An Iowa Mom

Halloween Open House

An Iowa Mom is officially a thug.  I wanted to participate in the Open House at Don't Try This At Home yesterday and completely spaced it. 

So, pardon my haste (and my dust) as I frantically rush through our house and snap photos before the kids insist I actually get up off my rear and get them ready to go trick or treating.

Welcome To An Iowa Home!  It's been cool here for a while now, so the mums are fiddling out ... wish I would have taken a photo before now!  Bummer!

Welcomed by our "Watch Crows".  They almost feel like part of the family!

Our sidewalk is lined with cat lights.  They are really cool, except for Halloween night when I watch at least 20 kids trip and fall when bolting away from our house anxious to get to the next failing to use the sidewalk.

I didn't realize how "misformed" this poor wreath is until I took the picture.  The neighbors probably wonder if I'm freakin' blind.  Maybe I am!

The stair leading to the second floor from our foyer.  Again, greeted by some temporary members of our family.  Smilee "talks" to the ghost on a daily basis.  Scary!

The formal dining room.  I'm embarrassed to say that I have an absolutely beautiful table runner "top"completed down in my sewing room to replace the tiny place mat used to display my fall arrangement ... It just needs a back!  Lately, I'm just unable to complete a project.  Maybe next year.  Yeah, right!

The buffet in the dining room.

The desk in the living room.  I used to hate the pumpkin candle ... but he's growing on me now that it's time to put him away.

The living room.  The skeleton and dog are for some reason a favorite of mine.  When they are back lit by tea lights, I sit and stare.  Don't know why ... and don't want to know.  I'm a nut.

Again, like the dining table, I have 6 adorable pumpkin place mat TOPS made.  Maybe sometime after Christmas I'll get them finished.  I got the ugly Fall Arrangement on clearance for $3.35.  One that can't pass up a good deal ... I showcase my treasure on the kitchen table for all to see.

More "family members" (do you think I should have had MORE kids?)  I chit chat with these guys while I'm preparing meals ... which seems to be what I'm doing most of the time.  I love it ... I talk and talk and they never talk back.  A DREAM COME TRUE!  I think I'll keep 'em!

Amazing that a $4.88 electric pumpkin can make 4 kids so happy ... and scared!  *Sigh* Oh ... love the magnets ... in the Target Holiday aisle.  I actually went back and got 3 more sets to give to friends in their "BOO BAGS".  :)

Yeah ... Princess showing off the Autumn dishtowels ... like SHE made them.  Maybe we should have dressed her as a WITCH this year.  :) Yummy Spaghetti Sauce simmering in the crock-pot ... Recipe coming later this week.

The "Candy Corner". Throughout the season we keep this basket filled with little Halloween bags stuffed with homemade chocolate treats that we can surprise our visitors and friends with.

Some of the buddies from the candle on the desk.  They freaked me out at first ... but are growing on me now.  The sweet pumpkin in the middle was a gift from my friend that came at the perfect time to MAKE MY MONTH.  Funny how something so small can mean so much.  I look at it constantly as I do dishes and wonder how lucky I got to have such great and thoughtful friends.

An old country road runs behind our house, so I set our friendly ghost  in a window facing that street to wish all the "country folk" a Happy Halloween as they drive by.

The powder room shelf.  Maybe someday I'll put a towel on the towel rack.  Sad thing is, I have 3 different Halloween fingertip towels, but too lazy to hang them up.  Can you say ... LOSER!

Again, the powder room.  I love the little leaf candle holders, though they are hard to see in this photo ...

Basement!  I bought this stuffed pumpkin and then tried to recreate it in different sizes for other decorations around the house.  Don't ask how that worked out for me.  $40 worth of fabric, $20 in other supplies, and about 6 hours in time ... and you couldn't even tell what I had done were supposed to be pumpkins.  That makes this pumpkin that much more special to me.

More Target Halloween finds.  They had lots of fun stuff this year.  I'm a sucker for Target, it's really sad!

My laptop screen saver is even wishing everyone out there in bloggerland, a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Raw End Of The Deal, Everytime! - #1

Sometimes I feel so sorry for Peenee.  Not just because he's one of the middle children and always seems to be doing something, anything, just short of grabbing a bull horn and screaming obscenities into the air, in hopes of attracting any sort of attention, but because he ALWAYS gets the short end of the stick in ANY situation. 

I don't know how circumstances can always go soooo against one person.  Especially when that one person is the MOST compassionate, thoughtful and selfless person I know.  Just so happens he's my 6 year old son.

Today, the mailman came and there were 3 Halloween cards and treats nussled safely inside the mailbox from my Mom, aka MawMaw.  One for each grandchild, however, we have 4 kids, not 3 ... one is missing.  Anyone want to guess which one did not arrive?  If you guessed Peenee, congratulations, you hit the bullseye.  That's right, Peenee's is lost somewhere in postal land.

My intention for this post was to list several examples, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes just down right unbelievable, of how Peenee always gets fucked in any situation.  However, as I was writing the post, I realized that no one has the time to read a chapter book about the mishaps of Peenee ... so I'll break it down into a series and every now and then, I'll post and give you details of one of many Raw End Of The Deal's (REOTD) that have come Peenee's way.  A little something special for Peenee ... as he deserves it.

