hApPy HaLLoWeEn!!!!!!

Do you know what these are?????Boooooobees!!!!!!!

hahaha!!!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!

tRiCk oR tReAt....

Tonite was beggars nite.....so Kale has gotten to the age that he does not want us to walk around from house to house with him....but it is ok if a friend of his comes with his mom and dad and he goes with them.......hhhmmmmm!!!! But that works out ok because I like to see all of the little kids in their costumes. We live in a small town and we also live where there are not alot of houses so we do not have very many trick or treaters. Kale is pretty predictable on what he wants to be.....3 options.....cowboy(he wants to be one soooooo bad!!!), army guy(he wants to be in the Army when he gets old enough soooooo bad!!!), or a football player(he can't wait until next year he gets to play REAL football!!) So for the past several years he has been one of those 3......and it is always such a big deal to him......he always wants me to help him decide what one to be!!!!! As usual....I am on my way home from work(4:15p.m. and trick or treating does not start until 6p.m. so we have a little time) and I get the phone call......mom what do you think I should be??? Then he goes through the list of options......so I ask...what is Ty(the friend he is going with) going to be? HHHMMMM good question so he tells me to hold on just a second so he can call Ty to ask what he was going to be.....he gets back with me and lets me know that Ty is dressing in camo(military) so that is what he is going to do too!!!!! Now that was easy!!!!!Kale and Ty all ready to go get the candy!!!!!

So 2 hours later Kale gets back from a big nite of trick or treating and we HAVE to dump the bag out on the dinning room table to check everything out......and I am looking for the popcorn ball....but much to my amazement no popcorn balls.....but there was a GIANT tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.......ha......now I have heard of people giving these items out and trust me I do not have a problem with it at all!!!!! BUT this tube of toothpaste was not your average travel size toothpaste it was the GIANT one you buy off the shelf at your local Wal-Mart.....family size!!! And they are not always cheap.....so I am not sure if that is what everybody got or if somebody ran out of candy so they started cleaning out the cupboards or what.....I know it sounds like I am making a big deal out of it and that is really not what I am trying to do but it was hilarious when he dumped everything out of the bag and out fell the toothpaste on top of all the candy!!!! Here it is the GIANT tube of toothpaste......family size.....I know he needed it after eating the WHOPPER'S.......those are his FAVORITE!!!!!!! I just wanted a popcorn ball!!!!!! DARN IT!!!!

GiRLz wEeKeNd....

On Friday a high school friend of mine....Steph and I went on a girlz shopping day in Des Moines. It was not a great day to be out and about because of the rain and the chilly weather but we braved the elements and survived!!!! One of our stops was at the Howell Tree Farm/pumpkin patch......they have this really cool old barn with a gift shop in the bottom part where they sell a little bit of everything and some really, really pretty dried flower wreaths and baskets, upstairs in the barn is where they hang all of the dried flowers they use AND grow. I took a few pictures of all of the flowers hanging from the top of the barn all the way down to the floor.....it was amazing to me....but my pictures do not do justice to it!!!!


We had a full day of shopping and plenty of laughing too.....I love girlz weekends !!!!!! So on Saturday we went to Steph's moms house for the 2nd annual Halloween party. As kids Geri(steph's mom) was our girl scout leader....and she was an AWESOME leader....always had cool crafts to do and she always had the Halloween party......these are the things that I can remember doing when I was a kid......I am sure there were alot of things that I do not remember but these are a few that I do remember.....the ghost cakes, the spooky story with the gory items sent around to feel.....the macaroni shaped like a brain, the peeled grape eyeballs, and the gross feeling hand and I think spaghetti veins???? And don't forget the monkey bread for breakfast!!!!! That is sooo funny to me because I am now the "monkey bread mom". Anyway it was something we all really looked forward to every year and had a blast being freaked out by all the gross stuff!!!!! So for the past 2 years she has invited us all down to her house for the party....we all dress in costume, hang out and have a really good time eating and laughing and telling stories about the "old days" and she always has a little blast from our past!!!! So I just want to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Geri!!!! It may have just been being a girl scout leader to her but to us she really touched our lives and helped make us appreciate those little things in life that people do......so for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart and you are a very special person to me!!!!!
Steph (witch) and Geri (professor).
Steph giving Tami (Jan Brady) a ride on her broom!!!!
Me as Pippi Longstocking.
And the group shot.....Martina came a little later she is the "old lady".......that's her costume I am not saying she is old!!!!!!!!
Geri, Steph, Martina and Tami......I know you see the wine bottle but I promise Steph had NOT opened the wine yet!!!!!!

