ALL HALLOW'S EVE

Pictures!

Here are the kids all ready to go trick-or-treating. L-R: K is a stick figure (more on that in a moment), Pey is a High School Musical cheerleader, and Ry is Landon Donovan of LA Galaxy fame:

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Here are a couple of pictures of K when we turned off the lights. His costume was the hit of the night. :)

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Hope you all had a great pumpkin day, too.

Updates

Good

Girl Scout meeting went well. We even completed all the requirements for a patch. Before our next meeting, I need to make sure I purchase those patches so that the girls will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Halloween candy bowls are fully stocked (I bought eleven bags of Snickers, Butterfingers, etc. - no cheap stuff this year; thanks Grocery Game).

Kids' costumes are pretty much ready to go. Pey will be a cheerleader from High School Musical, Ry will be Landon Donovan, and K will be a stick figure. Y'all, if his costume works out, I'll be posting pictures all over the place tomorrow. SO neat.

I made Rachael Ray's Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches last night. Yum-O.

My birthday is this Friday.

Bad

Friday I will be thirty-nine. Next year I shan't have a birthday, I think.

I have to take a CPR class on Friday. For Girl Scouts. It's not a requirement, but a "suggestion." I've noticed GSA has lots of "suggestions."

Speaking of Girl Scouts, Fish's comment on my last GSA post was right on the money when she talked about dealing with parents. I could go on for pages, but I'll just give this little anecdote:

At the parents' meeting, we talked about dues. It was decided that dues would be $2 per child, per meeting. Grand total of $20 for the year. Cheap, right? When it came to payment, I said that whatever the parents decided on how to pay would be fine with me, but that we had to come to a consensus - either everyone pays up front, or everyone sends two dollars with their child on meeting days. Anything else would become a financial headache for the Leaders. With God as my witness, I promise that every parent said they'd prefer to pay for the year in advance.

Jump ahead to the GS meeting on Friday: one parent brought me a check for four dollars for her two daughters, "just in case she decides they aren't going to be in Scouts for the whole year." One parent brought ten dollars in cash. Ten. No one else paid at all.

Well, isn't that special. I just can't wait until February cookie sales come along.

YO SE LA VOY, LA VOY AL NARANJA!

Houston Dynamo, you rock. Between you guys and the University of Texas Longhorns, my new favorite color is definitely orange.

Doesn't hurt that we're in the finals and DALLAS IS NOT! Woo!

Next weekend will find us in the stands at Robertson Stadium.

Nuff said.

IT'S FRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIDAY

A local DJ always says "it's Friday" all spread out as in the title of this post. I wish you could hear it; it always makes hubby and me smile.

This particular Friday is not going to be as relaxing for me as your typical Friday. That's because Pey's Girl Scout troop, of which I am the leader, is meeting here at our house right after school today. We already had the requisite Parent Meeting last Monday, which was only slightly more fun than a root canal.

Actually, no, it wasn't.

Our troop consists of eight girls, at least two of which I'd happily boot out if I were given the opportunity. Am I awful for not loving every child I meet? Seriously, shouldn't Scout leaders be blessed with Jesus-like patience when it comes to dealing with the little lambs? If so, then I need to turn in my Pin.

In all fairness, I cannot completely fault the girls for their behavior at the first meeting. My co-leader, who had agreed to lead the girls in a craft or two while I met with parents and had them fill out paperwork, completely ignored her job. She stayed with the parents and chatted while a bunch of eight- and nine-year-olds ran amok in my dining room. Not only that, but she was completely unprepared for the meeting - I'd given her all of her daughters' paperwork ahead of time (two of her kids are in this troop). Alas, she hadn't filled out a single page.

So at this meeting, I was pretty much on my own - corraling the girls while simultaneously trying to keep them quiet enough that I could hear their parents' questions and answer them. By the time all these people left my house, it was after 8:00 p.m. The kids and hubby were hungry and tired, and I was all that plus aggravated. It turns out that while the girls were coloring printouts of the Girl Scout Law and the Girl Scout Promise, they took advantage of the fact that they were pretty much unsupervised to flip the posters over and draw pictures of people committing suicide. One girl said that when she grew up, she was going to be a "Sui-side-kick."

OMG.

