Christmas Parade 2009

It's that time of year again. Time for the yearly Christmas parade. Now, don't ask me why it is before Thanksgiving as it is something many ask and never receive an answer. We just go with it. Heck the kids don't care when it is. It was chilly and half way through it started to rain but who cares..it was a holiday parade with floats, bands, motorcycles, candy being thrown and of course Santa Claus. Don't they just look so excited?

Here is one of the local dairy trucks. I really want this truck. Wouldn't it look awesome at an auction with all my stuff in the back. Too cute.

Isn't she just so cute? I want her for Christmas. haha
 
And no parade would be a parade here in town without old Betsy. She is our 1925 fire engine.

And wait for it...yeah it is Santa himself. My kids about went crazy - they said he looked right at them and waved. It is all about them and it was fun.

Well that is it from our little small town today. Hope your weekend was fun. Ours was pretty productive. We got my sisters craft room all set up - she is home organizing it as we speak so she can share pictures with all of you. We put up her ginormous tree- and it is so nice.

And I got one of her chairs almost done. Still feeling a bit under the weather but gonna jump back in and start blogging away.

taking a break

This little man makes me smile no matter what- even when I feel ill. Love that crazy kid.

Daughter sick - off to pediatrician this morning. She has shared her cold/flu with me so I feel poorly. Husband leaving for a 3 day tdy today. So, we are going to lay low and try to get better.

Hope to come back with some cool projects..

See ya in a couple days.

One last show before bedtime

It's soooo cold and windy and rainy outside so Sophie decided it was best to be on the sofa wrapped in a nice throw and watching Noggin. Sounds good doesn't it? But I wondered how my garden was getting ready for its long winter nap. 

Well after hours of rain and some very windy times from lovely Ida our poor block looks like 
this. Leaves everywhere. Ahh fall has fallen.

But Ida couldn't blow away the last flowers. They are determined to shine a bit, they aren't ready to sleep yet. Shine on dear friends - shine on.
One last lovely Dahlia.

The lone gardenia bloom.

My climbing rose still trying to climb that picket fence.

Ahh the hydrangea. My love of all of them..She is still blooming and hanging on. Love this blue bloom.
 

And here is a small bud- I don't think it will have time to bloom before it is time to nap.

Here are the hydrangea blooms from summer - changed to their pink color. 

The Queen Elizabeth - she seems so quiet now. 

Look at these azaleas. The encore ones just seem to bloom much nicer in fall. 

Even the eggs and ham lantana is still thriving.

The lantana just went wild and overtook the front bed.

No more gallardias, no more coneflowers, no more salvia it must be close...
.

The vine on the arbor is still pushing out flowers. Seems they are pushing more out now than all summer long.

It is okay lovely garden. You worked hard all spring and summer. You provided me with tons of happiness and lots of hours of enjoyment. Now it is time to rest. Go ahead take that long deserved nap. I will see you again in the spring.

Veteran's Day

Today is a day to remember a day to thank others.

A day to thank all of those that do so much so the rest of the country can have a better life.

I come from a long line of military. My grandfathers both served during wars. My dad is a Vietnam veteran and a retiree of 20 years with the Air Force. My mother served. I served for 4 years. My youngest brother served also.

My husband serves now in the Air Force. He has been a computer software engineer while he waited for his pilot slot to open up. Then he went to his dream job- an A-10 pilot.

He went to Iraq many times. He has had buildings he has been in bombed. He has had to spend many days and months away from home. He has served 2 remote tours of one year each in Korea and he is off to Afghanistan December 9th.

He has missed many birthdays, many holidays and almost every anniversary we have ever had.

He will miss our 4 year old Christmas program this year, Christmas itself, New Years, Sophies 5th birthday, Jon's 15th birthday, My birthday, valentines day, st patty's day, Easter, our anniversary - again, Josh's 19th birthday, Memorial day, Sophie's preschool graduation and probably the 4th of July.

He misses all of this so he can do what he loves. Serve his country.

I will not lie...I get tired of work always taking away our family time. I hate having to see my kids cry when he leaves. I hate having to hold them and try to make them understand he will be okay and will come back home. I hate trying to explain why he leaves and none of their friends daddy's do.

But even with all of that - we are proud of him and all the others that do serve.

