Tricks and Treats - ROCK THE VOTE!

NEWS FLASH - today is the LAST day to do early voting in Floyd County. Avoid crazy long lines next Tuesday and come on over to the old yellow-brick courthouse on 4th Avenue (behind Jefferson's) and vote - it's sure to be entertaining - I've already seen a witch, a bag lady, a "Black Eyed Pea" and a Kitty Cat voting here this morning. And it's only 10:30!

Today I am the proud mother of Optimus Prime (Transformer extraordinaire) and Hannah Montana. They didn't wear their costumes to school (against the rules) but we are looking forward to the Downtown Trick-or-Treat on Broad St. from 2-6pm.

I love Halloween. At one point in my life, and for many years, it was an anniversary of a first date. Tonight, I have a date with Optimus & Hannah, so that will be just as great. Did you know that the day after Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) is All Saints' Day? Very exciting.

I have to go work now - alas. But I hope you all have a creepy crawly kind of day ;)

Questions of the Day:
1. What are you wearing? (Any other day this would sound like I was getting cyber-fresh with you, but since it's national dress up day, it's a fair question...)

2. Are you/your children going trick-or-treating?

3. When & where was your first date with your current (or most recent) significant other?

4. If you got to have a first date soon, where would you want to go/what would you want to do? (Bonus: with whom would you like to go on said first date ;) )

Memos to Folks, Note to Self (subtitle..."Bite Me")

MEMO TO THE SHORT PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN MY HOUSE
Small children, of course I love you, of course I do. I am your mother. But, at some point you are going to have to realize that A) I am bigger than you; B) I am smarter than you; C) I make the rules; and D) no matter what, you WILL follow the rules...which include 1) no throwing in the house; 2) no playing with doors; 3) no hitting your sibling; and 4) YOU MUST SLEEP IN YOUR OWN BED.

MEMO TO THE PRE-K PARENTS AT BERRY
There are parking spaces. Use them. If you park perpindicular to the parking spaces, in the drive (even if you leave your car running), then you are blocking in those of us that chose to follow the rules and park in the parking spaces. That means that I go from already being 20 minutes late to work to being 25 or 30 minutes late to work. And I blame it all on you. If, by chance, all the available parking spaces are full - just freakin' park in the grass - don't block me in. One of these days I'm going to "forget" to look in my rearview mirror and smack your cute little Pathfinder or Volvo or whatever it is you drive.

Thank you! - See you at the field trip tomorrow!

MEMO TO CERTAIN PEOPLE
Stop trying to bully me. It's not fair.

MEMO TO ALL THE MALES IN THE LEGAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION
(Particularly ones in Rome, GA)
I am a girl. I will always be a girl. I am different from you. But - that doesn't mean I'm not as smart as you or that I don't have the cahones to cross examine a witness to within an inch of his/her life. We will always always always have different practice styles, as do all lawyers. It's not personal. It's my job. Zealous representation of my clients. I'm really not a bulldog or a beee-otch. I'm a nice girl - with a law degreen.

NOTES TO SELF
If you don't actually turn the washing machine ON, nothing gets washed.
If you don't wash any clothes, it's no wonder the children don't have clean socks.
You cleaned out the garage so you could park in it.
If you don't park in the garage, you waste a good 15 minutes and probably 1/2 gallon of gas warming up the car enough to defrost the windshield.
Hence, you should park in the garage.
You are the only female criminal defense attorney in this circuit (though there are a few others that pop up from other places from time to time...) - you love the guys you work with and against, but at some point you just need to suck it up. Boys are stupid.
Tell your girlfriends and your family that you appreciate them more often. They are the best. Really....

mommy needs sleep.

Yeah - so I love my children, and I'm a durn good Momma. I'm also madly in love with my queen size bed - with clean sheets, and here's the key - I like having it ALL TO MYSELF.

Unfortunately for me, there are two preschoolers and a super-sized springer spaniel that are also in love with my queen size bed (with formerly clean sheets...) Last night, I put each child back in his/her bed a minimum of 4 times. That's a minimum of 8 times getting in and out of bed (in the span of 3 hours) - and I kicked Bella (aforementioned springer) off the bed at least 10 times between 11pm and 5 am, at which point I just gave up.

