Trunk-R-Treat

This year was COLD! It didn't snow or rain, so it wasn't terrible, but I think the girls finished in record time just so they could go inside. We usually get pictures by the car but they were off like a shot (not even bothering for a parent to attend them this year). Tyler carried Tiger-Daisy (get it, not Tiger-Lily...) and I manned the vehicle. Shivering kids came holding shaking bags and I distributed goodies (I was a total slacker this year and I did not get around to ordering stuff from Oriental Trading Company, so I just gave out boring candy). I eventually sent Tyler in to get some pictures, but I am not loving the background. I am sure he had his hands full managing all four, so we will call it good this year (since I didn't get to either of the girls school parades, and I was busy face-painting for Ivory's pre-school party). I do feel like a bit of a slacker, but you get the idea. June went as a cat.



Robyn was a gypsy.



Ivory was a witch.



And then of course Tiger-Daisy. Oh, wait. We didn't get ANY pictures of Daisy because Tyler was holding her, so we did an impromptu photo session two minutes ago and I am loving my little Tiger (sans whiskers).



That last picture is simply to remind me of my theft (you can even see Tyler's condemning eyes). And yes, she got more pictures than the rest of the kids, but we have already discussed how life is not fair (Oh, and to give credit where it is due—Tyler did take those less than savory pictures at the church, but he also took all the stinkin' cute ones of Daisy. He's not a bad photographer himself).

I went as Penelope this year (you have to have seen the movie to get it).



Only a handful of people knew who I was. Some guessed I was the swine-flu. No. The outfit was actually quite advantageous considering the weather.

Tyler went as a gun-slinger and I finally got some photos of him after the event. Um...yummy.



The chili/soup cook-off after Trunk-r-Treat was good but crowded as usual. I admit freely that I will enjoy these events more when I can send my kids off to get their own food and I don't have to worry about filling four plates/bowls before I can sit myself.

And so ended the evening of sugar gathering.



I felt that we had enough and therefore I am not taking the kids trick-or-treating on Halloween (a.k.a. tonight), but I did plan a family Halloween party so that should ease the pain. Plus, they are very excited to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. But I'll tell you now, if the older kids in the neighborhood come wearing no costumes and looking for a free hand-out, think again. I'm going to make them sing or something. Maybe do some of my dishes...

p.s. I have never been able to talk my kids into doing a theme together. This year was the closest we got with two costumes in the cat family. I'll take theses two kitties for sure.

Carved Pumpkins Tell No Tales

For FHE, we had our annual pumpkin carving. I would like to say that this was a family activity, but we were missing a couple since Daisy goes to bed early, and Ivory joined her since she was beyond cranky. Beyond people. The older girls were ready for some carving or so I thought. I don't think they remembered the gory process one must go through to hollow out a pumpkin and they were less than thrilled. I'm pretty sure that at one point I heard Robyn say, "I want to stay clean like a princess." Sheesh, what am I raising, a bunch of girls?

June was less squeamish about the whole thing but she didn't love the 'pumpkin webs' as she called them. Okay, let's be frank, cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin isn't my favorite part either. The gook inside makes my skin itch. I always wonder if I am slightly allergic to pumpkin guts, but I think it makes everyone's skin itch.

The girls are getting old enough that I let them draw their own faces on the pumpkins and then I carved them (maybe we'll give them the knife next year). I decided to take a new approach to carving and I had Tyler bring out his special tools.



The drill worked fabulously, and when this baby is lit, it looks like a disco ball.



I love it. Tyler didn't stop there, but instead played with his dremel thus producing the pumpkin dust that he is covered in (you really should click on his picture—it is on his glasses and in his hair; it's everywhere).

When we were all finished, we lit out creations and admired our hard work. I give you 'Pam', 'Michael', 'Boo!', and 'Disco Inferno.'



Tyler didn't drill all the way through his which is why Pam looks more muted.

Not to be outdone, I offered Ivory the chance to carve the next afternoon, but I can't say I was sad that she chose the face creations instead of icky sticky pumpkin guts. I think her pumpkin looks great and I guarantee it won't rot as quickly.



As for Daisy, and baby bump...well...we got them pumpkins, but they probably won't get carved this year. It's the thought that counts girls.