Whenever I see a uniformed soldier anywhere we make sure to think of all they do.

We say thank you when we see them at the airport.

We tell the kids all the things they do for all of us. Because even though Daddy goes to war to keep everyone safe. Other daddy's and mommy's go to keep us safe.

God bless all of you and God bless your families as it is sometimes harder for them to be left alone to wait and pray and wait.

Halloween 2009 Recap

Ahhh Halloween night. What fun it was. Here are the two that still enjoy trick or treating.

Yeah a storm trooper and a fairy princess who dressed herself- such the independent one these days.

Here it is at dark with the fog machine going. Have to find a way to make the steps less hazardous with the fogger though.

Woooo spooky skeleton entrenched in fog.

This guy has been in the ground for so long with all the rain that the weeds are growing over him. Sure was hard getting him out of the ground.

Hope your Halloween was fun. Now time to pack it all up and put it away till next year.
Did anyone get any really good deals for next year? We got a few inside items.

Fall Home Tour 2009

Sophie is here to welcome you to our house and to be your guide.
 

Welcome all. I'm Sophie Elizabeth and these are my Fall overalls. I just got back from my preschool pumpkin patch trip.

Do you like my pumpkin? Well let me put it down and I'll show you around.

This is my house. It is big, but I have 3 older brothers so we need the room. It has a big front yard and a back yard. It really needs a puppy but mom says not now. Gotta work on that.

Lets go through the gate. It is okay come on in.

Okay let me tell you my mom loves Halloween. She thrills in trying to scare all the neighborhood children. Here our a ring of childish ghosts dancing in the graveyard. It used to scare me but I am 4 now so I am not scared of them. 

 

Next is another graveyard. Yeah the skeleton plays soccer at night. :) This is where the fogger goes on Halloween night to scare the children. Woooo Ooooo

  Here is our big head skull. It blinks red in his eyes. Well we hope it does since my brother and I keep turning it on gosh knows if the battery still works. ooops

 

Okay lets go on up the stairs. Be careful. 

Look there are hands rising out of the dirt in the wagon. Are you scared yet? I'm not. Remember I am 4.

Here we have a large spider who spun this gigantic web. 

  Here is the lady of the porch. She is dressed in white but she isn't very pretty.
 

This is the man of the porch. He is very ugly - do you notice he doesn't have a nose. When he is turned on he talks to you when you get close. Okay I am 4 but this guy scares me that is why he is turned off. 
 Lets go on inside. Hello anyone home?

Here is the wreath on the inside..My mommy made it and she loves it.

Here is mommy's friend Josephine. She ordered her because she says she needs someone to talk to that listens. Hmmmph

Here we are in our dining room. Here is the light. Mom put leaves all over it.

Here are our outside tower of pumpkins. Since it is Halloween mom uses it in the house backwards. But when Halloween is over we put it outside. It has our house numbers carved in it and it lights up.. Very cool. 

This is our hutch - mom bought it at the Prissy Hen. Isn't that a silly name for a store? I like them they always give me a free candy lipstick when we go there. 

These are cones mom got from the Home Goods store- it is her favorite place to go. Not mine they don't have enough toys.

More Halloween stuff near the fireplace. 

Here is the fireplace with all her stuff. Boy she sure has a lot of Halloween but remember I told you she LOVES it. It is only second to Christmas..and man when she gets that stuff out we have no where to walk. 

Look at this cute pumpkin with his tag. spooky huh? Mom sure likes white pumpkins. I thought they were supposed to be orange.

More stuff... 

I love the dolls. They are fun to play with carefully. 

Here is mom's typewriter. My brother and I bang on it at times. Mom says people used it before there were computers. weird huh? 

This is a cabinet that the paint is peeling on it. Mom says that makes it wonderful. 

Next we hit my favorite room - the kitchen. Yes I am small but I LOVE to eat. Actually I am hungry right now. I wonder if the pizza is in the oven yet. This is mom's wire thing - she calls it a cloche on a big old white bowl and more white pumpkins. I wonder why she doesn't like orange ones? 

Doesn't this look like a coat rack? But my crazy mom hangs pans on it..Strange.
 

This is a sign she found and said with 4 kids this just might hang year round. haha

Thanks for looking at my house.