Trick or Treat!

My kids had such a good time tonight. Stinkerbelle is getting big enough to be a lot of fun. I'm sure I'll have some more really nice pics to post tomorrow once Uzz sends me his shots. He has a nicer camera and a better eye. He should since he's a professional, I suppose. But, here are my humble efforts.

Here are the kids before we headed out. It was a pleasant 55 degrees or so, which was nice had it not been for the north winds.

Hot Rod was digging getting M&M peanuts to match his little M&M guy. Notice, he is still wearing Viking gear under the costume. He wanted to be a Viking M&M, he said.

We all took turns walking with Stinkerbelle.

A man and his M&M.

She was mesmerized by Pooh and Tigger lawn ornaments.

Pickle actually carried his phaser the whole time he trick or treated. Cracked me up. The kids were pretty good about letting us go through the candy before they ate it. We don't let them eat Tootsie Rolls, Starburst, etc. because the dentist ruled those off limits to keep their teeth in good shape (or keep them from getting worse). Here is Stinkerbelle and dad going through and sorting candy.

I hope they sleep well. We allow them to pick two candies to eat after we get home and they're really good about it. Good kids, I have.

Bad guys beware

Went to try out my new 38 special Saturday at the shooting range. It is a little different shooting revolver than it is Army of Dad's 40-cal. I prefer shooting his gun and I'm getter at shooting his gun. But, nonetheless, bad guys should beware: one shot, center of mass.

Of course, here is me with my new gun.

And, of course, Army of Dad with his.

Hardly anyone on the pistol range with us. Everyone was down setting the sights on the rifle range for deer season, which always opens around my birthday. They had a waiting list down there.

Ahh, the smell of gun powder.

We are the champions

My boys competed and won their sparring matches in the karate tournament Saturday, earning them each a first place trophy. They were very proud of themselves.

Pickle sparred first and won his match handily 3-1. We honestly didn't think the kid scored the one point, looked to us like Pickle got him first, but apparently it didn't matter because he won easily. He cracked me up getting all amped up and ready to spar. He started bouncing and hitting his face shield with his gloves. The other kid was looking at him sort of funny and maybe it intimidated that kid a bit. Army of Dad said he did similar things before football games in high school to get pumped up.

Right after I snapped this shot, I heard the pop of my kid making contact and scoring another point.

Hot Rod was in the largest group of kids: boys with yellow belts, so he had to wait a while, but he did great when he got his shot. He, too, did the hitting his face shield with his gloves thing. Don't know where they got that. AoD said he didn't teach it to them. Hot Rod won, too, handily with a score of 3 to 0. He was having to chase the kid down to pop him. He actually ran out of the frame for this first shot. You see one of the instructors who was scoring him here.

That little two on the judge's table was his score at this point. Below is their starting point, so you can see how far this kid was running from Hot Rod. The instructor, in black, was staying central to the ring.

You can see the judge's table behind Hot Rod and the instructor there in the middle. Gives a little insight into how aggressive Hot Rod was in the match.

Stinkebelle slept with granny and papa during the matches.

And the proud boys with their trophies.

They have their belt test next week.

Padawan Minnie Mouse

Of course, since my other padawans are practing with their light sabers, little Minnie Mouse had to get into the action, too. She was getting to wear her costume to pre-school this morning and insisted on taking the light saber. The only way to get a picture was for her Jedi training partner to get in the picture.

Happy Halloween

Pickle drew this little design for me yesterday. It is Sonic the Hedgehog dressed in a Star Trek uniform like Pickle's Halloween costume. Very clever and worth sharing.



And, for a little practice carving your pumpkin. Enjoy. I hope your Halloween is full of treats and no tricks.

Love is in the air

Getting on the computer this morning to start working and get this super-nice *note the sarcasm* email. I'm sincerely hoping someone jacked this gal's email and that someone with God in their email address wouldn't really send such a hateful email.

From: Debbie Crowley"
DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.com.
Subject: yo
To: armyofmomblogger@yahoo.com

i love your blog. i just have one question, how much do your ankles weigh? it looks like they might weigh close to thirty pounds a piece. go fatty go!

