Too Much Halloween

Too Much Halloween
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I think this picture speaks for itself.

Trick or Treat

Tonight, I went trick or treating for the first time in many many years. We took the Peanut over to Swiss Ave, where all the bazillionaires go all out with lights and decorations and dry ice and you name it. We went early, but by the time we left, it was packed. I have heard that the people there spend a thousand dollars just on candy. It is really cool for the older kids. Daphne will love it when she gets bigger. This year, we just took her up to a few houses and let her practice for next year. Above, Kev is taking her up to the first house. Her first treat was a Kit Kat. Here she is below, making the discovery:


In that last frame there, she is desperately saying "open open open." We let her have some. What the heck.

Anyway, it was fun, but I am glad Halloween is finally over. It seems like it's been going on and on for weeks. The only thing I'm sorta sad about is that I won't get to hear Moose A. Moose on Noggin' sing "I Don't Like Candy Corn" any more. Oh well. I'm sure he'll have a turkey song or something starting tomorrow.

Virtual Pumpkin

For those of you who don't like messy pumpkin guts:

Carve your virtual pumpkin here.

Thanks Darlene!

Bonus: When you finish your pumpkin and hit "done" they light up your pumpkin and play owl sounds.

Halloween Talk

Good Halloween Candy:
Fun-size chocolate candy bars with no coconut, m-n-m's.

Lame Halloween Candy:
Candy corn, Circus Peanuts, anything "healthy," Tootsie rolls.

Coolest costume I remember wearing: Ace Frehley from KISS - 4th or 5th grade.

Lamest costume I remember wearing: I drew a picture of Steven Tyler's face on a paper plate and wore it on my head. I was about 20.

Do people still bob for apples? That is so gross.

I like the Great Pumpkin a lot, but they say "stupid" way too much. And the whole thing with the rocks is depressing. I wonder what Charlie Brown is like as an adult after all that.

Someone needs to write a really good Halloween song. Monster Mash is pretty tired.

Happy Halloween!

Last night, I decided to start a Night-before-Halloween tradition for our little family, so while Kev took the Peanut to the park, I hollowed out one of our pumpkins, and when they got home, Kev carved it while we watched (while I held a very squirmy baby). Due to mosquitos, we had to do this inside the house on the subbysub tablecloth, but that was OK. After the pumpkin lighting ceremony, which we held on the porch in spite of the "bad bugs," we ate dinner in the TV room and watched the Great Pumpkin. Daphne loved Snoopy, and got upset when he cried during Schroeder's paino medley. I think the whole thing will be more fun and less exhausting next year, but I wanted the Peanut to sort of "get it" since we are taking her out tonight to a few houses in the neighborhood. She can say "trick or treat" but I have a feeling she won't say it at people's doors. She tends to clam up in situations like that. She does most of her talking while I'm trying to cook dinner: "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, up we go, up we go, play with you, play with you, mommy, mommy, dink-a-water pwease...uh-oh, POOPIN'!" I hope she doesn't announce that to any of our neighbors tonight! Anyway, I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween, whatever you do. And enjoy the last day of the very best month of the year.

Monster Mash

Today was the Halloween party in the Peanut's regular music class. So far, she only has one big dance move. This is it.

Stopping to Smell the Flowers

Stopping to Smell the Flowers
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Our trip to the Arboretum was pretty much a success. It was really crowded because there was a children's concert going on...a guy named David Chicken...which we watched for a few minutes. I let Daphne walka walka walka for a little while, but we mostly strolled around. It was a very pleasant morning. Aaaaaaaaahhhh.

Fall Flowers

Fall Flowers
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Everyone else at the Arboretum was at the pumpkin patch or the David Chicken concert, so Daphne and I enjoyed some peace and quiet in the gardens.

Peanut Party Trick

Daphne's latest trick is Scat. She started doing it yesterday when Kev was playing Ella Fitzgerald at lunchtime. She's a funny little girl.

Happy Monday before Halloween

There are few happier places than Jamaica anyway, but it's an extra happy place when you are floating down one of its rivers with a hibiscus in your hair in the rain forest with your cousins without a care in the world. Halfway through the trip, they gave us a Red Stripe, and at the end there was jerk chicken in a shack. I swear I'd live in that shack if I knew I'd be that relaxed all the time. I've been having to go to my happy places a lot lately. Not because I'm sad, but because I'm tense. There is very little relaxing around my house these days, and I've noticed I'm starting to clench my teeth in my sleep. This is not good. Today, I am going to try to combat stress by taking the Peanut for a leisurely stroll through the Arboretum. I fear that this may backfire. Daphne isn't a very leisurely kid on field trips. She always wants to "git DOON" and "walka walka walka." By the way, I can't figure out where she's getting this accent. I think she thinks she's Scottish. Maybe I watched So I Married and Axe Murderer a few too many times. Heed! Pants! Now!

