Weekend Wrap-up

First of all, HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!!! Today is Britton's 1st Halloween and therefore, a very special one for Mommy. It seems like we have been celebrating a little all month, and we will finally finish up weeks of activity with trick-or-treating tonight. I can't wait to show you pictures of our boy in his precious costume...photos to come tomorrow.
We spent the Halloween weekend at my parents' house where there is always a constant flurry of activity. Saturday brought a visit from my precocious 2 1/2 year old niece, Emily. She is a neverending ball of energy, and it takes a "village" to keep that girl entertained. She had a ball running around the yard and helping "GranDa" water the flowers...and anything else that happened to be stationary: rocks, empty flower pots, bushes, etc.

It was chilly outside so we bundled up our boy, and the cousins took a cruise around the yard in Britton's little red wagon. Emily and Britton are only 17 months apart and already the best of friends:)

All this outdoor fun had to be fitted in between hours of SEC football...first the Georgia/ Florida game (WooHoo, Go Dawgs!!!) and then the Auburn/Ole Miss game. Miss Emily and I played with Play-Doh, made up dance routines, read tons of books, and had snuggle time while watching the games.
On Sunday, we had a family gathering at my sister and new brother-in-law's house. This was our first trip to their home, and it was lovely spending the day together. My little sister, Elizabeth, and Jesse married this past Labor Day, and she and Emily moved to Alabama. My sister and I have practically been next door neighbors since we were in our early twenties and young newlyweds, so this is our first time not living within a few minutes of each other.

Now that we all live further apart it's nice to have days together like this. The house and yard looked beautiful. Although, my sister likes to joke that she still has a long way to go before completely ridding the house of that bachelor pad ambiance;) After a yummy lunch, we headed out to the yard to sit around the fire pit and enjoy the perfectly crisp fall weather. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon with the people you love most in the world!!!

Liz, Emily, Jesse and Kawliga enjoying the firepit

Practicing our swings

Motherhood

In honor of my precious little boy turning 10 months old yesterday, I am going to share with you one of my all-time favorite quotes on motherhood. I loved this quote so much that I had it put on the personalized Mother's Day cards that I gave both my momma and mother-in-law this year. This is a very simple sentimate but rings so very true for any mother.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

                                                   -Elizabeth Stone

Halloween Hodge Podge

By now you have probably figured out that I LOVE Halloween hence all my seasonal related posts. We've visited the pumpkin patch/ corn maze, carved pumpkins, decorated every inch of the house, watched tons of horror flicks, and ate about 20 lbs. of candy corn. There are only a handful of days until Halloween is actually here and my boy will dress up in his precious costume and go on his first trick-or-trick adventure...being pulled around in his little red wagon by his personal chauffeur, Daddy.

Here are few of the fun new things I have discovered this Halloween season:

• I love this picture frame I bought from the Limetree Gift Shop in Atlanta. The Limetree is my favorite place to buy gifts for friends and family. Even the hubby knows that this is the place to buy all my presents. I can't wait to take photos of Britton dressed up in his costume and find the perfect picture for this precious keepsake.

• Seasonal Flags always add a touch of festivity to the front of the house. This year I purchased a new flag from The Rabbit Hutch Gift Shop in Anniston, AL. I just love my Boo Jack O' Lantern flag. You can see all the cute flags made by Evergreen on their website. They have flags for every holiday imaginable.

• How cute is this witch apron I found here at Target.com and for the bargain price of $9.99!!! Now I can look all festive when I put on my best "Domestic Diva" impression;)

• So I cannot attest to the quality and flavor of McSteven's Orange Hot Chocolate or Vampire Brew Blood Red Hot Chocolate because I have yet to actually taste it, but the hubby was awful giddy about his Halloween find. He purchased the "caldron" and "coffin" of hot cocoa at Walgreen's Drug Store. I'm sure it would be great fun for the kiddos...sort of like the green ketchup that Heinz put out several years ago. I could actually never bring myself to taste more than just a lick of the green ketchup...it kind of grossed me out.

Yummm.....Cookies!!!!