I did turn my gas log fireplace on last night. Very nice. Very romantic. Very warm and cozy. Hot tea and a good book...and then I woke up 30 minutes later sweating on the couch...turned off the fire and hit the queen bed...to find a little blondie munchkin in it. This is where the in-and-out-of-bed scenario began...and never ended.

Needless to say, I feel crummola today. I have some fun questions, though - please feel free to share:

1. Brady Bunch or The Waltons?

2. Coke or Pepsi?

3. Beer or Liquor? (or wine, I suppose is acceptable, too)

4. ink pens - blue or black?

5. camping or the ritz?

Monday keeps coming around...

Strange how that happens, eh? It's Thursday or Friday and you think "Wow, I have a whole weekend to recuperate..." and then out of the blue, it's MONDAY again.

Football recap - way to go Georgia. Good game, good game. And Texas, still number 1. And my friend Liam's Might Fighting Cardinals of Ball State are 8-0 - very impressive, Liam - what are they up to number 16 in the BCS points now? Congrats!

So, it's Halloween this Friday! When did that sneak up on us - I want to know. Cole wants to be an Army-man (Soldier) with camo and all. Carson, well, Carson told me she wants to be Hannah Montana but I think I'm going to veto that. How DO you dress a 3-year old as Hannah Montana, really? I think I'm going to be a 1989 prom queen. Complete with tacky polyester satin red dress (lace, ribbons AND sequins - and a bubble skirt with dyed-to-match satin pumps. And a tiara, of course.)

We're doing the downtown trick-or-treat (Thank you, local businesses...) and then home to make kettle corn and watch a Halloween movie, like Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin or something. I've been invited to a (grown-up) Halloween party, but there's no way I would find a sitter on Halloween, and I'm not sure I would really want to, anyway...

So. Still working on the meth lab case. Madness, I tell you - sheer madness. OK - so I want to know what everyone else is doing for Halloween...

1. Are you dressing up this year? As what?

2. Do you have trick-or-treaters at your house? What kind of candy do you give out?

3. Are you going to any fun spooky events? I went to the Haunted Caverns in Chatty last year - but nothing very fun or spooky this year...*sigh*

Fantabulous Friday!

But the weather - not so fantabulous. Rainy, cold - windy!!! And, I've been working on a meth lab trial I have coming up all morning, and it's complicated and heavy stuff...but I really think my guys have a defense (for once) - so I feel inspired.

Anyway, so it's Friday -driving C & C Music Factory to the Lucky's Supermarket in Rainsville, AL this afternoon to hang with their Daddy for the weekend. Carson's first sentence this morning "Mommy, is today "Lucky" day?!?!?" Cute!

Oh - favorite quote of the day - 6am:
Mommy: Cole, do you know how much I love you?
Cole: How much, ma?
Mommy: I love you to the moon...and back!
Cole: Yeah, well, guess how much *I* love *you*!!!
Mommy: How much?
Cole: I love you to the moon and back - IN A ROCKET SHIP! With flashing colored lights and shooting stars and...and...and ALIENS!

*sweet sigh* I love my kidlets. Don't you?

There is a Bar Association meeting at lunch today - our two Floyd County District Attorney candidates will be speaking. Should be interesting:
Incumbent (Democrat) - Leigh Patterson
Challenger (Republican) - Dan Morgan
Then I'm going home to put on jeans and boots and a fleecey-jacket and pack up the chick peas to head to 'bama.

By the way - I am not ignoring the results of the Auburn/West Virginia game last night. Actually, scratch that - yes, I am ignoring it - and no, I don't want to talk about it.

See y'all at CHIAHA!

Thursday Thoughts

1. Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week. Stems from 4th grade, Thursday was library day. Plus, since it's Thursday, we're one day closer to dancing exploits like this: Meet (from bottom up - Tricia, Kikki & "Hot Guy from Belgium" (we missed his name...) - and the half-guy on the right? That's Bucky...2. Speaking of the library, I love the library. Free books? Free videos? Good times! (REMINDER TO SELF: return way overdue library books...you do NOT love overdue fines.)

3. Meet Addie:
Addie is the granddaughter of Barbara, who is one of our lovely administrative assitants at the Public Defender's Office. I would be in big trouble without Barb. Addie picked out this fabric at Wal-Mart and wanted a halloween outfit. Voila!

4. Coffee is good. Coffee, if I needed evidence of a kind and caring God, would be sufficient to prove His existence to me. (But, luckily, I have a LOT of other evidence, but I'm really grateful for small things, like coffee.)