'Sobfest 2010' also know as the 'Martin's Cove Trek'

Our ward has decided to do the Martin's Cove Trek next July. There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into such an endeavor. There have already been fundraisers and the Bishopric have been out to the area to preview our experience. This evening we had a fireside dedicated to the Martin's Cove excursion.

I was NOT ready for it. It was great in that they had people come speak who have been on the trek before; but that was the problem as well. It all started to become very real to me. Pulling handcarts, walking miles, fording rivers, herding children, carrying a baby...I wonder if I am up for the task. Mainly I wonder if my tearducts are up for the task.

See, I tend to be rather weepy when it comes to spiritual experiences. Just listening to a young woman sing a song this evening had the tears dripping down my cheeks and June asking what was wrong with me (but come on now, it was a song written from the point of view of a child). Oh, and did I mention that I am pregnant so I cry at the drop of a hat anyway?

Add to this the fact that I am a softy in general and have been known to cry watching commercials or listening to country songs. There is no hope for me in 2010. Granted, I will not be pregnant, but I will have a four month old and will probably still have plenty of post-pregnancy hormones flowing through my system.

I think that about 15 out of the 17 pounds I can bring ought to be tissue. Either that, or I will have very wet sleeves by the end of the trek.

Halloween Brings Out the Best in Me

I saw this sign months ago and had to get it. Unfortunately, some days it is more true than not.

Don't Judge Me, I Judge Myself

I found out today that I must be super honest at heart, because I am overloaded with guilt that I walked out of the store without paying for something today. Granted, I did it on purpose...but let me explain.

See, I bought this little tiger costume for Daisy because I was realizing that I didn't have anything for her and that I actually didn't care (this is what happens to fourth children, she better get used to it). So when I saw some cute get-ups at Wal-mart for a mere $8, I caved and bought one that would barely fit Daisy now (being a little snug) but would probably fit baby number 5 next Halloween (being a bit loose). Then I could side-step the didn't-bother-with-child-who-can't-talk-therefore-can't-bug-me-about-costumes guilt. I got home and tried it on her to make sure it wasn't too snug and that is when I noticed a little velcro patch on the bum. Oh, it was supposed to have a tail. But I didn't get one. I reasoned that this wasn't so bad because we were probably going to stick her in the stroller anyway, and if I really wanted to, I could just find something that worked as a tail...etc.

Enter today when Robyn came home and told me she needed to provide a snack starting with the letter 'D' tomorrow. Fine, but if you only give me one day to provide snacks, then I am going to ignore that letter you sent home about healthy food and instead provide Ding Dongs (because that's two D's, so neener). Since I was headed back to Wal-mart, I decided that I would just go back and look at the costumes and see if there was a tail. Well...there was, and you have probably figured out that I took it; shamelessly. The guilt would have come either way, but it was so much more fun to bring the children and field awkward questions as well.

Robyn: Are you taking that tail off that last tiger costume?

Mom: Yes, yes I am. But see, we didn't get one...(thinking of how to change the subject quickly).

(Later)

Robyn: Where is the tiger tail?

Mom: I put it in my bag.

Ivory: Why?

Mom: So, I won't lose it. (Then, since I don't want to seem like it was a bad thing to take it) Do you want to hold it?

(Later, when tail is back in bag and we are at the checkstand)

Ivory: Did you pay for the tail? (She may have noticed that it didn't reach the conveyor belt)

Mom: Yes, yes I did.

And come on...I DID pay for a tail, the first time around. You must admit that if it were you shopping and you had noticed that a tail were missing that you would have grabbed one from another costume. I would have done this as well...had I noticed. It was just so much more awkward coming back to get it.

Upon returning home, I immediately called Tyler hoping he would ease my conscience. Not much help there. He must feel that I don't get teased enough (he is probably right), so he fills right in and he doesn't plan on letting me live down my first shoplifting experience. In fact he did a great job of rubbing it in the first chance he got.

Maleen: Oh, I grabbed some apples while I was at the store, because I wanted to make Apple Pie. You don't like raisins in it, do you?

Tyler: Now, when you say grabbed, you did PAY for them, right?

Maleen: *click* Oops, did I hang up on him?

So there you have it. I am stewing in my own indecision. I really think it was okay. It was okay, right? Yes, I don't need you to tell me, because I KNOW it was okay. I paid for a tail after all. So, I deserve a tail.



Okay, whatever, at least the pie was good, and I even let Tyler have some.



