Halloween!

Sorry I've been away for a few days folks, but as you read along, you'll see what has been taking up my time lately.

So, it's Halloween today. I still can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday, I was preparing for Z to start kindergarten and fending off triple-digit heat. To get in the spirit of things, I started a project for Z's class and finished last night around 9:30pm. Note to self: start the next project a few weeks in advance. I made up some goodie bags, baked some cookies, decorated them with Z, and packed them up for Aaron to drop off this morning. Of course, there were bumps along the way, like not making enough dough (though I thought I had figured it out to a tee before starting), glue that didn't like to stick the fronts of the bags, glitter EVERYWHERE ... but it was all worth it in the end. Here are the bags & cookies:

My poor kitchen table.


Before ...


... after.


The tissue paper I wrapped them up in.


Being hungry for dinner + smelling fresh sugar cookies =
a kid that looks like this.


Six of the twenty-four bags I made.


A close-up.


Ready for delivery.

In the midst of all the baking & decorating, we also carved our pumpkins. I'll give you three guesses on which one belongs to Aaron, and the first two guesses don't count:

Yes, it's this one.


Z's design - he drew it, and Daddy carved it.
He was adamant about the eyebrows & beard.


My doofy looking guy. As creative as I can be,
I just cannot transfer that creativity to pumpkins.

I will take oodles of pictures tonight of Z trick-or-treating, but I can't guarantee how good the photos will come out. I'm still using the crappy camera from my workplace, and it doesn't care much for night-time pictures. No update on my camera, by the way. Conn's officially sucks, and I will never recommend them to anyone in the future. In fact, I might even go out of my way to condemn them to anyone who listen. I've called three straight days in a row now, and each time I am promised a call back. Hasn't happened yet, not even once. Not impressive.

One last thing before I go. I'm happy to say that I stopped for gas this morning, with my gauge hovering dangerously close to "E", and it only cost me $20 to fill up my tank.

Excuse the quality of the picture - it was a cell phone photo,
taken at 6:30am while it was still dark outside.

Not a bad way to start out a Halloween Friday. Gas was $2.09 down by where I work, off Riverside. Finally, a pay-off for workin' in da hood. It almost wasn't worth it, because I left my bullet-proof vest at home, but thankfully everything worked out.

I'll hopefully be able to update longer on my next post. As for now, I must wrap things up since I'm doing this at work, and I have some stuff I need to finish before I leave for the day. Until next time ...