppers leave if they don't have a 3 year old boy with them?"


Hmmmm... It's not like he'd fit in the bag.



PS.. I'm still too lazy to post pictures of Florida. Keep waiting...

I'm home...deal with it

We are home from Florida. Like all of our vacations, it ended on a bad note. Justin informed me on our way home we will not visit Disney World ever again, we are now Disney Land people. I hope it is just as magical. But the rest of the time in Florida was fantabulous. Oh and Happy Birthday yesterday to my beautiful, funny, great cousin, Sara.

The actual visit to Disney World was just as I had hoped. C was in awe and he agreed the place was just as magical as his first visit at 1 year old. This time, he didn't sleep through the day :) He rode his first roller coaster, fought off crazy pirates, drove a race car, fell in friend love with Donald Duck, ate yummy pizza - Disney World style, and had just a great time.

Leaving Disney World - our family convo...

Mommy: Colin, what was your FAVORITE ride at Disney World?
Daddy: Was it the BIG roller coaster, buddy?
Colin: in a dreamy voice just waiting for our question... The Monorail.

I know I don't work for Mr. Mouse, but I am a walking promotion 24/7. I can't help it, I truly love the Magic Kingdom.

And for the MOST annoying part of our vacay. I do want to explain first... I am truly a cheap, cheap person. I can't help it. I am my mother's daughter. I can't spend money - ok I can - but on stuff that I KNOW I could get cheaper, I just can't do it.

Allow me to explain, our five star condo in Orlando. How much was it you ask? How about $1 for the ENTIRE week ($216 after taxes). Yes folks, we were in the 2 bedroom villa. Check it out.
Disney tickets? $22.50 each. How you ask, stupidity I answer. We were one of the idiots that happily agreed to do a timeshare talk. NEVER AGAIN. It's amazing how NICE people are when you arrive and how RUDE they turn out to be.

Westgate Villas in Orlando - DON'T BUY THERE and don't go there. It isn't worth any amount of anything. Even cheap Disney tickets. I will say this, I HATED it. I wouldn't buy there if it was only $1. I wouldn't stay there if it was only $1. I am not that cheap.

So my first vacation post. No pictures because I haven't even opened my lap top since I got home. I'll try to get some up tonight. Then I will bore you with every magical detail - ok not so much. I'll just get some pictures up :)

Happy Birthday Katie!

My Dear Sister Katie,

I cannot imagine my world without you. You're my best buddy, most trusted confidante, and partner in crime. You get my jokes, wipe my tears, and tell me the truth when my pants make me look fat.

You get my strange sense of humor because you have it too.

You keep my deep, dark secrets.

You are my best friend.

There is no one in the world who could replace you.

Your birthday is one of my favorite days of the year . . .

the day you were born to save me from a life of just Spike and I (ha, ha)

I love ya Katie.

Happy Birthday.

Love,

Lisa

Guest Blogger

Hello . . . this is Lisa. I'm guest blogging for Katie while she is away.

She is in Florida . . . basking in the sunshine.

I miss her.

Wanna know some random stuff about Katie:

1. She loves Pepsi and can't live a day without it.

2. She is very sensitive and can't stand when anyone argues. She is the peacemaker of our family and trust me, we need one sometimes.

3. She is super thoughtful when it comes to giving gifts. She always comes up with the best ideas, even for people who are so hard to buy for because they already own everything on the planet. (ie: my dad)

4. She hates mushrooms which is perfect because I love them.

5. She has a knack for decorating and color . . . she effortlessly puts things together and they look great

6. She snorts sometimes when she laughs, then pretends she did it on purpose.

7. She likes to snuggle when she sleeps. I am an independent sleeper and can't fall asleep with any part of me touching someone else. When we used to sleep in the same bed, just as soon as she thought I was asleep I would feel her big toe stretch over touch my leg, desperate for any form of contact.

8. I once beat her up over a hair dryer.

9. We love to go to craft fairs together and then complain when we can't find anything to spend our money on.

10. She is my best friend, my person . . . and I am hers.

I can't imagine a second of my life without her blog reading, procrastinating, damask loving, craft making self.

What the...

I seriously think I might scream.

I can't vacation. PERIOD. We went to Myrtle Beach in June, super high winds. Florida next week, rain.

Sunday - 84 - "T-Storms"
Monday - 85 - "Scattered Showers"
Tuesday - 86 - Mostly sunny
Wednesday - 85 - "Scattered Showers"
Thursday - 84 - Partly Cloudy
Friday - 83 - "Scattered t-storms"
Saturday - 82 - Partly Cloudy

Really, Mother Nature, spare me. I am not going to the sunshine state for rain. I guess I can leave the sunscreen at home.. except Tuesday - the day we go to Disney World. BLAH

Teeth.. Optional

Finally, Colin is home! I met my parent's to pick him up last night and the very first thing he said to me was, "I don't wanna go to Disney World, momma." Too bad, buddy. T-minus 3 days.

He couldn't stop talking about Uncle Paul, Aunt Eleni, Cheryl, Mokey, Seamus, GG, Grandpa... He was a chatter box! Looks like he had a great time.

