Little Traditions

I know we are headed into a season of big family traditions.  The holidays seem filled with them.  Thinking about those got me thinking about the little things we do standard around our house that could be considered traditions.
Ever since Turbo was little I have put him to bed with the saying "Good night, Sleep tight, No bad dreams".  I couldn't bring myself to say don't let the bedbugs bite.  I didn't want to leave him with the thought that bugs could be in his bed.  Now it really has meaning what with the bedbug epidemic that has happened in recent years.  I still say it to him when I put him to bed.  I also say it to Bruiser.

Good night
Sleep tight,
No bad dreams.

It's a fitting thing for bed time.

Another small tradition we have is to have the kids do a snow dance before it's supposed to snow.  It's a silly made up dance that I started with Turbo when he was two.  It tends to be a spin, wiggle wiggle, jump jump, twist twist, wiggle, spin. Or something along those lines.  It works.  It usually snows when they do the dance (mom and dad are very good at looking at the weather report and having them dance when it will have results).  It's a way to make snow storms fun.  It really worked on the last snow storm--7-8 inches worth of working.

It's the small things that make a family.  These things aren't big but they are the things that will stick with our boys when they are grown up.  It will be interesting to see if they have their kids do a snow dance or say the same thing to them when they put them to bed. That would make me smile and remember them when they were little.

What does your family do that are special to you? Just little things that could be considered traditions? Or big things oriented to the holidays?  So, do you tradition?

Oh and Happy Halloween!  Be safe and have fun on this most spooky and fun holiday!

Tuesday Randoms

So it's Tuesday.  Time to random things up.

• Sandy is shaking things up back east. We have family in Brooklyn and so far they are OK.
• I am in potty training hell.  Bruiser is not getting it.  He would be happy if he never had to poop.  He is very unhappy about the fact that pooping is something he has to do practically daily.  He is not really getting the whole bodily function necessity thing.
• Sometimes there are evenings that just demand wine.  Dealing with Bruiser has given me a lot of wine evenings.
• Oh hey, snowman!

• One week to go and the elections will eliminate the political ads.  It can't come soon enough.  I'm so sick of the mudslinging and he did and he said and he didn't do and he didn't say.  It's all so negative.
• Woo hoo the time change is this weekend. We get our hour back.
• Insomnia is a nasty, nasty thing.  Either I can't get to sleep, or it wants my company at 2:30am.  I'm less than sympathetic to it's issues.
• Bruiser has discovered Candy Land.  He calls it Candy Cane.  He loves it.  It's cute.  Sort of.  Until I actually win a game and he doesn't.

So what's your random?  Go share it with Stacy and random it up!

Shawn and Impulsive are hosting Talk To Us Tuesday.  No rules, just link up anything.

So Frustrated

OK so we have been doing an intensive go poop potty training for Bruiser.  It's going less than well.  I'm not sure what to do.  He simply won't go.  He has repeated messy tushes but no real pooping.  I'm at a complete loss as to where to go from here.  ANY suggestions will be considered.
This whole potty thing is so stressing.  It's making me and Nick snappy.  I'm trying to be patient.  It doesn't help when Bruiser says he just doesn't want to poop, ever.  I thought the constipation issues we had with Turbo were bad.  Now I'd take that over the constant skid marks and no real poop that Bruiser is doing.  Searching for ideas on Google is getting me no where.  I think I'm going to have to give up on him and try again later.  The status quo is not good, but there's the whole I can't go for you kid.
In other news, the weekend was relaxing and, other than potty stress, low stress.  I made banana bread, which was awesome.  Nick and Bruiser made a snowman in the snow we had. (pictures tomorrow)
Turbo got to go downtown and do the Scaramie downtown trick or treat.  We didn't take Bruiser because it was windy and cold. We are planning to go trick or treating with friends Wednesday.  I'll have someone to talk to and the kids get to trick or treat with friends.  It will be fun.
Well, now that I've complained about potty issues, and need something brighter to do, I'm off to read other blogs.  Leave me some suggestions for Bruiser and I will be eternally grateful.  Hope you weekend was less messy than mine.

Friday Confessions

I'm really happy it's Friday.  This was a weird week.  Having Nick gone and then getting weather and everything just made it seem strange, long, short and everything.  So on to the confessions:

• I'm home today because the babysitter is out of town.
• Someone has to watch Bruiser.
• And we are diligently working on pooping in the potty.
• We have had some small successes.
• I'll take it.
• I'm so over wiping a little butt constantly.
• It totally doesn't look like Halloween outside.
• It looks like Christmas.
• 8 inches of snow will do that.
• Despite what it looks like outside, I'm not ready for Christmas to hit the TV.
• We have to survive Halloween first, without freezing any important body parts.
• The boy are going to miss the downtown trick or treat.
• It's going to be entirely too cold for Mom and Dad.
• So we will come up with something else.
• I didn't they didn't need the candy anyway.
• They will get enough Halloween night.
• I'm making banana bread today.
• And figuring out what to make for dinner.
• Anyone got any great ideas?
• I'll take all the suggestions I can.

Stay warm and dry this weekend.  From the sounds of the weather, staying dry could be a challenge.

Go confess and join up with Audrey, of High Heeled Love, who's standing in for Mamarazzi this month.