• And make a little noise for the bean dip!!!!!! Here is the recipe for the dip...EASY!!!!!


• 8 oz. cream cheese


• 1 can mexicorn (drained)


• 1 can black beans (drained)


• 1 can rotel


• mix all of the above together and bake for 30 minutes at 350.


• take out of oven and top with shredded cheddar cheese and bake again until cheese is melted. serve with tortilla chips or whatever you like to dip with.....mmm good!!!!!!

So I just want to say it was good to see all of you I really had a good time and thank you, thank you, thank you, Geri and Steph for taking the time to plan and get everything ready for the party!!!!! I love you guys.......yer GRRRRRRRREAT!!!!!!!!

fT. dOdGe.....hErE wE cOmE!!!!!!!!

Last nite was our regional cross country......well not ours.....the girls!!!!! For regionals you have to finish in the top 10 or as a team you have to be in the top 3 to go to state!!!!! And because we had both Taylor and Delaney running I was hoping there was a way.....either way that they both got to go.....I just did not want to see the disappointment on their face if one made it and the other one did not!!! It had rained all day and it was very chilly....and all the way up my stomach was in knots worrying about them doing good or not because of the crappy weather!!!!

When we got there they both were in good moods and smiley.......good sign I thought to myself!!!They both had an awesome start......and away they went. Cross country is one of those sports that if you are not in really good shape yourself.......it is quite a work out!!!! They are usually at golf courses.......for the most part quite hiLLy.......and tonite was no exception......plus mud......ALOT of mud!!!!!! So where I was standing I did not see alot of the race. But at the end Taylor came in 3rd with a time of 16:23 and Laney came in 17th with a time of 17:27.........oh poop I thought that does not put Laney in the top 10........so it was like a nitemare in my head.....how horrible she was going to feel.....but how happy Taylor was going to feel......so as parents......what do we do??????? YIKES!!!!!! I can not talk to them right away if they are upset and look like they might cry.......because you guessed it.......I will cry too!!!!!! So back to the meet.......we still have a chance if the team finishes in the top 3.....................HOLY COW.......they got 4th place.........so Taylor will be the only one running at state from her team.....I am soooooo happy for her but I know she would have much rather everybody one her team to get the chance to run. So I just want to say to them both AWESOME!!!!!! job......we are SOOOO PROUD of both of you!!!!!! And GOOD LUCK at STATE TAYLOR!!!

WE LOVE YOU BOTH!!!!!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!!!!!!

I started writing a post about my uncle so I could let everybody know what an AWESOME guy he is and what a huge impact he has had on my life even though he has not always lived close to me.....but it made me cry......only because I think we all take things for granted from time to time and when I started typing away that made me think about things that I hadn't thought about in awhile and realize how short life can be......so before I have to go get the entire box of tissues I will stop and just say.........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE PAUL!!!!!!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU TONS!!!!!!!!Hope you enjoy your day......we love you and hope to get to see you soon!!!!

pUmPkiN pAtCh pArT tWo.....

Here are the rest of our pumpkin patch pictures....none that are just really exciting but i have to put them in here to finish the visit out!!!! I found this "pumpkin"???? while we were having a snack.....not quite sure if it is a pumpkin or not but it was kind of gross!!!!! it looks like a pumpkin with warts all over it......yuck!!!!!!

Here is the picture Kale could not wait for me to take!!!!!! He loves tractors or anything to do with a farm for that matter.......he wants to live on a farm soooooo bad......i hope someday he can!!!!!!!!