Co-leader hears about this after the meeting, and gets upset because her daughters didn't yet know what suicide was, and she didn't want them to learn about it from other kids.

Um, yeah, ya think? Where were YOU when the girls were doing all that? Not where you were supposed to be, I can tell you that.

Typing this out is making me upset again. I just hope today's meeting goes better than the first one. Lord, give me strength.

Mom

As of today, it's been exactly eight years since you left us. I still remember that last day at the hospital like it was yesterday...when the doctors turned off life support, it felt as if they turned off my own heart.

Every time I see a yellow butterfly, I think of you. In a way, I feel that the yellow butterfly is you, watching over us from time to time. I almost always see a yellow butterfly at the soccer fields, and it warms my heart because I know how much you loved to watch K play.

I hope that you can see how wonderful your grandchildren are turning out. K is a very talented guitar player now, Pey loves Girl Scouts and animals, and Ry is incredibly smart and creative - and he gives his dad and Tree a run when it comes to Star Wars trivia. You wouldn't believe it.

I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but you were my mom and I loved you very much. I still do.

I'm heading to the florist to pick up some of your favorite purple flowers, then I'll take them to the cemetery afterwards. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about with you when I get there.

Rest well, Mom. You are deeply missed.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

I was just reading a post on a board that I frequent (rhymes with "Rocery Rame") regarding Tylenol Go Tabs. Reviews are mixed, although the general consensus is "yuck."

So anyway, I started thinking about things I've been using around the house lately. Do I like Glade Air Wisp or not? How's that Oust Air Sanitizer working out? What are my feelings on the Tylenol Go Tabs? What the heck is that on the carpet?

And so it goes.

Tylenol Go Tabs - Convenient; no water required. But not as tasty as Tums (and yes, I know they serve different purposes - I was just making a taste comparison). Jury is still out on how effective they are on headaches.

Glade Air Wisp - Smells a room right good when it's set on high. But it beeps this annoying little high-pitched "where the heck is that beep coming from?!?" beep that irks hubby. Probably not enjoyable for the dog, either.

Glade Plug Ins - Can't tell you how much I lurve these things.

Stayfree Pads - Come on, they're pads. Not bulky, but awfully fold-y. (Women will totally get what I mean by that). Awful necessity. Hate them. Need them.

Vive Pro shampoo/conditioner - I got tons of this stuff for free. To me, the shampoo is just shampoo. If I'd had to pay for the Vive Pro, I'd have saved a couple of bucks and bought Suave. As for the conditioner, I've never met one that beats Pantene for detangling my frizzy mop.

Pantene Ice Shine shampoo/conditioner - Lordy, if this lived up to its promises, I'd buy stock in the company. But the only diff between the Ice Shine and regular Pantene is about two bucks a bottle. Again, if it wasn't free, I'd ... well, I'd still have tried it, as I am an advertising budget's dream, apparently. But I wouldn't buy it twice, so there!

Senseo Coffee Maker - Rocks.My.World. If anyone can tell me where to buy cheap pods, I'd be rather grateful.

Pizza Hut lasagna pizza - Sinfully delicious cholesterol on crust. We ordered it a lot. So why the heck did Pizza Hut stop selling it here? Don't even tell me that PH is concerned about my cholesterol...

Wacky Mac pasta - Turns the water red when you cook the noodles. That might be appealing to children younger than mine. Otherwise, they're just noodles, which basically means that the sauce is all that matters. I paid five cents a bag for this stuff. Worth every penny.

Oust Air Sanitizer - Kills poopy smells in the bathroom air. Can't complain.

Chex Mix chocolate & peanut butter - Oh my gravy, as Rachael Ray would say. Bad bad bad for me. Good good good for my taste buds. It's reminiscent of puppy chow (you know, that stuff you make with Chex and melted chocolate and peanut butter and powdered sugar at Christmastime). I could easily gorge myself on this stuff. And have.

Dyson - There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe this insane vacuum cleaner. I have had mine for almost exactly a year now, and the honeymoon is still not over.

Carmex - Bliss in a tube. Or stick. Or tub. Carmex is all about choice.

Advil PM - Be sure you're already in bed when you take this stuff, is all I'm saying.

