ODP Days 29, 30 and - Finally - 31!

Ohhh what a long and not fun month this has been! So different from last year when I could've kept up with the Project for another month. I loved doing this last year; I pretty much hated it this year. I nearly gave up so many times. Two days of the month I never even wore The Dress at all. But finally, the 31st has come and I am able to say I *mostly* made it.

Day 29:


Getting lazy with ideas, I wore The Dress with a black long-sleeved shirt, black leggings and a burgandy floral scarf. Brown flats.

Day 30:


Practically the same outfit as the day before, except the (same) black shirt was UNDER The Dress, and I changed scarves. And shoes. Not well-pictured, but I'm wearing nude heels. And there is an Lolly hiding behind me.

Day 31 - Halloween:


I've been waiting to wear this Harry Potter t-shirt with built-in black cape for weeks. Annoyingly, you can't see the attached cape in this photo. Today the outift cum costume consisted of The Dress with a Griffindor student shirt with cape (to represent a robe), grey school knee socks and brown flats. I wore my quickly-becoming-favourite chunky brown necklace, some brown earrings and my hair pulled back in bobby pins, the world's easiest way to fix frizzy hair. I called my costume 'Harry Potter Movie Extra'.

The kids had fun this Halloween. Usually I like to get really creative at Halloween and make fun costumes and make fun decorations, but this year, we had to go simple and make do with what we have. I did buy both girls butterfly wings, which they wore at differing times, but those wings and my t-shirt were the only Halloween costume pieces I bought this year. The rest just consisted of what we already had. How's that for Simplicity, eh?

Over the course of yesterday and today, the kids have chosen multiple Halloween costumes for their multiple events.

Fifi is doing 'Red Ribbon Week' at school, so while her outfits haven't exactly been 'costumes', I'm going to refer to them as such. The first day was Inside Out Day, and as I showed in the previous post, she wore Her Dress for the last time on that day. Tuesday was 50's Day, so we put together as 50's-ish an outfit as possible. Yesterday was 'wear camouflage or hunter's orange' day (which, what?). Having nothing of the sort, I took an XL men's orange jack-o-lantern t-shirt from my mom that she didn't need and took it in down the sides to make Fifi a jack-o-lantern dress. (Never got a photo of that. Grr.) Then last night we took the kids to a local church's 'Trunk or Treat', and Fifi wore her Hermione costume. This she also wore to school today for Book Character Day. I checked her out of school at lunch time to go to a Fall Carnival at my mom's work, and she changed into her butterfly costume. We came home from that, had dinner, and then prepared for Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. For that, she put on her Portuguese Princess costume.

50's Day

Hermione from Harry Potter

Butterfly

Fairy Princess

Lolly's various costumes included being a Spanish Dancer last night to Trunk or Treat, and then she dressed as a 'Dora Butterfly' for our local library's Halloween party. This consisted of wearing orange shorts and a pink shirt like Dora, but with butterfly wings. I'm highly annoyed at myself for not getting a picture of this either. For the Fall Carnival, she changed into a Dorothy costume, and then for Trick or Treating in the neighborhood, we designed a very spontaneous last-minute costume (because all of a sudden nothing else apparently would do) of SuperGirl - her Superman cape, red tights and a black leotard.

Spanish Dancer

Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz

SuperGirl

And Master Jaguar, too, went through a few outfits. Last night he went as Baby Harry Potter - easiest costume ever, just a lightening streak on his forehead. All day today he was dressed as a skeleton until dinner when he covered himself in food. Not sure what to change him into for Trick or Treating, I suddenly got the idea to try him in his kilt - half to see if it still fits. It does, so for Trick or Treating, he went as Lil Robert Burns.

Ow! My scar!

Skeletor

Tae a Messy Hoose

Oh, and last? I really need to show you what we had for dinner...


Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers. YUM.

ODP Days 27 & 28: Silence

'Silence' as in Photo Silence, can that be a thing? As in, I didn't take any photos so there's a Silence...

