Random Thoughts and Observations...

-If you happen to see Layton, ask him about Michael Miller. That's Layton's version of Michael Myers.

-People, we need to talk. I am emphatically anti-pumpkin. Emphatically.

I do not like it in a pie. I will not eat it in the sky. I do not want a pumpkin drink. Pumpkin and I are not in sync. I do not like it here or there. I do not like it anywhere. I will not eat it in some bread. I promise you are not mislead. I will not eat it in a box. I will not eat it with a fox. Keep the pumpkins; I don't mind. We'll share something else another time.

Emphatically anti-pumpkin.


-I'm kind of glad that soccer is over for now. The littles didn't make the All Stars teams, so we are done. I might actually have time to finish some laundry in the evenings now. Don't tell the littles I said that. They want soccer to keep going year round.

-What the heck is up with this? I'm not sure that convicting scientists of manslaughter for failing to predict earthquakes is a good idea. Do you?

-I am beyond ready for November to get here. All of the political debate and hoopla has me stressed out. I wish we could all get along. Last night Hadley told me that she thought that, "If Mitt Romney and Barack Obama had a baby, he would be the perfect President." At this point Layton jumped in and said, "Silly, they're both men!" I suggested they could adopt. Hadley was not down with that because she said the baby needed DNA from both men to be a perfect blend of Republican and Democrat. She also might have suggested the name "Obamney."

-It's kind of sad to realize that my children are just as twisted as I am. Ha! J is going to have to pull out a big assist to make sure they don't continue down my twisted path.

Golden Eages...

Ella was most pleased with her face painting from the bonfire pep rally last week. :)

 

Athens won the game! The littles had fun at the game. Layton loved the stadium. Just wait until we take him to an Alabama game in a few weeks. I'm fairly certain that Bryant Denny is going to blow his mind.

Little Boys...I Care More Than a Smidge...

Do you like Annie? I have always loved the movie. Sometimes I sing Little Girls while I'm picking dirty panties up off the floor or trying to squeeze 93 tutus into a dress up trunk the size of my laptop at work. I've always felt a little bit Annie-ish myself. Kind of quirky. Waiting for Daddy Warbucks. Did I say that? I meant waiting for J. Bwahahaha!


While we were in the woods the other day, I thought about coming up with my own cover called Little Boys. Why ever would I think such a thing?


 

 

 

Yes, Little Boys needs to be written. That blond fro also has got to be cut! I'm wishing myself luck with convincing him to get a trim. 

A Change Is Gonna Come...

 

Before too much longer these leaves will fall to the ground. I love Fall. I love the colors the leaves turn. It's cool enough to have a fire in the evening but still warm enough to be outdoors during the day. Yes, I love Fall.

Wouldn't Ya Know?...

The one time I leave for the soccer field without my camera attached to my hip is the one time Layton gets an adorable trophy and team photo op. That's it. I'm going to start toting the Canon everywhere I go. It's going to mold to my body. The Canon and I will be at one. Wait, that is already partially going on. I need a 12 Step Program for taking snapshots of my children. 

You and I will have to settle for a crappy Droid picture of this moment. :)

Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T

Mmmmm...Must Buy More...

I LOVE it when this happens at Publix. It needs to happen more. I say we crab eaters get together and petition for a monthly sale of this magnitude. :)

Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T

Robot Layton...

Layton likes to do the robot. All the time. Even in public.

Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T


I like to drink bourbon. 

Half a Layton...

This, dear friends, is a most bizarre picture. It is sort of my eating area and laundry area. And half a Layton. Hadley was using her iphone to take one of those panoramic shots, but she failed to do it quite right. Plus, Layton got up from his chair, so if you look in the bottom, right corner, you see his arm and part of his shirt. See it?


 

One of these days, it will work splendidly. :)

As Seen in My Yard...

 

Happy Halloween!

Is This Normal?...

This is the individual formerly known as Shoo Shoo. She used to be very blond and very small and very into silky pillow cases.


 

The individual formerly known as Shoo Shoo has evolved into this grown looking creature. I've been told this is normal.

From a Distance...

I see the J. Forty feet of pole between us.


 

There is always something strange happening at my house. :)

Does It Hurt?..

This face. Oh, it's too much. Sometimes I ask Layton, "Does it hurt to be that cute all the time?" He always tells me that it doesn't hurt. He giggles about it too. He thinks it's so funny that I ask him if it hurts to be adorable.


 

But Come On, People?!?! How could you not love this face???

Sand...

Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives.

 

Oops, I Broke It Again...

My middle name is Grace. Ironically, grace is a quality I lack. If a fall can occur, I will bust it. I cut myself often and move through my house like a cue ball bouncing off every surface. I am usually covered in scratches and bruises. I also drop everything I pick up.

And so, I had to get a new cell phone two weeks ago. Luckily, I have insurance on my phone, so getting a new one was easy. It's the exact same as the one I had before, but I've lost most of my contacts because the old one was so badly damaged.

 

Rut Row.

what was he thinking?...

Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T

Apples...

Here is a link to the online Auction. Please check out all of the great artwork by local students. Don't forget to bid. :)

Most Cherished Friend...

Lovie. Teddy. Blankie. Baby. These are all things that children love. Ella's favorite thing in the whole world is her pillow. My grandmother gave it to her when she was little bitty. It originally had a silk pillowcase, but she didn't care anything about the case. She stripped him down to his blue and white ticking and named him Spiky. He's a boy. He's been with her almost as long as she has been alive, and she sleeps with him every night and drags him just about everywhere she goes.




Somewhere along the way, he had a face drawn on him. He doesn't look anything like he did years ago. The bright blue and white ticking has faded and thinned from loving and washing.

