Happy Haunting (part 1)

a couple of pics from tonight.

more to come soon...

me.

handing out the treats.

Evan.

pre-trick-or-treating.

pattern practice

My very first attempt at using a sewing pattern. Yep, I have never ever used a pattern. I have just winged it... until now. I made this apron as part of my witchy halloween costume. I kept things really simple by using felt and wool so I didn't have to mess with interfacing and binding and all of that. I think it turned out pretty well.

Now if only I could get my spells to work as well... ; )

three more little things that make me happy for no apparent reason

1. fresh, clean sheets
2. soft, warm, fun, comfy PJs
3. planning my Halloween costume

Coming Up for Air?

I am ready to stop holding by breath. I know I have been holding it for awhile... waiting, hoping. I guess when it comes down to it, I have been holding it for the past 8 years. I see a light at the end of this long dark tunnel. Not a magic fix-all, but a light of hope. A release from the strain and anger that I have been carrying. A chance to feel more secure.

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I want to share words of 'thanks' to the out-going 'leader' of this great nation.

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Thank you Mr. President for getting me more involved in our government.

Thank you Mr. President for helping me define my beliefs and values more clearly.

Thank you Mr. President for setting the bar so unbelievably low, that we as a nation can only go up from here.

Thank you Mr. President for setting the stage for this historic election. Without the monumental screw up that has been your Presidency, I don't know if our nation would have even considered a man of African American descent or a woman as our next leader no matter how great a leader he/she was.

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oh, and just so you know, Mr. President, you leave our country smoldering and broken. You leave us with a deep ecology of fear and mistrust. You leave our nation disgraced and embarrassed in the eyes of much of the world. You leave our children with less than they deserve.

You leave with no redemption. Your legacy is already in place.

Halloween Warm-Up

Trunk-or-Treat 2008

Yesterday was our yearly trunk-or-treat with our moms and kids group. I like to think of it as a practice run for the big night. Evan is a storm trooper this year and his buddy Matthew is a knight.

After all the goodies were collected, the kids went inside to check out their treats. Storm trooper Evan is so my child because he had to organize and sort his candy in a very precise way before he could eat any of it ; )

(premade themes from scrapblog.com... just add pictures)

And the winner is....

Both!

It's a tie!

And in the spirit of cooperation, Tyrone and Clancy have decided to work together to handle the duties of President of Evan's Toys.

If only it was that simple in the 'real world'.

Vote Day

I took advantage of early voting this time around. Evan was my voting buddy. I wanted him with me. So after school today we headed to the courthouse.

The sticker I got for voting said "I made freedom count".

I want Evan to never take his freedom or his right to vote for granted. I want him to know that what he believes matters. I want Evan to be a part of this... to be a part of history in the making.

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Evan & me on the courthouse steps post voting

(camera phone self-portrait)

front of courthouse

a rose by any other name...

would not be Shelby.

Evan & Shelby at their school's fall carnival Oct. 10th

If Evan was into Shakespeare, that would be what he would say ; ) Shelby is Evan's first young love in the very first, youngest sense of love. They became almost instant friends when they met in preschool 2 years ago. And now they are in the same kindergarten class and are closer than ever. In preschool Evan rebuffed the boyfriend label (using grossed out sounds and a scrunched up face), but recently he has started proclaiming that they are boyfriend and girlfriend (much to my chagrin). It seems to me that Shelby definitely has the upper hand in this relationship and most often calls the shots. Although Evan will attempt to protest on occasion, he seems pretty content to follow her lead. She has even put Evan on a schedule at school. Monday through Thursday Evan plays with her at recess. Fridays are his 'free day' to play with other friends. I don't make this stuff up, people! There is part of me that wants to step in and try to work out a better schedule for my child. However I want him to work out stuff for himself and I figure when he has had enough and it really bothers him he will put his foot down. I volunteer in Evan's classroom once or twice a week. And what really strikes me about these two is that sometimes they act like an old married couple and I have to smile and shake my head.

