happy halloween

Although my pictures aren't great, I think this was one of the best years in terms of Cooper's costume. There has been some stiff competition in the past- but this year was the 1st time that he decided his entire outfit.

He had an idea and he delivered.



Yup, that's him on the left with his friend L.

Cooper was a Monkey Suit. Get it??
We thought it was hilarious and genius all at the same time.

He found the mask at the grocery store and begged me to buy it.
Then, he figured out the rest of the costume on his own- painstakingly going through every pair of pants until he found just the right ones.

See how the pants have the stripe on the side, just like a tux does??
No matter that they're wind pants. They fit the bill.

I love that kid.
And the best part was how much fun he and L. had on their quest for candy.


But not before a little horseplay on the swings.


It makes me laugh whenever I see them-


The best was that the mask was too big so he had some trouble maneuvering. They'd be walking up the driveway and L. would make a turn onto the sidewalk and Coop would keep right on walking....a little kid in a suit with a purpose (oh, and a monkey head).

L (sweet kid that he is) ended up holding on to Coop and leading him from place to place to be sure that he wouldn't get tangled up in the shrubbery. Now, that's a true friend.

If you know me, you'll realize that this probably wasn't my 1st choice for his costume (or my 27th), but I got so overcome with pride that he did it on his own that it really didn't matter what he was. He loved it, he was proud and he had a great night.

I can't think of a better Halloween treat.

Hope yours was great too!

oh momma -look! i wanted you to see this....

those were words that cooper just said to me as we're snuggled up on the sofa to watch the world series.

what was he referring to you may wonder?

A GOUT COMMERCIAL.
What????

I said, "why in the world did you want me to see this?"
He said, "well, you said your foot was hurting, i thought you might have gout"

He's referring to the fact that I've been complaining about my heel hurting. I have plantar fasciitis....NOT GOUT.

My word.
That kid does make me laugh.

30-14

Guess where we were this weekend?



Hmm- give up?
Maybe this will help-



We went to the VT vs. BC game!!
Did the graffiti throw you? Yeah, I was thrown off too.

Jon's sister and her hubs have season tickets to Tech and they graciously invited us to come up for the game. And what's a football game without a great tailgate...especially if that tailgate is in an abandoned apartment complex complete with what I think may have been gang signs.


Goodness, they're cute (and not concerned in the least bit by a little graffiti)!

And as you can tell by our tailgating surroundings (and our beer of choice)....they spoiled us with nothing but the best!



We had so much fun....laughing, playing, posing, eating, drinking and hanging out together.









They love our kid & he's crazy about them too.
The day was perfect for a ball game- clear blue skies and crisp weather.


Also perfect for some brother/sister together time.

It was homecoming- and so the Highty Tighty Band and their Alumni were in all their glory.



I'm a sucker for a marching band- I always have been. Let's be clear- I wasn't IN the band....nope, no such talent in that area, I'm just a fan.


They were great!

But then....the boys hit the field.
The stadium was electric.





But not as electric as it was when they scored!



Can you see the people who are horizontal? They're being thrown up in the air to celebrate the score. Can you imagine?


So much fun!!



As the sun went down, the scoreboard was in our favor- great ending to a great day!



But Kathy wasn't done yet....what could make the day even better than it already had been?


Yup. That's kale salad.



Kale, yeah!!!!
Enough said.

Thanks Kathy & Mike....we had a blast!!

New Fave-

This is kale.



I haven't been a fan of kale for the majority of my life.
Actually, I haven't been a fan of kale ever.
Until tonight.

But let me back up so you'll have the whole story. I'm really trying to make some changes in the foods that I eat. My friends at Relay Foods are helping and some real friends are too!

Enter Sarah. We work together (although in different states) and she's one of those all natural, healthy, crunchy sort of people. Anywhooo, we had dinner together while I was in Atlanta and the conversation turned to vegetables that we love (see, I am changing....who in the world talks about vegetables they love??? oh, and yes, this was hours after I ate a chili cheese dog at the Varsity!).

Sarah loves kale.
What??? Gross. No can do.

But she tells me about this amazing salad that one of her friends has turned her on to and it sounds interesting. So I googled it, ordered the ingredients from Relay and made it for dinner tonight.