5. Queen sized beds seem luxurious when you have them all to yourself. However, at some point between midnight and 5:30 am, I did not have mine all to myself, as one-by-one, I obtained a 50 pound springer spaniel, a 40 pound 4-year-old blondie boy in cowboy PJs, and a 3-year-old spitfire girl in just Tinkerbell panties. Not so roomy, after all.

6. Cowboy boots go with just about all my outfits (exception: navy blue skirt suit...). Carson Claire agrees as she is wearing hers today (and would probably wear them with navy blue skirt suit, if she had one.

7. Math lessons for preschoolers work really well with dirty utensils, straw papers, and cheese dip. The Dynamic Duo (aka Cole & Carson) can now identify not only squares, rectangles and triangles, but also parallelograms, trapezoids and pentagrams. Rock on.

8. The dictionary is a perfectly appropriate "favorite book" for a 4-year-old. Don't knock it. He's insanely smart. (And also very handsome!!!)

9. The real estate market sucks. In case you haven't noticed. However, in the interest of being positive, gas was only $2.69 at the BP on Martha Berry yesterday. I filled up for less than $50 (and I was down to the --- on my gas-range indicator...which tells me how many miles I can go. the --- is what comes after the big fat ZERO.)

10. I fancy myself a singer. Shhhh...don't tell anyone.

A few reminders about the weekend


Scary Berry - haunted hayride out at Berry College - starts at 8pm tonight, Friday and Saturday out at Berry (there is lots of signage at the entrance...) $6 for non-Berry students and $4 for Berry students. (I can't find a link...sorry.)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - http://www.romelittletheater.com/ - is playing Friday - Sunday at DeSoto Theater on Broad - check the website for times. This is the last weekend, so be sure to catch it if you want it.

Schroeder's is hosting Free Will Offering (check 'em on MySpace) at 7pm in the courtyard (pray for no rain...)

Also at Schroeder's this weekend - a benefit for the Aids Resource Council
(featuring Devidasa, Tyler Ashley & Jake Mitchell,
Woodcrest Sound Karaoke, and Derotha Garrett) - should be good times and it's $7 I think? and it starts at 8pm in the courtyard.

Shorter College is putting on something fun - The Next Best Thing to Broadway (A Musical Cabaret) - it's a fundraiser for the Friends of Theater. Click here for the Arts calendar. NOTE - the performance will be at Coosa Valley Tech - not at Shorter campus.

And don't forget - Thunderbolt Patterson at Old Havana, Friday, 9pm - also, Chiaha Arts Festival this weekend. I will be there selling poinsettias for the Junior Service League.

Frost, Felonies, Football & Fun

Today it was 37 degrees when I got in my car at 7:30 a.m. My windshield was frosted over. Wow. And to think that just Friday it was 84 degrees and I was sweaty. I LOVE THIS WEATHER! Don't get me wrong, I love the beach in August, too (and Karaoke at that dive bar with the big boy Marcus - Mel & Sooz & Karen...and Grey Goose Martinis...extra dirty!) - but FALL, particularly THIS part of fall, when it's just cold enough to make your cheeks pink and the sun is still so bright and lovely, and the leaves are crunchy under your boots...*sigh* Love it.

I had two burglary trials and a felony false statements trial this week. Guess what? They were ALL dismissed for some reason or another...so that means I have (finally) finished with this trial calendar and can move on to the 20-something cases I have on the Nov. 6 trial calendar. Good times.

I took the short people to Pettit Creek Farms in Cartersville this weekend. Hay rides, feeding camels and goats (and ZEBRAS and BISON! - who knew there were zebras and bison in the Etowah Valley....) We also picked a few pumpkins and jumped in the bouncy houses and saw a ton of fun things there.

Because I was gone most of the day Saturday, and because I don't have TV (I know, I'm crazy...I'm ok with that.), I watched very very little football. Boo. However, my Auburn Tigers (WAR EAGLE!) had an off week. I hate to admit it, but they probably needed seeing as we've kind of had a problem the last couple weeks which resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator number 8 (in 10 years, I think...) wow. I have to say kudos, though, to my Georgia buddies - because UGA kicked tail against Vanderbilt...THE Vanderbilt that beat Auburn last week, which apparently led to aforementioned sacking of offensive coordinator. Ugh. I'm not bitter, though. It's all fair in love and football.