Yesterday I just did.not.care. We slept in because someone (Scott) thought it was Daylight Savings Time, but he was on British time, not American. So instead of getting my extra hour (he'd so kindly offered to let me have the lie-in this week for it) I got a rude awakening of 'oops, the clocks didn't actually go back'. So we slummed around the house all morning, doing a few bits and bobs, until it was time to go to my Dad's for lunch. I threw on The Dress and for about two minutes tried to get creative with it by pairing it with some red skinny jeans. But The Dress and the skinny jeans did not make a happy couple, and I honestly didn't care, so I just wore them as they were, together, but forever fashionably apart. I didn't even take a photo. There was nothing worth remembering.

Today, I confess... I did not wear The Dress at all. Second time this month. It was in the wash, and the clothes in the dryer didn't dry all the way, so I had to rerun them, and basically, the outfit I put on in the interim felt so cute and me that I didn't want to take it off. I nearly got Scott to take a photo of that outfit instead - jeans, a brown skinny tshirt with a green stripey see-through top over it, chunky brown necklace and a tweed hat...

The Dress is dry now and hanging up for tomorrow. As I looked at it on the hanger, I realized it's not The Dress that I hate, it's the lack of anything else to wear with it. The Dress itself is still cute to me, I still like the way it fits - I just don't like wearing it daily when I have nothing I really want to see worn with it. I do have a few other things I like (like what I wore today), but they don't match The Dress.

I'll be happy when this project is over, and I can retire The Dress for a little while. I'll still wear it, I think, but I'll enjoy wearing something else for a change. Just a few more days, right?


But Fifi wore hers today. It's Red Ribbon Week at school (Say No to Drugs and all that), and today's theme was wear your clothes inside out ('Don't let drugs turn you inside out' or something). She wore Her Dress - inside out - with leggings and a pink jacket and zebra socks - all inside out. Tomorrow is 50's Day though, and we do not have any dress-up clothes or 50's costumes or ANYTHING. I don't know if she'll wear Her Dress or not, but I'm thinking a neck scarf is about all I can come up with anyway.

A History Of Pets

Photo attributed to Stephen & Claire Fansworth

When I was a Junior in high school, I brought home a piglet from the town fair. I worked hard to win that pig. There was a booth set up where you had to throw ping pong balls into jars, or something else set up to be impossible to win, and the prize was a piglet. I immediately fell in love with those piglets and spent probably $30 on tries. I still couldn't get the required number of ping pong balls into the required number of jars, so my friend Matt Yeager lent me another $20 to keep trying. The man with the pigs eventually just gave me a pig. Or rather, I paid him $50 for one, is more like it. I wrapped the piglet up in a jacket and drove home with him in my lap.

Upon arrival, my mother and father immediately said, 'No.' I tried to argue, but it was a firm, very firm, extremely firm, 'NO.' In tears, I drove Wilbur back to the town fair.


I ran into a girl from school and told her my sad story. Her mom, a woman as insensible as myself, fell in love with Wilbur just like I had and agreed to take the piglet from me. They raised Wilbur in their back yard, for at least as long as I had any contact with them.

****

I have a long history of rescuing animals. I can't help it. I'm maternal that way. When I was about six, I tried to rescue a baby bird who had fallen out of it's nest. I'm pretty sure I actually just killed it, but I tried. I be-friended and be-petted box turtles, as most Southern kids do. We also had non-rescued pets growing up, like our dogs Sandy, Bandit, Rascal and Benjy, and a kitten called Butterscotch. (Butterscotch and her black sister died while still kittens, I barely remember them.)

When I was a Freshman in high school, I adopted a rat named Squirt from a Senior who couldn't take him to college with him. Squirt lived in a cage in my room until his sad, sad death a couple of years later. In college, I turtle-sat my boyfriend/exboyfriend/boyfriendagain/exboyfriendagain's water turtle Speedy for over a year, because he couldn't keep it in his apartment.

