Happy Halloween!!!

I love decorating for Halloween. I went all out last year and had big plans for this year, but between traveling the weekend before and moving the weekend after, it just didn't happen. I have three pumpkins...but none of them are carved into jack-o-lanterns. I got lots of "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" from kids and parents last year, and I feel like I'm letting them down this year. Hopefully the For Sale sign in the yard gives me the excuse I need for being such a disappoinment.

Here are pictures from last year. What they don't show is that I also had fog from dry ice on the front porch. Yeah, it was pretty cool.


































































Do you see the skeleton hand in the flowers? I even had a flashlight shining on that so it was all spooky looking. And please note how the vinca growing in the sidewalk is thriving at the end of October. I can't get my hydrangeas to bloom, but I can grow vinca out of cement. Go figure.

Our weekend in Anderson

The McHusband and I went down to Anderson, SC on Saturday to meet Chase for the first time. We wish we could've gotten down there sooner to meet our first nephew, but I think it worked out for the best in the end. Kevin and Jenny had Chase a little more figured out so they weren't stressed even more by us being there, and I felt like I was able to help as much as possible. I was happy to participate in feedings, burping, diaper changes, and holding him just so he'd sleep (that last part was my favorite). I even seemed to have a magic touch Saturday and Sunday nights with putting Chase in his crib and him staying asleep until the next feeding time, which the McHusband and I were lucky enough to sleep through.

Here's the McHusband (wearing Kevin's clothes because they washed cars) with a happy Chase.

Awww, what a sweet picture of Chase and his Uncle McHusband.

And proud Aunt Stephie with Chase in his "Boo" bib. Try saying that out loud over the phone like the McHusband did to his mom Sunday morning. She was understandably confused and we ended up suggesting that the McHusband say "Halloween bib" instead. Much better.

On Sunday, we went to church, to Cracker Barrel for brunch, then home for naps, then to Callaham Orchard for the pumpkin patch and ice cream. While there, we:

• sacrificed Chase to a witch
• milked a cow
• got up close and personal with some deer

First, the sacrifice:

And here I am with my cow. Luckily, she was very cooperative.

It was amazing how close the deer would let us get to them.

Okay, I have a confession. The McHusband took some pictures through the fence so you can't see the wires in some of the pictures. Here's one that shows how things really were:

Let that be an important lesson to all of you - you can't believe everything you see on the internet. Although I won't make it a habit to use trick photography in this blog, I promise. Unless it's used to make me look 5 pounds thinner, then there are no limits to the amount of trick photography I'll employ. Hey, I'm just trying to be honest. And promise to not look too surprised if you see me in real life, and I look a little different than I do in the blog pictures, okay?

And now for the pumpkin we picked to go home with us:

Too cute, right? I made a sign to go in some of the pictures so Kevin and Jenny could look back and know exactly when the picture were taken.

And last but not least, an adorable family picture. Here are all the pictures from our trip.

FRIDAY!!!

As if it being Friday isn't enough to celebrate, today's also my half-birthday. Feel free to send gifts. Or cake. Cake's good, too.

The McHusband's deep into the second half of his big test right now. His plan was to get Bojangles for breakfast on the way in. That's brain food, right?

We're heading to Charlotte this evening and spending the night with the McInlaws. Then we'll leave the dogs with them and head to Anderson, SC to meet Chase for the first time and just enjoy visiting with Kevin and Jenny. I've heard that we're going to a pumpkin patch on Sunday so that should be fun and I know there'll be lots of photo ops so watch out cuz I have a feeling that I'll be sharing a lot of those pictures next week.

Speaking of next week... If everything goes as planned, then the big move should happen next weekend. We'll use the weekdays after work to pack boxes and move the little stuff over to the new house, and then we'll be recruiting our able-bodied-if-not-willing friends to assist with the fun stuff - moving the furniture.

I don't like posts without pictures so in honor of my earlier one about Bussey's Chicken and Waffles, here's a comic strip that I came across the day after that post:







Maybe Frank and Bussey need to go into business together...

