Getting into character.

DAY 303 - October 30, 2009



Tonight we went to a Halloween party at the Arnolds's house. Jay works with Doug and they invited a lot of the police department. Unfortunately, Doug had to work so the boys and I stopped by. He did get to stop by and was dressed as a police officer! I didn't' get into this picture but was a convict...not an intentional play on his work uniform but rather convenient since the 4 of us dressed up as convicts when we went to "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" at Disney World a couple years ago. Kaleb is on the right in his zombie doctor outfit and Kaden is on the left in his "phantom with fading eyes" costume. I get such a kick out of the name of that costume. Basically, he's in all black and they had these glasses with red lights attached to them that he wore. The red eyes lit up and faded on and off....hence the name. It was a good time and fun to see the costumes everyone came up with.

A budding actor...

DAY 302 - October 29, 2009



Kaleb has been participating in the acting group this year. Their Halloween play was today and he did a FANTASTIC JOB!! He played Horatio Wood, an old man participating in a Halloween party at Mrs. Beetle's house. This play was scripted almost entirely by the kids with a little help from Mrs. Calvin (paying Mrs. Beetle). He really hammed it up and had a fun time with it.

A different kind of Halloween party.

DAY 301 - October 28, 2009


We went to a Halloween party for dogs tonight. Our good friends, the Peavler's, own Indy K-9 Kollege and they had a party tonight as a fun event for the clients. The kids dressed up as did the dogs. Here they are playing "bob for the dog treat". It was fun to watch those dogs try to get the treat out of the water. It looked as difficult as the human bobbing for apples version. Here they are with Doc, the Peavler's dog. Ritchie Peavler is helping them out. The boys had a great time. They want a dog so bad right now and know we're looking to get a bulldog but it hasn't happened yet. They enjoyed being around all the dogs tonight.

Another critter...and...A little burst of creativity.

DAY 300 - October 27, 2009


We came home tonight to find this little guy walking down the driveway. He wasn't exactly little though...notice he's as big as my cell phone! Nothing like the little one (may he rest in peace since he died a couple days ago) we were keeping in a tank since August. The boys would have liked to keep this guy too but our tank wasn't quite big enough for him. If he'd been about 1/2 as large as he was we would have definitely kept him!

DAY 299 - October 26, 2009

Kaleb was really creative tonight! He found a little piece of plastic that fell off a shopping bag and had a vision. Do you remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy is trying to pick up the Golden Idol and replaces it with a bag of sand? He was trying to avoid a booby trap...but as we all know...in the movies, the booby traps are unavoidable. Anyway, he twisted it around and put it in Indy's hand as that bag of sand. Pretty creative I thought...

Cleaning up and getting older...

DAY 296 - October 25, 2009


Today the boys tackled the play room toy box. We've got so many things in that toy box that they don't play with anymore. Lots of junk type toys that fall to the bottom and pieces and parts of games or other things that get lost as well. We put together some bags for Goodwill, trash, and some to show to Mrs. Amy in case she wants anything. Doug and I went through the closet and straightened it up moving all their board games down from Kaleb's room. It's nice to have everything nicely organized and in one place. Doug even carved out a space in there where I could set my work bag, shoes, and clothes for the next day rather than having it go on the bathroom counter or just inside the play room door.

DAY 295 - October 24, 2009

Today is my birthday. I sure don't feel like I'm 38 years old! I was treated to breakfast of quiche, danish, and coffee and had these flowers and cards waiting for me when I came downstairs. Doug got up with the boys to get things moving this morning and I slept in a bit. Then I got up and took about 30 minutes to read my book in bed. I rarely have time to read. I've been working on a book for about 8 weeks now because I usually read on my 30-minute lunch break if something else hasn't' got my attention. Sure makes for a long time to finish a book! I enjoyed the quiet of the morning then had a great day with my guys!

Crazy sky...