Carolina and Wake Forest both lost though - but Texas - TEXAS won! Texas (last I checked) is NUMBER ONE!!!) Dang. Who woulda THUNK it - well, Texas rocks, I'll say. And for Brent, and Tyler and all those other Texas folks who I hung with at the chili cookoff - Here's a shout out for ya - "HOOK 'EM 'HORNS!" And for Marlin, J.J. Beebe, Niles, and Mitchell - "Ramblin' Wreck, baby" (insert Mitchell's knuckle-bust here).

OK - so there's frost, felonies & football - and HERE...here, my friends...is the fun.

First - a report on the chili cookoff - fabulous weather, great music, good friends and DIVINITY in the form of meat & beans. Good times (here's one pic, courtesy of Tricia Steele, thank you dear.)

MORE FUN:

I have (re)discovered that I am a phenomenal dancer. And, it's good exercise, by the way. My girls and I have figured out that it's a really good Saturday night thing to do, and plan to do it more often.

So, here's some fun pics of a recent dancing night with the lovely Rome ladies.

And, in the midst of a recent dancing exploit with my ladies - I met the fabulous Jada Ryan Grindstaff from the band Waiting for Jimmy. (Jada assures me the show dates will be updated this week) and their MySpace page is pretty current, so if you're on MySpace look them up there, too. You can hear some of their stuff by clicking here as well. And the MySpace page has all their updated show dates already...Check for upcoming shows in Atlanta in late November - myAtlanta peeps should check it out. We should make it a group event...And you Romans, word on the street is that they may play here in Rome, as well. Good Times, right here in River City!!!

More Fun - CHIAHA is this weekend - the Chiaha Harvest Fair is one of my favorite fall activities (y'all know I'm nuts about outdoor festival type stuff anyway) - and this one is all about the arts, all the time. AND, there's free hot apple cider. What more could you want? Well, here's what makes it even better - the band line up is faburific! Check it:

Saturday - Oct. 25

10:30-11:15: Russell McClanahan & Friends
11:15-12:00: Cheyenne Medders
12:00-12:45: Kelley & Marcie Lane
12:45-1:30: Martha Ann Brooks
1:30-2:15: Bryan Bowers
2:15-3:00: Jule Medders
3:00-3:45: Faye Pierce Band
3:45-4:45: Delta Moon

Sunday - Oct. 26

10:30-12:00: David Elliott
12:00-12:45: Calvin Snow
12:45-1:45: Bryan Bowers
1:45-2:45: Thunderbolt Patterson
2:45-3:30: Doggie Costume Contest
3:30-4:30: Jennifer Daniels

Thunderbolt Patterson is also playing this FRIDAY (Oct. 24) at Old Havana. I will be there with bells on because those guys ROCK (quite literally...)...For more fun Rome stuff, check out Bryan's site - mullinsmania.com

So - that was a happy (long) Monday post - I'm making up for not posting since last Wednesday - sorry! Love and sunshine and sweet tea. Catch y'all on the flip side.

Midweek Migraine

I am on day 3 of an increasingly annoying headache. Lots of advil, tylenol, coffee, water - and yes, I've eaten...(I like to eat, y'all know that!)...thinking may be sinus headache, after all. It's really weird.

Anyway - today I have NO plans after work. For once, right? No ballet, no tennis, no meetings...just going home to make pasta (mmmm, tortellini) and chill with my short people while we catch up on some laundry.

Here's the story for the weekend - there's are two great events planned for this SPOOKY time of year! "Where Romans Rest" and "Haunted on Broad"...

Here's the description from the City of Rome website (http://www.romegeorgia.com/):
Discover a different side of Georgia’s Rome on Saturday, October 18 with two tours: “Where Romans Rest”, a guided tour of Myrtle Hill Cemetery, and “Haunted on Broad”, Rome’s haunted history and ghost lore.
• Where Romans RestDocents will guide guests through the winding paths of Myrtle Hill Cemetery, stopping along the way as “grave hosts” tell the story of those buried within the gates. Please note: this tour is a moderate to strenuous walk with steps and slopes involved. Tours depart at 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am, & 11:30am from the gates of Myrtle Hill Cemetery on Myrtle Street. Cost: $8 adult, $5 children (12 and under).
• Haunted on Broad Docents will guide guests along the streets of Rome’s Between the Rivers Historic District. Along the way, Rome’s haunted history and ghost lore will come alive as told by the Seven Hills Tellers and guest tellers. Please note: this tour is a moderate to strenuous walk with hills and uneven pavement. Route is not conducive for wheelchairs or strollers. Stories are not intended for a young audience. Tours depart from the Midtown Transit Station on East 1st Street at 7:30 and 8:30pm. Cost: $8 adult, $5 children (12 and under).
Tickets for “Where Romans Rest” and “Haunted on Broad” are available at the Rome Visitor Center, 402 Civic Center Drive, across from Applebee’s. For more information, call 706/295-5576 or visit http://www.romegeorgia.org/.

