pumpkin head

It's pumpkin carving night! Pumpkin carving takes serious concentration.

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He's grinning because he knew that when you use power tools during pumpkin carving that you are going to make the blog.

Pumpkin Head all cut up.

Carly chose this design. She wanted pointy, scary teeth.

The final product -

all lit up outside the front door to greet trick-or-treaters.

Wordless Wednesday

pumpkin day

{love, love, love pumpkins} {stopped by after soccer so we even had Kenny with us} {definitely need this one!} {Kenny took the camera away from me}

{we left with a couple small pumpkins for inside including this fun apple looking one, 2 extra large ones for the planters at the front door, and one to carve....I already know that I need to stop back by next week}

made me laugh

I was reading today (not a big surprise) in The Collectors, a murder-mystery by David Baldacci. (It will be in my book review post at the end of the month.)

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In the book, one of the main characters, Caleb, who is a librarian is almost killed. He and his friends are getting all wound up and making a plan to get the bad guys.

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Caleb pipes up with much bravado "I want him to go to jail for the rest of his life and....and....and....never get to read another book ever again. That will show him!"

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Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.

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Well maybe you have to have a little of Caleb's love for books in you for it to be amusing.

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happy fall y'all

Carly's school does not "observe" Halloween. And as the student handbook indicates, they are not allowed to bring any Halloween treats to school. (Bah Humbug) So, each year Carly takes Fall treats for her teachers.

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This year we made Sausage and Cheese Balls. Yumm-O. I ate a couple for breakfast this morning, another one when I got home, and a couple for dinner tonight. I wish I had not made so many!

Kacey (doodlebugspaper.com) made these super cute cards with the scarecrow poem on them for me.

Kacey also gave me these super cute styrofoam cups. Good thing I have such an awesome sister or I probably wouldn't have pulled off these treats. Too bad she wasn't close enough to make the sausage balls because hers are excellent (although Carly reminders her frequently that she a burned a batch one time).

I filled the cups with sausage balls, sat them down in clear cello bags, tied them with raffia and attached the poem. They turned out super cute and Carly loves to give out treats.

Sausage and Cheese Balls: Combine 1 pound sausage, 2 1/2 cups Bisquick, 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese. Add red pepper, garlic powder, and a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce (to taste). Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

guests

it doesn't take a lot to amuse us

find a few deer tracks in the backyard

next thing you know we are trackers

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guarantee the visitors are upset

we cut their persimmon tree down

hopefully they will not hold it against us

and will return to visit

so we can catch site of them

gotta start somewhere

Carly has been playing a little tennis the last couple of years. Mostly mini-camps learning fundamentals such as actually hitting the ball over the net.

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A couple of years ago, when she started I would toss her the ball and she would attempt to hit it over the net - forehand only. Slowly she (and I) have improved so we can actually hit a ball back and forth.

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This fall she started a (very) beginner Team Tennis league. Once a week, they have tennis practice and then on Sunday afternoons they will have match play. Today was the day for the first match play.

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I'm excited that she has this opportunity to learn the fundamentals, rules, scoring, etc of the game. She is one of two 8 year olds that were invited to play Team Tennis. The other kids are 10-14 year olds. But everyone is on the beginner level.

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The last couple of weeks have been spent learning how to serve. Which in my beginner tennis opinion, is not an easy skill. Carly has improved to about 60% accuracy. She probably has one of the best averages. Saying this lets you know that the match play is slightly amusing at times.

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But, everyone is having a good time and learning together.

Carly played 2 matches (3 games to 5 & 6 games to 2).

I hope I remember these first matches because I know like other sports she will continue to improve and I will forget the beginning.

soccer saturday

sweatshirt weather

dew on the ground

sun shining bright

excited kids everywhere

saturday morning soccer

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Carly played hard and is learning more each game. While, I'm becoming more of a soccer mom each game. I just can't help yelling directions and cheering the team on. I try to take some pictures but I get too involved in the game to even remember to snap pictures.

I cheered Carly while she was ......

Playing defense. Moving the ball down the field. Intercepting in bound passes. Making good passes. Learning to control the ball. Working as a team player. Charging the ball.

Some highlights of the game were.....

making 2 great assists for scores

making 2 really good (quick) in bound passes

not stopping & continuing to try and score while on the ground

one very hard kick off the goal post for a near score, and

one score!!

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Carly said the title of this post should be

SOCCER ROCKS

{with the biggest letters you can make}

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Most of all

I love to see them all

smiling, encouraging each other, and having fun!

smarter than the average bear

Tradition in our house is.....

good report card = going out

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Carly finished the 1st 9 weeks of third grade..

Report cards came home on Wednesday, and Carly had made the "honor roll". I guess 3rd grade is the first time you are eligible for that designation. She even got a cool blue ribbon. .

After oohs and ahas over the ribbon, Carly asked "I guess I can't hang this in my room because you want it for the scrapbook, right?" Well, yeah. But we compromised and hung it on the refrigerator (it's not like I am caught up to date with scrap booking anyway).

