Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween

Hey there! Here are the pics from our Halloween costumes. My girls and I dressed up as The Cat in the Hat and the super Helpers, Thing 1 and Thing 2.

This is how I did it: The red tops and bottoms were purchased from a local big box store for around $12. I purchased a .5 yard of white fleece and used a red fleece blanket for some the red pieces ($1.74). I used temporary glue dots to adhere the red shoe covers I made for my daughers' shoes and some of the white fleece for the mittens. Their bright blue wigs are actually 2 blue feather boas that I purchased a craft store ($6) and stitched them to 2 separate wig caps (.99). I wrote on two fleece circles of various sizes with black puff paint (.97) and attached them to their red tops.

I cut the white and red fleece fabric into strips, stitched them together to make my hat. The hat was a little on the floppy side so I used fabric glue to attach two pieces of cardstock inside the hat for support. As for my belly and bow tie, I cut a piece of white fleece using a serving platter as a template and then I stitched on two remaining red strips leftover from the hat to make the red bowtie. I completed my costume with a pair of black slacks, a black long sleeve shirt (which I already owned) and an attached striped tail (1/8 yd @ .98). Volia!

Here is the final product:

Three costumes for less than $25! You can't beat that! I researched and priced packaged costumes just for the sake of knowing my total savings (my drug of choice). 2 "Thing" costumes at Party City $39.99 each and 1 adult Cat in the Hat costume $59.99... that's KWAZY! Gotta go find my next deal or adventure... TTFN!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Dapper Cat

Here is the a picture of the pumpkin that I carved today. It took me about 3 hours, start to finish, with a few interruptions and I think the finally product is a great effort. I kind of wish that I have chosen a template that was little more difficult. Enjoy the picture!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Pumpkin Patch or Bust!

All is well now that I had my pumpkin patch fix. Fall just doesn't seem right without a visit to a pumpkin patch, Halloween costumes and a Fall foliage drive. I have completed 1 out of 3, not many weekends left so I need to hurry.
This past Saturday, I enjoyed the afternoon at Yule Forest Pumpkin Patch in Stockbridge, GA with a few close friends and their children. The kids had a ball! There were several activities for the children. Let's talk about a few of them, shall we? First, there was a huge bouncing pillow that was buried into the ground, which every kid loved except my youngest. Then, there was a semi life-sized pirate ship that the kids could play in, around and on, which was located near a Fun Zone. The Fun zone was a series of 3 obstacle course moonwalks and a quasi-spooky inflatable haunted house, my 3-year-old declined this activity as well :). The pièce de résistance.... the hayride through the cartoon forest, which showed the age of many parents on board and a petting zoo, which offered horseback rides for a fee.

Overall, I think the $28 for entry for 2 adults and 2 kids, activities, 2 "free' mini pumpkins and a $5 off coupon for a Christmas tree was money well spent. Warning: if your child can walk, you will have to pay full price for that child.

Let me give a shoutout to Stevie B's Pizza Buffet, that is where we had our "after party." I think we almost cleaned the place out because having fun is hard work! FYI: Kids under 4, eat free.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Oprah's Lifeclass

I knew she couldn't stay away too long!! Thank goodness. Oprah is back but this time on OWN. So I stumbled across her show and I wasn't dissapointed. The topic today was Ego vs. True self, as she referenced the Ekhart Tolle's book, A New Earth. I am definitely guilty of this at times. The quote that I liked the most was,"Don't wait until you are on your deathbed to acknowledge that no "thing" (material or otherwise) should define who you are and your worth." This is hard considering the world we live in is based on what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive, where you live and the square footage of your home. What is someone suppose to do if that house burns to the ground?!? If I had to measure myself on those standards, I would most definitely be OUT OF LUCK!
So for this week, I will have to constantly ask myself why am I upset and who is responsible for those feelings, my ego or true self? I also learned during this premiere episode that my ego produces my fears. That's pretty deep because more often than not, we associate ego with pompous or selfish behavior. Who knew?

Monday, October 10, 2011

Ahh... It's that time of year again!

I love Autumn for several reasons. I will list a few and bear with me, there are a few superficial ones. Let's see... My primary reason for loving Autumn is because I get to drag my color-coded storage bins out of the garage and decorate the interior and exterior of my home. Next, I get to take long drives with my family as we enjoy the multi-colored foliage and its surroundings. And finally, I won't break a sweat before I can get in the car because the temperature are much cooler here in Hotlanta.

I am sure my neighbors think I am weird, but who cares that has never stopped me before! I am one of few in my subdivision that decorates for the seasons (less than 5 out of 72 homes). Quite frankly, they should be used to it after 8 years. LOL! Here comes my opinion, brace yourself... I think that everyone should at least throw place a wreath on your front door at a minimum. Decorations add a fresh, colorful dimension to your life with a splash of whimsy to boot. I love it! My decorations bring a smile to my face when I pull into my driveway and plus, it gives me a chance to bond with my girls.

Oh, wait! How could I forget this one!!! Nothing says Autumn like picking a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and taking a hay ride (after taking my allergy medicine).

Until next time....

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

My Mommy Epiphany

I have struggled with my decision for long time to stay at home with my daughters until they reach school age. Here I am 4 years into my decision (minus the press conference, of course) and I have finally found acceptance. Sad right? I know! So I am sure you are probably wondering why I am okay with it now. Well, I am finally starting to see the fruits of my sacrifice and it makes me smile from ear to ear.

I don't take my calling as a Mother lightly. I went through a lot just to have my daughters considering I am not able to get pregnant (and stay pregnant) as easily as others. My decision to stay-at-home all started with strict bedrest prescribed by my Ob for 6 out of the 10 months of pregnancy due to complications that previously resulted in one stillbirth and a miscarriage of twins. Once Makenzie was born, I thought to myself, "So I am supposed to drop her off at 6 weeks into the hands of a stranger... No way, not happening!"

Yes, of course, I could be enjoying my view from a 6x6 cubicle while pushing paper along the line for approval to the "higher-ups" on the 20th floor or dodging blood in extremely messy surgical settings (don't ask), for the sake of saying I have a "real" job. I would much rather enjoy lunch at the zoo and watch my toddler brush a goat for the first time.

So here I am almost 5 years later, driving the same car from college (thanks Dad), cooking majority of the meals we eat, a closet full of clothing staples that never go out of style (Thank God!) and minus the fancy ADULT summer vacations that all of my college buddies take each year. The grass always look greener on the other side anyway. This is okay with me because I have 2 healthy, well-adjusted girls that have been exposed to lots of cultural activities, really cool road trips and a mom that wouldn't trade the experience that we have shared together for anything. I had the opportunity to see every "First" thing Makenzie and Payton would every do and I had (and have) the chance to their true foundation builder.

If I had chosen the other path, I am sure that I probably would have never realized what I missed out on and I would have never been the wiser. No one gets the chance to see "what could have been" like in the movie, The Family Man with Nicolas Cage. It is clear to me that I have lost a lot but I have gained a lot as well. Please understand, I am not knocking the decisions of others; just explaining mine. Do what works for you and your family.

My girls only get one childhood and I have a front row seat!