Also - Rome Little Theater's presentation of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens this weekend at RLT and plays this weekend and next at the historic DeSoto Theater: http://romelittletheatre.com/
If you are in Rome next weekend (because I can't make it this weekend) and would like to see this, I'm looking for folks that want to go - I think it will be a really good show!

Good times, right here in River City!

Yowza,,,

So. My little boy. (And, he IS little - he's only 4) took a dive on the sidewalk and skint up his face. We're talking road rash on the whole left side of his face. Busted lip, swollen eye, and a possible broken tooth or two. He looks like he was in a really rough bar fight, or a killer motorcycle accident...but it was just a tumble on the cement. Ugh.

It looks way way way better than it did Sunday (when it happened) but it's still causing sleep issues - which means I'm on day 3 of very very very little sleep. So, I apologize for my lack of funnies today. Nothing is much funny after the first 36 hours of no sleep.

I will say, I had a lovely impromptu dinner party at my house last night. 3 lovely friends made it over for some chili (well, the Kikki doesn't eat critters, so she had pita bread & hummus, close second to chili...). They even brought me a couple longnecks, which I enjoyed - and I have to say that on a Monday night after worrying about my skint-up preschooler, those two cold ones were well-deserved, and much needed & appreciated.

So, it's ballet-Tuesday. I forgot the necessary ballet accoutrements (I'm pretty sure I spelled that improperly. Forgiveness, please. At least I said it in my head with that fun French accent ;) )...I'll head home in just a little bit to get that stuff. The boy and I will have a cookie at Honeymoon bakery while Carsie is twirling - and I'll try to talk them into Schroeder's (and out of Jefferson's) afterwards. Then we'll walk back down Broad Street and throw pennies in the fountain before heading home. Because, this is Tuesday, and this is my simple small life. This is what we do on Tuesdays. I love my life.

Please entertain me today. Even if you're randomly here and I don't know you - I'd appreciate it if you can answer my questions. I really like hearing from y'all. And whomever visited from Bhilwara, Rajasthan - that's a lot of fun, and I'm terrible at geography - but I'd like to know who you are.

So, for fun - here are some questions - I'll answer them, too.

1) Name some pet peeves.

2) What is your favorite thing to make for dinner parties? Or potluck? Or the Superbowl? Whatever works...

3) How do you kick a good killer headache in the tail-end? (This is of particular interest to me at the very moment...)

4) What was your best Halloween costume ever?

Friday Friday

Well, the puppy shirt is off. 3 days was apparently the limit. So today Cole is wearing a "poppy" shirt (which is very close to "puppy", no?) Poppy is his grandfather...and we did the ALS walk every year as a family team - so we have the shirts with a cartoon depiction of "Poppy" and he wore that today under a "Jr. Builder" button up shirt.

I know that's not exciting Friday news, but I was afraid you were all holding your breath to see what happened to the puppy shirt...

So - now, on to the good stuff - FOOTBALL!!! My unscientific picks - Arkansas @ Auburn is not on TV (well, PPV, but I can't even afford plain cable, much less PPV ;) )

Arizona State @ USC - 2:30 pm (ABC)
Notre Dame @ North Carolina (this one is for JT, who loves his Carolina boys) - 2:30 (ESPN)
TENNESSEE @ GEORGIA 2:30 - (CBS)
LSU @ Florida 7:30 - (CBS)

That's really all I got - I'll be at the Chili cookoff until 3 or 3:30, I think - and then on to the TN/UGA viewing...and then supper time (as if I will be hungry after all that chili) - and S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!!! (can you hear Mike Myers singing that song in "So I Married an Axe Murderer"? You know, when he's playing the Scottish father!!!??? - good times)

Have a happy weekend, y'all!

Puppy dog shirt - Day 3...