When I moved to Scotland, Scott and I adopted two cats from the animal shelter. We loved those two cats, Remedios the Beauty and Clementine, very much, but my pregnancy got in the way of caring for them. The smell of the cats aggravated my severe morning sickness to the point I just couldn't keep them any more. My sister-in-law Katie and her husband Faisal ended up taking them in. At that point, Scott and I swore off pets forever. We loved pets, but they are just too much work. I had realised by that stage that as much as I loved animals, I'm just not a good pet owner. The hygiene issue with animals is just too gross for me.

But logic as usual lost the battle to my emotions, and I began wanting another pet after Lolly was born. There was about a year when we believed Lolly would be our last child, and I was broody. So I started looking into pet rabbits. And that's how our minilop Chewbacca entered the family. Chewbacca was great, but soon after I got pregnant with Jaguar and realised Chewy would soon be rather neglected with a newborn around. So I adopted a rescue rabbit, Zelda.

Zelda died not long after joining our family, which devastated us. She was such a gentle and friendly rabbit, unlike moody Chewy. Still, I loved Chewy and had every intention of bringing him to America with us. Unfortunately, I came to understand, the reality of rabbits is that they are very vulnerable and scaredy, and the flight would more than likely kill the poor creature. So we rehomed Chewy with close Scottish friends and moved to America - promising we were done with pets until the kids were older.

Not two months later, we adopted Gracie, our miniature dachshund. Gracie had only recently been adopted by my mom from my step-dad's ex-wife's parents. Then Rico, a puppy Boston Terrier, joined their family, and we knew it was only a matter of time before Mom would ask if we'd like to have Gracie. After all, Gracie was the first dog Lolly ever warmed to, and Lolly loved that daft dog. Scott and I discussed it before Mom ever event mentioned it and agreed we'd take Gracie if she asked. She did ask, and we did take Gracie.

I tried to buy a Chihuahua at a flea market about a month ago, but Scott put the kibosh on that instantly. He said the next pet we got would be a 'proper' dog, like a Golden Retriever.

And now here we go again. A little black kitten followed us to and from school one day, Lolly fell in love with it, played with it all day, fed it and formed an attachment. The little stray did not seem to have any home, so we have now seemingly adopted little Zombie Cat, a lucky black cat roaming around days before Halloween, into our little home.

I just can't seem to say no to animals. Even though I'm not a great pet owner, I love animals and want to care for them. Other people, like actual 'cat people' or 'dog people', would probably be better with their animals, letting them sleep in their beds or eat at their tables or take over their home, which will never be me. But show me a creature that just needs a warm bed and food and a safe place to live, and I'll find it hard to turn away.

Heaven forbid someone leave a baby on my doorstep.

ODP Days 24, 25 & 26: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling...

... for this dress.

Persevering though. Only four more days to go. I can do this. I can do this. I can.... do... this........

Day 24.


I'm so done with this project that I'm not even remembering to get photos taken in the mornings. Lolly has been my midday photographer as of late. I wore The Dress on this lovely nippy day with jeans, a gold velvet jacket, a birdie scarf and a black and white woolly hat, not because it was cold but because my hair was a mess.

Day 25.


So. Bored. Wore The Dress with jeans and a gray long-sleeved t-shirt over it. The only difference was, instead of tucking it in, or tying it to the side, I tied it to the back. Yippee.

Day 26.


We had soccer games this morning, and it really was pretty chilly, so I wore jeans and my Lil Red Bananas t-shirt with a coat and a hat. I saved The Dress for tonight. I had a booth for my Pampered Chef business and wanted to keep The Dress clean, or shall say 'wanted to keep the dress clean' in quotes because really, I just didn't want to wear The Dress all day. For tonight, I wore The Dress with black tights, brown flats, a brown belt, brown earrings, a brown chunky necklace and a white shrug. I wished I had had white tights. I pinned all my hair back in bobby pins ('kirby grips'). I kinda liked the outfit. Mostly I liked my hair and the jewellery but in general didn't hate the outfit.

