Tricky Treats

We had a "tricky treats" day today where people brought in Halloween (or fall) themed food (or beverage) items. Here are a few pictures. I brought in "acorns" and punch. Other highlights, I don't have pictures of, were "Poop Dip" and "Body Bit Dip". We also had the traditional faves like pumpkin bars, sugar cookies, cake and party mix. Yummy yummy all the way around!

Acorns
(doughnuts holes, top covered with chocolate
frosting, dipped in toffee bits, and half a
pretzel stick stuck in the middle)

Ghoul Brew
(the punch was just 1/2 gallon lime sherbet (any
flavor will work, we also had orange) and a 2 -
liter of Sprite. The hand was an ice mold. Take
a latex or clear kitchen glove, fill with water, freeze.
I added red food coloring so the hand looked
bloody. Just cut away the glove and put mold in
punch either standing up or floating. Oh, I also
dropped gummy bugs in there for floaties)

Tricky Treats cont.

Monster Toes

(crescent rolls wrapped around little smokies,

green food coloring and black olives for the

toe nails)

Snake

(cresant rolls rolled out, filled with meat and cheese,
shaped into a snake, basted with egg white mixed
with green food coloring - bake. If you look close
you can see it's olives for the eyes and a red pepper
for the tongue)

Hopefully he has learned his lesson...

Dallas is in the basement right now sicker than a dog and hopefully he has learned his lesson...

First of all, he has this friend who is very questionable as to whether Dallas should actually hang out with him. There have been times both his dad and I have said we aren't sure we want him hanging out with him. There also have been times when I do let him hang out with him, I've had to make them take a break from each other because I don't like the way Dallas starts to act around him.

Anyway, today is the only the 2nd time he has hung out with him since we moved back to our old neighborhood. They went to the mall like usual and on the walk home they stopped off at Walmart for a pop (or soda for those not from around here). Hours later, Dallas comes running in from being outside with said friend and our neighbor kid. I didn't hear him go back out but I also didn't hear them tooling around in the basement so I figured I missed him go back out. I was in the kitchen making something to eat and when I came out to the couch to sit down, Dallas was laying on the couch looking hurt.

I asked him what happened and he said nothing. I asked, "then what are you doing?" (couldn't figure it out because the friend was still outside), he said his stomach hurt. I asked him if someone had punched him or something and he said no. He said something about the chips they took outside being stale.

They very well could have been but Jace had eaten them earlier in the day and he wasn't sick. Stale chips taste bad and you may want to puke, but generally they don't actually make you sick.

After a little bit the friend came in to check on Dallas. I asked him what happened and he said he didn't know. Within a few mintues I heard him say "see ya" to Dallas and he left. I figured he had called for a ride thinking why spend the night if Dallas was sick. But my mother's intuition was setting in. Like I said, I know it was not the chips making him sick. I went down and demanded to know if he had smoked or drank anything when they were outside and he swore no.

Dallas will alway try to come up with what he thinks is a plausible scenario for what might have happened rather than take responsibility for what actually happened. But he doesn't realize who he is dealing with and that I spent 3 years hearing the biggest whoppers in the book from the person who wrote the book on lying to me, so I can smell a lie coming out of Dallas' mouth before he even thinks up the lie. Plus he has "tells"...you know...little give aways that you are lying. Supposedly every one has them. Dallas' tells are:

1) he first claims he has no idea. The "I don't know" defense that pierces the brain of every parent because you know that there is no way in H they cannot know.

2) go with the most outrageous plot to deflect even the slightest suspicion off yourself. I'll call this the "Subway was robbed" defense in memory of one of the biggest whoppers his dad ever told me to explain why he wasn't home when he probably should have been. The theory, I guess, being that if you are going to lie, lie big!

3) this isn't really a "tell" but rather a stage... confession...it's good for the soul you know. Ahh but Dallas will hold out his confession 'til the cows come home. We'll call this the "that's my story and I'm sticking to it" defense. He once stuck by his story so much that he was hiding under his bedding pouting, "no one ever believes me" and "why don't you ever think Brendon does anything" - blah blah blah. He had stuck to his story so long and put on such a show that he couldn't bring himself to actually say the words that he had done it so he had to put his confession in writing.

