Very slowly, it's starting to happen . . .

I was starting to think that it wouldn't; but one day at a time, Autumn is finally returning.  The days are getting shorter, and earlier this week, a late night thunderstorm crept into town.   Today, seemed like an almost perfect Autumn day.  The skies were overcast with fluffy white clouds with ribbons of soft, dark grey below.  I went to the store this afternoon, and the side walks out front were cluttered with stacks of orange pumpkins and fall colored mums. All the stores are filling their isles with Halloween and Fall merchandise.  This evening, as I write this, it's down right chilly outside.  The leaves haven't even begun to turn, and the air is still lacking that crisp, leafy, fall scent; but I have hope now.  It will arrive soon enough.

All in all, today has been a good one.  Today is Baby Brooklyn's first Birthday.  For the past week, she's been learning to walk on her own. (without holding on to the furniture)  She's getting pretty good at it too.  Her mommy is hoping that she can show off her new skills at her birthday party on Saturday.

Jacob's 16th birthday is only six  days away, but he got his present today.  Over the summer he saved up $250.00 from working with Roy and Nick, and Roy and I added the rest of the money so that he could  buy a car from one of his friends.  We picked it up this evening.  I don't think I've ever seen him so excited and happy.  It doesn't even matter to him that he can't drive it until he gets insurance, tags, and takes his final driver's test next week.  He's just thrilled to know that he actually has a car !  I couldn't get a photo of it because it was already dark when we picked it up, but I'll try to post one soon.

September has become a busy month for birthdays around here.  Brooklyn on the second,  My other grand daughter, Ana on the sixth, then, Jake on the eighth.  If I can survive the first week of this month, I think I'll be alright - at least until Heather's birthday !  (November 11th)

Okay, it's late and I'm feeling sugared out and exhausted from birthday cake!
Good night all.

I haven't fallen off the edge of the Earth . . .

at least, not yet.  Although, lately, if I could find my way to the edge, I just might consider taking a dive.

I don't know what's up with this month, but I've been extra ordinarily busy lately.  My August calendar page is an absolute mess.  There are only a few days without appointments filled in and I've been using those days to try and get some prop work done.  Things have just been crazy around here! 

In fact, the only reason I've  actually found time to post, is because all this mad dashing about has  finally drained me.  Apparently, while I was trying to catch my second wind over the weekend, I managed to inhale a bit too much air.  (or at least the wrong kind.)  It seems that right now, Kansas is in the midst of a toxic ragweed season - UGH!  When I woke this morning, I knew that I'd been hit hard with the allergy stick.  Thankfully, I only had one appointment today.  I've spent the rest of my day in bed.  I just can't seem to get enough sleep lately.   In fact, I think that I'll be heading back there soon. 

I just wanted to check in and share yet another reason to be excited about October 31st.  (as if Halloween weren't enough !)  It seems that AMC has chosen Halloween as the date for the Walking Dead season premiere!  (click link to view 4 min. trailer )  I'm so excited !  If any one wants to buy me a gift,  I could REALLY use a DVD recorder.  Between AMC's The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad, I could put one to good use! :)

Okay, off to bed, then . . .  back to prop building !

Good night every one !

It's days like this . . .

that REALLY make me feel old.  Today is my oldest son's 25th birthday !   I just can't believe it !  It's reached the point that I feel older on THEIR birthdays, than I do on my own !  I can usually ignore the fact that I'm getting another year older because, I don't feel any different, it's just another day.  My birthday doesn't make me stop and recollect my milestones; but my kids . . .  that's another story.  As they grow up, I find myself reminded that they were just babies not so long ago.  Even though I have four of them (and four grand kids as well!)  I can remember when each of them first learned to crawl, to walk, their first words, their first day at school, and THAT is when I REALLY start to feel old - when I realise how quickly life just slips away. All morning, I've been struggling to believe that Nick is 25 years old today.  I honestly don't have any idea how that happened.
Of course, with Nick . . . it's just a little different.  Over the course of his 25 years, the two of us have been through so much together, so many traumatic events; well . . . today, I feel . . . ANCIENT !

If I could have just one birthday wish for my son, it would be that those difficult and traumatic events are all in his past.

Happy Birthday, Nick !!!!!

Everybody is talking . . .

about AMC's upcoming "Walking Dead" series due out in October.  You didn't know?  Well, it's all over the blogs!  I am really, super excited about the whole thing - I can't wait !  The thing is, it really is, ALL over the blogs.  It's almost too much.  I'm afraid that I'll be let down if I start psyching myself up so soon.  And, I'm not sure that I want to know every single, up to the second, detail. I just want it to be October . . . Now! 

