Happy Birthday Mikayla!

Nobody wants to share their birthday, but if I've gotta share my day, you gotta admit she's a cutie!

House Update

In an effort to keep everyone up to date on what's going on with our "remodel" project I've decided to post periodic updates. So that you can fully appreciate how far we've come I'm start with a before picture and then a current photo. So we'll start at the beginning. Here's the front of the house we bought...

And here's what it looks like today...

Trunk or Treat

For those of you who don't know what Trunk or Treat is... It's a safer alternative to door to door trick or treating. A group of people, in this case Cub Scout Pack 67, meet at a designated location, and pass out treats from their trunks. In most cases, there is a heated trunk decorating contest and ours was no exception.



Here's another look at the winning trunk, presented by the Hemrich family and brought to you in large part by the NMS Science Department.

Take a look at some of these great costume winners. Notice Al Capone brought home the award for most original costume... apparently the 17 hours shopping paid off.

Here the Weblos pose with their fearless den leader who apparently lost control and has been mummified

and their scarecrow who is obviously gonna shoot any crows that come calling.

A Glimpse Into The Future

Ever wonder what you'll look like when you get old. Well I don't have to look far for the answer. Meet Edna, Sassy Seamer's mother and my grandma. I'm not one to look at pictures and see a family resemblence but when you look at grandma's pictures from days gone by, the similarities are unmistakeable. This will be me in 40 years. There are worse things. For instance, I could morf into Rahel!!! If only I could acquire Edna's kindness, patience and unwaivering faith... Notice Edna loves her bling too!

Halloween Sparkle...

Much to Creative C's dismay, I do Love My Bling! I also happen to love Halloween, not the scary, but the fun costumes, apple bobbing, hayrides, toasted marshmallows... It's all good! I probably own more Halloween apparel than most department stores. Unfortunately, since the majority of my worldly belongings are boxed and buried deep in storage, I have been unable to locate the box containing said apparel. After a couple of hours digging this weekend I was able to find one top, probably missed it when I was boxing everything up since it was in a box with Zman's "too small" clothes. Anyway, I couldn't possibly go through the week with one festive top, so I decided to come up with my own... introducing my first Halloween design... There is nothing I can't bedazzle!

Little Boys and Their Toys

Today we are spotlighting one of Zman's OCD behaviors. Zman LOVES his guys. He's not particular...he spends equal time playing with his Dollar Tree guys as he does with his collectibles. Several years ago he got started with this set of knights. He can spend hours just setting up battle scenes. I mentioned OCD earlier, right? It is imperative that the correct guys be fighting, for instance a mounted archer cannot fight a jouster... duh! Each man has to be balanced perilously on the carpet so as not to tip, allowing the enemy an unfair advantage. Look closely at this scene he and BBomber put together. Notice the poor guy who got his foot tangled in the rope while attempting to scale the castle walls... The thought that goes into preparing these scenes amazes me since the majority of the time I can't get him to use his brain in the most basic of tasks. For instance should we really scale the pool deck then jump into the lower tree limbs in an attempt to capture the perfect leaf? Is is smart to take a disc slide down the slide... you see where I'm going don't you?

Do you remember the PowerPuff Girls?

Anybody remember these three little cuties who appeared on cartoon network back in the mid 90s? DitzyDanzer certainly does and when The Red Ribbon theme were announced last week she and a couple gal pals decided that on Thursday, Superhero Day, they would BE the PowerPuff girls. So Sassy Seamer and I got busy and whipped up some dresses and the girls did their research. They felt it was important to not just dress up but to actually become their character. For instance. DitzyDanzer was Buttercup. Her catchphase is "Whatever" and her super powers included being the strongest and being able to fly the fastiest, along with the ability to roll her tongue. Oddly enough the last one is the one that concerned her. After hours of practicing she was still unable to master the tongue roll. Amazingly, in her mind the flying and strength didn't present any problems, just the tongue thing. Then, because the PowerPuff girls never went anywhere along, I agreed to bend a rule and let her spend the night at Bubbles house so they could get ready and make their grand entrance together. My only stipulation, that they get me a good picture to post...

This is what happens when you ask a 14 year old for a good picture!

TAG!

So Creative C "tagged" me yesterday. Apparently that means I have to reveal 6 random things about myself then I get to tag another blogger so here goes.

1. I DO NOT share my popcorn. Not with anyone. I'll gladly make you your own, but you can't have mine!

2. I LOVE heels and skirts. I'd wear them everyday if I could.

3. I want to one day have enough money to vacation in Alaska.

4. I believe a good pity party every now-and-then is necessary.

5. My favorite animal is a cow.

6. I absolutely love MA*SH. I watch it every chance I get.

Okay Jess and Laura, your turn.

