Halloween Fun

Just because I know you are dying to see what our day looked like, I'll post some pictures before I head to bed! Hopefully now you'll all be able to get some sleep, too! ;-)Nothing like squeezing in some last-minute carving!

Annakin ready for battle
Annakin with the finally-finished cloak....

and a huge hem to make it worth it

My 3 juvenile delinquents...do any of these children look respectable?

That's all for now. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see pictures of the Harvest Festival and find out the results of the best trunk in the trunk-or-treat contest and the all-important best costume results!!!

I need counselling....

So, since spring my little matey has been planning on being a pirate for Halloween. If you remember, I made him an ADORABLE pirate costume....

He wears it frequently and has added several accessories to finish the look, including a sinister-looking mustache and five o'clock shadow.

WELL.

Yesterday he informed me that he knows too many people who are being pirates this year and he doesn't want to be like everyone else. He reminded me that I had bought 7 yards of brown flannel to make a jedi cloak and I still hadn't gotten around to it. He implied laziness on my part, but I chose to ignore that....

So I stayed up till midnight making him a jedi cloak. But could that be all? Nooooo......I do have unbleached muslin to make a tunic but, alas, Obi Wan wears tan, Annakin wears black. Off to the fabric store (his second favorite, next to Michael's) to buy some black fabric and black fake-leather to make boot covers.

It's insanity, I tell you.

Don't even ask about the decoration for the van for trunk-or-treat......

Pictures coming later. If I haven't spontaneously combusted by then.....

(Oh, did I tell you I have to dress up as Leia? He wanted Padme, but I don't think anyone taking one look at my hips would guess I was Natalie Portman.....)

This came in a daily devotional I receive in my email. It really hit me as something I've been struggling with lately. I begin the day right, do my Bible study, have prayer time, and feel determined to approach each situation of the day with a good attitude then something "unscheduled" happens. Someone is inconsiderate, I feel fat in my jeans, it's cold and dreary AGAIN.....and before I know it, I spend the rest of the day fighting against little negative thoughts in my head, all a result of FEELINGS. It's such a good reminder to me to not react to every situation by how I feel, but rather by what I know is TRUE, according to the Father.

Feelings can be misleading
"Be careful what you think."Proverbs 4:23 NCV

A Christian writer says, "For many years I lived according to my feelings. It was like riding a roller coaster; one day laughing and feeling good, the next crying and feeling sorry for myself. I was being tormented and controlled. I needed emotional maturity, but I needed God's help to attain it. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing your fickle feelings more than what God says in His Word. And it will take a constant act of your will to choose to do things His way rather than your own. But when you do, you'll discover that life is more enjoyable when you're living according to God's plan." Just as you don't let everybody who knocks on your door come in and make themselves at home, don't let every emotion that surfaces dictate the direction of your day or decide your responses. The Bible says, "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life" (Pr 4:23 NCV); "Capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ" (2 Cor 10:5 NCV); if it doesn't line up with God's Word - don't think it. Paul says, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7), because (and this may come as a surprise) you won't always feel God's presence. After the crucifixion two disciples were walking along the Emmaus Road when Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they didn't recognize who He was. They didn't know the leader they'd followed for three years because "Jesus appeared in a different form" (Mark 16:12 NIV). God is a God of faith and He works in ways that faith, not feelings, can discern.

I wish.....

that when you voted by absentee ballot, they sent you one of those little stickers in the envelope.

Oh well. I'll "stick" mine on here.....

Sweet Caroline.......

Aaah, what a wonderful weekend. Not even the dreary, drizzly weather could put a damper on our high spirits as we packed ourselves and every single item of Carolina blue clothing we own into the van and headed down I-95 to our beloved North Carolina!

We headed out early as we wanted to be in Chapel Hill by 2. We needed to hurry! We swung by Wake Forest to pick up the big boy and get a look at his new dorm apartment and we were nearly there! We arrived just in time and Dave got to the front of this crowd:

While he waited, the kids and I walked around campus a bit enjoying the scenery, looking for a bit to eat, and snapping pictures.

The boys went back to wait with Dave and at last the doors were opened! We let them fight the crowds, grab the free posters and goodies, and find seats. We got great seats on the lower level at about the top of the 3-point arc. Spent a couple hundred bucks on some drinks and pizzas and settled in a for a terrific night with our Tarheels.


What, might you ask, is all the fuss about?


Well, nothing less than the PRESEASON #1 NORTH CAROLINA TARHEELS BASKETBALL TEAM!!

Friday night was Late Night with Roy, the kick-off to basketball season--the night we wait for all year long. It's a really fun evening hosted by UNC alum Stuart Scott from ESPN, filled with skits and dances by the players, hilarious videos and topped off with a white-blue scrimmage and our first look at what could possibly be the most exciting Carolina basketball season since 2005! (Nat'l Championship that year, for those of you non-sports types)

The boys are lookin' good!!!

By the time it was over, everyone was pretty exhausted. We headed to our hotel and had a fun night, reminiscent of the old days, with a couple kids on the floor and lots of admonishments from mom to "hush!" and "Stop jumping on the bed!"

Saturday was just as fun. Dave and Nick had tickets to the UNC-Boston College football game. We dropped them off in Chapel Hill and Jarrett, Alyson, Joshua, and I headed down to see our old home in Cary. Oh, it's just so beautiful there......

We stopped off at Mr. Toad's for the best chai tea latte this side of the Mississippi.

Then we went shopping at Southpoint Mall--the same stores as they have up here, but for some reason, they just look better in North Carolina.....(and I won't mention here that my oldest son spilled his entire drink on me at the food court.....)

After we picked up the boys from the game (UNC won in a rout) we visited J's girlfriend, Chelsea, at her work, dropped him back off at school, and headed home. Thankfully there was a Bojangles on the way so we sipped our sweet teas and savored our biscuits all the way....

A couple hundred bucks, a gain of about 5 pounds, and all totally worth it.

pumpkin hunting and cross country running

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Sharp's Farm in rural Maryland. Joshua brought his best friend, Meara, with him and they had a blast learning about bees, going on a hayride, getting lost in the corn maze and hunting for the perfect pumpkin. It was a beautiful, but very cold and windy day.

And today was the county x-country championships! Alyson ran her best time of the season--knocking 9 minutes off the time she ran at the beginning of the season. She beat several of the girls on the last uphill, which was a little bennie to hosting the meet at their school. She ran JV this year, so she won't be going on to regionals or state, but all in all it was a great year for her in her new sport. She and her Dad have plans to run in a Turkey Trot next month.

Summer is officially over. When I saw the boys get out hats to wear on the trampoline, I knew I couldn't deny it any longer.

Anyone want to come rake with me?

What to discuss in my first-ever blog post? Here are a couple of things that come to mind:
-those adorable backgrounds for blogs! Some people are just so darn creative! I wish I had more of that in me.
-Dave and I went and saw Fireproof on our "date" last weekend. It stars Kirk Cameron as the husband in a troubled marriage. It was so refreshing to go to a movie and not cringe once at the language, violence, or skin being shown. It was a lovely movie with a definite salvation message and I hope many people go see it. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. I've already downloaded the soundtrack, which you may hear on here when I figure out how to do that.....