Halloween Fairy

So I finally did a test run on Anna's costume, and I think it is looking pretty good. I may make a few adjustments, but overall, I'm kinda pleased. She really likes it too, and she's already excited about going "Trick or Treaking" as she's calling it. Here are some pics I took of her in her costume:and the back...

What do you think?

Halloween Chuckles

Well, since I haven't quite finished Anna's costume yet, and I don't have any pictures of it to post. I thought I'd just fill today's space with one of my favorite Halloween stories. It happened, I think, 2 years ago, and it goes a little something like this:
A little boy (maybe 4) and his Mom ring the bell. I answer to an oh so handsome smiling face, and after we chat about his costume for a bit, I reach into my bowl to get him some candy. Now I always try to have a mix of chocolate and non-chocolate 'cause I know different people like different stuff. Since this kid was so cute I decided to give him one of each, so I pulled out something chocolate and a "fun" size bag of skittles. I tossed them in his bucket, and he sort of just froze. His Mom whispers, "Say, 'Thank you'." He leans over to her and, in a whisper I'm sure he thought I couldn't hear, replies, "But Mom, I don't like Skittles!" His mom, of course, turned bright red, but I thought it was hilarious. I totally let him give back the Skittles and pick out what he wanted. He was so excited to get to pick, I got a genuine "thank you" that time.
I love Halloween! Don't you? Can't wait to see what good stories I get this year. I'm sure I'll get a few with Anna on the loose!

Getting ready

Here are some pics of Anna helping me get our pumpkins carved for Halloween. I love carving pumpkins, and I was so excited to start sharing this event with Anna. She actually did a really good job scooping out the yucky insides. She also "helped" me draw the face, and she was so excited to see them lit up.I did one too, and it was the first time I ever carved anything besides a face. I'm usually into the old school, no pattern faces, but I just decided to throw caution to the wind and do something different this year. I think they both turned out pretty well.
Once I get Anna's costume finished, I'll post one of that too. I think she's going to look really cute. Can't wait to go (er, I mean take Anna) trick-or-treating!

Belly laugh...

So here's one of those funny stories you get when you're a Mom:

Ty's been working on the house, and when he does he makes notations of measurements etc. Of course, Anna makes her "notations" too, and she loves to follow Daddy around with a pen and paper just notating away. Recently we had a little discussion about notations vs. annotations. Tonight I was making a list of some things, and Anna asked if she could make notes too. So I asked her if they were going to be notations or annotations. She says with a chuckle. "No, they're Mamatations!" Get it?

How cute is that?

Yum!

Before we start, this is not going to be one of those gourmet recipes with a cute picture. This is some plain old goodness that I just had to share. I was making something with cream cheese in it the other day, and it reminded me of this awesome dip I had a while back. I know my Fort Worth friends love this kind of stuff, so I wanted to get it out there. It's actually courtesy of Kristen Turner, so thank her while you're eating it. For those of you that love Rotel/Velveeta dip, it's alot like that. Only this time use 2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese and a pound of sausage with your can of Rotel. Mix it all in the crock-pot like you would the other stuff, and break out the bag of tortilla chips. Mmm mmm! So rich and creamy, but totally different than what you're used to. Try it sometime and let me know what you think!