I love decorating cookies for the holidays be it Halloween, Christmas or Easter. I said I like decorating them. I, however, do not like baking them. I leave all the baking up to my Bubba and when I say baking I mean the hubby can whip out a mean batch of oven-ready Pillbury's Sugar Cookies. Of course, Britton is too young to help us decorate the cookies, but he enjoyed observing the activty from his perch in the high chair and having his very first lick of icing.

Ummm...Luckily, I screwed on the cap very tightly

I found this great cookie decorating kit at Hobby Lobby on my last visit. It made decorating the cookies super easy because everything you needed was in a single box.

We would have ended up with a lot more cookies if we had not munched on them as fast as we could decorate them. I think they turned out pretty cute:)








Our Littlest Pumpkin

Yesterday afternoon I dressed up Britton and attempted a Halloween photo shoot with the little pumpkin that his Daddy carved for him. It's a miracle we even got him dressed and semi-cooperative because he was so FUSSY all day. Luckily, I got some pretty cute shots before it was time for another meltdown.

We started shooting outside, but it was getting chilly with the sun setting, so we moved inside...



It was a battle of wills keeping that stem out of our boy's mouth



Our "Toy Story" pumpkin bunch turned out so cute!!! Bubba worked very hard on Woody and Buzz Lightyear while I whipped up several batches of toasted pumpkin seeds (okay, I did let one batch burn because I was preoccupied watching the Falcon's game, but the other batch of Sweet n' Spicy pumpkins seeds were super yummy!!!). I learned quickly that I did not have the patience for the intricate knife work that the pumpkins required and quickly retreated inside after about an hour 5 minutes. I'm so proud of our my husband's pumpkins:)

Don't Call it Powder Puff Football...

For several years now, I have been participating in an all-girls Fantasy Football League. There was a time when a Saturday full of SEC football was enough sports for this gal, but now I'm just as excited for Sunday and Monday Night NFL. This all-girls league is no joke. We are all ultra-competitive and could easily compete with any boys' league hands down. Before my fantasy football days, I only watched NFL once a year at my sister's annual Super Bowl party. I couldn't have even told you the two teams competing for the title that year until I walked in the door. Besides I was not there for the football. It was all about the delicious food and creative cocktails....and the commercials, of course. Oh, how times have changed. I am now familiar with every team, the quarterbacks, top running backs, receivers, and tight ends. I follow injury reports with an eagle's eye. I stand at the ready to swoop in and pick up a player off the waiver wire the minute news hints that a back-up player is moving to a starting position. I love to find the "sleeper" in the bunch. Draft night has become a tradition at my house. I make snacks, open up a bottle of pink champagne, and settle in for a fast-paced night of fun. My sports fanatic of a husband has his opinions on who I should pick, but I've learned long ago to follow my own intuition. Am I any good? Yep, I'm always running at the top of the pack. Last year my team, Georgia Peach Fuzz, had a 12-0 record.
Of course, bragging rights are great and all, but this year we pitched in, and the champion and runner-up will receive Amazon gift cards. We're also giving a prize to the best "smack" talker. There are about 3 of us in the running for that title...the Diva and her best friend included. Speaking of best friends...playing anything against my oldest and dearest friend brings out my most competitive side. We have always relished beating each other in anything game related which makes Fantasy Football all the more enjoyable. We're mid-season and I'm running at # 2. I'm pretty certain the FUZZ will make it into the winner's bracket play-off (I always do) and have a chance at the championship...and hopefully, that Amazon gift card and bragging rights for a whole year!!!
In other football related news, I was reading one of my favorite blogs this weekend, Blue-Eyed Bride, and learned of a fabulous book that I must get my hands on: Gridiron Belles: A Guide to Saturdays in Dixie by Christie Leigh Mueller. It's a primer on all things football related in the South (teams, stadiums, tailgaiting, etc). I'll definitely buy a copy for myself and pick up a few additional books to give as Christmas gifts to all my SEC loving gal pals.

