Gorgeous Weather in the South

Oh my goodness, who could ask for better. It is bright, sunny and cool.




Kids could almost wear heavier clothes for Halloween night. Not that they will.


For us, we are busy, of course. I know of no family with kids who are lazing around with nothing to do. We are in the full swing of soccer and looking toward basketball. LSU football, while not a happy weekend, is still in the air. And we LOVE our Tigers.

One of piece of something: making some Christmas cards for some friends. Barbara and I made these:

Tag, I'm it. No, tag, you're it!!!

Rebekah gave me a blogtag challenge, so back atcha.



So, you want 7 random facts... here goes.

1) I am an only child (well, of my parents). I have 3 half-sisters (1 on mom's side and 2 on dad's), 2 step-brothers (one on each side)and 3 step-sisters (one on mom's side and 2 on dad's). So, my family tree is pretty limby and wild, but I am an only child!

2) I do not like coffee. I love the smell of fresh coffee and get Mocha at Starbucks, but in general I am not a coffee drinker. Apparently, I am a snob.

3) My biggest fear is drowning. I am a great swimmer, but am petrified of actually drowning.

4) I wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I was little. I wanted to focus on dolphins, who doesn't. I, sadly, chickened out. I will encourage my kids in every way to follow their dreams, no matter what. Maybe one day, I will go back to school and get that degree!

5) I have participated in a marathon, the Disney Marathon in January 2004. Next time I do it, I want to run one. My next goal is to just run a mile. So, I have a long way to go.

6) I learned to ride a horse in Casablanca, Morocco. I lived in Africa when I was little and rode my first horse in Casablanca. I also have ridden camels in the Sahara Desert. (It is a dry heat)

7) I have a crazy memory for people's birthdays. Seriously, ex-boyfriends, people I do and don't talk to anymore, many, many people. Don't expect a card, but I will remember.

Passing it on:

1) Sarah because I miss her and know she will play.

2) Stacy, who is so fun and I love she is near her family, but hate she is far away.

3) Laura, she is a sweet pea, whom I love, but don't get to talk to much anymore.

4) Jennifer, she takes me back to my 'wild' youth.

5) Kristy because she makes me smile and her babies are SOOO sweet.

6) Kay maybe this will get her blogging again.

Pooh Bear

As Christopher Robin once said to Pooh, “Promise me you will always remember…You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

This applies to so many people in my life. I hope they all realize how wonderful they all are.

Pumpkin Patch

I LOVE Pumpkin Patches. There are none in Louisiana like Burts in Northern GA, but I love them all the same.

Usually, we go to Perilloux Pumpkin Patch in Montz, LA. Yes, I'd never heard of it either. The have a great piece of property right on River Road. The family gets to ride out to the field in tractor drawn wagon and pick out your own pumpkins. sadly, this yeah, Gustav destroyed the vines and the Perilloux's had to import their pumpkins from New Mexico. But, we had fun all the same.

We asked the Bourgoyne's to join us this year. And happily, they did so.

We rode out to the patch with Immaculate Concepcion School. They were the 3 year old pre-pre-K class. Oh my goodness they were the cutest things you ever did see. Our kids looked so huge comparatively.

A lovely day, which did get a bit warm out in the fields. It seems to take so long to select the perfect gourds, I know reality is that it is not too terribly long. As the kids walk farther and farther away from the wagon, images of long walks hauling a few pumpkins spring into your mind unbidden. Luckily, they carried their own. We even named 3 of our 7 selections: Freckles, Scratch and Rapunzel. These kids are hilarious.


The search begins



Braeden finds a good one.


Sam's prize....


Anna and Sam. Sadly, I didn't take a picture of Anna alone with a pumpkin. Maybe I can stage it! Good going MOM!



Neely and Freckles.



And goodness, but you must clean that puppy!

2nd Annual Giftie Gather

Well, it was yesterday. We easily doubled our turnout over last year. And sadly, not all of those from last year were able to make it. JoeB is in Canada, Karla in Natchitoches and Liz, scarily is in the hospital with pneumonia. But we had may great additions.

Dixon had made pastalaya for the pig roast last weekend and we served it, white beans and some shrimp and corn soup.

To be honest, I have not taken the opportunity to count the number of folks in my house. Let's just accept MANY. I do know there were 12 kids under 15. If that helps.

We had folks from Seattle come over - Tory and Chuck. A few from Houston - Rachel and Shannon. Dennie came in from Shreveport and Laura from Lake Charles. We also had Opelousas, Lafayette, and New Orleans. And many happy locals made it.




Some food shots:

Lovely cheeses



Lady Fingers



Pastalaya - yummy!



And group shot, this is not everyone, so you get the idea....

Submitting

Ok, so I love to take pictures. It is a known fact. I even like to show people how they turn out. Our local cool mag - 225 has a photo contest going on. Amateurs could send in 3 of their favorite pictures taken in 2008 in the 225 area code. I had a heck of a time picking which pictures to include. The 3 finalists I submitted are:



Sam at the Spanish Town parade in February! Yes, it is warm enough to wear short sleeves.....



Fishing at the Boykins. Thank goodness Mack has a pond. The trauma that occurred that day is not shown here. Anna actually hooked a fish, but then we couldn't unhook him. 20 very long minutes trying to find daddy to help us release the little guy.



This may be my current favorite picture. Anna at the Brunson's Wedding. She is watching Audrey dance with Uncle Larry and Latham dance with his mom, Ms. Donna.

It would be cool to have one on the cover or even in the magazine! Wish me luck.

How do you post again when it has been so long.

So we have Gustav, our trip to Orcas, Anna art, first day of school, Coffee Call, tball

Gustav - we fared well. Some roof damage but not so bad.
Orcas - OMG - gorgeous and MUST return one day
Anna is loving art more and more
First day of school. He never even looked back.
We love our Coffee Call!
Sam is such a sporty kid.