Lil Miss Fifi wore Her Dress on Day 24 very cute with a black bow around her waist, black tights and shoes and a black shrug. And a random pink flower in her hair.


She slummed it on Day 25 with her The Sound of Music sweatshirt (from when she performed as Gretl in the Spring at The Beacon), and black leggings. Sorry for the blurry shot, we were at school and the bell had rung and my new phone has a seriously hard time focusing.


Today being soccer, she didn't wear Her Dress. She wanted to put it on after soccer, but totally my fault, I hadn't washed it yet. She was spending the whole day outside anyway, so it would've gotten pretty dirty.

Why was she outside all day?

Because we have this.


This little fellow (and we've just confirmed it is a FELLOW and a not a girlie cat like we assumed by the pink flea collar) followed us home yesterday after school. Lolly fell immediately in love with him. I've never seen Lolly like any cat before. This little boy had been wandering the neighbourhoods for a few days, and we were worried about him. We gave him some food and asked around all the neighbours for information, but it appears the little guy was abandoned. So we have adopted him.

We thought he was a girl, because whoever left him, left him in a pink flea collar, so we named him Professor Minerva McGonagall. However, my original name has seemed to have stuck (yay!) so Professor McGonagall goes by the common name Zombie Cat. After all, he's a black cat who suddenly started following us around just prior to Halloween... doesn't that seems suspicious to you? So we welcome Zombie Cat to our little family. Sweetest kitty ever, besides his insatiable taste for BRAAAAIIIINNNNSSSS.

If you open up the door, we'll all come inside and eat your brains.

ODP Day 23: 50 Shades of Green

Okay, so it's not a full 50, it's not even a full 5. But in my head, I had a lot more green I could've worn; if I were still in Scotland, I'd have added my hunter green heels, my lime green tights, a green belt (I'm sure I would have had one) and an army green handbag. Alas, I'm post-move, so I've worn all the green I could find.


Which was basically a kelly green shrug, a green woolly hat and a scarf with some green in it. I also wore The Dress with black leggings and my furry boots. (Oh how thankful I am to my mother-in-law for bringing me my green hat and furry boots over with her!)

Fifi wore a very unique outfit today, which is unfortunately somewhat covered up by her massive silver coat and her frowny face. She wore Her Dress with a pink owl print button up top with a sparkly fuchsia belt and fuchsia leggings.


This was Fifi mid-"I Just Want To Run Away" this morning. She was in the middle of a massive meltdown over her school fundraiser. Her school sent home brochures for kids to sell cookie dough and pizzas and cheese cakes and beef jerky, that sort of thing. Sounds reasonable, I guess, except that a box of cookie dough making 16 cookies costs $15. I mean, what?! WHY would I spend $15 on 16 cookies when I could make 6 dozen (or so) for the same price? Buy some bags of flour and sugar, a carton of eggs, some butter and a big bag of chocolate chips and hey presto! Similarly, the other items were just as expensive and unreasonable. She has just finished selling candy for Girl Scouts; we are fundraisered out. (Not to mention, I direct sell products as my job. My family gets enough pitched to them as it is.)

So anyway, she was devastated that I said we wouldn't be buying anything from her catalog. She needs to sell 4 boxes of cookie dough to go to an Ice Cream Social at school. I know it's only 4 boxes, but that's $60. For 4 boxes. Of 16 cookies each. Trust me, I feel really badly for her. I think it's rather crap that if a kid doesn't sell 4 boxes they don't get to go to the Social. I want her to go, obviously. But I really don't want to put pressure on anyone to waste their precious money on this total rip-off, nor can I justify wasting mine. The kids who go to the Social also get their names put in a raffle to win a Kindle Fire too. Fifi wants that Kindle Fire. I tried to explain to her that she most likely wouldn't win that anyway, and why not start saving your money to buy your own? But all this was to no avail. She was enraged all morning.

