October Photo Hunt Challenge

This photo hunt was a little harder for me than the last one, but here they are...

1. A Fall Activity: High School Football (Hickman Mills vs. Center)

2. A Fall Treat: Pumpkin Bars (My favorite dessert - and low calorie, too!)

3. A Harvest: My boys buying a pumpkin

4. Leaves

5. Fall Colors

6. Something Orange: Fountain in front of Grandview's Court House

7. Something Spooky: Kansas City, Worlds of Fun

8. A Cemetery: Kansas City, Worlds of Fun

9. A Costume: Center's Band celebrating Halloween in costume

10. A Black and White Photo: My friends, Jill and Cristin (Thanks for the photo idea, Cristin!)

11. A Critter: A jellyfish

12. Symmetry: My boys

13. Contrast: The View in Grandview, Missouri

14. Texture: The blanket that kept me warm at the football game

15. A Logo/A Mascot: Hickman Mills High School's Cougar

16. Something Neon: Kansas City, Worlds of Fun

17. Something Inspiring: Women's Health Magazine

18. Something Entertaining: Kansas City, Worlds of Fun

19. Something Fast: KCTV 5's Helicopter

20. Something Slow: The clock in my classroom (It goes so slow on Fridays!)

Just Say Cheese!

The boys and I took a little road trip to Osceola, Missouri today. I made the short drive with the intention of stopping along the way to take pictures for this month's photo contest. Well, with a destination in mind, we went to the Osceola Cheese store. This store has over 80 different types of cheeses. (They have items beyond cheese, but cheese is definitely the featured item.) The boys enjoyed sampling the various cheeses, but when it came down to it, they still liked their favorite kind of cheese the most...string cheese. The below items are what we purchased while there. Dylan fell in love with the beef sticks, and as he was eating them tonight, he asked if we could go back and buy some more when we run out. Well, Dylan, we're not going back tomorrow, but the next time we do go, we'll be sure to stock up on beef sticks and string cheese!

Top Five Reasons Why It's Rough to Lose Your Power On A Sunday Morning

For the last two Sundays in a row, I've lost my power around 7:30 a.m. I'd like to be able to tell you why or how, but all I know is that I hear a really loud *POP* and then everything turns off. Transmitter? Downed power lines? God's personal alarm clock for Jill Carter?

Whatever it was...last Sunday's power came back on around 9 a.m. Today's power...I got a little worried...It eventually made it back on at 10:30 a.m. Normally, a weekend morning wouldn't be that big of a deal if you don't have power, but it's just at the time when I'm trying to get ready for church.

So, here is my top FIVE list why it's rough to lose your power on a Sunday morning...

5. The boys can't turn on tv, which means that they're fighting downstairs while I'm still trying to sleep.

4. Taking a shower can be tough. Even though it's a great thing that you can't see very well while you're in the shower, it becomes problematic when you accidently mix up the shampoo bottle and body soap.

3. The blow dryer. It doesn't work without power. 'nough Said.

2. When the power has been out for over two hours, THAT's the exact time both boys want to get multiple items out of the fridge. Without knowing how long the power will be out, I had to veto the opening of the fridge several times.

1. Electric garage door opener. Homebound it is!

Pokemon It Is

The boys' elementary school has a pumpkin coloring contest every fall. The contest allows one entry per family, so it seemed rather fitting when Evan and Dylan decided to create a Poke' Ball for their pumpkin. It was a great choice, as it was very easy for both of them to color and work together.

Thanks to the rain, we had to color the pumpkin inside, but, as you can see from the picture, they did a pretty good job.

The Haunting at Worlds of Fun

The boys and I went to Worlds of Fun tonight. There aren't too many days left for this season, so we have to make the most of our season passes. The weekends are open, and the Worlds of Fun Halloween activities are going on right now. We got there early enough that the sun still allowed for daytime activties, but as soon as it got dark, the haunting began. We didn't go into any "scary" parts, but it still scared Evan and Dylan, at times. Dylan thought it was entertaining, and Evan left saying, "Mom, today is the scariest day of my life." I think he was being a bit dramatic, and, even though he was scared, everyone had fun!

Evan's expression here says about all. This was how Evan felt through most of the evening.

Dylan jumped in front of one of the "creatures". I didn't have my camera facing the right direction, as I cut the head off. Dylan thought this thing was great, but Evan wouldn't stand in front of it.