Boys Needed!

For as long as I can remember, Ms. Conour has struggled to get enough males to audition for the musical. Well Roma never fear the Wagy boys are on their way. 2015 will be just the beginning. Check out the raw talent that is headed your way. Keep in mind this is an impromptu Sunday afternoon concert. Believe it or not they were able to throw this together with very little rehearsal time. What can I say, they obviously get their musical talent from Grandpa. The best news is that by 2017 you'll have all the girls added to the mix, there's still hope for them.

Another success...

With ten kids in 13 years, trick or treating door-to-door became an impossibility -- so several years back Antlerman and Creative C began hosting a fall costume party. As with all great events each year is just a little different from the last and you can count on the dynamic duo coming up with new ways to entertain us. So Saturday night the kids drug out the costumes... you'll notice DitzyDanzer and ZMan decided to go back in time... Al Capone and Laura Ingalls. Could we have been more polar opposite?

The party starts off with a parade of costumes. This year's parade included the Hulk, toothfairy, a daisy and fairy princess, TWO witches, cheerleaders, Indiana Jones, a soldier, Sully, a librarian, Harry Potter, Hannah Montana, a frog, knight, scarecrow, Brian Urlacher and Cat in the Hat... and my personal favorite Sally donned her letterman's jacket, converse sneakers, kermit tshirt and even tight rolled her jeans (flashback anyone) to appear as the Golden Child!

This year's new addition, a pumpkin carving station. Creative C had asked that the adults "help" with this little project... I think the Big Kids kinda took this one over.

The party culminates in a hayride and hot chocolate around a roaring bonfire. Antlerman takes great pride in his fire making skills... You may notice that this year we were encouraged to put the little ones in the back of the truck. That's because this year we went "off road" for a spooky ride through the woods... I did say it gets better every year right.

Kudoos, Creative C and Antlerman for another year of memories. You never disappoint!

Retaliation...

As most of you know, last weekend Creative C and I began a rigorous training of the next generation of T-Pers. Well the girls picked up quickly and made us quite proud as they targeted four houses, only being detected once. What Creative C neglected to tell everyone was that they were captured because of a poor strategic decision by their commanding officers. That said, their stealth like abilities have landed us square at the top of several "target lists" and as you can see we were wounded last night. Fortuantely, Sassy and Hunter alerted us to their presence before they could land a fatal blow. This one was merely a flesh wound and don't worry... we know who they are and our next mission is in the planning stages.

And the cycle begins

Well the Huschle family made it to October 16 before suffering the first casualty of the season. DitzyDanzer is the first victim. She came home from dance last night with a full blown cold. Coughing, sneezing, chest congestion and fever. Sounds like fun doesn't it. I drugged her up good and sent her off to bed like any good mother would do. This morning I got up and did the annual medicine cabinet inventory and am headed to the store tomorrow to fill in the blanks. Vitamin C drops, daytime cold, nightime cold, daytime cold w/ cough, nighttime cold w/ cough, cough drops, sore throat strips, vicks, GermX... repeat all of the above in junior strength... am I forgetting something. Anyway I write this evening so that if I am picked up by the authorities on suspicion of meth manufacturing any one of you can bail me out armed with the facts. I'm a mom on a mission, the first shot has been fired and the winter war is on. BRING IT ON GERMS, I'LL BE READY!

What happened to homemade costumes...

Remember these days. You know, when an old shirt, a little paint and a scrap of fabric could be crafted into a suitable costume. Bookworm is the only person I know who still comes up with these outrageous unique ideas anymore. I kid you not, one year SN showed up at the Fall Follies as a combine. This year promises to be equally unique as CG is determined to be something pretty and AJ is gonna be a flower. No Wal-Mart aisle costumes for this family. Me, on the other hand, I'm gonna do it the "easy" way. Head to the store, pick out something cute and come home. Seem simple? NOT SO! Z and I spent several hours on the internet Sunday looking at different costumes trying to come up with an appropriate costume. No Luck. So Monday while in St. Louis we headed to a costume shop and I'm thinking in and out in 10 minutes. NOT SO! Four hours later we headed home with costume in hand. Why is it that there are at least 100 little girl costumes ranging from cheerleader to ladybug but when you head to the boys section you'll find a handful, if your lucky, of appropriate costumes and then 200 disgusting costumes? When did boys' Halloween costumes morf into the wardrobe for Friday the 13th?

Do you know Dr. Rey?

