Masquerade

Sassy and Chunky have hot dates tonight. Chunky went to a classmates' Halloween party dressed as a chainsaw killer (I am proud). He was so excited he left before I could snap a photo. Sassy and her girlfriends are going to the Masquerade Ball at school.

The three amigos (Sassy's on the right) -

I don't think they made dresses this short when I was teen (soooooooooo long ago), but of course now it's the norm.

I always take shots of the shoes -


Sassy's headpiece -

Heartthrob

I told you Emily was an awesome photographer, but don't just take my word for it - check out this photo of Chunky. I'm going to have to beat 'em off with a stick! Everything about this photo is incredible - I love the "texture" from the leaves, the cool car, the hat and of course that grin. Sassy looks awesome too. I'm a bit partial, but those are cute kids. Can't wait to see them all Emily, thank you so much!

Hot Mess

Today we went to Hot Sam's. It sounds like a porn name. My friend Emily suggested this "hot" spot (get it? ha!) for photos and it was a real treasure. If you like antiques and are intrigued by all things eclectic, including useless and useful "stuff", old railroad cars, old circus wagons, 50's cars in the woods, hippie van, SS Minnow stuck in a swamp, etc., this is the place for you.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.
I'm strong to the 'finich' cause I eats me spinach.
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.

This is Emily - she's the best! Please visit her photography blog and see how talented she is - link on the left under My Blog List.

Steals and deals

I am new to the electronic deals world but am loving it. Each day I receive an email from Groupon, Living Social and One Kings Lane. Groupon and Living Social are "local" sites which have deals based on the city in which you live. I especially like learning about places I've never heard of and appreciate the wide variety of offerings (not just food or a particular area of the city). I've already purchased three Christmas gifts and am thinking of buying today's deal for a local Italian restaurant that's new to me ($15 for $30 coupon is a steal!).

RIP Sadie Mae

I wasn't sure if I would blog about this or not. The profile to the left has been changed to reflect one less furry kid in our home. Sadie Mae is gone and I hope she's playing with Maisie Daisy in a vast field of catnip at this very moment. You may recall photos of her laying in Maddie's bed or taking Abbie's food - that's the most we saw of her. She wasn't cuddly, friendly or interested in anything but sleeping and eating. She's been making messes all over the house to the point where certain areas smell like a cat box. It didn't matter where I moved her litter box, she just wouldn't use it regularly. She had also taken to going outside most nights. I didn't really mind, but worried she would bring something back into the house to make the other furry kids sick. She's also has been throwing up a lot - under my bed of all places. We adopted Sadie 9 years ago and don't know how old she was, but she was definitely an adult. We found her at the vet amongst the rescues and took her in. She and Maisie were best buds and unfortunately after Maisie died a year and a half ago Sadie has never been the same. She had a good 10+ years and I'm glad this was her home.

Birthday poem

Somehow we always say the least to those we love the best

And hope our thoughts are understood although they're unexpressed

That's why it means so very much, when days like this are here

To say how very much you're loved each day throughout the year

Happy Birthday Mom!

No soup for you

I don't think of this blog as a vehicle for advancing personal causes or bashing others. I do however feel the need to share things I'm passionate about or thoughts fighting for space in my head every once in awhile.

Sassy was invited to a friend's house for dinner the other night. The friend has had some challenges with school work so understandably the mom is very strict about social activities coming after responsibilities are met. Soon after Sassy arrived (late hour by our dinner standards, 7:00, and we had already eaten), the mom started "grilling" their child in front of Sassy - the friend assured mom all school and house work were complete before Sassy arrived. One last question about a book report due a week or so later sent Sassy packing without dinner. Uh, could the mom have talked with their child privately in another room? Or perhaps before Sassy arrived at their home? Could they have said it would be an early night and required the report be done the next day? Balancing strictness and sensitivity would be optimal. How embarrassing for the friend! It put Sassy in an awkward place and I do not think it's cool to send my kid home without dinner as that was one of the reasons she was there. This is definitely not a hill to die on and Sassy won't starve, but I'm not fond of the way this mom handled the situation. I think it's strange at the very least and fighting for space in my head under the heading "what the ...?".

Burn baby burn

We had a bonfire last night. Both Sassy and Chunky had friends over. It was good, clean fun. Not sure if it's clean for the environment, but my hot dog and s'more sure were good.

Volleyball update: Sassy's school faced off against the private school rival again at yesterday's tournament. Unfortunately I had to leave for acctg class after the first two wins against other schools. Sassy was upset before I left because she wasn't playing her best and the coach had asked her to be a leader after another girl was hurt and unable to play. I gave her a mom pep talk (the past is the past, pick yourself up and move on from here, be the best YOU you can be, yada yada) and wished her the best. They won the the first set, lost the second and the third was close but the coach made an "odd" choice and put in a less seasoned player. I heard it wasn't pretty. One game left and then the we'll see where they stand for the season.

Win some, lose some

Sassy's team played their #1A rival last night and lost (two main rivals - one public and the other private, this was the private one). Bummer. It was really close - went to three games with her team winning the second and narrowly losing the third by only 2 points. The good news is this is their only loss to date and they are tied with this school for first place in the conference. The other school's only loss was Sassy's team the first time they played against one another. The teams face off again this weekend for a tournament. Should be a nail biter!

Suds

Chunky asked if I had any bubbles for his tub and I remembered some body wash tucked away from a trip to NYC at least two years ago. I figured it probably wouldn't bubble much but at least he'd smell good (pomegranate). Surprise! It bubbles just fine and I obviously put more than enough in.

New

I bought Sassy a new (old) car yesterday. It's a '95 Toyota Camry with 200k+ miles but looks and runs great.



Chunky has already declared he gets it next.

No rest for the wicked

It is 8:30 am on Saturday. I am fully dressed, make up-on and coffee in hand. Sassy had to be up at school to catch a bus for a volleyball tournament at 8:15. Not too bad. I normally get up around 5:30 so you'd think I would have got a little extra shut-eye. I did not. Maddie, the moose, had me up at 5:09 barking to go outside. 5:09 is earlier than my weekday wake up time. She is not my favorite today.

Busy day today. I will leave to catch a game or two of Sassy's tournament shortly, then off to look at a coworker's car that I'm considering purchasing for Sassy (he lives in the same town as the tourney), then off to Acctg class have I mentioned it's not my favorite?, after that I pick up my mother from the airport for a week-long visit, and finally we are going to a memorial service for a sweet german lady who used to clean my mother's house when she lived here in the arctic.

Parting thoughts - I'd better be able to sleep in tomorrow or heads are going to roll.