uck

I've been sick the last few days... yesterday and today have been the worst. Sore throat, congestion, runny nose, cough, sneeze... I've got it all. On a high note, the Gators are kicking Vandy's butt. Go Gators!

grease is the word!

Don't we look fabulous?

happy halloween!

I think this is the busiest Halloween I've ever had! It started Friday morning when I went to a Tiny Tot Halloween something in a neighboring town with my friend J, her baby R, baby daddy B, and associated friends. R was dressed up as a lazy daisy and did a fabulous job acting the part. I swear she should be in movies.

Friday night Hub and I went to a Halloween party held by one of his co-workers... it was fairly uneventful. Tonight we're going to another party! This time, it's held by one of my co-workers, and I have a feeling that people won't be feeling any pain at this one.

get ready for my awesomeness!

I did something so cool today that even I can hardly believe it...
I FINISHED MY POODLE SKIRT!!

I started with this:


I did a little measuring and cutting...


some more measuring, some more cutting, some sewing, used elastic for the waist band, sewed on a poodle and hot glued the sequined leash, and VIOLA!




I was so impressed with what I finished with. I know it is so simple, but sewing is not my forte by any means. I am a crocheter, and sewing is hard for me! I still can't believe it.

I originally wanted a crinoline, but I think it's fine without it. I'm also on the hunt for saddle shoes. I got some cute socks with poodles on them from a local Halloween store. Now all I need to do is turn Hub into a Greaser. :)

busy weekend

We had a busy weekend! Saturday we went to a birthday party for one of Hub's co-workers, and Sunday he went golfing and I went to J's house to carve pumpkins. It was Baby R's first pumpkin experience, and what an experience it was! I just love this little girl!

R with her very first pumpkin! She touched the pumpkin guts and tasted it... the look on her face was hilarious!

Me and R and her 'sister' Gracie.

R, myself, and her daddy, B.

Mommy J's silly pumpkin.

Daddy B's scary pumpkin (but I think it looks just like the Chesire Cat from Alice in Wonderland!)

My pirate pumpkin (need to practice my mad carving skillz).

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I also began working on my poodle skirt for Halloween. I discovered that I didn't have enough fabric, so I need to go back to the craft store for more felt, but I thought I'd give you a 'before' picture anyway.

a windfall!

So did I tell you my friend J fell down some stairs and broke her ankle a few weeks ago? OUCH! She's had surgery, screws, the whole works. Needless to say, she's been on crutches for a while. The bummer part about it (duh, the whole ordeal's been way more than a bummer!) is that she has 9 month old daughter that now she's having a hard time taking care of. Her Hub's been great, though...

Anyway, every Friday I've been helping her out by watching her daughter, R. R is the sweetest, most precious baby ever... I love taking care of her and getting my baby fix (tick tock, tick tock). So today to thank me J got me a gift card to JoAnn! That is my favorite store to buy stuff I don't need! So I will go and find fun yarn and lots of other good stuff! I love exclamation points! Let the fun begin!

tea party

I went to an afternoon tea at a local historic tea house with a couple of friends on Saturday... we had tiny sandwiches, scones, petit fours, and of course, tea. It was very nice, and I think it would be fun to do at home. We were served with these neat cup and saucer sets that had a spot for the cup on the side and a large place for you to set food.

I've since learned that this is called a "Tea and Toast" set. I've done a lot of research online about these cute sets and decided I wanted to find my own. All of the new ones online are terribly expensive, so I figured I'd hit one of the local antique stores in the area.

I went this afternoon and wandered around a flea market for an hour or so. I saw so many different kinds of cups and saucers, but not any Tea and Toast sets until I turned a corner and spied these! They're from Czechoslovakia and were made probably sometime in the 1930s. It's a set of six cups and saucers... all are in pretty good condition.

I got a pretty good deal, too... the whole set for under $30. I'm still hunting for a creamer, sugar bowl, and teapot, but I'm on my way to hosting a tea party!

field trip and other stuff

Last Thursday our team took 64 kindergartners on a field trip to a local farm. Here's what we did:

10-11:45: Went on hay ride and picked lots and lots and lots and LOTS of vegetables. Seriously, lots.

11:45-12:30: Ate lunch. Keep in mind, I didn't eat, the kids did. I made sure all groups were accounted for and that took forever. Child #1 barfs.

12:30-12:45ish: Hunted for lost child.

12:45-1:00: Found lost child. Dust storm and rain hit. We couldn't see beyond a 10 foot radius. NUTS!

1:00: Run for our lives (jk.. we really just ran for the bus). Leave for school.

1:15: (All at the same time) The back door's emergency buzzer on the bus went off. Bus driver pulls over on the highway to check it out. All of our parent chaperones freak out and pull over too. Child #2 barfs.

1:45: Return to school... Hallelujah!

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The Red Sox just won the ALDS and are on their way to winning the AL pennant. GO SOX!

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I've decided to make a poodle skirt for Halloween. Wish me luck! Pics and more info to come later.

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Today is my stepdad's birthday. We went to Famous Dave's for dinner and I'm STUFFED! Happy birthday, L!

scary

Today as I was getting ready to leave school I learned that one of our students was missing. He's a first grader, and was supposed to be picked up in a car this afternoon. The police were called and teachers were walking all around our campus looking for him... two teachers went in a car to search a bus route to see if the little guy got on a bus. My teaching partner and I went around a large circle around the area nearest our school in my car to see if he was walking around.

We went back to school to see if we could do anything else and found out he got on a bus after school. No word on why the bus driver let him on or why he even got on in the first place. His mom was there, crying, as were several of his family members. Mom was so relieved to hear that her son was okay. I can't even begin to know what she was feeling but I do know there was a lot of fear and confusion, and then, relief. I'm glad he was found safe and sound.

On a happier note, I'm making good progress on my messenger bag and will hopefully be able to post a decent picture in the near future. :)

bad, bad blogger!

I am a bad, bad, blogger. I have not posted in almost a month! To be fair, I have spent most of my time at school. It's been nuts... I forgot all of the beginning-of-the-year stresses that come out of the woodwork. Actually, there is always stress, no matter what time of year it is. Such is life.

Right now I should be cleaning for guests that will be arriving in a few hours. Instead, I wanted to post about my latest project. I am crocheting a messenger bag that will be felted. It's taking FOREVER, but I knew it would.

This is what I have so far:

Sorry it's sideways. I'm having photo issues today. I'll try to fix it later!