Wednesday Randomosity

My hubby had to be up super early for an appointment this morning, so he went to bed very early last night leaving poor little insomniac me to entertain myself. Luckily, I had rented several movies that afternoon and had a grand time watching a marathon of hilarious flicks. It's a good thing my Bubba is a heavy sleeper because I burst out laughing more than a few times. Yes, the movies were a little crass and sometimes offensive, but they were H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!!!

Confession: I LOVE MY CHIROPRACTOR!!! Okay, not in the romantic way, of course, but in the "you are a total life saver and make everything all better" kind of love. I have suffered from back problems on and off for years. I had back surgery in 2001 and that made everything feel a lot better for almost a decade. My back even felt great while I was pregnant which is a rare occurence for people with any kind of previous back problems. Unfortunately, once Britton became a roly poly ball of energy, and I was constantly bending and lifting him the back pain returned. Luckily, I met my Chiropractor (Cue: the sounds of harps playing and angels singing). This man is seriously a miracle worker. One visit to his office with a single adjustment and I go from the intense kind of pain that makes you want to limp around and whimper to dancing down the aisles of Target. I just can't believe it took me 30 something years to meet this man. I'm actually heading there this afternoon for an adjustment:)

I'm taking a pumpkin carving class on Friday. I have visions of being the Michaelangelo of the pumpkin carving world....this remains yet to be seen. I'll definitely share pictures of my creations once I have mastered the craft. Let's just hope I don't cut off a finger. I have not had the best luck with sharp knives in the past. I managed to slice my finger open, and earn myself a trip to the ER within the first 10 minutes of the knife skills lesson during my 1st culinary arts class in college. Embarrassing!!!

Speaking of pumpkins and decorations....I finally got around to decorating the back hall for Autumn. It doesn't scream Halloween, so I think it can carry us all the way till Thanksgiving. I bought everything from Michael's except for the candle pillars that I got from Target and spray painted gold. I think the whole "tablescape" is rather festive:)

Full Moon Farm

Saturday afternoon we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and headed to Full Moon Farm for a day of family fun. My sweet husband was even willing to leave his perch in front of the televison and miss the entire second half of the Georgia game...now that's dedication to family;) Full Moon Farm is located in Oxford, AL and has tons of activities for kids all ages. 

The central attraction of the farm is a corn maze which was designed by one of the world's leading designers in corn mazes and features a labyrinth in the shape of the Statue of Liberty.



(Picture borrowed from Full Moon Website)

 It was definitely a family affair with my parents and two year old niece, Emily, tagging along. Emily pulled Granddaddy around from activity to activity. She got to feed a goat in the little petting zoo, played in the corn kernel box, and ambled her way over the tire climb. She discovered her favorite activity of the day was the Bounce House which was nearly impossible to get her out of (cue: total MELTDOWN when we made her climb out).

Britton and Emily got to take their very first hay ride, and they absolutely loved it:) Mommy enjoyed herself, too.

The fellas took the kids on the Pumpkin Express Train while Mommy and Grandma decided to just sit back and watch.

Emily was a little timid about the huge bouncy/climbwall/slide thing so she encouraged her Uncle Bubba to accompany her through the obstacle which he was more than happy to oblige.

I wonder who was having more fun?!?

We got a a lot of pictures of Britton at his first pumpkin patch experience. He was such an angel during the whole day, and obviously loved being in the sunshine with the cool Autumn breeze in his hair.

A trip to Full Moon Farms is definitely a tradition that we will continue for years to come. The only problem was that by the time the kids were tired and ready for dinner, Bubba and I had not had a chance to go through the corn maze:(



 Luckily, we were able to take full advantage of the free babysitting and headed back to the farm after the kidlets went to bed. We decided to tackle the corn maze in the dark which in my opinion made it spookier and more challenging. Just when I thought we were never going to make our way out, and Bubba was surely going to have to carry me piggyback while we aimlessly wandered in the dark, we finally found the exit....lucky Bubba!!! We then joined a dear old friend of mine who just so happens to be the co-owner of Full Moon and his sweet wife around the fire pit for a marshmallow roast and s'more making...yum!!! Then Bubba and the rest of the guys enjoyed the bouncy slides until it was time to go home. A place like Full Moon reminds us that we all remain kids at heart:)





A Few of My Favorite Things...