DAY 294 - October 23, 2009

The sky was crazy today. A storm was rolling in and every direction I looked the sky was different. Part was really dark, part had white puffy clouds that looked awesome with the sun hitting them, and part was fairly clear. When I got home I grabbed the camera and went to the school parking lot hoping to get an open area to shoot the sky. I didn't get that lucky because I forgot about the power lines. This is the view across the street from our house...that's our white fence on the bottom right.

Unfortunately, I shot all my pictures on "auto" and the color and lighting didn't come out like I was hoping they would. Guess some more practice is in order.

A scene from Indiana Jones

DAY 293 - October 22, 2009



Kaleb loves his Indiana Jones Lego sets. He often gets them out to make them and play with them a bit. I think with Legos the "playing" is mostly in the putting together and showing them off. He always does a great job and I'm amazed at how quickly he can put a set together.

A trip to the canal...

DAY 292 - October 21, 2009













We went down to the canal tonight...it was a really nice night out temperature wise but I would have preferred a little more sun. Beggars can't be choosers though since I have been trying to get down there for a few weeks now. I was off work a little early because the boys are on Fall Break and I needed to be home before Doug left for work. I took the opportunity to take the boys down with their bikes and do some experimenting with my camera. Here are some pictures I took...obviously I couldn't choose just one for the picture of the day. Actually, I took more than 250 pictures. It's so easy to do with this camera because I can click away a quickly as I want and it really goes fast. Also, digital is great because I can pick and choose which ones I want to keep.

The start of something...just "the start" though...

DAY 291 - October 20, 2009

Every once in a while we get Monopoly out and play it. The issue with Monopoly is that it is such a LOOOOONG game! We'll have this out for several evening and do a few rolls of the dice each night.

Fall color...

DAY 290 - October 19, 2009



Well, I feel like fall hit us with a brick this year. We left for Disney World on September 19th and it was really hot here. We returned on September 28th to about 50 degree temperatures along with wind and rain. It was as of Fall was here in full swing and quickly approaching winter conditions. It hasn't been like that every day but it has been a cool and rainy fall so far. I caught these trees showing off their fall colors and thought it was beautiful!

Football championships.

DAY 289 - October 18, 2009


Tonight we went to an elementary football game. One of the boys' friends, Ben Walesky, plays on the team. Actually they knew a lot of the boys because they go to school with most of them. This was the 5th and 6th grade team...the Bulldogs. This was the championship game against the Mary Bryan Elementary team. The Bulldogs ended up losing but we had a good time anyway.


DAY 288 - October 17, 2009


We carved pumpkins tonight. Look how cool they turned out! Kaden chose to do an alien and Kaleb did the Headless Horseman. Doug and I helped the boys with the "tough" parts of the picture but they did it mostly on their own. We also collected the pumpkin seeds and toasted them making some with regular salt and some with seasoned salt. I don't think the kids are fans of them but I've enjoyed having them. They don't seem as good as I seemed to remember from when I was a kid but I'm not so sure it's not my "preparation" of them.

Halloween supplies anyone?

DAY 287 - October 16, 2009

Tonight was costume shopping night. We went to Halloween USA which is in an old Circuit City store. It was a really big store and they had everything you could ever want for Halloween. Kaden chose a phantom costume with glowing eyes and Kaleb chose a "bleeding skeleton" costume. No pictures yet...obviously that will be the picture of the day for October 31st so stay tuned...

A view from the top floor...

DAY 286 - October 15, 2009

Today's picture is a bit "stomach turning" isn't it? The boys and I had to run down to Circle Center Mall tonight to pick up a pair of jeans that I had on hold at NY and Company because they didn't have my size at the store in Greenwood. It didn't take us long so the boys decided they wanted to ride the escalators all the way to the top. Here's the view down to the first floor.

Time for a change...

