Happy Halloween!

Because I have been so sick lately, I didn't get to go out with my neighbor on Saturday night.  We were planning on dressing up as 70's roller girls.  Instead I stayed home and made brownies and cupcakes with the kids.  Here are some pictures of our delicious creations:

Graveyard Cupcakes

Frankenstein Brownies, decorated by Lindsey

I made "mummies" for breakfast Sunday morning, which were just lit'l smokies wrapped up in crescent rolls.  I used mustard for eyes; they were peeking out of the bread.  I can't find the picture that I took, but this is an example that I found on the Internet.  They looked exactly like this:

Mummies

I made sandwiches for lunch yesterday and cut them into the shape of ghosts.  I made tater tots and sweet potato fries and called them “witch ears and fingers”.  I didn’t take pictures because honestly, they sucked.  The sandwiches really didn’t look like ghosts; they just looked a little mangled.

For dinner we had “witch’s stew” with pumpkin-shaped cheese on top.  

Chili, I mean, Witch's Stew

My niece, Amélie, lives up north and I guess they Trick-or-Treat on the Sunday before Halloween.  My sister sent me this picture yesterday.  She is so stinking cute, I could eat her.  Lindsey was Dorothy when she was little and this picture reminds me of her.  Lindsey and Amie look a lot alike, but their personalities are very different.

Amelie as Dorothy

We are going to a friend’s house tonight and then going Trick-or-Treating.  I will take pictures of the kids and post them tomorrow!

Here's the Word of the Day: 

nyctophobia \nik-tuh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:

An abnormal fear of night or darkness.

Jackets Sting the Tigers

Georgia Tech beat Clemson 31-17 last night which means that it is sure to be a good day at the Chenault household.  Don is really happy about the win because Clemson was ranked 4th in the nation.  Or were they ranked 5th?  I don't know.  I could never be a sports writer.  All I know is that it was a good game and Don is in an excellent mood.  Aren't men funny?  Their moods depend on whether their team does well or not.  That would be like a woman being grouchy that her soap opera took a twist that she didn't like.  That was a sexist thing to say, but I am a girl, so it's allowed.  Here's a clip about the game:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7169346&categoryid=5595394

The kids and I made Frankenstein brownies and Graveyard cupcakes while Don was at the game.  We also watched "Hocus Pocus".  As for today, all of the food that we are eating has a Halloween twist to it.  I will take pictures and post them tomorrow. 

Lindsey and I are watching a new show Sunday nights on ABC.  It's called “Once Upon a Time".  It is SO good!  It’s a dark yet kid-friendly show, very Labyrinth-like.  It’s written by the same people who wrote “Lost”, so I knew it would be good.  Basically, fairytale characters are trapped in our world, cursed by the Evil Queen.  Lindsey and I are hooked already.  I love that we have something that we can both enjoy and look forward to.  It started last week, so you can still catch up. 

Here’s your Word of the Day:

thanatopsis \than-uh-TOP-sis\, noun:

1. A view or contemplation of death.
2. A poem (1817) by William Cullen Bryant.

Cool Cam's

When I was at Georgia State I had on my desktop four or five webcams from around the world.  I used to watch the Coliseum, Eiffel Tower and Venice while I worked.  I loved it because they were live views of the most beautiful places that I have yet to see.  I could see what the weather was like, I could see the cars driving by, and I could see whether the sun or moon was out—I loved it.  At some point Don had to completely strip my laptop (because I am prone to viruses) and away went the cameras.  I had forgotten about them completely until my mom sent me this link this morning:

www.earthcam.com/statueofliberty

I’m not sure if this site supports other cameras or just those in Manhattan, but I know that you can find them.  We all need to get away sometimes, even if it is just by webcam. 

Today I am taking the boys on a walk and we are going to the pumpkin patch.  I am also cleaning out my closet.  I'm still coughing a lot, but I feel much better.  I hope that you have a GREAT weekend and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

sepulchral

suh-PUHL-kruhl\ , adjective;

1.

Proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.

2.

Of or pertaining to burial.

3.

Of, pertaining to, or serving as a tomb.

4.

Hollow and deep: sepulchral tones.