1.) MoonPies:

Now I know you are saying, Virginia, MoonPies are not a new discovery. Those babies have been around since 1917. Of course, I am aware of the MoonPie's longevity and have eaten hundreds of this ubiquitous Southern treats (originated in Chattanooga, TN) over the years. However, I have found a revamped version of the MoonPie that trumps all others!!! While perusing the back of the cellophane wrapper for nutritional content the other evening (I know, I know, NOT ON MY DIET), I saw something written about microwaving this treat....What?!? I cannot believe I had never thought of this before. I immediately instructed my Bubba to open up two brand new MoonPies and microwave them for 10-15 seconds. Just a few seconds in the microwave, and the humble MoonPie had been elevated to the most ooey, gooey, chocolatey delicious concoction in the entire world. It was like the richest piece of warm chocolate marshmallow pie I had ever eaten. Don't question, just do it!!!!

2.) Balboa Baby Shopping Cart Cover:

Lugging Britton around in his carseat and letting the whole cumbersome carrier ride in the front of the shopping cart was seriously cutting down on precious shopping storage space. After finding my little one clutching a bottle of Pinot like a teddy bear, I decided it was time to let Britton ride in the buggy seat, but (insert: eewww!!!) those carts are so germ riddled. Lucky for me other germaphobic mothers had already thought of this perilous situation and created these lovely inventions called cart covers. After doing a little research I found my cart cover at Amazon, and have been very happy with my purchase so far. It's comfortable, fairly easy to put on, and keeps my sweet baby from licking the cart handle...that makes this anxiety prone mother very happy:)

3.) Parents Magazine:

I am loving my October issue of Parent's magazine. I usually just flip through the 20 something magazines I get a month, but I have enjoyed this issue so much I have read it cover to cover and even clipped out a few articles...I never clip out anything (except the occasional coupon)!!!

I Put a Spell on You...

For as long as I can remember I have loved watching scary movies. The hubby and I will watch the occassional horror movie throughout the year, but once October hits it's like Fright Fest every night. Not to mention Bubba has our TV tuned to either Syfy's 31 Days of Halloween or the Family Channel's 13 Nights of Halloween (obviously, more kid friendly programming) most evenings. It's been a tradition for us since we began dating to have a few Horror/Thriller movie marathons throughout the month. We pop popcorn, gather up our favorite "movie candy" (Twizzlers for me, Peanut M&Ms for Bubba), and blow up the air mattress so we can spend the entire night in the den in front of "Big Bessie"...yep, our television has a name, and it is rightly deserved;) We can easily watch 4 scary movies back-to-back until the wee hours of the morning. In honor of our family traditon and the Halloween season, I'm going to give you a list of some of my all-time favorite scary movies (in no particular order), so that you too can cuddle up just a little closer to your honey and escape into a spooky flick.

• The Shining
• Psycho
• The Exorcist
• Halloween
• Nightmare on Elm Street (I only liked the 1st one)
• Scream
• The Sixth Sense
• The Ring
• The Blair Witch Project
• Poltergeist
• The Others
• Saw
• Amityville Horror
• The Watcher in the Woods (starring the great Bette Davis and one of the 1st scary movies I ever saw)
• Stir of Echos
• Seven
• When a Stranger Calls
• Paranormal Activity
• Misery
• The Last House on the Left
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• Candyman
• Pet Semetary
• The Descent
• Open Water
• The Omen

* I'm sure I have left tons of classic horror movies off this list, but these are just a few of my favorites. Each movie stayed emblazoned in my mind long after the credits had rolled and a few have even caused the lights to be left on for bed or my husband to escort me to the bathroom lest I be left all alone;)

Fall Traditions

Long before having Britton I dreamed of all the activities and fun things I would do with my future children. Of course, everyday that I spend with Britton is special, but having a child has made the holidays all the more important. I remember all the wonderful traditions that my parents created for my sister and me, and I would love to carry on many of those with Britton. However, times change and families grow, so it's up to me to start new traditions for my little family. Fall is my favorite season of the year!!!  Even though Baby Britton is still very young, there is never a better time for us to start traditions for him that will endure for years to come and create lifelong memories.

