Lord Love a Duck, It's a Miracle!

If you don't believe in miracles, you won't believe what I found when I got home. (Also, if you don't believe in miracles, you should. I'm just sayin'.) So, when I got home this evening I was super busy. I was running slightly behind and that throws my whole night in to a tail spin.

I had been home for a while when it occurred to me that I hadn't checked in on my friend, the sad little nut. I have to be honest, I didn't have much hope. Nothing I had tried was working. It was as if he had lost all desire to smile.

Before I get in to what happened tonight, let me catch you up on where things stood.

Before I went to bed last night I went outside and gathered up a few of the more cheerful residents of my driveway. We didn't need a bit more sadness inside.

This little guy was my most favorite, but he didn't have a mouth at all. Can you imagine? No fingers to type and no mouth to talk. What a nightmare. I found a sharpie straight away and gave this little guy something to smile about. I think he has the best nose and I love how his stem looks like a little nut mohawk. He even has a Hollwood style dimple in his chin. Yum!Next I found this guy. He is totally awesome. He does have a bit of a black eye, but that is definitely a smile. He is absolutely grinning. A crooked grin even. Gosh, how cute! No sharpie needed here. Mister personality doesn't need any makeup. Nature gave him his smile!



Last but definitely not least, I told the little guy about the shout out he was getting over at Nixon Notes. How can you be sad when you are making people happy? It is just not right.

So, fast forward to this evening. After running about like a chicken with its head cut off, I found this:



Can you believe it? It must be true. All you need is love. Dang, those Beatles are SMART! All it took was a couple of happy friends and a blog shout out to make this little guy feel validated. The next thing he knew, his face literally cracked open in to a smile. He brings all new meaning to the phrase "a smile busted out". Wait, I don't know if that is a phrase? Well, it should be because a smile busted out of this guy.

It really does make sense. Any time I feel like I've lost my smile, I just surround myself with my girls and before I know it, a smile busts out.

All You Need Is Love........All You Need Is Love.......Love is all you need.....

The Sadness Continues

I though about this little guy several times today. What on Earth could I do to bring him a smile, or at least help that big honking head wound? It was then that my Mommy instinct kicked in and the answer hit me like a ton of bricks (maybe not the best analogy to use when writing about a head wound: memo to self, be more considerate). Anyhow, I would do what I had seen all of my mommy friends do for years and years. Put a cool band-aid on it. That will help. Right?


Well, if it is the thought that counts, I deserve at least a little credit. It did not, however, make the little guy smile. First of all, these band-aids aren't the greatest. The are short on stickability (is that a word?). They barely stick to human flesh, but this little guy has skin like an alligator. A teenage mutant ninja turtle can only be expected to do so much. Still no smile. I even turned on Avery's jack-o-lantern to show him how its done. Little jack did great, but the nut was not impressed. Not even a hint of a grin.


I did notice several other sad friends in the driveway tonight. I think there might be some kind of sad epidemic blooming on my hill. What in the world is causing all of this sadness. Don't they know the fair starts this Friday? You can't be sad when the fair is that close. It's just not natural.



Tomorrow I will try again. I just can't quit this nut!

The Story of the Sad Little Nut

In case you haven't heard, fall is here. If you don't believe me, just look around. The leaves are already starting to surrender. Everywhere you look, there's the beginning of a nice carpet of brightly colored leaves. The leaves aren't the only ones letting go, so are the walnuts. I know this because there is a big old walnut tree right outside my kitchen door. My driveway is littered with walnuts, and they are much bigger this year than normal. I am really conscious of them when I am putting Avery in the car. I don't want him getting whacked in the head by a kamikaze walnut.

This afternoon I spotted the most pitiful little guy. He had the saddest face. That's right, I said he had the saddest face. He was so sad in fact, that I moved him out of the way so that I wouldn't run over him. When I came home from my errand, he was still sitting there. Sulking. Looking so sad.


I couldn't just leave him there. He would surely get run over sooner or later. Especially with my driving. Even more likely is the possibility of a rogue squirrel scarfing him up. Maybe its that part of me that wants to be a vegetarian quietly saying to me, "you can't let him get eaten, he has a face. You can't eat anything with a face." That doesn't even make any sense. This is a walnut. A walnut for goodness sake. Walnuts don't have feelings. Why then, is this walnut frowning at me?



I picked him up and brought him in the house to hang out with the pumpkins and gourds. I even sang a chorus of nick nack paddy wack to him. It always works for Avery. No luck with the walnut. Still he frowns.

I wondered and wondered what could be making him so sad. Was it his location? His lot in life? His destiny in my yard? Had he lost touch with the other walnuts he grew up next to? What could it be?

It was then that I realized the reason for his sadness.

He has a head injury.



Crap. How could I have missed that? I plan to let him live out his days among the Halloween decorations. Surely that will cheer him up. I will keep you posted!