Happy Halloween Big Guy!  :)  Have fun being the best Power Ranger EVER!! Take that back ... I know how elated you are about tomorrow being Halloween and all ... something will HAVE to go wrong.  We'll hope for the best anyway and see what tomorrow brings.

Sisters!

How do people make it through life without a sister?  ~Sara Corpening

I never had a sister and always wished I did.  I love my brother, don't get me wrong, but would life have been different with a sister?  I'll never know, but I do know that all four of my children will have both a sister and brother.  It may not be to them right now, but to me, I think it's the greatest gift I could give to any of my children.

This is their "childhood", and things may not seem as beautiful or lucky to them now.  At this point, Princess is crying when Smilee steals away a favorite baby doll, and Smilee upset when she can't escape out of her bedroom in the morning like her big sister due to the bars that hold her in on her crib.

In five years, they will be arguing about best friends and when one has one to play with and the other doesn't.  In ten years, it may be makeup, clothes and who is more "popular" or prettier.  Fifteen years from now, the disagreements and fights will probably be over boys. 

However, I hope in 20 years and beyond, their bond will be as tight as one could be.  They security they will feel just knowing the other is there.  They will always have each other.  To cry, laugh, learn, gossip, shop and just be there for each other.  There will hopefully be no one on earth who knows the other one better.  Best friends is my wish for them.  That would be the greatest gift they could give me.

Doodle Doug

Oh the Doodle Doug.  Sporty came to me about 3 weeks ago going on and on.  It was diarrhea of the mouth, for sure.  He just couldn't shut up about this Doodle Doug thing. 

I mention it to my Mom, thinking, what a great Christmas gift.  This "thing" called Doodle Doug that I'm sure Sporty has spotted on a Made For TV Commercial that runs on Nickelodeon 39 times in a hour.  She'll have fun searching for it, and that will be the ONLY way he'll ever even remotely have a chance at getting the Doodle Doug.

Picture us ... shopping, actually BROWSING, as a family of 6.  We enter a store that is going out of business (which completely breaks my heart, as it's been the store that ALWAYS has exactly what I'm looking for).  Well, I guess that not only holds true for me, but also for Sporty, who spotted DOODLE DOUG about 3 aisles away.  With the money in his wallet, he decided he MUST have it.  I roll my eyes and thing immediately it is a waste of $14.97 ... even with the 20% off going out of business sale and my Mom is no longer going to have something to search for.

Once purchased and in the car, I peek at the box that my 8 year old insisted on buying and has talked about obsessively for almost a month.  The first thing I see is a big 3+.  For ages 3 and up ... and my 8 year old has to have it.  Now that is some good advertising.  They deserve this sale, I think to myself.

At home, we assemble the beloved Doodle Doug.  At this point my 6 year old  is just as excited.  Once together and working, it's a glorified Spirograph.  Remember those??  Anyway, Doodle Doug is much better, as he does all the work for you.  Creating numerous designs which my children like to color in.  Saves a bunch of cash, considering the design books these day go for about $8 a piece and Sporty can have one completely colored in a matter of 2 days.

Doodle Doug keeps making design after design ... and Sporty keeps coloring them. 

Thumbs Up to the Doodle Doug, what a cute little creature he is!!!!

Huh?

An Iowa Mom:  Sporty, your friend is here, the weather is actually nice, go outside and play!!!!

Sporty (stomping off while screaming as though I'm torturing him):  Fine!!! But when I get back in, I'm finishing my homework!

I'm left standing there, scratching my head.  Have I gone extremely wrong as a parent or what?  Where the heck did I go wrong?

The Pressure Is Off ... Or Is It?

About a month and a half ago, I told you all about Sporty trying out for a baseball team that he really wanted to play on.   After the original try out, he was asked to come back so they "could take another look at him".  That tryout was more of a "game" situation and Sporty did quite well, considering. 

Two weeks after the second tryout, the head coach called and said he had to be honest with us.  They were "on the fence" as far as whether or not Sporty would make the team.  A coaches meeting was scheduled for the following day and he'd let us know either way.  That was 3 weeks ago and we had pretty much given up hope that Sporty would be playing on this team he has been dreaming of playing on. 

The call came ... it was coach.  Sporty MADE THE TEAM!!  He was thrilled.  So, the pressure is off, right?  NOT.  Since we know they were "on the fence" regarding Sporty and if they wanted him on the team or not, we feel he really needs to prove himself now.  We don't want them to regret having Sporty on the team.  So, the pressure is on again ... such is life, eh?

Coach told us about a batting instructional league/clinic he thinks would be good for Sporty (as all the other kids I'm sure) and it starts next week for 7 weeks.  Then, practices for the actually team would be starting in January, games starting in May.  Long season ... it's October and we're gearing up for some baseball.  HA!  So long as Sporty is happy, which he is.  A lot of his friends made the team as well ... which is just icing on the cake for him. 

Take Me Out To The Ballgame ... Here goes nothin'.

There's No Place Like Home!

The harsh reality that I really did move from the Windy City to Iowa.  It's been 9 years ... but there are times I almost forget.  And then, I look out my kitchen window...

Today, I saw this, and found it beautiful.  And I smiled.  And I grabbed my camera ... so I could remember!  There is no place like home!  This is my home.  And I am so happy here.