Halloween festivities...

i already showed you my costume this year...believe it or not, i actually startled quite a few people in this get-up ~lol~

i got this email from corinn's teacher this morning...

"So I hear you are 'Pillary Hinton' for Halloween. :) This was reported to me by Corinn this morning. And I love Corinn's skirt! We had to turn out the lights and do a 'light show' for the class this morning!"

i DIED laughing when i read that Pillary Hinton part! hey, it's pretty good that she remembered that much - she's only 4! ~lol~

a note was sent home from school yesterday, saying they had decided to allow costumes this year! just no masks, hats or head-gear....the new principal's decision perhaps? i must admit, i'm a little surprised - but the kids were ecstatic! btw - ecstatic is jaden's new fav word "it means very, very happy", he says ;0)

corinn wore her fairy costume - wings & a skirt that has fiber optic lights in it (that's what her teacher meant by the light show)

gabrielle is hannah montana & wasn't allowed to wear the blonde wig, but still looked soooo punk-rock-cute in her outfit & cowboy boots! :0)

i did both girls' make-up too - pretty/dainty for the fairy & more punk/glittery for the rock star

jaden wore his grim reaper cape, with the hood tucked down in - he was just happy he could wear his glow-in-the-dark skeleton gloves (he stood in front of the mirror, in the dark bathroom for like 15 minutes last night playing with them!)!
i'm pretty excited about how his hood turned out - nana did a great job sewing in the faceless part & i figured out how to add flashing lights for eyes! although, jaden wasn't as excited as me....he said "but they flash, not glow" - he still was more than pleased with the finished product

i'll share pics of the kiddos in their costumes after our campground trick-or-treating adventure tomorrow....i didn't take any pics this morning, since they weren't exactly wearing their complete ensembles ;0)

here's our crazy crew at work....

every year, our Social Committee hosts a potluck lunch, a costume contest & a pumpkin decorating contest....i didn't win the costume contest, but i did come in 3rd for the pumpkin decorating contest ($30 - whoo hoo!)! not sure how either, cause i was up late with getting mine & the kiddos costumes ready for today and decorating 2 simple cakes, so i just cut a bunch of slits out of the pumpkin, as a last minute attempt at participation - but it looks soooooo cool in the dark! ;0)

here are the simple cakes i made last night...the big one was my contribution to our potluck at work...the small one is for my high school BFF - her birthday is today :0)


we're finally carving our big family pumpkin tonight & might even turn on our light for some trick-or-treaters....the kiddos took our trick-or-treating change in plans VERY well....i love those brats! ;0)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

how do u like my costume this year?
:0)

busy at work today, heading up our annual Halloween festivities....much fun!
i'll post more later....stay tuned

thursday sweets, a dirty mouth & a perfect view...

last night, i had to bake sugar cookies (undecorated - booo!) to send to school for the kiddos' Halloween parties....i also had to send in some fall colored icing, so i'm assuming the kiddos will b doing the decorating :0)

of course, i couldn't b baking cookies & not bake some of my hubby's favorite ;0)

then i had this cake to do....i've been talking about Darlene a lot lately - and here we go again ;0) this cake is for Abbey, Darlene's only granddaughter....Abbey is very girly, but loves Spongebob - she also knows that grandma is not a big Spongebob fan....so she gets a kick out of asking grandma for anything & everything Spongebob ;0)

Darlene gave me the Spongebob candle (on top) & the Spongebob & Patrick candies that are around the side - she just said to use those & do whatever i want....i also know that Darlene prefers white icing to having the whole thing colored....it's confetti cake, iced in butter cream....i made all the underwater accessories from gum paste

speaking of sweet treats....u HAVE to check out these!

Pioneer Woman (who i LOVE) made a post today about cake balls (i call mine cake truffles - there are as many names for these yummy & easy balls of goodness, as there are varieties)....she was specifically talking about these from Bakerella....aren't they the cutest EVER?! i never thought about putting them on a stick - duh! what a fun & clever idea!

i soooo want to make the mouthless mummies 2nite!