Decorations of Horror

I love the holidays, but there is something about them that I hate.  I loathe tacky lawn decorations.  Basically, I hate any decoration on a lawn that spins, plays music, smiles, or requires air.  Every single holiday, the same people in the neighborhood decorate their lawns with stupid Santas and reindeer, giant cats, enormous pumpkins, giant bunny rabbits and Easter eggs.  Unfortunately, they are also the ones who use an obscene amount of lights.  After Thanksgiving, one lady in our neighborhood inflates about 4 things, including my favorite……a giant carousel for elves.  It’s so stupid.  She will also use 500,000 twinkle lights, some will be colored and some will be white.  Some will blink and some will not.  It is beyond hideous.  I actually take the alternate route to my house just to avoid seeing it. 

Is this snobby?  Probably, but I can’t help it.  My parents’ taste rubbed off on me and I just don’t like this stuff.  Thank goodness.  What’s wrong with a nice wreath or a few strings of lights?  Why waste our planet’s energy and make the street tacky?  We have a homeowner’s association that fines us if we leave our trash can at the curb for more than a day, but they allow people to decorate with so many blow-ups that you can’t even see the grass?  I don’t get it.  I thought that having an HOA meant that we were trying to avoid tacky and annoying behaviors and habits.

I went to Lowe’s a couple of days ago to get some screws for a table leg and I took Carson and Dylan down the decoration aisle for fun.  (They saw the aisle on the way in and I promised that we would take a gander if they were good.  They were angels.)  They swooned over the giant Christmas stuff displayed on the top shelf, which I had expected.  I guess when people choose to seasonally tack-it-up in their yard, it’s all for the kids.  As awful as it may be, the kids enjoy it.  I will try to accept it for that reason alone.  It’ll never be my lawn though…..I promise you that.

Ok, so these pictures are way worse than the houses in my neighborhood, but they are so funny. 

REALLY??????  The show "Hoarders" comes to mind when I see this.

I wanna see your power bill for December, dude.

Homer Simpson in a Santa suit is the worst part of it all.

Why bother with the two wreaths in the middle of the house?   

Here's the Word of the Day:

berserk \ber-SURK\, adjective:

1. Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.

noun:
1. Scandinavian legend. An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Strangely Creative

One of the best things about having children is the art projects.  You get to see your child’s creativity, hard work, and pride all in a piece of clay.  They are always beaming when they finally get to bring them home from school and it's adorable.

Now that I am an adult, I realize that my parents probably never knew what to do with some of the projects I brought home.  I also remember being upset when they weren't displayed; therefore, I try to leave Logan and Lindsey’s projects out for as long as I can as décor.    Lindsey’s last piece of artwork though…….I can’t find a place for it.  Let’s just say that Spongebob and brains don’t look good in any of the rooms in the house.  Look at this:

Ready for the funniest part?  This is the inside of the bowl:

It’s a brain!  Isn’t that so weird?  I thought it was hysterical!  I told her that it reminded me of a scene in “Hannibal “but she didn’t know what I was talking about, of course.  Remember when Hannibal cuts off the top of the Ray Liotta’s head and his brain is exposed?  Then he eats it, but I don’t even like remembering that I saw that.  Ewwwwww. 

The boys love this bowl and constantly want to play with it.  They point at the brain and yell “Ball!” 

I just wanted to share this because I thought it was funny.  I always get a kick out of the way that kids' brains work.  Lindsey has a sense of humor, that's for sure.  In case you're wondering, Logan made a bowl that said "GT" for Georgia Tech.  It was very neat and perfect and you could tell that he had worked on it for a very long time.  Their projects, coloring, handwriting, etc., have always been the same.  If I had to compare their styles, I would compare Lindsey's to Picasso and Logan's to Da Vinci.  She's always been very creative, even messy, but that's the way she likes it.  Logan is all about perfect little lines and neatness.  I think it's interesting how different their brains work.  Don and I took them to a museum when they were 2 and a half.  There were pieces of felt on a Velcro wall for kids to play with; Logan and Lindsey grabbed the felt and started playing.   Don made a comment about how they positioned them.  Logan arranged the felt into a square and Lindsey made a collage.  They are still the same kids that they were when they were 2.  Funny.

By the way, Logan got an Outstanding Narrative Award for his writing a couple of days ago.  I haven't read the story yet, but the award is on the fridge.  Now that football is over, the kid is reading like crazy again.  Yesterday he read 400 pages of a Harry Potter book that he had already read.  He said that he had to refresh his memory for a book report for school; he was "jotting down details". He started reading from the time he got home from school until 8:30, when he finally came down for dinner.  That kid cracks me up.  What cracks me up most is that he is so brilliant, yet he makes cheese toast by putting a slice of cheese in the toaster with the bread.  HA!