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Carly chose Chinese buffet which was a HUGE surprise. I even asked her before we left the house if she was sure. Jokingly I said "don't tell me you are burned out on Mexican?" and she said "I just need a break" what? I bet she's asking before the week is over.

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Carly's plate included: won ton soup, sesame chicken, spring roll, a token piece of broccoli and crab rangoons.

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We ended the evening with ice cream. Carly's choice was orange sherbet.

wordless wednesday

I can do it! {so back off}

First project of Carly's 3rd grade year -

a pyramid display about a vertebrate animal of your choice.

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Carly chose polar bears.

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She decided the pyramid

should be made out of white Styrofoam

to look like ice.

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Carly chose her 5 polar bear facts.

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She chose the pictures she wanted to use

out of old Ranger Rick magazines.

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I offered help here and there

and was met with

"I can do it!"

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7 things about me today

My friend Ginny over at 2 Farm Angels tagged me.

She asked me to share 7 things about myself. If you have been reading a while you know I have made several lists. There is one here, and here, and here, and a really long one here.

So, I thought I would try to come up with 7 things about me today.

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{Feel free to stop reading if you think you know too much about me already. It's okay, I give you permission. I will be forced to remove you from the Christmas card list, but you can go. Really, don't feel obligated to keep reading.}

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1. Today, my grandmother, Finn, is on the top of my prayer list. She is in the hospital and not having a good day. Today, I was up early to spend the morning with her in the hospital.

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2. Today, I drove home by myself (well the dog was in the backseat but she slept the entire way). It was quite pleasurable. Nobody cared (not even the dog) that I sang every song on the Grease album. twice.

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3. Today, on the way home I got to catch a glimpse of harvest in the Delta. It is my favorite time. I think the Delta is beautiful in the fall. I saw cotton being picked and beans being cut. I also saw field after field of milo. The fields were beautiful, golden brown and green. I realized I don't know much about milo and I need to read up on it.

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4. Today, I stopped and took a couple of pictures. (The dog didn't seem to care if I did that either.) The Delta is full of photo opts. So many opportunities and so little time.

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5. Today, I wrapped a baby present, Doodle Bugs Stationery, of course. This week, I had the chance to spend some time in my sister's work room helping with stationery. I enjoyed doing that and wished that I lived closer so I could help more often. Then I thought that I don't think I could move back to the Delta, so I wished she lived closer to me so that I could help.

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6. Today, I watched the premiere of CSI. I missed it earlier in the week and was a little bummed. Then I discovered that I could go to cbs.com and watch it on the computer. That rocks. How come I hadn't thought about that before?

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7. Today, I opened my Google Reader account and saw that there were 179 new posts waiting on me. I have been away from home and busy for the last few days and have not visited some of my favorite blogs. Now if I was talented enough to fold clothes and read blogs (at the same time) it would be perfect.

weather made to order

Today was gorgeous.

Seriously about as good as you get here in Mississippi.

Started in the mid-50's and warmed up to the mid-70's.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining.

Perfect.

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It was field trip day.

Field trips WEAR ME OUT!

It doesn't matter much where we go.

By the end, I am spent!

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I am truly thankful that I am able to go

because I think my daughter appreciates that.

I think she does.

There are moments when she acts like a snot

and I question the decision.

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Today's field trip was to a Craft's Festival.

There were booth after booth set up with craftsmen demonstrating handmade crafts such as candle making, glass blowing, pottery, blacksmith, you get the idea.

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The Pink Palace Museum which helps organize the event

provides questions to the schools that the students could ask the craftsmen. So, you saw a lot of children running around with their questions like they were on a scavenger hunt.

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After we had visited the craftsmen and ate fair food for lunch.

We walked around looking at more booths and the kids made sand art.

I think it was the highlight of the day.

{Carly and her good friend Miss C}

a vegetarian's nightmare

Kenny and a few buddies got together a cooking team for a local BBQ cooking contest this weekend.

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Basically an excuse for the guys to hang out for 2 days. There was lots of set up and prep work - no lie, there were even T-shirts and baseball caps printed.

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I think that they cooked just about every kind of meat they could put their hands on. There was a token pan of baked beans and a stick of saltine crackers, but besides that - pork, beef, duck, dove, chicken, turkey, deer, you get the picture.

It is such a guy thing.

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Last night Carly and I went for a little while. She was happy running around with friends and a cup of green apple Italian ice.

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The chef is now taking a nap. Prior to that he said he wanted pizza or pasta for supper. You think he might have eaten too much protein in the last 2 days? I'm thinking a salad is called for!

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addition....Since I wrote the post, Kenny made the front page of one paper and was quoted in another. Their team "Deep in the Sauce" won 1st place in the poultry and 3rd in the pork shoulder.

I overheard a conversation between team members that maybe they should write down what they do so they will remember next time?

wordless wednesday