Life, Through Children's Literature

The past few weeks we've had some experiences that reminded me of children's books that we've read recently.Last week I felt like the bear. All I wanted to do was eat (carbs - and lots of them!), sleep, and have everyone leave me alone. Basically: To hibernate. For some reason I was extremely tired and cranky and took naps almost every day. Unlike in the story, there were no friendly woodland creatures frolicking around our house, but it would have been nice to have someone else take care of the cooking and cleaning. Maybe it was my penchant for staying up way too late or the cold and dreariness hitting me with full force. Either way, thankfully my mom was just a phone call away to listen to me vent and I can happily say that this week has been much better.

Our second experience was baking holiday cookies after we checked out the book "Mr. Cookie Baker" from the library. Ben saw the beautifully illustrated sugar cookies and wanted to make some of our own. I admire all you moms out there who regularly cook with your kids. How do you do it? We don't bake much since Ben can't eat most baked goods and what with the mess, I often feel like it's more of a hassle than it's worth. I'm a scrooge, I know. But this time I decided to bite the bullet and go for it, and we had lots of fun. I think I'll be ready to make some again by next Christmas.

Since I can't get the pictures to post in order, here are the finished products. Ben wanted to make them for his friends at preschool and frosted the pink ones himself. By Ben's choice, our shapes were pumpkins and hearts. We threw a few gingerbread men and Christmas trees in there as well so his classmates wouldn't be totally confused about the occasion.

The aftermath: Cooking paraphenelia and residue covering every surface, including the floor and Ben.

I finally stripped him down to his undies since I couldn't keep the frosting off his clothes.

Do any books (children's or otherwise) describe your life right now? Has a title or the content of a book related to it in the past?

Leave it to Sesame Street...

To come up with a great exhibit for kids and adults alike. This traveling exhibition is currently at our science musem and Ben and I just spent three hours there. He would have stayed longer, but we had already overstayed our parking meter by almost an hour and got a ticket to show for it. If you live in Columbus and have been hesitant to go because it costs an extra $3/person, it is well worth it. If you don't live in Columbus, keep your eyes peeled and be sure to go if it comes your way.

The activities were really interactive and educational. Plus, it burns off lots of kiddie energy. We had fun shopping at the pretend supermarket, dressing Elmo for the weather, pumping a heart and lungs, disco dancing with Grover, learning proper hygiene from Ernie, and running through the obstacle course. The course has a foam wall the kids can crash through like Super Grover and it was by far Ben's favorite part. No joke, between the three different times we went there, he probably spent an hour in that section alone.

For more pictures of the exhbit, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. Let me know if you go or have gone and your thoughts on it.

Farewell Nessie Boo!

Last week we said goodbye to our good friends, the Storeys (sob!). They spent a year here with us in Columbus and are now onto greener pastures in upstate New York for Ross's new job at Hobart College. Ben and Nessie are buddies so we had her over to decorate a gingerbread house with us while her parents packed up their house. I bought the gingerbread house kit last year during the after-Christmas sales, so everything was a little stale, but they had fun and we think of Nessie every time we look at their creation.

Meticulously applying candy. Auntie Bekka, you'd be proud. Bekka is a hardcore gingerbread house aficionado. The only person I know who's made a Halloween gingerbread house with black and orange frosting and gingy bats.

The pre-made kits are so great - they come with candy, frosting,everything. Basically Gingerbread Houses for Dummies, so it's right up my alley. It makes me think of our first year in Boston when we attended a gingerbread house party that was the total antithesis of the kits. Two friends baked homemade gingerbread houses for about 20 families and we all brought candy for decorations. Needless to say, a major undertaking. A shout out to Paige and Mindy for such a fun memory!

A New Addition to the Haws Household

Ha! Had you going there for a minute. Our newest additions are our wingback chairs that finally got reupholstered. They're 20 or so years old, hand-me-downs from Andy's parents and we were replacing a lovely faded red/orange/turquoise southwest fabric with tears in the ottoman and stains from so many heads leaning up against them. It only took us a year to agree on the fabric, three months to hold on to the fabric before we got them into the shop, and then seven weeks of a sitting room without chairs. Andy is so happy to have them back because the blue room is his cozy spot.

