Happy Halloween !!!

"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title." ~ From Scooby-Doo

"Halloween is huge in my house and we really get into the "spirits" of things." ~ Dee Snider

"As spirits roam the neighborhoods at night,
Let loose upon the Earth till it be light..."
~ Nicholas Gordon

"Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night." -- Steve Almond (you can say that again!!! Snickers, Reese's Cups, Baby Ruth's)


"At first cock-crow the ghosts must go
Back to their quiet graves below."~ Theodosia Garrison

"'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world."
~ William Shakespeare

Cinderella, Betty, Wilma & The Princess:

Princess Taylor of Tbonia:

Check out Ann & Keith having entirely too much fun at the annual neighborhood Halloween Weenie Roast:


I think Kendall looks like Britney Spears enjoying some McDonald's after the VMA's in this picture:

Halloweeen at Playschool

Some pics of the babies at Playschool today. We had a fun Halloween! We walked down the hall and Gail & Betty helped them fill their goodie bags. We also walked down to the school and some kindergarten teachers & Kathleen Dunne gave them more goodies.

Today is Jeries last day w/ us until mid-next year. He, his mom and their new baby are flying to Quatar and then on to Jordan to be with family. He is such a good boy and has come so far in our class. He had a very rough time in the beginning but he has now adjusted beautifully. He walks in every day w/ a huge smile and is a very affectionate little boy. We will miss him but hope he has a nice, long visit w/ his relatives.
GRACE
MEREDITH
CAMILA
"Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon's silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play."
~Joel Benton
ANDERSON
"Eat, drink and be scary." -- Author Unknown
AVA CLARE
JERIES (JuJu)

Kendall's conserving her energy for later tonight. T is in the shower because she doesn't like the way her hair looked today and wants to "re-do" it. It is a gorgeous night and we're all looking foward to our annual hot dog party at the clubhouse and costume parade!

"As we deepen in understanding, the arbitrary divisions between inner and outer disappear. The essence of life, the beauty and grandeur of life, is its wholeness." -- Vimala Thakar

Kendall had one of her headaches again tonight. She fell asleep in the car on the way to dance and when Chris picked her up an hour and a half later, he said she just fell into his arms. She ate a little, rested a little, showered and feels better. She's in her pj's, all ready to wake up and go right to school tomorrow. She's wearing pink plaid flannel Bucs lounge pants and a black Bucs t-shirt. She's watching the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with Chris for a few minutes before bed. What a classic.
I didn't buy any good Halloween candy this year. I bought everything I don't like so if there is any leftover, I won't be tempted to eat it.

Saturday night Kendall & I are going to Nemo on Ice w/ her scout troop. T has a party to go to so Chris will have to be on carpool detail.

So one of our favorite shows starts up again tonight: Nip Tuck. Can't wait to see how the Dr's are doing in Hollywood.

I'm on a roll today

"This house is protected by killer dust bunnies." -- Author Unknown
Now THAT's a Dust Bunny!!!

"A clean house is the sign of a boring person." -- Author Unknown

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint." -- Erma Bombeck

"Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it." -- Author Unknown

"Don't cook. Don't clean. No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum - "My God, the floor's immaculate. Lie down, you hot bitch." -- Joan Rivers

"The obvious and fair solution to the housework problem is to let men do the housework for, say, the next six thousand years, to even things up. The trouble is that men, over the years, have developed an inflated notion of the importance of everything they do, so that before long they would turn housework into just as much of a charade as business is now. They would hire secretaries and buy computers and fly off to housework conferences in Bermuda, but they'd never clean anything." -- Dave Barry (well said, Mr. Barry!!!)

11:30 AM and I'm getting a lot done around the house today. Lots of cleaning and laundry going on. It's amazing what you can get accomplished when you don't have to be somewhere, picking somebody up, taking somebody someplace, etc. I know I bitch about that a lot but seriously!!! Driving the girls around takes up so much of my time.

Tomorrow KJ has pajama day at school. This poses a problem for us since she doesn't really wear pajama's. The last couple of months, she's really been into wearing some of my old t-shirts. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

Supposed to be a nice night tomorrow for the little trick or treaters. I don't think we've ever had a unseasonably cold night on Halloween in the 8 years we've lived here. The babies are supposed to wear their costumes to playschool tomorrow. I'm sure they'll all look super cute!

Busy Afternoon

We got "boo'd" last night (and again tonight) so we returned the favor a "boo'd" a couple of friends this evening. The girls think they're so cool ringing the doorbell, dropping the treat bag and running away. At one friend's house they were doing their best 007 moves.