Spin Cycle--Spooky Woo Woo Stuff

The Spin Cycle this week is all about the spooky.  We don't so spooky so well around here.  Zombies are off limits(Turbo gets nightmares).  I can't watch scary movies at all (once I spent the evening in the bathroom to avoid a scary movie).  So for spooky we tend more to the Addams Family spooky and ooky than the Saw side of the scary spectrum.

I don't think I've ever had a ghost encounter.  I can freak myself out without outside help.  I do like to read ghost stories.  I actually read a series over our vacation in Michigan this summer.  That really is the best time to read ghost stories--on a beach, in the sunshine--but then I don't read really scary ghost stories either.
Halloween is all about mildly spooky, slightly scary fun--sort of Scooby Doo style scary.  The monster at the end is always funny or not real.
Standard movies for Halloween in the Jones house:

• Young Frankenstien
• Haunted Mansion
• Nightmare Before Christmas
• Ghostbusters (both one and two)
• Goonies
• Hocus Pocus
• Any Scooby Doo movie, but I particularly like Scooby Doo and The Curse of the Lake Monster.
• Addams Family
• Addams Family Values
• Addams Family TV shows
• The Mummy movies (Brendan Frasier versions)
• The Jurassic Park movies (but only one and three, the second one was just too stupid to watch more than once)
• The Topper movies--ghost centric movies from the 30s but fantastically done special effects.

There are some new movies out that look like they might be fun for Halloween, but I do enjoy the older stuff. I prefer the funny to temper the scary, or a nice pay off at the end where the monster/bad guy pays. Then again, I truly do think young Frankenstien might be my favorite.  Who doesn't need a bit of Frau Blucher, Fraankensteen, roll in the hay, and Wait! I was going to make espresso! in their lives at Halloween.

Go forth and enjoy Halloween with a good funny/scary movie.  If scaring the pants off yourself  is your cuppa, have fun, just know that I'll spend the night in the bathroom to avoid that sort of thing.

Now go see Gretchen for more spooky spins.

11 Random Questions

I got these from Audrey at High Heeled Love.  She got an award and the questions came with the award.  I thought they were fun so here goes:

1. What would you eat if you were only allowed one thing for the rest of your life? Seafood. In just about any form, seafood, shell fish and fish are all so good and there would be variety.
2. What magical power would you choose to have and why? This is a tough one. The ability to be in two places at once. I could work and be at home with my boys. Best of both worlds.
3. If you could make your favorite movie your real life, which one would you pick and why? I'd go with Harry Potter. Magic is so cool. I'd love to be in that world.
4. Name two things on your bucket list that haven't yet been checked off. Ride a hot air balloon and learn about wine.
5. Why did you start your blog? As a way to find friends. A way to vent about the crazy things that happen while living with guys--I'm out numbered in my own home.
6. Favorite piece of jewelry and why? My wedding ring. I also love the locket with my boys pictures in it, but can't wear it all the time--the shower would not be friendly to it.
7. If you had a day of no consequences, what would you do? What wouldn't I do? Eat my favorite junk food, break the rules, just because, read the day away without worrying about what the kids are doing...
8. Best birthday and why? 35th. Nick threw a surprisish party and had friends over to celebrate with us.
9. The book you could read over and over. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey. It has fantasy, magic, romance, elves, brownies, unicorns, giants, just about everything that makes a good story.
10. (Fill in the blank) I'm currently obsessed with _________________. Learning to crochet. I want something to do with my hands and it is making my mother very happy to teach me.
11. The thing you're most looking forward to in this coming month of November? Thanksgiving and spending time with my family. Also, going shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving with a good friend. It's fun to get out of town and shop and have a fun day.

Feel free to borrow, steal or what ever. Just let me know so I can come check out your answers.

Randomish Tuesday

So it's Tuesday.  And not Monday anymore, although yesterday wasn't all that bad for a Monday. Except for the stress of dealing with two boys with no buffer.  We all survived.
Anyway, on to the random:

• The boy are both rockers. They will air guitar with the best of them.  Bruiser has a pretty decent head bang too. We are so proud.
• I colored my hair again.  I like it.  It's dark and curly:

Not the best picture, but not the worst either.

• The boys have decided on their Halloween costumes.  We have a pair of ninjas.  they each look different, but they are both ninjas.  And quite happy with the choice.
• Two weeks til the election and then no more political ads.  I can't wait.
• Nick comes home tomorrow.  Hopefully after this he won't need to go out of town for a while.  And maybe next time I will be going too.  It will take some baby sitting coordination but I think we can manage it.
• Potty Boot Camp Project Bare Tushie starts today.  With any luck Bruiser will have pooping down pat by next Thursday.  He's going to be bare butted until then, except for excursions out of the house.  Wish us luck.  I'll admit he has the idea, but most definitely not the practice.  
• I have brownish bananas on my counter.  Time for banana bread.  After swim lessons tonight, I think banana bread is in order.
• Our first winter storm is heading our way.  We could get significant amounts of the white stuff.  I'm almost looking forward to it, as long as Nick can get home.
• I had to laugh.  Last night we were listening to Poison in the kitchen while I did dishes and cleaned up from dinner and Bruiser asked if we could listen to it again in the morning.  He wanted Grandma to hear the great music too.  I had to tell him that the music we were listening to was most definitely not to Grandma's taste--she didn't like it when I listened to it in high school, she sure wasn't going to like it now.
• My mom also doesn't like the fact that I color my hair.  She just can't get used to her "blond" daughter being a brunette.  Even though my hair color for the last few years has been far from blond.  At most it was a light brown.  Still rebelling after all these years.