This was the tank of the old tractor........i thought it was kind of cool looking!!! Not the best photo. I was the only one who remembered to bring my camera(wink,wink).....and it is old!!!!!

And we can not post pumpkin pictures without a picture of the guts!!!!!! I wanted to make pumpkin seeds in the oven but did not have time to look up a recipe.......can anybody help me out?????

And last but not least.......the carvings.........the kids told me that a face was way over-rated!!!! I think they were trying to tell me I was way out of touch.....and not very hip!!!!! I kept asking "what is wrong with a cute little face?" As you see.......no faces on our pumpkins!!!!!! But they had fun!!!!!

pUmPkiN pAtCh....PaRt oNe

Even though my kids are 17, 14, and 12 they still love to go to the pumpkin patch!!!! Anyway they act as if they do....even if it is only to make me happy I think we all had a good time today!!! We went to Patch's Pumpkin Farm in Adel......it was our first time there we usually go to Grinnell to Carroll's Pumpkin Farm.....we ALL decided that we like the one in Grinnell ALOT better......that is VERY odd that we ALL agreed on something!!!! But we read on the internet that they had a pumpkin cannon......now that got our attention as I am sure it did yours too!!!! And they had kettle corn and caramel apples.....who doesn't like that!?!?!? So enough said about the food on to the pictures!!!!!

First stop.....Kale wants to see how tall he is......or maybe he was trying to tell me that they are really to old to be at the pumpkin patch.....Troy kept telling me they sell pumpkins at Wal-Mart....but I told hin it just isn't the same!!!!!

Second stop.....a perfect place to take a picture!!!! The sun was in Kale's eyes if you couldn't tell!!!! And we all got to hear about it!!!!!

Next hop on the hay rack and out to the feild to find the perfect pumpkin!!!!!!!
Finally what you all have been waiting for!!!! The cannon!!!! It is an air cannon......and holds as much pressure as a car tire. They pack it just like they packed a cannon in the old days only they used straw and the "ball" was a pumpkin!!!!! They were shooting into the wind so they said it would probably only go about 3/4 of a mile......if they have the wind behind them they said it would go 1- 1 1/2 miles!!!!! WOW it was kind of cool!!!!! The picture shows the straw flying out of the cannon.....sorry no pumpkin.....I must have been to slow!!!!!

bEnEFiT DiNnEr....

Saturday nite we went to a benefit dinner/silent auction at the Methodist church here in town for a lady here in town who is fighting cancer. I do not know all of the details but felt the need to help out in anyway that we could and besides who doesn't like an auction?!!?!?!?! All I have to say is I hit it big......I only spent around $210 and I came home with a ton of stuff!!!!! And you guessed it I have to show you all of my goodies!!!!!

There were several baskets full of all of this stuff.....I really only wanted a couple of bowls out of all of it......but what the heck........$40!!!!!!!

These are the only things I really wanted out of the entire box of stuff....but it was fun looking at everything!!!!!

And we got this awesome pampered chef pizza stone, cooling rack, scrubber and measuring cup...I love this stuff.......$60....now that's a deal!!!! Plus we got several buffet tickets, Iowa Cubs tickets and some tickets to the Iowa Speedway.......Kale can't wait for that!!!!!

I am not sure how much money they raised but I think they had a really good turn out and I think everybody enjoyed themselves!!!!!

tAgGeD.....

Ok I have been tagged by Melissa at http://www.carefulwisher.blogspot.com/!!!!!! I am suppose to share 7 weird facts about myself....not sure if i have 7 weird things about me!!!!! HAHAHA!!! I crack myself up!!!!!(i know that is one WEIRD thing about myself....because that really was not funny!!) So here it goes......I had my family help me and it sure did not take them long to come up with more than 7 weird things about me!!!!!!


Weird Facts:

1. I burnt my eyeball one time while curling my hair.....right before getting ready to go see REBA in concert......I do not think my husband was to happy!!! But I got to wear a pirate patch home from the hospital.....how cool is that!!!!! yes you are right.....WEIRD!!!


2. I like the TP to go over the top NOT under.....my husband likes it under.....maybe he does it just to make me CRAZEE!!!!!!