Luckily Markas & I know Shelby's parents. We can compare notes about the latest Evan & Shelby happenings and have a good laugh. I have wondered what if they do grow up and decide to get married... a huge what if of course... but what a wonderful story they will have to share with people about how they have been connected at the hip since age 3. Life works in mysterious ways...

Tuesday in My World

Happy Birthday, Darla Dear!

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Closet Collapse!

Crash! Boom! What the...!

This was the scene in our closet last night.

We have lived in our house just over three years and our master bedroom closet has to be one of my least favorite parts of the house. It is very long and narrow. But we have made it work. Well last night it all came crashing down! Of course now we can see why. The shelving unit was glued to the wall and secured with a few finishing nails! I am absolutely amazed it has held this long. So all of our clothes and other belongings are in a crumpled heap at the bottom of our closet. Surprisingly I was/am super mellow about the whole thing. Probably because I am too sick to have the energy to care about the mess. This morning it crossed my mind just to seal off the closet and build a new (mega deluxe) closet onto the back of the house. A girl can dream, can't she? ; )

On the bright side, most of my bags came out of the collapse unscathed! ; )

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Spotlighting the Poo
Oh come on... you know you have to read this and find out what it is about! ; )

How can you make a 5 year old excited to scoop the dog poop in the backyard? Do a search at night with a flashlight. I let Evan be the 'spotter' and I was the 'scooper'. We walked close together and he scanned the ground for poo. He thought this was such an adventure I think he would have done it all night. And yes, we both had on appropriate shoes for the task. How crazy we must look roaming around the backyard at that time of night. The 'P Dog' didn't know what his people were up to. He started going around the yard uncovering the bones he has hidden and dropping them in a pile that he guarded until we went inside. Poor Price! I do want to add that scooping poo at night with a flashlight was not the intended activity for last night... it sort of evolved as we were hanging in the yard with Price before Evan's bedtime. I guess it just goes to prove that even the most unpleasant chore can be made into a fun task with an out-of-the-box approach. Somehow though, I don't think cleaning the kitchen at night with a flashlight would work out quite as well...

300... but who's counting

Puzzle Time

(in my head I am singing this to "Hammer Time")

As long as I can remember, Evan has been into puzzles. And lately he can't get enough of them. He can sit at the table and work on one for extended periods of time, so involved he seems to tune out other things around him. He does 60 or 70 piece puzzles on his own with no trouble. Recently he and I have started working on 100+ puzzles together and last night we had family puzzle time and completed a 300 piece puzzle. I have never been that into puzzles myself, but now I am hooked. And it nice to do it as a family unit. Markas must think that Evan and I are rather odd... we have our own 'puzzle smack talk'. Yep, we talk smack to the puzzle as we work on it. Also Markas has pointed out that Evan is singing and humming when he is working on puzzles, or building with legos, etc. My hubby often asks where does Evan get that from? Well honey,the simple fact is he gets it from me. Not sure where I get it from (probably my mom), but I hum and sing while working on puzzles and don't always even realize that I am doing it. Weird, huh?

"you can't touch this... break it down" (sorry, I'm still singing in my head) lol

Campaign Update

This just in.

In the race for president of his toys, Evan says that right now he thinks it is too close to call. He has been talking with both candidates on the issues that are important to them. At bedtime last night, Evan shared what he has learned so far about each candidates ideas for the future.

According to Evan, Clancy the Bear is running on a reform platform involving "making sure the Transformers are nicer to the other toys and not bossy".

At the center of Tyrone the Moose's presidential agenda, is to "get more toy cars."

You heard it here first. Continue to stay tuned for the latest in campaign coverage.

Rumors have surfaced that candidate Tyrone

has already chosen his key cabinet members.

How will this play out with voters?

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Well Said!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs43RR7IiNU

Daddy in Kindergartenland

Markas is 'da man' at work. A couple hundred employees to oversee, millions of dollars on the line, and a 24/7 schedule. Sounds daunting to most. But what makes a guy like Markas a little bit anxious has nothing to do with his job... it has to do with 14 five year olds in a classroom filled with shrunken tables and chairs ; ) Welcome to Evan's kindergarten classroom!

