Happy Halloween!

Meet Mary Katherine Gallagher, the Brawny Paper Towel Man, Happy the Clown, and her sidekick Crappy......


What's Halloween without a costume party?

And how about spending about $80 less on an outfit this year..........I mean Madonna was fun.......


But I spent more on Mary's glasses than I did on the skirt, shirt, and socks combined!

Superstar!

Weekend Escape

I was able to dodge the rain and gray skies at home. The weather in St. Louis was perfect......sunny and warm!

It started out a little rough though. Our hotel booked us in an occupied room.

That. Was. Awkward.

And probably pretty scary for the people in the room who were asleep when we attempted to open the door. Luckily, the chain latch kept us from opening it completely. Too bad it's really loud when you fling a door open into a closed latch. Those poor people.

Then, since our room wasn't so vacant, and the second room they gave us wouldn't open with even the master key, we ended up in a smoking room. The only room left in the place.

Third room's a charm? Uh, not so much.

We. Wanted. To. Die.

But it was 3 a.m. and we were super tired. We made it through the night and switched rooms the next morning. From there, the weekend improved greatly.

I got to:

• watch the Tiger Pride Marching Band perform at the Greater St. Louis Marching Festival.

• see my girls after they performed.

• SHOP AT THE GALLERIA! I got the cutest dress and belt.........

Thank you, Nancy! ;)

• eat at California Pizza Kitchen (and have free dessert).

• watch the mister perform the Star Spangled Banner at the marching competition.

• enjoy the beautiful fall scenery on the drive home.

• take lots of Arch pictures.

I'm not sure why, but every time I see the
Arch, my hands just gravitate toward my camera.
It's like this unexplained force. I have to.

Is there a cure for this?

Cute Dog, Skanky Carpet

Sir Chester has the cutest habit. He recently started to nuzzle his leash when he wants a walk......


I know! I know!

You are so overcome by the unsightly, skanky carpet that you can't really appreciate Sir Chester's cuteness.

I'm so sorry. It bums me out too. But never fear!

Hardwood flooring has been purchased.....


That is bamboo actually. Bob the builder is going to install it. It's going in the front living room, right off the kitchen.

This project was high on my priority list when I bought my 1967 time capsule, so I'm thrilled the materials are sitting in my garage ready to go. I hope to have it finished before the holidays. Maybe I could host Thanksgiving or Christmas this year!?!?!?

On second thought, do I really want to?

Forget I mentioned that.

Same Wavelength

A few of my favorite girls were meeting at my house this weekend for an outing, so I wanted to re-fallify my porch for them.......


My porch brings me great joy now.

More joy was had when all the girls showed up and we discovered each one of us had accessorized with a scarf......


That's hot!

Four Things

Thing #1: On the way home after an errand tonight, I was thrilled to spot Taco Wagon II and immediately wanted some of their tasty vittles for dindin.

So I batted my eyelashes at the mister and asked if we could eat there, pretty please.

Then he sort of confessed to sneaking it behind my back for lunch today.

Really?

I could barely drag him there the first time. He was very much against the Taco Wagon.

And now he's sneaking it for lunch?

And this isn't the first time, he claims.

I see how it is.

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Thing #2: This is quite possibly the best pencil sharpener I've ever seen.......


The pencil goes in the nostril.

I wish I'd thought of that.

Thank goodness for school book fairs that sell trinkets. Unfortunately, there was only one for sale (by accident) and one of my students snapped it up before I could.

I wish I'd been able to purchase a few. Or five.

Who wouldn't want to find one in their stocking on Christmas morn?

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Thing #3: On a recent antiquing jaunt, I found this........

I found it at a new shop in town. I fell in love with the place.......Relics.

I loved my purchase. The mister wasn't as excited. It was made clear, that in no uncertain terms, the mister would not be using it for anything.

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Thing #4: I was on a mission after school today.

To find part of my Halloween costume.

At a thrift store.

I had a feeling that I'd find just what I needed there. And I was right.........


The Red Rack had a plethora of circa 1990's era pleated, plaid skirts. That little number was only $1.44.

Now who does this force you to conjure up in your mind?

Think SNL.

Guess who?????

Love & Hate

Love:

1. Cowboy Grillers


These babies are cheap, tasty, and easy to grill up!

Dillon's, my friends, Dillon's.

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2. Clinique Bonus Time


I love me some sort of free makeup. If it's not MAC, it's Clinique. And I just can't refuse a free bag, mascara, eyeshadow compact, and lipstick (in my favorite color).

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3. Walking Sir Chester


He's getting the hang of it. Mostly.

I really enjoy walking around the neighborhood on these perfect fall evenings.

Until this week.

Which leads me to the "hate" part.

Well, now, hate is a strong word. I should reserve that for how I feel about cole slaw and bananas.

And spiders.

Let's downgrade it to "dislike" instead.

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Dislike:

While on a walk this week, I struck up a conversation with a neighbor down the way that I'd never even seen. A teenage girl. I liked her dog. I inquired about the breed (Pomeranian and rat terrier mixes are super cute).

And then we continued on our merry way.

End of story.

Or so I thought.

Not thirty minutes later, our doorbell rings.

Guess who is standing on our front porch.....crying hysterically.......mascara running down her face?

Yes, our friend from about ten doors down with a Pomeranian/rat terrier mix.

How did she know where to find us? We'd never seen her before. Was this some scheme? Did she watch us walk home from all the way down the street?

She needs a phone. Mom upset her. She wants to call a friend to come to her rescue.

Oh. Great.

Ohhhhh. Great.

And although that's not the end of the story, that's where I'll stop.

The moral of the story is: don't talk to strangers.

Even if you like their dog.

Domestic Escapade

After seeing a recipe on a friend's blog recently, I knew I had to make a batch of these muffins myself.....

I love all things pumpkin.

And cream cheese.

So combining the two?

Rill tasty.

This will be a great departure from my normal breakfast of peanut butter and bananas (that I scrunch my face up at every single day when I choke it down and almost gag ~ like I'm being forced to eat cole slaw and liver at the same time).

Thank you again, Amanda!

What time is it?

I am pretty sure that I will never find, in all the land, another watch quite as magnificent as this one.


The jaw opens to reveal the time. And it closes too.

One of my kiddos at school wears this watch almost daily. When I asked to photograph it, he tried to give it to me.

I love fourth graders.