this could've won a costume contest

He's a bag of Jelly Bellys.

Clever, no?

ugh

I don't care how artistic a mess is....

it is still a mess.

Hey, Misery loves company, right? Y'all come on over. I'll put the coffee on.

last minute thoughts

*Google: cheap, homemade Halloween costumes*

Hmm.... no good ideas. *scroll scroll*

It is so stupid that I wait til the last minute to plan costumes for the kids. *scroll scroll*

Wonder how late Procrastinators-R-Us is open? *scroll scroll*

Maybe the kids will want to stay at home this year. *scroll scroll*

What do I have on hand that would make a good costume?

*roll eyes* Now I feel like Adam Sandler, "Here this kitchen spatula can be part of your costume. 'HEY EVERYBODY, LOOKATMEEE, I'M CRAZY-KITCHEN-SPATULA-ARM MAN!' Nah. I don't think they will go for that."

Eureka!

(stay tuned)

what. uh-huh. yes. sawreh.

Things are busy, but we are finding moments of mirth between the fall leaves being tracked in and the gazillion socks and underwear waiting to be folded.

One thing the older three and I have been giggling at lately is Gilly from Saturday Night Live. Now, you must understand that SNL comes on way past our bedtimes. Gone are the days we would stay awake until just after the first music set, when the skits went downhill and it was no longer worth fighting heavy eyelids.
But I stumbled upon a reference to this Gilly recently and I gotta tell ya: She is more fun than the Annoying Orange.

Gillyyyyyyyy?!?!

calculuv

Solve for x.

1. love = xoxo

a. Which are hugs?

b. Which are kisses?

apple almond quinoa

This salad that I bought at Earth Fare (and ate in one day) would be perfect for Thanksgiving; and while I do not have the proportions, the ingredients are:

• quinoa
• granny smith apples
• almonds (sliced)
• raisins
• bell pepper
• green onion
• canola oil (though I would use olive)
• honey
• curry powder
• cinnamon
• lemon juice (looks like there may be lemon zest in there?)
• orange juice
• white wine vinegar
• salt
• pepper

when the early bird gets the bird

I never drive in this town in the mornings. Thank God, I don't have to. King takes the kids to school each day. I pick up, which is a no-brainer, but getting out in traffic where folks "gotta get to work on time" is not my idea of a good time.

However, this morning I had to get out in it to take him to meet someone he was going to be working with. It was on the other side of town. As in: right-in-the-middle-of-the-gotta-get-to-work-on-time-folks

Thinking that after I dropped him off, I'd reward myself with Starbucks (using my gift card.....thank you to Mary who gave it to me for my "buttday"). The entry into Starbucks was actually backed up so far that one car was even sticking out into the road that is the main artery of traffic. *razzle frazzit* "Fine," I zoomed off, headed for one of the other billion locations which are easier to get to (alas, another part of town). But the whole way there I was driving like a bird stuck in hurricane force winds.

After a comedy of errors (forgetting that I had company coming over to play with #5 at 8 a.m.) I finally got my Starbucks, but it proves that I don't need to be out before I am fully awake.

Or fully caffeinated.

(Or fully venti cappuccino breve'ed)

PS- Can you join me in praying that the woman who mouthed something which rhymes with "Duck Poo" when I accidentally cut her off in traffic will forgive me?

what a load of biofuel

The year was 1990. King was an engineer in the paper industry. I remember well that the Environmentalist Wackos (hat tip to Rush Limbaugh) who wanted to save trees came up with the idea of these wonderful plastic bags for groceries.

The paper industry families we were close to were all very disturbed by the fact that the EW's didn't comprehend that paper is a RENEWABLE RESOURCE. The paper companies own lots of land on which they plant trees (employing many people) and after a 15 year cycle, the trees are then harvested and new ones are planted in their place.

Planting trees as a crop!?!?!

Who wudda thunk it?

Brilliant, huh?

When plastic bags hit the grocery stores, the bagboy asked "Paper or Plastic?", then the day came when plastic was king and paper was no longer an option.

Twenty years later we now have the "Less Plastic Fantastic" campaign. Like sheep following the bleeting of idiots, our Nation's collective "alternative fueled vehicle" has made a 180 degree change in direction.

a whole new meaning to the term dirty laundry

You know those "odd socks" that happen in laundry? The ones you previously thought fell victim to some sock-eating monster who ate the other half of the pair? Well, worry no longer that your laundry room is filled with creepy villains.

Actually, what has happened is that your dirty laundry is breeding. Your socks are actually doing the nasty while they are waiting in line to be washed. The odd socks you find are not remnants of a previous pair, but rather the result of "mating socks".

file under: hmm, that's a better name for it anyway

Hey Mom, can we go out and play on the jump-o-leen?

photo credit

taking political correctness too far

Pupa?

Chrysalis?

What the heck is going on in the moth and butterfly world!?!?!?!?

When I was a kid, they all came from cocoons!

baby got book

You gotta see this.

oopth

*splat*

"Uh, oh! Crayon explosion!"

No. 4 .

in which our heads snapped back and our brains sloshed a bit

Today I was nearly hit by Minnie's blind idiot aunt, Crazy Driver.

whispers in church

"Mom, is this in Spanish?"

the sound of busy

Things are settling into a nice, dull roar. Ahhh. Can you hear it?

There is laundry all over my living room and papers scattered throughout the dining room, butler's pantry, kitchen area.... field trip permission forms, kindergarten school work (Good Job!) coupons and lists. School shoes. Dance shoes. Tennis shoes. Horseback riding boots. And a couple of half consumed water bottles.

Would I be embarassed if a friend popped by unexpectedly?

Yes.

But would any of my friends stop being my friend because I am "keepin' it real"?

Nah.

on the use of commas

I remember my senior year of high school every single essay I wrote had "comma splice" written several times within the margins, so I have to giggle each time I write a blog entry.

Because, I, am, certain, that, I, either, overuse, them, or, do, not, use, them, in, the, r,i,g,h,t, places.

Hopefully my point comes across nonetheless.

Or, if nothing else, some punctuation expert's eye muscles get a workout from all the rolling they do when they see my mistakes.

miles to go before we sleep

This month, our book club read "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin.

Although, his writing was hard for me to read.... his writing is quite wordy and I had a hard time not feeling defensive as I felt the anger behind his words.... we had a fabulous discussion as a result!

I like to think we as a nation, since the time that James Baldwin wrote this essay, have made great strides to steer away from discrimination of all kinds, and, with specific regard to this book, racial discrimination. However, in listening to the discussion which ensued, hearing about the experiences that two of the women in our group have had to go through - even just this week (?!?!) - I come to the conclusion that we still have so far to go.

There is no way possible for me to walk in the footsteps of black Americans. Period.

But I hope that there is some progress with my generation and the generation I am helping to create that we will continue the dialogue. To be honest and listen to each other, maintain respect for each other, and walk beside each other until we have arrived to exactly where we need to be.