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Markas volunteered to read to Evan's class on Friday morning (one of his rare weekdays off). He read It's Hard to Be Five by Jaime Lee Curtis. No surprise to me, he was evidently a big hit with the kids and had one very proud son on his hands as well. Markas has always been a kid magnet. Kids love to hang all over him like a jungle gym. (btw, He has also been doing a super job has one of the coaches for Evan's soccer team this season.) I am very proud of Markas for taking on this new adventure and being a visible part of Evan's school experience.

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In case anyone was wondering... my advice to Markas before he went to the school to read was... "never let them see you sweat!" and "they can sense fear, kinda like horses" and "no matter what, never turn your back on them!" LOL Okay, so I didn't really say that (although I really wanted to). Instead I just settled for the 'oh you'll do great, blah, blah, blah, nothing to worry about, blah, blah, blah' speech.

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And he did do great and had nothing to worry about. And I got to give the 'see I told you so, blah, blah, blah' speech afterward. What a supportive wife I am! ; )

Face Your Manga

I came across a website where you can create a custom avatar for free. I made an avatar for me (on the left) and one of Evan.

(The website is called Face Your Manga.

Strange name, but easy and fun avatars.)

Evan avatar

Got my gnocchi on & other firsts

Gnocchi (pronounced [ˈɲɔːki] in Italian; singular gnocco) is the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle or dumpling.

And let me say it was quite good. I cooked some for dinner last night. Apparently there are different kinds and we had potato gnocchi (which also had tomato and spinach). Even Evan really liked it.

I got my first dental crown this morning or at least a temporary crown. Not pleasant, but finally done. I kid you not... I got 14 shots! The ones on the roof of my mouth were the worst! Yikes! My permanent coronation will be in 2 to 3 weeks. I told Evan this morning about my dentist appointment. I asked if I could go to school and he could go to my dentist appointment. He didn't miss a beat and said, "No, Mom. I have learning to do!" I can't get anything past my child ; )

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Oh, another first today... my first ever, ever political sign in my yard. Apparently there have been thousands of signs stolen from yards recently. Suspiciously, all have been the 'non-McCain/Palin' signs. So the countdown has begun... how long will my sign remain in my yard. Any bets? (fyi - I have a spare sign stashed away)

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okay, just ran to the window to check... still there... so I am officially at 1 hour and 15 minutes and counting of signage... LOL

three more little things that make me happy for no apparent reason

1. braids in my hair
2. a bucket of crayons
3. the moon and stars

Election '08 (Evan Style)

some of the campaign ads

(click to enlarge image)
a preview of the ballot

Who says kids can't get in on the election action?
So far the race for President of Evan's Toys is a close one. Last night candidates were officially nominated and today the campaign began in earnest. An upcoming debate (TBA) will help each candidate present their platforms.

Stay tuned for the latest in campaign coverage!

a little scrapblog therapy

If you build it, they will come.

camera phone pic of the new Target

Evan & I made our maiden voyage to Target this morning after Evan's soccer game. I have mixed feelings about it. I love the red and white goodness! It's nice not to have to drive an hour away to enjoy it. I like some of their product lines like the eco-friendly laundry and cleaning supplies. I like that Wal-Mart now has some competition in town. But... I still hate how and where the shopping center was built! And today it was a madhouse! I was stressin' and ready to leave before I had everything on my list. Didn't even have a chance to look at the $ bins! I know things will eventually settle down and I can go again and enjoy Target at my leisure. Maybe when Evan is in school... ; )

My Kindergarten Experience version 2.0 (1980 & 2008)

me on my first day of kindergarten, 1980

Okay, so no big surprise that kindergarten the second time around is way different than the first time. My kindergarten experience was in 1980. I am experiencing it again in 2008, but this time through the eyes of motherhood. My how things change and how other things stay exactly the same. I am really questioning everything about the current day school environment. I will take not one thing for granted! Education is everything. Not just for my child, but for all children.

I find myself with many, many more questions than answers. So for now I will share some of my questions (some more serious than others). I hope answers will soon (really soon) follow.

