Gaining points

Leon was bound and determined to play outside after school yesterday.  His dad had already left for work, so I said, Okey dokey.  I set up my laptop shop on a lawn chair and pulled out the Barbie Batman Lost World: Jurassic Park jeep out and let him tool around in it.  

He got stuck around the electrical box so I told him to drive to the neighbor's driveway, turn around and come back.  I went back to my chair.  A couple minutes later, I looked up and he wasn't back yet...

I left my laptop and a co-worker on the chair and went to track him down.  Apparently he thought I meant the stop sign, WAY down the long block...  I walked half way and then saw that he was having trouble figuring out how to do a three point turn.  He got out and lifted the car around to face me.

I wish I could do that with my car instead of doing a 44 point turn sometimes.

Then he got stuck on the grass and yelled to me that the battery had died.  I believed him and started walking closer, still a ways away.  He had misdiagnosed it and started slowly up the street.  

Then since Ryan found out he had to close at work that night and then open the next morning, we took Leon in to say good bye to him at the pub.  I got my deep fried mushrooms and Robb got some tea.  Leon got candy, which he didn't like.  He is the pickiest kid.

The boy goes to his mom's when he gets off the bus today and then we'll hit the football game for some marching band action!  Woohoo the season has officially begun!

I guess it did last week, but it wasn't a home game.

Back to complete my 64 point turn back to work...  Have a great weekend!

Sitting Bull and other random things

Wow... Only half way through the month of October and I think I've added 500 photos to my computer.  A lot to photograph and videotape this month!

On Friday night, Robb, Meri and I took the leaves out of our dining room table and slid things around.  We also carried the couch in.  We were getting an impromptu movie room set up for Meri to have a couple friends over all day on Saturday and have a Star Wars Marathon movie watching.  She told us to be scarce on Saturday.  No problem...  

Also on Friday night, Robb and I attended the LAST home football game. WHEW!  Luckily it wasn't too cold yet to spend an evening outside...  

STILL haven't taken the available warm days to trim the front Lilac bush, but I only JUST got the paint for the board that's hiding behind them.. so...  Maybe today over lunch, but I doubt it.

I'm sure she's one of the blurry kids on the far side of the field waiting to march onto it.

Meri performed at half time, then we were otta there!  

Oh and the team won! yay!  They were ahead at half time and I had faith in them.

Early Saturday, Robb and I moved our big screen tv to the movie dining room and then made like a tree and leaf'ed.  It was a blur of trying to get out of the house before Meri's marathon and trying to find where my ASG sewing meeting was.  Luckily I'd left the house early and left enough "get lost" time in the 45 minute drive to find the joint.  Called a friend who was meeting me there and asked for directions since I'd left mine at home and I knew she'd attended the night before.  It's the building closest to the only roundabout on campus.  

There was a ROUNDABOUT?  I hadn't been past a single one...  BUT she gave me the name of the building and I do know how to read.  WHEW!  There it is!  And sure enough, a roundabout.  I almost went around it just for fun!

The meeting was with a sewist from my home town!  She was funny and vibrant but by the afternoon, I'd started counting how many times she said the word "literally".  Eh,  some people say some words a lot!  I know I have a few catch words...  

You can point them out later but not today.  I'll cry.

Actually, I think the word "actually" is one of mine.  I noticed it when Maddy started saying it when she was 2 and a half.  "Actually, I think I'll have juice."  Well, that's better than a certain sister of mine that accidentally taught her 2 year old swear words from under her breath in bad traffic.

Isn't this coat awesome??!  It also weighed about 10 pounds...  But I would so wear it!

Anyway, back to the meeting.  I learned how to make any pattern into my size without all the tracing out of each size at a time or worrying about ordering the right size.  Also, how everything hinges off the apex, or nipple for those of you that don't know that term.  I had to have it spelled out for me too.

What the heck is an apex?  oooooohhhhhh...  I guess if you call it that, you won't make the high school girls that came there with their home-ec teacher giggle.  If you can measure everything from the apex correctly on a pattern, all else will fit great too.  We did our own measurements and adjusted pattern pieces to fit ourselves.  It worked out super!  

This new skill will work out great in sizing for dresses that I'll be making this year.

I got home by 6 exhausted.  Who knew sitting could be so exhausting?  One of my legs started doing some spasms by 4pm.  I think a few new varicose veins may have broke out...  JUST from sitting... 

