Happy Halloween!

We have lucked out here in Massachusetts and the weather is actually fairly warm for trick-or-treating. My neighborhood gets hoards of kids so we have plenty of goodies in the bright orange tupperware bowel that comes out only to bake cookies and on Halloween! Billy is going to be a vampire, a rather elegant vampire, with a white cape, black dress pants, a black dress shirt, a medallion and the stick on fangs that go on your real teeth. I will try to get him to let me put some makeup under his eyes so he looks more ghoulish rather than dashing, but we'll see.. Matthew is going as the scary scream mask with the blood and a a black hooded thing.. I know, I know.. I hate this costume.. but the kid is 10 and has been a football player for the past 3 years in a row, plus we borrowed it from a neighbor so I didn't actually pay for the hideous thing.

My neighbor has a halloween party in her driveway every year from 5-6 with apple bobbing, donuts on a string and pop-the-balloons with darts. She also feeds them hot dogs. I am bringing little water bottles and spiced hot cider for the adults (or kids - nonalcoholic), someone else is bringing a fruit bowl. My kids usually help run it for the younger ones but it is something everyone looks forward to before they head out. Bill always walks them around while I stay and open the door. I think we will actually have a walkway, as the guys are finishing up that part today. The driveway has been graded and hopefully that will come soon!!!!!

I never had a store bought costume as a kid.. mom always came up with something great... some that I remember are:

* gypsy
*flower (this was so cute but I was really embarrassed to wear it at age 5)
*witch
*Rapunzel ( this was FABULOUS.. I actually won first place at girl scouts for this costume .. my mother cut down a fancy dress and made a satin pinifore and long yellow braids down to the floor with yarn and a satin hat with the loops hanging down...she embarrassed the heck out of my friend driving us there with a mop on her head tied back like a judge!)
*Police man (woman)...

That's all I can remember.. I know sometimes I was envious of the kids with the hideous plastic costumes, but mine were always better! Thanks Mom!

Th..th...th...That's all Folks!!!

The fat lady has sung.... the buck stops here....it is officially over. We lost today and there will be no playoffs :(

Matt was really disappointed for about 5 minutes then he realized he is looking forward to a little time off before basketball starts just to hang out and play with his friends. He already has asked if we can go to the library after school tomorrow to play Runescape on the computer with his brother (he can play on another computer, I guess, and they can do it together. Of course, I said, since the library is one of my very favorite places to be and it helps that they called and said the Jodi Picoult book I put on hold is in! So, our first day of relaxation and fun.

Thanks to Mom, Liz and kids, Janice and Kara for coming to the game on what was probably the coldest, windiest day of the year, but it meant alot to Matt that they came. As Charlie Brown says... we'll get em next year!

Jarred "gravy"????

Alright, I'm ready with a shield to deflect all the tomatoes that will be thrown at me.. but I just have to say that Paul Newman's Marina sauce is absolutely delicious!!!!! I haven't had any time to make a sauce (in fact, will one of you real Italians post a good recipe for me?)... so I have used not only his Marina sauce but the Vodka sauce as well which is so good over tortellini. I just had to share.. I'm ducking now...

And now the end is near...

I can honestly say that I will be thrilled when football is over for the season. I stood at the field last night for 2 hours in the cold watching the PeeWees scrimmage the Midgets (which is a difference of about 50 lbs or so). I stood right by the fence so I could make sure that Matt wasn't one of the kids on the ground writhing in pain every other play. Two of the boys were actually crying last night... real tears.. real cries.. AT FOOTBALL! Now these kids had to be hurt because you know that they are tough stuff. The coaches try to make light of it, but it makes me very nervous. I guess I'll always be this way. I'm just really glad that Matt is not a running back because these are the kids that get clobbered.

We won the game on Sunday (after two Ambulances came to the field to take away two of the opposing teams' players.. one precautionary neck pain and the other a broken collarbone)... This means that if we win this week, we will be in the playoffs. (yikes).. I'm not sure what to root for. If this wasn't Matthew's favorite thing in the world, I would seriously consider not doing this... I'll just keep on padding him up and asking the angels to surround him during his games. Go team Go!

Fruit flies......

Is anyone else bothered by these invasive bugs that seem to be everywhere? If they are fruit flies, why are they upstairs in my bathroom? They are annoying little suckers.... but I have a SOLUTION! In an e-mail from a friend entitled "Handy tips" I found just the thing to capture these enemies of mine..

Put a solution of apple cider vinegar and dish soap into a small container ( I used a little pyrex bowl) Place near the fruit or anywhere you have the biggest population of offenders and WALA!!!! you will find dead fruit flies in your dish after not quite such a long time.. Apparently, they are attracted by the cidar vinegar and the dish soap drowns em.. Yippee!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkk!

Sorry I disappeared for awhile, life just got in the way of blogging!

We have been moved into the new house for 2 weeks now. It is wonderful, although still a work in progress! We all love the house and it is starting to feel like home, it's just that the workers are not out of our lives yet. I have people here almost everyday, finishing up the basement and supposed to be finishing the wall and driveway outside. It is kind of a nightmare because these outside people just never show up....(sigh...) Oh well, it will get done eventually.

Dad is doing well. He is on round three of chemo and the CT scan shows that the tumor has shrunk (is that a word?) but they aren't sure about the lymph nodes. We are in the midst of planning his 80th birthday party in December which will be a wonderful time!!!!!!

I've been working a TON (which is another reason I have'nt blogged)..It's nice to get the hours but I need a little downtime!

Billy was in a read-a-thon for Wednesday's Child (Jack Williams) and came in third place (he read for 5 hours straight and about 300 pages) so I'm very proud of him. Matt's team has been on a losing streak and we are hoping they will win today!!!! Otherwise, I'll have to pop over to all your blogs and see what's been going on. I've missed everyone! It's good to be home.......

Apple Pics