Wow. How is THAT for a great compliment? I think it is funny that this gal ragged on my ankles. Even when I weighed 110 pounds in high school I had thick ankles. I have my grandmother's ankles. It is totally genetic. I'm sure, however, that if I lost weight it would help. Not exactly how I envisioned starting off my Monday. I feel sort of sorry for this person. I would hate to be that mean-spirited and she must have really no life to feel gratified in sending ugly email to someone she doesn't even know for kicks. I responded to her email that I'd keep her in my prayers.

Z marks the spot

He's been done before *unfortunately not by me* but I think you know what I mean.

The Legend of Zorro comes out today, so Antonio Banderas seemed like a good choice.

I stole the first one from LabKat *purring my thanks to you*

I love men with firearms.

Even more guns.

Enjoy ladies.

Stuff Portrait Spooky Friday

Ok, so mine isn't so spooky.

This week is SPOOOOOOO-KAY!
1. Your Spooky Decorations
2. Your Costumes
3. Your Spooky Neighborhood

My decorations are never spooky, but here they are:

I particularly like the aloe vera growing in her cauldron.

My pumpkins dressed up this year, too. We have the pirate, Woody the cowboy, a wizard and a KHS Bubba in the background (hat look famliar LaLa?). We'll probably carve them this weekend. I scored some Wallace and Grommit templates at the comic con that we'll probably use this year.

Costumes, you've seen. But, here they are again.

My mom as a witch is just classic. I think I may wear the costume for trick or treating. I can make a few slits here and there to play Elvira for Army of Dad later for his "trick or treat." Last year, Pickle was Yugioh and Hot Rod was Randy Moss. That still makes me laugh.

I had no pics of our spooky neighborhood. I suppose I could take pics of the little hoodlums down the street who wrote FUCK in chalk in my driveway or the unsupervised children who skateboard down people's driveways and into the street. Or the child molester that lives around the corner. THAT is spooky in my opinion.

Halloween will be fun this year.

Going where no man has gone before, ok, maybe not

Well, Sulu has come out of the closet. Not that surprising, I suppose.

Thanks to Uzz for the heads up.

*Still snickering at the 'going where no man has gone before' title.

Daddy's girl and boy

I love taking pictures. I wish I was better at it and had better equipment. Army of Dad bought me a nice reliable digital camera a few years back and it has increased what I can do and improved the photos we had before. I love my camera for what it captures.

Love on film is wonderful. Here is one of those moments. Sister had to take her shirt off because brother took his off. She is his little shadow. I just hope she doesn't do everything he does.

I relinquish the crown

This female stormtrooper, complete with boobs and a belly button piercing, clearly deserves the title of Queen of the Dorks. I humbly submit my letter of resignation because she deserves it more than I.

*sigh*

Amendments on the Texas ballot

ED NOTE: I changed up a bit of this ONLY slightly because I had a double post and deleted the one that was actually complete. This was just my notes when it posted, but it had comments on it. I didn't change any facts or anything that I said. Just added a few clarifications that were in the other post, but not this one. FYI.

Army of Dad and I like to research the amendments on the ballot before we vote and the House Research Organization has a list of the proposed amendments and pros and cons of both. The big one on this Nov. 8 election will be Proposition 2 regarding gay marriage.

The ballot proposal reads: "The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

Texans For Marriage is for Proposition 2. Save Texas Marriage is against Proposition 2 saying that the language is flawed, but many are pointing fingers that this isn't the real reason they want people to vote no. I can't find anything to back it up, but apparently some of the officers for the group were big Howard Dean, Planned Parenthood, etc. supporters. If this is the case, simply state why you think we should vote No and don't hide behind flawed language arguments. I think it is pretty clear what the intent of the amendment is. The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas is encouraging folks to vote no, obviously.

I need more sex

I'm sure that doesn't surprise any of my readers. I'm a bit of a hoochie for a soccer mom, but in a good way. While reading my November Parenting magazine, I found this tidbit of information:

Another reason sex is good for you ...
It can boost your brainpower. That's because prolactin, a hormone released by your pituitary gland during orgasm, promotes the growth of new brain cells, a recent study shows.