Here’s your Word of the Day:

perdition \per-DISH-uhn\, noun:

1. A state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.
2. The future state of the wicked.
3. Hell.
4. Utter destruction or ruin.
5. Obsolete. Loss.

Still Sick

Ok, so I either caught ANOTHER cold or the first one has turned into some kind of infection.  My lungs are hard as rocks, my throat hurts again and my face is still stuffy.  (That never went away completely.)  The boys are sick too.  Dylan is complaining about a sore throat and even had a fever yesterday.  I was looking at my calendar and trying to figure out when I got sick.  I started feeling sick the 22nd but I pushed through it and felt better.  I was absolutely sick as a dog by the 24th, which was last Monday.  Can you catch two colds that close together?  Or is it an infection now?  I feel like I have bronchitus or something! 

I haven't been to the gym because I have been trying to take it easy and get better.  However, I still work when I am at home.  I've been organizing the kitchen and drawers and stuff.  Maybe I am pushing too much?

We may be going to the doctor today.  I'm calling in a minute.

Here's the Word of the Day:

animadvert \an-uh-mad-VURT\, verb:

1. To comment unfavorably or critically.
2. Obsolete. To take cognizance or notice of.

Milwaukee Pictures

As promised, here are a few pictures from my trip.  Actually, I didn't even take them.  I had to steal them from my mom's Facebook page.  If you are friends with my mom, you've already seen them.

The pictures are all out of order, but I have added captions to explain what we were doing in them. 

The first few pictures are from the Rare Chair Affair, which is an annual breast cancer fundraiser.  My friend, Katie, is a chairperson.  Breast cancer survivors paint chairs and they are auctioned off to raise money for the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition. It was awesome this year.  It was circus-themed.  (Cool and classy circus....not cheesy circus.)  I had a Cotton Candy Martini.....OMG, they were delicious.  They put cotton candy in the glass and pour liquor over it. I only had one because I was sure that they were dangerous and sure to creep up on me. 

The rest of the pictures are almost all from one day because we were too busy to take pictures the rest of the time.  We went to my mom's school one day and the kids played, didn't take pictures.  Ash and I took them to play at McDonald's because it was raining one day, didn't take pictures.  We did a lot, but basically only have pictures from Sunday.  There are a couple that my mom took on Saturday night when Greg and I went to trivia night.  She wanted to hang out with the kids, so I went in her place.  Plus, Greg thought that I would be better at the pop culture stuff.  Too bad there were like TWO pop culture questions and the rest were extremely difficult.  There were maybe 15 teams and we came in 2nd, so not too shabby! Had we won, we would've gotten a trophy shaped like a brain.  By the way, there was an entire round about the mafia.   Anyone who knows me would've thought that I would have nailed those, but I only know mafia MOVIES inside and out!  I only knew the answer to one question that round and it was about the movie "Donnie Brasco".  I was clueless about the rest.

Anyway, here are the pictures!  Enjoy!

Me, Katie and Erin......we were all in 4th grade together. 

Dancing

My mom took this because Erin and I were talking with our hands, she thought it was funny.

My mom, Ash and me......at Rare Chair

Lulu, goofy in the garden

Dylan with Uncle Matt

Amelie and Carson playing at the "yake". (Dylan calls Lake Michigan "The Yake")

Pretty lighthouse off of Lake Drive

Carson had just fallen in quicksand, we thought it might make a nice picture before heading home.

My silly bro-in-law.  I didn't even know that he was doing that next to me.

Me and my little buddy

Sweet Dylan

Having tea

Amelie and Ash

Carson, playing in Nonna's yard

Talking to Daddy on the phone

Watchin' TV

Nonna got the boys to rest while I was at Trivia Night with Greg.  (Another fundraiser, but this time it was for a Catholic girls' school)

Carson

Carson

Took this on our walk to the Lake

Dylan and Mater

Amelie and Greg

Dylan and Uncle Matt-By the way, Dylan was attached to his hip.  He LOVES him!

I wish I had taken more pictures, but it is so hard to remember to take them.  Thank goodness my mom took some! 

