Happy Halloween

This year, Trick or Treat was on Friday around town. The main reason is that the annual Mummer's Parade is held on the Saturday night closest to Halloween and yep, this year that fell on the actual holiday. Surprisingly, we didn't have a lot of visitors. Jacob was in charge of handing out candy and only saw three small groups of kids. Hmmm...too far to walk to our house? Maybe....oh well, there's plenty of candy left for us! YUM

Julie participated in the parade with her friends and 'kids' from The Little Gym! Thankfully, the rain held off for the most part. We had few showers to struggle through but stayed dry.

Tyler's big night out!

Tonight we had the pleasure of watching our friend's little man Tyler! He was an angel! This was the first time he's spent time away from his parents and grandparents so I'm sooooo honored. He was happy the whole time and didn't seem to mind being with me (sorry Christie :)). He sat and watched Nick Jr. with Jacob.

We had fun and can't wait to see him again!

That adorable Power Ranger is Tyler's brother Hunter! We're hoping he comes to visit more too!

Thanks for trusting me Christie! ;)

Our house at the lane

Has it really been 5 years ago? It doesn't seem possible, but this picture proves it. Our house was almost done and this is of us on one of our regular visits to check on the progress. We were a little excited! Ha. Hope you enjoy our walk down memory lane.

Wishes and a win!

It's been a busy day! We celebrated Julieanne's birthday today. We had a small 'get together' for her. Her Mom and Dad came over along with her friends Jenna, Morgan, Krys, Joe and Billy. Of course Jon and Jake were here too! Remember when I told you that she cries at the sound of the Happy Birthday song? Well here's the proof!

I know she's laughing but she was wiping the tears away as fast as they fell. Poor Bugs! :)

But she had a great day! She enjoyed celebrating with her friends and family. The weather was great too!

By the way, the little man Julie's holding is Lennon. He's Krys' son and is just the best!

We ended up the day by watching the first official hockey game of the season for Jon and Jake. It's extra special this year because they're playing on the same team. It's great to see them on the ice together but I have to admit it's the whole 2 birds with 1 stone thing. :) I know it's sounds selfish but it's REALLY cold in there and to see both of them play at the same time...well, you got the point! ;) Oh yeah, they won too! Woo Hoo!

Jon

Jake

Then sings my soul!

Music is a big part of my life! There isn't many kinds I don't like....from Bluegrass to Rock and OK even some Rap. So when Bev found this great blog I had to join in.

When I was trying to pick the first song I'd share this one jumped in my mind. When the kids were smaller and would be with me on a school morning, I'd play this on my i pod on the way. Part of me thinks they would roll their eyes and think not again but another part thinks it got the message in their heart and started their day off right! (at least I like to think so)

don't forget to pause the ipod player on the left ;)

fall festival at the ski slopes

This morning Duffy, Jon, Jake and I headed to Whitetail for their outdoor festival. When we got there it was pouring rain and windy! Thankfully after a little bit, it cleared and we had some fun outside.

We rode the lift to the top of the mountain and then back down. The views were amazing!

Oh yeah, I love this shot...

If you remember, last weekend we dug out Jacob's snowboard and found that he um...out grew it over the summer! So, he found a new board today.

He got to do a little rock climbing and paint balling too...

Between rain drops we looked around inside at the craft show and exhibits...

By the time we left, we could actually WALK to the car without umbrellas and running for shelter!

She's 19 today

October 23, 1990, Julieanne Marie joined this world. I remember well the first day I met her. She was sleeping soundly in her bassinet. While I loved her at first sight, I could never have realized the impact she'd have on my life. I have been blessed.

That little baby grew into a sweet, loving little girl!

That caring little girl has developed into the beautiful women she is today! Julie's hard working, dedicated and puts the needs of others before her own. I'm very proud to call her my Goddaughter.

Not many people know that for as long as she could recognize the Happy Birthday song she cries! When she was little it was the kinda cry that made her hide behind you or bury her face in her hands. Even today though, as soon as the attention is brought to her and the song is in full swing, tears well up! I'm not sure any of us understand why (not even her) but I think it has something to do with her not wanting the spotlight. Well guess what Bugs?! Today's your day. ALL DAY LONG =)

Happy birthday Julieanne! I couldn't love you more!

Fall Decos....

Fall is my favorite time of year at home! Mostly because of the colors...they match our house so well! But there's something cozy about the weather changing too. I like the brisk nip to the air and feeling of being snuggled in for the evening. Here are some pictures of my favorite decorations...

My all time favorites though are the ones that are truly God given!

I know you're probably thinking it's over used but....HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

Happy almost birthday Bugs!

Julie's in the middle, holding the orange balloon. Jon's on one knee on the left and Jake's on the right with the number 11 shirt on. (funny thing is that turned out to be the number he's worn most in hockey :))

This Wednesday's walk down memory lane takes us back 9 years ago. Julie will be 19 on Friday and this is a shot of her 10th birthday party! I remember it well. She has great friends!

Blog hoppin'!

