Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween and you all know that this holiday rivals Christmas for Dave and Mason. They go all out decorating and even though we really downsized our landscape real estate with our new house, they did not let that stop them from creating a great display!

Dave and I dressed up as Dorothy and the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and Mason went as Edward Kenway, a character from one of his video games. We also went to several haunted houses, which I have to say, are not my thing!! I don't like to be scared. It was all fun though, we got compliments all night long and even won a costume contest.

Mason went trick-or-treating with friends and being 13 now, he was able to go with a group without parents. I think if they didn't have cell phones I would not have let him go without an adult. Then I think about how we were as kids, we were out way late and no one worried - we don't live in times like that anymore.

Over the weekend, Mason and I made our fall pumpkin sugar cookies and can I tell you, Mason has made massive improvements in his decorating ability! In fact, you tell me, which cookies did I decorate and which ones did Mason do?

And last but certainly not least, Mason has fully restocked his line of sauces and has them for sale for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He will offer a select number of each sauce with autographed bottles gift wrapped for gift giving. Instead of wine for your Thanksgiving host or hostess, take a bottle or two of Mason Made sauces! Email me or reach out via Facebook to place your order. I will be happy to ship if you will be willing to pay for the flat rate charges.

Happy Halloween!

A fun holiday like Halloween make Monday's way more fun! We started last weekend with the costume party at James and Lisa's house and it's been a Halloween themed week with decorations for the house, pumpkin bread, and costumes. Today Mason has a minimum day and we will go trick-or-treating at the local businesses through downtown. Sunday we finally had Mason's birthday party with his friends - sheesh, I was beginning to think we needed to just buy him one cool gift and think about a party for next year! Deborah came through with a Create Your Own Art party at Image Pathways in Newcastle. The boys had an amazing time! Thanks Deb!

Dave had been working on costumes for he and I since the beginning of the year. He found inspiration on a beer label from a locally brewed IPA. He made me the 1940s Bomber Pin-Up Girl and he was the bomb! Here's the label that initially inspired Dave and here is our finished product. Mason is going a the Zombie Michael Jackson (from Thriller) and I see lots of candy in his near future. It's been busy and now that Halloween is just about over, we will be in full Holiday Season mode and you all know what that means... it's just going to get busier!


How is it that we bought a car that I believed was one of "the most reliable" automobiles made (Subaru) and we are putting hundreds of dollars into it each month? Not including the payment! Grrrr, it wouldn't be so bad if we got it repaired and it was fixed, it's not. We think it is until we are stranded somewhere again. It's a 2003 so it's not even 10 years old and the "Full Coverage" Warranty I paid $3K for (which we have easily spent 1/2 of in repairs), is not what I thought it was. It's in the driveway with either a battery cable or ignition switch issue. I see a new car on our horizon...Whatever Dave wants, he's making the purchase as it's clear I do not have the good car ju-ju.

Send me good car-repair vibes and I'll have to see what's up this time (or again) and get the Legacy fixed. I have one more post to write about our anniversary trip, if you are interested, they are up on my blog with lots of pictures.

Have a great week and let me leave you with this, when you think times are tough and life just isn't going your way, remember, "Things always work out in the end." If things are not going your way, it's not the end -- and that my friends is good news! Keep on keep'n on and know good things are just within reach!

Happy November First!

Welcome to November!

This Halloween weekend has been nothing but fun! Well, some work too, but more fun for sure! Friday Dave surprised me with Halloween costumes he picked out for the two of us, Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf! WOW! How thoughtful! The local newspaper came over to interview us about the way Dave does up our house with Halloween decorations. They took some really great photos, check them out here: //www.http//auburnjournal.com/detail/163611.html After that, we went to James and Lisa's Halloween party and then out to the Auburn Ale house where we shared funny dating stories (before we were an us) and laughed like we were young and dating. It was fun making people smile as we walked in all decked out in our oh-so cute costumes!

Saturday Mason played soccer and his team won - again! The Pistol Pete's Pirates are undefeated. It has been wonderful watching these boys learn to work together and work the plays they learn in practice. Dave and I made caramel apples for the team and I have no doubt the gummy worm coming out of a pile of candy bones made them all that much more fun to eat! We spent Saturday afternoon cleaning house and then it was time to get all decked out again for more parties. We went to a work party and then to Pistol Pete's where we met up with James and Lisa. We walked over to a little bar in town where we found our groove laughing and dancing enjoying all the costumes and smiles. After all that fun, it was hard to believe that we hadn't even arrived at Halloween yet!

Sunday, we got up and read our story in the newspaper and then went for a family run. Mason on his bike and Dave and I (with Spencer) went for a run downtown. It made me think, since we don't do Thanksgiving on Thursday, why don't we do the 5K Run To Feed The Hungry? I think we need to consider it. If you are local, do you want to go, too? I digress, so we ran some errands, got groceries, and watched Beetlejuice on TV. Dave did homework and then it was showtime! We had tons of kids, people who saw the house in the newspaper came to trick-or-treat and see the lights. It was really fun and made Dave really proud. Mason and Dave went trick-or-treating and now it's all done. I hope you had a fun weekend and I would love to hear from you, leave a comment and tell me a little about your weekend. In the meantime, scroll down and see the pictures from our fun-filled weekend! Happy Halloween and welcome to November!

