Tuesday

I am supposed to be at bible study...it is Tuesday, after all.

Instead, I am home in my flannel jammies, homemade pumpkin muffins (some with chocolate chips) baking in the convection oven I can't seem to figure out, with one little boy all comfy on the couch watching cartoons and another not so little boy sound asleep in his room.

It's another no school day for us and I am hanging out with my boys.

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It's going to be a rather quiet day, I think.  We need to run and pick up contacts (for Michael and Matthew) and order new glasses for Brian at Costco, plus Alex could really use a new pair of regular shoes.  

Other than that, I have a late hair appointment and the boys have a sushi date with their dad...and then I am out for a girls night.  Unless I ditch and go sit in Barnes and Noble with a pumpkin spice latte.

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Thanksgiving is around the corner and I am SO ready to have all my boys home together...ready for the chaos that a houseful of boys create in a tiny house.  

Can't wait.

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Day-Off

Sunday afternoon and a trip to Bev Mo.

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Followed by a Sunday afternoon trip to Trader Joe's.

Finished up with chicken and pesto...

...and daisies in a pitcher.

And in the mail?  Tickets for the Bonnie Hunt show next week...the producer who called me last week said the guest is David Archeleta, from American Idol fame.

So, so excited!

Today and tomorrow are no school days for my younger boys, so old friends came to play.

Brian and Nico have been best friends since before they were born...their middle brothers and oldest brothers are also best friends.

A movie (something with a dog), lunch and games at Dave and Buster's, plus a little shopping, where the two crown princes removed their shoes and got comfy.

Cracked me up.

And the Mr T necklace Brian is sporting?  A prize from his gaming wins...completes the outfit, don't 'cha think?

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Fed Michael left-over pesto and chicken on his way too short dinner break and the rest of us are just hanging out.  Alex and Brian are playing video games and I am working my way through the 42 email messages that are in my IN box.

The boys will eat cereal when they get hungry and I am thinking I might have oatmeal myself....it is chilly here, but I am not complaining!

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Sunday

Blustery.

Absolutely blustery.

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The wind is blowing and the temps have dropped to a chilly 65 degrees...I actually dug out my clogs this morning.

Brrrr.

The last few days have been filled in boxes on the calendar...the kind of days where you run from one thing to another and long for your couch, a blanket and a movie.

(which is happening today....but we're not there yet!)

Friday morning, I met Kath for a hike, where it was 85 degree Santa Ana conditions at 8am.

Lovely.

Actually, it WAS lovely....aside from the all uphill part, but it was fun to be moving AND talking with not a boy in sight.  Not that I don't love these boys, but it's always nice to be with someone who totally gets the whole over the top testosterone thing.

Finished our hike with a stop in to Corner Bakery because we just weren't done talking yet.  Nothing like a hike followed by breakfast.  Life is good.

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Home to shower and then I worked as a lunch helper at Brian's school...always fun cuz I really like all those kids.

I then ran some errands....and then got a date invite I couldn't refuse from that guy that I really, really like.

He's been working like a hound dog (tis the season) and needed a night out in between choral festivals that he was hosting, choral festivals he was adjudicating, and choral festivals his choir was actually in.

That's how you make the big bucks.

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Plus, we were celebrating a little anniversary of our own, so off to Maggiano's we went.  Sometimes, you just need Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin belting out songs while you drink red wine and eat really good italian food.

Did I mention the wine?

Or even better....the good friends that came and met us?  Aren't they cute?  It was just a nice, relaxing, slow night...with really good cappuccino at the end. 

BIG SIGH.

Just what we needed.

Saturday brought a day of basketball, where I learned that sitting on the floor in a gym for over an hour is fine, but the getting up part is not as easy.

The game ended and I looked around at all the people on the floor and could kind of tell that no one wanted to crawl their way back to standing...so I suggested we all roll left together before standing up.

Which I then laughed and thankfully, so did everyone else.  And yes, we all rolled left and crawled our way to standing.

Gracefully.

OH, and Alex had the 'game of his life'.  His words, not mine.  He was on fire.

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Saturday night, M came home on the late side from choral festival #4.  Brian was sleeping at a friends house (no school Monday or Tuesday), so the table was only set for 3.

