Frenimies

I'm not sure if that is how you spell frenimies but I have a definite friend/enemy relationship with this time of year.  October is one of my favorite months of the year hands down!  We celebrate all month long between birthdays and Halloween events.  We get to go to the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins (still need to do that) and go trick-or-treating with a great group of friends and Garrett's school has a fall carnival.  Sounds wonderful right? 
It is, but here is the downside:  my ability to turn down sweets and eat candy.  Every year I say I will not buy candy until the day of or I'm only buying pretzels (I'm not a big pretzel fan).  Yeah right!  This year Harris Teeter put a ton of candy and gum on clearance (doesn't expire until next year) so I bulked up.
I did really good for a while.  I asked Josh to hide the candy so I wouldn't be tempted.  He isn't very good at the hiding game.  It was out in the open in our spare bedroom.  When I found it, I noticed he had opened a bag!  Dang it!  So I had to have a few to make sure they were OK one!  Well that led to opening of a second bag. I then confessed I found the candy and he needed to hide said candy again.  I was good for 2 weeks...and then I was stressed and while Josh and G were doing something I went on a hunt to find the candy.  Didn't take long and I found it.
I didn't tell Josh this time.  I have successfully eaten an entire bag of candy by myself.  What is my problem??  No self control.  Thank goodness Halloween is tomorrow and that candy will be gone.  Luckily I will leave G's candy alone (for the most part).  Jeez!  Next year Josh will have to take the candy with him to work.  My name is Kim and I have an addiction to sugar! 
November 1 I plan on starting over (for about the 50th time this year) and give the healthier lifestyle another go!  One day at a time!!!

Fall Festival

This weekend has been nothing but RAIN.  Secretly though I have enjoyed it.  I have been on the go for about a month straight and this rain has forced us to slow down.  We are still wearing our pajamas and it is 12:30 in the afternoon!  Garrett is sitting beside me watching TV and eating a sucker that has covered his face in goo.  Life is good!

Thankfully the rain didn't start until late Friday night and gave us the time to enjoy Garrett's Fall Festival at school.  I love his festival and enjoy seeing all the kids interact together.  Thursday night I had to make some cakes and brownies for the cake walk.  I decided to make a couple because I love to cook and I figured they can always use extra!  I try to be creative and this year I was pooped, so this was the best I got:

brownies with frosting and two cakes with spider webs on top...

Spider Web cake

They didn't turn out exactly as I had them pictured in my head.  I had also wanted to get plastic spiders to throw on top but didn't have time to stop by the store and get any.  I had also planned on making one of the cakes look like a pumpkin.  Well that didn't work either.  Overall I was happy though.
Friday we headed to the festival and they had firetrucks, a bouncy house, snow cone maker, cake walk, face painting and all sorts of games to play.  Garrett had so much fun playing with his friends.  To say he was WILD was an understatement...couldn't keep the boy still to save my life.  Here are a few pictures from the night:

Riding the horse

Checking himself out...he looks scary to me

Buddies...these boys were WILD but had a blast

Before face painting, doing the cake walk

Garretts friends doing the cake walk

These got out of order, but here he is getting started with the face painting

It was a fun time. 
Yesterday we went to G's best friends birthday party and I forgot my camera :-(  It was supposed to be an outdoor party, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans for it.  Luckily we were able to play outside in the very light rain for almost an hour then had to move indoors.  His mom is brave because she had at least 40 people in her house for the party.  Shew.  It was a lot of fun though and G had a blast.
We left and Josh went to the ECU game and Garrett and I stayed home and went to church.  Another great church service and then went to Moe's for dinner.  Perfect day!
The rest of today might be on the busier side.  I am going to go and vote, then we need to get Garrett new shoes (growth spurts like CRAZY around here).  We are also going to visit my grandma who recently moved down here from Greensboro.  She is living in an assisted living place and it is so good to have her here.  My parents invited us over for chili tonight and it is the perfect night for chili :-)

Spirit Week

This is one of my most favorite times of the year.  It all starts off at school with spirit week and ends on Friday with a festival. 
Monday was hat day and Garrett wore his ECU pirate hat.  Tuesday was pajama day.  Can I tell you how jealous I was that Garrett was able to participate?  I wish that I could do pajama day at work!!!  Too bad that will never happen.  Wednesday was sports day.  Garrett pulled out his ECU gear and I thought he looked like he could head straight to the courts.  What do you think?