OK - so Cole has this grey heather t-shirt with dog breeds pictured on the front. I think it came from Target (Thank you, Grandmomma...) and he told me last week (he wore it on Friday) "It's my all time FAV-O-RITE shirt, Mom...like, FOR REAL!" (Kids these days...so funny...)


So, I've already laid out the events of Monday (Picture Day) and the dressing debauchle...so Monday we did some laundry and the puppy shirt got washed and put in his basket to put away. Tuesday he wears it again. Fine.

Wednesday...6:30 am -
C: Mom, WHERE IS MY PUPPY SHIRT?
Mom: Dude, it's in the hamper where your dirty clothes are...
C: But, MMMooooooommmmm!!! It's not dirty! I didn't even GET any of my lunch on it!
Mom: Well, it's still sweaty and dusty from playing in it.
C: But Mom...really. For real. It was too rainy to go outside yesterday so I kept it super-clean.
Mom: NO, COLE - you have a drawer FULL of clean shirts, find something else.
C: Fine. Be that way. Mean mommy.
Mom: (Thinking I won the battle...smugness sets in. I make the rules, and THEY follow them!)

6:55am:
Mom: COLE!!! Let's go, time for shoes...

---and Cole, my lovely, hard-headed, knows-what-he-wants child...comes into the room with the puppy dog shirt on. And clean jeans and socks. I can't blame him for trying, it really wasn't that dirty (visibly, anyway), and he dressed himself, so I can't lose, right?

So, last night, we did MORE laundry and I specifically washed the twice-worn dog shirt...and of course he put it away when the load of laundry was done. Guess what he wore today...we'll see how long this can last...

Grey day

So, the pink was getting to me. It's all rainy and yucky here today, which is fine - we so need the rain...but of course I'm wearing a pencil skirt and sky-high heels, which isn't great for walking back and forth 3-4 blocks each way to the courthouse, because I have court today, of course. And my hair is a mess, of course (but not in a cool messy way, in a frizzy, not-curly-yet-not-straight kinda way...) Ah, well.

I'm wanting pasta. It's only 10:30 am. I've got to be back in court at 1:00 pm, so I'm thinking of going to eat an early lunch, by myself, at an italian place. Of course, giving in to such carb-o-licious cravings is probably why none of my pants fit. Hmmm...?

I want to live downtown. The house I've lived in for 7ish years (minus my 6 month hiatus) has been for sale for a year. We listed it on October 13 last year. Still sits unsold. Of course. The market is crummy. However, we do most things in town - I work downtown, we eat downtown 2-3 nights a week, ballet and the park and all our "social" events are downtown...and most of my friends live down this way, too. If you're a praying person, please pray for an answer to the house selling dilemma.

Random thoughts by JJ today! I'm gearing up for the Trout Unlimited Annual Chili Cookoff at Ridge Ferry Park this weekend. Here's the website: http://coosavalleytu.org/TU_CHILI_COOKOFF/tu_chili_cookoff.html

It should be good times right here in River City! I think the gates open at 10:30 and the judging is at 11:30 or so - and then winners announced around 2-2:30...

I'll probably get there around noon...in case you're looking for me (wink wink).

Other than that, I hope you have a fabulous "grey" day - I'm going to carb-up ;)

Picture Day

Today is picture day at the child development center. Now, those of you who know me know that I'm a big fan of the fact that my preschoolers dress themselves. I only have two rules about clothing choices in the morning:

1. It must fit;

2. It must be somewhat weather appropriate.

I could care less whether they match their pants to their shirts or wear odd socks...because you know what? I find that independence in a 3- and 4-year old is MUCH more important than color coordination. They dress themselves, they feel pride in what they are wearing, and really sometimes - the crazy combos are cute. (And, we have had some CRAZY combos, let me tell you...)

OK - so, matching doesn't matter, right? Well, it doesn't - EXCEPT on picture day. ARGH! Cole got new Levi's at Sam's Club yesterday - he wanted the camo-printed ones. Fine. Yet, I had already laid out some nice "slim fit" dark wash jeans and a button up Columbia shirt for him to wear and of COURSE he insisted on the camo pants. With the plaid shirt. Of course. *sigh*

Carson, on the other hand had totally cute coordination - an off white/brown/pink printed cotton dress with pink tights. However, instead of the cute mary jane keds I had envisioned, she insisted on the Justin cowboy boots (see above - at the fair) passed down to her by her brother. OK. It's still cute.