I vegged the rest of the night with the latest Tana French book.  The library bought it because I asked them to.  :)  I like that place!  I also love Tana's books.

After church, we took the only child out to a quick lunch at Wendy's.  Then a quick stop at JoAnn's for me, which proved a failed stop as I couldn't find something that I'd found a week and I should have bought then.  Since yesterday, I ordered it online.  We also stopped at US Cellular and replaced the phone that Meri had dropped.  It's pretty snazzy!!!  Has all the bells and whistles and can even turn off the oven if you're not home.  Actually, that might be an app you can purchase..  ;) 

AND it has a cover on it that will prevent droppage issues again! 

Then home again, to try and get the furniture back where it all belongs so the dogs won't molt on the couch again.  After some relax/reading time, we went to go see my bestie.  About 5 minutes there and I remembered that I was supposed to be at a prom planning committee at 4:45!  Oops!  Robb ran me over and waited and waited in the parking lot for me.  It took over an hour...  And yay!  More sitting!  This prom is going to be so fun for these kids!  

I hope they appreciate how much work and sitting that goes into it.

Leon was sick so we won't get him back until tonight.  He's ditching school today.  And it's REALLY quiet around the house...

OH!  The lace was just shipped, after talking directly to JoAnn's on the phone Friday! YAY!  The trick was to order it in 8 yard increments as that was the max yardage on a bolt of that particular lace.  WHO knew??!  It definitely wasn't on their website...  I hope it's enough for all eight panels!  But we'll make a design feature if we must...

Improvisation is the mother of creativity.

How was your weekend?

Marching through the weekends

The weekend...  Friday night was the home football game.  

The bleachers were jam packed AGAIN.  Robb and I had to park about 8.5 miles away from the field...  But we managed to find a couple seats together right next to the student section.

yay.

High school kids are loud!  A neighbor sat next to us and we got caught up on all the kid news between the kids screaming.  I only got hit with candy once and someone else grabbed it when it bounced off me.  We left after the half time show as good band parents do.

Saturday morning, Robb headed in one direction wearing his kilt and I headed in the opposite direction to find the marching band competition parade that Meri was performing in.  It was a solid 1.5 hour drive...  

Look a ski lift!  

a little too green for my liking... and too steep.  What am I saying?  A bunny hill is too steep for me...

I made it in time with a half hour to spare, so I dragged a picnic table over next to the road like we always do and sat and waited.

  

Got bored so I took a picture of the table and sent a text to Maddy saying I was saving her a spot.

She, Matthew and Leon came with us last year.

A mother of one of Meri's friends walked past and recognized me.  She said, "Hey!  The rest of the parents are on the corner, come with me!"   

Okey dokey.  She's either very social, or I'm a sheep.

FINE...  I'll be SOCIAL...

But it was more fun than sitting alone and someone else got to benefit from my picnic table...

Besides getting some visiting in with a few moms, I got to see the band march down a much too narrow street for their group.  MOVE EM BACK!!!

 Got a few close ups after pushing some mothers out of the way.

After getting Meri back to her bus, I headed home again.

Dug out my phone about 20 minutes away and saw that I'd missed 5 calls from Meri.  She'd changed her mind five minutes after I left her at the bus and she wanted to ride back with me after all...

  Oops!  Too late now!!  

So when I got back, I hit up the thrift stores and found a bunch of costume masks for Leon.

Spent the rest of the day sewing the ugliest dress in the world.  I'll get a pic and show you tomorrow.

Madnificent Weekend!

 As usual, my camera is not where I need it to be.  So I pulled a bunch of Maddy's off FB and here they are of the weekend.

Friday: Maddy, Leon and I attended Meri's last band performance of the fall at the football game.  We lost big time, but the band won!  And Leon was completely unmanagable.  I feel for the poor high schoolers that have to pick up all our popcorn...

On Saturday morning, Meri had to work and Robb had an all day meeting, so Maddy, Leon and I headed off to a pumpkin patch for lots of fun.

Hay rack ride

Pumpkin launch

feeding lots of farm animals

 Spooky costumes

and pumpkins.  We only picked one because we had plans for Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, Maddy, Leon and I attended the wedding of the bride that I did the alterations on her dress.  She looked great and the rose was perfect.  

And Leon had too much sugar.  Thanks Maddy....