I could stand to gain some more brain cells. *no snarky comments, thank you very much*

Yawn

I have so much to get done and all I want to do is nap. Aside from having a sick kid waking me up multiple times in the night the past couple of nights, I stayed up late last night waiting for Army of Dad to come home from working late. Couple that with being attacked by this cold or virus or whatever it is that has attacked the family and I'm wiped out. I am about to doze off at the desk and writing a story about container gardening is really exciting and all ... but .... the story about the Austin office market has me equally acquiver. I need to write more exciting stuff.

Maybe I should start blogging smut. Hmm. Don't think that really fits my persona too well ... maybe I need an alter ego and a more suitable blog for it. I did earn the Queen of the Dorks title for a reason. Maybe I could combine sci-fi and smut. Hmm. I need a nap. I honestly dreamed last night that I was on the Serenity and was writing about interstellar commercial office space and the Alliance was after me for telling the truth and not painting a rosy picture. Was totally bizarre. Of course, some of that could be the allergy meds.

Little mama

Stinkerbelle wanted to play outside yesterday and wanted to take her baby. It was a little wet and I didn't want her baby to get all dirty, so I suggested she bundle her baby up for the cold weather. So, I got out her old "snowsuit" and we put it on the baby. It was very sweet as she was pushing her baby in the swing.


She was checking the baby above.

Almost looks like a real baby in that suit. Sort of creepy, but sweet.

Princess Stinkerbelle

This child is going to be on on Cloud 9 in just a few weeks. My mom and I are taking her to see Disney on Ice Princess Classics.

She is going to be beside herself. She is so into the princesses. She especially likes Cinderella's dress.

She has been asking me for sometime if I would take her to see Nemo and Mickey Mouse again.

Grandkids, cousins and siblings, oh my!

The eldest and the youngest of the grandkids on my side of the family play in the bubbles at the museum Saturday. My brother and his three boys came into town for the weekend and stayed with my folks. Was a relatively nice visit, overall.

Here, Stinkerbelle tries to charm her uncle. One of her cousins is there in the white.

another of the cousins.

Discovery is so exciting. Uncle and Cousin.

Two little ones explore.

Hot Rod golfing at the grandparents.

Stinkerbelle loved the dog - named Jedi - even though my mom hated the dog and made him stay in the garage. It was really nice weather Saturday till it turned cold on Sunday.

All the grandkids with my parents. Below is my brother and his kids with our folks.

My kids were melting down and there was no way to get all of us into a picture. It had been a long day and they were up late and it was nasty.

My Serenity character

You scored as Simon Tam. The Doctor. You have a gift for healing that goes beyond education. You took an oath to do no harm, even when your patients have tried to kill you. You are out of place where you are, being used to refined society. However, if you take that stick out of your arse you should be fine. The Operative 81% Simon Tam 81% Capt. Mal Reynolds 75% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 75% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 69% Jayne Cobb 69% Kaylee Frye 56% Shepherd Derrial Book 56% River Tam 44% Inara Serra 44% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Hat Tip to El Capitan for the quiz. I actually tied with The Operative *shuddering* but a tie-breaker made me Simon instead. Had I chosen that I'm very good at what I do, I'd be The Operative instead. Hmm. Very intersting. You people better watch out for me!!!

Inopportune times

What is it about kids that they only get sick in the middle of the night or on special occasions? Is it just my kids that do that?

Hot Rod started running fever Sunday and was hot and miserable yesterday, too. Well, about 1:30 a.m. he comes into my bedroom to tell me his stomach really hurts. I encourage him to lay down beside my bed or go back to his. Well, he wakes me up a few more times to let me know he has diarrhea and his stomach really hurts now. Finally, I encourage him to lay on the couch or in his bed. He chooses the couch. About an hour later and several trips to ask me if he can play games or watch TV, he tells me he threw up on the couch. So, up I go and pull off the slipcover (thank God for it at this time) and toss it and the offending blankets, pillow case, etc. into the washing machine. I set him up again and put on a DVD for him and gave him a hot water bottle for his tummy. I also put some towels and a trashcan nearby for the next one. As AoD is levaing for work this morning, he tells me the child puked one more time in the trashcan. Thank goodness I thought of that in my groggy state of mind. He seems much better this morning, just weak. Still a little feverish, though. May be another day of being at home. Talked to the pediatrician yesterday and he said this bug going around is three to five days of fever. Yippee.