Can't someone please come up with easy-open milk cartons?

What happened to school recess?

Why are test scores more valued over.... well everything?

Anyone else remember the alphabet people?

Why is there money for war but not for education?

When did education become a one-size-fits-all proposition (standardized to oblivion)?

Why are the 'C' and 'K' sounds so messed up?

What happened to the belief that young kids learn through play?

When did breathing dry erase marker fumes become better than breathing chalk dust?

Are male teachers on the endangered species list?

Don't public schools need to be the cornerstone of a healthy community?

What happened to the 'being 5' that I remember?

Photos by Evan

Evan brought along his kid-friendly digital camera during our exploration last Sunday. The one thing I hope he gets from watching me with my camera, is that there are no rules... capture the world as you see it.

Here are a few of his photos just how he took them.

click on image to enlarge

Please Welcome My First Blog Guest

I am super thrilled that my friend and all around awesome person, Julie H., kindly agreed to share some of her ideas on how we can all be more considerate of our environment and keep our families healthier in the process. She recently spoke at a meeting of area moms (including myself) and I was inspired to continue the eco-friendly practices my family has already adopted and to add more. Who knew what a huge difference small changes can make! Check out what Julie has to say about living green!

Please tell everyone a little about yourself.

I am a mother of two little ones - Katrina, age 3, and Ethan, age 2. Before we moved to Arkansas, I was an Audiologist and specialized in pediatric cochlear implants. While I miss the accomplishments that my career offerred, I love staying home and I'm working on making our home as green as possible!

How/when/why did you start incorporating "living green" into your daily life?
I started doing some minor things before we moved here a year and a half ago such as using CFLs and my own grocery bags as well as earth friendly cleaners. However, my little guy didn't sleep through the night until he was 15 months old so frankly I was too sleep deprived to do much more than function. Now that he is sleeping and we're fully settled after the move, I have had the opportunity to really devote myself to living as green as possible. I am very concerned about the toxins in our home - 95% of us have Teflon in our bloodstreams. Children have three times more flame retardants in their bloodsteams when compared to adults. Flame retardants have been found in newborns, breast milk, and umbillical cord blood. This is very alarming to me as we don't know the effects of these substances, especially on developing bodies.

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We are hearing a lot about compact fluoresent lightbulbs, canvas bags, and recycling, but what are other things every family can do to be more eco-friendly?
In addition to using CFLs, we need to be sure that we are turning off lights when we are not using them. Also, we need to turn off our TVs and computers - I was very bad at this about a year ago, but I am now fully reformed (or 90% reformed). If possible, it is a good idea to have major electronics like computers and TVs and their accessories plugged in to a power strip. At night, just flip the switch to off and you will know that you aren't still using electricity.

In the grocery, buy food that is packaged in recyclable containers or at least food that is minimally packaged. Fruit roll-ups drive me nuts due to the amount of packaging involved - what a waste! Instead of buying pre-packaged food (like little bags or chips or cereal), but in bulk and package it yourself in reusable tupperware containers. Twenty-five percent of the food in homes is trashed - watch what you are buying and cooking and you will probably find ways to improve on this! Composting is also an easy way to turn your food scraps into a great resource!

Avoid harsh chemicals - try to purchase eco-friendly cleaning products when possible. Target carries the Method line which is great and they also carry Seventh Generation products which I love. You can find an eco-friendly cleaner for every cleaning job you can imagine!

Don't use paper towels and napkins - instead use cloth napkins and reusable cleaning towels. I love microfiber cleaning rags as they trap the dirt and you don't really even need any cleaning products - just a little water and you'll be good to go!!

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What are some interesting facts we may not know?
Well, I might start with an interesting product that you may not know of. I saw this on "Living with Ed." You can buy an air conditioner mister that keeps the air around the AC unit cool and can reduce your cooling bill by 30%. The website is

www.coolnsave.com and it costs less than $100.

Interesting or rather disturbing. . .almost all children excrete pesticides in their urine. Buy organic when possible or even better yet, grow your own!

