Best!

BEST HALLOWEEN PARTY EVER!!

More pics and details to come later!  Bry had a magical time for his 8th birthday!!!

yay yay yay

So it's my favorite day of the week again...FRIDAY!!! I'm happy for the weekend to get here.

So let's see..I'm ready to show you one of our house projects. We finally finished and I have the before and after.

So...here is the inspiration picture from Pinterest that I used for the idea :

So here we go. This isn't the true before picture but it's close enough. We started with just the wire rack across the back wall. So we took that down and started with cabinets. We decided to put two cabinets with a hanging rod in between.

Ta-Da!!! Yay...the finished project! It took us two weekends and some work, but it's done and I love it!!!
I think it turned out great!! I can reach all my supplies in the cabinets and I have a cute little shelf to display a few decor items. I know that people aren't going to hang out in my laundry room, but I love it! Much more storage space and easy to access.

So we applied for Bry to get into the advanced academic class at school. He got accepted!! He was so excited!! We HAD to celebrate!! So I picked up a few balloons, an adorable eyeball cupcake and Daddy picked him up a few happy items too!

You gotta love my spontaneous photo poser!!!

Dev started in his new classroom this week also. Wow, what a difference!! The teacher is much more organized and I love it! The teacher even called me to introduce himself and review with me how he runs his classroom!! We are wanting Dev to apply to the advanced program also. He just needs to write an essay and then we can turn in the application. There is a waiting list for the 4th grade though. I'm also honestly a little apprehensive since we just moved him to another class already. He seems to be adjusting well though. I asked him if he would mind moving classes again if he got in the program and he told me no. So, we'll see if he can get his essay written this weekend. I know he has the grades to get accepted, I just hope he has the true desire to want to be in the class and do the work. Bry is already coming home with a lot more work. Bry loves it though. It was funny too because he told me that hardly anyone has to move their name down to a lower level for behavior in the new class....go figure!! haha....yep....we know Bry.....not like his other class that had several kids on the worst behavior score every day! 

Also the boys both got their report cards for the first quarter.....ALL A'S FOR BOTH BOYS!!! Yay, we are so proud of both of them. I am especially proud of Dev with consideration of his past teacher. Luckily I was keeping up with his true grades or he prob would of had C's or lower on the report card and those were not his true grades!! I am so glad I kept up with all the papers and tests that came home so I could compare the grades. I think I mentioned we met with the Principal about the teacher. We weren't the only parents that had been in. I also found out that the teacher was let go the day after our meeting. I feel bad for her to lose her job but she wasn't doing her job as a teacher and I know other kids were suffering as well.

Dev was like wow, she left right after I changed classes. I think he was meaning he could of stayed in there, but I don't think he really realized the reason we moved him was because of her and we also didn't know she would be leaving. He seems to really like his new teacher though and I'm glad. 

Soccer weekend ahead again. Dev's team is doing really well and so is Dev. Bry's team isn't quite so good. He has several kids on the team that don't seem like they even want to play at all. Bry got really frustrated at last weeks game because he was almost the only player on his team actually trying to play and he got exhausted. I don't blame him. I hope this week will be a little better but unfortunately it might end up about the same due to the other kids. Next season we will probably check on a higher level competitive team for him to try and see how it goes. 

Not too much else on the weekend plans. I still have lots of house stuff to continue to organize but I feel like taking a break from it. I also want to relax on Sunday so I can watch Peyton's return to Indy!! It will def be the big game to watch!

Toodles.

My oh MY!!

Here is my throwback Thursday pic!! Wow....Where has the time gone?? They were so tiny!! I love the look on their faces!! Sniff...sniff....

We met with the principal yesterday. In a nutshell, we weren't the first parents to meet with the Principal about this particular teacher!! Go figure!! Anyway, all is good and Dev will move to a new class on Monday. He knows who the teacher is, seems to like him and also knows several other kids in the class so I'm hoping it will make for a smooth transition. On another note we are applying to the gifted program at the school for both boys. The principal told us there are openings for the 2nd grade and a waiting list of 2 for 4th grade. So we turned in Bry's application today and we will turn in Dev's on Monday. I'm excited about it and I hope they are accepted. I want them to be challenged. They are both very smart so I want them to be able to be challenged and keep excelling in school!

Thought I'd share a few fun pics from Dev's birthday.  Can you tell we are totally silly!! LOL...

Dev showing off some of his birthday Legos that he built. He loves building them!

