White Sox Win AL Central Title!

For my sister and my dad...
the true Sox fans in our family...




this video is awesome...taken from the seats...wow!


I know that other Chicago team won it, too.


I found this old commercial from 1979, I sort of remember it, well at least the song.


Update: Check out this new rap song for the Sox, I just found...the video with it is great, especially check out at 1:51

Fall is here!

The arrival of Fall at our house means ACORNS!




We took the time and picked them all up last weekend. I did a little on Sat. then the rest on Sunday.
We raked some, sat on the ground and picked up by hand, and then used the shop vac on most of them. We noticed our neighbors were using their shop vac to suck them up! Well, ours is too little, hose was only getting one at a time. We borrowed T's parents heavy duty one and it worked like a champ! We spend a good 3 hours out there getting them all out from our front lawn. WE filled 2 big garbage cans of acorns! Didn't get a pic of all of them in the cans, but it was quite impressive.

Ethan thought it looked like fun to suck them up and helped some. (a good 15 min.)

I love the fall season! Picked up some yummy caramel apples.



I have 4 potted mums I got at Meijer for $2 each! I want to get at least 2 more larger ones this weekend at T&J's. It makes me sad to put away the potted impatients & geraniums, especially now when they are not dead yet!

This weekend is Covered Bridge Harvest Fest in CP. Not sure if we will go on Sat or Sun yet. We went last year and it was ok, we liked the wagon ride.

I just ordered E's halloween costume. He picked it out.

I am selling his pirate costume from last year on Ebay. I usually make a profit off of them on there, plus they are buying it used! I've been selling a lot of his 4T clothes in the last few weeks. I've made over $110 so far!

Trying to decide if we should tear up our carpet downstairs or at least do half of it. I'm liking some tile or laminate stone/tile. I need my mom to go with me to pick it out.

Picked up some seasonal candles at Yankee Candle.

I got Autumn Wreath-new one for me and Spiced Pumpkin-my fav. I got the 2 wick jar this time-new for me, too! Plus, these 2 scents were 25% off right now!

I'm going to get out my Halloween/Fall decorations tomorrow and get a start on it all.

Can't wait

Can't wait until fall tv season starts!
My fav is The Office




It is Must See TV for me!

Sick of this RAIN!

It has rained here the last 2 days. Overcast and yuck for 2 days! Tomorrow is still supposed to be overcast with more rain. Sick of it. Sick of water coming in downstairs in our laundry room and bathroom. I need to get those carpets cleaned still. Glad I waited, I guess.

Went to Target today with E and my mom. Nice time. We had to dodge some flooding to get there, though. She got E a cute Halloween shirt. I opted not to get one, I think I have a couple already.

We threw a last day party for my co-worker, Holly. Sally made a yummy choc. chip & m&ms cookie 'cake' and I got a bunch of fun-size m&ms and these cute little Pepsi cans. I printed up a big banner and laid it over the tables as a table cloth.

Funniest thing I must remember was when she walked in to the room...

She came to her own party with her 2 favorite things for all of us..

m&m's & Pepsi!!

Something to remember her by...

The girls got her this awesome new briefcase/bag and filled it with some new necessities like pantyhose! We had Elmo and m&ms, of course in there, too.

I made this funny sign for BigBird to hold...

CB with Holly, great pic of them holding the picture I made for her from all of us. It is a picture collage of all of us with her over the years, something she can hang up in her new office. (and it is up now- I saw it!)

I made up a funny - SP queen sash for her. (since she was a former beef & pork 4-H queen)

H- thanks for the girls lunch on Friday!

We went to Tyler's Tender on Sunday & used the gift cert from my parents. T had never been there. Fun place, you must sit at the counter and the train delivers your food. They just added an arcade room and E said next time he wants to play in there.

I'm really loving this season's Big Brother. E has been watching it with us, too! Earlier today he told me the exact order of each houseguest's eviction. Accurately and quickly. At least he has learned a new word, eviction!

Ethan's favorite since the first episode has been Renny or as he says 'Remmy' (red head & 54). I've like Keesha, blonde & 30. Pleases me so that they alligned and were super friends.

But when Renny was evicted E actually cried. We even told him prior that it was going to be her last day. He still got upset, actual tears people! T & I tried not to laugh. I love that T watches it with me. I love it so much that I will watch it with him a 2nd time when he comes home late.

This season has had the most likeable characters/houseguests. Yes, it has all types, but BB10 has more to root for. The finale is Tues. and the final 2 are Memphis & Dan. E & I are rooting for Dan, I think T likes M. I really think Dan will win. I think he deserves it more.

