Look! The Alexander kitties are celebrating Halloween, too!
Do your fur babies celebrate Halloween with you?
Happy Food and Wine Wednesday,
Melia
Halloween Dinner
family
And the Winner is . . .
For the record, I told Niece and Niece 2 to keep it simple, swore that all they had to do was cut a few triangles into a pumpkin and they’d be good to go, but did they listen? Of course not! Especially after Niece 2 declared that there should be a pumpkin-carving contest.
And so the challenge began, because, after all, they’re my nieces, right? They carefully chiseled and sawed and cursed their way through three hours of creativity. (Which strangely sounds a lot like me when I plot out a story!) But Mr. A and I don’t know which one deserves the prize, so we’re leaving it up to you!
I now present, for your voting pleasure, the pumpkins:
The 2014 winner of the Alexander pumpkin-carving contest will be declared on Halloween, right before Niece heads off to a party. On Saturday, November 1st, the lucky winner will get to choose a donut for breakfast, complete with chocolate milk. (Hey, if you lived in my house, you’d see why this is a big deal!)
Please leave your vote in the comment below.
Happy Mash-Up Monday,
Melia
From an Elephant to a Camel
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have a heckuva hard time getting the fam to do anything together. Mainly because the girls don’t want to be seen with us psuedo-parents. Well, not unless it involves us forking money over for stuff like clothes. But that’s another story. . ..
So the conversation at breakfast one Saturday morning went something like this:
Niece: I want to ride an elephant.
Niece 2 (with the disdain of a typical 15-year-old): Why?
Niece: Because elephants are my favorite! (Sadly, this is true. She couldn’t possibly have said “keeping my room clean is my favorite,” now could she?)
Niece 2: That’s dumb.
Me (thinking *this* was a family-bonding opportunity): There’s a safari place a couple of hours away. They gave elephant rides the last time I was there.
Mr. A grabbed his glass of OJ and gave me a pointed look. He coulda reminded me that I’d whined less than half an hour before about writing deadlines and laundry and a needed trip to the grocery store. But he didn’t. Smart man.
Niece: Can we go? Can we go? CAN WE GO? Puh-leeeaassse?
Niece 2: That’s dumb.
Niece (glaring at her sister): You already said that.
Me: Okay, we’re going. *stares at Niece 2* And that means you, too.
Three hours of grumpy silence from Niece 2 later, we get there. . .. And found out elephant rides were no longer available. Something about political correctness in the zoo world. There was, however, a camel.
Niece was dejected, but agreed that a camel ride was better than nothing.
Niece 2 was elated. Until I pointed out she had to ride it, too. Heh.
Aren’t I mean?
Happy Mash-Up Monday,
Melia
Queen of the Jungle
Hello, and welcome to Food and Wine Wednesday!
Oooh, cake! I loves me some pretty cake! Especially one that teases the imagination. Check this out:
Isn’t it cool? Some uber-talented baker created this for our local county fair. And while I loved the details, I thought there was something missing: the Queen of the Jungle! (Natch!)
Seems to me she shoulda been at the top of the display instead of the zebra. *thinking hard* Yeah! And she should’ve worn a leopard-print dress and a crown made of something really cool. . .. Like . . . like . . . Hmmm. . .. Any ideas out there?
Happy Food and Wine Wednesday,
Melia
The Continental Divide
Welcome to Travel Bug Tuesday!
Traveling sometimes brings unexpectedly fun surprises, right? Probably one of the reasons I love it! That, and the fact that you can eat whatever you want because calories don’t count when you travel. But that’s another story. . ..
Anyhoo, this was taken at the Continental Divide at Yellowstone National Park. In June.
It was like Christmas! Okay, okay. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but in our part of the world, playing in the snow in June was an unexpected treat. And Youngest Niece and Middle Nephew took full advantage of it!
A couple of snow ball fights, lots of laughter, and super-cold hands later, we finally piled back into the van and were off to the next adventure. . ..
I love when traveling hands out delicious surprises, don’t you?
Happy travels,
Melia
Life at The Male Observation Lab: Rescuing Sophie
Happy Mash-Up Monday!
What I most admire about the dudes at The Male Observation Lab is their ability to make difficult construction decisions under lots and lots
and LOTS of pressure. Every now and then, though, these dudes take on the role of hero, like the time Sophie was rescued.
Picture it: Sophie had escaped a fenced-in yard, eager to check out the goings-on at the project site near her home where the dudes were working. Unfortunately, she had to cross two lanes of traffic to get to them. . .. And during the morning rush-hour commute. . . ..
That’s where our heroes come in. One of them, driving a concrete mixer truck, positioned himself behind Sophie and trailed her as she figured out which way she wanted to go, and effectively shielded her from other motorists. Another dude then scooped her up out of harm’s way. Yay!
But her adventure didn’t end there. See, turns out that Sophie’s mom didn’t answer the phone when Rescue Dude called. So he packed her into his truck and brought her to the office. Correction. My office.
I wanted to keep her. Rescue Dude pointed out that we’d have a difficult time convincing management Sophie was a new employee, and – here was the clincher for me – her mom would likely miss her.
Before long, it was time for Sophie to leave. And, really, it was for the best. If I’d brought her home I’m pretty sure Bennett-the-cat would’ve packed a bag and left.
Have you ever helped rescue an animal?
Have a great week,
Melia
Indy CART Smiles
Happy Take Me Back Thursday!
Once upon a time, Indy CART races existed. Even better, CART made annual appearances in the Pacific Northwest, which was awesome! So awesome, Mr. Alexander made the trek so as to commune with his fellow race car enthusiasts, including drivers. And, of course, there was racing all weekend.
For a few of those years, I tagged along. Mainly because I missed him otherwise. *shrugs* What can I say? I’m kinda nuts about the guy! 🙂
So here’s to great memories.
Happy Almost-Friday!
~Melia
Snow in Summer
This Take Me Back Thursday comes courtesy of Niece 2.
Several years ago, my amazing SissyLu hauled three kids and my mom across the ocean. Not literally, of course, but still. . .. have you tried traveling with three kids and with your mom in a wheelchair? Did I mention she’s amazing? 🙂
Anyhoo, living on Guam, snow’s not a common occurrence in their world, so of course we had to find some while they were visiting. And did we! Mounds of it that lined the roadway in the higher elevations in our part of the world. Once we parked, Niece 2 bolted out of the van so she could play with it. Natch!
Isn’t she adorable? Pains me to realize she’ll be driving soon. *Gulp* But that’s another story. . ..
Happy Almost-Friday,
Melia
Seattle’s Gum Wall
This week’s Travel Bug Tuesday takes us to Seattle, Washington, one of my fave places in the Pacific Northwest!
After lunch near Pike Place Market, we visited a tourist attraction in the city that was, I think, also the most interesting spot for germ-breeding. And for the record, if SissyLu hadn’t insisted on making the walk over, I probably would’ve. I’d never heard of anything quite like it!
Check this out:
I have no idea how the wall of gum was created or why, but it’s strangely amazing in a germy sort of way.
I mean, people actually had those things in their mouths before pulling them out to stick on the wall. Fascinating and gross at the same time. . ..
And, yeah, I admit, I kinda wished I had a piece I could’ve stuck on, too! 🙂
What interesting tourist spots do you have where you live?
Happy travels,
Melia