When I took Garrett to school I noticed that not everyone was dressed in sports wear.  Turns out that two different sheets were passed out and half the kids were dressed tacky and the other half in sports wear.  It was funny.  Thursday we did tacky day.  We did a construction orange monster truck with red, white and blue shorts and a pink tie.  Of course we had to wear 2 different socks and 2 different shoes.  We could have gone tackier, but this was fun for Garrett and he was tickled and ready to get to school!

Friday was orange and black day.  He sported his orange and black and had a great day. 
The week ends with a fall festival and I will have those pictures tomorrow.  It is so fun to get to hang out with Garrett and his friends.  I have enjoyed becoming friends with the moms as well.  I have been very blessed to have these women in my life and look forward to growing old with them :-)

My Worst Enemy....

My worst enemy is something else, let me tell you.  She can be one of the most hateful people I know.  She has some of the nastiest things to say and can get under my skin more than anyone I've ever dealt with in my life.  I've known her for a very long time and most of you will recognize her:

Yep me!  I am my own worst enemy.  I swear I can get myself so worked up over the most "non existent" issues that I make into big things in my head.  I'm sure I sound like a crazy lady but I am my own worst enemy.  I can look at a picture of myself and critique it like no other, get worked up because Garrett hasn't won the apple award at school and I think badly of myself.  I'm working on knowing who I am and not losing focus on what I'm not. 
I'm in a new small group at church that is called "Unglued".  It is based on the book by Lysa TerKeurst.  It is wonderful and address those situations where you feel like you are about to loose it.  Unfortunately I have those moments more than I realized.  Last small group we were given some reminders to keep on our key chain.  Very powerful words to remember:

If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it's still a pretty good day

The One who holds the tongue, holds the power

My feelings are indicators, not dictators



Am I trying to prove that I'm right, or improve the relationship?

Well the first one and the last ones are the ones are the one that hit me the hardest.  I am stubborn and often enjoy being right more than anything.  So terrible I know, but honest.  Also if this is the worst thing that happened today, then it's still a pretty good day.  My unglued moments are getting better and I've truly enjoyed my small group.  It ends next week and I am going to be so sad.  Hopefully after the first of the year there will be another small group that I can participate in.