That's all I've got for now. Have a good weekend!

Three Years of Wedded Bliss

Yup, the McHusband and I celebrated our three-year anniversary on Tuesday. We've actually been together for about 12 years as of October 27th, but I've only been an honest woman for the past three so that's the anniversary we celebrate now.

When I got home from work on Tuesday, this is what I found waiting for me:



















And here we are on our way out to dinner:














We went to The Big Easy for dinner. We had a coupon and had to spend a certain amount of money in order to use it so we had an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert. Our appetizer was probably the best thing we ate - crab stuffed poppers. Yum!

And, in the spirit of that restaurant, I think this sign-off is more than appropriate:

As they say in New Orleans, bayou!

Come on, say it out loud. Funny, right? :) I wish I could take credit for it, but I heard it on Life on Mars, a new show on ABC that's really good.

Two things...

The first thing: On my drive in this morning, I was behind one of those new Jeeps and there was an interesting bumper sticker on the back. It said "I am speeding cause I have to poop" and then there was a squiggly pile of poop with little marks above it to indicate that it was stinky. Who puts something like that on the back of their car? Good thing the guy wasn't in Cary. I'm pretty sure he'd get pulled over and ticketed for something so un-Carylike. Sure, the book says everyone poops, but they don't talk about it in Cary.

And # 2 (sorry, I had to) is about a new restaurant here in Raleigh. Have you ever sat in IHOP eating pancakes covered in Boysenberry Syrup or a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whip cream (and unnaturally red Strawberry Syrup, of course) and thought, "What would be really good right now is some fried chicken"?

Yeah, me neither.

But someone has becuase there's a new restaurant called Bussey's Chicken and Waffles opening up. Maybe I shouldn't knock it before I try it. I mean, fried chicken and mashed potatoes might go really well with a side of waffles and syrup. It'd be kinda like having your dinner and dessert all in one meal.

Personally, I prefer to keep my dessert separate.

Meeting Baby Owen

I went to Statesville on Sunday and spent the afternoon with Shannon, Owen, my mom, Bri, and Lyla. It was a very nice day and it was wonderful to have my arms full of either Owen or Lyla pretty much the whole time I was there. It's great to be the aunt - everyone just hands the baby over, but I get to give the baby back if he/she gets too fussy. Which of course rarely happens because I'm getting pretty good at this aunt thing. I've had a lot of practice this year, that's for sure.

Shannon and Owen














A close-up














The proud aunts














The proud grandma with both her beautiful grandbabies














Shannon's dog Bailey needed to get in on some of the lovin'














And here's a picture of the three of us with the babies. I think this one might have to go on the fridge.

Wal-Mart Meet and Greet

We adopted Morgan from the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL) in September 2004. She was 15 weeks old.




















Since then, we (well, me more than the McHusband) have been volunteers for the rescue. We have fostered three danes who all went on to get adopted by wonderful families, and I try to attend area events as often as possible. This past weekend, I took both Morgan and Tucker up to the new Wal-Mart in Holly Springs for a Meet and Greet. There were 14 danes at the event, which is unheard of, so we had to document the momentous occasion.











That's me in the purple toward the middle. Morgan refused to face the camera and Tucker had his nose attached to hers. I did the home checks for both families to the left of me. They both adopted danes, and one of them became a foster family.

Oh, and I'm glad the picture's so small. Let's just say that Tucker had the wrong idea. He thought he was in the kind of picture that would, well, put him through college. You know, the kind where the photographer says, "Don't worry, honey, I promise that these'll be very tasteful."

I came across a funny picture of Morgan while looking for the one of her as a puppy. She was staying with our friends Leigh and Mickey, who have two Boston Terriers named Duke and Daisy. You'd think the size difference would be an issue, but they are best friends. Actually, there is an issue with their size - their dog beds just aren't big enough.














But don't tell Morgan that.