Ella squeezes and smells Spiky. His unique smell is part of his allure.

Spiky is loved and cherished.

The thought of Spiky coming apart is too much for Ella. I took her to the fabric store several years ago, and she picked out new "skin" for Spiky. She has refused to let him be redone though. I tried to make a new Spiky. I bought another travel pillow, ran over it with my car, bleached the snot out of it, worked hard at making it look worn. No dice. She loves the original Spiky. He's threadbare and pitiful, but I love him too. Anything that gives a child as much joy as Spiky has given Ella is worthy of love.

The End...

Friends, we are very near the end of Fall soccer. I know. You're glad because you're tired of pictures like this...


 

:)

Now I have to come up with something else to blog about. Rats. 

Chilly Boy...And Fragments...

Bundled up. On the side line. Watching Ella play a soccer game. Trying to stay warm. It was a chilly morning.


 

At least I remembered a chair this time. And J remembered to grab Layton's jacket. Too bad we didn't pull it together at the beginning of the season. :)

Dude, I'm Layton...

 Layton built this and asked me to take a picture of it and put it on the Internet. Here you go Layton...


 

...Mommers loves your Lego creations.

Terrestrial? I Think Not...

Hadley's most recent art piece was for a charity auction. One of Ella's recent ventures was for a school project. They had to make something out of a light bulb. Ella painted hers green and turned it into an alien.


 

She's been asking me if we can put the light bulb in a lamp to see if it shines green. I keep putting it off because I have no clue if it's safe to do so. I've read on the interwebs that certain paints are okay, but most cannot handle the temperature of staying lit for long. I cannot find the container this paint was in to save my soul, so I am worried that the ingredients will light up like an out of date Christmas tree.

Alien bulb is just hanging around for now. Maybe I'll decide what to do with him soon. Also, it's pure speculation that this bulb is a he. Spiky is a boy, so I have unilaterally decided that Ella will ascribe all objects  a grammatical gender of male. E.T. on that.

Have a wonderful day!

Apples...No Oranges...

Hadley's art class created apple inspired art pieces for the Apple Annie Fundraiser this year. I cannot wait to read all the parents comments on facebook when they see their children's art up for auction. Hadley was very excited to know that her artwork was going to be part of a charity auction. Of course...I am going to have my bidding fingers warmed up because I want to keep Hadley's piece. :)


 

I cannot get over how wonderful some of these pieces are. There are some ridiculously talented kids in town.  I'll post a link as soon as all the artwork is up for sale, so you all can bid too. Good luck!

Don't Look at Me Like That...

...maybe I take his picture too often. He doesn't seem to like it. :)


 

Block...

I am currently suffering from blogger's block. My number of scheduled posts has gotten small. I need some inspiration. Maybe if I stare at this picture long enough I will come up with something to write. 

Help me out here. What else should I take four steps too far? We've already established that I am bonkers. Hello? I took my kids on a payphone hunt. And then I drew silly pictures and called them a post. I might have even confessed to finding knives in my sofa cushions. Things are getting out of control on the ole blog. :)

Random Thoughts & Observations....

-Hadley got the new iphone. She said, "Thank you, Mommy." She hasn't spoken since because she looks like this...

...if I had bought her a waterproof case, she would probably shower with it too.

-I'm kind of obsessed with the show The New Normal. Ellen Barkin is positively a scream. I realize that the subject matter isn't for everyone, but seriously, it is so funny.

-OMG. Speaking of TV shows...I saw an ad for a new Kevin Bacon show coming out relatively soon called The Following. It has something to do with serial killers. It definitely looks like something I would watch. And...then stay up all night thinking irrational thoughts.

-Ella enjoys back talking, being sassy, mouthing, and doing things her way. This is not good...Especially when it is time to do homework...or clean her room...or listen to directions. Sometimes I want to put a piece of duct tape over her mouth just so I can get through telling her one thing without hearing the word "but" come out of her mouth 18 times. I have to remind her often that I am the grown up, and she is the child.

-Felix. He's planning to break the sound barrier. I cannot watch. Just thinking about it makes me very nervous. I'm guessing he did the math and knows that his body won't rip into pieces. Still though, isn't anyone else nervous about this? I heard earlier that the weather will prevent him from making the jump today. He's still planning to do it at some point though. One word. Valium.

-In classic A-Ro fashion, my car is nasty. In an even more classic A-Ro move, I am not going to bother cleaning the car out. It's just not that high on my list of priorities right now. Figuring out how to eat 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies without gaining weight is much higher on the list than cleaning my car.

-Keep up the good work, friends. Only a few more days until the weekend. Yes, I'm already counting down until the weekend. :)

A Shout Out...

Sometimes...you just have to call out a friend on being awesome. 

Ride on, Paysinger. Ride on.

The Sound of Sleep...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things. 

Boy and Girl baby who sleep on the sofa. Blankets and pillows and legs sprawled all over. 

Freshly washed hair makes my heart want to sing. These are a few of my favorite things. 

Spiky and Gee Gee curled up with my babies. Me taking pictures and giggling gaily. 

Loving my children's mess that they did fling. These are a few of my favorite things. 

When the girls fight. 

When the boy cries. 

When report cards are bad. 

I simply remember my favorite things, 

and then I don't feel so bad. 

Too Cute!...

A law firm (Hand Arendall) gave away Rolaids at the Grease Festival. 

...and a little piggy tried to get me to eat more brisket...

Hmmmm...Supervision Required...

Ella and her friend Lexi had so much fun at the Grease Festival. They even snuck up the courthouse stairs to check out one of the decorations. I don't think they were expecting me to bust them though. :)