Candy Paradise

We are in a room with five swimming pools all filled with candy. Wow!

Baking Cakes

EK's birthday party is early this year. We went with a pirate theme (again!), but with a Lego twist.  Lots of little cakes. Lots of icing.

Let's Talk Groceries

At first glance, I guess this is a common sight in most houses.  Bring in the groceries, place them on the counter, and then hurriedly put them away before things begin to thaw or melt. 

But if you look closely, you will see that all of those sacks are different.  Now, we didn't visit each of our hometown food markets.  And a baby's teething toy.  Why is that there?  Truth be known, these are the groceries that came OUT of our refrigerator!

Since Modie was moving and had food that was perfectly fine, but did not have anywhere to keep it, we gladly took those jars of pickles, soft drinks, and other items that are better served cold and took them to our house.  Who enjoys throwing away perfectly fine individually wrapped servings of Brussels sprouts or corn? Finding room for all of those items was another story.  We had to make room.  How?  Well, as you can see, our ice box had become cold storage for a few things that we could live without.  How does the ice box (that is the mil10 word for refrigerator) become a virtual junk drawer?  Especially when we already have a real one!  How does someone let something stay around even though it expired months, or maybe even years, ago?  It is not like we are dirty people.  Our ice box doesn't even look dirty.  Sure the shelves could be wiped down a bit more occasionally, but someone would not see inside our ice box and think, "Those are some nasty people."  I hope. 

As you can see, we found several things we could live without.  Take the glow necklaces for example.  These have been in our freezer (because if you keep them there the glowing abilities are retained and you can use them again sometime, or so we were told) for so long that we don't even know where they came from.  Does butter really go bad?  Ours was past the date printed on the tub.  So was the stick of butter.  Also, how far can you go past the "best by" date?  That doesn't really mean it is expired does it? 

Our child turns eight and we are just now throwing away the teething toy.  We will see what we find in the ice box after another eight years!

Finished with Dagmar

As mentioned previously, EK's Dagmar pumpkin needed to be shared when completed.  He finished gluing the final pieces on Wednesday night, but I am just now posting the photos.  Yes, I am a little behind.  We have had very busy days recently.

In addition to the many work activities that have taken place last week, EK finished up his rounds of medicine.  Yes, it does taste better when mixed with sherbet.  Who needs a spoonful of sugar?

 

I Should Have Known Better

Apparently a grown man should realize that when he works indoors and spends little time outside, he will get a sunburn from being outside over nine hours of the day.  I guess you don't think about that when it is just over forty degrees when you start the morning.  No hat, no sunscreen, just a bad sunburn in late October.  Fun.

Maybe I'll be a tomato for Halloween.

EK the Cowboy

Out of the Pumpkin Patch

After getting home it did not take long for the mil10s to start working on their pumpkins.  mr. mil10 made two pumpkins to carry to work and display school spirit. 

ek's pumpkin is based upon the main character in Vunce Upon a Time.  The book tells the tale of "vegetarian vampire Dagmar, who prefers cherry juice to blood and tends to his moonlit vegetable patch rather than prowl. Dagmar also adores candy, and when his crops grow slowly, he craves sugary snacks, prompting a skeleton in a pirate hat to recommend a certain human holiday involving scary costumes and free treats." 

Although he went on to do more than is shown in this photograph, ek's pumpkin is still a work in progress.  We will post a picture of the final product.

 

In the Pumpkin Patch

This afternoon we ventured to the pumpkin patch so EK can enter a painted pumpkin contest at school.  Here are three cell phone photos of EK looking for that perfect pumkin and playing around.

Rain, Rain Go Away

This morning WFAA's Cynthia Vega brought us news we didn't want to hear, but we were not surprised. More rain today. This is the eighth straight day of rain here in our part of Texas. In fact, Cynthia said we have only had two days without rain so far this month, meaning we are already two times greater than the normal amount of rain we usually receive in October.

At least it isn't 1932. That was a record breaking year with 10.8 inches of rain for the month.

Sure mrs. mil10 and EK have had plenty of time to use their Mary Poppins umbrellas, their souvenirs from the musical. However, I am ready for the rain to hold off for a while.

UPDATE: If it has been raining, it is currently raining, and is expected to continue to rain, why can't the garbage men close the trash can lid after picking up the trash?  Perhaps this is one of life's little mysteries.  While we are at it, here is another one.  If "neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," then why does a neighbor's car that is parked too close to my mailbox mean no mail for me?  Maybe someday we will know the answers.

Fall Break Fun

What are the guys to do when mr. mil10 is out of school for Fall Break and EK has the day out of school?

1. Sleep late.

2. Run errands.

3. Eat pizza at Schlotzskys.

4. Spend the afternoon playing with Legos.

We tried using all of the gray and black bricks. We ended up with a castle (more of a tower really) with a working drawbridge and secret window.

Apparently, the black pieces do not photograph well, but I should not be surprised.  Yes, that is a Lego man wearing a cowboy hat.  I didn't know cowboys moonlight as castle guards.  Go figure!  Just a couple of guys spending the day together!

Global Blogger, Really?

A few months ago, while the whole blogging hobby was very new to me, I added a Feedjit live traffic feed monitor.  It captured my curiosity almost immediately.  Soon thereafter I added the same information in the form of a map.  If these little tools from Feedjit are accurate, I can quickly see that someone from almost every continent has stumbled across the mil10 blog.  There really were dots in Asia yesterday and I still have hopes for Africa.  However, I don't think I will hold my breath for visits from Antarctica.

Why?  I don't know.  I can't explain it.  What was posted that brought someone from Spain or Greece here?  Is there someone in Sydney, Australia that has the same interests as the mil10s?  Why more Brazilians over Canadians?  I can't answer those questions, but it does make me wonder!  And then my mind drifts back to the fourth sentence of this post.  "If these little tools from Feedjit are accurate..."

The Toys are Back in Town

Today we ventured over to the Studio Movie Grill to see the Toy Story 1 & 2 3D Double Feature.  Good movies, good food, and a good time.  It was great to see how a movie that is almost fifteen years old can still be so enjoyable!  We were not the only people laughing out loud at the antics of Buzz, Woody, and the others.  Intermission was fun with the trivia and treats (mini adventures of the toy box gang) making it hard not to leave between the two shows.

Now the mil10s are ready to see Toy Story 3.  Did we really need another chapter in this story?  If we judge by the fun we had watching 1 and 2, why not?  June 18, 2010--save the date!

Need a Hand?

An Old Navy SuperModelquin wasn't feeling so super.  EK found a part that was left behind.

Practically Perfect!

We are at the State Fair of Texas to see Mary Poppins - Broadway's perfectly magical musical. Although the fair is a must for many, today has reminded us why we have not been here for five years. Anyway, on with the show! I think it will be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Here's Looking at You, Kid!

EK got a new hat last night. He wore it again today. Two strangers have already stopped us to give him a compliment.

Looking Over Your Shoulder

"Here's Johnny!"

This was looking at me while I was washing my hands in a Dallas TGI Friday's restroom.

Happy Birthday, WDW!

Thirty-eight years ago, on October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened to the public. There was only one theme park and only two resorts on property then. The price of admission to the Magic Kingdom was only $4.95!

Today I post a video from the Disney Parks Blog.  "“A Day at the Magic Kingdom Park” is a never-before-seen look at the park in miniature scale. The video is created from a series of photos snapped inside the Magic Kingdom Park. And the trick is tilt-shift photography."  Enjoy! Pass the birthday cake!