Pumpkin Carving

The girls joined forces with John and carved their pumpkins. They did a great job and had lots of fun doing it.

Sacrifice

This is how I feel when I think about leaving my teaching job to be at home with my daughter(s). They are the greatness that has resulted from the sacrifices we made along the way. That's a good feeling.

Reasons I Love the Birthday Boy---

1. He's super funny.

2. He's a great dad.

3. He's a terrific husband.

4. He takes care of his family.

5. He is easy going when I am not.

6. He takes care of the "guy" stuff that I don't care to do.

7. He's very good looking.

Happy Birthday, John!!!! We love you!!!!

Pool Closing!

Sunday John and I put the cover on the pool and said goodbye to the swim season. It's a bit of a melancholy feeling to close it up. But, I look forward to the fall, the winter and the cooler temps. So, I took some pictures of the pool as it prepared to be covered for the winter. See you in April, dear swimming pool!!!

Team Spirit

It was team spirit day at the school and the girls decided to raid my closet for appropriate attire. Lily went as a Panthers fan and Shelly chose a pink UNC tshirt. They always want me to do a bit of face paint before they go. So, we hit the paints and adorned them each with some face flair. Took the pictures of them heading off to school in very dim lighting:

BBQ Bust

On Saturday, we gathered up the girls and their friends to head to Lexington for the big BBQ Festival. I'd seen the festival featured on Food Network and knew that Lexington was the capitol of all things BBQ. So, on this beautiful fall day we headed about an hour away for some fun. What we found when we arrived was a huge crowd of people, lots of funnel cake, and very little bbq. Seriously, there were masses of people (who were a little on the sketchy side) and long lines at the few bbq stands available. As we navigated our way through the crowds with four children, we made the decision to vacate the place and head back toward home for lunch in a restaurant. The girls were all happy to do so and so off we went.

Although the adventure to Lexington was less than stellar, I did get some photos to remember the Not-So- Available BBQ Festival:

Walking to the Festival



People People Everywhere



Piggy Balloons!



Friends





Food



BBQ---finally found it

Halloween Banner

I found this cute printable banner at this site the other day. It took no time to print, cut, punch holes, and assemble. I added their cute little vintage Halloween images, as well. Quick, instant decor for our haunted house.

Inspiration

I love to peruse the web for some inspiration. Here are just a few things that have caught my eye of late:

This clever Halloween party



Such a cute presentation for these cookies



Can't find the original source for this image, but loved this clever idea for serving drinks in the Fall



A super cute pink and green party


Some puffy paint on pumpkins---think I need to give this one a try


Loved this pretty party



A cute and easy wreath idea


A fun little use for duct tape

Earrings

While on our trip to the mountains, Shelly got to take out her earrings and change them for the first time. She chose her pretty cross earrings to be the first ones that she would wear.

Her ears/earrings before the big change over:




A slightly blurry image of the new earrings, but you get the point.

Happy Day, Sis!

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my oldest sister, Kathy! Hope you have a terrific day. Here's a little bit of nostalgia for you:

She's the cool looking sister on the far right!

Mountains

We spent the weekend in the mountains. It was absolutely perfect. The weather was great and we were thankful that our friends allowed us to stay in their mountain condo. We made it to the Woolly Worm festival, Valle Crucis, and the Mast General Store. We saw Grandfather Mountain, played lots of games, watched football, and ate yummy snacks! It was a really fun break from everyday life.

These are the woolly worms---$10 buys you a woolly worm and a container

There goes a woolly worm up the rope!

Some rescued owls at the festival

We petted this opossum! Kind of cool---kind of weird!

Grandfather Mountain

Playing Jenga

The girls in the mountains