A few of our traditions for the Fall season:

• Take a drive through the mountains to see the beautiful Autumn leaves and have a picnic. We love Dahlonega, GA, Mentone, AL or Mt. Cheaha which are the perfect distance for a day trip.

• Visit a local pumpkin patch/ corn maze for a family day of fun and plenty of punkin' patch pictures
• Carve pumpkins together...making sure to save the seeds for a batch of spiced toasted pumpkin seeds for snacking
• Watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• A horror moviethon for Mommy and Daddy...Britton can join us when he's much older
• Decorating the house from top to bottom

• Picking out costumes (I got Britton's costume last week, and it is CUTE!!! I'll save that surprise for another post)
• Making a scarecrow for the front yard
• A bowl of candy corn on the counter (I just discovered two new flavors yesterday: Brach's Caramel Apple Corn and Caramel Corn)

•  Playing Halloween themed music around the house and in the car. Here is a great link for a list of songs to download to your ipod or to make your own mix CD
•  Halloween themed PJs, socks, etc. (and bibs for now)
• A trip to the drive-in movie theater at the first hint of cool weather...lift the hatchback of the SUV, bring plenty of blankets, and cuddle up together while munching on popcorn and candy

Cracker Barrel of Monkeys

Nana and Papa John came for a visit today and treated us to their favorite spot, Cracker Barrel, for lunch. I actually really like Cracker Barrel....could it be the fact that it has a cute gift shop attached?!?

There was a time when we could strap Britton in his carrier and take him into any restaurant (even a few "white table cloth" spots). He would sleep through the entire meal:) Long gone are those days!!! He started off a little whiny before we even ordered our food, but quickly progressed into a full on melt down.

I'm one of those moms that gets so embarrassed when my child causes a scene in public. Luckily, Daddy was there to quickly sweep up Britton and of course, the tears immediately stopped. Poor Daddy had to finish his entire meal with Baby Bubba on his lap, but Daddy was so intent on scarfing down his Old Timer's Breakfast that I don't think he minded too much.

Disclaimer: As promised I started my diet the other day, so instead of indulging in some yummy country cookin' or all-day breakfast, I settled for a salad. It was pretty darn good...maybe it was the fact that it had some bacon in it. Bacon is on my diet isn't it?!?
 

Roasted Turkey, Cranberry and Blue Cheese Salad



Radio Flyer

I spent all Saturday morning putting together Britton's early Halloween present, a Radio Flyer wagon. Now this isn't you're run of the mill "little red wagon"....this thing has 4 cup holders, 2 canopies, a cooler/backpack, and ALOT of parts to put together!!! After about thirty minutes of attempting to assemble the wagon the hubby got frustrated bored and retreated into the house to park himself in front of the television and watch football. Well, the Diva is pretty handy with a hammer and screwdriver when necessity calls and finished putting that thing togther all by myself.

After double checking the wagon for it's load bearing capabilites and ensuring that the wheels were not going to fall off, Britton christened his new ride with a lap around the yard. At first our baby boy was a little timid about his big new toy. Not to mention Daddy has a penchant for going way too fast for mommy's taste which resulted in me running behind them pointing out every hole and fallen tree limb and yelling something about the potential for shaken baby syndome...okay, I can be a little over dramatic at times.

Notice best bud, Scout, riding shotgun until Cousin Emily takes her rightful spot

Nevertheless, Britton decided that he actually loved his new wheels. And what kid wouldn't?!? If I didn't exceed the weight limit by a few pounds (Ha!) I would be all up for having Bubba pull me around the yard while I put good use to one of those cup holders with a frosty adult beverage, push back one of those canopies and catch some rays. I'm sure the neighbors would think it a very strange sight, but then again they have probably gotten use to my Diva antics over the years...lest I forget my own personal version of "Bikini Car Wash" in the front yard this past summer;)