So, we already had tell # 1 in the "nothing happened" and the friend not knowing what happened and the denial that he had done this to himself. Then came tell #2. Again, I knew this was not just bad potato chips. As I pushed for the truth (and threatened to call his dad if I didn't get it), here it came...

Dallas: "the only thing I can think of is when I was slamming myself against a tree".

Me: "Why were you slamming yourself against a tree?"

Dallas: "I don't know (nice revisit to tell #1), but it was right after I ate the chips and I was already feeling full".

See what I mean about outrageous? Oh he is good. But I wasn't buying it for a second. That's the problem with outrageous... anyone with half a brain can figure it out. And I don't mean to brag but I'd like to think I've got at least 3/4 of a brain.

I left him to his pain. Pretty soon I heard him praying to the porcelein God in the basement bathroom - giving an "offering" so to speak. I kept letting him stew (no visual pun intended) and pretty soon we arrived at stage 3. Dallas called up asking me to come down there. When I did, this is what he said...

Dallas: "I don't think I should hang out with _ _ _ _ anymore."

Me: (knowing this was confession time but really leery of what I was going to hear given that intro) "why?".

Dallas: "well, we were feeling tired and wanted to stay up so we took these caffeine pills _ _ _ _ bought and then we both starting feeling sick so I don't think I'm going to hang out with him for awhile".

Hardy Har Har - silly boy actually thinks he has a choice in the matter. Like that already wasn't going to be a stipulation after what he just told me.

So, I tried to get the name of the pills so I could look them up on the internet and see what the side effects are and stuff. All he could remember was they were called "Jet ..." something and the box was blue and yellow. When they stopped at Walmart for that pop (soda), _ _ _ _ bought them then. During the inquisition he started crying so then I had to tell him to calm down. That getting upset what just going to make his stomach muscles cramp and make things worse. I asked if he was crying because he was in so much pain or because he was afraid he was in trouble. He winched "BOTH". I said, "well there will be a reprimand but the important thing right now is for you to feel better.". I told him to stretch out in bed, with a fluffy pillow and warm blanket and relax.

I couldn't find the specific pill online but a lot of them mentioned that each tablet is 200 mg and he said they had each taken (2). Then I remembered I've taked NoDoz before when working late nights and those are 200 mg each and the adult dose is one tablet in at least a 6 hr period I believe. They had taken twice that.

I went back down and told him I hadn't really found anything but he basically had too much caffeine. I also explained though that I did read that it can be extremely dangerous and asked him if he had learned his lesson about taking pills he doesn't know anything about. He says yes and I truly hope that is true. It could really have been worse. It could have been pills someone gave them rather than something bought over-the-counter. Not minimizing the seriousness at all.

Last I checked on him, his stomach was feeling better. We'll see how he feels tomorrow. Might feel like a hangover - who knows.

Starting to wonder how our parents survived us but makes me certain if they could, I can.

STATE CHAMPS!!

The 8th grade boys cross country team (of which Brendon is a part of) won state this passed weekend. YEAH TEAM! Brendon did not place in one of the top 7 from his school that count toward the team score but he IS on the team and that counts. I'd say he is having a pretty good year since his baseball team was also state runner up this summer.

Is bragging one of the seven deadly sins? I can't help it, I'm a mom!

I don't have a picture of the team with their trophy (I'm hoping someone will e-mail me one) but check out this map of the 2-mile course they ran. Makes me tired just looking at it. The parts that loop down below the parking lot on the map were hills, pretty steep ones at that. There was also a part were they ran through the woods. So I was told anyway...I didn't actually run from check point to check point like some people do. Cross country is new to me so I'm not quite sure how to be a spectator yet! HA.

It may not be the best plan...

We have an e-mail alert system at our school to send e-mails to parents when school will be delayed, cancelled or let out early for any reason. I don't know if other area schools have always had this but this morning on the radio they were taking about the major city schools getting an e-mail alert system so parents can get e-mails when classes are cancelled. They said it also would be helpful to staff members or "anyone" who would like to sign up. I immediatedly thought, "yeah, like any pedophille who then can find out when kids will be home alone". Might not have been the best plan there.

Born to be a star...

Just in case there was any doubt that Jace was born to be a star, here the proof in written in the stars. A picture is worth a 1,000 words.