Made me think of all the times my kids have puked in my old minivan. Here are the top three:

1. Pickle did it in November 2000 on the way to Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Not once, but twice. We cleaned it as best we could, but, that smell stewed around in the vehicle all day while we were in the park. We opened the back window panels, but eww. Still icky when we returned. Gross.
2. Christmas Day 2002, 2-month-old Stinkerbelle was really sick and we were driving to the children's hospital in Fort Worth when she puked twice in the car on the way. She didn't have RSV, but it was almost as bad the doctor said. We had her on all kind of drugs and albuterol breathing treatments. Scary because she was so little.
3. October 2004, on our way to meet my mom and go to Fright Fest at Six Flags. First off, Pickle pukes on the way. Pull over clean him and the puke up. (I keep towels in the car for a reason.) Then, we are almost there to meet my mom and Hot Rod pukes. We didn't have a change of clothes for him and it was all over him, soaking him to his underwear. So, he is stripped down to his shirt and undies and we're down two towels now. Pickle is feeling better and thinks eating might help. Nope, he puked on the way home from meeting my mom and saying, nope we're not going. So, we have three pukey towels, pants and socks and a 30-mile drive home. It was my last towel and fortunately no one else puked.

Ahh, these are the things no one tells you about about your baby showers when they're giving you cute little outfits and toys.

All good in Bedrock

Wilma came through, but all is pretty much ok along the Space Coast after Wilma came through. Talked to my mother-in-law this morning and she said her house did okay. They had sporadic power and the canal behind their house is at its highest, but aside from a guava plant getting blown over, that was it. A business down the street lost its roof and my MIL and BIL had to pick up styrofoam from the yard that came out of the business.

Here is her back yard during the hurricane.

Man, I love that green grass. My poor dry dead yard. Can't get over how high the water in the canal is. Glad all is well.

My kind of place

Something sick about this ... but, I can't help it.

My father-in-law was hanging out in the Philippine Islands after working in Korea for the past few months and he sent me this picture. This is him in Manila at the highly recommended Hobbit House. Awesome menu, incredible selection of top shelf libations and very good live music 7 nights a week. Here he is, I'm assuming, with the staff of the place.


Ok, let me say I prefer my LOTR hobbits more ... but, looks like great fun. My father-in-law has a nose for finding weird places. But, he also tells some great stories. Maybe that is why AoD and I like to seek out the holes in the walls.

Pretty babies

I'm so glad that I'm done having babies, but some of my friends have had some sweet little baby girls.

This sweet little gal was born in August. Her brother is one of Hot Rod's best friends.

The baby below was born a few weeks ago. Her mom is one of the prettiest gals I've ever met. Sweet baby girls. Big sister turns 2 next month.

Now, one more sweet baby girl is my niece born in April. This momma is AoD's sister and Stinkerbelle's godmother.

Firefly cursing

Maybe I can clean up my potty mouth with some Firefly curses ... I love it. Serenity and Firefly has their own version of cursing.

So far, I have picked up "gorrammit" and "ruddin" ... I imagine what they're derivitives of.

It's ruddin cool.

Knocking some sense into him

Wasn't there some song that went like "Whomp, upside the head, whomp upside the head?" Seems like I recall that. Maybe it was a football cheer, I cant' remember. I just know it came to mind after seeing this:


Apparently, Hot Rod was playing at recess right before school ended, ran and landed on his face on the grond. I had to pull some dirt out of the corner of his eye. Seems to be ok, just has a big scrape on the side of his face. Nurse gave him this ice pack, but holding it in place was preventing him from playing video games, so I devised the revolutary war-style bandage to hold the ice pack on. I just fixed it so the ice will stay on the wound better and he looks even goofier now. Poor kid.

I asked him what happened. His response "I don't remember."
The nurse's note reads:
Hot Rod fell down and bumped the right side of his head on the ground.

Friday's "ubersexuals"

A little variation on my Friday hunks. We're going to talk about something in the news in the past week or so and then compare my choices versus the mainstream's choices for hot dudes.