Here's the Word of the Day:

mesmerize \MEZ-muh-rahyz\, verb:

1. To spellbind; fascinate.
2. To hypnotize.
3. To compel by fascination.

Lack of Creativity

Now they're remaking "Dirty Dancing"?????  I can't believe it.  What in the world is going on?  I am disgusted.  I have nothing to say.  Wow.   Seriously.  What's next?  The Brat Pack movies???? Someone is seriously lacking in creativity. 

You know what is really cool?  Jennifer Grey could totally play Baby again.  She looks amazing and she's still got the moves.  That would never happen, but it's still cool.  She makes 50 sexy.

Have a good Monday.

Here's your Word of the Day:

anoesis \an-oh-EE-sis\, noun:

A state of mind consisting of pure sensation or emotion without cognitive content.

The Naughty Note and The Ballet

I am starting to get very irritated with my niece’s teacher.  Every time I talk to my mom or sister they tell me that Amélie’s teacher has sent home a naughty note.  This last one is ridiculous!  She is only three and a half!    Look at it! 

I still play with my pigtails.  What's the big deal? 

Lindsey went to the ballet last night with her Uncle Bill; below is a picture.  As usual, she loved it.  Lindsey told me this morning that "ballet takes her soul."  Isn't that so amazing that she would say that?  She said that it makes her emotional to watch ballerinas dance.  I could eat her up.

Word of the Day:

ferly \FER-lee\, noun:

1. Something unusual, strange, or causing wonder or terror.
2. Astonishment; wonder.

adjective:
1. Unexpected; strange; unusual.

Last Game

Today is our last football game.  I have to admit that I have been ready for the season to be over for at least a couple of weeks.  It's been exhausting......coaching, getting everyone to practice, etc. 

I have been sick since I got home from my trip, so I have to clean and do the laundry this weekend.  I have actually been doing laundry and picking up, but the messes and dirty clothes pile up quicker than I can keep up when I am not feeling well.  I definitely do not feel like myself.  I haven't been to the gym lately and everything is disorganized.....I hate that. 

I promise that my blog will not be so boring next week.  In fact, I intend on writing about my trip, but I am waiting on my mom to send pictures.  Have a great Saturday!

Here's the Word of the Day:

anomie \AN-uh-mee\, noun:

A sense of loneliness and anxiety; a state or condition characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, as in the case of uprooted people.

Happy Birthday, Libbie!

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Libbie!  Here are some interesting facts about your birthday:

1520: Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Strait of Magellan
1967: More than 100,000 protestors gathered in Washington, D.C. for the rally at the Lincoln Memorial.  Is this the one in Forrest Gump?  That happened on your birthday?  That's pretty cool, don't you think?
1969: A coup d'etat in Somalia brings Siad Barre to power

Some famous people who share your birthday:

1833-Alfred Noble was born, founder of the Nobel Prize
1956-Carrie Fisher was born, Princess Leia
1980-Kim Kardashian was born, she's 31 today. 

Hope you have a great day! 

Don't Fix What Isn't Broken

I am beginning to feel a little better today.  Without medicine I am still achy and feverish, but I can tell that the cold is starting to subside because my throat doesn’t hurt and my nose is less stuffy.  The fact that I actually have an opinion and feel like writing about it is evidence that I am feeling better. 

The thing that I feel like writing about today is this ridiculous and superfluous remake of “Footloose”.  I have been watching TV on the couch because I am sick and I have been so irritated with the previews for this stupid movie.  Why?  WHY?  Are filmmakers that unoriginal?  And if you think about it, it is probably people my age deciding to do it!  I totally don’t get that.

Do younger generations have the attention spans of gnats and 80’s movies aren’t flashy enough?   Are people not naked enough in the first one?  Is Kevin Bacon too clean?  Does he not say the “F” word enough?  Guess there wasn’t enough Lil Wayne and humping in 1984?  Really.  Why remake this movie? 

“Footloose” is a great movie and I will not be going to the new one.  It’s so lame.  What’s next?  Pretty in Pink?  The Breakfast Club?  The Blues Brothers?  Oh, gosh.  Can you imagine how awful that would be?  Two douchebags in black suits trying to be as good as Belushi and Aykroyd?  How about getting an imagination and stop massacring 80’s flicks?  Don’t fix what isn’t broken. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

tawdry \TAW-dree\, adjective:

1. Gaudy, showy and cheap.
2. Low or mean; base: tawdry motives.

No More Random Questions

I went to Milwaukee to see my family and I want to write about it, but I have like 500 loads of laundry to do AND I caught a cold right before I came home.  I am drinking tea and trying to rest.  I am achy and tired.  Carson's not feeling well either. 