So what's your random?  Link it up with Stacy and random rebel along with us.

And link up with the lovely Shawn and Impulsive for Talk To Us Tuesday.

About Friday Night...

OK, so now that it's Monday it's time to get back into the groove.  Not so easy because Nick is out of town for work, Turbo is home from school today, and I got to do babysitting drop off and wrangle Turbo all by myself.  Monday came too soon.  But the weekend was fantastic.
So Friday I was so excited that Nick and I were going to get to go out with out kids--they were staying over at my mom's house.  We dropped them off and headed to a local establishment and had a cocktail and appetizer.

Then we headed to another dinner place and had a mediocre dinner.  Nick was appalled at the price of only a burger--$7 for only a burger, no sides. I had ordered poutine and he had half of that, but he was unimpressed. It didn't help that the burger was not that big either.  My poutine was pretty good though.

After we finished dinner, we went and rented a couple movies and got a bottle of wine.  We were close to a bar that serves a shot that they call Copper's Poppers.  They taste sort of like a Bloody Mary shot, but smoother and better.  We each had one and them headed home.  Once there we decided that a trip to the local bar was in order, after all it was not even 8 yet.  We had another drink in the 4th establishment of the evening and then headed home for good.
We settled into comfy clothes and watched Rock of Ages.  And we both loved it.  We cranked the stereo and sang along with songs we knew, which was most of them, laughed at the campy parts, called some of what would happen.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  So worth the rental.  I know it has Tom Cruise in it but we still loved it.
The next morning Nick and I headed to Cheyenne to get the rest of the tile we need for the basement, a light for under Turbo's bed, and a reciprocating saw that Nick has been drooling over since he saw the one his cousin had.  It was a bit of early Christmas--it's hard for me to get tools for Nick, I always pick the wrong thing.
We also hit Bed bath and beyond, doing a bit of dreaming and window shopping and on impulse, for Nick's folks, we got some initialed towels.  It was their 40th anniversary on Sunday.  They were thrilled with the towels.  Nick gets good ideas sometimes.
After we got home we picked up the boys and I started laundry.  The rest of the weekend was mundane stuff and nothing really exciting. Friday was just what Nick and I needed.  Fun times being adult, but we both felt sore and out of it on Saturday.  I think we need to work our way up to hitting the town like that.  I'd say we painted the town a lovely shade of pink, not quite red, but better than beige.
And for a Monday morning, I did get a fantastic sunrise.  Nice thing about the sunrise right now, it is coming after 7:30 so I don't really ahve to get up early to enjoy it.

How was your weekend?

I confess...

It's Friday and this week this is an awesome day.  Well, it's an awesome day every week but this week it's an especially fabulous day.  But first I need to confess:

• I get an adult night out.
• My mom is taking the boys for an overnight.
• Nick and I get to go out and have drinks and dinner and be adults.
• I'm not sure we are going to know what to do with ourselves.
• It's going to be fun to find out.
• I also get to do laundry this weekend.
• Fun times here.
• I hate parent teacher conferences.
• Turbo's went well yesterday, but I still hate them.
• I'm still exercising in the mornings.
• I'm getting a bit bored with what I'm doing though.
• Time to mix it up a bit.
• To bad exercise isn't fun like reading.
• If reading burned calories, I'd have it made.
• I really hate insomnia and it desire for my company in we hours of the night.
• Glad that is cool enough out to enjoy a cup of tea at night--decaf of course.
• Or maybe a delicious cup of cocoa. 
• After the boys go to bed or I have to share and cocoa for a three year old is a messy affair.

So what do you have to confess?  write it up and link it up with Audrey who's filling in for Mamarazzi while she takes a bloggy break this month.

Spin Cycle--Beautiful

This week's Spin topic is beauty.  What do you find beautiful?  Where do you find beauty?  Got a beauty horror story?  Got a beauty tip?
I'm not one for makeup tips.  Heck, I'm not one for makeup period.  I can never get it to look right on me.  I always feel like the foundation is the wrong color and I turn out either too pale and look dead or too orange and that's never a good look.  I've sort of given up on makeup.  I'd like to figure it out, but the makeup section of the store is intimidating if you really don't know what you're looking for.
So I go for the natural look. This does make getting ready to go in the morning easier.  Also no makeup removal before bed.  Packing for vacations is easier too.  No makeup bag that has to go with me. I also don't have the need to fix my face before going anywhere.  Nick definitely appreciates that.
A lot of my lack of makeup savvy comes from my mother.  She never really wore makeup.  She had friends when she was younger who had worn so much foundation that they couldn't go without makeup and she was not going to let me do that, so she went the other way with me and didn't let me have any foundation at all.  I was 15 before I got any makeup and that was only mascara, blush and eye shadow.
So makeup never really caught on with me.  I'll admit there are times when it would be nice to be able to do my face up to look nice, but mostly it doesn't bother me.  I wouldn't pick the right stuff if I tried.  And getting to a mall with a department store large enough to have a makeup counter is not so easy here.  The closest mall is 45 minute away.  So a trip like that has to be planned for.  There is a Clinique counter at the bookstore on campus, but I don't think I want to do that either.
Do you do makeup?  Does it look good?  How did you figure out what to use?  Is it worth it to go to a makeup counter and have the works done?  Or should I trial and error it at the drug store?  Would you come and go with me?  I need some sort of guidance.  So I don't end up looking like this:

Mimi from The Drew Carey Show.