So I will need to retake this picture. This was supposed to show my great GIANT pumpkin Mom got for me. This picture does not show the size of this thing!! I will have to retake to show you the scale of it. When Dev first saw it he called it as his own for trick or treating...ha ha...because it was so big!!

My other FAVE!! new Halloween decor item!! Saw this wonderful thing at Target but didn't get it. Well of course after talking about it constantly Mom went and got it for me..hee hee...I love this thing!! It's fabulous!! Right now I have my napkins in it, but truly you could put anything you want in it!

Well according to the news we are leaving the rainy season! I sure hope so. I am tired of all the rain, I want to be able to get back outside and enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine!!

So has anyone watched Scandal? It seems to be the great new show...I did decide to record it but haven't watched it yet. Then I saw a commercial that this is the 3rd season. I thought it was the 2nd. So now maybe I should go online and watch the 1st season first?? Hmm.. I don't know. But then there's  the little problem of time! I just don't have the time like I used to. I am lucky to catch up on my few other shows that I'm recording right now. But...maybe one day I can have a TV marathon and just veg and watch TV all day long...ha ha yeah right!! Doubt it, but hey I can wish right?!

Well that's all I have for now. Toodles...Happy almost weekend!!

Not as planned

    I should know by now that a weekend usually doesn't go as planned.  Saturday started off with soccer games for the boys. They both did awesome!! I was very proud of them for being the first game of the season. This Momma has to brag.... Bry scored 4 goals and Dev scored 2!!  The weather was great too!!

I love the face on Bry while he is kicking! True determination!! Love it!!

You can click on the picture if you want to see it bigger, by the way.

I decided almost on a last minute whim that I wanted to get some cabinets for the laundry room and put up some shelves....well that turned into a weekend long project!! But the good thing is that the cabinets are up..look great and we even got the shelves up too. The shelves need to be painted. Although Mom came over yesterday while I was at work and started painting them.yay Mom.  So once I get it all finished I will post before and after pics. I'm thrilled...it's going to be great and give of much more storage space!! So needless to say we didn't have our day trip to IKEA but that's ok, I'm much happier that we got one project almost done. 

Oh yeah, incase you are interested here is the recipe for the Zucchini pancakes! yum!

I made some crazy silly face waffles for the boys this weekend. They loved it! It's been awhile since I've made them some crazy treats so it was time!!

I also felt the urge to make some Halloween inspired treats. I took some to work and left plenty at home for the boys. I'm keep my will power though and I'm not eating any of them!!  I'm saving up for the Halloween candy!! :-)

So on a not so happy note, we are meeting with the principal today about Dev's teacher. It's kinda a long story but it's been constant issues since the start of school. Our main two complaints.....she keeps entering his grades incorrectly into the computer grade system(4 times to be exact) that I caught thank goodness. She is also very ...uh...how to describe her....spacey! When we had a teacher conference with her at our request she was all over the place in her discussion. There were times I was confused and she talked about many different things that didn't really apply to Dev at all. Anyway...we  are kinda at the end of our tolerance. So my hope is to bring the issues to the attention of the principal and also to have him changed to another class. I hate to make a big deal and even move him to another class but I feel he isn't getting the education he deserves and we have talked to the teacher and made her aware of the issues. So I'm hoping all goes well.....eeek.....say a prayer for us!!

Bry is doing great. He is getting basically 100's on every assignment. I would like to check into a gifted or advanced class for him. I think he is a little bored with the ease of the school work. So that will be our next focus after we get Dev situated.

Just a random shared thought:  a new note to myself is to never ride my bike again without my sunglasses or some type of glasses!! It was almost dusk last night when I headed out for a bike ride. I purposely didn't wear my sunglasses because it was already the beginning of getting dark. Well....about a mile into my ride it was BUG CITY!! Yuk!! Tons of little knat type bugs were constantly flying into my face...disgusting!! I had to try to ride with my head very tilted down to try to use my helmet as a shield!! I felt like Jim Carey on the motorcyle with all the bugs in his face from that movie...oh darn..I forget the name of it. Anyway...so I turned around and peddled as fast as I could to get away from the bugs, it seemed worse the further I went so coming home was a little better.  So now I need some clear glasses to wear...that was gross!! Just random...ha ha..

Well you know what day it is.....HHHUUUMMMPPP   DAY!! 

