It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!!!

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” -- Albert Camus

So we've already established Fall is my favorite season. I'm spending today (and probably tomorrow!) putting out my autumnal decorations. I start off w/ browns and golds, leaves, pumpkins, add a little Halloween stuff and then move on to my all-time favorite holiday . . . Thanksgiving! Yes, I'm weird. Everyone else LOVES Christmas but I love Thanksgiving. I love the smells, the textures, the colors, the food. Thanksgiving is such a simple holiday -- no cards to mail, no gifts to buy and wrap. It is what it is, just a day to be thankful for the people in your life.
We have a Japanese Maple right outside our kitchen window and it is SO magnificant in the fall. I would love to put a screen porch out there but wouldn't dare risk moving that maple.
Chris is in Atlanta today & Sunday for a men's lax tourney. I don't think they played too well this morning. Maybe this afternoon and tomorrow's games will be better.

Kendall got to cheer this morning on the new sports grass at Hoover High. It was really cool but really weird. There was a sign on the field that said, "No Sunflower Seeds on the Field." I didn't realize there was a sunflower situation at the high school. Who knew??

After the game Taylor got a mani and her eyebrows waxed (boy did she need it!!!). She has a party tonight and she's very excited. She's upstairs primping as I type. KJ & I will probably just chill. We watched Goonies for a little while this afternoon but now she's upstairs playing in her room. I think she's got Polly Pockets all over the floor. With Chris out of town, I'm sure she's going to ask if she can sleep w/ me tonight.

4-Day Weekend

"To love a person is to learn their song and sing it to them when they have forgotten." -- Source Unknown

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have." -- Norman Vincent Peale

"Love is an everlasting commitment to cherish one another during the hardships of life while never giving up."

So, it's 1:30 PM Friday afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas. Why, you ask? Kendall had a little b-day party last night and we had 8 little girls sleep over. I'm pooped. Those kids have more energy than they know what to do with and boy can they eat! Seriously though. They were all really good and went to bed great last night. After hot dogs for dinner, s'mores around the campfire and cupcakes for dessert, we wound down by watching a movie and everyone was asleep by 10:30 PM. Unfortunately, they must have thought it was a school day because they were up singing karaoke by 7:30 AM. I think Kendall had a great time last night despite being "caked" by her older sister. I'm not sure of the exact chain of events but I do know T & ME were flinging icing at each other. I remember KJ throwing cake at ME (see Mary Liz!!! I do put pics of you on my blog!) and then T "caked" KJ. Kendall went inside to clean up and then came out and slapped a cupcake on her sister's face (it was priceless!!!). All hell broke loose and one of the little girls yelled "Food Fight!" I panicked and yelled back, "NO FOOD FIGHT!!!" Poor Buddy. These little girls scared the crap out of him. He's so distraught he hasn't come out from under the bed yet.



Yes, that's me in the stupid sombrero. That's what happens when you let friends take you out for lunch to celebrate your 40th b-day.

A couple of neat blogs I've come across

http://www.tartelette.blogspot.com/ (sounds like sexy lingerie or something but it's really a blog for incredible desserts!).

http://www.ecupcake.blogspot.com/ (cupcakes w/ pizzaz)

http://www.parisparfait.typepad.com/ (an American in Paris tells her tale w/ stunning photos)

http://www.londonsouthernbelle.typepad.com/ (a Southerner in London; also w/ gorgeous pictures)

Hump Day

So I came across this photo of Jennie Garth from this season's Dancing w/ the Stars. I've always admired her style and really like this outfit she's wearing. Nice and casual; something I would wear.
"We must use time creatively... and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

Rough day @ playschool today. The kids were all out of sorts, it was a little humid, JuJu became a big brother today so dad dropped him off which was out of the norm, the photographer came in to take pics of the kids and freaked them out a little, etc.

Taylor is home sick today w/ the crud. I'll bet she's getting what I have. Chris went to Kendall's school today for a "family museum." The kids brought in shoe boxes and used them to tell the story of their family. Chris said the little girl's shoe box next to Kendall's had a picture of the bible and said how important family is. Kendall wrote that her "dad likes money" and her mom "likes to party." Nice.

Super Dad (not Super Bad)

"A father carries pictures where his money used to be." ~ Author Unknown

Chris was Super Dad tonight while I was coughing up a lung. He picked KJ up at the bus stop, got her dressed and drove her to dance, took her to Chik-Fil-A night at the mall and took T and her friend to their class, too. He doesn't know it yet, but he's got to back and get her at 8:30 PM. It's so nice to have him home. I like having someone to take care of me when I don't feel good. I think I hold it together pretty well when he has to travel; maybe I just fall apart when he's home 'cuz I know he's there to pick up the pieces. Luv ya' babe!

Today must be my lucky day . . . .

I found a dollar while I was doing laundry!

Snapple Fact #170: In 1878, the first telephone book ever issued contained only 50 names.

Fever (Fever for the Flavor of New Pringles/ Disco Fever/Saturday Night Fever/Jungle Fever)

This is a picture of how I feel. I'm still fighting this fever, head cold, chest congestion thing. I slept until 9:30 AM this morning. I'm exhausted and totally wiped out. I went to bed at a fairly decent hour last night, too. Whatever this is, it's kicking my butt.
Wish my fever was more like this (I've always wanted to disco like Travolta!!!).

Busy night tonight . . . we've got the whole dance thing and tonight is SSC night at Chik-fil-A. Kendall is also going to want to hit Party City at some point this week prior to Thursday. She's going to have a couple of girls sleep over for her b-day. We're trying to keep it small this year since we're taking her to ATL on her actual b-day to go to the new American Girl store and 6 Flags the next day. Anyway, the kids don't have school Friday or Monday due to conferences so Thursday is a great night to have a couple of girls sleep over. We'll grill hotdogs for dinner and Chris will make a campfire so we can do s'mores and roast marshmallows.

Talked to Grammie & Pop last night. They are settling into FL life and have already been to the pool a couple of times and Mom's back to doing aqua aerobics. Pop's looking foward to pickleball and volleyball.

Everything's going great at the store. Fall lax started Sunday (I think Chris said there are almost 400 kids registered). T played and had a great time. While lax was going on, KJ & I went on a hike thru Moss Creek Preserve w/ her scout troop. The weather was gorgeous but because of the drought the waterfall was bone dry. It was a little sad.

So far, being 40 hasn't been so bad. Other than this stupid cold, I feel pretty much the same.