 It's a look but not a good one.
So what's beauty to you?  spin it up and link with Gretchen.

Bottom three--least liked

So last week I did a top three and for comparison I thought I'd do a least liked.

Bottom 3 Movies (that I've seen):

1.  Death Becomes Her
2. Avatar
3. It's a Wonderful Life

Now I know there are people out there who probably love the movies I've listed here, but for me, these just didn't do it.  Death Becomes Her is idiotic.   Avatar just never worked for me--but then I don't like the two faced betrayal roles.  And It's a Wonderful life just seemed so dreary.  Not even the happy ending could save it for me.

Bottom 3 Actors:

1. Matthew McConaughey
2. Robert Pattinson
3. Ashton Kutcher

Yes, I know these actors have rabid fans.  They just never did anything for me. I think Matthew McConaughey is smarmy, no matter what he does.   Robert Pattinson has always been too pretty in my opinion. Ashton Kutcher is all about the self promotion.  I just don't like them.

Bottom 3 Actresses:

1. Lindsey Lohan
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Kristen Stewart

I don't have strong feeling about any of these actresses (yes, I know calling Oprah an actresses is stretching, but go with it).  They just don't seem to be the best out there. And are a bit too much out for the attention.

Bottom 3 Foods:

1. Liver
2. Raw onions
3. Sushi

I can't stand liver in any form.  Raw onions give me the willies.  I have yet to try sushi that tastes good..

Bottom 3 Household Chores:

1. Toilets
2. Tubs
3. Dishes

Find me someone who likes cleaning and I'll show you someone who has no life.

Bottom 3 Activities:

1. Grocery shopping
2. Waiting out swim lessons while entertaining a 3 year old.
3. Filling out the Captcha word verification

Finding activities that weren't household chore related was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I guess I just don't do things I don't like to do--go figure.

Bottom 3 things about being a mom:

1. Wiping butts
2. Potty training
3. Having to discipline a little boy.

Potty training sucks, I don't care who you are.  Cleaning little tushies is fun for the first couple of months and then it gets old.  Having to be the adult and discipline a misbehaving little boy is never fun.

Bottom 3 Commercials

1. The Mayhem commercials from Allstate
2. Any Male enhancement commercial
3. Political ads.

I will admit there are commercials we actually like, but the ones listed above annoy or confuse me. Try explaining to a nine year old why two people are in bathtubs in the middle of no where.  Or why the guy has a creepy smile on his face and is happy about all the ladies paying attention to him.  And political ads are just annoying in the extreme.  So happy the election is not far off. We get the TV back without slam ads for one candidate or another.

Swapoween Goodies!

So my Swapoween package finally got here--stupid Postal service.

It came from the lovely Jenn from Life with the Haas's.
She did a fantastic job gathering goodies for me and my family to enjoy HAlloween.

All the goodies.

Window clings.

Yummies to share and cookie to make with the boys.

Hand soap, a black light bulb for our front porch, cups and the cutest card.

Table, door and tree decorations.  Must get on the decorating this week. Also a CD for the boys--Halloween songs, stories, and sounds.

I got to send a package to Karen at A Peek At Karen's World.  Go see what she got from me--it was a fun swap!

Talking Random

So it's Tuesday.  Can I hear a hooray, it's not Monday any more?!  Not that this monday was particularly bad, but it was, you know, a Monday.  And ours came with an extra bill, which made it all that much more special.  Now on to the random:

• Everything here is now brown.  The cold weather zapped the colors and it's all just brown.  I think I'm ready for snow--at least that's pretty to look at.
• I made the comment on my confessions that I didn't have laundry to do last weekend.  Yes, I do laundry every two weeks.  The piles are large, but I can keep track of it that way.  Otherwise I'd forget what's clean and what's dirty and I'd end up doing laundry over and over again.  Plus, I hate laundry, I don't really want to do it all the time.  Now I will do things like sheets, blankets, rugs and such on the off weekend, but that stuff is easy to wash, fold and "put away".  Adn I'm still doing a load of Bruiser clothes a week.
• I am planning a potty boot camp for Bruiser the end of the month.  Our babysitter is out of town and I'm staying home with bruiser and he's gonna be naked for like 10 days straight, unless we leave the house.  Cross your fingers that he will get the whole pooping in the potty thing by then.
• Halloween is looming on the horizon at our house. Bruiser is still pretty stuck on Batman.  He's had a couple of detours to ninjas and Spiderman, but currently he's wanting a Batman costume.  Turbo wants to be a ninja.  As long as I can layer plenty underneath the costumes, they should be good to go.  I totally expect a significant snow storm before Halloween.  It's tradition.
• I got my thank you package from Impulsive. She did it up right--it was totally random, but all favorite things of hers.