3. When I sneeze....I never sneeze once....always at least 3 times if not more....WEIRD....but what I think is even more WEIRD is that my family counts and knows how many times I sneeze....REALLY WEIRD!!!!!


4. My sister thinks this is WEIRD.....I find it to be perfectly normal......I put deodorant on before I go to bed!!!!! You never know!!!!


5. The smell of tuna or even the thought of tuna makes me GAG!!!!! So if anybody in my house wants tuna they have to eat it AND have the smell out of the house before I get home!!!!


6. I pulled all my eyelashes out on one eye one time while trying to curl them with that little eyelash curler......now I looked really WEIRD!!!!!!


7. I have a really addictive personality.......if I get "hooked" on something.......WOW I am really obsessed.....it's kind of WEIRD!!!!!


Now I have to pass this "TAG" along to the following people:

1. Steph at http://www.theworldofprincesss.blogspot.com/ she is a true friend and is very crazy and some very interesting things!!!!!

2. Angelia at http://www.mamastoeheadboyz.blogspot.com/ wow what do I say...awesome blog and just beautiful family!!!!

3. Jacquelyn at http://www.midwestminshalls.blogspot.com/ love looking at the pictures she takes on her family adventures!!!!

4.Geri at http://www.geri-themagicthimble.blogspot.com/ awwww the sweetest lady around!!!!!! See ya soon!!!!!

5.Kelley at http://www.thedeheers.blogspot.com/ take a look at her banner....how cute is that!!!! What a little cutie she has!!!!

You are suppose to tag 7.....I am only tagging 5 then I am suppose to leave you a comment to let you know you have been tagged......I have not figured out how to link yet so that it is just your name that shows up so I have to type in all of your blog address......it looks pretty crappy like that but sorry.....have fun!!!! If any of you can help me figure out how to do the link thing please please help me......it looks soooo much nicer if all you have to do is click on a name not the whole address!!!!!

mY fRiEnD G.......

I have a friend "G" that i met through......well our husbands are friends. They are both hometown boys and we both are implants......so we married into the the hometown clicks that we were neither one to fond of..so we were kind of the outsiders so we had something in common so our friendship started there.(boy i sure used the word SO alot in that little bit of typing....weird).

This spring she found a few lumps on the side of her neck and after several tests she had to have surgery to remove them because they were cancer and had treatment after that.....i thought all was well......wrong she sent us an email not to long ago saying they found more lumps on the other side of her neck and was going to have more tests done!!!!! After the tests the doctors said she had to have surgery AGAIN!!!!! So on Monday of this week she went back in for surgery and they removed over 60 lymph nodes(that were tested and were cancerous) and alot of the soft tissue around those lymph nodes!!!!! The doctors are saying that the cancer was contained to the lymph nodes and has not spread!!!!!! I talked to her last nite and she still has some drainage tubes in but said she was feeling ok other than being sore. I just do not know what to say to her...she has 2 small children so i can not even imagine what had to be going on in her head!!!!! So please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers!!! Just makes us all realize how short life can be so lets enjoy each and every little thing we do.....you never know what tomorrow will bring!!!!!!

cRoSs CoUnTrY...

Tonite was our last regular cross country meet.....our next one will be next Thursday.....that will be regionals.....if they do well enough there they will get to go on to the state meet in Fort Dodge......if not the season will be over......i am so excited for them and yet so nerveous for them too!!!!! Last nite we went to Corning.....we were suppose to go on Monday but it got rained out......wow!!!! a 2 hour drive from here.....but very worth the drive.......Taylor placed 2nd with a time of 16:34 and Laney placed 6th with a time of 17:09.......they both did GREAT. Tonite we went to Chariton......they swapped spots tonite......Laney got 2nd with a time of 16:13 and Taylor got 4th with a time of 16:26......they did AWESOME again tonite.......i can not tell you how proud we are of them.......if you could not tell!!!!! So we will keep you up to date after they run next week and hope to go on to state!!!!! Cross your fingers for us!!!!!