Andy and I have about as divergent tastes as you can get when it comes to colors and decorating styles. I like browns, greens, and purples and he likes blue. I lean toward more contemporary styles while he is very traditional. After countless trips to fabric stores, we thought we might not ever come to a consensus. Maybe we'd even end up as a feature in those magazine articles entitled, "Can This Marriage Be Saved???" When we were about to throw in the towel, I finally stumbled into a shop near our house and we found a winner. Classic stripe with colors we both liked.

This picture gives you a better feel for the fabric: Light blue with green, cranberry, green, etc. stripes. We're really happy with how they turned out.

Andy in his favorite spot in our house.

A Sad Realization

It struck me today that some people view my child as a liability. An accident or lawsuit waiting to happen, or just fraught with too many possible unknowns for their comfort level. Because of his food allergies, perhaps they see the world for him as full of dangers instead of full of millions of opportunities to pursue, activities to engage in, and foods to eat, of which Ben has to abstain from only a relatively small percentage.

I feel this most acutely at Ben's preschool. They do an annual fundraiser where each parent bakes 10 dozen cookies (another subject all together, don't even get me started) and then they assemble the various cookies onto trays of 3 dozen apiece and we parents are supposed to sell them for $12 to parents, friends, relatives, acquaintences, the milkman, random people on the street, etc. Not only am I the world's worst salesperson, but I have a real problem selling loved ones overpriced goods that they don't need, so I opted to volunteer and assemble cookie trays instead of actually soliciting buyers. Sorry if you were dying to buy stale cookies for more than they're worth.

But I digress...Anyway, they had babysitting for the kids while the moms helped make the trays and when I tried to drop Ben off, he wouldn't go, so I let him come in with me. At first I had him sit on the side, but then thought he might have fun helping choose cookies to put on the trays. We each wore the requisite plastic gloves and were enjoying picking from all the fun varieties and counting out the specific number for each tray. I knew that all the cookies were made with wheat flour and many had eggs and nuts in them, but he's fine as long as he doesn't eat them. I had some Benadryl in the car as well in case anything happened. A few minutes later a well-meaning preschool administrator came over and asked if I'd like to put Ben in the nursery. I explained that he wouldn't go and that we were fine, and she said she was just worried about his food allergies and the cookies being a bad mix. A valid concern. She knows Ben because of all the rigamarole we had to go through at the beginning of the year filling out medical forms and dispensing EpiPens and Benadryl in case of emergency. The look on her face showed that she was really uncomfortable with the situation and clearly didn't want Ben in there. She said, unconvincingly, "Whatever you're okay with." So Ben stayed and she was nice enough to get him some crayons and a coloring book to keep him occupied while we finished.

Am I being obtuse, paranoid, taking unnecessary risks, or not respecting the preschool's wishes? Earlier in the week they'd had me come to the preschool to look at Ben because he broke out in a little rash on his face when the class made cookies, which he didn't eat. I just told them over the phone to give him a shot of Benadryl, since I knew exactly what was happening, but they wanted me to see it. I came with my Benadryl and by the time I got there, they'd already given him some like we'd discussed and he was fine. What was the point of me coming? I also have to pack Ben a separate snack box since he can't eat some of the treats other families bring to share. I totally understand that and am fine with it. I don't expect people to cater to my son's culinary peculiarities. But I've mentioned a number of times that if they have juice, dairy, fruits, or veggies, he is fine to eat them. Yet they still won't give them to him for precautionary reasons. For heaven's sake, there's no wheat in a carrot!

Whew. Thanks for letting me rant. Have you ever encountered a situation where you felt like you were seen as a bad parent or people were wary of you or your child for any reason?

DC or Bust

We were almost a bust, but instead ended up spending a fun Thanksgiving in Washington DC with Andy's family. That was our original plan, but spending 14 hours in the car coupled with the prospect of driving through the mountains of West Virginia in winter weather didn't sound too appealing, so we decided not to go. But thanks to some very masterful persuasion from Betsy (Andy's twin), we flip flopped again and within the hour were on the road to DC. We left at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night and arrived around 3:30 a.m. The drive through WV was pretty snowy, but Ben slept for most of the drive, so that was our saving grace. We crashed at Betsy's pad in Dupont Circle that night and Ben actually stayed over with her for the rest of the trip (thank you Betsy!!!!) while Andy, his parents, and I slept at a nearby hotel. It was like a mini-vacation to sleep in past 7 a.m.