Santa towels, hand lotion, scented diffuser, Mio, Whoppers and tissues.  Perfect!

•  I really am enjoying baking.  I got bananas at the store this week and I kind of hope they don't all get eaten.  Then I can make banana bread.  I keep this up and I'm gonna end the winter looking like two ton tessie.  On with the exercise--dance it off, right?
• We rode in the homecoming parade, snow, rain and all.  The only thing about it was we threw the candy to the spectators, my boys came home with nothing and that about killed them.  I had to go to the store and get them each a bag of candy.  Nice that candy is readily available right now.

So what's your random?  Link it up with Stacy.

And link up any old post with Shawn and Impulsive.  Their Talk To Us Tuesday has no rules.
 

Parade, Baking, Record Breaking, and Stuff

Our weekend was very fun and productive.  We had a good, but cold and wet, time at the homecoming parade.  We had a great time with our friends having spaghetti and enjoying some TABs.

Saturday started out with large fat flakes of snow falling.  There was about a half inch to an inch of snow on the grass and vehicles.  And it kept falling.  We were wet and cold, but had a lot of fun waving and tossing candy to the spectators.  What really kept the kids entertained is the group behind us has all dressed up and one had dressed as Waldo.  He spent the parade hiding in the crowd for the other people in his group to find.  The kids on our float helped by locating him when they could.  We got to spend the parade playing Where's Waldo for real.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Kazoo fun.

After the parade, we went home to thaw out.  We really didn't do much for the rest of the day but try to get Bruiser to nap (unsuccessfully), I napped a bit and then we loaded up to head to our friends' house for dinner.  Homemade spaghetti and salad and garlic bread.  We had a wonderful time visiting and letting the kids run around.  We also watched our team lose the homecoming game.
Sunday dawned with the discovery that there was man attempting the highest free fall back to earth ever. The Space Jump was live on Discovery Channel Sunday morning and we got to watch it.  I then spent the day baking and we smoked a turkey on the grill.  We also had to go get pumpkins from the grandparents--that Papa had grown.  This is a feat in and of itself.  Things don't grow well here, our growing season is just too short.
Sunday actually started with a trip to the grocery store, but before I went I was cruising the channels for something other than ridiculous cartoons on TV.  I found the Live Feed for the Space Jump.  Nick was totally sucked in and watched from lift off to touchdown. It was pretty amazing and cool and I thought it was neat that they had included the former record holder from 1960, when this was first attempted, as the communicator for Baumgartener as he got ready to jump.  Cool to see history being made.
I spent the rest of the day making chocolate chip cookies and Brownies.  Also zucchini bread.  I totally got my bake on again this weekend.  I'm really liking the baking and I think my mom does too as she got me a huge bag of chocolate chips at Sam's Club.  Subtle hint there Mom?

Stick 'em Up!

So how was your weekend?  Do you feel you need another day so you can really appreciate Saturday and Sunday?  I sure do.

Confessions

It's Friday!  After the week this has been, I'm sooo ready for Friday.
I confess:

• I'm really looking forward to this weekend.
• I don't have laundry (did it last weekend).
• I get to cook some more.
• We get to hang out with friends and enjoy some TABs.
• I've been fighting off the sicks that have been making the rounds at our house.
• I'm not going to get it, I'm not going to get it.
• Potty training Bruiser is one step forward, two steps back it seems.
• He might be slowly getting it.
• It can't come fast enough for me.
• I could use a nap.
• I haven't exercised a whole lot this week.
• I don't really feel guilty about it.
• There's always next week.

So that's what I've got this week.  Go see Aubrey, she's running the show while Mamarazzi takes a blog break.

Spin Cycle--Fall is in the Air

The Spin Cycle is all about Fall, or autumn.  Fall is a favorite season of mine--it promises cooler weather, a return to cooking and baking, colorful leaves, the smell of wood smoke in the air.
It's a beautiful time of year. The one season I look forward to while missing the one that passed.  In our neck of the woods the transition to fall is more gentle that the other transitions.  Winter gives up slowly, spring is short, and summer, well, it goes by so fast because of all the fun we have that we don't get to enjoy it like we should.  But fall, well this time of year is for savoring. Although we do end up with snow more often than not by Halloween.

This was last year.  I don't think it will be long this year.

Baking holds appeal, tea once again sounds good at night, I like cooking again.  We set up for the long winter and it's nice seeing the fall leaves, even if all we really get here are golds and a few oranges.  Red is not a fall color around here so much.
The smells associated with fall are some of my favorites.  The dry small of the falling leaves, woodsmoke from wood stoves, the smell of apples, baking anything.  Pumpkin anything--pie, bread, candles, the smell says fall.

A day in the mountains--two years ago.

I also enjoy the crisp sound of crunching through the fallen leaves.  Not a huge fan of raking them, but love walking through them.  I also like riding my bike over crunchy leaves.  I never jumped in piles of leaves as a kid, so walking through them is good enough.  Besides, there's usually unmentionable things (like dog poop) that gets raked up with the leaves and who wants to jump in that?
So what do you like about fall?  Spin it up and join the fun of the Spin Cycle with Gretchen.

