Carving Pumpkins

I do love carving pumpkins at Halloween!

Church Halloween Party

Saturday was our Halloween part at the church. McKaylie was a pink pirate. She insisted that it had to be pink. Actually that costume really fit her, a pirate-a boy thing, mixed in with a little girl-ness! Noah was also a pirate, but only wore about half of his actual costume. He rather that people just gave him candy and he didn't have to dress up for it. Myshel was a type of vampire-princess of darkness thing. Vance, well, I'm not sure that he was really dressed up, for awhile he was a gangsta' vampire pirate. He actaully looked pretty good, but I noticed as the night went on that he was wearing less and less of his costume. Apparently he had the same attitude as Noah! Here they are at home, before we left.

Myshel helping hand out candy in one of the rooms

Noah and being his best pirate-self
McKaylie

The kids had lots of fun, but didn't get much candy (I wasn't complaining) I'm a bah-humbug of Halloween. I'm always glad when it's over!

Noah's the Birthday Boy!

Yesterday was Noah's birthday! He's 5 years old now. I can't hardly believe that! How could my baby be 5 already!?!

He had a great day, filled with presents, cake and ice cream, and carving pumpkins! He asked us Saturday night if he could open one of his presents before we went to church (9AM) We told him that he could, but he'd have to be completely dressed for church, even his shoes. About 6AM he came in asking me to help him put his shirt on! He came back about 10 minutes later with his socks and shoes. I helped him put them on, told him to go wake everyone up and then he could open his presents. Since he was so good about getting dressed we let him open all of them. So, by 6:30 AM he had opened all of his presents and was ready for church! He spent the rest of his morning sitting on my bed playing with them.

Noah is just my super sweet, lover boy! He gives me hugs and kisses all the time and tells me that he loves me. He makes me laugh and brightens my day. He also makes me crazy and pushes his limits. It's exciting to see him grow and learn and change, but he breaks my heart too! He's my baby! Chad told me yesterday morning, that we're too young for our baby to be 5! I agree, but he'll always be my baby, even when he has has babies of his own!

Happy Birthday, Noah! We love you!

Mary Engelbreit Monday

It was not a laugh but merely a loud smile.

--Anonymous

Who wanted cupcakes anyway..................

Yesterday Noah and I made cupcakes. He kept telling me they were for Nutmeg's birthday, but really they were just because they sounded good. (I love Nutmeg and she is spoiled, but I don't buy her presents and make her cakes, that's a little extreme!) So, we mixed them up and baked the first batch. After I took them out, I put the potholder on the cupboard and filled the cupcake pan again for the last batch. When they were ready to come out Noah came with me to the kitchen---He always stands on the far side of the kitchen when I take things out of the oven---I picked up the potholder, and reached for the pan, but apparently I had laid the potholder down on a wet spot earlier and when I picked up the hot pan, the steam from that wet spot started to burn my fingers. It went something like this....................

*I let out a like yell and dropped the pan.
*All the cupcakes bounced out of the pan onto the bottom of the oven, some landing on the heating element.
*Noah's across the room yelling, "what did you do that for?"
*2 of my fingers are in serious pain and I know I need to get some ice
*the cupcakes on the heating element start to burn
*Noah's yelling, "you're ruining the cupcakes!"
*My fingers are burning, the cupcakes are burning and I'm trying to decide which to take care of first
*smoke starts billowing out of the oven, so I decide to deal with the cupcakes first
*Noah, jumping up and down---"you're starting a fire"
*I turned off the oven and used a wooden spoon to move/scrape the burned cupcakes off the heating element, that should at least stop the smoke
*My fingers (on my right hand) are still burning and I'm getting rather frustrated
*The cupcakes stop smoking, but my kitchen is now filled with smoke
*I turn on the fan and vent and open the kitchen windows and hope that the neighbors don't call the fire department when they smell smoke
*Noah stops jumping up and down and states, "I'm not eating those cupcakes! They're nasty", which when Noah says it sounds like na-he
*things are under control, but there are still cupcakes on the bottom of the oven
*We have an electric oven, so it takes quite awhile for it to cool down, so I'm a little worried that the cupcakes will continue to burn on the bottom of the oven.
*Noah, states flatly, "you can't just leave them there"
*He's getting s bit annoying, really
*I took my tongs and carefully plucked all those cupcakes out of the oven
*Got a small ice pack with a damp cloth for my fingers that still feel like they're on fire
*My kitchen is freezing cold because the windows are open, half the cupcakes are ruined and I have a blister on one of my fingers, but the house didn't burn down!

Yesterday evening I was showing my blister to Chad and explaining what had happened while Noah sat listening. When I was finished he came over and looked at my finger and said, "it's a pretty small blister, mom, and now we can't eat the cupcakes." Chad told him that when you burn yourself it hurts really bad. Noah kissed my finger and walked away. We could hear him mumbling, "it doesn't look like it hurts" on his way out of the room.