DAY 285 - October 14, 2009


Seriously...how many pairs of jeans does a girl need to try on before she finds one that fits?? Apparently a lot BUT on the bright side...I actually found 2 pair that fit well. I went to NY and Company tonight and FINALLY used my gift card I still had hanging around from last Christmas. I tell ya, that store is sometimes hit or miss with me and it seems it was a miss all year until now. It feels good to have more than just one pair of "mommy jeans" and one pair of "wife jeans" (as Doug calls them...hopefully the 2 I found tonight will be "wife jeans"). I was also able to get a pair of black pants for work and a couple tops.

DAY 284 - October 13, 2009

Oil change time...I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon at 1:30. I seriously need a job like that doctor...he works from 7:30am - 2:00pm AND their office is completely closed every Friday afternoon. I go in earlier than that and leave later than that every day and I SO don't make anything close to what he does. Anyway, after the appointment I had time to get the oil changed before meeting the bus with the boys at home.

More Fall decor...

DAY 283 - October 12, 2009

We usually have a light green plate here to hold our keys and other junk as we come in the door. Last year we found this cool leaf bowl at Kohl's...dug it out with the other Fall and Halloween decorations this year and I still love it as much as I did when we bought it last year.

Early birthday gift...

DAY 282 - October 11, 2009

I LOVE this camera strap. I'd found this website a while ago and knew I was going to offer a suggestion to Chris for a birthday day gift idea. It's from PhatStraps and they've got so many different patters for really cool camera straps. They also make guitar straps and dog collars like this as well...anyway, I fell in love with this pattern and when I went to fill Chris in on it the pattern was not anywhere on the website! I was really disappointed but took a stab at contacting them and asking about it. She got back to me and they had one small piece left and said she would see if it was enough to make a strap out of. A couple days later I was so excited to hear it was enough. I got the strap today in the mail and quickly opened it to check it out...just look how cool it is! It even has buckles on it so that you can remove it from the camera if you don't need it or...and this is my favorite part...so that you can switch out camera straps! Might just need to keep an eye out for some more adorable patterns!

DAY 281 - October 10, 2009

It seems I keep feeling like I need to practice with my camera. I know I do but don't seem to find the time I'd like to dedicate to it. I have found a self-taught "class" online from one of the photography forums I watch. It's a "12 Weeks to Better Photos" class and I started reading the first section today. This is one of the pictures I took trying to practice. The first "lesson" is on aperture (or f-stop). This is the setting where you can make the background more or less in focus based on how far the shutter opens. I still feel very green with it but know it takes practice, practice, and practice. Now, if someone could please tell me where I can purchase "more time in the day" I'd be set!

Planning ahead...

DAY 280 - October 9, 2009


I put a pot of chili on today to have over the weekend. I love chili in the fall. Actually, it's something that we all like so that's an easy choice for something to make for dinner. Often I'll take some in for lunch at work too. Doug likes pasta in his chili as does Kaleb...that must be an Indiana thing because in Iowa we'd call that goulash (which I was never really a fan of either). For me, lots of crackers and topped with some cheddar cheese is the way to go!

Pumpkin...that's it...just a pumpkin...

DAY 279 - October 8, 2009

This little pumpkin comes out every fall and looks great on our kitchen table. That's all for this entry...really...what else can you say about a pumpkin?

So much for a cool picture!

DAY 278 - October 7, 2009



I had a great idea for a picture today...I was headed to the doctor's office and thought it would be cool to get a picture of the supplies usually kept in round glass containers on the counter. You know, things like tongue depressors, swabs, cotton balls, gauze, etc. So, when I got the the exam room this is what I saw. Very plain don't you think?? This "doc in a box" immediate care center moved to a new building within the last year. While this new office is nice and bigger than the old one I liked that they actually had pictures, wallpaper border, etc in their rooms at the previous location. This room was painted a boring grey color and had nothing on the walls except for the blood pressure gauge and cuff. So much for my interesting picture huh?

Kaleb and JA Biz Town.