Dan better win! Had to post a pic of him with these swim trunks & red SMF shirt that he has worn pretty much every day in there for 3 months!

Lastly, a pic of our dog with our 'cousin dog'. First time they met at our house. Ashton was not amused by the puppy. And I stress PUPPY. Lightning was at our house for over an hour and Ashy I think was must upset that it took away from his napping time. Their dog just wanted to play & play. So funny. We had to watch him one Sat. when they were out of town. So decided to have him at our house so we didn't have to keep driving over to their house to let him out & stuff.

My friend & co-worker is leaving

Tomorrow will be a sad day at work. It is Holly's last day.

We have worked together for over 11 years.

She started 2 months before me back in Feb. 1997.

She is 1 month older than me.

We became great friends.

We were roommates at old Pine Island apts from 1997-1999.

I'm hoping she thinks it is ok that I am posting all these pics on my blog, she is probably my only regular reader!

Things I will never forget about you:

When the huge pine tree fell on your car in the blizzard of '98

Your love of plain m&m's

Your love of Pepsi (not coke)

Our talks of your love life

Boston Market & McDonalds

Being the Pork AND Beef Queen

Helping me when it was 'raining' in my office

Being a part of my wedding proposal on the marquee

Being a bridesmaid in my wedding

When you got extensions!(wish I had a pic of that)

Living together for 1.5 yrs

What a great singer you are!

When you sang the National Anthem at Comiskey!

When you Finally found your man and came to work with a ring on your finger

When you had the winter wedding of your dreams, complete with the muff!

When you laugh at me when I get stressed out or pissed & help calm me down

I am feel so blessed to have you as a friend. You know those associate surveys we take every year at work? Remember the question, "Do you have a close friend at work?" I have checked 'yes' EVERY year since '97. You have always been that friend.

I wish you much happiness at your new job and all the future brings! I'm so relieved that you will still be 'close by' with your new job.

Enjoy your weekends to the fullest now with all that extra money you will be making!

We MUST do lunch Regularly!

Holly, I love you & I will miss you very much!

m.e.

First Day of Kindergarten!

I can't believe my boy is starting kindergarten already. Do all mothers feel this way about their first borns? They must.

He excited and didn't seem nervous at all. Trent and I took him to school together. I didn't get emotional in the classroom either. I think it was because so many people were in there and it was getting stuffy.

Ethan got to meet his teacher and she handed him his name tag to wear.

Each student is a number, he is 18. He then went to find his mailbox-red 18.

Then he had to find his cabinet to hang up his backpack-orange crayon.

Once all the kids had their nametags she rang a bell and told everyone to find a seat and grab a book to look/read. Most of the parents said their goodbyes at that time.

I went back around 3 to pick him up. My mom had gone with my sister to pick up Matthew, who is in the morning K class.

Here is my sister with Matthew after his first day of kindergarten.

She had time to tag along with me to get him then.

He was the first one to run out to us! (partly, because his teacher knows my mother and I)

Here he is with his teacher...

So proud of my little boy.

I wanted to pay for his after-school care so went down to find the classroom. As we were walking down the halls my mom was noticing that it was getting close to the classroom that she had when she taught at this school years ago. We find rm 37 and it is HER ROOM! It looks different, after a remodeling a few years ago. But she had to emphasize to E that it was your grandma's classroom! Well, the supervisor lady was busy signing kids in, so didn't want to deal with the money then.

Grandma thought that his first day deserved a treat, so she suggested DQ. Ethan, of course, was thrilled.

When we got home I forgot that I had set up the slushy machine surprise. We saw it at Target over a month ago and he was begging for it. I told him we would wait until it was on sale. Well, a couple of weeks ago it was finally on clearance, so I got it and hid it for a surprise first day treat.

I had it all ready to go and displayed in the kitchen. He walked in and noticed it right away and was so excited! Well, we had to try it out. Yeah, he just had a kiddie cone, I know.

Target didn't have any syrup left, but I found some at Meijer. I just got cherry & lime.

Then-the major shocker later that night. Ethan casually said, "Hey, Mommy, I got it and didn't swallow it this time!" I really didn't understand what he was talking about, then I saw he had something in his hand. He top tooth fell out!! It had been loose and bothering him when eating certain things....that are healthy. This is his 3rd tooth he has lost!

(those red stains on his shirt are from the slushy, not blood)

He looks so different! I knew he would, but it really is shocking to me. It is such a big gap! It is such a revelation that he really isn't a baby anymore now!

T and I get to see Jim Gaffigan tomorrow! That should super funny! We got the late show, hope T gets a nap in earlier! Ethan gets to spend the night at my parents. Amazingly, it is only his 2nd time spending the night at my parents' house.