Cutest Halloween Costume Ever

I saw this child while trick or treating and just thought it was the cutest toddler outfit ever!!! How sweet is she? I always look at things and wonder if I could make it and this is a definite yes! Orange tulle with some green and orange silky material and you are set!

Kiersten

My cute Ninja and Police Man

Here are James (Police Man) and Carter (Ninja) with Jim. James doesn't like candy but he loves to trick or treat. We will toss all of his candy soon after the big event or I will eat it all.

Kiersten

Spooky Food!!!

I had lots of fun making food for the halloween party we attended! Here is my gooey snake (pie crust filled with provolone and turkey sitting on lettuce) and spiders on sticks (hard one-- chicken nuggets with spider rings and ketchup). As you can see, whereas my twin has a high talent in actual cooking and baking, I excel more at presentation! I managed to turn frozen nuggets into something that kids and adults alike thought was so cool! One little girl was scared to eat it and we had to explain what it was. Both were big hits and so simple!

Kiersten

Raising Children.....Kim's Opinion (I'll always have one)

It's still Halloween Night....I just heard my door bell beep about 40 times (not exaggerating). I figured it was my husband being obnoxious although I didn't think he was that obnoxious. I opened the door to find about 12 teenagers. I am nice, usually. I had multiple teenagers thank me for not boycotting them tonight. These kids, different. I smiled and said "y'all are going to break my door bell, that's not nice". Then I gave them candy, because I am nice. Why does this child think he can risk breaking my door bell? Can you break a door bell? If so, I'm sure he almost did tonight. My opinion: teenagers should be lectured by their parents prior to leaving their home "have fun, be safe, be polite and only ring once".

One of the 12 was a teenage girl in a tight black dress with "blood" smeared on her neck, face and arms. What is her mother thinking? Bad parenting, bad. My opinion: Slutty Halloween costumes have their place....they are for college girls and young women with no children. They are not for teenagers and they are not for mommies. Dress up and have fun....if you're an adult and you're not doing it in my neighborhood around my children.

Yes, I'm opinionated but I know you love me.

Kim

Shiraz, Pumpkins, Costumes and Candy

It's Halloween Night. The kiddos are adorable, I fulfilled all my mommy duties: made a special dessert for the kids (not that they needed any more sweets), planned and managed my son's class party this afternoon, carved some pumpkins, bought an easy but fun dinner, roasted pumpkin seeds, lit the pumpkins, handed my husband his one and only Halloween t-shirt and begged him to wear it, perfected the costumes, took pictures & stood by my husband as he opened a bottle of Shiraz.

Eric took the kids out, we have too many neighbors to ditch our home so I stayed here and handed out candy. Our neighborhood is funny because a decent percentage of people own and use their golf cars...so you don't just walk. You ride in your golf car. We walk but I should make it a goal to have a golf car by next Halloween. If you need to buy or sell a home in Augusta, call me, I need a golf car.

I thought about making a drinking game out of this holiday. Every time the doorbell rings, I take a sip. But, I haven't done that. I've barely touched the glass because I've been sampling our candy.

By the way, I was freaked out at a haunted house when I was little and grew up not liking Halloween. I remember everything about that event, someone told me to walk close to a person in a coffin. I was obedient and did as they said. He jumped up at me and I cried and cried. I remember Daddy taking me to a cool toy store while everyone entered another room on the right. I told mom this story recently and she said "Kim, that was Disney World". Ah, I didn't remember that part. Pumpkins, scarecrows & candy....that's more than enough for my kiddos and they're having a great time.

Happy Halloween!!

Kim

No I Can't Bake 4 Dozen Cookies, Next Question.

I drink out of a mug that says this. I use this mug when I'm baking for events or coordinating volunteer events, which means I ignore this line of thinking.