Top Three--Several of Them

I found this from Jill, who got it from someone else, so it kind of a steal/borrow thing.  I though it looked fun, but will be interesting to see if I can narrow down my favorites.

top 3 movies

• Lord of the Rings
• The Thin Man
• Hello Dolly

This one was tough--I have lots of movies I love, but these are ones I can watch over and over--just for me, no kid movies.  In fact the kids bellyache over the last two when ever I want to watch them.  The Lord of the Rings  is almost cheating, but really can you watch one without the others?

Top 3 actors

• Matt Damon
• Bruce Willis
• Sean Connery

These actors need no real explanation--they are really good actors.  I've liked Matt Damon since the Bourne movies.  Bruce Willis isn't afraid to make fun of himself--either in action or in more comedic roles. Sean Connery was awesome as James Bond and then had some really fabulous movies when he was older--still a good looking man as he aged.

Top 3 actresses

• Sandra Bullock
•  Drew Barrymore
• Myrna Loy

These are great actresses. No one said they had to still be living.  Myrna Loy was Nora Charles in the Thin MAn series and had several other movies with William Powell and other wonderful roles.  Drew Barrymore is so cute and Sandra has had some really good and fun movies.

Top 3 country singers

• Jason Aldean
• Sugarland
• Miranda Lambert

I love country music--it's what plays most often at our house.  All these artists are ones I really enjoy.

Top 3 TV shows

• The Big Bang Theory
• Mythbusters
• What Not To Wear

Everyone in the house like Big Bang--so much so that Turbo quotes the show frequently.  It's a big hit in our family.  Likewise Mythbusters.  We all enjoy watching the antics and science of the Mythbusters crew.  What Not to Wear is just for me--the guys aren't that into it.

Top 3 travel destinations

• Hawaii
• Alaska
• Australia/New Zealand

I'm not one for international travel--it's too much hassle.   There are great things to see that don't require a passport.  Although, I'd love to go down under for a visit.

Top 3 books

• The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
• Warrior by Zoe Archer
• Polgara the Sorceress by David Eddings

These are just three of my all time favorites--choosing was nearly impossible.  I've read all of Eddings fantasy books and am now reading the first series out loud in the car to the guys. Polgara is the last book of the Belgariad/Mallorean series. Absolutely awesome books in the fantasy genre.  Warrior is the first in a series of four books that are Victorian steampunkish/fantasy.  Again wonderful reads.  The Fairy Godmother was a book I picked up on a whim and ended up loving.  It takes traditional fairy tales and turns them inside out and is so fun--there are about six books in the series so far and I hope Mercedes Lackey writes more.  I could go on and on about books I love and if you remember the pictures of the book shelves in my basement, bookworm is a mild term for me.

Top three curse words:

• frack/flippin
• Dammit
• Fewmits

Those are the PG versions of the words that slip out in times of stress or pain.  I can do the potty mouth thing with the best of them, butt with kiddos around you try to censor yourself somewhat. Although fewmits works well in place of sheeite.  It means dragon droppings and works pretty well in most situations.  It also makes the boys laugh and sometimes a good laugh is just the thing to drop the tension.

Feel free to borrow away.  It can be fun to think about these sorts of things.

Tuesday Randoms

So after a less than stellar Monday, it's now Tuesday.  Can I get a hoorah for Tuesday?  Hey, it's not a Monday  right?!
Random time:

• I'm thinking about coloring my hair again.  It's a sort of reddish blonde right now.  I think I want it darker.  I may have to wait a while--I had it permed only about a month ago.
• I'm not sure what got into me this last weekend, but I was all Suzy homemaker.  Baking and laundry and cooking, oh my.  It felt good and the results were tasty--at least the results from the kitchen.
• Turbo has been having issues.  Like getting his teenager on issues.  He's only nine, but man can he act all drama king.  It's exhausting dealing with him.  Not sure why he's acting this way.  It might be the test he's facing at school, might be not feeling 100% yet, but I wish he'd get over it or communicate better what's going on in that little head of his.
• Guinness, our collie mix dog gets to go in for a tooth pulling on Wednesday.  He's not going to like it, he hates the vet.  
• The weather has been lining up to lousy on the weekends.  It has perfect timing to keep us inside.  Cabin fever could get to us this winter.  
• Nick and I need a night out sans kids.  We may be able to get out this weekend with friends. We so need to.  To just recharge without small people around.  To reconnect.  To have a good adult time.
• The count down is on.  The countdown to no more political ads.  I can't wait. 
• Target has jumped the gun.  I saw my first holiday shopping ad from them last night.  Really? Already?

So what's your random this week?  Link it up with Stacy and random rebel away!

And go link up whatever you have with Shawn and Impulsive for Talk To You Tuesday.

Bakerama Mama

I think we all enjoyed the weekend (with the possible exception of Turbo for a while on Saturday).  It was relaxing to putter around the house, run minor errands, stay inside due to snowy, blustery weather.
Friday night, we hung out at home, had a friend and his son come over and talked.  The kids played hide and seek, even Brusier and were crazy noisy.  It was fun.
Saturday dawned snowy and quite cold.

