In the interest of honesty...

I've also been sucked into the vortex of this....

I just want to make it clear that this is not my usual genre.  I don't usually do sci fi books and definitely not vampire books...and frankly not books that my 13 year old read a year ago....but it is a good read, and with the movie coming out at midnight I'll need to follow my own rule about books that become movies...  

HOUSE RULE: You have to read the book first!  

Miles reminded me of that when I mentioned that he and I should see the movie.  So we will go to see the movie together...but not this weekend...I'm not fully able to go to a movie where I know there will be tons of people who are so into the book that they will be dressed like vampires.  We'll wait a week or so and then I can go without having nightmares about whoever is sitting next to me! 

If you haven't read this give it a try and if you haven't heard of it...get out from under the rock you are living under!

Where did the time go this week?

Oh I know...I was single parenting again this week, as Charlie was training a few hours away and time does fly when there are three of them (kids) and one of you.  Charlie was home for the weekend and we decided to just hang out and relax.  

Ok so NEWSFLASH... there was a cold front that moved in here in South Texas!!!!????!!!  Break out the winter parkas and coats and mittens....it's 75 degrees outside.  Seriously, this "cold front" caused a major commotion on the news and then after all that it was 75.  Now granted it was 40 when we left for school...yeah 40 degrees for all of like 15 minutes.  Zach wore shorts and a t shirt and not even a jacket. Hmmm...good thing I still have my cross country skis...who knows what could happen next.

 Oh yes, I have been sucked into the vortex that is Facebook

Who knew that finding old friends could be so fun and interesting.  Every time I log into my email there are new friends.  

I promise my life will get more exciting in the coming days...it's bound to, it never stays dull for long!

Veteran's Day

To my husband

 and to all the men and women 

who have served in the past and who are currently serving

in the military 

and protecting our freedoms and the security of our daily lives

THANK YOU!

Sweet Sunday

This morning I woke up to these...and donuts...but the donuts were gone in a flash, so all that remains are the beautiful roses Brooke and Charlie got when they went out this morning to buy the Sunday paper. And please never forget..."pink is my signature color"...you have seen that movie haven't you?

We decided to head out to Market Days in the town center today (second weekend of every month).  Before we leave the house now, Brooke must put on a matching outfit and earrings of her own selection.  She only wears her diamond studs to school all week so picking accessories on the weekends is an "event."  I'm sure seeing High School Musical 3 has ignited the diva in her once again...goodness help us! 

So we arrived at the town center where ALL town events are held and in case there is any confusion about where we live...here's a reminder...and they are EVERYWHERE...TEXAS, TEXAS, TEXAS!!

So we park, and we walk through a block of main street...can you hear it?  The music...listen..ok well click here to hear it...oh c'mon seriously you've seen this movie right...LOVE IT!  And nobody says ANYTHING about my LOVE for the Bee Gees, it is what it is, I make no apologies.

OK moving on...so if you are in need of any of the following wares...

popcorn shirts or animal skin purses..

...Texas themed hanging garlands...

...winter scarves, for the summery weather here?????.....

...tie die anything...

...jewelry...I mean tables and tables of it...

...and, alas, food of the questionable, food booth variety....

...then you would have been a very happy camper.  Actually, we were all very happy campers and enjoyed walking around in the beautiful weather.  There was a bit of a cool breeze so that was like a little taste of late summer...in the evening..during a cold front...yeah, it wasn't that cold. We didn't buy anything but it was fun to browse and see the handy work of others.  And if ever you want to try a million and one salsas, this is the place to do it.

So back to the car we head, Brooke looking at me just as a reminder as to where we all stand in the family...she at the front of the line with daddy....yes, he belongs to her this weekend since he was gone this week. She's gonna be an awesome girlfriend..in an overbearing, psychotic, all demanding, too much love and kisses, you are 'all mine and only mine' kinda way. 

And here they are, my sweet family....Brooke has broken away from Charlie, momentarily, to chase me down...I kid you not.

So since the smells of Market Days got our stomach's a rumblin' we did the only thing you can do on a football Sunday when you've been gone all morning and lunch is on the horizon. You drive to here.... 

Rudy's, it's been on Food Network, to order a Thanksgiving turkey, which will be juicy and smoked to perfection for only $20 and then we had to buy some brisket and creamed corn for lunch.  So good!

And as a final destination we stopped to get this....

Oh Sonic ice...how I love you and your pellet form.  For $1.39, we'll have ice on the ready.  Our ice machine in our fridge..as lovely as it is, cannot keep up with the demands of our ice needs on a weekend. Hey, it's hot in Texas...and I do love crunching ice. 

Hope your weekend was as fun as ours. 

This is how we roll...

If you are fearful of "first thing in the morning photos"..look away...NOW!!

So Charlie was gone this past week and he returned home on Friday to much love and attention, especially from Brooke.  This morning she got up and came to get Charlie to make breakfast....this is what they came up with....pop tarts and some really yummy hot cocoa with pumpkin spice flavoring, served in bed.  Brooke and I hung out in there getting the bedding all crumbed up.  It was fabulous.

And speaking of fabulous...OMG...********insert SCREAM here******* we went to see this today....

hello...it's High School Musical 3.  Just our luck, as I was paying the guy informed us that it was the  ****OMG insert SCREAM again****... SING A LONG VERSION.  Don't worry we weren't the only ones singing along in the theatre.  Heads up... Brooke can sing...I cannot!  Charlie and the boys had agreed to come the the movie with us (aren't they sweet) and then they realized that Madagascar 2 was out and opted to see that since it was showing the same time as HSM3. Truly, it was a cute movie.  And who doesn't love a good musical???  