Tagged, and Tagged again!

I have been tagged by Marie and Deborah for the same tag. So, I guess I'd better do it. I'm suppose to tell 6 things about myself that most people wouldn't know and then tag 6 people and leave a comment on their blogs. Some of these might not be a big secret to most people who know me, but I'll list them anyway!

1--I don't like chocolate. I'm not allergic to it. It doesn't cause my migraines. I just don't think that it tastes good.........at all! I don't even like the smell of chocolate. M&M's are the worst. The smell of them almost makes me gag. It's weird, I know. I wasn't always this way, though. When I was younger I ate chocolate all the time, but as I've gotten older the less I like it, to the point now, where I don't like it at all. I never did like chocolate pudding, ice cream or milk, though. I remember Fridays were chocolate milk day at school and I never understand why everyone was so excited, because I didn't think it tasted good.

2--I would consider myself a private person. That might seem a little strange since I blog about my life, but I like my "business" to be my "business". I blog about the things that I want to blog about. I think, at times, some people don't quite understand that and it may come across in the wrong way, but it's just the way I am. I'm not comfortable telling all things to everybody. Does that make sense? I think that I get that from my from dad. He is also that way.

3--I'm not a big social person. (yeah, I know, some of you are laughing at the shock of it....not!) I'm ok being at home and doing my own thing. I don't think that makes me a loner or anything. I just don't feel like I have to be out doing something every day to make my life complete. I do like getting together with friends. I have some amazing friends that I have the best time with, but I don't feel like we have to be doing something all the time, either. I am so content hanging out with my family. Sitting at home on a Friday night with my hubby and kids watching a movie is perfect in my eyes. I'd take that over most other things, most of the time. And in the long run, that's good, because I'll be with my family forever.

4--I am not an over-scheduled person and never have been. That is to say, I don't have my kids in tons of activities that keep me running around all the time and I am not involved in a lot of activities that keep me running. We decide what we want to do the most and stick to a few activities. I don't think that my kids are suffering from not being in a million activities, either. Now, with 4 kids and a navy husband, that still keeps me very busy, sometimes busier than I want to be, but not busy like probably most people. I like to keep things much simpler, in fact, I don't think I could handle the stress that it would cause having tons of activities going on all the time. Can you say, Migraine?!

5--And speaking of migraines.......I get them, a lot, actually. I also get regular headaches, a lot. I joke that when the weather changes it gives me a headache. It isn't quite that bad, but I do get them a lot and just about anything can cause them. Most people would say, "oh, I have a headache today", I would usually be, "oh, I don't have a headache today". I've just learned to live with it for the most part. (and for you few who are thinking it, yes, my doctor knows)

6--I don't like to shop. I know that makes me weird. I don't know why I don't like it, I just don't. It's more of a chore than a treat.

Ok, I've spilled all my inner secrets (not really, but whatever) so now I get to tag 6 people.

Debbie
5 Too Many
Life Ticks On
Laurie
Katy
PJ

Happy Birthday to Nutmeg!

Today is Nutmeg's birthday!

I know it's kind of silly that I'm posting about Nutmeg's birthday, but McKaylie made me promise that I would. She said Nutmeg would be sad if I didn't. (she makes me laugh) So, here I am saying happy birthday to my dog. She is a member of our family, though. She wormed her way right into our hearts the moment we held her. Last December, Chad and I just happen to find a little pet store that had very few animals, mostly animal supplies. It was small and rather dirty and the smell of cigarette smoke made my eyes water. We were getting ready to leave when something in the back of the store caught Chad's eye. They had a litter of puppies, about 9 of them, all girls. We held one and they were so cute, but we left. A few days later, I admitted to Chad that I couldn't stop thinking about the puppies in that dirty place. He said, "yeah, me too." We decided that we'd go back and see if there were any left and just see how we felt, think about it for another day and if we still wanted one, we'd go back the next day and get one. That was the plan.

On the way there, Chad told me that the dog would be my Christmas present, if we got one.

We went and looked at the puppies and I held a couple of them, but didn't really want any. They were cute, but didn't grab my heart. I could have walked away. But then Chad said, "Cindy, here, hold this one".

That was it. I was done. I don't know what it was about her, but she had me. I told Chad that I couldn't leave her there that night; I wanted to take her home right then. He smiled and said, "Merry Christmas".

And she turned out to be the best Christmas present, ever!

She is a sheltie/basset hound mix, which is just kind of crazy.

When we brought her home, she weighed about 3 pounds and was just the cutest little thing ever. We got her the smallest tag we could find and it still looked huge on her. We also put a bell on her so we could tell where she was, because she had a way of sneaking up under your feet and you wouldn't know she was there and step on her.

She weighs about 18 pounds now and I don't think she'll get much bigger.

She used to sleep on the computer desk while I would blog. Now she sleeps at my feet while I blog.