She cried, she screamed, she tried every guilt trip in the book, culminating in "I just want to run away!" As we walked to school, I detailed all of what running away would mean for her. No food, no clothes, no place to sleep, no friends, being bored, being scared, being cold, plus Mummy and Daddy and Lolly and Jaguar would be worried and scared and crying, and we'd be calling the police to find her and driving everywhere looking for her, worrying she had been hit by a car or taken away... I let the list go on and on until we got to school. By that point, she'd decided she only wanted to walk to school by herself, rather than run away.

Before she went through the school doors, I pulled her back into a hug, held her face up towards mine and said, "Do you promise you won't run away while you're at school today?" She sheepishly answered, "I'll try."

Days 18, 19, 20 and 21 (But Not 22 Even Though It's Day 22)

I've been all geared up lately for blogging, with topics, and clever little phrases already mentally penned...

But my days keep flying by me, and I keep running out of time.

So here is a drive-by ODP update while Jaguar naps and Lolly watches Charlie and Lola.  Maybe one of these nights won't be taken over by Pampered Chef or soccer or laundry.  Maybe.

How far behind am I?

Oh my.  Quite.

Here we go, quickly.


Day 18 was a bit of a cheat. I had a Pampered Chef show booked for the evening, so it was to be a day in the house, cleaning and getting prepared.  However, last minute arrangements were made to go to the park with our new friends Mandy and Co.  "Not wanting to get The Dress dirty," I wore joggy bottoms and a sporty jacket to the park instead of The Dress. Considering I'd slept in those joggy bottoms, I considered it really just an extension of still being in my pjs. 

For the Pampered Chef show that night, however, I wore The Dress with a long sleeved black top underneath, a fat red belt, my red Irregular Choice Flick Flacks, and black tights.  Around my neck, I wore a pendant my aunt gave me that belonged to my grandmother.


Day 19 - MY FAVOURITE DAY!  For the first time this month, it was cool enough to actually dress like ME!  I wore furry boots, grey tights, The Dress, a grey long-sleeved top over, and my green corduroy jacket.  For the first time this month (hell, since I moved back to Arkansas) I actually felt like I looked like the Lori I've grown to know and love for the last nine years.  I even wore Lolly's tattoo necklace, which made me feel even more 'me'.  I need to get another one since mine broke.  My neck feels naked without it.

(I used to wear one ALWAYS in college, lost it when I moved to Scotland, then finally got another one about a year before I moved back here.  I know they are out of style, but I loooove them.)



Ugh.  Then came Day 20.  It was still cool, so I wore the furry boots again with pink tights.  (Did I tell you I went tights shopping?)  I wore The Darned Dress with a black top over it, and tied the top up so it was around The Dress's waist.  I didn't love it, but it was okay.  I brought my gold velvet jacket to wear with it and a coordinating fancy handbag that I got at a garage sale, but it really didn't stay cool very long to wear the jacket.  I changed as soon as we got home from church into 'play clothes', because we wanted to carve pumpkins.  Which we did, and I'll blog those pictures soon.


Day 21.  The Dress is killing me.  I am so done with this. Jeans, The Darned Dumb Dreaded Dress, a blue sailor jacket.  I couldn't find the blue jacket later on last night when I went to my Pampered Chef team meeting, so wore the black sporty jacket instead.  Either way.  I'M SO DONE WITH THIS.

Today is Day 22.  The DDD Dress is in the washing machine, what a pity. I "accidentally" forgot to wash it last night when I came home, so unfortunately it has to be washed during the day. I will put it back on when it comes out of the dryer though.  I'll wear it to soccer practice tonight.  Because I can't fail this challenge.  Scott keeps telling me to just quit, but I can't. I WILL DEFEAT THIS DRESS.



Fifi is still going strong.  Though she said today, "It's hard wearing the same dress every day, especially when you get new clothes and want to wear them." Amen, sister. 