PrO WrEsTLiNg??????

ok....i have done some pretty strange things in my life....but i think maybe last nite was pretty high on my "strange things i have done" list!!!!! Milo is a little town about half an hour from our house and they were having a "pro wrestling"........SHOW???? if that is what we want to call it. Troy has some family involved in the production of this but i will not list names because i am not sure of the legalities of all of it!!!!! and i do NOT want to blow anybodies.....cover or stage name!!!! but i have to say it was quite entertaining......it is a group of guys doing "pro wrestling" as a hobby......i would think it is a hobby.......but it is crazy and it really made us LAUGH!!!!!! and i hope that was ok to laugh!!!!! Kale LOVES it....and really gets into it.....as i am sure any 12 year old boy would!!!! but they introduce each guy before their match with each having their own song to walk into(what song would you give yourself if you were going to be a pro wrestler???) they come out in their own way.....some have a crazy outfit and some just normal......some are good guys and some the crowd hates!!!!! it is called Adrenaline Pro Wrestling http://www.apwrush.com/ if you want to take a look....if any of you are in this area i think they will be in Milo in November....not sure of a date or time........but i will guarantee you will be entertained!!!!! and yes i did take pictures for you all to see!!!

Marcus Holiday.....giving a little speech before it all started......he became the new commissioner. what ever that means!!!!!

The match between Jeremy Jacobs the "champ" and Marcus Holiday....the contender for the "BELT
Marcus Holiday won the match and is now the APW champion!!!!!!
This is Mono Loco in his match......i do not know all the names i am looking at the program they give you.
This is "the love panther"........he lost his match taking on "the freight train of funk".
Flying through the air is "the new sensation" Clint Avalation.
"Insane Steve".......how could i leave him out!!!!
And we will not leave "Krazy Karl" out..........aren't they interesting!?!??!?!?!
Oh and "Sensation of Imitation" Mike D.......you have to love the green hair.......but how can you not love all of the hair choices from tonite!!!!! So....for the most part it was a VERY interesting experience for me and the girls......Troy and Kale had been to watch before but we all had a good time and will probably go again so if anybody wants to go i will let you know a date and time!!!!

fRiDaY NiTe FoOtBaLL...

Are you ready for some football???? Every Saturday morning from 9-10a.m. the 3rd-6th grade boys and girls meet at the high school football field and have flag football games....organized football games......this year Kale was on the COLTS.....that was awesome to him because that is his favorite pro football team. So he even had Colts jerseys to wear!!!! The high school boys were the coaches. The Colts were undefeated going into the championship game tonite at halftime of the Varsity football game.....under the lights......how cool is that!!!!! Kale scored the only touchdown for his team......and the other team also scored a touchdown......so they tied......but I think they are still going to call themselves the champions!!!!!! Because if I remember correctly.....they have beat the team they played tonite once!!!!! So why not call yourselves the "CHAMPS"......I would too!!!!! We have a few pictures from the Saturday morning games to show ya.......
So tonite was his last flag football game of his career....next year he will be in Jr. Hi......and will play tackle football....not quite sure if I am ready for that.....but he is......he has talked about getting to play tackle football for as long as I can remember.....so next year he will have to put his money where his mouth is and find out what it is all about!!!!!! I am sure it will not be as easy as it is on playstation.....but I hope he has fun!!!!!

mArChiNg bAnD cOmPeTiTiOn....