Halloween - Part I

Halloween - Part I
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Since Daphne missed a music class while we were in Indiana, we went to a make-up class this morning. It happened to be the Halloween party for the Saturday class, but I wanted to save her Pebbles costume for her real class party on Tuesday. So, today, she was a cowgirl. That is her trusty horse, Alabama (" "Bama" as she calls her). In the center picture, she is playing along to Monster Mash on rhythm sticks. She wouldn't wear her hat. "Hat off!"

Music class was extra fun today. Kev got to go with us, and there were cookies. Daphne was a little freaked out, because there were different kids there, and lots of daddies. But she had a great time, and is now taking what is hopefully a nice LONG nap.

Flashback Friday - Toys

This week's theme is toys. Here I am on Christmas 1972, playing with my new Lincoln Logs with my dad. There is not a picture of me with my Easybake Oven because I DID NOT HAVE ONE. Still, Lincoln Logs are pretty cool too. And this particular Christmas, I also got a new brother. Check out that High-Tech TV.

Help

Sometimes, Kev has more fun with Daphne's toys than she does.

Halloween Costume 2007

Halloween Costume 2007
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I have spent today's nap-time working on making Daphne's Halloween costume. I bet you can guess who she's going to be!

Happy Happy Retro Fun

Today I went to Target and look what I found! I had one of these when I was a little kid. I almost cried when I wound it up and heard the little song. So, I gave Santa a call, and he said it would be OK for me to go ahead and pick one up for the Peanut for Christmas. I want to give it to her now!

Socks Mystery Solved

Here is the response from Hanes:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for your e-mail to Hanes. We always appreciate hearing from our customers. Sometimes it is at the store request that we make changes to packages but most of the time it is due to consumer feedback. Consumer's like the ease of this type of packaging (no need for scissors) and also other consumers like to feel the softness of the product before they make a purchase.

You're a valued customer! Should you have any questions or concerns, we welcome your call to us at 1-800-994-4348, our hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am until 4:30pm (EST). Or, feel free to email us at www.hanes.com 24 hours a day.

Sincerely,
Stephanie H. Chappell
Consumer Care Specialist

I am not completely satisfied with this answer. I still had to rip or cut open the top of the package to get to the re-sealable strip (think cheese). I don't think Target would have appreciated me doing that just to feel the socks. But it was nice of Hanes to reply so quickly. I will try to move on now.

I wish I had saved a copy of the email I sent to Hanes. It was reminiscent of Letters from a Nut. There were lots of compliments about Hanes and socks, and I used several exclamation marks. Letters from a Nut is a very entertaining book. You should check it out if you haven't seen it. It's a good book for reading on airplanes or while waiting on line at the DMV or something.

Fall Down

Today on the way to music class, Daphne fell down. Hard. On the concrete. The audible thud of your baby's head hitting the sidewalk is one of the most sickening sounds you can hear. The thud was followed by the silent cry. Mouth wide open, but a long delay in any sound coming out. Then, the scream.

She is OK now. She has a big giant red bump in the middle of her forehead, and a scratch on her nose. Putting ice on it was completely out of the question. I tried everything.

"NO!!!!!!"

But, she is fine. She had a blast at music, and a big snack afterward, and now she's playing in her crib. She'll be asleep soon. It seems it was way worse for me than for her. But after several phone calls and some helpful advice, I am starting to feel better.

I guess this is just the beginning.

I think I'd better go take a nap.

Rainboots

These are the rainboots I was telling you about. I guess upon closer inspection, the daisies are more red than orange. But still. If you are wearing rainboots that are this cool, I guarantee nobody is going to notice that you have the same hairdo as Weird Al. Then again, nobody should spend $125 for rainboots unless they live in Seattle.

Happy (Cold) Monday

This happy place is our front yard during the Valentine's Day blizzard of 2004. Kev made the bear, and I made the little snowperson on the left. Later that night, or maybe the next day, we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner, where Kev discovered that there was a picture of my snowman on the front page of the Dallas Morning News while he was in the restroom. I didn't know that newspapers were posted in men's restrooms until that day! Mmmmmm, Macaroni Grill. Chicken Marsala and panna cotta with raspberries. I think I need to get off the computer and go eat some lunch.