Buddy had a little playdate today (but he wasn't very happy about it). Kelsey's little dog came over to play and chased Buddy all around the yard. I don't know if the puppy is a boy or a girl dog but it's no bigger than a Webkins or a Beanie Baby. The puppy came in the house every time one of us opened the back door and proceeded to walk straight to Buddy's food dish and ate his dinner!!

I'm so out of it . . .

I had NO idea the Red Sox won the World Series. My bad. I'm not a big baseball fan (nor am I a big Boston / New England Patriots fan. Never have been, never will be. I like my Mets, my Yankees, and my Jets).

Check out the pics of KJ's new "friend." She said his name is Brandon. Hmmm....we have a nephew named Brandon. Coincidence???



Gorgeous day today. Took the babies outside for a little while at playschool. We have one little girl who positively HATES to be outside and we have one little girl who totally LOVES the swings.

Hubster is in ATL today but will be home later tonight. I think this is the first week in a long, long time we haven't had drama rehearsal. It was nice to have T home right after school. Tuesday & Wednesday are dance nights and that's the only thing we have going on this week. Yay!!! Maybe now I can catch up on my housecleaning and laundry! No appointments this week, no doctor's appointments scheduled, no where to go, no where to be. I LOVE IT!!!

What the Heck Happened?

Had some friends over last night to watch the Penn State game outside on the deck. It was a nice, chilly football kind of night so Chris had a fire going and we set up the TV's on the deck. Here's my theory on why Penn State lost to Ohio State last night: it's all Chris's fault.

I didn't want to wear my Penn State jersey because it's itchy. Chris said I "had" to wear it and that's why they lost. I haven't worn that stupid shirt in 5 or 6 years. I wore it last night under great duress, JoePa sensed it and WHAM!!! Penn State lost. So, to my family in PA and to all other Penn State fans, you can blame it all on Chris.

Chris and Kendall went to a local pumpkin patch yesterday w/ some friends and had a wonderful time. KJ brought home a pretty decent pumpkin and the girls made scarecrows. KJ's is really cool but Chris set it by the front door and it kind of freaks me out. Looks like somebody's sitting out there.

T is still in MS w/ friends and should be home a little later today. KJ has a scout meeting this afternoon. We're going to a local church for some Trunk or Treating. It sounds like you decorate the trunk of a car and pass out candy. Should be interesting. Chris has Fall Ball today (T has practice today, too; not sure if she'll make it home in time).

More PowderPuff Pics

Further proof that they take their football VERY seriously here in the South!

Powder Puff & Fall Festival

I can't remember the last time we laughed so hard! Today was T's middle school Powder Puff game (girls play football, boys cheer). The girls were really into the game, however, had to make a fashion statement at the same time (matching socks, bandannas, pink under armour shirts, etc.). The boys were a mess. Don't get me wrong. They cheered great and worked really hard on their half-time routine. But half the boys had hairy legs and underarm hair, the uniforms didn't zip all the way up the back and their make-up was a mess!!! ha! ha!


Taylor had a great time and had been looking forward to this game since 6th grade. Several of the boys and/or their older brothers play lax so Chris can't wait to bust their chops. A couple of the mom's have all boys, no girls so I'm sure they were excited to finally have a chance to do their little princess's hair & make-up! ha! ha!



Immediately following the football game we headed over to the elementary school for KJ's fall festival. A little chillier than in year's past. She was so excited! This year she won a cake at the cake walk! So much effort and parental support goes into the fall festival it's amazing. I am proud to say the "restaurant gift card" theme basket I organized for the silent auction sold for $180! There were some good gift cards in there: Olive Garden, Moe's, Chik-fil-A, Bright Star, Applebees, Up the Creek, Edgars Bakery, McDonalds, and a local Chinese Restaurant.

Hoover's playing Oak Mountain tonight for a play-off bid. We grabbed a pizza to eat while we were watching the game only to find out the game is NOT being televised! Go Hoover!

TGIF

"So often in time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key." -- The Eagles

Haven't heard yet how my little Godson is doing today; please keep him in your thoughts. I wish this Fairy Godmother could just fly to Cincy and make it all better. Bipidi-bobbidi-boo!

Not much going on today. T had PowderPuff practice this afternoon. Big game tomorrow. She's the Safety for the Green team. I don't care if it's chilly tomorrow, I just don't want it to rain while I'm siting in the stands. We drove all over Hoover tonight looking for Pink socks to wear w/ the Green shirt. Whatever.

