What a difference a week makes!

Mom and Dad came for a visit last week.
On my last trip up to VA I started sorting all the things I couldn't fit onto the truck to bring back here. I made a "bring it next time" pile. When my mom opened up her car Thursday night and totally random bits and pieces of my life (including a shoe box of photos from 1982) came spilling into my small house, I kind of figured that she had missed the pile!
"OH! I thought you had a lot of things still in your room Essie."
Yeah Mom, I do.

The randomness, meanwhile, is finding its way into various nooks and crannies of our home. I can't walk in Ben's room, Dollie's room is a free for all, and Preston's room-forget it. Can we please get a bigger house?!!



To take the edge off, we went to a local vineyard for some grape stomping fun-gross but fun! I couldn't talk mom, dad, or Pres into it, but Doll, Ben, and I worked those grapes to nothing but squash!

It was a nice visit, but I can tell that my Mom is sad, which makes me sad. I think we might come up to VA for Pres's 13th birthday to cheer everyone up. Hmm...need to work on that.
It means that I'll end up driving the 3 kids and 2 dogs to VA in my truck...hmm...need to think about that! How does Team Leader ALWAYS miss out on these clearly insanity building moments?! Need to WORK on THAT!!

In an effort to get my mind off my poor mom, I made Team Leader help me make my pumpkin topiaries for the front porch-with the wreath, and our scarecrows, I love my porch so much I could marry it! It makes me happy every time I look outside! This fall decorating explosion took me back to 74 Fairfax Street and all the fun fall decorating I did...Our super-de-super neighborhood with awesome Halloween decorating contests, where everyone "Live[d] Well, Laugh[ed] Often and Love[d] Muck!"

Team Leader turned 41 this week-yay honey! I made an Oreo cake and we went to our yum, yum, yum fav. German restaurant around the corner from the house. We all eat until we are SICK when we go there because we can't help ourselves it's so deelish!

Our Miranda Drive family" helped him celebrate, which was fantastic-and made him feel even more loved So, let's have a little MD hugs and love holla!


Ben learned that QVC sells some "kick ass halloween stuff Momma!"
*That would be a color changing light for your pumpkin: 4 for $21. instead of a traditional candle-like .44 cents.*
Um, hello, did my 6 year old just use "kick ass" in CONTEXT?!!
Should I be shocked or secretly PROUD?!!
Compounding things further, he called QVC and tried to buy a set with HIS dollars...the QVC guy wasn't impressed.
I was.
Go Ben-Ben!


Today I went to a crop for the first time in YEARS, which was amazingly fun and made me think I really might make some friends here that have little to do with Team Leader and everything to do with me...kind of like the New Friend Fairy waved a magic wand just for me.
Nice!
I left there and interviewed for the FTCC Early Childhhod Center job-um, YIKES, major interview. The panel got the real deal from me-meaning either they likey or they don't! I got a whoa headache after, which I translated into "[you] deserve a venti pumpkin spice latte!" so I got one, and now I'm zipping around like a whammo spazz-with an icky headache!

Last week I was calm, and had some $$ in the bank. This week, well I can safely say I'm stressing a bit-what if I don't pass the Praxis, what if Yankee Candle NEVER hires anyone- me specifically, what if my VA retirement doesn't get here in time for me to cover my car note this month? And, I'm officially afraid to check my bank balance.
UGH
My curls are starting to hurt!

Can I go back to the grape stomping...please?