Preparations for Thanksgiving...

I apologize for the layout of the photos, but still am not adept enough to place them exactly where I want them. As you can see, we were very busy around our house getting ready for Thanksgiving this week!

Olivia made her lovely turkey headress at Kindergarten - then they got to parade around the school making turkey noises - excellent educational value if I do say so myself.

We also took the chance to try to make these adorable cookies we saw in Parenting magazine! They turned out so well we were able to make enough for the two morning K classes "picnic" on Tuesday, AND to sell at the bake sale at my work... EVERYONE was most impressed if I do say so myself!

Today, of course a dress was in order for the day - even though we were not leaving the house, and our only guest was Nana. Deciding WHICH dress to wear however was quite the dilema. We had several to choose from as you can see here!







Also visible is a partial shot of the new Living room color, I know we promised pictures of the makeover earlier, but we are still doing some decorating and picture hanging. That post will come as soon as possible.

Pictures of the Princess

As Promised before, here are the pictures of the Princess in her Halloween costume....

As it was a beautiful night here in New Hampshire, we were able to go out in only a light sweater for covering! I never remember being that lucky when we used to go out, usually it was so cold no one could tell if you had a costume on or not...

Also, a picture from our last Halloween at Sutton Hill (THANKS WENDY) We were able to go back there this year and participate in the annual trick or treat with the residents, most of whom have known her since before she was born - literally. Next year I am afraid we wont be able to go due to full day school schedules....

Coming next: Painting the Living room....

Halloween

Just a quick posting to show you a couple of the pictures from Pumpkin Carving here....

We think they turned out really neat!

As for Miss Olivia's beautiful hair-do that is seen, all I can say is that she did it herself!

Coming tomorrow:

The Princess goes

TRICK-OR-TREATING!

The Princess Clock

Sooo, for quite some time now, Olivia has been enamored with the Princesses. Going to Disney this summer only added fuel to the fire. Now EVERYTHING we do is somehow related to princesses, or, at least tried to be related to the princesses by Olivia.

Last Sunday she and Sue were shopping at WalMart while I was at work. On a clearance rack there was a Princess alarm clock. Sue spotted it, and of course Olivia wanted to have it. Since it was the only one on the clearance shelf - Sue was worried that perhaps it really wasnt on sale, just a ploy for the child to get it in her hands, then the parents would have to play the bad guy and say no when it turned out NOT to be only clearance after all. After explaining to Liv that they needed to check the price before she would commit to the purchase, Sue headed for the price checker. Of course, in her mind, the clock was already hers. After all, it was in her hands wasnt it?? Lo and behold, the price checker listed it as $2.00!!! WHAT A BARGAIN!

So, the princess clock came home. As you can see by the photos above - it sure is special.

The second picture depicts the image shining on the ceiling when the illuminating light is turned on.

Now, the first night the alarm was set at Olivia's request. Sue was home Monday morning and in the kitchen when the alarm went off - she said it was SOOO cute, all of a sudden she saw this little hand reach out from the covers and shut off the alarm. A couple of minutes later, Olivia comes bounding out of her room to say good morning to us and start her day.

WOW - this actually was a good purchase, OR so I thought.

The next morning I made sure to be out in the kitchen to see the cuteness.

The alarm goes off, no shut off. The alarm gets quicker, no shut off. The alarm gets even quicker and higher pitched... All of a sudden I hear " Mama - MAKE IT STOP!!!"

That night, as we put her to bed she said "Can we please not set the alarm tonight??"

It has not been set since. So much for the good purchase. At least its decorative and shines a pretty light on the ceiling.

Kindergarten Pictures....

I have often told people that if I knew I could make such a cute child - I would have started earlier... Here is the proof of that. Have you ever seen a cuter picture of my peeps? I was all worried when they had picture day, as last year I got to help with photos at the pre-school, I wouldnt be able to help this year, was paying ALOT for a set of pictures, What if it was a horrible shot?? I remember seeing the horrible pictures from my school days ( and KK's) (Sorry Karen). But it's true... Maybe it had something to do with the Catholic schools not really caring how your pictures turned out. What if her picture was horrible and she would have to live with it forever?? So, picture day came and went. Then we had to sit around and wait forever until they came back...
Today it comes back and she is adorable. I know I am partially biased as she is my child, but seriously, have you seen a cuter picture?? So different from last years pre-school picture with bangs. No more baby.....

The LONGEST day...

Keith Olbermann once said that the longest day of the year is the day after the World Series ends.
I have now discovered he was wrong, today is the longest day of the year, as MY CUBBIES year is over after a heart-breaking sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers. What the Hell happened?? HOW could this happen???
I HAD PLAYOFF TICKETS DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must be honest and explain that after the second loss at home, the pitiful 10-3 debacle that was game 2, we started discussing our options to sell the tickets. E-Bay turned out to be our best bet, so while I was at work Friday afternoon Sue listed them with E-Bay. Within a couple of hours we recieved an e-mail asking if we would be willing to sell them in a "Buy it now" sale for $400.00. HELL YES! So, after a few back and forth e-mails, Sue and Tom worked out a deal that he bought our tickets, made an immediate payment to Paypal, and we made a $113 profit from my annual heartbreak.
Somehow this year it is worse, probably since I did have the opportunity to go to a game that never was. Tom asked Sue if I was out on a bridge somewhere waing to jump... I will assure you all I am not jumping, instead we are going to spend next weekend on the Cape, far away from Baseball, far away from Philadelphia - where we were supposed to be instead, and enjoy the company of good friends at Womens week.
: (

Lets Get the party started!!

So, tomorrow is the first day of the playoffs. Lucky girl that Olivia is, BOTH of her favorite teams have made it to the playoffs!
But, it gets even better than that - Yesterday I checked my e-mail to find something from the Phialdelphia Phillies. CONGRATULATIONS it started - You have won the opportunity to purchase tickets for the National League Championship Series at Bank one BallPark!!!! WHAT??? I never get chosen! So I quickly called Sue at work, GUESS WHAT?? I have won the opportunity to buy tickets for the playoffs!!! Now- the only game we could go to with our schedule would be the first game at Philadelphia, which, if the stars align correctly - would be Sunday October 12th. The stars have to align with the CUBBIES winning their first series and Phillie winning theirs too.
So, holding my breath slightly I went on through the e-mail and answered all of the questions regarding payment, then hit the button to try to get tickets. Of course, as anyone who has ever tried this is aware, you are told that it is first come first served, that you may be directed to a virtual waiting room, blah blah blah.
As I am completing all of this Sue and I are discussing if I should leave the waiting room up on the computer until she gets home from work, as I was just home for lunch and had to go back to work.
WAIT A MINUTE.... Its asking me how many tickets I want.... WHAT??? I quickly put in three - the max allowed - What price range do I want? WHAT??? Just as quickly I put in best available.
WHAT?????? ITS GIVING ME A CONFIRMATION NUMBER??????
ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am instantly nauseated and elated! I have tickets for a PLAYOFF game, that under most reasonable conditions will be between MY BOYS and Phillie!!!
Yes, it is a 6 1/2 hour drive, yes- we will have to pay for a hotel too...
BUT I HAVE TICKETS!!!!!
Olivia is way excited too - not quite as excited as me, but she'll get there.
Just for the record I want it known that I called my sister and offered her the third ticket, but she turned me down, so we decided to go ahead and take Olivia as she may never have the chance to get playoff tickets for the CUBS again in her lifetime - at cost no less - and this is something she'll remember forever....