Kendall has her Fall Festival @ school tomorrow, too. Chris & I will have to help park cars thru out the afternoon. Again, don't care if it's chilly, I just don't want to be standing out there in the rain directing cars.

On a more serious note, my little Godson, Zachary, is in Children's Hospital tonight in Cincinnati. Poor little guy. I spoke to Lisa earlier in the week, she said she he had been home sick. From what I gathered from her e-mail, he started vomiting really bad and had a rough time breathing. I sounds like he was in and out of ICU and is in a regular room for the night. Sleep tight little fella, feel betta. XOXO

This will probably be the extent of my blogging today. I've done something to my lower back and it hurts really bad to sit.

"The river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future." -- Herman Hesse

Good rainy day again. I LOVE IT!!! Cooled down consideribly. Kendall did the weirdest thing tonight. I picked T-bone up from PowderPuff Practice at 4:30 PM. T & I walked up stairs and started to do our own thing (she - homework, me - reading). I realized I hadn't see nor heard KJ in a while. T & I looked all thru the house and couldn't find her. I called her little friend across the street, still couldn't find her. I noticed the back door was unlock and the first thought that went thru my mind was "I"ll kill her if she's out playing in this rain." Second thought was "OMG! What if she's been abducted??" Turns out, she never got out of my car. She was flat out sleep like a baby in the backseat. Scared the heck out of me! Once we found her and I was able to calm down, I let her sleep until 6:45 PM. Poor little lamb.

Super Girl's Faithful Companion . . .

it's Super Buddy!!!
(Tried to use the camera today and this is what I found; can't believe the poor dog stood still for this indignation).

Angelina Jolie

Have you seen the aging video of Angelina Jolie on You Tube? I don't know if this is a commercial for a wrinkle cream or what, but the video is a little more than 3 minutes long and is one of those time-lapsed / progression kind of things. If this is what she's going to end up looking like, there's absolutely no hope for the rest of us. I can use all the sunscreen I want, it ain't gonna make a difference. (I'll try to find it again on YouTube and post it on the blog)

My Doctor Visit

"The gift, to be true, must be the flowing of the giver unto me, correspondent to my flowing unto him." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Got the "all clear" from the breast surgeon today. Mammos on both boobs came back just fine and she has released me to the care of my regular doctor. Yay!

What a beautiful, rainy, gloomy, gray day. It's nice and chilly and it's the kind of day to just snuggle on the couch w/ a good book. My favorite kind of day. I have candles lit all over the house and T and I are just chilling. She's supposed to be cleaning her room but I have the sneaky suspicion she's playing Wii.

Met Chris for lunch after my appointments at a new place called Chipolte Grill. Please frequent this establishment if you can. I asked the manager for gift cards for the silent auction basket @ KJ's elementary school this Friday and he just handed them over to me w/ out any questions. I had a really good salad w/ beans, salsa, chicken, etc. and Chris had some kind of burrito.

T's Doctor Visit

No, she doesn't have strep but her tonsils, as always, are huge. I think it's time for those suckas to come out. We've put it off for a long time (the ENT in Cincy talked to us about tubes/tonsils/adnoids) and we were kind of hoping she'd grow out of the whole ear infection thing (which she has). However, she snores like a truckdriver and has told me several times lately that she never feels like she's getting a good night's sleep. So, she gets to stay home tomorrow and chill. She'll probably perfect her tennis game on Wii.
Speaking of Wii, Kendall bought a new game tonight w/ her b-day $$$ from Grammy. I think it's called "Carnival Games." I think Chris may have also bought me the Justin Timberlake CD I've been wanting. Sweet!!!Disclaimer: T-bone selected the JT photo.

Typical Monday in the Cos Household

My work day was cut short. Around 10 AM Chris texted me that T was sitting in the nurses office but he couldn't get her because he had to hop on a conference call. My co-worker, Margaret, wasn't in today and we had a sub. I felt SO bad leaving the sub w/ 6 little babies she doesn't know and don't know her. I stayed as long as I could and tried to get everyone settled in. I left playschool around 11:15 and picked up T-bone @ school. The doctor will see her @ 4:30 PM. Hmmmm . . . why does it feel like I was just there on Friday w/ Kendall? Oh yeah! Because I was just there on Friday w/ Kendall. Duh!
Big day tomorrow. I have my mammo @ 9:30 AM and immediately following that I have my appointment w/ the breast surgeon. Like I always say, "nothing but fun and games in the Cos household." Nothing like a smushed boob to get ya' going first thing in the morning.

