lately.

I don't know why I've been so bad at updating lately. I certainly find time to read blogs...a couple weeks ago I actually started reading this one girl (a stranger, of course)'s blog from the beginning. Um, and she started it in 2005. And she writes several times a week. So, that took me quite some time, but I'm glad to say I finished the drill in true stalker fashion...without ever leaving a single comment. :)

Anyway, a lack of blogging does not necessarily mean there's a lack of things to discuss...those things just may not be interesting to anyone but me!! First of all, I was happy with the trick-or-treating turn-out last night. I have been looking for to trick-or-treaters for the whole month and was glad that the cold rain didn't seem to deter a good many people from stopping by. There were a few really cute kids, but a surprising number of middle school-aged kids that didn't even dress up-- boooo on you, punks! There were a few groups of older kids that were all decked out and I am happy to give those guys candy-- but you need to at least put forth the effort to dress up!! My friends and I dressed up in super elaborate group costumes well into high school (like being the whole cast of Star Wars my junior year...I was Queen Amidala, SCORE) and it was awesome! Anyway, I did give candy to even those kids that didn't dress up...the way I see it, I'd rather give you a candy bar than have you come back later and vandalize my home or yard...indeed.

I haven't uploaded or posted pics in awhile, so I have a random assortment here just waiting...let's see...

Remember when my parents came up to visit for the weekend? We spent all day Saturday braving the freezing cold wind and rain and working on the landscaping in the yard. My mom brings up tons of plants from her own yard to transplant...but we ran out of bed space and had to create several new and/or expanded beds to have a home for everything! It was hard work but very worth it-- although most of the 'new' flowers have since bitten the dust due to some early freezes, Mom promises they will come back and be beautiful in the spring!

Here's my dad plotting the spot where we're going to put a new bed. It's just a spot in our front/side yard on a hill where the grass (weeds, let's be honest here) doesn't grow well. Anyway, this is as close to a 'before' picture as I have!

And here's the new bed after it's done! That will be a Rose of Sharon bush/tree thing (although right now it just looks like a tall stick), and there's all kinds of lilies and other pretty things all around it. And a few pansies for good measure...so EVERYTHING won't look dead all winter!

This bed we just expanded. You can see where all those canna lilies are clustered around the mailbox...when we made this bed right before we moved in this summer, we did it from the driveway over just to the left of the mailbox (where the lilies stop is about where the bed stopped). So we just expanded it to the left and back to make it larger and more symmetrical...I forget what all kind of things we planted, but I'm sure one day it will look fab!

This is what happened right after I wrote my last post regarding our septic tank troubles...this big honkin truck!! This was a very expensive but educational Saturday day afternoon...I must say, I insisted on watching every step of the procedure (including looking into the very full tank) and after that, I had absolutely no problem writing these guys a check. They EARNED it. I'm not sure I've ever earned a dollar quite the way they did. :) What a nasty job...but what nice guys! Nice enough to explain every single thing they did to me and let me take pictures of them every step of the way. :) (Don't worry I really have about 15 pics...I'll only bore you with 2 though.)

Yikes. Here's the holes they dug. (Note to Jolene: the guy in the reddish shirt is the one that is Tato's twin)

But let's not dwell on that nastiness for long. Look at the pretty flowers my husband brought home for me on Thursday!! Please notice how nicely they coordinate with my fall placemats (yard sale score)! These are hydrangeas and gerbera daisies in fall colors...basically the fall version of my all time favorite flower combination. My wedding flowers were blue hydrangeas with yellow gerbera daisies, since it was summer. It's safe to guess that if I'd had a fall wedding, this is what my flowers would have looked like!

Finally, I bring to you what I saw today at the pet store and what is quite possibly the most necessary things on Earth. A Snuggie for your dog. Please tell my why I don't need one of these in every color for Lola. Poor thing just isn't comfortable enough curled up in our bed with all the blankets in the world. However, isn't the selling point of human Snuggies the fact that there are just so many things you can't do while using a regular blanket...like talk on the phone, read a book, etc...so you need the Snuggie?? How does that play out with the dog Snuggie?? As far as I know, when Lola is curled up on the couch...that's all she's doing. She's not trying to multi-task her slothing. I don't know. Something makes me think this dog Snuggie thing is not going to really stand the test of time...also, what is the "but wait, there's more!!" to really draw you in (like the Bonus Book Light!!!!!!!!!!!)? A Bonus Bone Light? So she can chew a bone in the dark?? Hahaha. Toy Light? Because playing with toys in the dark is incredibly challenging. Oh you Snuggie people, what will you think of next.

Well I think that is enough for now. I can't believe it's November already. And I can't believe tomorrow is Monday. That's enough to ruin your Sunday night. Ugh!