I like to be busy. I think it's fun. I did the following from 4pm to 8pm:

1. Son's Room Mom: Call all of the parents to ask for more donations for the party I'm responsible for on Wednesday. Some parents are great. One donated 17 pumpkins & $25! Another donated cookies & goodie bags for each child.

2. New Job: Chair for the 40th Anniversary Celebration in Sept 2008 at my church: Sent out the initial emails. I get to plan a carnival. Any advice?

3. Football Coach Gift Coordinator (Eric pulled me into this): Email those who have not donated to figure out who and who is not giving so I can go buy gifts tomorrow for the proper amount.

4. Hospitality Chair for PTO: Sent an email out to 40 volunteers asking for "fall inspired" brunch donations for a breakfast for 135 teachers & staff next week.

5. Chair for a Neighborhood Group in my subdivision for church: We throw parties for all church neighbors and coordinate support when necessary. I emailed the chair of this entire project tonight and asked her to replace me. Aren't you proud of me?

6. Son's Birthday Party: Need to plan his sleepover and did some research.

I feel so productive and helpful.

Kim

I want to be Hugh Hefner's Next Girlfriend!

That's right! NO, I don't have the figure you'd expect (here I am in a bathing suit and yes I'm aware it's pretty much a complete blur. That was done for your protection). NO, I'd never make it in his magazine so I wouldn't be a future girlfriend like the rest of the past playmates. NO, I don't have any interest in the man himself, Hugh Hefner. NO, I don't want a divorce as I'm married to a great guy. HOWEVER, being a 'girlfriend' means you get to plan parties every day and that's my dream! I've always noticed that all these girls do is plan parties, have you? Every Birthday is the biggest bash, every holiday has them deciding on the next over the top thing they want to do (slip and slide that is 40 ft long?), every event is fully catered and set up and cleaned up and served but the girls get to plan whatever part they want! Their annual Easter bash has them decorating as many eggs in any way they would like but the staff buys it all, gets the craft items, sets it up, cleans it up and FINISHED whatever eggs the girls decide they don't want to do! Come on! How do you not want to live like this? And they have a new outfit every single day! Okay, time to eat. Pick up the phone, ring ring, 'Hi, this is Kiersten and I'd like a Ceasar salad please. Oh 3 of my best friends stopped by in their bikinis and Karen wants what? oh, a grilled cheese sandwich and Julie wants sushi and Kim will have a burger no bun. Thanks so much . . . . Sure, we'll eat in the dining room. We'll be there is 15.' And lets not leave out that they also have movie night once a week (that's them at one) and have consistent parties annually--I do thrive in stability. And we also can't leave out the gifts for the parties, by the way. It's your birthday so here honey, have a new car or a pink golf cart (my current favorite wish list item) or these silly other gifts that we spent all day shopping for because that is our LIFE this week. Enjoy! Name anything you could want from a lifestyle (well, other than the older shared boyfriend bit) and a home and tell me that being a 'girlfriend' isn't the way to go?

-Kiersten

Camping is Not For Everyone!