Kinda strange.

Supper was really good though...orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe.  

Good old comfort food.

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Somehow, M got a 2nd wind, so off we went to Cost Plus for a little late night shopping.  While there, we met our new friend Ed (ok...so we were lounging in recliners talking and Ed the manager came up and asked if wanted him to order appetizers for us...we were then best friends.) offered us the employee discount for whatever we bought.

I.Love.Ed.

So, one leather recliner later...already on clearance PLUS the discount and it almost paid us to buy it!, plus a few miscellaneous things, and we were on our way back home.

OH...and they had torrone.

Real, honest to goodness torrone.

Plus Mozart balls for Alex and Matthew.  Just like Europe.

After, we stayed up late watching a movie I cannot remember...must not've been very good and this morning we were bums.

I mean, for real.

Bums.

We did not go to church, which for us is a pretty big deal.  We slept in, picked up Brian, cleaned up the backyard, ate left over Maggiano's, played Animal crossing, watched football...and are now heading to Costco for something to throw on the grill for supper.

And that is our day.  The last box on the calendar with nothing on it until after concert season.  

And it is a very, very good day.

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Alex #24- Frosh/Soph Game

Highlight's of my #24's game today.  There was no seating, so we just sat on the floor behind the basket and watched and cheered.

Alex had a great game...now off to the next one!

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Goalie Brian

Last night was the final play-off game for soccer.

Sadly, they lost but they played well, even with a screaming coach....and no one scored on my goalie.

The whole quarter he played, there were non-stop shots toward him.  All those years of standing at the end of the hall while his older brothers pelted him with balls are now paying off.

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Staying Home

Emotional exhaustion hit, as well as a need to be home today...so that is just what I did.

My car stayed parked all. day. long.

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Got tons done around here...the house is clean, the Halloween stuff is mostly put up in the attic (some is wayyy too heavy!), caught up on 90210 and Lipstick Jungle (both wholesome shows...not) and did a little project.

I painted...and am now sporting a very splotchy hand.

Thanks to IKEA and a very cheap price, plus a little spray paint, we now have a cute little island at an even cuter little price.  And I still have a splotchy hand.

Supper tonight...short ribs, which are cooking with a bottle of wine amongst other things, garlic smashed potatoes and roasted carrots.

There's a whole red velvet cupcake left, plus halves of all the other flavors, and also leftover tiramisu that I had made this weekend.  The Halloween candy disappeared and no one (as in Brian) has asked about it.  I'm thinking it was all about the 'hunt' for him...and true to Brian form, he is already talking about next year.  Gotta love him!

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Behind

I am already 5,001 words behind.

That's right...5,001 words.

NaNoWriMo began at midnight on November 1st.  It's totally my kind of gig...you write everyday for a month and in the end, you have the makings of a novel.

50,000 words.

It breaks down to 1,667 words per day and I am already behind.  Which is not a good sign, but I am NOT quitting.

I outlined my story.  Then I re-outlined it.  And then one more time for good measure.  Now I just need to start writing.

The problem has been time.  This morning was bible study, followed by a fast lunch with Sheila at a really great vegetarian place in Corona del Mar that I cannot remember the name of.  With really fabulous roasted cauliflower.

Then, a rather quick drive by to Sprinkles for cupcakes.  This time up...red velvet, peanut butter chocolate chip, pumpkin and strawberry...which is half eaten.  Not sure how that happened.

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Home to work my polling place for an hour, where an 80 year old man told me all about how elections used to be.

And then I voted.

Home just in time to sweep the floor and greet Brian and his friend at the door.  They are doing homework and I am avoiding the list of things I need to get done...like putting away the laundry and taking the Halloween stuff upstairs.

M has a concert this evening and has to take people out for dinner beforehand.  Alex needs to go get fitted for his choir outfit at 6pm and after, we'll hit the chik-fil-a drive thru...I get a free sandwich for having a voting sticker and I also have a buy one get one coupon, so the 3 of us will eat for cheap.

And then home to curl up and watch the rest of The Jane Austen Book Club, which is making me want to read Jane Austen!

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