Pumpkin Church

Remember when I said I liked pumpkins "en masse"?



There's just something about a big pile of orange pumpkins that makes me smile. Maybe they are at church. Maybe they are at Mass. Or maybe they're not church-goers at all. Heathen pumpkins. Who knows?

We thanked Columbus for our long weekend by going to the Farm/Pumpkin Patch.
I tortured the boy by taking pictures.
In his terms, "Hell on Earth."

The hayride...


The "General Store"... Or as I call it, the farmer's idea of a cute photo op...


This place grew some mighty big pumpkins...


And I am growing a very cute almost-preteen baby giraffe who is still adorable even when he's ticked off at his momma for taking so many pictures.

The Ten on Tuesday That Isn't

Well. This week's questions are about exercising. Good grief.
I was feeling all guilty, and then I read Chelsea's answers and realized I'm not alone in my hatred of the whole "working out" thing.
But. She just had a baby. She has a good excuse.
I had a baby. 11.5 years ago. I have no excuse.
I just HATE exercise.

So... here's my best attempt at answering questions I am not qualified to answer.

1. What does your work out schedule look like?
It is invisible.

2. What is your favorite machine to use at the gym?
The Coke machine.

3. What is your favorite class to take at the gym?
The scrapbooking one that meets down the hall.

4. Where do you shop for work out gear and clothing?
Now I do love some Yoga pants. Target and Old Navy.

5. If you can’t go to the gym, do you have a favorite outdoor activity?
Walking.

6. What about a favorite work out DVD? If so, please share!
I used to do Bob's workout (from the Biggest Loser), but I really like him better on the show. Not yelling at me to "push myself."

7. Are you more active now or when you were in high school?
Oh heavens. In high school for sure. I know my husband's side of the family will not believe this, but I used to be scrawny. Like a rail. A skinny minny.

8. How has your dieting/working out philosophy changed since high school?
I used to eat what I wanted and be skinny. Now when I just think about eating, I get fatter. I used to be more active, but I have always disliked exercise.

9. What do you do while working out– (i.e., day dream, read, listen to music, gab with a friend)?
Nothing. Cause I don't work out. If and when I go walking, I listen to music.

10. What working out resolution would you like to make for yourself this year?
To continue not working out and lose 45 pounds. I would like to look like one of those skinny runner chicks I see in the neighborhood. All cute and thin and running. Running. When did that become the "thing" to do? These days, if you aren't on your third marathon, you are a loser.
Maybe my resolution should be to get a better attitude about exercise.
And to stop comparing myself to the neighborhood skinnies.

Snakes in a Hay Bale and Pumpkin Love

Who doesn't love a pumpkin?
I love pumpkins. (I say this every year, because I love to repeat things unnecessarily.) I especially love pumpkins "en masse." Not at Catholic church; but in large groups. So sweet.

I have been Halloween-i-fying the house, and I haven't had a chance to make it to the Farmer's Market yet. To buy pumpkins, that is. My pal, Jeanna, and I made a quick stop there after Bible Study on Tuesday to grab some hay bales.

She bought pumpkins, but I knew that the wrath of Baby Giraffe would come down upon me if I picked out pumpkins without him. He gets his love of the pumpkin from his momma.

So we made a mad stop for hay bales... in her minivan. 2 moms, 1 baby, and 3 bales of hay in a minivan. Don't ask how we did it. Just try to imagine it in your mind.

When we got to her house, where my car was parked, I put my bale in the back of my car. And all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about a snake crawling out of that hay bale and slithering up to the driver's area with me. The fear was overwhelming me. You may know I have an intense hatred for all things snakey. It was so bad, I had to roll the windows down for fresh air, pray, and think happy thoughts to avoid a panic attack.

Please don't try to tell me it was irrational. I know someone personally who had a snake crawl out of her Fall Festival hay bale into her back seat.
I also grew up on a farm. My daddy still bales hay to this day... and I know what can get baled up in that hay. Might as well call them "snake bales." Gheesh. I'm getting the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

When I got home, I jerked that hay bale out of my car as fast as a middle-aged momma in wedge shoes can jerk a hay bale. (Those farm girl skills do pay off.) I tossed it on the front porch, poked my scarecrows down into it, and shivered all the way inside.

It's a long holiday weekend here for the boy and Dan/Daddy. We head out to the Farmers Market tomorrow AND the pumpkin patch on Monday.
Bring on the pumpkin love.

I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you about the lady that lives a few streets over from me. I see her around school time every morning, and she has tiny little stuffed pumpkins on the dash of her car. All lined up. LOTS of them.

I keep wondering... What happens when she has to slam on the brakes?
Now that's pumpkin love on a whole new level.

Tuesday and 10

If you want to... join in! Chelsea posts 10 questions and we all answer them. It's not rocket science.

I think these are pretty cute...

