My feet are sore!

- Today's stops included 7 stores, 70 plastic tablecloths, a trunk full of groceries, a delicious pumpkin spice latte, and mysteriously, 2 new pairs of jeans.

- Blake lucked out and stayed home with my cousin Linley, which worked out well seeing as that I was gone for 6 hours and never even stopped for lunch.

- The inside handle of my driver door broke recently and we haven't had the time to get it fixed, which means every time I want to get out I have to roll down the power window, reach out and open my door with the outside handle, then roll back up my window, all before turning off my car. 

- Do you know how many times today I turned off my car and took the key out of the ignition, only to have to put it back in to go through this little ritual? SEVEN TIMES IS HOW MANY.  You could say I was more than a little exasperated with myself and my stupid door.

- I made the mistake of "popping in" to Kohls and an HOUR LATER emerged with 4 new items of clothing - darn their sales!

- At JoAnn's Fabric I picked up my favorite scrapbook adhesive, waited patiently in their Disneyland-ride style checkout line, paid for my purchase, walked 2 feet and saw this. You better believe I got right back in that goofy line all over again because $1.99, people. And it will hold my Project Life album perfectly!

 - I saw this at Costco and actually said out loud "Oh my goodness, I am sooo buying this!", I was that excited. I put it over spaghetti noodles for dinner - instant success with the family. Can't wait to try it over cheese ravioli (it comes in a 2-pack).

 

- After dinner I spent the evening setting up down at our church for Scrap Around the Clock with my crew. We have 52 ladies registered and I am so excited! 

- When I came home the kids were in bed and Russ was relaxed on the couch listening to the Blazer game on the radio. I sat down to check my emails and after hearing an exciting play in the background turned around to see Russ's reaction and saw this. 

- And that's exactly how I feel, so I'm going to go join him!

Tuesday's recap - on Thursday

Have you ever been really late to something and wished you had a valid excuse to give for your lateness? But you didn't even have a non-valid excuse? Coz you were just plum running behind? 

That was me Tuesday morning... running late to bible study and wishing I had a great explanation for my tardiness. Not because I was going to get in any sort of "trouble", or even get frowned upon for walking in reaaaaally late, purely to ease my embarrassment of walking in to a room and having 20 heads turn and stare at me. But I had nothin'.

And right as I was contemplating this, I took a left, AND WAS REAR-ENDED. 

But only slightly rear-ended. As in, a girl behind me (who was talking on her cell phone!) ran into my big Chevy Tahoe's rear tire with her little car and broke out her headlight. It felt like a bumper-car hit. 

And what was my first thought? 

SWEEEEET! Talk about a valid excuse... "I was in a car wreck!!"

After swapping information and hugging and consoling the girl because she was a shaking sobbing mess, I walked boldly into bible study 46 minutes after it had started with a confident smile on my face. 

I AM SO SILLY!

After bible study I had my very first experience being someone's personal shopper - a job that I would LOVE to do if I ever wanted to actually have a job, besides being a stay at home mom, which I do not. So never mind. 

My friend Laurie asked me to help her shop for some riding boots and invited Jana along, and OH THE FUN. She treated us to Claim Jumper for lunch and we shared my very favorite dessert: Lemon bar brulee. 

It is 5 kinds of awesome, people. 

whipped cream, brulee top, tart lemon filling, cheesecake, shortbread crust. Heaven.

We helped Laurie find not one, but two gorgeous pairs of boots, and Jana and I shocked ourselves by not buying one single thing for ourselves. 

Did you just read that? LET THE RECORD SHOW! I can shop and not buy something for myself!

Truthfully, I love shopping so much that I get just as much enjoyment out of it when I'm helping someone else spend their money on themselves as when I'm shopping for myself. 

I'm telling you, I should have been a personal shopper. 

My adorable friend Laurie, the proud owner of tall riding boots AND cute wedge booties!

It was a good day, "accident" and all. And it was topped off by a fun late-night visit from our friends the Nofs, who came over so Russ could help Doug with a buck he shot earlier in the evening. A piebald buck! Check out the pics on Sarah's blog (there's a cute pic of Russ too :) We are getting quite famous over there... she blogged about us here too!

It comes from us not being able to stay away from them, they're just too fun :)

What I Wore Wednesday - week 16

Happy Wednesday everybody! I hope you are all enjoying fall and the pleasantness that comes with it (pumpkin spice latte anyone?). Here in Oregon we're experiencing typical fall weather: rain, windstorms, rain, sunshine, fog, and then more wind and rain. It keeps us on our toes.  And under an umbrella.