We are a cub scout family and went camping, full of excitement and energy! Well, it rained so horribly from 2-4 a.m. and we got soaked. I tried to tough it out as we were supposed to stay until Sunday. By 11 am on Saturday, I was packing up. Picking up James' sleeping bag and having it pour out water was the end of it for me! We came home around 3 and I have never been so glad to see my house!!!! I don't think I can camp again. I REALLY tried, I swear! I have lots of 'how to survive camping as a mommy' secrets but it still just isn't for me. I attempt to be a good mommy to my two boys but I can no longer pretend to tolerate it. It is horrible. I don't like to sweat and it isn't good for my skin. I don't mind the natural breeze and sleeping under the stars but that usually comes with humidity and mosquitoes and an inability to sleep. So the stars are just perhaps prettier from my spa with wine? I've heard this word 'GLAMping' and I promised the boys when we broke their little hearts and told them that they would be missing their pack meeting and fire and another fun night of camping that I would figure out a way for our family to still camp. I don't know where the word 'glamping' came from but I assume that it could be similar to my new camping plans-
-Invite all my other 'we can't camp' cub scout friends over for 24 hours
-Set up our tent around 3 pm by the pond
-Make the cots and put out sleeping bags
-Put my hair in a headband, wear flipflops with a tshirt and wipe off my mascara which officially means 'roughing it'
-Kick around a soccer ball and play a sack race
-Hop in the pool with wine
-Grill out and eat on uncushioned chairs NOT in the screen enclosure--we are creating an environment here so flies have to touch our food and we can't alway be comfortable
-Toast marshmallows in a fire pit that we can make by the pond for these 'trips'
-Get a mosquito bite or two in the name of 'camping'
-Let the kids run wild outside while we adults get in the heated spa with wine
-Get the kids in bed in the sleeping bags
-Lie on our cots for 15 minutes while they calm down
-Kissy kiss the kids goodnight and go inside to shower and put on pjs
-Turn on the baby monitor that we set up under our cot so we can hear them if they need us--we are good parents
-Wake up in the morning and take a pan to the grill and scramble eggs outside--again, environment
-Shower inside or if we want to get crazy, on the patio deck
-Let the kids swim
At this point, I hoe that they are over this, and we can go inside for the rest of the day. I think I could do that every two months and be a good cubscout parent. I have packed my car with more stuff I would need to leave the country many many times for these camping trips and I have tried to be a good sport. But I just can't do it again. It may be like child birth though. The next time I may not remember all this and think it's a good idea. But as of now, the above is the only way I will ever camp again!
-Kiersten

High School Musical On Ice = Mommy Daughter Heaven

I've never seen less men in my life. But, I haven't been to an Indigo Girls Concert. The men I saw were smiling & carrying HSM merchandise. Which means their smiles were fake because the t-shirt cost $35!

We escorts enjoyed ourselves as much as the girls. Well, I did see someone who appeared to be a nanny asleep. But, all the escorts that paid to get in seemed to adore the show!

One of the girls with us wanted you to know that Gabriella, Troy & Sharpay look nothing like they do in real life. I agreed with her.

My favorite parts:

1. Basketballs falling from the sky

2. The bathing beauties being pulled around the ice on pool floaties during the "Fabulous" song

3. The "We're All In This Together" Dance, of course

4. Our girls beaming with excitement

5. All things Sharpay and Ryan

Disney, as usual, I thank you and I love you. You are magical!! My mommy friend Gwenn is fabulous as well, we had a wonderful day.

-Kim

My tree inspiration!

Two days after making my trees, a new Oriental Trading scrapbook catalog arrives and guess what was on the cover? Yes, this was my inspiration! I had been checking out their catalog online and I guess this stayed in my head! Their trees are what they sell and they are on a base and mine are not, I just used the cheap floral cone. And theirs is made of scrapbooking paper but I used ribbon. Anyway, I laughed when the catalog came and had to share this!

-Kiersten

Christmas Decorations are in the stores!

Wow! Back to School is barely down and things are already beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And I am a wonderful consumer and thought that I'd better get ribbon before the best ones sold out. Right. It's the first of October but that's what justified my purchase. That and 40% off. I am not crazy--if it were full price I wouldn't have done it, I swear. Having just moved into a new home also doesn't help me with these impulse buys--the decorating ideas are ENDLESS and I'm beyond excited about have Christmas in our new home! I saw something that turned a floral cone into a cute little tree so I went with it. Once I was done with the ribbon, I couldn't figure out what to do on the top. I had no clue where I saw these trees and wished I could remember so I could go back and look at their topper. Well, I also plan to do a full blown Candy Cane theme since my new dining room is painted red so I had to work some candy into the trees too and putting them on top was perfect! I love my trees! Now I just have to pray that I don't develop an ant problem over the next 2 1/2 months so this glued on candy lasts!
-Kiersten