Have a great day.  I am going to rest on the couch and snuggle with the kids.


Word of the Day:

harrowing \HAR-oh-ing\, adjective:

Extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous.

Random Question #9

Question: Where does the expression “I’ve got a frog in my throat” come from?

Answer: Everyone knows what it means nowadays.  We say this because we need to clear our throats or when we are hoarse, perhaps due to having a cold.  Surprisingly though, the expression doesn’t come from the fact that we sound like croaking frogs, but because of a bizarre medical practice from the Middle Ages.  Doctors used to put frogs headfirst into a patient’s mouth.  They believed that when the frog inhaled, it drew the infection out of the patient’s body and into its own.  Hence, you have a frog in your throat. 

Random Question #8

Question:  Why don't I eat shrimp?

Answer: Number one, they are crunchy and I don’t like the texture.  If something was at one point in time ALIVE, I don’t appreciate the fact that it's crunchy.  Number two, if shrimp were land creatures, they would run across a floor like a cockroach.  They are sea roaches.  Sorry.  If you really love shrimp, you won’t let what I said hinder you from eating them.....even though they have a million little legs and they just FREAK ME OUT!!!!!!! I have had nightmares about a giant shrimp being in front of me on a platter.  I don't like eating anything with a face.

Random Question #7

Question: What is the only thing that I remember about any math class in high school AND college? 

 Answer: Pi equals 3.14159. That’s all. 

I found this picture online.  It's pretty funny.  AND according to IT, I know enough to be a scientist!

Random Question #6

Question: What is the longest word in the English language?

Answer: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis.  Seriously.  I spelled it wrong, just to see if Spellcheck would recognize it.  It did.  It is a pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling fine quartz or silicate dust.  

Random Question #5

Question: Why do almost all zippers say “YKK”? 

Answer: Obviously, it is a company.  I knew that.  But why are they a monopoly?  I guess no one is interested in making zippers.  Here’s a great little history on YKK, if you feel like reading on.  TLC wrote this article, I did not.  I have copied and pasted it. 

 “YKK is a huge company that makes zippers!

Here is a bit of zipper history. The "clasp locker" as it was called, was invented in 1891 by Whitcomb L. Judson. The clasp locker was an assemblage of hooks and eyes that Judson thought would save people time and sore backs fastening their shoes with one hand. Later, in 1913, Gideon Sundback of Sweden developed the predecessor of today's zipper that used metal teeth, and patented it in 1917. Sundback's design was the first design that saw practical use. Sundback's "separable fastener" had more fasteners per inch than the earlier clasp locker. Later, the B.F. Goodrich Co. used the separable fastener in some rubber boots and came up with the name "zipper" because the boots could be fastened with one hand. Today, zippers are also made of plastic as well.

Founded in Japan in 1934, YKK was called Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, but 60 years later the company changed its company name to match its brand name. The privately held YKK Co. is headquartered in Japan and is made up of 80 companies at 206 facilities in 52 countries. YKK makes the entire zipper including the dyed cloth and the brass used to make the zipper.

YKK zippers are found in:

•Clothing

•Furniture

•Automobiles

•Luggage

•Sports equipment

A YKK factory site in Macon, Ga., produces 7 million zippers a day, in a total of 1,500 styles in more than 427 standard colors. It's the largest zipper factory in the world. The Macon site produces its own brass to make the teeth and slider parts of a zipper. The same factory also produces and dyes the yarn that is woven into the fabric portion of a zipper. And YKK also produces the machines that make the zippers! YKK has leveraged its knowledge of working with metals to form an aluminum building products division that now accounts for two-thirds of YKK's worldwide sales.”

So, Macon, Georgia……home of the zipper.  No wonder I will never want to live in Macon. 

Random Question #4

Question: Why do guys have nipples?

I know you want to know who this is.  It's Channing Tatum.

Lisa, this picture is for you.  I couldn't decide between Channing and Adam.

Answer: Don’t tell me you haven’t asked this same question.  The answer is simple....the nipples are there before the gender is chosen during early fetal development.  The flood of hormones, deciding which sex you are, happens after the nipples are already in place. 

Plus, they would look really weird without them, right?