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -- William James

Bigfootville

So the girls & I were watching this show, "Bigfootville" on TV tonight right before Chris came home from Fall Ball. It was, obviously, about BigFoot and how he's seen a lot in the one section of Oklahoma. It was pretty interesting and started a family discussion . . . what do you think is out there? UFO's? Big Foot? Loch Ness Monster? T is a total believe (me too!) but Chris says it's hard to believe that something can live that long and not be captured and with all of today's technological advances, we should have better video of these unexplained phenomena. I think these creatures have survived as a matter of survival. They are elusive for their own protection. Hmmmm...what do you think?

Just a couple of thoughts before I go to Bed

"Only in an open space where we're not all caught up in our own version of reality can we see and hear and feel who others really are, which allows us to be with them and communicate with them properly." -- Pema Chodron

"The object behind every true work of art is the attainment of a state of being." -- Robert Henri

"In fact, taking tamales to the church potluck or reading in the classroom - all those little acts are philanthropic. Philanthropy means love of humankind." --Santamaría

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." -- Mahatma Gandhi

"The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man's observation, not overturning it." -- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Gorgeous Sunday

We didn't go to the Hoover vs. Homewood game Friday night but we heard thru the grapevine Justin had 2 interceptions! Great job Justin!
Last night Kendall's friend Evvy slept over. They get along really great. Althought I told them to go to bed @ 10:30 PM, Kendall told me they were up kind of late last night. We didn't make it to church; everyone just slept in. Molly slept over, too. She came over when Taylor got home from Buffalo Wild Wings w/ the rest of the cast. Troy came over last night (but no, he didn't sleep over) to watch the Auburn game. Chris put a couple of TV's on the back deck and they sit out there and watch the games.

T is @ the official cast party, KJ is playing w/ Clare and Chris is playing for Alabama in their Alumni game. They never have enough plays so Chris and a couple of other Magic City guys fill in. He'll go right to Fall Ball from Tuscaloosa. I would have liked to have gone to the Alabama game w/ him, it would be a gorgeous day take pics of the game and walk around campus.

T is playing in her middle school's "PowderPuff" football game Friday. The girls play football and the boys cheer. She's been looking forward to this since 6th grade. Should be a hoot! Can't wait to see some of the boys in cheer uniforms. I know the girls have a couple of practices before the big game, not sure if the boys have cheer practice or not! ha! ha!

So, I've been 40 for what? A whole month now? WTF is up w/ my skin??? I'm breaking out like a 15 year old! Stress? Hormones? Environmental factors? I'm going crazy!!! P.S. My finger still hurts, too!

Saturday

It's actually a little painful for me to type this blog. Seriously! My index fingernail broke really far down and it hurts like crazy!!

Well, it's another gorgeous Fall day here in the Deep South. KJ cheered @ the 9 AM game. I don't even keep track of the score anymore because her team is undefeated. Not just undefeated but I'm not even sure if they've ever been scored on.

Chris went to men's practice this morning. He's playing for Alabama tomorrow in their Alumni game.

It's nice & quiet in the house. Chris & I watched most of the Alabama vs. Tennesse game and I took a little snooze on the couch. Chris is now running errands, T is getting ready for tonight's performance and KJ is across the street @ Clare's house. She just called and asked if she can have some chilli w/ them.

High School Football Updates

I can't find the Hoover vs. Homewood score anywhere on-line and for some reason tonight's game was not televised on local cable. Chris just texted me that Brye's team (Stanhope-Millbrook) is loosing to Prattville 24-0. I don't know how much time is left in that game. It's a big game; it was even mentioned in this week's Sport's Illustrated. Chris hates (OK, "hate" is a strong word; maybe I should say he "intensley dislikes") Prattville. Everyone thinks they are a bunch of thugs.

The Show Must Go On . . .

"Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." -- Cinderella
despite classes being cancelled to a water main break, RFB Theater still performed Roger & Hammerstein's Cinderella this evening. I couldn't see much of the show because I was a "backstage shusher" doing what I do best . . . bossing little kids around and telling them to be quiet. Seriously though, the kids did a great job and put so much effort into their performance. Not being a theater person myself, I love being backstage and watching all the action . . . the lights, the curtains, etc. As always, I was very proud of T. As they say, there are no small parts, just small actors. T was still able to make it to her friend's party. A party a weekend and T's happy; she's just got to get her groove on. Seriously y'all, I don't know where she gets it from!!! :-)