So after the movies, we headed straight home and of course downloaded the movie soundtrack from iTunes.  We've been jamming to it all afternoon.  You should see the smile on Brooke's face when she is singing the songs..too cute!

To round out our evening we headed to the Hungry Horse for dinner.  Really, I don't make these things up.  All the kids had received a card for a free meal with their awesome report cards.  And believe me nothing says reward like a meal at the Hungry Horse...HUGE portions of deep fat fried goodness.  Seriously Charlie had deep fried green beans as his side dish.  Just for the record...I did the old broccoli cheese baked potato and salad plus sweet tea...which happens to be the sweetest tea I've ever tasted..very good stuff.  I think the recipe is like 2 cups of sugar to a gallon of tea.

So that was the whole of our day..fun stuff and we are so glad Charlie is back home this weekend.

Look A Here

So, of course you know by now how proud I am of my kids and how awesome I think they are.  Just thought I'd share some of the art Miles has been working on in his art class.  True the pictures don't really do justice but since I've seen none of you, in person, at my new home these photos will have to do.  

Enjoy these samples of Art by Miles...

The first drawing was done in sharpie....listen I couldn't draw a stick person in sharpie without screwing it up so this, to me, is impressive in and of itself.

This second piece of art is part of a series of "doodle a day" drawings.  Each block represents a few minutes at the start of each day in class and the teacher puts up some abstract "start" and they have to put that in the block and then draw something to incorporate it.  Sometimes the "start" is a few dots, other times a squiggly line, etc.  

Art is just so important, whether it's music or photography or painting or drawing or whatever type of art you love.  It's the creative outlet that is so important and makes all of us well rounded individuals.

Sorry Charlie

No McCain for President.  

Obama has been elected and as true Americans, we will show our support for our country and it's democratic process.

VOTE

                                         OR

Big decisions are being made today!  I hope you all voted, I know I did.

It's the funniest thing but as a voter I suppose you expect privacy....and not that it matters because I've been driving around with stuff like this...

on our cars, thanks to Charlie, so people generally know who we are voting for.  But this morning when I went to vote I was a bit surprised to see that there were no booths and no privacy at my designated voting location. I had planned to take a photo of myself in the "voting booth"  but there was no such thing. There was one electronic voting machine and then the option of a paper ballot.  I was the only person I saw use the electronic machine and everyone voting had to walk past me to go to a table and vote on paper.  It was the strangest thing.  At any rate, I did not pull out my camera, as a courtesy to those people around me who wanted privacy while voting..now there's a thought!!!  

And as a major disappointment, they did not have any "I voted today" stickers....WHAT????  WHAT????  No stickers?????  How am I supposed to prove to my kids and the general Wal Mart public, where I stopped in after voting, that I am indeed a voter.  Don't even get me started about the free Starbucks coffee that you got today if you had on a voting sticker.  At any rate, I was told to go to an alternate voting location for my sticker....what's a girl to do...you need proof!

I'll be waiting on the edge of my seat tonight hoping that, whomever becomes President, the results from this election don't drag on for days and that this political machine can be put away...I'm exhausted from all of this.  

Outdoor Adventure

So it's now November 1 in south Texas and it's 75 degrees at 10:30 in the morning...and the rustling of candy wrappers has given way to the sugar coma and the idea that today may be a candy fest has crossed my mind and to that I say "no thank you."  So upon my suggestion, we load the bikes and head out to explore a new (to us) bike trail.  It was a 1.4 mile trail that was rather flat and really beautiful. Honestly the hardest part was coaxing the bikes onto the bike carrier. 

Now please note that all the trees are still green and the sky is a lovely shade of blue and we are in shorts and t - shirts and most of us were working up a little sweat.  Nothing like a little fall or as I'm gonna call it "summer: part two."

We saw lots of cool stuff along the way.  Like these deer for instance...  look closely, they're there..4 or 5 of them..so cute.

The trail was divided into sections so we had to make a few crossings...we were sure to look out for "the autos."

OK and just in case anyone doesn't already know that we live in Texas, here is a cactus forest alongside the trail to prove it.  Again look closely or enlarge the photo...it's there.

This was a pretty cool, very stable but rickety sounding, bridge over a dry creek bed.  

Now when the trail ran out we decided to do what our mountain bikes are really meant for...off roading.  Now it may not look like it, but this was a bumpy little ride.  But it was worth it....

...'cause this little destination is where we ended up...

What are you thinking?? I'll tell you what I'm thinking...you can have your Subway, this sandwich shop is truly delish. Check out the Bumdoodlers menu and drool away.  This was the kids first visit here but Charlie and I had checked it out a few weeks back and we are all giving it a big thumbs up. YUM!!!

After that, not much left to do but hop on the bikes and head back home, stomach's full, and enjoy the perfect temps, the blue skies and the peace and quite of the trail.

Just as a side note, I took over 30 photos on this ride...as in I was riding my bike while taking photos.  Talent, I know! Two important things to note...not one of my photos was blurry and most importantly, I managed to NOT fall off my bike.  Amazing!!!

And finally, since we have returned home this afternoon, I was successful in removing and storing all the Halloween decorations from the yard and house and I have also ingested approximately 10 Tootsie Rolls. Just thought you'd wanna know!