Mall

I am so happy because it is COLD outside! It is also rainy, so Daphne and I spent the morning on an outing at the mall. Every trip to the mall is pretty much the same. I even have a favorite parking spot (in the covered parking garage of course). This is the usual routine: Stroll through Nordstrom past the shoes (Oh my gosh, there are some orange daisy rainboots in there!) and into the mall. First stop, the Nordstrom cafe for a latte. Today Daphne looked up at the lady and said,"Coffee." She knows her mommy well. Then it's off to the kids' stores. I usually don't buy anything, but there was a $3 orange t-shirt on clearance at BabyStyle so I got that. Then we check out the window display at the way-too-expensive toy store. Today, a giant Ernie puppet and a HUGE sock monkey doll were featured. We don't usually go in BabyGap, but we did today, and I'm so glad because I found the hat pictured above. Oh, I love this hat. Daphne calls it "Daddy Hat." She's right. Kev is going to love it. I like it...it has a very Van Morrison sort of feel to it. And it's on the big side, so she'll be able to wear it for a while I think. IF she will leave it on. Then, we stop at the waterfalls for a few cookies. Next stop, giant statues of guys with hammers. There are five. The hammers move up and down. Then a quick visit with the ducks and turtles in the water feature by Neiman's. Daphne loves it, but it always makes me feel kind of sad. In winter, they used to put penguins in there, but I don't know if they still do that. After we say goodbye to the ducks and turtles, we stop at Anthropologie, where I look around and want one of pretty much everything in the store. Today we played with a Monkey-in-the-Box. I really want to get it for the Peanut for Christmas, but it's $30! Next stop, the family restroom. And then we head for home. Daphne falls asleep in the car. It's always a fun outing. But all things considered, I'd really rather be outside. I hope it stops raining by tomorrow.

Answers

I have emailed the good people of Hanes to ask about the re-sealable bags of socks. I will let you all know as soon as I get a response.

State Fair 2007

State Fair 2007
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Yesterday, we took Daphne to the State Fair of Texas. She had some fun, but overall it was a pretty stressful outing for all of us. It was hot, it was crowded, Daphne was too short to go on the Fun Slide, and there were lots of tears. But she enjoyed her corndog, and feeding the goats and donkeys, and next year, she'll be tall enough for the Fun Slide (and old enough for the bird show!!!).

Sunday

Sunday
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

This morning, I woke up feeling crabby. Then, I accidentally used shower gel to wash my hair and had to start all over again with shampoo. I thought it was going to be a really bad day. So, I went to the grocery store, felt a little better because I got some pumpkin spice coffee there, and when I got back, there was a freshly baked apple cobbler (thanks Kim and Marty!) sitting on the counter that Kev made while I was gone. After I put away the groceries, we packed up the Peanut in the wagon and went to the park to fly a kite and climb the cool tree. I got to sit on a blanket and relax while Kev chased Daphne all over the playground. In the afternoon, Daphne took a three hour nap and I made jambalaya, and for dessert, we had the cobbler, warmed up with some ice cream on the side. It was a good day after all. In fact, aside from the shower gel thing, I'd say it was exactly what Sunday should be. I am a very lucky girl.

Still Thinking about Socks

And printed on the outside of the bag were the words "Resealable Bag" as if that was a bonus feature. I just don't get it.

Sometimes, I really wish I could find the OFF switch to my brain.

Noisy

Of all the instruments Daphne could want to learn to play, so far she has shown the most interest in the noisiest...drums and trumpets. When we were at the parade, I bought her a green plastic trumpet so she could be like Daddy. She was very proud when she figured out how to make it work.

Resealable Socks

Yesterday I needed some socks, so I bought a six-pack of them at Target. They are Hanes socks, and they come in a resealable plastic bag. Now, why on earth would you need a resealable bag for socks? These are the questions that haunt me.

(TGI)Flashback Friday

This week's theme is Grandpa, so here I am with mine in April 1969. The other baby is my cousin Curt. I don't remember ever seeing any pictures of myself with my other grandpa. That makes me kind of sad. The grandpa in the picture was awesome. He worked really hard all of his life. For fun he liked golf and baseball, and he collected beer cans. I think he wanted to build some kind of a shed out of them or something. He also had a real glass eye! I don't remember my other grandpa very well, except for this one time when he wanted to tie a string between the bathroom door and my loose tooth to yank it out. I think he was probably just teasing.