And you know what??
I LOVED IT!!! And even better....Jon did too.

The trick to eating raw kale and loving it is to massage the kale with olive oil and salt.
Yup, it's a fact. I watched 2 videos that told me all about it.


Then I added chopped onion, grape tomatoes, avocado and lemon juice.

I massaged some more and we ate it as a side dish with salmon.
Stop the madness, we're super food maniacs tonight!



Seriously delish.
I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

I think I'm going to try making kale chips (take leaves, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 8-10 minutes).

What you do think? Will you try it??

Thankful Thursday & Relay Foods

(via google)

My friend Angela gave me the scoop a while ago about an awesome new concept in food shopping. I thought it was a great idea so I signed up- and never placed an order. Fast forward to this weekend when I got a message from the Founder & CEO saying that October was a big month for Relay and asking for our help by getting out the word and placing an order.

So I did.
I logged in on Monday night, picked what I wanted- dt. coke, avocados, hamburger patties, scallions, olive oil, dog food, ground turkey, bacon, butter, brussel sprouts- (random, I know!), paid on line and waited until Wednesday.


(via google)

Then, I stopped to pick up my order at a nearby parking lot where they loaded everything into my car and wished me a good night. Then I drove home.

So easy, so tasty, so addicting.
I've already placed my order for next week.
I am LOVING this!!

Check it out....if you're in Richmond or Charlottesville then you're in luck. If not and you're interested in having Relay come to your area- let them know!!


I'm thankful for Angela, for saving time, for being a little green, for buying local, for reducing my stress, for removing the temptation that faces me whenever I walk through the aisles of the grocery store, for people with great ideas who want to make the world a better place, for my family who shared my enthusiasm for this awesome new way of shopping!

Have a super weekend-

A letter to my one fan-

Dear Tim,
Don't turn your back on me....



I promise to try and be better about posting regularly....
I even promise to stay away from 2 Word posts whenever possible.
Give a working mom with too few hours in the day a break.

I'll do better....really I will.

And to prove it.....check out my posts from last week. I hope they pass the muster (or is it mustard?).

Love & hugs-
Caro

What'll Ya Have??

About 10 years ago I worked on a project that had me flying to Tampa at least once a month. I was the most junior person on the team and two of my co-workers were probably some of the funniest people on the planet.

They were supposed to "take care of me" on the trips....because I was a female traveling alone. I wasn't 12- but most of the time I was the little sister tagging along on with them on planes, in airports, at hotels and as the butt of many of their jokes. I adored them! Still do.

The flight to Tampa was never direct (although it should have been) and so we had to fly through either Atlanta or Charlotte. I was all about sticking to policy and taking the flights that were the cheapest- even if they weren't the most convenient. But my funny co-workers.....paid no attention to policy. Those jokers would schedule flights around lunch time and add a long layover in Atlanta all so they could eat at the place they called "legendary". I never went- I was too afraid of getting in trouble. They happily left me behind and never brought me anything but a stinkin' paper hat.


(via google)

Last week, I was able to experience it myself.

My 1st trip to the Varsity.
Anxious faces behind the counter in those crazy red paper hats yelling, "What'll Ya Have?"

It was all that I anticipated and more & this is what I had-


(via google)

AWESOME!!
I know those jokers are proud of me, even 10 years later.

What'll ya have????

My Favorite Pitcher

Fall Ball is historically less intense and more instructional.
I'm not sure either is entirely true, at least for me.

1st- Cooper is now playing kid pitch vs. machine pitch and while that may be exciting for him, it completely freaks me out. Kids are getting hit with rogue pitches at least once an inning.

2nd- Today Cooper was one of those pitchers! Thankfully he didn't hit anyone....AND he struck 2 kids out.....but who's keeping track?

3rd- I have zero ability to remain calm and collected during a baseball game featuring my child as a player. I just get SO excited!



A wad of bubble gum really makes the pitcher more authentic- don't you agree?







At the end of the game, guess who got handed the Game Ball?



Yup- my favorite powerade drinking, gum chewing pitcher!



Way to Go, Coop!