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last evening, Curtis picked the kiddos up from Christ Commandos at church....they had received some goodies & on the way home, Corinn lost her ring in the car....Curtis told her to wait till they got home & she could look then....so when they pulled into the driveway, he turned on the light & said...

"Can you find your ring now, Corinn?"

and Corinn responds...

"No. (pause) I mean, Heeeeelllllll no!"

with this long southern draw to it???

i can only assume she's heard this on TV or a movie or something....believe me, we let the occasional night-so-nice word slip - but neither Curtis say it that way
~lol~

needless to say, daddy & i had a discussion with our 4yr old, oh-so-proper little lady
;0)

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check out the view from my kitchen window - right over my sink


pretty perfect huh?

this pic was taken before we went to florida - before the weather got so cold....u can't really tell, but that's the wall that my kiddos frequent....it's right in our backyard now! it's nice to have this perfect view while i'm busy getting dinner on the table or washing up the dishes....shoot, if it's warm enough out (like this day was) - i can even hollar thru the window at em....yeah, i'm not crazy about main street being right there, but the kiddos know to not even try to go near it!

unfortunately, we lose some daylight this weekend - i doubt our fam will b getting home before dark much any more - at least not until spring....but hey, at least we gain an hour of sleep saturday night! who can't use that?! :0)

wednesday randomness...

thx for the prayers - keep em coming!

still no definite decisions have been made - curtis is trudging along in the meantime
he is supposed to talk to one of the "big wigs" today - so i'm hoping something positive comes from that!
and he's had several jobs call him back from when he was looking...so, he's going to follow-up with some of them - put his feelers out

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(drawing by jaden, of course)

only 2 more days till halloween!
that is, according to my daily reminder from jaden! ~lol~ that's the very first thing he announces after coming downstairs in the morning! :0)
that boy is gonna bust a seam on halloween morning...too bad they can't wear costumes to school! he'll get to participate in his after-school daycare's party tho

the kiddos have finally decided on their costumes....jaden is going to be a grim reaper again - after spotting the costume with the glowing eyes in walmart back in september, and me insisting we use the same costume from last year (that doesn't have glowing eyes) and jaden finally agreeing - would u believe i can't find last year's costumes?! i know, i know - but we moved & things got stuck in storage without me looking through it first (sorting the storage unit is on my to-do list before we get snow - i better hurry up!)...so i suspect it's in there...then, of course when we go back to walmart to get the glowing eyes costume, it's no longer there!
so with nana's help - we're sewing some black netting into a new cape/hood that we bought (having no face is BIG on jaden's list of priorities for this costume)....and i'm going to somehow fashion some glow stick rings/pegs/something inside the mask, so that there's some glowing going on - we'll see how it works out

gabby is going as Hannah Montana - seeing her in that blonde wig is too weird!
this is another costume that we're "making"....the Hannah Montana costume was $35! can u believe that?! so we bought some funky Hannah Montana clothes (that she can wear again later) & big earrings, the wig, i'll put make-up & glitter on her (which is sooo exciting for my girls!) - she'll b so cute!

corinn is going to b a fairy....she found a pretty little white skirt with fiber optic lights in it....we'll pair that with one of her shiny ballet leotards & some pretty wings we picked up....she'll get make-up & glitter too....so precious!

we'll be trick-or-treating friday night in my hometown....we'll also b heading to natural chimneys' campground for trick-or-treating on saturday....all the campers decorate their sites for halloween & the kids go round for candy...darlene (my co-worker) & her husband camp there on halloween weekend every year....i've been trying to talk curtis into tent camping with the kids at our usual campground (they do the same themed weekend), but i think he's right - it's going to b pretty darn cold

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shoot, already is cold! it was too weird coming back from florida to this weather!
brrrrrrrr!

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Barack Obama was in town yesterday....he spoke at JMU last night....i would like to have attended - our little town, making history! but people started camping out the night before & i heard they had to turn lots away....plus, i had my normal life to attend too (darn responsibilities! ~lol~) they closed off a bunch of streets in town - corinn's dance class canceled due to the traffic & we had a heck of a time getting home after jiu-jitsu...but how cool is it that he picked Harrisonburg of all places?!