We headed out into the weather for a grocery run, which ended with haircuts for all the guys.  We did have fun trying to find a coconut for Turbo--the one at Albertsons that was left was already cracked open, and the first one we got from Safeway was moldy inside.  The second one from Safeway was good to go.  the hermit crabs really liked the fresh coconut treat they got.  Now I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the coconut.
For the rest of Saturday, we sort of hung out inside being warm, and cozy due to the weather. Nick and I used up a few of the green tomatoes we got from his parents and made a wonderful salsa verde.

I got a bit of a nap, Nick grouted the new hearth area where the wood stove in the basement goes. Turbo got all drama king about being bored.  It was mostly that he didn't get his way when he wanted to. Might be a bit of spoiling going on there that we need to nip in the bud.  The other part might be being to sick to do anything, but not sick enough to enjoy being a lump on the couch.
Saturday evening I made two loaves of pumpkin spice bread. Everyone was quite excited that this bread was being made--it's a fall kind of bread, but oh so yummy.
Sunday was a kitchen day.  I made chocolate chip cookies using this high altitude recipe from Gourmet Mom on the Go. They turned out awesome.

The cookie jar we have counter space for now.

Filled with goodness.

I also made cinnamon rolls using a recipe from the bread machine I have.  They turned out to be the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made.  I like the caramel rolls and these made delicious ones.  the guys like them too.

Saturday I also got my Swapoween package out in the mail.  I'm looking forward to seeing whom my package comes from.  It should be here in a couple of days.  Then decorating for Halloween will begin in earnest.
What did you do this weekend?  If I keep cooking like this, I will end up to big to go anywhere.  But it sure tastes good.

Confessions for Friday

It's Friday! Finally!  I really love this day of the week. I get to confess and it means that the weekend starts at going home time.  Really the best time of the week.  So on to the confessions:

• The sicks are running through our house.  First Turbo, then Bruiser, then me, then Nick and now Turbo again.  
• I really hope it's not going to go around again.
• The laundry is taunting me again.
• So is the living room floor.
• It's time to give the washer a work out and dance with the vacuum again.
• I don't like laundry.
• I don't really know anyone who likes laundry.
• I like clean clothes though.
• Since they have yet to develop self cleaning clothes, Laundry is a necessary evil.
• We have an 80% chance of 2-4 inches of snow tonight.
• It's supposed to be in the 60s again by Thursday, but snow is normal early in October.
• It has been cold here the last couple of days though.
• I have definite urges for baking this weekend and chili sounds awfully good for dinner.
• Or maybe stew.
• I exercised in my living room three days this week.
• I need to get some variety though.
• I can see myself getting bored quickly.
• These confessions are kinda dull.
• We aren't doing much exciting stuff right now.
• Some weeks are like that.
• Especially when you have to be a grown up.

So what are you confessing?  Write it up, link it up Audrey, she's standing in for Mamarazzi.

Spin Cycle--Straight and Narrow

This week's Spin cycle is Crime and Punishment. Not something I have a whole lot of experience with. At heart I'm a good girl and we live in Wyoming. Not the most crime ridden part of the country, as long as you don't count the underage drinking.

I will admit to doing some of that underage drinking back in the day, but I never tried to go out on a fake ID. I didn't look old enough to be my actual age, let alone older. It would have never worked. We just had friends who were old enough to drink and willing to buy for us.

I have been on the receiving end of crimes. Once our car was robbed. I lost a very nice Columbia jacket, but that was most likely a cold drunk walking home from the bar who rifled through the car, which was parked in our driveway. I was out a $300 coat and that was that. I learned after that to leave nothing in the vehicle--and to make sure it was locked. I had thought it was, but evidently not.

The other crime I was the "victim" of was just after Turbo was born. I got my credit card statement and there were charges from Paris on it. From a lingerie shop no less. Since I had just had a baby and was most definitely not lingerie ready and had most definitely not been out of the country, those charges were not mine. They got it straightened out quickly.

Other than that, I have tread the straight and narrow. The police are nice people, but I try, on general principle, to avoid meeting them. My brother does enough of that for the family.

So what are your experiences with crime and punishment? Spin it up and go link with Gretchen, she of the spin cycle magic.

Fall/Winter Goals

With the weather cooling off rapidly and the s word just around the corner in these parts, I thought I'd make some goals for myself  for the colder months this year.  I usually don't worry about it but in the last year my middle started to spread and my clothes all got kind of uncomfortable.  Since a new wardrobe is out of the question, I started to work on that over the summer.  I'm happy with my results so far, but can't stop because of ice and snow.
So my goals for the fall/winter months:

1. Exercise three times a week.  While I can, this will be running.  Once the weather drives me inside, it will be DVDs in the living room--dancing, aerobics, Zumba on the Wii--anything I can do in the early morning in my living room.
2. Do more baking, but share it at the office.  I love baking, especially in the winter, but don't need to keep the results here at home for temptation.  I'm sure the people I work with will appreciate Pumpkin Pie bread, Banana Bread, Zucchini Bread, cookies (if I get more adventurous than chocolate chip--those I can leave at home and they magically disappear).
3. Take the boys swimming at the indoor pool once a week.  It's not a lot of exercise for me, but is wonderful for the boys.  Turbo has swimming lessons, but enjoys goofing off in the pool and Bruiser is not potty trained enough for lessons yet, so playing in the rec pool is all he can do, but he loves it.
4. Get back into a routine of menu planning and cooking so we have leftovers--I'm getting better at taking leftovers for lunch.
5. Get out cross country skiing this winter.  Last year the snow was awful and I didn't go once.  This year we are going to try Bruiser on skis, so I get to ski with Turbo while Nick works with Bruiser.  All we really need is enough snow to make it worth it.
6. Repaint the upstairs bathroom.  It could use it and we have a new cabinet to put up in there and I want to paint before we put it up.
7. Improve my crocheting skills.  My mom has gotten me started, and I remember some from when I did it as a kid, but I do need to improve and it's something I can do while we watch TV this winter.  Ultimately, I want to make an afghan by the end of the winter.
8. I would really like to read more this winter.  My Kindle has quite the collection of free books.  I'm thinking that Saturday afternoons should be reading time.  Maybe Sundays if Saturdays don't really work out.
9. Get together with friends more--even if we are inside, socializing would be good for us.  For that matter, Nick and I need to get out for something resembling date night at least once a month.
10. Get Bruiser totally potty trained. At least enough that I hear the call to come wipe his butt.  It will be better than the surprises he's been leaving for us in his unders.

So there you have it, ten goals for this winter.  I really hope I can achieve them all.Some of them aren't exercise related, but still life improving, so they count.  Do you have goals for the winter?

Time to Random!

We survived Monday and now it's Tuesday.  Let's get all random.

• There is snow in the forecast for tomorrow night.  Yes, snow.  We have a 30% or maybe 20%  chance (the weather people are not sure and keep changing it).  Yep, winter comes early and stays late.
• I find myself wanting to hibernate.  Or cook.  But also lacking the true motivation to really get in the kitchen.  Hibernating sounds better and better.
• Anyone know of something that might perk me up?  Seriously, all I want to do is curl up and do nothing.  Not so good for the house work and such.  Little boys do want to eat and need baths, whether they think so or not.
• I fell out of the habit of exercising last week when I was sick.  I danced yesterday morning, but it wasn't really the same.  Tomorrow will be too cold to run.  I'm not going out if it's below 30F outside. So dancing it will be.
• We are looking forward to the new season of Mythbusters that is starting Sunday.  We have also enjoyed Big Bang Theory.  Nick is giving Revolution a shot, not sure how long he will stick with it.
• I rearranged the living room last night.  I'm still not thrilled with the sectional up there, but I got my seating area back with both chairs, so I can live with it.  It is cozy up there.  And the heat vent is exposed now so the warm air will not just be heating the bottom of the couch.

The new home of the sectional

My sitting area back.

It works for Turbo.

• I successfully completed a granny square with crochet all by my self.  Now to make a couple more so I can put together a doll blanket for our cousin's little girl.  Then I can start work on a blanket/afghan for myself.  That is my goal, to make an afghan by the end of the winter with crochet.  It's all about finding something to do with my hands instead of eating or tying knots in my hair.
• Well, gee.  My randoms are kinda boring.  Right now we are kind of boring.  Turbo was definitely complaining about being bored last night.  He really wanted to play with a friend.  But dinner, Nick not feeling well, looming bedtimes sort of dictated that the friend go home earlier that Turbo wanted him to.  Of course the fact that little boys show up at our door regularly to play counters Turbo's boredom claims.

And that about covers all the random I've got going on. Go see Stacy for more.

And Shawn and Impulsive are talking for Talk To Us Tuesday.

Quiet Weekend

We had a very quiet weekend. Friday evening we relaxed after our day in the field.  We had a couple of beers and sort of pretended we had dinner.  Our day in the field was fun and hey, we weren't sitting in front of the computer, so that was good.

Saturday, Nick wanted a day to do nothing.  So we had no plans.  We went to the grocery store and then hit  Murdocks so Nick could get himself new shoes.  He found some that he liked, and since getting him to shop is never fun, I call it a victory.  I took a very long nap. Nick packaged up the antelope he got with his boss.  We need to fill a couple more tags this month, but it was nice to only have one animal to process.
Saturday night Turbo had an impromptu sleep over and Nick spent the night in the attic with Bruiser. Bruiser was thrilled to get to sleep up there.
Sunday I helped a friend/family move a foosball table that she had gotten her husband for his birthday.  And then we headed to Cheyenne for Hermit crab supplies.  We needed to get them a heater, and more food and a replacement crab for Ferb, who died a couple weeks ago.  The new addition is called Hermie for now.
We also decided what we are doing with the basement where Nick had taken out the hearth around the wood stove back in June. I'm sort of resigned to keeping the sectional upstairs.  I get my two chairs back upstairs though.  In the basement, we are going with a tile floor around the wood stove and a cork floor in the rest of the family room, with a large nice area rug as well.
Overall, we had a nice quiet weekend.  Nothing exciting, but in it's own way quite satisfactory.  Sometimes you need those slow down weekends.  How was your weekend?  Filled with wild excitement or more on the quiet side like ours?