last nite while my family was at home watching the cubs i was out with a high school friend.....Tami. she called(well she doesn't talk on the phone so i guess she sent me a text) to see if i would like to go with her to watch her 2 girls (Kilie & Kacie) participate in a marching band competition....let me look at my schedule....looks like this nite is open....so yes i am in!!!! i tell my family what i am going to do and my girls laugh hysterically......if you are in band at our school you are a band geek!!!!! but i am not going to let them influence my decision so off i go......we get to Urbandale...park the car and we did find an awesome spot!!!! get in the gates use the girls room and then decide to grab a bite to eat(imagine that!!) so we get in a line that is forever long....but pretty fast i have to say.....but as we are waiting in line the 2 girls in front of us proceed to discuss how they can "purr" like a cat.......ok i tell my self(10 minutes at most into the evening my kids laughed about) what is going on here....what have i got myself into....why are they saying these things, why do they know they can purr like a cat, why are you admitting to anybody else you can purr like a cat........and does this other girl CARE if you can purr like a cat.......oh yes she cares.....because she too can purr like a cat!!!!!! holy cow where am i and how did i get here!!!! so we get our "walking taco" in a DISH??????? i ate mine(surprise, surprise) Tami does not eat all of hers but tells me why...AFTER i eat ALL of mine....and i am going to spare you the details....it made my stomach weak!!!!! so after all of this we go find a seat and watch the competition(cold and rain) but i have to say i LOVED it.....i really had fun and who cares what you are doing if you get to hang out with an old friend to catch up!!!!! anyway their school got 2nd place the 1st place team and the 2nd place team scores were like 87.3 and 87.4......you can't get any closer then that!!!!! just want to say thanks for the invite.....i had a really good time...even with the crazy cat people!!!! and good job Kilie and Kacie!!!!!!!

cHiCaGo cUbS....

ok....first things first. i have to tell you it is a sad, sad day at our house......for Troy anyway.......at the begining of baseball season he kept telling me this is the year, this is the year.......well his hopes were high.....the Chicago Cubs won......i am not sure what he said but like 97 or 98 games this year, did AWESOME, and were the division champs......and in his eyes and several of my co-workers eyes they were going to go all the way(the world series).....well last nite those hopes and dreams came crashing down!!!!! the L.A. Dodgers beat them again......a 3 game sweep!!!! so we may have to be gentle to Troy for a few days until he gets over the pain!!!!! but there is always next year.....and as we all know that will only be a few months away before we have to start watching spring training again on T.V.!!!!!! so better luck next year to all of you cubs fans!!!!

sEpTeMbEr iS gOnE!!!!!

Hello all!!!!! Today I am just going to talk about a few things that went on in September....ya know it is October ALREADY!!!!!!! I hope you noticed we have a new design!!!!! Thanks sooooo much to Shawn at Eclectic Whimsy designs!!!!!! She has been very patient with my lack of computer knowledge and my likes and dislikes.....and trust me there are ALOT!!!!! So let me know what you think about the new design.

Aunt Shell had a birthday this month.......happy "38" and Jacoby turned "13" WOW he will be driving next year!!!!!!

I spelled Demster wrong if I am spelling it like the Chicago Cubs pitcher....it should be......Dempster....so I was told!!!!(thanks Shell) But it works for me the way I spelled it!!!!! You all saw that coming I think!!!!

The Chicago Cubs are the Central Division Champs......they play today....against the Dodgers....I think.....sorry Troy if I am wrong!!!! The wife of a Cubs fan should probably know these things!!!

I am listenting to a new radio station on my way to work......STAR 102.5......and love it. Big Ken and Colleen in the morning.......they have 80's nite on Friday nites....I think you can listen to it on the computer.

Our cousin Jessika was the homecoming queen in P'ville.......AWESOME Jess!!!!! We want to see pictures!!!!! I hear you looked beautiful!!!!

Cross Country is going great for the girls.....it is starting to cool down so it makes running alot more fun.....I would think......I do not know that from experience!!!!!

Our homecoming was last week too.....do not have any pictures yet so will post them at a different time. Taylor's NEW "friend" was our homecoming king!!!! He is a cutey....and we are very excited about getting rid of the old boyfriend!!!!! SORRY Taylor!!!!

The Harley riding has been great so far.....but I think we are running out of warm weather!!!! And we do not have any leather yet...so it has to be a short trip and pretty warm out!!!

And last but not least.....we do flag football every Saturday morning with Kale so I will try to get some pictures of that on another post too.

Well I think that is about it for the month of September......wow Christmas is right around the corner......I AM NOT READY FOR THAT!!!! Oh maybe I am.....I forgot I told you guys this blog was our gift to you.....so WOW that was pretty easy....I am done with some of you before I even get started!!!!!!