Today Was....

a cold rainy mess, but I did manage to get myself to the store for some Halloween treat bag stuffers.

Next week is a big week. I am in training all week, I have a ton of stuff coming due for customers, and I am working a half day on Friday so that we can go to the fair. Avery and I are going with Team Wooten. I can't wait.

Here's some Halloween motivation coming at you:

Friendly Reminder

Have You Picked Out Your Halloween Costume Yet?

We have, we have:

Testing 1, 2, 3. Is this thing on? Does anybody hear me?

Here Kitty Kitty? What's that? You love Halloween? Me Too!

Trust me. Trick-or-Treaters love kittens. Well, kittens and ET, but who doesn't love ET?

Free Kittens - The Story of My Life

So, remember those kittens that I told you about a while ago? They are ready for homes. Please, please, please keep us in mind if you hear of anyone looking for a kitten.

I don't know if you Woot, but if you don't you should start. They have a different t-shirt every day, and they recently started having kid's sizes too. They have different themes and you can enter designs. Each shirt has a "story" behind it. Today's shirt was all me. I know Khang didn't see it, or I would have gotten an email telling me he ordered it. One of the kittens was even called a name Khang gets called incorrectly by people who don't listen, Kahn.

Take a gander, and tell me this shirt doesn't scream OUIDA!

Congratulations Fisher Price - You Love Halloween Too

Wow, I really want to buy this:



I will not buy it. It is $25, but man it is cute. Thank you Fisher Price for loving Halloween too. I hope you sell a billion of these.

More Halloween Tease

Today was the first day of Fall. Fall 2009. Wow! How did we get here? I am 4 years shy of 40, and I am just as excited about fall as I was when I was 6 years old. It doesn't fade for me. I think this will be the best fall yet. I am so excited to see everything through Avery's eyes. Last year he was technically at the pumpkin party, but this year he will be the main attraction. I can't wait.

Here are a couple of fall shots to get you in the mood:






Today was a crappy work day. I won't bore you with the details, but it felt like a Friday all day long and its only TUESDAY. Ugh. I did hear that Target has a ton of cool stuff in the dollar spot, and I cannot wait to get over there.

I read something sad today. Apparently Tori Spelling is in a loveless marriage? That can't be right. I love me some Tori and Dean Home Sweet Hollywood and it seems like they love each other to me. Please let me know if you have any scoop on this. I might be crushed but I am too tired to be sure.

Also, I am really excited about the new Drew Barrymore movie, Whip It. You may or may not know this about me, but I have ALWAYS wanted to be a roller derby girl. You get to wear old school roller skates (not roller blades), wear cool clothes, and hit other girls. That's what I call a sport. Bring it! Anyhow, I generated my Roller Girl name and it is Bloody Slammer. Awesome!

I also found a new cooking show I am interested in. The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck. Blythe is pretty cool. She reminds me of my friend Tammy, but with a serious potty mouth. I just saw a few minutes of it, but I think I HEART her. Have you watched?

Happy Wednesday Hotties. Rock it out. The weekend isn't too far away!

Almost One Year and One Day Ago We Were....

doing this......

grinning big.....

being proud.....

being a good big brother...

being a cute little brother....

making new friends....

On a completely unrelated note... Is it wrong that I LOVE the movie The Lake House? I don't mean its ok, I mean I LOVE it. I love everything about it. I know it doesn't make sense. Greggie HATES it. He can't follow it, it doesn't add up, and he hates Keanu Reeves. None of this matters to me. I LOVE The Lake House. I have no trouble suspending belief to enjoy it. Maybe I do have crappy movie taste. I don't care.

On my DVR this month for white noise and an occasional glance: 27 Dresses, The Wedding Planner, Fool's Gold, Juno, Runaway Bride, and Kung Fu Panda. I don't really watch them, but one of them is almost always on. White Noise.

Oh yeah, I was in the grocery store tonight buying nursery water and laundry detergent (don't be jealous, we aren't all meant for this type of glamour) and I saw on the front of some tabloid that my friend, Jennifer Aniston is dating that hot guy from P.S. I Love You. That excites me. That girl has been through some men since that stinkin' Brad Pitt, but somethings gotta stick eventually right? Before you know it she will have her own little peanut nearly as cute as mine!

Almost One Year Ago.....

We were doing this:

Being Incredible.....

Being creative.....

Experiencing firsts....

having a ball....

being focused.....

being excited....

being goofy...

Halloween just makes me smile! You are in for a whole week of these updates! There were some great pictures of last years party!

Thank You ebay Karma!

Gesh! I was thinking I was about to be the owner of not one, but two Pumpkin costumes. In which case we were going to beg JSwide to let little Lo be a pumpkin too, but I just got the outbid notice from eBay. This woman probably called up one of her friends to run the price up on me. She has a bunch of car parts for sale too. I can hear it now, "Drema, girl are you busy? You have got to bid on this pumpkin costume for me. I sure as hell ain't sellin' it for 99 cents." Little did she know.....