We joke around about how we saved her from the pet store by bringing her home that day. Really, I think, that we were suppose to find her that day. She was in a little store that we never had gone in before even though we'd seen it a hundred times. That day we decided on a whim to go in and that's when we found her. She was ment to be with us.

She's so spoiled and she knows it, but we love her all the more!

Happy Birthday Nutmeg!

Nature Walk

Sunday was a beautiful day around here and Chad and I decided that after church we should go for a walk with all the family. Myshel wasn't all that interested in coming, but we drug her along with us anyway. I sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her, and after she told me that I scare her, her mood improved. She ended up taking tons of pictures as usual. Vance, McKaylie and Noah found a salamader which made their whole day. They did let it go before we went home (thank goodness) Chad and I just enjoyed the whole experience of being together and having our family together. It's so wonderful how removing all the outside influences of this world and just enjoying what the Lord has made can bring you peace and you can see a little more clearly what is important. None of us wanted to come home. It was a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Homemade Suckers.....

Last Friday Noah and I made homemade suckers. I haven't made them for a long time. He thought that he was so cool that we could actually make our own suckers. He was a great helper, too.
He loves adding ingredients (the stove's not on yet)

It's SOOO exciting!

Because they taste soooo good!
You can get the recipe here on my sister's website.

Evolution of Dance

This is hilarious!

Projects

I finally got blogger to let me post my pictures. This is the blouse I made for Myshel. It turned out very cute and she does wear it. That's why I stopped sewing for her, because she got too picky and after all my work wouldn't wear what I made.
This is the second church shirt I made for Noah. This one has Lightening McQueen and Mator on it. He has the vest on, too----nice red teeth, huh? ;o)
The back of the vest.
This is the shirt by itself, which is how he wore it to church Sunday. I don't know if he'll every wear the vest. Oh, well............

Mary Engelbreit Monday

Happiness is a direction, not a place.

***Sydney J. Harris

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Which Disney Princess Are You?
	You are Cinderella. You are hard-working and never complain, however, your trust is sometimes misplaced and people sometimes take advantage of you. Still, you are beautiful inside and out, and one day you will realize it and find true love.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

That's pretty funny, that I'm Cinderella!

Noah to the Dentist..............

Noah had a check up at the dentist this morning. It's not the first time he's been at the dentist. He's been twice before for cleanings/checkups and he's been great! He even let them take x-rays at his very first visit!

However, that was NOT the case today. He decided before we left that he didn't want to go today and he stuck to his guns. He wouldn't sit in the chair, not even with me. He wouldn't talk to anyone. He wouldn't look at anyone. He'd only let her clean his teeth with a regular toothbrush. He barely let her floss. He refused to do the fluoride treatment and he would only let the dentist look at his teeth if he got to sit on my lap while he checked them. There was no deals to be made with him.............I told him he wouldn't get the prize when we left unless he cooperated and he said that he didn't care. It was frustrating for me. He was absolutley determined that he wasn't going to do it and there was nothing I could do, short of pinning him down, screaming, and force him to cooperate. (I chose to spare us all that wonderful experience) Noah hasn't thrown this kind of a fit for a long time. I had hoped that he'd outgrown them. He's just so headstrong sometimes (that's a nice way of saying that he's stubborn---with a capital S!) They were very nice, though, and very patient with him, more patient than I was!

The dentist did tell me his teeth looked very good and the dental assistant told me that he has great spacing. That made me happy, at least!

When we left, I told Noah I wasn't happy about the way he acted and that I expected him to behave better than that next time because next time he have to do everything they said, no matter what. He just smiled and told me that next time he'd let them clean his teeth they way they wanted to. Grrrrrr Maybe next time, dad should take him!

It makes no sense!

In the last 13 years that Chad has been in the navy, I've spent a lot, I mean, A LOT, of nights alone. I've never really had a problem sleeping without Chad there. It's not that I wouldn't prefer that he were there, it's just that I was never one of those women who had trouble sleeping when their husbands were gone. I felt very blessed for that since Chad was gone alot. BUT (you knew that had to be coming, right) since our moved here to Maine, I've started having trouble sleeping when he's gone. This makes no sense to me. How can I be perfectly fine sleeping without him for years and then all of a sudden struggle with it. The frustrating part is, he's only gone when he has duty, which is about every 9-10 days, so it's only one night here and there. So, why am I having trouble sleeping with him gone now? I never have liked duty days, but now that I'm sleep deprieved because of them, I like them even less.

Autumn in Maine

Here are my fall pictures. They just didn't turn out as well as I hoped they would. They do not do the beauty of it all, justice. It's so wonderful around here, yellows, oranges, reds and browns everywhere mixed in with the green pine trees! I hope these at least give you a small idea of how wonderful this area is. How blessed are we!

We saw the deer on the navy base. He just stood there and watched us for a long time, let me take his picture and talke to him. It was so cool! We saw 3 other deer right off the road. They stood there and watched us, too, but the pictures Chad took were, huh, not so clear.