The weather was sunny and clear in the 50s, a welcome change from our overcast Ohio skies. We had a great time riding Metro (Ben's favorite train), going to Mt. Vernon, seeing the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of American History (newly remodeled), jogging around DC (sore legs and a chiding from Capitol guards for going too close to the Inaguration set-up), taking a walking tour of a beautiful area of the city, playing a very competitive Scrabble game, reconnecting with some good friends from our Boston days, watching a few episodes of the new Battlestar Galactica, and eating a scruptious meal.

Betsy was a fabulous host and planned a traditional meal with some surprisingly yummy additions: An appetizer featuring crackers with perrano cheese and fig jelly, roasted brussel sprouts (seriously delicious), and an apple pie with streusel topping. She and I also scouted out a little gourmet chocolate shop around the corner from her apartment and not only got yummy samples from around the world, but a lesson in the finer points of chocolate connoseiur-ship from the co-owner of the store. My faves: Tahitian Vanilla Bean and Fleur de Sel Caramel chocolates.Ben had a wonderful time with Auntie Betsy and his grandparents and we spent most evenings laughing while Ben jumped onto the couches and wrestled with everyone. One of his funniest moments was after he drank a huge glass of milk and then said to Andy's dad, "Grandpa, listen to the milk in my tummy!" and then proceeded to wiggle around so we could hear it sloshing around. He is also a true Haws and has already acquired a taste for Diet Coke. He kept asking for "a little zip" from everyone's sodas.

We spent today driving back in a perpetual rainstorm all the way from DC, but I'm just glad it wasn't snow. I turned off the heat while we were gone and we returned to a house at a frigid 46 degrees. Hopefully we'll have warmed up by tomorrow.

Wish I Were Here

Now that we've been socked with winter frigidity in full force, my thoughts keep turning back to the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, where Andy and I spent our honeymoon almost eight years ago. We got married at the end of December, but the weather was balmy and beautiful. Oh, to dip my toes in the ocean, eat breakfast overlooking the beach, to see sunny skies! Here is the happy place in my head for Ohio's dreary winter. Where is yours?

If you're looking for a good movie, Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis was filmed at The Del. A funny old flick about two men who accidentally witness a mob murder and have to dress up and join a women's band to escape.

Monster Munchies

News Flash: Ben announced that a monster lives in our house. Thankfully, he is a nice monster. Today at lunch Ben decided that our monster was hungry and proceeded to set out a meal for him. It consisted of a banana that Ben peeled himself, some spinach, and a tiny bit of ham. Apparently our monster is a very healthy eater as well. He wanted to give him a mushroom but I'd just eaten the last one. He kept the food on the floor for quite a while and chided me each time I stepped over it because the monster was still eating it. A while later I turned a movie on for him and cleaned up the food, but Ben thought the monster ate it. Looks like our grocery bill will be rising now that we have another mouth to feed.

Carefully laying out the feast.

Pimp My Mixer

During my online perusings today, I discovered that there is a cottage industry devoted to personalizing your trusty old KitchenAid mixer. You can buy decals to create a lovely vintage Victorial floral motif or some wicked flames. Who knew? So if you're needing some inspiration in the kitchen, look no futher than amazon.com. People really will buy anything.

I'm a Believer

A few months ago we had a workshop at church about how to save money. One woman taught us her tricks for grocery shopping and a major component of it was using coupons. I've never been a big believer in coupons up to this point because we don't use lots of the name brand products or eat much of the processed food that offer coupons. But then she told us that she spends a jaw-dropping $80/month on groceries for a family of four. I am still a bit skeptical about her $80 figure - does the woman not buy milk or eat any type of fresh fruit or vegetable? Milk alone costs $8 every week or so. But even if I never get to be quite as thrifty as our speaker, I thought there had to be something I could learn.

I tried to find a few coupons online, but didn't have much luck and was begining to think it was a all waste of time. Then a friend who has cut her grocery bill by at least a third as a result of scouring the sales and compounding the savings with her coupons gave me some website links and good tips. B, thank you for showing me the ways of the Jedi Master.

I spent an hour or so online this week, and found some great deals and here are the result of this week's shopping:

Meijer-

Spent: $37.13

Saved: $ 42.19

Kroger -

Spent: $4.19

Saved: $17.80

I think I might be hooked. Are you a coupon user, why or why not? Any good tips to share?