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” Ashley Smith

Halloween Photos

Our front door - a little fall with a little Halloween

More ghouls greeting our little trick-or-treaters!

The witch in her lair - skulls and bones tell the tale!

More lost souls! (This is Mason's display. He's very proud!)

The Pumpkin Patch - the sweeter of the displays.

Mason, Kyle and Evan doing the downtown trick-or-treat.

Robin's Nest Daycare! So cute!

Dave and Kathy as The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood

Kathy and Lisa

Sweet!

Scary!

This Wolf stands alone! Oh yeah!

Lisa asked, "What would you pay for a look?"

And a Big Hunk? Oh, la-la!

Struggling

I struggle with writing today as I'm still so sad. I'm crying less but just because the tears aren't falling doesn't mean I'm done grieving. Mason and Dave made Halloween so much fun. Mason was Darth Vader and Dave decorated like he always does. Sunday, the sun was out and the sky was a most gorgeous shade of blue. Mason and I walked to town, got a hot chocolate (I had decaf), and picked up a few groceries. The fall colors were so beautiful, yet my eyes were still wet.

Here's why I'm struggling; I don't want to be writing about my heart break and sadness incessantly, it's so personal and though you all love me, you're not feeling the loss like I am. I can hear you all telling me it's okay, that you understand, but do you really want to keep reading how sad I feel? I don't think so.

The flip side is that I am real, and that means real in joy and in grief. Many of you have commented over the years about how I paint my life picture so rosy and there's a hint of can it really be that good all the time? in your voice. My answer is, "Yes, it really is that good." Sure, I see the bright side so I don't always acknowledge the hiccups and when I do, I make light of them. I decided to write this because I am real, and I'm really soaked with sadness right now. I'm still crying, my chin quivers when I talk, my voice all but disappears when someone asks me how I am, and I miss biting my Riley every morning. I can't help but think this would be easier if he were 15 years old and his time had come. 7 was just too young.

With all that said, life is made up of so many things, one of them being sorrow. The cutting, uncontrollable emotions will get easier and the good will soon outweigh the sadness. Bear with me while I get through this. With love.

Fall Back = Extra Hour Of Sleep

Well, I don't know about all of you, but I got this extra hour of sleep this weekend and I am still tired! It is 9 PM and I still have so much to do before I can go to bed, the least exciting being reading and deciding my ballot to vote tomorrow. Now, I know friends are not supposed to discuss politics and religion. You all know from Dave's previous e-mails that he has cast a vote for John Kerry. I feel comfortable telling all of you I am not voting for George Bush. I am also not voting for John Kerry. So, Dave made a point to tell me that if I don't vote for one of the main parties my vote doesn't really count. In fact, I see it more as taking a vote away from one of the two big guys thus putting a slight ripple in the water. I just don't want to feel forced to vote for a candidate I don't believe in and I don't believe in either Bush or Kerry to do the job that needs to be done. Enough of that!

I have been quite busy. Mason had a wonderful Halloween. He and I dressed up on Friday to do the downtown Auburn trick or treating. I was Cruella and Mason was a dalmatian. Mason was supposed to be a crab and I fully intended to dress him and take him to our neighbors homes to trick or treat. Well, Saturday we went to a party and again he was a dalmatian and I went as "MOMMY: An Army Of One." I wore Dave's fatigues with a binky attached to my lapel and dirty burp cloth over my shoulder and butt paste in my pocket in addition to the baby on my hip and his bottle in my hand. Now, this was the first time Mason became Mr. Social! He was visiting with everyone, playing with the kids, eating cheese and crackers and dancing with the grown ups....laughing all the way! It was a hoot to witness. With all of this, by the time it was time for the real Halloween, we were plum tuckered out. He doesn't like the crab costume, the wind is blowing and I am ready to hunker down and pass out candy. This he liked! The kids coming to the door and us putting candy in their bags...again, all giggles and grins!

So here we are at November one and I am ready to roast a turkey, celebrate the holidays, ring in the new year and welcome my husband home! Mason and I went for a long walk today and took pictures of the turning leaves. Next week will be equally exciting when we spend the weekend with David and Lisa in the snow in Truckee. I will be sure to include pictures of Mason either loving or hating the white stuff his daddy longs for! With lots of love, welcome to November! Enjoy the changing season and embrace your changing life!

Love Kathy

Changes come

You cannot know precisely what tomorrow will bring. Yet there is one thing about tomorrow of which you can be certain. You can be sure that tomorrow will be, in many ways, different than today. Things will continue to change, as they always do.

Life itself is a process of change. Night follows day, spring follows winter. Some things grow, while others fade. Styles change, markets change, opinions change, and through it all, life moves forward, changing from day to day.

When the changes don't go your way, take heart. For even the changes are subject to change, and if you're down, the next change can bring you back up.

Learn to weather the changes, to roll with the punches and to run when the wind is at your back. And as the changes continue to come, you'll move surely and steadily ahead.
Ralph Marston from The Daily Motivator with permission www.thedailymotivator.com