Cottonelle Fresh Wipes - There oughta be a law that every bathroom in the free world has these readily available. Sometimes I even use one to wash my face. A new cloth, of course; don't be gross.

Mary Kay oil-free hydrating cream - Little. Purple. Different. Very good for wearing under Everyday Minerals-type makeup.

Everyday Minerals makeup - Let me put it this way: I'm never going to put cream foundation on my face again. If you try EM, be sure to get Original Glo finishing dust. You won't believe the radiant glow you'll have. M'kay, I'm a freaking commercial. Moving on...

Pledge dusters - If these had existed when my mother was around, her house would have been much cleaner. She hated to clean, but these things almost make dusting fun. I said almost. Let's not get crazy.

Day Runner - Seriously, why so pricey? I've got a terrific At-A-Glance planner that cost six bucks. Day Runners of the same size and capabilities? $40 on clearance. I don't get it. I really don't.

Snapfish.com - Excellent photo developing and uber-cheap prices. They're quick, too. If you want to try them out, your first roll of film developing is free. If you tell them I sent you, I'll get a free 4x6 or somesuch. Drop me a line and I'll give you my email addy. (Shameless plug. Just shameless. Apologies all around.)

That's about it for now. The kidlets are due home from school in a few minutes, and I still have not identified that spot on the carpet.

In Memoriam

Hubby's grandmother, Arthelia, who would have turned 96 years old this coming Sunday, passed away last Saturday morning. She was a remarkable woman who traveled the world, gave birth to five children, and supported her family while her husband fought in WWII. She was a schoolteacher for many years, and in general just a smart cookie!

As she aged and her body slowed down, she still kept going. Art never let her physical limitations keep her from experiencing life. We'd sometimes offer to take her out to lunch, or to the park, or to a movie, knowing that despite her creaky knees, she'd always grab her walker and say, "Well, that'd be nice."

To the very end, her mind was as sharp as a tack. The ever-present crossword puzzle books she carried around helped with her memory retention capabilities, she said. I constantly marveled at the way she was able to keep up with hubby's sharp wit. Not many people were as quick as she.

Saturday afternoon, we sat the kids around the kitchen table and told them that GG had gone to heaven. They were devastated. The last close relative to die was my mother in 1998, and the kids were too young to remember much about her. But they have many more memories of GG, which made it that much harder to let her go.

We are all comforted by the fact that at least she is no longer in pain. And that she is finally reunited with her beloved little sister, Bliss, who died in 1918 when she was five years old. GG is also being greeted by her husband of fifty-plus years, who predeceased her in 1991. I can hear him now - "Art, what took you so long?"

In addition to dozens of other long-lost relatives that she is now reconciled with, she is probably most thrilled to see her firstborn child, who died the day he was born. At the time of his birth, I'm not sure the nurses even let her see the baby, so being able to at long last will be especially wonderful.

For those of us left behind, we say Godspeed to you, Art. We will miss you very much, and will try to live our lives the way you lived yours - with passion, adventure, and love.

16 YEARS ALREADY

And here's to fifty more.

DREAMING OF YOU
Last night I dreamed about friends I've never met. And orange stuff.

So here I was, at the Rachael Ray show, helping her set up the cooking segment. She looked at me and said, “You’re so nicely dressed. How do you always look so put together?” I looked down at my camisole and jacket and thought, “duh, Rach, it’s all about layering.”

A few minutes later, she asked me to run out and get something she needed (what it was escapes me now). I was apparently beamed into someone’s house, where their kitchen table was set with beautiful orange dishes and a large flower arrangement in the center. I heard a noise and turned to find a blonde-headed Jax standing there. He asked me how I liked the table he had set, and I told him it was lovely. Then he asked me if I wanted to see his daddy’s car, and led me to the garage. Inside was a orange Delorean, rather beat up but still cool.

At that point, Pez (wearing a baseball jersey and jeans, and with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail) came in and asked Jax how he got home from the Mariners game by himself. He said, “I’m good at directions.”

Rachael Ray came into the kitchen then, and said that the table looked good and that she was ready to get started. She cooked up some veal and macaroni & cheese, which Jax declared “delish!” A few minutes later, the doorbell rang – Kimmer was joining us for dinner.

It was sure good to see you guys.