The Illustrated Man

Ben is very into coloring, painting, and writing letters lately. He loves creating pictures and putting them in envelopes that we then stick in our mailbox and he retrieves so he has mail. (Note: He loves getting mail, for any auntie or uncle out there who has a hankering to write your favorite 3-year-old a letter).

He soon realized that markers and paint didn't just work on paper, they also work on fingers, hands, and other body parts. Thankfully his markers and paints are washable, but he knows coloring is supposed to stay on paper. So usually he just acts quickly before I can turn around. I can tell he's either already colored on himself or is about to do it because he shoots a furtive glance my way and hides his hands. Here's some of his handiwork for you to enjoy.

I call this one the Maori war paint look.

Caught in action, working intently. He didn't know I was lurking with the camera. I love the tongue out in deep concentration.

Dessert Hangover

It had to happen sometime. My insatiable sweet tooth finally got the better of me. Last night I attended a baby shower featuring loads of delicious goodies and I decided to try one of each. This resulted in a ridiculous amount of treats in a short period of time, I'm talking 10+. All I can say is that the idea sounded (and tasted) good at the time.

Bad idea. This morning I woke up with a splitting headache and have been lethargic and irritable all day. I'm guessing it's a major crash due to my body trying to cope with all the sugar I ingested. I am sure that my dietitican friends out there are appalled. I promise, I have learned my lesson and am a changed woman. Well, at least until I meet another gooey chocolate confection...

Six Quirky Things...

Thanks to a tag from Laurie A.

Six Quirky Things About Me:

1. I love breakfast. Whenever I wake up in the morning the first thing I always do is eat breakfast, otherwise I can't function. I could eat it for every meal of the day, but in the morning it has to be sweet breakfast foods, not savory. I do love a good omelet, but that would have to be a lunch or dinner breakfast.

In the same vein, I also adore cold cereal and am a big fan of mixing my cereals. But there are very definite rules about mixing cereals (sweetened with non-sweetened, etc.) I'd go into it here, but it's pretty ridiculous.

2. I have an unhealthy fear of needles and cannot bear to see skin being pierced. In college, I saw my friend's arm with a needle in it while she was giving blood and I amost passed out. Before travleing abroad, I had to get some vaccinations and my mom had to resort to bribing me to get them because I kep putting it off (I was 19 at the time). She finally went with me to get them and now has scars on her hand from where I dug into it with my nails while they administered the shots. When having Ben, the worst part was getting my I.V. and the epidural. I teared up over the I.V. and flat-out bawled once my epidural was finally in because of my needle anxiety.

3. I can curl my earl inside itself and intertwine my toes like fingers. I didn't think it was that wierd until multiple people commented on it.

4. I hate to wear socks. My younger sister instituted a "Sockless Summer" one year and we tried to see how long into the winter we could continue before succumbing to the cold and finally being forced to cover our feet or hazard frostbite. I think I made it to December or January. Living in Arizona truly was perfect because you could go all year in sandals or flats. Note: Exercising is the exception to the sock rule.

5. I love bargain hunting and saving money. I come from a frugal family and finding deals is sort of a game to me. Whenever I score something for a great price (groceries, clothes, airplane tickets, new tires, a pedicure at the beauty school, etc.) I feel like I've won and beat the capitalist system. Sometimes I'm cheap almost to a fault. I'd rather wear two sweaters or my coat inside or sweat during the summer rather than pay extra in heating/cooling bills. Needless to say, this drives Andy crazy. So we keep it hot or cold during the day and I adjust the temp right before he comes home. So you've been forewarned: If you come over during the winter months, dress warm!

Andy likes to joke that I act like I lived through the Depression, but that hopefully it will make us rich someday. A few years ago I read The Millionaire Next Door and the researchers found that one of the common factors in the millionaire's profiles was wives who were thrifty and managed the household budgets well. It didn't matter how much the family made, it was how they used what they had. So hopefully reuisng all those ziploc bags will pay off in the long run!

6. I love to watch choreographed dancing. Anything from classic musicals to Broadway shows to old-school music videos, I eat it all up. I can't dance very well, but I used to joke that in my former life I was a backup dancer for Britney Spears (before she turned skanky). During college we had access to cable TV for the first time in my life and I rushed home to watch TRL every day at 3:30 p.m. to see the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync and their cool moves.