Busy week

Wow it's been a busy busy week.  It all started when I got a lovely piece of paper in the mail a few weeks ago with two words that I wasn't thrilled to see:  JURY DUTY!!!  Gah.  I know I should want to serve, but to be honest it throws my anxiety into a new level!  I have a hard time making decisions, so the thought of having to decide if someone is guilty or not guilty makes me so nervous.  It doesn't help that around 4 or 5 years ago I served on a murder trial!  What are the chances?  That trial ended up in a plea bargain so I didn't have to make that decision. 
I was supposed to start Monday, but when I called they said we didn't have to report!  I took this is a GREAT sign that I wouldn't have to serve at all.  Not so much.  Monday night I called and had to report Tuesday morning at 8:15 a.m.  I showed up on time bright and early.  On our first break I headed to the restroom and noticed my zipper had busted.  Seriously?  Just my luck.  SO I had to wear my coat the rest of the day.  We all went in to the courtroom to wait to see if we were picked to serve.  The judge got through the first 12 members of the jury.  I was not one of them.  They decided not to keep some of the people and I was the first one chosen.  They kept me.  I was SO NERVOUS!  They said this should be a quick trail, so I was satisfied.  The second day we were to report we had to report at 9:30.  I went to my job to get an hour of work in before jury duty.  I thought I left on time to get there...of course not.  I looked at the clock on my car when I got stopped by the TRAIN and it was 9:20.  10 minutes to find parking, go through security and get into the jury room.  OMG PANIC ATTACK!!!!  I got through the train and could not find parking.  So I called the number they give you if you aren't able to show.  They did not seem to be alarmed.  So I ran and when I was almost to the courthouse I found another juror member, PRAISE!  So we ran in together.  Luckily they were still waiting on one other juror.  We finished the trail up right after lunch.  It was a pretty simple trail thankfully.
I got back to work and our entire system was down.  Payroll started yesterday and the computers were down ALL DAY.  Today the computers were down until after lunch.  Thankfully they are up and running and I can get my work done tomorrow!
Tonight I had the honor of going to a GREAT event put on by a local organization.  It was BUNCO for Breast Cancer.  I think there were over 350 women there playing BUNCO.  They had dinner and then did raffle prizes that are amazing.  I buy about 30 tickets every year and and never win a thing...ha!  It is so much fun though.  They have amazing women there that are all survivors and their stories are just so touching.  I can't imagine what they are going through.  I have a new friend Jamie who is battling breast cancer and she works with the organization that held the event.  She is so strong and I am in awe of her strength.  There was also a young mother who talked to the group that was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36 weeks with no history in her family.  She had to deliver her child at 37 weeks (delivered on a Monday) and then the following Monday she started treatment!  Can you imagine??  She beat breast cancer and then 3 years later got a call and was told that the cancer was back and it was in her bones, liver and one other place.  She was treated for that and then her husband was diagnosed with cancer.  Her cancer has returned again.  It just hurt my soul.  Her family has been through so much.  You know what?  She has a strong faith still.  I am just in awe of her.  She really made me think about me and the things I get worked up about.  She put things into perspective.
Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!!!  Yay!  Ready for another fun weekend!

Our weekend brought to you by the letter "P"

When I thought back over this weekend most everything we did revolved around the letter "P".  It was such a wonderful weekend that I look back and just smile. 
Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for ECU Homecoming Parade!  I love this time of year.  The weather was perfect.  Garrett even put on face tattoo's.  He was such a cutie pie.  I just love when he wears a hat and it was cold enough he put his ski hat on.  We went to the alumni tent and had some yummy snacks and then headed to the parade.  Garrett had a blast.  Here are a few pictures:

Seriously...I could eat those cheeks!

Rock Collection...playing a game with Josh

After the parade we came home and relaxed for just a little bit and then headed to a Pirate Football tailgating and game.  Garrett was super excited about the game.  We couldn't ask for better weather.  The last 2 home football games have had TERRIBLE weather so I was relieved to have "normal" weather. 

OMG love him...

Sunday morning we went to church to Praise the Lord.  I needed this lesson like you would not believe.  It was all about Grace.  I was humbled by this sermon.  Grace is freely given by God even though it is undeserved.  Wow!  It's so hard to turn it around and have grace for others.  Also they talked about how Jesus sees people as people, not problems.  I think if I could follow this better I would be A LOT better off.  I am making progress, but still have some ways to go...
After church we went for Pictures.  We haven't had professional pictures done since Garrett was about 18 months old...horrible I know.  There was a local photographer running a special so I thought I would give them a chance.  We will get the pictures on Monday and I can't wait to see how they turned out!  If I can get a few good ones I would be sooo happy!!
After pictures as a reward we went to the Pumpkin Patch!  Oh this is my favorite time of the year.  I LOVE the pumpkin patch and could go every day.  We only had about 2 hours there on Sunday, so we only did the "kiddie corral" and their new slide they had.  To say he had a blast (and us) would be an understatement.  We will go back this weekend for the hay ride and picking out pumpkins to bring home!  Here are pictures from 2009 to current on how much G has grown.  I think I will strap him down at age 13 and still make him do this...ha!!!

2009...check out those chunky baby legs!!!  LOVE

2010 with Rooke

2011...not looking like a "baby" anymore!

2012...he will be taller than Josh and myself next year!