Happy Halloween!!

Noah was Dash, and Wesley was a doctor. We had a great time in our neighborhood and saw lots of colorful characters tonight. :) Noah had the best time ever and was so incredibly adorable going to all the houses. Wesley and Brian retired early and then Noah and I went on a serious trick-or-treating hunt. He just kept saying how this was the best Halloween ever and loved trick or treating. He was so sweet to all the people at each house and never wanted to eat any candy (huh???) The trouble came when we let him eat a pack of Skittles when he got home at 8:30 and he is still bouncing off the walls in his bedroom right now. Oops, oh well. This was the first year that Noah could really get into the full spirit and didn't tire out after one street. Wesley on the other hand was a STINKER and very grumpy most of the time. That seems to be his personality lately, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Below is a picture of one of his not so happy moments.

Brian taking the boys on the first shift.

Menu Plan Monday

Good afternoon! The kiddos are down for naps and I've gotta take a shower (post-workout-smell) but I thought I'd get our menu plan down for the week. Remember to check out orgjunkie.com for a slew of other recipes and fun menus happening around the country. I'm going to try to start making healthier meals till Thanksgiving even though I consider myself to be pretty health conscious. I buy all lean meats, 2% cheeses, turkey bacon, lots of veggies and fruits, and try to only serve bread with our meal once a week or so. However, I have made an oath with a close friend to lose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving. Oh me oh my. Hence, the post workout smell and attempt to cook healthier. Wish me luck!

1. Leftover lasagna, bread and salad from this weekend
2. Teriyaki chicken, stirfry veggies and brown rice
3. Mexican potato casserole
4. Grilled pork loin, veggies, mac&cheese (for the kiddos of course)
5. Make our own pizza
6. Leftovers
7. Eat out

The Bliss of a Hundred Bucks

Tonight I had the most enjoyable experience of spending a few hours out alone.....at Target. Brian got home from a business trip and at dinner surprised me with a couple of crisp hundies that he won at a casino that was on the premises of his hotel. When I went to bed last night, I spoke with him and he was calling it a night and heading to his room---winning nor losing a single dollar at the casino. Obviously some other things transpired after we talked because yes, these were beautiful hundred dollar bills in my hand. I asked him what he was going to do with them.........maybe buy that edger that he had been needing (oh joy!). But he said I could spend it on whatever and he didn't care. We struck a deal and split the motherload.

So off I went to Target after dinner had been cleaned up. I have to tell you, this was the most relaxing, peaceful 2.5 hours I have spent in a loooooooooong time. I know, I know, a Target in a college town? Really? Well, yes, really. It started with me meandering over to the in-store Starbucks. I ordered a decaf non-fat mocha and the young girl told me several times, "it'll be a few minutes". I told her "No worries, I'm in no rush." While she prepared my drink, I stood watching all the people checking out of the lanes and took the opportunity to catch up on fashion. I wished I had a little notebook with me because I would have jotted down some things I saw that might really look good on me. I came to the realization that I'm completely out of the loop and wondered if I even wanted to be in the loop. Some people made looking good so easy. I wanted to be like that. So anyway, the barista and I chatted about the economy and a rumored second economic stimulus check to come in February. By looking at the check out lines, we both agreed that no financial crisis was keeping anyone from shopping at Target, that's for sure. I thanked her and went on my merry, merry way.

I will not go into too much boring detail but I was able to walk around most of the store and score some fabulous deals with not the slightest feeling of being rushed. When I arrived at the cashier, the total that popped up was $100.58. Marvelous. In case you are wondering, I got a couple sweaters, some adorable black flats, a pair of jeans, some headbands, greeting cards, napkins, and a new book. I'm very excited about this new book. It's called The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein. It's a true story AND he wrote it when he was 96 AND it's a love story. I admit that even without the hundred bucks, I would have had a great evening perusing the aisles of Target. But getting to walk out of the store with something other than diapers and body wash felt very gratifying. Thanks, my gamblin' sweethaaat!

Sentimentality

Is that a word anyway? I find myself adding the "ity" to words lately. Oh well, works for me. :)
I have been having these moments of being extra sentimental lately. You know, where you feel like you are viewing the world from behind glass while thinking all kinds of deep, complex, tangled thoughts. Add music playing in the background to the scenario above and you REALLY get syrupy (psssst. In my case it would be NeedtoBreathe at the moment. Fabulous).
My mom was just here for almost a week and now she's gone so maybe that has contributed to my current state. It's funny, nothing extraordinary happens when my mom is here. We don't have earthshattering conversations, we don't mix up the most spectacular new meals, we don't shop till we drop, and we don't laugh until we pee (okay, maybe sometimes). But having my mom here makes me feel that deep satisfying calm of being somewhere that I grew up being. Don't you just feel like if your mom is there, everything will be ok? She provides me unspoken reassurance, invisible security. I did absolutely nothing while my mom was here. I let the whole house go to pot and managed simply to provide meals when necessary. We had fun simply being. I was able to show her God's glorious creation that is different up here in Indiana than it is in Texas. Pictures to follow. But as she was packing up her stuff to go, I assumed my role as an independent mother and started spinning around the house like a tornado, doing all the this's and that's that young moms do. Curtains close.