These are the stickers we used for potty training. First he and Brendon decided to use them to write Jace's name on his bedroom wall, then they decided Jace's face was a better place.

And these I can't even explain but they crack me the H up. Jace is a never ending source of laughter in our house.

Introducing...

Brynn Michelle...born Oct. 7th, 8 lbs 14 oz, 22 1/2 inches. Big, healthy beautiful baby girl.

And this makes 3 generations...below is first time great-grandma, Twila...with her first born grandchild, Justin, and his first born. Man, too bad my brother hadn't been there to complete the circle. Justin is my brother, Roger's, first born too. Isn't life grand?!!

the monitor saga continues...

I ended up shipping back that new monitor from my business trip last week. Decided not to defy Murphy's Law and try to get it back on my own. Well, it took my boss (the next step up boss) all of about 10 minutes after it arrived at PMX to have it hooked up to his computer in his office. Today he is out of the office, so I decided to pull a switcharoo. I kidnapped the new monitor and hooked up my old, dingy grey big 'ole boat anchor monitor in his office. Complete with all my sticky notes stuck to it, my prize pictures of a shirtless Marky Mark back in his rapping/Calvin Klein model days, my shelf that wraps around my monitor with stuffed animals...a white bear with a pink hat, an AFLAC duck and cow..., my wedding picture, a pair of troll doll earrings, a little Precious Moments type figurine bending over showing her bloomers that says "a little behind", my Magic 8 ball. All of it is on his desk now and I have the clean, crisp, where's the popcorn this screen is like the movies monitor on mine. So far everyone in accounting seems to like my decorating job. HA. I also shook the Magic 8 ball until it said "Don't Count on It" and put a sticky note on it asking..."will Brent ever get his monitor back?". When you lift the sticky note it says, "Don't Count on It". Of course I could be setting myself up to see that 8 ball back on my desk with the same saying at raise time. It wasn't me...it was Lola...my evil twin!

I'm a great Aunt...

I don't mean an awesome aunt...although that may be true...today I became a great Aunt (again). My nephew, Justin, and his girlfriend, Amber, became proud parents at 8:30 am this morning (10/07/07) of an 8 lb baby girl...Brynn Michelle.

How exciting especially for my brother, first time grandpa, and my mom, first time great-grandma. I am very happy for all of them. Will post a pic if I get one later today when we visit.

best Chinese fortune cookie proverb ever...

We had chinese Friday for lunch like we do almost every Friday and this time the person who picks it up also got us fortune cookies. Mine said... "IF YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT IT". Haha! Of course once you add the obligatory "IN BED" to the end of the fortune it gets even better. HA. I said, "wow and I didn't think I had plan this weekend...guess I do now!" HA.

Yet I sit at my computer finishing off a pumpkin shake from Culver's and will probably be taking my second nap anytime now. I got fatigue and I'm flaunting it baby...in bed!

it could only happen to me...

Recently when conversing with friends, it was said "it could only happen to so and so". Well, meet the next "so and so". Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...(trip...as in fall...hmmm...interesting)...Christine, you may want to stop reading because it involves injury to a laptop which will send you running to hug yours the way any mother would when hearing children in peril stories...

So, early this morning I left for Charlotte, North Carolina on a business trip. This would not be the fun get away other trips have been where I go somewhere that I actually know someone and actually get to see more of the town I'm in that the hotel, the training site and the airport. No, due to the last minute rescheduling, I am going to training at the same time we have to process a payroll so I graciously agreed to hold up in my hotel room and pull all nighters when not in training to do the payroll. I got all the instructions on how to get logged in anticipating any possible connection problems and the laptop in question was placed in my care via a heavy, protective breifcase looking case (there are keywords in that sentence that will be important like "protective" for one).

Every thing was going fine...my flights went off without a hitch...neither of them too long...the connection in Atlanta went smoothly despite never having flown through there. My only complaint would have been that my carry on bag was so heavy because I decided to skip the laptop case and stick it in my own carry on (which is an oversized back pack really) so that I could also carry other typical carry on items...a change of clothes and hair essentials and sometimes a 2nd pair of shoes all in case your regular luggage gets lost. So, I was set...I only had one carry on instead of two, no travel snafus, life was good.