1. What keeps you up at night? (figuratively)
Not much. I like to sleep, and I rarely have trouble nodding off. Even if something is on my mind. Where I have a real problem is the waking in the middle of the night thing. THAT'S when I start thinking about all the stuff (real and imagined) that worries me. And then I can't go back to sleep.


2. What keeps you up at night? (literally)
Our black cat. She has loneliness/meowing/roaming around issues. And she is LOUD. Once she wakes me up, I start thinking about all that stuff.


3. Where do you want to go in life? (figuratively)
Wherever God needs me. Or wherever I can be used.


4. Where do you want to go in life? (literally)
To the couch for a nap.


5. Have you ever bit off more than you could chew? (figuratively)
Always. It's a bad habit of mine, but I am getting better at saying "no" the older I get.


6. Have you ever bit off more than you could chew? (literally)
Probably. I just can't remember a specific time. The thought of choking (me or someone around me) spooks me. Want to know something weird? When I was little, I can remember getting tired of chewing. I would chew something for a while, then spit it out. What a goofy kid. Maybe if I had kept that habit, I could drop a few pounds.


7. Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? (figuratively)
Never! Don't do it! Stay where you are and be grateful! Or, if it really stinks, make your side of the pasture a better place!


8. Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? (literally)
Um... Yes. My neighbor has doggies, so her yard gets a bit more fertilization than mine. And the ginormous trampoline shadow in my yard kills the grass below.


9. If you can’t stand the heat, do you get out of the kitchen? (figuratively)
Yes. I hate confrontation and arguments and people not getting along. I avoid it. A lot.


10. If you can’t stand the heat, do you get out of the kitchen? (literally)
Nope. Somebody has to feed the people that live here. We can't eat out every meal, though we may try. If it gets hot in my kitchen, I crank up the AC until the rest of the family is shivering.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!
And stay on your side of the fence.

Just a Question

When do you people out there clean your houses?
Before the weekend???
Or after it???
And WHY???

This has always perplexed me.
So I'm taking an unofficial survey...

(Maybe I'll think of 9 more questions and submit them to Mrs. Roots and Rings.)

Sometimes... Happiness is a Temperature

Dear October,
This girl is glad to see you.
You are a great month.
Full of scarecrows and hayrides and tiny candy bars.
You may not know it, October, but you saved my life this year.
I was on the verge of leaving my family for Antarctica.
It's almost like you heard my sad little cries for relief.
And came running in with this...


(Becase my cel phone takes rockin' awesome pictures, I will tell you that says, "65." As in, degrees.)

Cue music...
So haul out the cider, put up the giant fake spider before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the plastic pumpkins; I may be rushing things, but hang the leaf wreath again now...


Well. It doesn't exactly go the same, but you get my point.

Happy First Day of October, people.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

And yep. Now I'm singing the song.

Tuesday's 10 is going up late, people. I took Dan/Daddy for dental surgery today and typed 2 hours worth of PTO minutes. Jealous?


1. Growing up, what was one favorite item that you had to have with you at all times?
I don't think I took it with me everywhere... but I had a stuffed dog named Bingo. He was homemade. By my mom. You can't beat that.

2. Being an adult, what is one favorite item that you have to have with you at all times, and what happens if you do not have it with you? Do you lose your sanity or just go back home to get it?
After living through two deployments, I would have to say my phone. I hate feeling "chained" to it, but it becomes a habit you can't break. Now I get panicky if I can't find it. Even with Dan/Daddy home, I worry that the boy may need me at school and my phone is sitting on the counter. Plus I have a texting addiction.

3. Where is your favorite place to be to just hide away from everything and breathe for a moment?
Alone in my house. I said alone. It doesn't work if there are other people home with me.

4. What is your favorite thing about your partner? (If you don’t have a partner, then someone who is very close and will always be in your life)
He makes no excuses for what he believes. His faith is the most important thing to him. He's also very strong-willed. At times, this makes me want to choke the life out of him. But, as a whole, it makes him pretty driven and motivated.

5. What is your favorite thing about your job? (If you don’t have a job, then what is your favorite thing that you do during your day?)
My baby giraffe. He LOVES his Momma.



6. What is your favorite lesson that your parents taught you growing up? Looking back, is it something that you want to use to teach your children when they reach that age?
To respect everyone. Others may not look like you, they may not act like you, and you may not agree with them, but you MUST treat them kindly.
I hope and pray this is something we are teaching the boy.

7. What is your favorite song, that will always bring a smile to your face and make you think of something happy?
I can't choose. This is too hard.
If I have to pick... "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor. (I think Carole King wrote it, but I like to hear James Taylor sing it.)

8. What is your favorite thing about being an American? (If you're not American, what are you proud of in regards to your country)
Saying "freedom" used to feel fake. It doesn't anymore. Sadly, I've seen exactly what the cost of it really is.

9. What is your favorite meal that reminds you of being a child?
Baked pork chops with rice or chicken and dumplings. It's a tie.

10. Name 3 things that other people would say are their favorite thing about you.
I am a goofball.
I am fairly transparent.
I am a good secret keeper.