Day 18 I made her wear jeans and a t-shirt to the park too, so she wouldn't ruin her dress. I'm so glad I did, she stepped in mud puddles, fell off monkey bars and slid down muddy, wet slides. Her Dress is already starting to come apart at a few seams and darts; the park may have killed it.  I hope it holds out.  I wonder if she's considering Goodwill for her dress too....  But like a good ODPer, she put Her Dress on when she got home and just wore it As Is for the rest of the day.


Day 19, she wore Her Dress with black leggings, light up graffiti sneakers and a black and white star t-shirt.  She also wore a black hoodie - and my blue jacket - to keep warm on that lovely, cold day.  She didn't have a soccer game on Saturday, but she sure played hard on the sidelines at Lolly's game with the other soccer siblings!


No Day 20 for Fifi.  I'd "actually" forgotten to wash Her Dress (for real) and it was splattered with mud from playing at the soccer fields. I could not let her go to church with her dress in that state.  So she took a well-deserved day off, and looked adorable in a red corduroy dress with a long sleeved green shirt underneath and black tights.

Day 21, Her Dress is back on for school, paired with a cute white shirt with a lacy ruffly heart applique (which you can't see from the picture).  White tights, black shoes.  Why can't you see the rufflly heart?  Because I had to use my old camera which is now pretty much the kid's camera and the lense is all smudgy.  It takes white things and makes them glow.  Why did I have to use my old camera?  Because my Samsung Galaxy S3 died and went to mobile phone Hades.  Stupid phone.  Within a month of Scott's doing the exact same thing.  I had to go buy a new phone yesterday, much to my chagrin, since we have no other phone, and my phone is my life line - and business line.

Day 22.  She's wearing Her Dress today, and I have taken a photo with my new phone, but I haven't synced it up with Dropbox yet to get it uploaded.  Once I've done that (and gotten myself in my dress too), I'll post Day 22, along with some Pumpkin Carving photies!

ODP Day 17: Yesterday

I loathe to post yesterday's photo.

The outfit itself I liked. I wore The Dress with a army green jacket that I got from my sister-in-law's sister in a big bag of cute coats. (Thank you, Christine!) I didn't have any tights, and it was chilly again yesterday morning, so I had to wear The Dress with jeans again. Despite the jeans, I liked the outfit. But I never got a photo because Fifi was dealing with a personal morning crisis revolving around a lost library book that was due, "No you can't wear those trousers, they are still too big" and "Today is the last day you'll be able to wear those shoes, they are falling apart." So with her in floods of tears and tantrums, I never got my picture taken. I got hers though.

Trying to smile amidst the tears

Fifi wore Her Dress with a cream zip up hoodie, fuchsia leggings, stripey socks and those silvery shoes that have been worn a few too many times and the souls are flopping off as she walks in them. I was going to French braid her hair for her, since she got up early enough and had a shower, but the Search For the Missing Library Book took over the whole morning. We never found it. (It must be somewhere though.)

So it wasn't until I was about to go to blog last night that I remembered I hadn't taken a picture. I had fallen asleep on the couch while feeding Jaguar, and I looked a mess. I had Scott take a picture of me briefly. My hair is all over the place and my complexion is pale and groggy. I had taken off the jeans (in fact, I'd taken off the jacket too, so I put it back on for the photo) so I asked him to just get my upper half. Below is a terrible picture of me. Ew.

Augghhh!

So this morning, I'm still in joggy bottoms and a t-shirt while my dress is in the dryer. Fifi is off school today, so we're kicking back lazy-style. Well, at least I am. Fifi has already had two or three Drama Queen moments this morning. She's only six; I thought I had at least five more years before this started! I've got Lolly watching Finding Nemo (first time, they've never seen it, because it is the most stressful Pixar film I have ever seen) and Jaguar is wandering around room to room finding things he's not supposed to have. So I should probably get back out there and keep an eye on him.

Oh thank you, son, for the remote control. I'll take that.