Attention Women... this is important. For those of you who are unaware, there is a new line of body slimming undergarments on the market. I was introduced to Dr. Rey this summer but have yet to actually purchase one for myself. You see, Dr. Rey has an entire line of "shapewear." You know, the undies that promise to take you down at least one size by simply slipping them on. I know a couple people who actually own them and they rave about them. Now right about now most of you are saying to yourself, I've tried those body slimming underwear and they are not comfortable. Well Dr. Rey's infomercial promises that these are different and the people I know actually wearing them are adament that this is true. All of this is merely background for my personal testimony.

Wednesday night I got myself all dolled up for a ladies night dinner, new jeans and top with my cute peak-a-boo shoes. While I was planning the outfit I found myself rummaging through my "delicates" drawer and stumbled across a knock-off shaper I had purchased a couple years back and I said to myself, "Hey, ??? said she wears her Dr. Rey's under everything. I'll slip into this and look extra hot in my jeans." I finished dressing, admiring the smooth, roll-less look in the mirror and off I went to dinner. After dinner I grabbed my purse and headed to the ladies room to touch up my lipstick. I strutted all the way through the restaraunt and marched into the ladies room only to be horrified when I looked in the mirror. You will remember I mentioned early on that these things are suppose to slim you down at least one size... well it did, making my jeans too big AND apparently the body shaper was squeezing everything so tightly that I had completely lost all sensation in the midrif. Leaving me completely unable to feel that I was losing my pants. So, ladies I beg you, spare yourself the humilation and spend the extra money for an authentic Dr. Rey, I'm off to get one for myself now!

It's mom's fault...

I realize now looking back that I spent a good part of my teenage years blaming my mother for things. Generally speaking she had very little to do with any of it. But in my warped teenage mind it was easy to think that if something didn't work out right is was mom's fault. I know now that I was very unfair to mom. HOWEVER, there are certain proclivities that I've picked up from my mother that drive my husband insane. Probably the most predominate is my unwavering need to have a soda with me at all times in the car. This is not a joke or exaggeration. If I'm in the car I must have a soda. If its before noon I will sometimes substitute with coffee but only grudgingly. Then, to further aggrevate my husband, if we are within 10 miles of a McDonalds you'll have to take me through the drive through for Diet Coke from McDonalds. The bottle/can soda IS NOT the same! See you are beginning to understand why my husband finds me trying at best... So after a little soul searching what oddity of yours is directly attributable to mom, yours not mine!

It Happens Even to Them...

Isn't it nice to know that even with her perfect body, her superstar status, her talented husband and all the money in the world, even Nicole Kidman has thos OMG moments! Zoom in on this picture and see if you can tell what went wrong.

Going Green?

I thought we were suppose to be teaching our kids about loving the earth and recycling. Correct me if I'm wrong but this can't be an earth conscience way to be handing out homework!

What's Up With the Dogs

You know I realize that I'm getting older but honestly what is going on with the dogs. When did it become acceptable practice to take your pet with you to social events. Just take a look at a TINY bit of what I witnessed at the Heath Harvest Festival.

I will say this... If you're gonna trot your pet out in public you should at least get them a new outfit for the occasion...

March On JCJH

So for me the highlight of the Robinson parade WAS NOT the candy mafia that we witnessed but rather getting to see the Jasper County Jr High band strut their stuff down the street. I just have to take a moment and brag on Ditzy Danzer a bit... isn't she just about the prettiest color guarder that you ever saw?
And TeenieWeenie surely wins the prize for best dressed color guard instructor. Notice how there's no smile. She's ready to take down the next bystander that gets in her girls' way...
Not to overlook the band, I can't see the mellophones pass by without wanting to scream out... "Mellophones ROCK!"

Parade Manners

Jess and I loaded up the vehicles and headed to Robinson yesterday to set up at the Heath Harvest Festival. It was a typical fall day, freezing in the morning and hot and sunny in the afternoon. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and enjoy an afternoon of people watching. It is amazing what you can witness when you sit back and observe complete strangers for instance. Here's an adorable little red head who just wanted to get a little candy at the parade...

Unfortunately he was up against some stiff competition. Check out these two who were quick to edge him out every chance they could get...

Lou Lu's???

As most of my friends and family know, I thrive on over-extending myself. Thus the new hobby... Lou Lu's. As a competitive dance mom of eleven years I've picked up a few "non-ordinary" skills... namely, stoning. One interesting lesson learned is that you can "bedazzle" just about anything and quite frankly I'm a girl who likes her bling. So Ditzy Danzer and I have turned my hobby into a small business. Creating and desiging team spirit shirts with glamour and glitz. Who says school spirit has to be boring. Our little venture has met with such a positive response that we are working on opening an internet store in the next few days...LouLusOnline.com.