DAY 277 - October 6, 2009

Today was the day that the 5th graders went to "JA Biz Town". It's a program put on my Junior Achievement that schools take part in. Basically it's a little city set up and the kids get to go through what it's like to be an adult...working and getting paid for it, sending a package, eating, banking, and doing a little shopping. Kaleb was really excited for this day and even spent some time picking out just the right thing to wear. His teacher told them to dress in "dress code or better". Last night gathered his navy pants, button-down shirt, socks, shoes (not tennis shoes...picked the brown "nice" ones for this special day), and his watch. This morning he was too excited to sleep so he was actually awake when I got up at 4:45am. He stayed in bed trying to sleep but couldn't so he came downstairs all dressed up just before I left at 5:45am. He looked SO NICE and was so proud of how he'd picked all his clothes.

His job at JA Biz Town was a "laboratory technician". This was not his first choice but he was happy to work in a lab like me. His first choice was to work in the restaurant because he loves to cook. While doing their activity for the day he had to go to work, take his breaks (including lunch which meant going to the restaurant and eating there), getting paid for his work, sending a package at the post office, stopping at the bank to deposit his money, and going to the store to purchase something. He had a great time today but had a funny story to tell. He told me he almost got a ticket from the police because he was "speeding". He said that he was rushing to the bank because he didn't have that much time and he needed to get to the bank still to deposit his check and then head to the store to make his purchase. Guess that happens to all of us at one time or another so he got a good taste of life with work, errands, and responsibilities. It was a great learning experience for him!

Praying Mantis

DAY 278 - October 5, 2009


I came home from work this afternoon and this little guy caught my eye as I was pulling into the garage. This praying mantis was just hanging out on the side of the garage. Of course, I ran in and got my camera for a few pictures. Then I grabbed a jar so I could capture him so the boys could take a look. We held him captive only for a little while then set him free again.

Both Extremes...lots of activity and lots of relaxation...

DAY 277 - October 4, 2009


Today was our last double header for fall baseball. The green team won both their games they played against the yellow team. Here's Kaleb about to hit the ball and get a nice little single. Kaleb also pitched one inning in the 2nd game. I think he really enjoys pitching...he did a great job and we're so proud of him going out there and doing it.


DAY 276 - October 3, 2009


We've been down a computer lately. Something is wrong with ours and we're in the midst of working with Dell to figure out how to fix it. This situation has caused the boys to go through a bit of computer withdrawal. Luckily Doug's got a laptop he uses for school. Today the boys sat down with it and played some games. They really enjoy being able to sit in the living room and hold it on their laps.

Fall is coming and someone is falling asleep...

DAY 275 - October 2, 2009



We got the Halloween decorations out tonight. The boys were pretty excited to put our things out. At the end of the season last year we found these CUTE ghost lights. Kaden and I plugged them in to make sure they were in working order and put them out along the front walk. Aren't they cute?!?


DAY 274 - October 1, 2009



Kaden has been really tired lately. He's either going through a growth spurt or hasn't caught up from vacation yet...or maybe it's a combination of the two. Tonight Doug had the clothes folded and had each of the boys come down for the "laundry drop". That's a term he came up with...we (he**) folded the clothes and Kaden came to get his. He took them upstairs to put them away and a few minutes later this is what we found. I'm not sure if you can see it or not but he's laying on his bed with his clothes still in his arm! He must be tired since he didn't go in and just put them away...something caused him to lay down on his bed and just go to sleep.

** I'm so lucky I've got a husband that helps out so much around the house. He is the primary "laundry do-er" and if there's anything for me to do it's usually fold and put away clothes since he ran it all through the washer and dryer while he was home. He works really hard to there's not too much for me to do in the evenings except dinner and dealing with homework, etc for the boys. I feel really blessed to have him do so much. SO MANY wives talk about how their husbands don't do much around the house. Thankfully, when these conversations happen, I don't chime in on the complaints since I have nothing to complain about!