Here's more from the fair:

You can see the boots here, too...crazy kids on the carousel. Mommy could only ride it once. Give me a crazy roller coaster any day as opposed to the round & round...

And a thumbs up from my racer-girl! GO SPEEDRACER, GO!

And, in closing, you're probably all wondering about the football weekend wrap up. Let's just say this. I have chosen to repress the memory of the second half of the Auburn/Vandy game. Cheers, Vanderbilt - you're better than anyone expects. War Eagle defense is one of the best in the SEC, and that would be FABULOUS if we had a quarterback that could throw the ball, or receivers that could catch it...alas. I love my War Tigers anyway...ha ha ha ha hah...

Next week, baby...next week.

And the weekend commences...

I heart Fridays...and here we go with the games of the week...which are picked by ME in a completely BIASED manner...mostly having to do with how nice their uniforms look...(ha ha just kidding...)

Here in GA country, the dawgs are off this week, which makes for sad GA fans...but I recommend a good SEC pick-me-up by watching the following:

Florida @ Arkansas (11:30am, ESPN-GP (if you can get it...watch it.))
South Carolina @ Ole Miss (1:00 pm, only on PPV, or ESPN-GP...if you got it...)
Florida State @ Miami (2:30pm, ABC & ESPN2)
Kentucky @ Alabama (2:30pm, CBS)
Auburn @ Vanderbilt (5pm, ESPN) (My personal game of choice...and it's on regular old ESPN, so you can get it!)

I'll be in town around 5pm for kick off (WAR EAGLE!) and a beer. So, that's that.

As for updates on the fair - I'm getting pictures developed and a CD made (I was using a disposable camera, courtesy of Old Havana - thank you Steven McDowell...) - so I'll try to post some photos if they turn out. It was good times right here in River City. I'd really like to go back as a grown up, with a grown-up - and no small children!!! The fair-food smells, the lights, the crazy announcers "Step Right UP!" etc. Love love loved it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Bring on the Coosa Valley FAIR!!!

It's officially fair season in Rome, Georgia. The Coosa Valley Fair had opening day yesterday and today is "kids' day" - so I'm taking the short people...woo hoo.

Of course, when you add up parking, admission, corn dogs & cokes and the obligatory tickets or armbands to ride all those shady rides...well, we're gonna break the bank. But, hey - you only live once, right? I am excited to see the exhibits (the crafting, quilting and home exhibits are my favorite, surprise surprise...) - but EVERY STINKING YEAR I say "Next year I'm gonna blow this place away with MY entries..." yet I never actually get around to it...alas.

The kids like the animals and the kids' art exhibits...but they REALLY like the ferris wheel. (Or, as I like to call it, the rotating wheel of death...) I'm not at all afraid of heights. In fact, I'm a fair bit of a dare devil - but you should SEE this ferris wheel - if it was just me - or me and other reasonable adults, I'd be fine - but preschoolers, no seatbelts, a rocking bucket o' misery and 100 vertical feet make for a nervous mommy...

So, what else is there to tell...hmmm. Well, Cole had an interesting comment yesterday. Here's how it went.
We're on the way from Berry pre-k to ballet. Traffic is kinda slow at 5pm on Martha Berry Blvd.
Cole: Mom, your car doesn't like that black weasel, right?
Mom: huh?
Cole: You know the black weasel, right, Mom? Your car does NOT like it.
Mom: A black weasel?
Cole: Yeah, you know what weasel is, right?
Mom: Like the animal?!?!? There's a black weasel in my car?
Cole: NO - we CAN'T put the black weasel in your car!!! It will make your car mad and sick!
Mom: Where did you learn about weasels? Have you ever really seen a weasel? And why is my car afraid of the black weasel.
Cole: Not like an animal weasel, Mom (rolls eyes here, I saw him in the mirror...) - like the GAS, mom - you know, like the weasel that comes out of the black pump at the gas station? It will make your car SICK!

Mom: Recognition dawns...DIESEL, not WEASEL!!! Yeah, ok, bud you're right. My car doesn't like the DIESEL. The black DIESEL fuel.

(We drove to multiple gas stations on a hunt for fuel and none of them had anything but diesel and Cole couldn't understand why I couldn't use that kind...because...of course "The diesel would make my car sick. My car doesn't like diesel.")

Good times with small children.