Any who, I did win the dalmation hat which I am pretty excited about. I did end getting bid up a little at the end. $2.50 total (didn't make it to my high bid of $3), with $2.55 shipping. That will be his school costume and I am sure we can pass it on to one of our best girls, SBKN, for some really cute christmas pics too. That outfit with a red scarf will be ADORABLE.

I am not logging back in to eBay. I am going to make Greggie change my password and refuse to tell me what it is unless I am logging in to sell something!

eBay - Why Lord? Why?

eBay you temptress. You make it so easy to find anything we want, and I do mean anything. Did you know there are Sock Monkey Halloween costumes? Seriously? That is AWESOME.

So, I am on eBay, just poking around and I see this Pottery Barn pumpkin costume new with tags. It's ending in about an hour and there are no bids. I do some research and this costume has never sold for less than $12 and that was a used one. What the heck I think, I will bid. Really Ouida? You still need to return the too small monkey costume, you bought a Dalmation one piece with the tags still on it for $5 and you have a plan for a tail and hat to make it Avery's costume. Grrr, I am an idiot. Also, both BFF and KWoo have volunteered to loan me pumpkin costumes. What's the harm though? It will never sell for the minimum bid of $4.99 and shipping is $5.95. I am at most spending $10.94, and I am not going to win. My max bid is $5, someone else will bid, and I will not bid a penny over $5. Scouts honor.

Um, it's been an hour. No one bid against me. I am now the owner of a $10.94 pumpkin costume from Pottery Barn and it's new with tags.


Pretty cool. However, I didn't need to spend $10.94. Remember the two offers of loaners,



and the $5 Dalmation outfit,



also new with tags, from Gymboree?

Confession time, I am also currently the high bidder on an Old Navy pumpkin costume.


Current price .99. My high bid $3. Shipping $5.50. We are talking a max of $8.50.

That's not all, for the Dalmation suit, I found a matching Gymboree hat.



They are wicked expesive on eBay. I am the current high bidder on one. Current price $1.04. My max bid $3.00. Shipping $2.55. Max of $5.55.

Here's the thing, he can only wear one costume!

I used to pray Jenny style, Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far, far away. I think I am going to start going Forest Gump style, Dear God, give me a brain so I can stop being an IDIOT!

Anyone need a Halloween costume? Seems like I am going to have about 85 of them.

5 k Update - K Woo Hoo!

Wowser! The 5k response is getting more awesome every second. B-Tim really knows how to start some momentum.
Official Participants:

• K Woo and K Woo Hubby, J Woo - Mini woos are in too. Woo Hoo
• C Nix - Ginger's hubby - Ginger is off to visit a friend that weekend. We begrudgingly allowed for this exception.
• B Tim and RA (B Tim hottie wife)
• Jimmy Jim-a-Roo
• L Bone
• BFF (that's right, she's in too!) Yeah BFF!

We have many more on our must pressure list, but let's hear it for those who have all ready committed. It is going to be so much fun.

Don't fight it if we've picked you. Relent, sign up, and get ready for some fun.

Off to start Couch Potato. Wish me luck. Here's to not puking, but if I do I am sure someone will post a picture!

It's Official - 5k Here I Come

The Matt Gfeller Donut Run 5k in Winston has at least 4 entrants from SilkRoad Technology and I am one of them! BTim, Jimmy jimaroo, and L-Bone have already signed up. K-Woo just needs to hit register now. It seems like Ginger is out of town, but we aren't giving up on her yet. Come do it with us. Its gonna be a hoot!


If I was one of those cute runner girls, I would buy one of these to run in. I love that there is fashion for every single activity!


I am also signing up for the BFF 5k tonight!

As of tomorrow I am giving an honest effort to Couch Potato to 5k in 9 Weeks. Dear Lord, please don't let me die. My boy needs me!

Women's Only 5k Run and Walk

So look what BFF talked me in to. I will be walking, rest assured. I hope I don't keel over. That would suck! I do love me some girl time, so this should be fun. Wanna come?



Next, I think we should all do this one. First of all, you get to eat 6 donuts at the half way point. Krispy Kreme donuts for pete's sake. Plus, its for a great cause in memory of a great kid. Let's do it. I feel slimmer just thinking of it. I will even volunteer to eat your 6 donuts if you want to skip that part!


Lindsey and Ginger are going to do it with me. Right girls? B-Tim is leading the pack! K-Woo's coming too!

My Little Pumpkin on his 7 month Birthday

I try to keep my blog and my Avery blog separate, but tonight I couldn't help myself so please indulge me. Here is the sweetest "little pumpkin" ever!