Wait, no, that wouldn't be good . . .  Ugh, Okay, I want it to be October and for all my haunt work to be completed so that I can sit back and enjoy the series and the fruits of my labors.  There.  That's what I want !
It's not much to ask for . . . is it?

I always know that I'm in trouble . . .

when I hear an unusually sweet, and ridiculously innocent, voice calling to me, saying:
"Mommmmmyyy . . .  How much do you love me?" 
It's at times like that when I quickly glance around, hoping that it's just an audio hallucination; and when I realise that it's not, I have to quickly size up the odds of making a smooth and successful escape.  Unfortunately, in a house the size of mine, that's rarely a feasible option.  Instead, I'm usually obligated to respond.  Responding isn't the problem, it's what comes next. 
Inevitably, it's one of my children wanting . . . something.  Most likely, a ride somewhere, or permission to do, or go somewhere that I may have to veto, which will eventually lead to some sort of elaborate, drawn out, debate.

In short, a situation that's going to exact more of my time.  And that - time - seems to be the one thing that is always in short supply for me.  (Well . . . that, and money.)  As summer wears on, I'm quickly edging towards panic mode.  I am now looking at a mere 103 days before Halloween and I'm no where near where I should be in terms of completed haunt props.  Jenn keeps reminding me that I've accomplished so much more this year than last year.  Which is true, but last year, I wasn't changing themes.  I was just updating an old one.  I keep telling myself:
'Only one more month to go, then I'll have eight blessed hours a day to get things done.'  Of course, by then,  the Halloween countdown will be at  73 days !  I don't even want to think about what a basket case I'll be by then !!!!

Looks like I've survived another one . . .

Weekend, that is. Although things haven't worked out quite as planned.  The rains have returned and as much as try to enjoy it, (I used to love rainy days)  it's becoming harder and harder.  I'm finding that as I get older, anything more than a shower results in headaches and respitory issues.  (maybe I've developed an allergy to mold?)  All I know is that I started feeling sluggish yesterday, and spent most of last night struggling with body aches and coughing fits.  Today, with a stready down pour, has been worse.  I've lost my motivation and I just want to crawl back into bed.

So, not much to report here.  I feel I've been in such a daze, if anything did happen, I probably missed it entirely.  I think I'll just park myself on the couch with a blanket and wait for the sun.

I have to say . . .

I feel totally exhausted !   Didn't get enough sleep last night - I was up late with a bunch of fry brained teens watching Ferris Beuhler's Day Off.  Don't ask me why.  It's just one of those oldies that seem to suck you in.

You know, I think I have probably reached that mid-way point of Summer when I am ready for the kids to go back to school.  Things are just getting a little too weird.  My youngest daughter seems to have made the complete transformation into a "nocturnal creature,"  and now I can't find 5 minutes to myself.  Of course, the kids are just hitting their stride.  They never seem to run out of things to do, places to go, and ways to make me nuts.  I think the worst part of this summer is that the weather has just been so awful.  Either it's extreme heat, or it's pouring down rain.  My summer escapes of sneaking off to walk the dogs have been few and far between.   Being stuck inside with so many people is becoming claustrophobic.

I've spent most of my day gathering food supplies for the month of July.  Grocery day is always a work out.  A couple of days prior, Jenn and I work out a dinner menu for the month (which may, or may not, be adhered to)  and a shopping list.  I've finally gotten a little smarter and started saving some of our favorite meal plans on the computer so we don't have to rack our brains every month trying to come up with 30 different meals.    Then, on the specified day, it's off to the stores.  (We put it off this month until we were almost out of everything.)   Load hundreds of dollars of food stuffs off the shelf and into the cart.  Unload it at the check out.  We do as much shopping as possible at discount stores like Aldi's, so it's bag it all up and load it back into the carts. (This week, we had THREE carts full at Aldi's!)  Load it into the car, trying to find room for it all in Jenn's car isn't easy.  Unload it into the house - if we're lucky, we have help on that.  And finally, try to find a place to store it.  Then, we're off to a bigger store (someplace like Walmart or Hy-Vee) to get the remaining items that Aldi's might not stock, and do the whole thing all over again !!  All that food shopping and I didn't get a chance to eat anything until 10:30PM !!  By then, I was too exhausted to do cook anything, so I settled for a leftover salad and some cheese crescent rolls.

So yeah, I'm feeling like a zombie right now.  I think I'll shuffle off to bed.

Good night.