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i'm anxious to get home and have dinner tonight - got a roast in the crock pot & my hands smell of onions....my belly is growling just thinking about sitting down to that warm roast, cooked with potatoes & carrots on this cold day! :0)

prayer request

please say a quick little prayer for curtis & our family today...he's finding out that his new job might not b all we thought it was cracked up to b...almost like it was one of those "too good to be true" deals...get em in the door, then show ur true colors :0( he's struggling with wanting to stick it out & do what's best for the family financially - and wanting to tell his boss where to stick it when he feels he's being trampled on and straight lied to...things were going so good too! grrrr...get behind me Satan!!!

"Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:33

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

thx Nana!

we ♥ our t-shirt souvenirs!!!

the rest or our Orlando trip...(picture marathon)

darlene & i work side-by-side...she's my partner in crime ;0)

when work announced our eJam trip months ago, we talked about taking our hubby's along...she suggested we all drive & save on airfare...curtis & i thought it was a great idea - especially since they wanted to take their truck & brian insisted on driving the whole way!


so we headed out around lunch time on wednesday, stopped in Darien GA to sleep for the night, then got up & headed for Orlando at 7am on thursday

it was weird, cause the sun didn't come up until almost 8am in GA/FL! and at 9am, it was already 80 degrees and humid!

gas was cheap in Florida!


we couldn't come that close to the beach & not go see it!


in Daytona, you pay $5 & can drive right out on the beach

back on the road - the only traffic we hit was a lil rubbernecking that was going on near Orlando....McCain's bus & a bunch of cars with tinted windows were parked at a building right off the interstate & everyone was slowing down to look (he spoke in FL thursday morning)

we still made it to the hotel with tons of time to spare...we first walked around & checked the place out - glad we did, cause i think that's the only time i was able to catch pics in the daytime


our room overlooked the atrium in the middle of the hotel & cost $899/night!

there were so many different areas in the hotel...sushi bars, piano bars, seafood restaurants, kid pool areas, adult only areas, a market place

here's one seafood restaurant - on a ship!

here's the same ship at night - look what curtis caught?! ~lol~

there was a fall theme intertwined with the tropical jungle motif


i'd so love to go back with the kids when they have their ICE exhibition!
check out the video on the hotel's site

i saw these orchids (i think that's what they are) & thought of u, BC! ;0)

there were rivers that ran through the hotel - some with fish & sharks, sting rays & little gators

curtis came down to catch one of the gator feedings while i was in a session...i didn't get a pic of them until dark (they're on the rock in the bottom, right of the pic)

the kids would have been in heaven! look at the kids' pool area!!!

here's where i spent most of my days - ack

but at night, curtis & i would explore the hotel & enjoy each other's company :0)

felt like i was in the shining, walking the halls

i told ya about our fav spot

so many areas that you wouldn't see unless u were wandering & looking for them - jaden would have loved this!

the food was amazing! we were fed non-stop...if it wasn't meal time, there were drinks, snacks & desserts every where

at the dinner, the last night - the hotel put out a free photo booth for us to enjoy...my mom & i jumped in & then i called curtis down from the room, so we could take advantage of it too ;0)

that night, the company also paid for us to check out Downtown Disney

we had some closing sessions saturday morning, then hit the road around 11am...after stopping to eat twice & for pit-stops/gas refills as needed, we still got home by midnight - brian is one hell of a driver! i slept most of the way home since curtis & i had been out and about until 1 or 2am most nights, then i had to get up early for b'fast & morning sessions

even tho work demanded a bunch of my time - we're still glad the hubbys came along...they had time to explore on their own & curtis really enjoyed just being able to hang out in our room - sitting down & watching tv isn't something he gets to do a lot at home....and of course our late night rendezvous were fun! ;0)

we missed the kiddos tons tho! sunday morning, we gathered them up & gave them their souvenirs....we got the girls Disney bags & jaden a gator head! it was funny cause when curtis picked up jaden & told him we'd brought something home from Florida for him - he says "does it have sharp teeth?!" ~lol~ we know our boy! ;0)

they did really well for my sister & sister-in-law...very well-behaved - made mama proud! they were anxious to see pics & hear about our trip....they asked if we'd all get to go to Florida one day, but didn't at all act upset or jealous that they weren't included in this trip! how did i get so darn lucky?!