Halloween Do's and Don'ts

So I bought some Halloween candy today (What was I thinking? Now I have to try not to eat it!) and that really got me in the mood for Halloween to get here already. I really do love the holiday, though I don't always get the chance to go all out like I want to. Since KState's Homecoming is the weekend before Halloween, I get to be home this year. Plus, since our front bedroom is pretty much in shambles anyway, we're contemplating doing a mini haunted house in there which would be so fun! Anyway, I also got to thinking about some things that bug me about the holiday, so I thought I'd make a list to help people make Halloween better for everyone (namely me).
*Don't start trick or treating during dinner time. Seriously, it's not even dark yet. Let the kids stay up a little later that night, and let me finish my meal before you start ringing the bell.
*Don't go trick or treating if you are I'd say 15 or older. It's just lame to see almost grown men at my door begging for a little piece of candy. Sorry, but we all have to grow up sometime.
*Don't yell, "DID YOU SAY THANK YOU!?" to the kids from the street. It's great for kids to polite, but it's Halloween. The whole point is to demand candy or else you'll play a trick. Or at least stick to coaching them before you leave the house so you don't have to scream at the kids at each stop.
*Do go home when the kids get tired. I've seen so many kids dragging along behind their parents who weren't ready for the night to end. I actually heard a kid last year begging the adults she was with to go home, and they told her no because they hadn't collected enough candy yet. Really?
*Don't make super scary things with no thought towards the younger kids. Scary stuff is fun, but make sure you're watching out for when the little ones come through. I had a kid nearly jump out of his skin as I opened the door 'cause he'd just been scared silly at the house down the street. He was maybe 4, and looked like he wanted to cry on what's supposed to be a fun night.
*MOST IMPORTANTLY DO NOT cart your under 2 kids around in strollers or in your arms and stick out a bucket like the kid is going to eat all that candy. I cannot tell you how much this bugs me! I didn't spend my money on candy so adults could sneak there way in to eating it. Trust me; there will be plenty of candy your older kids won't eat. Every year my parents would say, "Oh sure. You guys can eat all of it," and every year they'd end up eating half of it because after a few days we knew there was no way we'd ever eat it all. Now if I see a little one along with his big brother, and he looks so cute that I want to give him something, that's another thing. But, if the kid can't walk and carry his/her own bucket, he/she should NOT be trick or treating!
I think that's pretty much it. Even if you are one of these offenders, I'll probably still give you some candy, 'cause I'm not brave enough to see what would happen if I don't. I am going to miss my "adult" Halloween fun this year. Too bad all the haunted house loving friends I know are still down in TX. Is there anything that bugs you about Halloween? What's your favorite part? I personally love carving Jack-o-lanterns. Not as much as Brandi (and I'm not near as talented) but I still love it. Only 2 more weeks, so Happy Haunting!

Sorry 'bout that

Ok. So sorry about my last post. I had no idea that people would actually try to look hard at the pics I posted in order to make their decision. I'm going to try and figure out a better method for this picture to blog thing. I have both a flikr and a photobucket account, but no idea what to do with them. If I figure it out soon, you'll see more pics. If not...

Picture post

Well, most of you know that I recently got a new nifty camera, and since that happy day I have been snapping pics wherever/whenever I can. This has been great, and I'd say my pictures have improved alot simply due to the abilities of the camera. The one thing I haven't mastered yet...Photoshop (duh, duh, duh). My sweet hubby got PS Elements for me for Xmas last year, and I was SO excited. While I love all the cool things it can do (of which I can actually do very little), but my beef is that it's not really easy to just play with it and figure things out as you go. Others may disagree, but I have had a hard time figuring things out on my own. Yay for online tutorials, but my brain only works well in short distances. So, I can watch one and follow the steps to get the effect, but unless I really understand the principle behind it, I won't even be able to replicate it the next day. Add on the fact that I have practically zero time to study up, and my photography "hobby" is holding on by a thread. I really like it though, so yesterday I took some "me time" and as a result I have poll for you. Which one do you like better?
#1 is the shot straight out of the camera - no edits
#2 I cropped out Abby (hope she forgives me, but she was a little fuzzy). I upped the saturation a bit and brightened her eyes.
#3 Here I actually stumbled upon the circle vignette I'd been searching for forever ago. I might have gone a little overboard with it, but I like the dreamy feel. I then sharpened her eyes, and I might have brightened them a little more (can't remember).

So what do ya think?

Part 2

Ok. Here's part 2 of my long post. This one will begin with what I think might be one of my best shots yet. Isn't she sweet?

My first food photography session. I made mini banana bread muffins. I know; I'm totally domestic now!
Anna playing with the "shoes" Natalie sent her.

Anna helping me unpack.

Ok, so there might be a part 3, 'cause I wanted to share pics from the cute little Fall Festival they had in a near by town. Maybe later. Mommy duty calls.

Super long post(s)

While I've got my computer and my pics with me (for the first time in along while 'cause Ty's been using it during the day) I thought I'd just post a bunch of them to show you what we've been doing. The first one will be the house, and the second one my latest photography conquests/pics of the girls (which is what I know you really want to see anyway).

The front of the house:

From the front doorThe kitchenWork on the floorsSome progress Aren't those floors gorgeous! Who would ever think of covering them up or ripping large holes in them? You can see the one we'll have to mend in the pic.

Well, that's a little bit of what's going on in the house. Progress is slow because Ty's so busy, and we're not to the projects I can really tackle on my own. We'll get there eventually, though. Stay tuned for more!