Family Pictures

For all of our friends who live far away, here's a little peek at what will be arriving in your mailbox with our Christmas card this year. Yes, we finally managed to get family pictures taken since our last photo session two years ago. All it took was a large measure of humoring, pleading, cajoling, bribing, adhering to a strict time limit, and the promise of goodies at the end. All this to get Ben to cooperate, you may wonder? No, it was for Andy, the man who hates pictures. On our wedding day, I was told that we had one hour for photos. That's it. Fortuitously, it was 30 degrees on our wedding and we couldn't handle being outside for much longer than that so his wish was granted. Andy almost blew a gasket at my mom's wedding two years ago where the photographer worked at a glacial pace and after each pose said, "Okay, only seven more!" That is not an exaggeration.

All of the credit for this year's pictures goes to Ross Storey, our good friend and talented photographer. He worked his magic and managed to coax some smiles out of Andy. I would post more, but the files are on a DVD and for some reason our computer grinds to a halt trying to load them since they are so ginormous. Anyway, you get the picture. (Sorry, I am my father's child and couldn't resist the bad pun).

Happy Halloweeny!

Ben and his friend Cohen (a.k.a. Bob the Builder) at a church Halloween party.

We got to spread the festivities out over a whole week so Ben got good use out of his costume. I'd planned for him to be a cowboy last year and found some great boots on Craigslist, but he received a Thomas the Train costume, which obviously trumped the cowboy ensemble. I wanted to use the boots before they were too small for him, so we shoved them on and this year he was Sheriff Woody from Toy Story.

For some reason Blogger won't post our pictures in the order I've uploaded them, so here are our Halloween pics in no particular order. Above: Cowboy Ben trick-or-treating at our neighbor's house. We just went around out little neighborhood and got plenty of candy. My sister Bekka taught Ben the "Trick or treat, smell my feet" rhyme and he proceeded to say it at every house, no matter how many times we reminded him just to say "trick or treat." Hopefully we won't be ostracized because of it. :)

The most important part of the evening: Checking out the loot. Ben asks to count his candy every day.

Getting ready to head on out.

The costume parade at Ben's preschool

Preschool again, showcasing everyone's costumes.

Down for the Count

If you're wondering why I've been such a slacker at posting lately, it's because our desktop crashed last week (the one with all our pictures), thanks to a botched attempt to download a new Internet filter. We've used the same filter for the last three years and it had a few annoying quirks, so we decided to try a new one that came highly recommended. Everything seemed to be running smoothly as I downloaded the updated software, but then I restarted the computer to complete the installation process, our computer came up totally blank. The desktop background appears, but no icons. I spent an hour with the filter tech people on Thursday trying to find a solution, but no dice. They said they'd try to figure out the problem and call back, but I'm still waiting for the call. So tomorrow my task will be to get the problem fixed. Until them, we're using Andy's slow laptop and I'll do my best to do some new posts.

If you happen to be a closet computer genius and have any suggestions on how to resurrect a crashed computer, let me know.

Otherwise, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Internet filters. Do you use one? If so, which one? Have you been happy with it? Content Protect/Net Nanny was our old one and Integrity Online was the one we tried, but we might be needing a different one altogether.

Andy's Half Marathon

I've been AWOL for most of October, thanks to a fabulous visit from my sisters and mom (see Bekka's post) and spending the past week in Utah watching my girlfriend's boys while she and her hubby were in Hawaii. While we recover from all our adventures (think wrangling three little boys ages 2,3, and 4 prefaced by a week of staying up past midnight every night talking to my sisters) here's some old news that I'm just getting around to blogging about: Andy's first half-marathon. I say first, because we're off to Indianapolis next weekend so he can run another.

Over the past year and a half Andy has undergone a stunning tranformation. He's taken up running and road biking and has lost 35 pounds in the process. He started running during our last few months in Boston and was introduced to roadbiking by some friends here in Ohio. He just needed a little push to get into it after a few years of encouragement from his best college friend who is a fellow biker.