According to JWT, (the largest advertising agency in America) ubersexuals are men who embrace the positive aspects of their masculinity such as confidence, leadership, passion and compassion, without giving in to the stereotypes that give guys a bad name, including disrespect toward women, emotional emptiness, complete ignorance of anything cultural outside of sports, beer, burgers, and athletic shoes.

Metrosexual or Ubersexual? How to Spot the Difference
* Both are passionate, but the uber is passionate about causes and principles, while the metro is mostly passionate about himself
* The uber spends more time grooming his mind than his hair
* Both treat and respect women as equals, but the uber considers other men, not women, his best friends
* The uber is more sensual and not at all self-conscious; he doesn't need other people to tell him he's sexy -- nor does he plan his errands around which shop windows offer the best reflection
* The metro gets design tips from the Fab Five; the uber gets them from his travels and interest in art and culture
* The uber knows the difference between right and wrong and will make the right decision regardless of what others around him may think; the metro knows the difference between toner and exfoliant -- and worries that he's using yesterday's brand.

Here is JWT's picks.
10. Jon Stewart: He is outspoken without regard to what other people think (as evidenced by his skewering his hosts during this year's Advertising Week). He is supportive of women and pokes fun at himself in a self-deprecating way. You've got to be kidding.
9. Guy Ritchie: His masculinity is unquestioned even though he's married to one of the world's top music icons, Madonna. (In fact, gravitating toward strong women tends to be an uber trait.) I didn't even know who he was.
8. Pierce Brosnan: His James Bond strength was never compromised when we watched him publicly mourn his first wife (and raise her children). He has Remington Steele's classic elegance and savoir faire. I can see this one.
7. Ewan McGregor: A handsome, fashionable family man, McGregor is versatile enough to go from riding his Harley Davidson around the world to walking the red carpet. He is comfortable in his own sexuality. Maybe this one, too.
6. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.: At the DNC, he managed to marry sentimental love of family with a new face of patriotism. And he looks sharp in a suit. Too liberal.
5. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif.: He journeyed from body builder to mega movie star to politician, all the while keeping his shoes buffed and hair in place. He has succeeded in every challenge he's faced, and he has a Kennedy for a wife. I wouldn't pick him.
4. Donald Trump: Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money. No way, no how.
3. Bill Clinton: A born charmer with Southern roots who is not afraid to cry. He is a supremely confident, decisive leader. And he has supremely sexy hands. So, eww. I know what he does with cigars in those hands.
2. George Clooney: He appreciates the finer things in life (including his villa on the shores of Lake Como), and he is strongly bonded with and loyal to a cadre of male friends. His timeless image has allowed him to rise from B-sitcoms to box-office hits, some of which he's directed and/or produced. I can see this one, too.
1. U2's Bono (aka Paul Hewson): He's global, socially aware, confident, and compassionate, and he commands a huge base of followers who are fans of his music – and his humanitarianism. Maybe.

Rush Limbaugh thinks he is an ubersexual and according to the definition, he might be. Wouldn't be on my list. But, who would?

My picks:
10. Tie - Tom Hanks and Patrick Stewart - Hanks has that great boyish quality and seems to be so genuine without being a pussy. Stewart has that great accent, sophistication and looks great in a tank top, especially for an older guy.


9. Jonathan Frakes - he loves his wife, he's gorgeous, confident, very funny and has many talents.

8.Denzel Washington - tall, dark and handsome. We also know he's generous with his funds in supporting the troops.

7.Sean Connery - he was 007 and is just plain smooth. Best looking old dude that I'd still do. The accent helps.

6. Harrison Ford - Indy Jones, Han Solo ... need I say more? Plus, he is the celebrity spokesman for the Young Eagles program.

5. Tommy Lee Jones - Rugged Texas man.

4. JC Watts - A man's man. Collegiate football standout. Outstanding spokesmen for conservatives, damn nice and easy on the eyes.

3. Mel Gibson - passionate about his faith, family man and really really hot.

2. Tom Selleck - another man's man. He looks good in a tuxedo or bare chested or as a cowboy. He even looked good when he was portraying Eisenhower. Plus, he pissed off Rosie O'Donnell and he likes guns.

1. The most ubersexual of all men - the one I'd give up anything to be with - Army of Dad. He's manly, good looking, responsible and he looks damn good in a pair of Oakleys.