I got a call from my mom yesterday telling me my little guy fell teeth first on the ceramic tile at the cabin. His lips are a little cut up and he has a cut on his gums right where it meets his front tooth. I'm not sure if this is possible but his teeth don't look the same. They are basically sticking way out and more gapped. He let me brush them last night and they didn't feel loose but I couldn't tell. Should I just go to the dentist or call the pediatrician? He talks funny too because he usually uses his teeth. He said "mom, my teeth are ok. I even ate pizza." So I'm assuming I'm making a bigger deal out of this. But I'm afraid they will fall out in his sleep and he'll eat them. All my Disney pictures will be toothless and I'll have to spend a fortune getting him veneers before we go.. haha. Or I could just photoshop some in his mouth...

But I'm so happy to have him home. He kept hugging me and kissing me. We called Daddy at work and left a message and Colin was so sweet. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Crafty Kate con't..

As promised... here are some pictures of my little fall craft projects.

Sorry about the shadow - I had to use flash so it would show up.. I didn't have any natural light to work with since it gets dark so early now!

Ok - these pictures are terrible but you get the idea. I bought a few more things at JoAnn's today for some other little projects I've been thinking about.



this was my spray paint project.. I didn't finish distressing yet because I bought a sander sponge and it is too thick to get where I need to go!! But I sprayed the berries around the candle and the candle holder.



This I threw together after a night at Hobby Lobby.. I used a paper mache box and can't figure out what to do with it.. The back is different paints - I just can't figure out what I like! So I'm leaving it for now until I can find some cute paper to modge podge..

I bought some extra sunflowers and berries and put them my the hanging vases.

Oh and when I was at JoAnn's, they had a red metal sign that said "Batter Up" on clearance! I am redecorating Colin's room in vintage baseball and it will look GREAT! I'm so excited. If anyone knows where to find cool vintage baseball stuff, let me know. I got him some red pillows with cream stars for his bed and a great pillow sham from PB kids.. I'm slowly doing this project so we won't have to redo his room until he is away at college :) ha.

The Cabin

Our trip to the cabin was great! We did have so much fun.. We went to the Amish auction on Saturday - it was so neat to be a part of.. I didn't get anything but maybe next time!

Here are some pictures...

There is a rock wall about waist high with ferns behind it. It is really pretty to sit on the big front porch and see it - Colin was playing right in front of it.

He was watching Grandpa move some wood on his tractor.. He literally didn't move - at all...

This is the start of the cabin hill. Notice the little cat just sitting there? Uncle Mike used to park his boat at the house on the left when we would go up in the summer! The trees were soooo pretty!

Since you can't take pictures of the Amish, I took a picture of their "parking lot" at the auction.

Crafts and Antiques

So yesterday my sister and mother-in-law joined me at some craft fair far, far away! I didn't get anything but food :( - It was very sad walking out empty handed.

On our way home, we stopped at an Antique store and I found the greatest candle holder ever! It came with yellow berries and a cream candle. The holder was also cream. I took a little trip last night to buy spray paint and I got to work. I sprayed the berries black (it is Halloween) and I sprayed the candle holder black as well. Tonight, I'm distressing the little thing and it'll be good to go. I'll post pictures tomorrow. I'm also going to find an orange candle for festivities sake and it'll be all set!

I now have a confession. I'm obsessed with spray paint. It may have been the fumes but I found myself running all through the house last night trying to find something to "redo" black!!! I realized I had a problem when I was on a chair looking at my kitchen light trying to figure out how to take it down, spray paint it and put it back up all before Justin got home to see what I did. Is there a support group out there? SPA - Spray Painters Anonymous?

So now I'm looking into projects that require spray paint. Do you have any???

I may be too distracted to post pictures from our weekend in NY!! haha. But we did have a great time! The new cabin is really nice and tucked in the woods. We went to an Amish auction, took long naps and fed some fish at the hatchery. In fact, little Colin stayed with my parents for an extended vacay. I miss him terribly and called last night to ask them to come home early! This is only his second time away from us since his birth and I'm hating every second. It doesn't help when I call and he is eating more than ever, playing harder than ever and having the best time EVER... Blah.. He's grounded when he gets home.

Vacation countdown: we leave this weekend... I'm hoping the gas situation in the south is over so we can stop and see my Grandpa in South Carolina. I should check on that, huh?!

We're off...

I head out tonight to my parent's new cabin (located next to the old cabin) to help them unload the big moving truck. Don't worry, I will most likely blog tomorrow for the both of you that read this thing (you know who you are)...

We have a lot of plans this weekend -
* get and treat frost bite
* ride on the tractor (woohoo)
* sit around complaining I am bored
* go to Jake's Rocks - oh wait - the high is 50, not 105.. I'm not going
* eat
* take pictures of Colin in the new puffy vest I got him from the Gap
* did I mention freeze?

I am very excited to go to "town" to take Colin to the Rail Museum! He'll be so excited!

hugs n kisses

What Not to Eat..

Dear Little Megan,

Please do not attempt to swallow a binder clip EVER again. Aunt Katie was very worried about you. I'm glad I had the opportunity to play trains with you in the ER, but seriously - you will be in big trouble next time.

Just for reference - this is NOT edible...

When you get home, please feed Mona. I couldn't find her fish food.

Love,

Your Aunt Katie

PS - Megan is fine. They removed the binder clip early this morning at Children's hospital. Lisa and John - you are such great parents and she is one lucky kid to have you. It was very touching to watch you snuggle, kiss and talk to Megan last night. I'm sure Lisa will post about the situation once she catches up on some zzz's (she is the Stay at Home Momma Drama over to the right)..