Oh...another thing I have to share! The other night out of the blue Bry told us he was going to write a story. He took 2 nights to finish it and wrote a 5 page story!! A keeper for sure!! It is so cute to see how he spelled things phonetically since he didn't know how to spell them. He also told me he didn't put any periods because he wasn't sure where to put them. Here is a sample of the first page....smile...

I told him I will have to get him a notebook that he can start writing stories in. So cute...

Toodles.

End of the week

Yay! It's Friday! I'm so happy. It seems like it's a been a long week for some reason!
I am happy that I found this great guy this week! I went to Lowe's for a few things and I wandered through what was left of the Halloween decor. Yes, they are already putting up Christmas and getting rid of Halloween. I found this great guy on sale! His eyes light up, but I'm not sure how yet. The batteries were dead and I haven't gotten to the store for more. It's the watch type batteries that he needs. I hope he doesn't have red eyes though...kinda creepy!

I pulled out the Halloween glasses for the boys and made them some skull juice. I have a skull head ice cube tray and put some water and flavored Mio to make some colored skull heads. I didn't have any food coloring so I used the Mio, it worked just as well. The boys liked it very much!

I did pick up some other fun treat stuff to keep the Halloween theme going but I won't pull out my next treat until this weekend. You'll have to check back to see what it is!!

Well it's the first soccer games of the season tomorrow. I hope they don't get rained out. Dev's team has had one practice and Bry's team didn't get to practice this week due to the rain. The games should be interesting to say the least! The boys are excited though and can't wait. Unfortunately their games are at the same exact time. They do play at the same location though so I should be able switch between games during half time.

I'm hoping to get a new camera for Christmas or even my birthday!! I used to love the idea of carrying a small pocket size camera. But now that the boys are into sports and other things I really want a fancy smancy camera that will take some awesome pictures! My camera doesn't do well at all for fast motion or sports pics so I really want to get one so I can get all the action shots! 

  

  Happy for me that I got up again this morning and worked out. That makes 4 days up at 430am this week! Whew.....I must say it is paying off though so I want to keep it up. So, tonight is my cheat night for food. I'll be trying to decide all day what I want!! I'm thinking maybe Mexican or Japanese...or BOTH!! LOL...just kidding. If I go Mexican I need to have margaritas with it so I'm leaning that way, I miss my margaritas!! yum!! I think the boys would prefer Japanese. Bry is my sushi eater too! Of course only the cooked stuff, he loves the California roll!! I have to say the boys are great eaters. We have made some new dishes this week in our quest to be healthier. Earlier in the week we had shrimp scampi over spaghetti squash. The boys chowed it down and only at the end did I tell them what it was. After their first helping I just asked them if they wanted more noodles...LOL.... They didn't know much of a difference, they liked it! Then Mike made some Zucchini pancakes..wow!! Those were really yummy. They are not pancakes you eat with syrup, more like a fritter. The ingredients are things like egg, Parmesan cheese, zucchini and maybe one other item. The boys loved those too!! Last night we ordered a pizza for the boys because it was a school fundraiser for their school. Dev wanted his with onion, bell pepper and mushroom. I love that they will eat more than just pepperoni. Bry went with pepp and sausage last night. He usually likes black olives on his also. He has been a little under the weather this week though. He has a cough and runny nose. I think he is headed to the upside of it though, at least I hope so. He has been a little cranky, but he's been eating pretty good still so I know it's not too bad...he really likes to eat!!

Sunday Mom and I are taking a road trip. We are going to an IKEA store near Miami. I have never been but I've heard alot of people talk about it. I have never lived near one so finally we are close enough to make it a day trip. I think it's about 1 hr and 45 min from us. So Mom and I are headed to check it out and make it a day of shopping, or browsing and sight seeing. It should be fun! 

If you aren't on FB then I must share that I've now added another animal sighting or animal warning sign to my collection of interesting things since we've been here. The other night right down the street from our subdivision the boys and I saw two cows just grazing right along the sidewalk! Wow, they got out from somewhere. It never occurred to me to report it ....LOL... but when we came back home and passed the area, the cops had the road blocked off and I guess they were searching for them. Too funny! I guess next time I'll call to report the runaway cows! So now I've seen....a dead wild boar, a living and dead bobcat, a large snake, an alligator in the water ditch while riding my bike, deer, armadillo, various birds, what else?? , panther crossing signs, bear warning signs ( they have had bears in people's backyard about 25 min south of us!) , oh yeah an aggressive alligator warning in our neighborhood, and it seems like there has been more but can't think of it right now. It's become hysterical to me!! I moved to the zoo!! ha ha...at least it's interesting!