Chasing the Ducks

Daphne decided to chase the ducks and geese that hang out on the playground at Community Park. She walked over and said, "Hi ducks!" and then ran after them. Soon after this video was shot, we realized that where there are ducks and geese, there is lots of duck and goose poop. Luckily, there were no shoe casualties. I am glad the ducks and geese ran away from Daphne. My friend Shannon was once chased and nipped at by a goose. I apologize for the shakey camera-work. I'm not very good at filming stuff. The sound of a quacking Mallard is in my top ten favorite sounds, and you get to hear it in the video. It cracks me up every time.

I was excited to see Canada Geese fly over in formation several times during the trip, because there was a flock of them that hung out on a pond in my Aunt Kathy's neighborhood. They honked and honked. It was just like Winged Migration. I pointed them out to Daphne when they flew over, but I don't think she appreciated it as much as I did.

Beantertainment

My cousin Ben said he has only one baby trick, so he used it to entertain the Peanut. She was only mildly amused, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Attention Relatives

If you are interested, you can go here and see a few pictures from our trip to Indiana. I think I took over 300 pictures...these are just a few of my favorites. (You will have to click on the little squares to enlarge the pictures, or click View as Slideshow to see them all big).

Ugh

I am so creeped out by that picture of Weird Al.

Motorcycle Mamas

That's me on my Aunt Mary's scooter, going around the circle at Aunt Kaffy's house. I was Hell on Wheels! OK, so I wasn't really Hell on Wheels. I wasn't even Heck on Wheels. I don't think I broke 20 mph. Daphne can probably walk faster than I was going. But it was still really fun. I even got to wear Kathy's cool motorcycle jacket and doo-rag. I didn't wear the helmet because it made me look like a stormtrooper, plus it was heavy and made my head want to fall over. But IF YOU ARE GOING TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE, YOU MUST ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET! HELMETS SAVE LIVES! Just get one that fits your head properly.

That's my mom below on the same scooter. She really had fun. Doesn't she have excellent posture?! Thanks, Kathy, for showing us how to ride. And thanks Mary, for letting us try out your wheels. It was really fun.

This is Not Me

It is, in fact, Weird Al. But it looks like me, doesn't it? I have the same hairdo as Weird Al. Now, I'm not really going to go as drastic as the Victoria Beckham hairdo, but something's gotta give. I can't go all around looking like Weird Freaking Al.

Swing!

Swing!
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I took Daphne to Community Park in New Albany. What a generic name for a park. I used to go there as a kid, and not too long ago, I took Ralph there too. The Peanut loves to swing. That's me in the top picture. I love to swing too. But now, I usually get a little seasick.

Little White House

This house is one that I lived in when I was a baby. We saw a for sale sign in the yard so I looked it up. It is now for sale for a mere $81,900. I cannot tell you how badly I want to buy this house. It is about a three minute drive from the Zesto.

Top Five Tuesday

There is a nice restaurant in New Albany called A Nice Restaurant. We went there twice for breakfast. It was nice.







Top Five Harvest Homecoming / New Albany Foods I Enjoyed During My Trip:





1. Homemade hot apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream from the Presbyterian Church booth which I have already discussed at length


2. Chicken and Dumplings (above) from the Redman's Club booth


3. Pizza from Pizza King (below)


4. Dutch Apple Pie ice cream from Zesto


5. Fried biscuits with apple butter from Huber's









Honorable mention: Zesto's chocolate malt, French toast from A Nice Restaurant, and the fish sandwich from the Hungry Pelican.

It is funny that a visitor from Dallas, which has many many great restaurants, finds a place like New Albany, Indiana to be such a Culinary Hotspot. But it's true. I wish there was a way to import those Top Five items. I could eat those chicken and dumplings every day.

The Fun Slide

The Fun Slide
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

If you do a "search blog" on the LRHS for Fun Slide, you'll get about 6 different entries. That should tell you I really like the Fun Slide. That and the Merry-Go-Round are about the only carnival rides I still enjoy without getting sick or having a panic attack. So, I was very excited to take the Peanut on her first ever Fun Slide at the Harvest Homecoming this year. I guess she liked it. When we got to the bottom, she kept saying, "Up the steps, up the steps." Thanks to Aunt Kaffy for taking the pictures for me.

Posh Spice Hair

Lately I have been having a bit of a hair crisis. Remember in Napoleon Dynamite when Pablo's head got hot so he shaved it all off? Sometimes that's what I feel like doing. My hair is overwhelming my head. So today on the internet, I tried on some different hairs. Here is what I would look like if I had Victoria Beckham's hair.

UPDATE: Of course, Kev is right...I mean Pedro, not Pablo. This is what happens when you watch too much Noggin and Nick Jr.