I've always enjoyed exercise as a hobby, a form of stress relief, and a source of valuable alone time. But Andy is fit on a much more serious level. I like to leisurely read while I'm on the elliptical or recumbent bike and think a four mile jog is plenty long. Andy, on the other hand, has done a 60-mile bike ride and decided he would train for the U.S. Air Force Half Marathon, which he ran the last weekend in September. I'm really proud of his efforts and can see the positive effects of all those endorphins coursing through his veins.
Ben waiting at the nine mile mark for Andy to pass.
Andy, immediately after finishing. We didn't get to see him cross the finish line because of the crowds, but caught him after he turned in his shoe chip and got some sustenance in the runner's area.
Ben commandeered Andy's Gatorade post-race. Andy didn't finish in the time he'd hoped, and is determined to do better in Indianapolis. However the race turns out, I'm excited we'll get to see a new city and tour the state capitol building there. :)

All Aboard!

My mom brought Ben this pop-up Thomas tent when she came last week and he's been sleeping in it ever since. He loves it and also likes for us to get in with him so we can chug around the house. Yesterday Andy even managed to squeeze into it to wake Ben up from his nap. Dreaming of engines and roundhouses.
Out pops the conductor.

Clarification

To counteract any notions out there that I'm a crazy spender, albeit a bargain hunting one, let me set the record straight. I don't actually buy the clothes that I've posted on the blog. The one exception was the pink jacket a few months ago. I just like to showcase cute items and good deals for all you frugal fashionistas out there. Consider it a form of window shopping. If you see something that tickles your fancy and you end up buying it, then I'll count it as my good turn for the day. :)

Part 2 - The Obama Rally

Thanks to a well-timed phone call from a friend early Friday morning, Ben and I were able to attend an Obama rally that afternoon during his most recent swing through Ohio. My friend's high-schooler is an Obama fan and wanted to go to the rally, but her mom couldn't take her because of a prior commitment. So we picked up Kayla during her lunch break, added another friend and her daughter to the party wagon, and headed downtown with a full car just in time to catch the rally.

Ben sitting very patiently in his stroller playing with a friend's Cars magnet set. During the rally he kept saying, "The cheering is too loud!" He was so tired that day and I was planning on putting him down for a nap, but couldn't pass up the chance to see Obama in person. Responsible parenting gets thrown out the window during election season.

We arrived just in time to see the campaign motorcade arrive. Pictured is Obama's campaign bus, complete with tinted windows, and I would guess bulletproof siding. Interesting that it doesn't have any signage on the outside, very incognito. The rally opened to the public at 11 a.m. and Obama was scheduled to speak at 1:30. We arrived downtown around 1 p.m. and had to park in an obscure location because all the regular lots were full. We were the only people walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the building from where the rally was being held and saw tons of policemen and police cars. All of a sudden, about 25 police motorcycles came down the street, lights flashing, and we knew it was the motorcade procession. Obama's black bus was first, followed by two less fancy buses holding the traveling press corps. When we saw them pass, we started running to get into the rally before he started speaking. Part of the police escort. Kayla, me, Ben, and Katy waiting for the speakers to start. The mayor of Columbus spoke for about five minutes and then Obama came on right at 1:30. That was refreshing, compared to waiting for over an hour to hear Senator McCain, who showed up late. There were tons of Obama volunteers registering people to vote and encouraging them to go across the street where early voting is avaiable (very controversial here in OH). They also gave away free water and pizza, which was nice on such a warm afternoon.
Sharpshooters on the roof above the rally, scanning the crowd for possible threats.
Obama speaking: He's right below the big light, a bit to the left in a light blue shirt. He spoke for thirty minutes and was very engaging. While it was still much of the unspecific stump speech, his speaking style was more informal and interesting that Sen. McCain. He addressed the economy and bringing jobs to OH, helping out small businesses, etc. I appreciated that he didn't indulge in many personal attacks against McCain, but rather spoke about what he would do as president.

Overall, this rally was much more lively than the McCain one. The crowd was also incredibly diverse: racially, socioeconomically, and age-wise. That gave it lots of energy, which probably also had to do with the fact that it was held outdoors vs. in a cramped auditorium. It also seemed less staged, but I wasn't there as far in advance to see any stagecraft. Another interesting note: The exact same songs were played at both rallies. "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered - I'm Yours," and "Only in America." Lots of country songs. For some reason I expected much cooler music at the Obama rally. Maybe there's a standard Presidential Campaign Rally playlist that the candidates just download from iTunes.