I find it hard to reconcile at times the extra special moments in life with the mundane, task oriented, no frills moments. I feel like life is made up of the things you look forward to, and the things that happen leading up to them. So for example, out in the distance, I have Thanksgiving and Christmas to be spent with friends and family. Wonderful, super special moments that will feel like heaven, truly. But before that, I have today, and a bunch of todays after that. I wake up, and see all the things to be done, taught, experienced and learned and it can feel a little daunting. God throws in amazing little things that happen mostly every day and so by no means do I not take joy in each day. But you know what I mean, where you can start to realize that today, is life. Not tomorrow, not a month from now when you have that vacation, but today. The clean up messes, pour the milk, put your hair back, get dressed, take out the trash, get out the crayons, unload the dishwasher, get the mail, hold the kids' hands, cross the street, say hello moments of today. I suppose it means we should find some joy and contentment in all the moments----not just the ones we love the best. And realizing that to my kids, their "special" moments are not my own. To Wesley, it's reading him that book this morning at 6:03am. To Noah, it was helping him count to 100 last night while I shut my eyes because I was too tired to keep them open. And realizing that the invisible security and unspoken reassurance my mom provides is the sum of all the moments she spent with me growing up that were most certainly not her favorite or extra special ones.

So now I'm going to get my duff off this couch and poke my head outside to feel the crisp air for a second, and then clean up the kitchen and get to work on some laundry. Oh, you have to do the same? What a coincidence. Enjoy your day!

Menu Plan Monday

Hi folks! I hope your weekend was a very fallish one. Mine was. My mom was in town for almost a week and we enjoyed many beautiful days with bright delightful colors all around us. My hubby is now home and it's so good to be back together again. There has been a little illness here and there, but everyone seems to be on the mend. One night this weekend I had my first "girls night" here in Indy and it was a lot of fun complete with over 2 hours of hang time in a giant spa. There are signs of "settling in" all around. :) So I'll post more shortly with how we are all doing and some incredible pictures I got at Brown County State Park. But for now, the menu plan. I am using a lot of stuff I've had in my freezer for weeks so there won't be anything too over the top this week. Happy cooking!

1. Saucy Chicken Skillet
2. Bean and cheese burritos with rice
3. Teriaki chicken, stirfry veggies and rice
4. Smoked sausage, potato and green bean bake
5. Pork loin, salad, rolls
6. Leftovers
7. Eat out

Top 5 Things that made me happy today

5. Selling my first item on Ebay. Nice.
4. Snuggling in my bed with the boys reading them books. My favorite activity.
3. Hearing Noah say "God is even bigger than all these trees, Mama!" after looking around at the giant gorgeous trees on a walk in our neighborhood.
2. Knowing that my mom is coming to visit tomorrow.
1. Overhearing an American woman sharing Jesus with a Korean couple next to me at Sonic--Friendspeak style.

Dance Party

On a daily basis the boys engage in a dance party. They have a few CDs they pick from and they have an absolute blast. Here is a snapshot of one of them. Make sure to turn your volume up.

Kmart Savings Trip!

So if you have a Kmart near you, you might know they are having a double coupon sale right now through October 5th. They are doubling every manufacturer coupon up to even $2 coupons! So that would be $4 off whatever item (like my math?). That is fabulous! They aren't taking internet coupons but I had several to use up of regular clipping coupons. So here are the deals I scored below. I'll tell you how much I paid and how much they cost regularly. Many of these items were even on sale which surprised me because you always get a little suspicious when stores run these coupons sales. I wonder "Did they jack up the prices just because people will be using coupons?" But not in this case! I saved $31 in coupons. Whoa. Did anyone else shop this sale and get some extraordinary deals??

Gillette Body Wash $1.50 (sale $3.50)
Dove Body Wash $ .49 (regular $4.49)
Oil of Olay facial moisturizer $3.93 (sale $5.93 )
Adidas men's deodorant $1.00 (sale $3.00)
Colgate whitening toothpaste, large tube free (sale $2.00)
Gillette Shampoo free (sale $4.00)
Dove shampoo free (regular $3.99)
Fruit of the Loom men's 4-pack boxer briefs $8.00 (sale $9.00 but $13.99 on Amazon.com!)
Fruit of the Loom men's 4-pack boxer briefs $8.00 (sale $9.00 but $13.99 on Amazon.com!)
Fruit of the Loom boy's 3-pack cartoon underwear $4.79 (regular $5.79)
Fruit of the Loom boy's 3-pack cartoon underwear $4.79 (regular $5.79)
Tide 50oz liquid detergent 32 load $3.00 (sale $5.00)
Scott 12 pack paper towels $3.00 (sale $5.00)
Scott Ultra Soft 12 double roll pack of toilet paper $3.00 (sale $5.00)
2 pieces of candy for my patient little boys who put up with this shopping trip! :) $1.68

A cutting machine!

I am so proud of Noah lately. He has been cutting at school and we have been amazed at how good he is! I've only let him cut twice at home and it was mostly just cutting straight lines. Well, his "homework" the other night involved coloring the letter C and then cutting it out. Look at this genious! Brian and I just stood there shocked as he did it all by himself. Sounds rather simple, I know, but I failed a cutting test in Kindergarten (I still remember it!) and so I know that it is no easy task at this age. I had to brag on him for a minute, as every good mom should. :)