Is it your first time here? Well I hope you take a moment and look around. Duffy and I have been married for 17 years and while we have no biological children of our own, we've been blessed with 3 Godchildren who are nothing short of wonderful! We've steadily added (although not intentionally! :)) to our furry family...see their pictures on the left. We enjoy cheering for our favorite sports teams, boating, water skiing and blogging (ok, I enjoy that but still!) Hope you stop by again real soon.

Wanna join the fun? Link up here!

Growth spurt

It literally rained from Wednesday night until around lunch time today - no joke! I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever see the sun again. This afternoon it made a short appearance. Shew, finally!

Aside from my monumental trip to Hobby Lobby (still can't wait to go back!), it was a pretty quiet weekend. Jacob is very excited for winter to arrive. He loves snowboarding and the colder-than-normal weather lately has given him the bug. He wanted to dig out his snowboard to see how it sized up to him this year. Wow - he grew A LOT over the summer. His board came to his chin at the end of last season. Look at it now...

Guess I know what's going to be on his birthday list! Ha.

Is it really Sunday night already? Here's hoping for a good week! =)

Oh how I love Hobby Lobby!

While blog hopping we saw lots of mentions of Hobby Lobby. We'd never heard of it so Bev and I decided to do some googling. Before long we discovered that one was opening not too far from home.

So, on this very rainy, dreary, down right cold Saturday morning Duffy, Jake and I were off to Chambersburg!

The parking lot was packed, guess everyone knows what a great place this is! As soon as I got to the door, I just knew it was going to be special. (if you've never been then you just can't appreciate this...I'm telling you I could spend hours just looking around.)

Here are my new treasures...

I fell in love with these pumpkins as soon as I saw them!

My 'as for me and my house' plate fits perfect behind the cook top.

I've been trying to figure out something different for over the mantle. I think this cross does the job.

Respecting the fact that Duffy and Jake were in tow, I kept my laps around the store to two. (Although they were very patient. I think they knew how excited I was...ha!) But, I plan to be a regular visitor!

I already can't wait to go again! I'm thinking next weekend.

Do you have a Hobby Lobby?

Handmade by me...

A few years ago, Luanne and I decided to take a quilting class at a local shop. What a great experience! It was definitely frustrating at first, especially considering we'd never really used a sewing machine before. Ha! But we figured it out (with LOTS of help!) and have successfully completed many projects.
Here are a couple of my favorites!

This is my very first one! Log Cabin quiltCloser look at one of the blocks

This is probably my favorite and not just because it's so easy to make! Love rag quilts.

We gave making Christmas stockings a try too! It was fun and they turned out pretty good.

I have enough material to make a few more quilts. Now that the weather's turned chilly and the holidays are upon us, time to get cutting and sewing.

Woo hoo Julieanne!

Julie's the proud owner of a shiny new (2010 to be exact) Ford Focus! She's been searching for a car for a while but the pieces finally fell into place for her today. By the time she got home, it was dark and raining. That didn't stop me from taking a picture though! Ha.

Needless to say, she's excited...she should be! Congratulations Bugs!

Start 'em young

Being a Redskins fan takes a lot of courage lately! But this week as I thought about Wednesday's walk down memory lane, I remembered Jacob in his uniform. He was 3 in this picture and was so proud of himself. Hope he can be proud to be a fan again soon! Ha.

Nope, not me!

In the spirit of 'not me' Monday, I thought I'd share a somewhat embarrassing but definitely hilarious moment that would never happen to me!

I was not carrying the BIG star through the crowded streets of Thurmont when Julie and Mom pointed out another vendor who also had stars. It wasn't me who hadn't seen those before taking the leap and making my purchase. It wasn't me either who was walking, carrying and looking to the left. I don't know who would've put the cone in the middle of the road but it most certainly wasn't me who was straddling it while balancing the same big star! I wasn't holding on to Julieanne laughing hysterically at such clumsiness! I have definitely not been the source of sporadic outbursts of laughter every time Julie or Mom think of it! =)

Weekend visitors

Ignore the Christmas garland. I didn't take pictures during their visit...what was wrong with me!? Ha!

This weekend, Duffy's Mom, Dad and Grandma attended a wedding in Aberdeen, MD. Afterward, they made their way to Hagerstown. We celebrated birthdays with great food and good company! They headed home today. Hope they have a safe trip!

'Festing we went!

The second weekend of October means Colorfest! It's the biggest craft fair I've ever seen! I mean to tell you, the whole town is packed with vendors and people!

It's become a tradition to go and I really do look forward to it. I don't always have a something that I'm looking for but it's still fun to go on the hunt! =) Many times, it's fun just to people watch, I'm telling you, you'll see it all! Today though, I was in search of a star...a big one...well, guess what? Yep, I found it!

And, I carried it through all of the people with only one slight mishap. It's a 'have to be there' story but let's just say a parking cone jumped out in front of me with no warning! Not very nice, huh?! Ha! (update - on 2nd thought, this could be a perfect 'not me Monday' post!)

Julieanne has been going since she was little too. She finally admitted that it's really for the food! So her!

I ran into an old friend. It was so good to see KK (Kristie)! She was there selling her candles. We hope she did well this weekend!

It was a good morning! Perfect fall weather - a little brisk with bright sunshine. Couldn't've ordered a better day!

'Til next year!