I was very impressed with Kayla for her civic engagement and the fact that she was totally keyed in during the whole rally. Not many 15-year-olds can say as much. The most unique experience of the day came after the event was over. We were walking back to the car and decided to wait around to see the motorcade drive away. Again, we were the only people on that same corner, besides an older couple. Obama's bus pulled out and we thought it would drive straight, but instead it turned right in front of us, about five feet away. We looked into the windows and could see Obama's outline, thanks to his distinctive ears. Kayla waved at him and he waved back at us. An exciting way to end the day.

Sadly, after attending two rallies and watching two campaign debates, I am still an undecided voter. Is anyone else in the same boat? Or what swayed you to one candidate vs. the other, if you don't mind sharing? What issues are most important to you?

Deals of the Day

Let me just put it out there: I love JCrew. Rarely do I shop there because their clothes are so dang expensive, but they have the most beautiful apparel, especially dresses. Lucky for us, the economy is in a downturn so retailers are slashing prices. Sometimes you can find killer deals at JCrew, like right now. It's fun to go to their store at Easton and peruse the sale racks to see what you can find. Last time I went I got a navy pinstripe pencil skirt for $27, originally $125, and a pair of hot pink cropped pants for $12, originally $70. See below for more steals.
Chino 9" short - $14.99 - These are really well made and very flattering with a great fit. I've found that JCrew sizes are cut large, so keep that in mind if ordering. Both these shorts and the ones below come in a wide variety of fun colors. http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Special_Sizes/size16/shorts/PRDOVR~88758/99101325151/88758.jsp?f=false&siteId=BolFSqx4S4U-S8EswVVSO4ujRyRfYyyIAg
Stretch summerweight chino bermuda - also $14.99 and 9" inseam. Lighter weight than the shorts above. http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Special_Sizes/size16/shorts/PRDOVR~89783/99101373401/89783.jsp?f=false&siteId=BolFSqx4S4U-UFOwp97mLysDq9Vb%2FXzuTQ
Matilda dress - Super cute silk party dress, $49.99. That might sound like alot, but it is originally $150 and also comes in a gorgeous navy, gray, and mustard yellow. Naturally, I had to choose purple for the display picture. A great classic investment piece that will come in handy for weddings, holiday parties, and other special events or date nights.

Sisters, what do you think of the navy one for Nan's wedding?
http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Feature_Assortment/catalogjcrewcomexclusives/dresses/PRDOVR~95743/99101523373/95743.jsp?f=false&siteId=BolFSqx4S4U-CHVJGHV4E83c6xKxipzfiQ

Okay, so this one is more of a wish list item, priced at $160, down from $238. With that said, I just had to post it because it's so darn cute. Hopefully the picture isn't too small to do it justice, but I am loving this cashmere Flora dress with the adorable flower. I can't decide which color I like better, gray or blue. A girl can always dream, right? http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/knitdresses/PRDOVR~97455/99101543458/97455.jsp?f=false&siteId=BolFSqx4S4U-wzRTlsGVwxu5AoFb0HnvBQ

Experience Columbus Days

Here's your big chance to see and do all the cool thing that Columbus has to offer, but that might normally be too expensive. Every Columbus Day weekend, many of the city's restaurants and attractions offer free or reduced prices. Click on the attached link for the flyer. Just print if off and start your adventures! Let me know what you do and see.

http://www.experiencecolumbusdays.com/

Hail, Hail the Gang's all Here

My family is coming into town. Hooray! It has become a tradition that my mom and sisters come and visit the first weekend in October. The above picture is from last year's trip to the Columbus Zoo. Sadly, Nan (in the purple) will not be able to join us this year, but Kira will be here. Last year at this time she was frolicking in the Middle East as part of the BYU-Jerusalem program. This morning we picked my mom and youngest sister, Kaylee, up from the aiport and this afternoon we get Kira. Bekka comes in tomorrow from Phoenix because she is still teaching today, but next week is her fall break.

I am looking forward to a week of good conversation, late night chats, scrumptious food, multiple trips to Handel's, some fun day trips (or "Nollie's educational field trips" as Kaylee likes to call them), games, and all around good times had by all.

My little brother, Rikker, and his wife Kara, also stopped by the Buckeye state last fall, so we will miss them this year. They're currently living in Bangkok, Thailand, and we'll see them over Christmas for Nan's wedding.
We have plans for apple picking, pumpkin patches, some shopping, Amish Country, Slate Run Farm, and more. If there are any must-do activities or sights you know of, please pass them on. Here's to family!