 

 

Last Wednesday: 30 Day Shred class

hoodie and tee underneath: Old Navy

capri leggings: Walmart

Nikes: Nordstrom Rack

Thursday: err, drawing a blank... I did something...

sweater: Walmart

long sleeve tee: ModBod - Costco

jeans: Target

flats: Ross

necklace: gift - Wet Seal

Friday: football game and laid back date night 

(read: I normally dress nicer than this for date nights but we were already out...)

sweater: Aeropostale

jeans: Target

fake Uggs: Costco

scarf and hat: Kmart

Sunday: church

blouse: Old Navy

jacket: Mossimo - Goodwill

jeans: Target

boots: Walmart

necklace: same as Thursday's

Monday: prayer group, errands

long sleeve tee: Shade

sweater vest: Ross

jeans: Old Navy

Uggs: ebay

necklace: Fred Meyer

(note: my 2 yr old in the background is intently playing his sister's pink Nintendo DS. At least he THINKS he's playing it - it's pretty darn cute :)

Tuesday: bible study, lunch and shopping date with girlfriends

ruffle top, Gap jeans, belt, bracelet and Steve Madden flats: all from the Goodwill!

cardigan: Old Navy - yard sale

earrings: Target

Conclusion: I am officially the cheapest shopper I have ever met, and I'm not sure that is anything to be proud of!!!

Also I think I'm going to give in and buy another full length mirror, one that's not attached to my bedroom wall, so I can take pictures somewhere without the awful backlight - it's driving me CRAZY!

Okie dokie, linking up to Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy. She is cute!

Girl drama

About a week ago I heard a crash coming from Kendall's room, immediately followed by HYSTERICAL, OUT OF CONTROL crying. Uh oh, that's never good...  I ran in expecting to find some sort of injury but instead found a mess. A broken glass all over the carpet mess. 

Through my daughter's sobs I was able to decipher that her newest American Girl catalog that she had placed at the very top of a teetering pile of precious items on her crowded dresser had fallen off, causing a very special glass keepsake to follow it and shatter. She was inconsolable. 

I was very empathetic and helped her clean up, and hugged and held her. And then told her to pull herself together and get self control - because she'd been crying for 10 minutes straight. 

Girlfriend can get a little emotional. 

A few minutes later I heard the sound of paper ripping and once again went to investigate because heaven knows Blake has got himself in trouble a time or five with his siblings books, but instead I found Kendall - shredding her American Girl doll catalog to pieces. 

Um, hello Drama Queen! Kendall informed me that her stupid magazine caused the damage and she was mad at it. I simply asked her who put the magazine on top of her crowded mess of a dresser. 

*silence*

I then had her clean up the second mess of the day and sit on her bed until she was ready to quit pitching a fit. 

Yes I am that mean Mom.

Since then it seemed that Kendall's love for the American Girl MONEY SCAM dynasty had waned. Until today, when Kendall came out of the bathroom channeling her inner Kirsten doll:

meet Kirsten

 And it wasn't long before she was not just ANY Kirsten, but a piano playing PRINCESS Kirsten. 

That's how this girl rolls.

I think her catalog has been forgiven. 

And can I tell you how excited I am to parent her in just a few more years when we're in full-on teen hormone mode? 

Oh YAY.

(P.S. see all those random items in the background - including the horrific Hawaiian shirt? My husband's ebay selling addiction continues people. Help me!)

Monday confessional

I have never carved a pumpkin in my life. 

I have also never trick or treated in my life. 

Shoot, I haven't even eaten candy in my life. 

Ha ha, YEAH RIGHT! But the first two are totally true.

I know, some people would find this shocking and even horrifying. But when you grow up in New Zealand, where Halloween is barely a celebrated holiday (I think I saw trick or treaters ONCE my entire childhood, and wondered what the heck they were doing dressed up), and it's actually spring there this time of year so pumpkins are nowhere to be found, it really was NO BIG DEAL. 

When we moved to Oregon, we (my brother, sister and I) were enrolled in a private Christian school that did not celebrate the holiday with class parties or a dress-up day, and we lived out in the country where no one came to trick or treat, so we didn't start celebrating the holiday then either.

And now my own children attend the same private Christian school, and live out in the country where no one visits to trick or treat, and we choose not to celebrate still. Did I ever feel deprived? No I did not. Do my children? No they do not. They've never once asked to dress up for Halloween and go trick or treatin'. When we drive through neighborhoods in town with decorated yards they say that they don't get what the big deal is and don't understand why people like ghosts and witches, or other scary things. 

Basically they have no idea of the candy windfall they are missing out on :)

But Kendall got to carve her first pumpkin last week at a friends and she loved it. It is sitting proudly on our front step and I think it's darling, so I think that is one tradition I am ready to begin with our family. 

Once I get over the grossness of the pumpkin gizzards that is :)