The population of the world is going to double in the next 50 years . . we need to start conserving our resources and protecting our environment at all cost or we are going to have a dire situation.
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Please share your favorite "green" products or items in your...

bathroom? Method Tub and Tile spray - smells like mint and makes your bathroom squeaky clean!kitchen? Microfiber towels and my Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds

laundry room? Seventh Generation Laundry detergent - smells great and works just as well as any laundry detergent

living areas? My plants! Research has shown that you need one plant per 100 sq. ft. in your home to remove toxins from the air we breathe.
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Do you have any favorite helpful websites?
http://healthychild.org/
http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
http://www.ewg.org/forparents
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h110indoorair.html
http://www.howtocompost.org/
http://www.terrapass.com/
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

Thanks so much, Julie!

My New Glasses!

serious and intense.

so gonna rock these!

deep pondering. second thoughs?

I had an eye doctor appointment this morning. I haven't had a check-up in awhile. I was kinda worried my eyes have gotten worse, especially with all of the crafty and computer stuff I do these days. Luckily I got a pretty good report from the doc. And when it came time to pick out some new glasses, I knew I wanted something different and something with a retro vibe.

What do ya think?

you guys know I am just kidding... right?

a few more...

photos from our Sunday excursion

now on my photo page

My Mind

my mind.

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sweet madness.

utter chaos.

marbled thoughts.

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tickled with brilliance.

clouded with despair.

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a renegade?

corroded?

renewed?

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ever idle?

always dancing?

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...needs to chill out.

this just in...

new photos on my photo page!

www.dljack75photos.blogspot.com

The Trouble with Boys...

I just finished reading this book. It is the first book since college that I used a highlighter on to mark important points I want to refer to again and again. Very eye-opening indeed.

Check out the Q & A from the author, Peg Tyre.

http://www.pegtyre.com/qa.php

pictures of today's soccer game

Go Jets!

Unfortunately it got rained out so this is all I got (with my camera phone). Rain isn't such a big deal, but the lightning was : /

The many faces of Evan

Here are photos I took in rapid succession. Of course I already posted one of these pics to show off his mummy shirt. But I thought these were especially cool when shown as a series in the order I took them. See what I mean about his larger than life personality? ; )

Some of his looks are quite fierce! ; )

Another Good-For-You Serving of Blog Salad

Ready? Let's dig in!

My blog turned 1 today!

Where does the time go? Wow.

Having my own blog has been a therapeutic and often transforming experience. (I owe thanks to my friend Linda for the inspiration to start a blog.)It is like a personal memoir, counseling sessions, and scrapbook all rolled into one neat and convenient package. It took some time to get my bearings. But once I did I just let go and put myself and my life out there. It has changed how I see everything.


all wrapped up in you...
Evan is rocking his custom mummy shirt today! My dear friend Darla made it for him (www.reesegrahamcreations.etsy.com). He loves it! I love it! I also love the skater vibe he has going on... the long straight shorts and his ultra cool canvas kicks. What a cool dude I have! I swear, sometimes I think he has enough personality for 3 people! ; )


okay, seriously, I have issues!
This photo was not staged. This is my actual pile o' books and magazines on the floor next to my computer armoire. It is out of control! I have so many things I want to read that I usually don't even know where to start. It is not unheard of for me to read 2 or 3 books at the same time... rotating a fiction, non-fiction, and project book. My mind is in overload.
Too many books... not enough time : /


oh, the tangled webs we weave...
Evan and I put up our Halloween decorations yesterday. And as we were doing so, I noticed we weren't the only ones in the Halloween spirit ; ) We now have a spider friend who has made her home on our front porch. Evan and I watched "Morticia" start at the very beginning and quickly weave an awesome pattern
Who needs fake decorations, when you can have the real thing?

three more little things that make me happy

1. my bare feet walking on cool grass

2. when Evan tells me I'm crazy, but he wouldn't want any other mom

3. capturing moments like this one

... hoping against hope I can make them last forever

Evan

November 2003 (9 months old)

Sharing Some Funny version 2.0

(click on images to enlarge)