Insanely busy

I know this time of year is busy for everyone but it seems to be particularly crazy for me.

*My grandson could come any day now. Mr. Belly Dweller has us all on edge about his arrival date since his mother is already dilated to 3cm. She was in the hospital on Tuesday but they sent her home to wait it out since her due date is not until November 22 & her water hasn't broke.

*The upcoming holidays are weighing heavy on my mind. While I have (finally!) bought a few Christmas gifts, I still have several people to buy for. But before I can even think of that I need to plan my Thanksgiving menu.

*The last 54,298 weekends have been tied up with band and this one is no different. The teen's last competition of the season is this weekend, which means getting up butt ass early on Saturday morning. And even though I HATE early mornings, I wouldn't miss this for the world.

*The following weekend I'll be here and loving every minute of it.


*And then the weekend of the 21st I'm back to being a band parent for our annual craft show fundraiser.

In the middle of all this craziness we have our dart matches, booster meetings, and girlfriend Sundays plus our "normal" life activities.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's enough to make me insane.ER. InsanER than normal.

It was so worth the soggy hot dogs...

This Halloween I played the part of the proud band parent. (Although I did wear a halo, it wasn't that much different from everyday life since I'm always a complete angel. Right S?)

On Saturday the teen's marching band competed in their first USSBA State Championships and...

WON!

The teen is on the end in the red uniform.

Our show this year is called "Phobias". At first I wasn't in love with it, and it's still my least favorite of all four seasons the teen has done marching band. (The first year we did Disney's "Fantasia"; second year was Frank Sinatra; last year's show was the music of Blood, Sweat & Tears.)

But it's grown on me. This little snippet of their opening is one of my favorite parts. (The sound isn't the best so turn up the volume to get the full effect.)



This year we have props that are a huge pain in the ass, but pretty cool looking on the field.

This one is my fav. That's claustrophobia if you were wondering.

For those who may not know what a "band competition" is basically several bands perform their show and they are judged on several different criteria. Typical categories include music, marching, percussion, drum major, general effect, and color guard. Those scores are then combined to determine overall place.

Saturday we took 1st in every category except percussion.

Who's your daddy?!

From Halloweens past...

Last year I showed you this boo-tiful picture from a past Halloween.



You can read the entire story of how I was ROBBED during a desk decorating/costume contest HERE.

Not to be outdone this year, I have dug up a past year book from MIDDLE SCHOOL and scanned another ghoulish picture from a Halloween past.



This flashback is from 7th grade, circa October 1988. OMGosh! I know it's hard to imagine someone as cool as me being that old but it's true. Sad but true.

Obviously I was a sassy witch with strange wingie things on my cheeks. Hmmm. What can I say? The makeup seemed like a good idea at the time.

As for this year this cartoon has inspired me and with my hormones right now it seems like THE perfect fit.



Happy Halloween ya'll!

I can't help but "fall" in love...

When the leaves change, I can't help but fall in love with my fair town all over again. The colors create a quilt of beauty on the mountains that I just cannot resist.

Take a look for yourself...










Even our high school stadium has a backdrop of fall colors.





Simply. Stunning.

Size DOES matter

At least it does when it comes to decks & that's why we choose to go with a 20'x24' on the back of the house.

We could have gone a little bigger, but I didn't want people to be able to look into my bathroom window. Paranoid much?!

Before:




During:





After:








Big props to our deck guy & S! They made it through this project only sacrificing a thumb. And it was well worth it in my opinion.

From the mind of Me...

*The teen's Jazz band rocked the house on Tuesday.



*Those LATISSE commercials scare me. Why would anyone want longer lashes SO bad that they would risk having their eye color change?! "...there is potential for increased brown iris pigmentation which is likely to be permanent." Um, no thanks. As they say be careful what you wish for.



*I may not know sweaters but I know socks. I'm wearing these today & loving them.



*Counting down the days until December 1st. That's when Virginia goes smoke free. Can I get an amen?! I love playing darts but coming home smelling like an ashtray is not my idea of fun.



*For those naysayers that claim video games are bad for the kiddos, please point them in my direction. The teen is excelling in percussion and I'm attributing it to the hours spent playing Rock Band.



*I totally carved these for our competition tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that the rain holds off.



*Tonight's football game is Senior night. That means S & I are walking the teen down the track in front of everyone, so if you could give a little nod upstairs that I do not trip and fall I would really appreciate it.



Have a great weekend ya'll!

I'd like the WHOLE sweater please.

Cara wrote earlier this week that open toed boots are "just wrong". And I'd have to agree. Much like a sleeveless turtleneck, I don't really get the concept.

Though the "less is more" trend is apparently what's in season these days because yesterday I came upon short sleeved sweaters.



Not cardigans. Not light, summer weight sweaters. But full blown cable knit, WINTER sweaters. With short, and in some cases no, sleeves.

I realize that everyone may not be exposed to the frigid temperatures of winter. However this is ALL I could find in stores yesterday. In VIRGINIA where we do actually have WINTER temps.

Besides the logistics of it, if I pay that much for a sweater I would very much like the WHOLE sleeve. Thankyouverymuch.

I need some guidance on this season's fashion scene or I shall be forced to buy holiday sweaters with pumpkins & Santas bedazzled on the front. Hell, at least they come equipped with full length sleeves.

I beg of you. Please explain this latest trend to me. Or tell me another trend that you are currently hating/loving.