Then on Sunday, the girls and I hit up the local thrift store after church so Maddy could find a Dwight (from The Office) costume for either herself or Matthew.  Not sure who's going to get to wear it.  Maddy might have a fight on her hands!  Then we visited a friend's pumpkin farm and loaded up tons of pumpkins and stuff.

Our porch looks awesome now with tons of pumpkins, acorn squash and jicama squash!  YUM!  I think I know what we're doing for supper tonight!

THIS was Maddy's fashion choice for the rest of the day.  Dad's socks with sandals.  She is SO her father's daughter...  (those are his feet)

So a weekend of sore feet, but it was totally worth it!

She headed back to college this morning.  sigh...  We'll see her in a couple weeks for a concert, but I still miss her.

Being Brave

This was a false sign of hope for the weather last Friday night.  It greeted Robb and I as we walked down the steps to get to the bleachers...  Leon would have come along, but it's just as well that he was just getting over a doozy of a cold.  We left him at home with his hacking father and braved the cool fall-ish night.

(To those computer nerds out there, hacking means coughing too)

Because there was a soft rain that fell off and on throughout the 1st half of the football game.

Poor Robb.  He had neither a jacket with a hood on NOR a bleacher seat to keep his butt dry.   

I had both, so I was good.

But we were there for the band!  They played just before the game and then did a longer performance at half time.  Then we were OUTTA there!!  Our team was winning so we felt confident they'd win in the end and they did.

Meri thinks they did terrible, but they really didn't!  I recorded every one of them. She can judge for herself later, when she's more calm about it.

On Monday night, Meri and I attended the homecoming skits and coronation.  After 1.5 hours of skits, *yikes*, Meri mentioned she had a bunch of homework still to do for the next day, so we skedaddled.  The king and queen were announced within ten minutes of our leaving.  Figures...

Meri was in one of the skits to advertise the fall play.  FUN!  

But I only videotaped it and didn't take pictures. Darn.

They had Shaving cream twister.

It got a bit messy...

I noticed that Meri didn't volunteer for this!

And some dancing towards the end that involved all students...

Except Meri and her friend...  

This is some of the more brave student body...

and this is the lesser brave...

I'm just being brave that I got out of bed this morning.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Story of my life...

Yet again Friday has reached up and bit me.  

I can't believe we're here so soon.  Was it only last spring, I couldn't wait for the weekend???  Well, I still, privately, can't wait, but I had so much to do this week and didn't get it all done.  With work or sewing.  

or cleaning, or relaxing, or reading, or anything...

I'm attending a mission rally tomorrow instead of a sewing group meeting, but you know, you have to prioritize!  

Looking forward to a football game tonight where Meri is marching with the band. YAY! 

 Leon didn't really want to go to a football game, but Robb said there would be snacks.  :)  I'm so there!  

Walking taco please!?

Gotta run.  Story of my life...

Snot nosed kids

We did some self portrait photos at Friday night's football game.  Only when I downloaded them did I realize that his nose was running like mad in all the pictures....  He's been battling a cold all weekend and that was the beginning of it.

We kept wiping his nose as the evening went by and when I did this candid photo as a kind of selfie, I didn't realize Robb's hand and kleenex were working on Leon until I looked to see what kind of photo I got.  

I look like one of those freaky pictures you see all the time on the internet!  

This one is better with me cropped out.

Whose hand is THIS?!

Ahh...  Clean nose, warm toes.  Isn't that how the saying goes?

We're the permissive adult guardians that let our littles run down the steps and attempt to climb the fence!  He got in a lot of people's way until we corralled him.  But he had so much fun watching Meri's band.

Here is a little video of him cheering the team on.  He doesn't get that I'm not taking pictures of him, just videotaping....  So when HE thinks I should be done taking the picture he reaches over to see the photo for proof that it's good. 

He's so vain...

One of the band songs featured a young girl baton twirler.  I can't remember what title she holds...  but she juggled 3 flaming batons during the song, Come On Eileen.  I guess she needed them to keep her warm.  I was duly impressed and videotaped the entire performance so I don't have a photo of it.  If you're friends with me on FB, I'll post the video of it later today.

Oh and on a side note, our school won that night!!  I think it's our first win of the year...I'm such a band parent...  oh yeah, some kids played football before and after the band's big show...

What's going on in your corner of the world?

