What not to wear....

Have you ever seen that section of Glamour magazine called "Fashion Do's and Don'ts"? It's such a great little page that basically has pictures of everyday people in their everyday environment and seemingly, their photos are taken without their knowledge. The idea is to catch people, many times without a clue as to their offense.....committing a "fashion crime". The funny part is that if the person is considered a "Fashion Do", their picture is posted in all its glory with the person often looking like a supermodel fresh off the runway. If you are unlucky enough to be caught in a "Fashion Don't" attire, well.....you are not so lucky. Oh, don't worry....the magazine will do everything in its power to protect your anonymity.....really, people will not recognize you with that tiny little black strip over your face...don't worry. I will share a few of my favorites......

I agree....this is a don't.

And this one....if you know him/her....you really need to plan an intervention.

Sometimes Glamour is kind enough to not show the faces at all, but if you happen to know these people, you probably will recognize them from any angle.....I mean who could forget a friend wearing this little number?

My point in all of this is....well, there is no REAL point. I just wanted you to see that I too have an expert eye and with my finger always on the pulse in fashion (you buying all this?)....I wanted to share some recent fashion disasters and delights I discovered in MY everyday world.

Fashion DON'T #1

Don't pair a size 3T yoga pant with a size 24 month Dora shirt....unless you are fond of the beer gut look.

Fashion DON'T #2

I know to the untrained eye this does not look like a huge no-no....but I will explain. Don't have a pee-pee accident in a public place because you never know what very outdated clothes your mom will pull out of her bag to change you in to. The pants are actually from a teddy bear...seriously...I stole them off a build a bear thing, they are like size XXXXS. No socks, and a 2T shirt with raisins and other bottom of the bag treasures stuck to it....so this is not just a fashion message, but also a social message....don't pee in the play scape at Chick-Fil-A...your style will suffer.

Fashion Don't #3

I just don't have anything to say about this one.....

Fashion Don't #4

Flip-flops and socks.....no, no, no.

Fashion Don't #5

Don't do summer dresses with winter underclothes...and leave the dance accessories at dance class.

Stayed tuned......a feel certain that more fashion flops are in the near future.

The Exile of Woody and Jessie

For the last 3 or 4 nights, I have awoken in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or check on Kaelan (she has developed a nice habit of kicking all the covers off the bed at just the time it gets cold enough to need them), only to find 2 lonely figures on the floor outside her bedroom door.

The first night, I figured it must have been an accident, and Woody and Jessie were simply dropped and forgotten for the evening. I quickly replaced them in their usual spot on a chair near Kaelan's bed and returned to my slumber.

The second night, I nearly tripped when I stepped on Woody's head as I stumbled in the darkness down the hallway......once again, I figured some sort of weird accident.

By the third night, my heart did a little flip flop when I spotted the two lifeless bodies on the floor......now things were getting a little creepy. I KNEW those were not there when I kissed Kaelan goodnight. I KNEW they were on the chair because I checked before I left the room. When I placed them back on the chair, I plotted ways in which to keep them there.....duct tape? No, Kaelan loved Woody and Jessie, and that picture first thing in the morning might traumatize her......barbed wire? Nope, not kosher for child proofing. I decided the next day I would get to the bottom of this puzzling mystery.....even if it meant calling those dudes from that "Paranormal" show.

On the fourth night, I found myself randomly looking down the hallway and flicking the lights on as if I might surprise Woody and Jessie and catch them sneaking out of the room. I debated on setting up a camera, but when my last check at 3:30 AM ended with no abandoned Disney characters in the hallway, I decided whatever was going on had stopped, and I drifted off to sleep. Early the next morning, I arose and begin the morning ritual of getting Kaelan up and ready for breakfast. My eyes did a double take as I rounded the corner and saw them....on the floor just as before....smiling up at me with mysterious grins.

"Kaelan, " I asked with a calm yet wavering tone. "Do you know where Woody and Jessie are?", I asked as we sat on the edge of her bed.

Her eyes immediately darted to the empty chair in the corner and then back to me. My heart began to beat faster. Ghosts....I knew it.

"Yes, " she replied, much to my surprise. "I put them on their own special island," she said, looking at me with wide eyes.

"You did? Where is the island?", I asked with a hopeful voice.

She raised her tiny finger and pointed towards the door. I felt slightly relieved, but a bit worried.

"Honey, why did you put them on an island?"

"Well, mom....I love them, but Jessie's eyes are kind of freaking me out!"

Point taken, my dear.

No ghosts here....just some creepy dolls.

Ode to Poncho...

Today I had an appointment for physical therapy and then a much needed adjustment at the chiropractor.


I needed to make a trip to HEB for groceries, go see a friend in the hospital...hopefully get to snuggle and smell her new little bundle, return some overdue books to the library, and make a stop at Barnes and Noble for the latest book club selection....all before it was time to return to Kaelan's preschool for pick-up.




But I didn't do any of those things......


Instead, I dropped my little darling off with a kiss and pat on the hiney....I jumped back in my Black Beauty "Bessie" (minivan), eagerly drove straight back to my home....and for the last time, I sprawled out in the grass and soaked up the warm sun with my dear friend, Poncho......