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend and stay safe if Karen is heading your way!!!! Toodles. By the way I rarely proofread my posts so please excuse any errors. I do use spell check now but that's about it!! LOL.

Yada yada

     Well I was just reminded why I blog. I was looking for a picture from a party I had in the past to share with a girl that wanted to know how I decorated for a certain party. In looking back through my old posts I was so happy....it was so nice seeing old pics and things we did over the years. Even though at times it may seem like random ramblings, it is definitely just a little peek into our everyday world. I want to find a way to get it printed for a long term keepsake. I think a friend of mine made her blog into a book so I'm checking into it. Wow....looking through old posts and pictures really encourages me to keep doing this journal of our life. A journal is exactly what it's like and I get to include pictures!
    So Dev did get to have soccer practice yesterday finally!! He was so excited! Bry even got to practice a little bit with him. Bry is supposed to have practice today but rain is predicted...boo! I sure hope it holds off so he can have his practice. I think next year we will check into getting the boys into a competitive team. They seem to be pretty good at soccer and sometimes I think the rec league isn't enough of a challenge for them.
     I just realized that I didn't take any pics of Mike on his birthday.Wow...how did that happen? I am usually always taking pictures. He got lucky this time but I'll have to make up for it on other occasions and next year!
     Dev is still enjoying drawing in his free time. Here is a sample of one of his drawings. He is into drawing Ninjas at the moment. Very detailed!
   

Mom and I did a little Halloween shopping yesterday and came across this!! What a great wig, I couldn't help but take a picture wearing it!!

Of course October isn't complete without some fun glasses!!

I love this girl skeleton I found at Michael's! She is even holding a Mardi Gras mask in honor of our short residence in Louisiana...ha ha!

Just a little decorations I got put up. This one includes the picture of when I had a witch party. It's hard to see the picture here, but it was about 16 of us girls all dressed up as witches for a great party! I love to put it out every year! I miss those girls! I hope I can meet another group of great girls around here so I can start having my parties again!! I really miss the parties!! I love to entertain!!

Also got this cute tablecloth at Michaels. It was only $1.99!! you can't beat that!

And, gotta love the Dracula window clings!!

I did get a few yard decorations put out also. I am still in search of something else for the yard...I will know what it is when I find the right thing!

Wanted to post this cute picture of Dev on his birthday morning... He was so sweet telling me that he loved my homemade sign! 

   The boys did just fine riding the bus this week. They didn't have any trouble! I knew they would be OK, but Momma always does worry just a little bit!
   
   What else...well this is my 3rd week of getting up at 4:30am so I can workout before I go to work. I am not a morning person but it is the only time I can make sure I workout. I think I am finally getting used to it. I still don't like it, but I'm getting used to it. I have about 2 months before my girls trip to NYC for my 40th birthday!! Me and three other girlfriends are spending four days in New York to celebrate mine and my girlfriends birthdays. Her birthday is only 1 week before mine and her sister and my friend Denise are joining us! It's going to be a blast!! I sent off for Michael & Kelly tickets but I don't know if we will get them. That would be cool!! So anyway, I'm trying to lose some pounds before the trip. I always do better with a motivational tool.

     Survivor is on again!! I like the show, and don't mind watching it but I am a little annoyed that they keep bringing back some of the same people over and over and over again!! Seriously, in my opinion I don't get it! I know there have got to be thousands of people out there that want to be on Survivor and they keep bringing back the same people! Wierd!!

I am going to be browsing Pinterest for some serious storage solutions! Our house has little to no storage space! Funny thing is I got rid of tons of stuff for this last move and I still have tons of stuff that I need to find a place for!! Alot of it is memorabilia and things that are sentimental. I'm going to have to find great storage solutions for tight spaces!!

    I found Bry a Halloween costume! yay...but the size I had to buy him is amazing! I bought the size I thought would fit Dev and be a little big on Bry. Nope!! It fits Bry perfectly and wouldn't fit Dev. I think I might have to move to the adult costume sizes for Dev, mainly on his height! wow.... so Bry is going to be Spiderman. It's a perfect costume because it's fairly light weight and has a cloth face mask instead of one of those plastic ones. I think it will be perfect for our Disney trip also. Now I still have to find something for Dev! Still searching....

    HAPPY HUMP DAY!! Lol....are you tired of that saying yet? ha ha...the boys love the camel commercial!!  Toodles for now!