ODP Day 16: Girl Scouts and Baby Brothers and a 16 Day Old Dress

Today was the first day in many weeks I didn't totally hate my outfit.

I wore The Dress tucked into jeans (later, I did the 80s side knot thing for convenience) and over it a cranberry crocheted (knitted?) three-quarter length sleeved jumper with little beads on the sleeves. I wore a green choker, one of my oldest and favouritest (yes, favouritest) pieces of jewelry, and cranberry ruffly socks and black shoes. It almost seems like The Dress was unnecessary and like I cheated a little, but the jumper always needs a shirt underneath it, so why not a black and white stripey one? I liked it.

"Lolly, did you get my legs in the picture?"

Fifi was late getting ready this morning. When I had her look at the time, she was only wearing Her Dress and she exclaimed, 'Oh no! I'm not wearing any accessories!' She darted to her room and quickly emerged wearing a black long-sleeved top over Her Dress and her new fuchsia leggings. She insisted on the neon wedge sandals, despite it being 55 degrees today, but oh well. I'm sure kids don't even feel the chill. (Besides, she's Scottish. 55 degrees is like a warm spring day.) She added a purple necklace and hair barrettes.

Show some teeth when you smile, kiddo!

Today Fifi went door-to-door with her friend Grace selling her Girl Scouts candy and magazines. Those two girls are going to be excellent saleswomen. If you combined them into one person, that would be serious Business Power.

This evening, I went out to eat with my family for my little brother's birthday. And by little I mean he's turning 28. Scott and the kids would've come too except Scott's back on keto and the lure of Asian rice and noodles would've been too much for him, and besides, it was too late for the kiddos to be out on a school night. After dinner, we returned to my wee bro's house for Birthday Banana Pudding, and we also drew names for Christmas. I love this idea, as trying to buy a gift for everyone in the family is just a little bit over the top. Especially when there are so many nieces and nephews nowadays.

My ickle brodder (about 7 years ago!)

All growed up now

Happy birthday tomorrow, little bro!

ODP Day 15: Hump Day!

Seriously need to get my
screen repaired so I can take
good selfies again.

At last! Half way there! Or, technically, tomorrow at noon is half way there, since there are 31 days in October, but who's counting? (Me!)

I put on The Dress this morning assuming Lolly's soccer game was still rescheduled for tonight. I wore my Lil Red Bananas t-shirt over The Dress to support my kid's team, along with a red running jacket (I bought three of these running jackets, I love them) and just a pair of black sporty shoes. I even put on red heart earrings. However, her game was cancelled midday due to rain and the flooded soccer fields, so I kind of wasted an outfit. Hey ho!



That was seriously the least blurry picture of the ten my children took of me. Sheesh.

Fifi wore Her Dress with her turquoise sequin-y 'Peace' shirt and red tights and silver flats. She tried to borrow another one of my necklaces this morning, but after what happened the last time, I just helped her select one of her own, a silver and gold heart locket that one of her grandmothers gave her - can't remember if it was my mom or Scott's.  She was even sporting the side ponytail look, very tween.  She wore the shirt over the dress to cover the orange juice stains from yesterday. Which reminds me, I need to go put that in the washing machine.

*Leaves computer for a few minutes*

I'm back. One load of lights going.


So! The Pumpkin Patch!

I think the Hicks Family Farm Pumpkin Patch is better described in pictures. And since tonight I feel rather bereft of words (gies ma bed!), let these photos speak thousands for me.

Frankenbaby

Lolly's new squeeze (Jonah)

Me and Jaguar on the hay ride!

Lolly and Jonah loving the hay ride

The tractor that pulled the hay ride

Panning for gold in the huge sandpits

The hay maze (not to be confused with the corn maze!)

(No that wasn't a pun.  There really is a corn maze.)  (But corn maize would've been a good pun if I'd meant it.)

Trike Track

Punkins for sale!  This one's priceless.

The best punkin in the patch.