The sun was delicious......and the company quite wonderful.....

Then later that evening, after Doug had his time alone with his faithful companion of the last

16 1/2 years, we carried our frail, tumor-ridden friend into the vet's office and sent him to place with no more pain.

We have been hit hard here in McBrayer World....we have suffered a devastating loss, but we know that it was the right time. We prayed to know and we think God gave us our wish.

As we move about our home this evening, there is a sense of something missing, something not quite right.....we will miss our buddy. None of us feel the loss more than Bandit. He is simply lost without his best bud. For the last 10 years, the two have been inseparable partners in crime. There were times when Bandit took the blame for some household felony, only to later find out it was really Poncho.....he never seemed to hold it against him, though.

Today I couldn't resist those big brown eyes of Poncho's doing what he always did best....begging for food. Normally, I would stand my guns and remind him he could not have a "treat" from the fridge because he needed to watch his weight and health. However, this time (knowing this would be his last real treat).....I caved. I opened the fridge with him right on my heels and pulled out a package of Cheesy Franks. I began pulling apart a hot dog offering him only a small portion , when suddenly I had an epiphany. I smiled as I reached down, patted his head...and happily handed him the whole hot dog....he enjoyed every last morsel.....and that is how he lived his life.

The Great Outdoors

Camping.....Kaelan saw something on Sesame Street recently about going camping. The tent, the fire, the sleeping bags....it all seemed so charming to her, and so began her personal campaign to get mom and dad to take her camping.
Doug and I used to do our fair share of outdoor adventures, but since the addition of our darling Kaelan, we have realized that we have also added 40-50lbs of stuff to every excursion we partake in....that includes airplane trips, day hikes, and camping.

So, with our last trip still fresh in our memory.....rather the pain from that trip still throbbing in our heads, we decided we would give in and take Kaelan on that camping trip.....only there was a twist........we were not going to camp far from home.

Yep.....that is our backyard!

This is dad enjoying the great outdoors.........

.....nature

This is Kaelan roasting her first marshmallow.

This is Kaelan DEVOURING her first roasted marshmallow!

Overall, it was a successful camping "trip". Mom was not up to sleeping on an air mattress all night, so she came inside to watch the Tech game while Kaelan and dad became one with nature. Dad reported that everything was great until around 3:00 AM when Kaelan woke Daddy to tell him she wanted a new bed. When dad asked what was wrong with her special Dora blow-up camping bed, she responded with the dreaded, "It's wet."

Poor Kaelan was so warm and cozy in her sleeping back, that well, her bladder decided to relax as well. As daddy carried her back into the house, she cried and begged not to leave her tent and camping dreams behind.....

Mom made the executive decision that it was too cold to return to the tent, and that she could cuddle up in her nice warm bed (in her house) and finish off the night. The best part of the whole camping experience for Kaelan was summed up as mom changed the pajamas her shivering girl.

Mom: Well, you made it through most of the night camping. I am sorry you did not get to wake up outside, but you had fun camping, right?

Kaelan: Yeah. I am sad I did not get to spend the whole time in my tent....but those marshmallows sure are good.....I would like to do those again!

So I never told you about the 80's/Halloween Party....

Ooops....I don't know how this slipped by me, but I forgot to post about Andy and Ann's Fabulous 80's/Halloween Party.

Well, here goes:

We had big plans for Dad to dress up as Don Johnson from Miami Vice, but when he put the pastel suit on with the loafers and no socks, Mom saw him and felt a little ill.....so, we changed our plans and Dad went as a Rubik's cube....see it?

Mom was an 80's Valley Girl and Kaelan took on more of a"Rainbow Bright" look.

Poor Kaelan, I think this whole 80's thing was very frightening for her.

Ann and Andy (aka The Big LaBowski and Viking Queen) were the hostess with the mostestes.

Miss Lorri and Mom....totally awesome!

There was a lot of Rock Band going on.....and yes, that is death on the drums.

Recognize these two punkers?

Why it's our beloved Alberto and Ivonne....

A great time was had by all, and the scary Halloween food was scrumptious...... Hey, that is our Sesame Street word of the day!
We are looking forward to next year's party....anyone have some twisty beads I can borrow?

Pumpkin Day

Thursday was Pumpkin Day at our house.....official and on the calendar and everything. Basically, I made up the holiday because I had a recipe for pumpkin muffins I really wanted to try. This completely opens things up for future days like Ice Cream Day or Sleep Day....

Pumpkin Day was designated as our day to carve our Halloween pumpkins. Dad was given a carving task not for the weak of hand......Kaelan wanted a princess pumpkin, and her wish was dad's command.

...

Mom chose a simple "drill the holes in" look for her pumpkins...no details, just drill, drill, drill and done.

While dad carved and carved and worked so hard......Kaelan and mom just happily played and looked wind blown.

When it came to dramatic effect, Dad's won!

With carving complete, we all curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and enjoyed a new family tradition.....the yearly viewing of .......

And what could make a perfect Pumpkin Day even more complete???? Why those scrumdittliumptious pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing.....I likey Pumpkin Day!