Kev would not like it if I got all my hair cut off. He likes my long hair. But someday, it's probably gonna happen. Just like Pablo.

Just for fun, here is what Kev would look like with Victoria Beckham's hair:





Oh my gosh...I am going to get in trouble for this.

Happy Monday

This is me, last week in New Albany, enjoying the amazing Harvest Homecoming homemade hot apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream, courtesy of the nice people of the Presbyterian Church. Below is what it looked like before I ate it.


I am telling you, you have never tasted anything like it. I think I enjoyed it even more because I was outside in a sweater and I didn't have to share it with a certain Peanut I know. I concentrated on every single bite.

Zesto! It's Good!

Zesto! It's Good!
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I am not going to tell you how many times I enjoyed some Zesto during our trip. As you can see, the Peanut loves it as much as I do. As the sign says, it's good. I will say that it was not easy for me to sit and watch Daphne make such a huge mess, but luckily, she's washable. I am learning to let go.

More photos and stories soon....

Greetings

Hello from wonderful Southern Indiana, home of the Harvest Homecoming Fall Festival, celebrating it's 40th birthday. I thought I would have time to blog while I was here, but I haven't had time to do much of anything that didn't involve eating and/or chasing the Peanut. She is having a terrific time. So are my mom and I but we are pretty exhausted from all the eating and chasing. There will be lots of pictures when I get back, including ones of my mom riding a motorcycle (!) and Daphne being allowed to eat an ice cream cone with no intervention from me(!!). And pictures of food. I am telling you that there is pretty much nothing better than a homemade hot apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream on a crisp fall day. And finally it IS fall...the first four days here it was hotter than Texas. But now it's in the 60's. DEEElightful. So tomorrow we are going back home where it is probably hot and there are no apple dumplings. But we miss Daddy and Grandpa and Uncle Jeff and Albert so it will be good to be home. Blogging returns ASAP.

One more thing I have to tell you...as I am typing this, I am trying to ignore Daphne who is behind me in the pack-n-play because I want her to take a nap and she keeps going Mommy...Mommy...Mommy...so finally I turned around and said What? and she said "I love you." And even though I know she is just stalling about the nap, it's still pretty dang cool.

How Do I Look?

How Do I Look?
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Daphne got to wear her new guitar dress to dinner tonight. I think she was pleased with herself.

Flashback uh...Thursday

The theme this week is "grandma," so here I am with each of my grandmas and some cousins, and a baby LarryFeathers in the bib in the top picture. Tomorrow, my mom and Daphne and I are going to visit the grandma in the top picture. We will be gone for 8 whole days. Kev will be sad, but I think he will enjoy some quiet time. We will miss him, but we will enjoy the Zesto and seeing my extended family (not necessarily in that order). I will try to blog some, but I may be too busy relaxing. We'll see how it goes.

WIP Scarf for Hannah

WIP Scarf for Hannah
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I have been working on knitting a scarf for my friend Hanna in Pittsburgh. I hope it is cooler there than it is here. It's hard to think about scarves when it's 90 degrees. I was Hannah's nanny when I was in college. Now, Hannah is in college, and I have a kid that is the age Hannah was when I started babysitting her. You know what that makes me. Old.

It is good to knit after all this time. I started with a scarf because it's easy. I have some more difficult projects on the horizon, but I have to work up to them.

I am taking this to Indiana with me for all my down-time.

Top Five Tuesday Returns

Top Five Backyardigans (IN ORDER):

1. Tyrone (you can't get any cooler than Samurai Piemaker Tyrone. Plus, he is a tuba-playing moose)
2. Austin (the most under-rated of all...almost never gets a starring role)
3. Uniqua (as tough as the "boys," but they were trying too hard with her name. She gets points for being pink)
4. Pablo (prone to panic attacks)
5. Tasha ( loves being a princess a little too much)

Run!

I want to be a little kid again. Look how much fun it is.

For Crying Out Loud

It is October!!!!!!
What happened to delightfully cool?
I want soup! I want apple pie! I want delicious spiced chai tea!

Happy Mondays

Happy Mondays Oct.1
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Now, most of you know I'm no daredevil, but I AM a fan of the mild adventure. This picture shows me pushing the limits of what I consider mild, and having the time of my life. That is Haiti in the background. I wasn't gonna go, but my Great Aunt Mary went, so I figured I could do it too. Wasn't it great, Mary? At the top, I am flying up in the sky above the ocean, just like a bird, and at the bottom, you can see I am attached to that boat. Parasailing is the adventure for me! I will do this again every time I get a chance.