You can get the recipe somewhere in this post. Thanks Melanie, I really needed that. Nothing like caramel and apple to ease the guilt (what guilt?)

Birthday Pictures

So remember how I said that Kiddie Kandids doesn't really have the free birthday picture anymore and I would have to start taking my own? Well, it only took me a few weeks longer than I planned, but June and I went out on Saturday and had a little photo shoot. It was really fun just hanging out with her and we ended the trip with fries and pies from McDonald's. I should have been doing this before, it was so much fun. Here are some of the pictures I liked. I can't believe how grown up she is.

Wyatt Earp

“The great object is, that every man be armed.” —Patrick Henry

“The citizenry shall disoblige themselves of the right to carry arms if they do nothing to avail themselves of the right.” —Tyler Cazier

Yes, I just shamelessly quoted myself. I started doing that when those quotes websites came out in the mid nineties. I used to sign up and deposit all these grains of wisdom and attribute them to “Tyler Cazier.” It was quite enjoyable.

But quoting one's self is not the object of this post: it is merely an exquisite introduction thereof. You may surmise by the tenor of the two famous quotes above that I am what liberals term, “an NRA-card-carrying-gun-toting hawk.” But I'm not just ANY NRA-card-carrying-gun-toting hawk—no! I'm a LOUD NRA-card-carrying-gun-toting hawk!

A while back I chose to obtain a conceal-and-carry firearm permit. The permit is often referred to as CFP (Concealed Firearm Permit) and CCP (Conceal Carry Permit); but I reference it simply as my license to kill in self-defense. I should note here that such a permit affords you only two additional rights: 1) to carry a firearm loaded; and 2) to carry a firearm without others' knowledge—concealed. You can already carry a firearm in the open—you just can't carry it loaded. To anyone interested, I'd be happy to explain anything you'd like to know about any aspect of the firearm permit, or indeed, any issue regarding firearms. Actually, I'll tell you my opinion on just about everything whether you ask or not.

The fact that most people are re-reading the previous paragraph to make sure they read it correctly—that you can carry a gun without any special permit—is precisely why I carry my gun the way I do. I'm not one of the people that carry a firearm concealed everywhere I go. No, I'm one of the people that carry a loaded firearm in plain view just to remind people that we have rights that disappear when we forget about them (see quote at the top of this post).



As you can see from my picture (Maleen helped me with this—it was an amazingly fun photo shoot), I carry my weapon on my thigh. I used to have a hip holster, but this is so much cooler! (I know: boys and their toys...) I've used a myriad of reasons to rationalize such a holster: it's more ergonomic than hip carry; it's more comfortable than hip carry; it doesn't disrupt a seatbelt in a car as hip carry does; it's more secure than hip carry; I have more mobility than hip carry. But it boils down to two real reasons: 1) the GQ factor is way higher; and 2) I WANT people to see it and react to it.

Higher GQ—who doesn't love it? Wanting people to react to things I do—that's just my personality. I wore my new tactical leg holster to Target for its maiden voyage. I thought it was a fitting location because it's open, low-profile, relatively few nut jobs, and the store name is perfectly appropriate. I found that my leg holster acts like an amplifier: people react more strongly in their normal direction. If they don't like guns they snub me and roll their eyes much more noticeably. If they like it, they are more vocal about it and point it out more. I also notice that more people (who are normally quiet and neither say or do anything) are making reactions one way or another.

I estimate that approximately ten percent of persons reacted to my hip-holstered weapon. However, I'd say that roughly one in three react to the leg holster! I get a lot more comments, and what I really love: more conversations. They usually start out with something like this: “Is that a gun? Are you an undercover officer? How do you get the permit to carry that?” or “Wow, why do you carry a gun?”

These questions are great segues into conversations that more Americans need to have about our Bill of Rights.

So if you see somebody who's brave enough to carry their weapon in the open, ask them about it! More likely than not, you won't be talking to a Neo-Nazi, but a proud American who is willing to not only claim their rights, but help others do the same.

When was the last time you asked somebody about their gun? If it was more than a few days ago, you haven't been getting your daily allowance of patriotism. Come on over—I'll hook ya up.

To sum up:

1. Guns are good.
2. Concealing guns is better.
3. Responsibly carrying guns in the open is a wickedly cool way to be a patriot.