I really blame the ground transportation attendant (the bitch that she was) at the Charlotte/ Douglas airport for swinging the tide against me. She totally played me for a fool. It appeared as though you needed to talk to the attendant before getting a cab 'cept I couldn't see an opeing in her plexiglass fortress to speak through. I looked at her with longing eyes, "help me" my eyes cried. She pointed to the other side of the booth. "Oh, the window must be over here...how ever did I miss that", I asked myself. Alas no window but there was a handle. "Oh", I again told myself, "you must pull on this and a slot will open". No...the entire side of the booth opened exposing the wench for all to see. I kindly said, "I need a cab to Comfort Suites on University". The troll once again pointed, this time to a line that had seemed to form during our little dance of deception. "Oh"...you guessed it, I said to myself..."this line is for cabs going to my hotel. Why didn't I notice that before?". Ahhhh but no...this was yet another twist in this master tango she as teaching me. Stand in line and take the next cab that pulls into line! GOT IT!! Thank you so much for your help. Can't wait to come your way again. You KNOW they do that shit on purpose. She probably called all the other troll booth attendants laughing or told them back at the bat cave. BEOTCH!

So then I get a cab driver who doesn't know where he is going and $38.00 later (I don't know how many miles that is...once it hit $20.00 my mind went numb) I made it to my hotel.

So, then I'm checking into the suites (another keyword that will be important)...all and all still a good trip so far. And then it happened...my carry on bag that I had deemed to be obviously better than the protective case given to me proved to be too top heavy for sitting unattended on top of my other suitcase and then plummetted a good two feet to the ground! Remember that word protective and how I was not using the protective case (protection...always use protection)? Do you think laptop survived? Sort of. It's now paralyzed from the neck up. Ironically a labtop's brain is in the lower 1/2 (must be male) so I was lucky...it was not brain dead. It was just blind. The monitor was dead. I don't know if a white light came to guide it to heaven or not...I wish I had seen something like that, maybe it could have guided me through the two days worth of work I brought the laptop for.

There I was alone in the darkness. The abyss if you will (fave movie reference). I prayed to the computer gods that the next time I open the laptop "let there be light". I sat on my hotel bed opening and shuting the laptop like I was trying to catch the fridgerator light - if only I were fast enough (you know you've done it). Still nothing...did you know there probably aren't really any computer gods?

Not wanting to admit defeat...and by that I mean not wanting to call my company and confess..I called a local computer repair place. Because of course I would be able to hop into another $40 cab, get a new screen thingy and no one would be the wiser ('til I turned the bill in on my expense report that is. I wonder if I could put that under Entertainment..you're entertained so far aren't you?). The Geek Squad are the ones that diagnosed the laptop with the non-brain-deadedness..and that if I put the laptop on live support I should be able to get to my info. So, I went downstairs to the support center...I mean business center but I use the term loosely because it amounted to all of one computer for all guests to use. It was much like being sent to a county hospital because we had no insurance. I plugged their monitor into the laptop and there was sight again. Ahh, but this was only temporary and I didn't know if other patients would come in needing support or how long the visiting hours were.

After stablizing the patient, I finally contacted it's family (our IS dept) then waited with my own demerol drip for the impending doom...I mean response. I begged them for forgiveness and to tell me that all I had to do was just snap my fingers three times, turn a half circle to the right, hop on my left foot, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 and viola – it would be well again. The phone rang...it was his mommy. She wanted me to try twisting it's head a little and see if that helped. And I thought I was rough on the poor lad. But that treatment did not revive the patient. So, she told me someone (my boss, not my regular boss, but next step up boss) was brokering an online adoption of a new monitor. Ater the money was exchanged and the adoption papers faxed to me, I could hop in a cab and go pick up the 19 " newborn at Best Buy.

The newborn is working out fine. No sibling rivalry yet. The kicker is though I am left with the lofty task of getting both children home...er..ah...safely. Do you think the laptop will get a complex wrapped in dirty laundry stowed away in the luggage compartment whilst I cradle the newborn on my lab in the cabin of the plane? It's not like we'll be in first class.

First class...reminds me...suites...the Comfort Suites...should be all the comforts of home right?! Oh wait...I don't have a chauffuer or room service at home either and end up having pizza delivered too so nevermind - what was I thinking?!