busy day at work, playing catch up today...but it feels good to b back to the normal routine
:0)

sneak peak

i'm having way too much fun, being back with the kiddos today - we vegged all morning, watching Roll Bounce together (one of their new fav movies - amazing soundtrack!)....made breakfast together....i shared pics of our trip with them & gave them their souvenirs....great day so far.....they're napping now, then we're headed out to pick up some groceries once they wake up

i'll share these sneak peak pics with u, but the details of how our trip went & the remainder of the pics will have to wait until tomorrow....enjoy the few remaining hours of ur weekend! i know i will! ;0)

this is about 3 hours into our 13 hour drive - the view of Pilot Mountain in North Carolina (near where my BFF lives)

we had time to swing by Daytona Beach before heading into Orlando/Kissimmee to our hotel, the Gaylord-Palms, on Thursday....paid $5 and drove right out on the beach for some quick pics
most of my time was spent in sessions/workshops over in the hotel conference center....our last night there, our company had a private dinner in the HUGE atrium that was in the middle of the Gaylord lobby
(our room balcony is over on the far side, 5th floor, to the left) mine & curt's fav spot of the hotel was this hottub located near the "adults only" pool, hidden behind some bushes....our last night there, the pools & hottubs were pretty much empty....so if felt like we were the only ones outside on that side of the hotel that night ;0)

more to come tomorrow...

home again...

made great time - again....home by 12:30am....want to go get the kids so bad right now! but gonna hold off & gather them up in the morn, as planned....will hopefully get to upload some pics here 2moro....def want to catch up on some blog reading too! headed to bed now - it's been fun staying in a fancy schmancy place....but ah, our own bed! ;0)

just passed charlotte NC...

just passed charlotte NC (hey BC & Aisha!)...home round 1-2am...can't wait 2 C kiddos - gettin em n the morn tho...had a blast!!!

we're here!

check it out! :0)

overlooking the HUGE atrium & a computer in the room!

whoo hoo!

we made FAB time! had a sit down dinner last night, sit down b'fast this morning...swung by Daytona Beach for some pics before hitting Orlando - and still here with 3 hours to spare!

going to go grab lunch & chill for a bit before our sessions start at 3pm...will check back in soon :0)

off to a slow start...

i should have known - after pulling an all-nighter on monday, i crashed hard last night (just before midnight)....so hard, that when my alarm went off at 5am, i didn't even hear it! yep, over-slept until 7:30am! not just me, the kiddos & curtis too!!! we're all usually up and at em between 6 & 6:30am every morning??? everyone must have been zonked!

so i called work to tell em i'd be late....rushed to get kiddos ready for school....said our teary goodbyes (i promise, i didn't start it - gabby teared up first, got corinn going & then me too....but they're fine - just the first time away from mama for more than an overnight)....curtis ran them to school & said his goodbyes there....i finished up the last of mine & the kids' packing.....delivered the kiddos' bags to my sis & sis-in-law & came into work

curtis is home doing his packing....he's picking me up at 1pm - we are going to run by the liquor store (gotta pick up the essentials! ~lol~), grab some lunch & snacks for the trip...then we're meeting our traveling buddies at 2pm

i promise to tweet when i can so u can see what we're up too - hopefully, it's not too boring!
(if u haven't noticed it already, over on the right side of my blog is my twitter box....twitter is a cool little site/tool where u can update ur status via the web/mobile, wherever/whenever....i have it linked here so u can see my status - but u should join twitter! u can follow ur friends & we can follow u)

we'll b getting back late, late saturday night - so i'll check in on sunday & may even post some pics then (depends on how tired we are)

let the make-out session, er i mean, 13 hour drive begin! ~lol~