Facebook recognition

I say Awesomel!  You say Small Town!

AWESOME!

SMALL TOWN!

You've got to lean into it when you shout...

 

Friday night, Robb and I attended the football game so we could watch Meri march with the band.  We're band parents...  Leon was at his mommy's for the night.

I called Maddy just before the band played the school songs,  to see where she was.  She acted a little agitated that I'd called and said that she's in Iowa and doesn't know what mile marker.  She'll see us when she sees us.  

Okey dokey...  I figured she'd gotten a later start than she wanted to.

Two minutes later I saw her walking past the bleachers looking for us.  

She had wanted to surprise us!

And she did!  And JUST in time to watch the pre-show! 

If you've never sat near the high school kids section during a football game, I don't recommend it.  Robb and I had learned our lesson a LONG time ago, so we typically sit at the 50 yard line.  

Sitting with Maddy was like sitting with them...  But more fun!

She sang the school song LOUDLY, spelled out every single letter with the shouting, sang along and did actions along with the cheerleaders and insisted I stand up and shout with her, chilling off my butt effectively. 

It was a cold night...  and nobody ELSE'S parents were standing up for this cheer...

Robb had to leave to pick up Ryan but was going to be back in time for the half time show.  They watched it from the entry way, so as soon as Meri's band got done playing their songs, which were great btw! the second half of the game was about to start and Maddy and I got up to gather our things.  I had been recording the last song and set my camera on the bleacher beside us.  I grabbed my purse, bleacher seat and struggled with the blankets with Maddy and we headed out.  

She was stopped every few feet to hug an old classmate or teacher or parent of an old friend...  I've never been hugged at a football game...  Well, not by people who weren't related to me!

We picked up Meri at the school "money" door, dubbed that by Maddy's many years of being dropped off and picked up and having food and/or money delivered to that door while she was in band, play, whatever...  and then headed home.  

When we got there, I couldn't find my camera.  It wasn't in my purse, Maddy's purse, nor the car.  

ARGGHHH!!!!!!  I will NOT lose another camera!  Plus I needed it for Saturday's activities which I'll get into tomorrow.

So I figured I left it on the bleacher...  DANG!  I high tailed it back to the football field immediately, getting there just as tens of people were leaving the bleachers.  

We're a small school, compared to some.

I went to where we were sitting and saw nothing.  I went to the concession stand and saw a few people I knew.  Ok I knew all of them...  "Did anyone turn in a camera??..."  

"Yep!  Here it is!  I went through the pictures and saw a lot of your grandson that I'd seen on Facebook!  I was going to call you tomorrow." This from the cousin of one of Robb's best friends from high school, who also happened to be the mother of Maddy's prom date from Senior year.

It pays to live in small town Iowa!!  

And to plaster pictures all over Facebook...

Crazy Traineroo

This weekend... 

Friday night, we attended Meri's first marching band performance, also known as the home football game.  I was mistaken in that NEXT week is homecoming!  

So you'll get to see Meri all dolled up for her date then.  

She's meeting him at the dance that night because he's a football player and is only 14. 

Leon had a blast at the game but we still left at half time. 

 

I love Crazy Train!  So does he.  And apparently so does the whole band...

Enjoy!

Saturday morning, I was getting a garbage run ready early Saturday and Ryan asked if we could do a room switcheroo again today.  He wanted to have some friends over that night and since we'd been talking about switching Leon and his rooms around anyway... This way, Ryan can have a couch WITH the bed in his room.  I'd planned on working on that project within the next few weeks and I guess this was technically "within" that time span...

So we did.  I spent almost the entire day packing up things that didn't belong in Leon's room anymore and moving everything out.  Got his new room mostly setup but it still needs the road rug from the living room and about 3 gazillion toys from the living room that I think can fit in his new room now.  That's not going to happen until later this week.

Leon celebrated that night with Meri and him having a movie sleepover with popcorn to christen his new "crib".  Well, after he got over the shock of what we had done I mean.  

He was pretty mad at first and insisted we put things back... 

In the words of grumpy cat, NO.

I did a lot more this weekend, but hey!  That's what the rest of the week is for!

Check out what Robb made me for breakfast this morning!!!  Ever hear of spaghetti tacos?  Made famous from the tv show iCarly?  Yep, Robb made me a spaghetti omelette... 

And I ate every last crumb.

What did you do this weekend?