The Birthday Bowling Bash

Alex had his Birthday Party today! It was a huge success. He invited his 4 best friends and they all had a fantastic time! They bowled, ate pizza, had cake and bowled some more!

Michael, Alan, Alex, Mark & Zach


The bowling alley is a great place for parties. They provide a fun bowling pin decoration with balloons. For the birthday boy to keep.
(Not quite sure what we're going to do with a bowling pin, but Alex was thrilled...)

Not sure this bowling form will get him into the pros, but it was entertaining at least!

The annual "blow-fish" photo!

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Party Planning

Alex is turning 11 next week. And he's having a Bowling Party tomorrow. I put myself in charge of creating goodie bags for the kids. 11 is a hard age for boys. All they really want anymore are expensive video games or things for their ipods or some other outrageously priced item. Gone are the days of 99 cent Match Box cars or $1.00 for 100 plastic army men... No more. So gathering items for party favors proved difficult. I consulted several people for ideas, including my almost-11 year old son. And I think I did ok. Candy. All Candy. And fun, creepy candy at that! Wax lips, chocolate eyeballs, gummy body parts... The creepier the better. I got some orange bags at AC Moore and decorated them, attached a fun container of Hershey Kissables, and I was done.

Preppy is Still Preppy

During the last week, I have had several different conversations where the term "Preppy" has come under question. Having grown up in Maine and having been a big fan of LL Bean, I was certain I knew what Preppy meant. Conservative look, khaki pants, boat shoes, Bean boots, polo shirts, oxford shirts, the old sweater over the shoulders.... that sort of thing. Am I wrong? We used to have the "Official Preppy Handbook" when I was growing up. My brother and I wore that book out!

Well, apparently I am incorrect. At least according to the "youth" of today. Preppy is now the grungy look of Hollister, Abercrombie and the GAP. I was shocked to hear this! Kids these days wear layers of ripped t-shirts, bell bottom pants that drag on the ground and flip flops. That is so far from what Preppy was and still is, at least in my mind.

I had to do some research. And according to the Urban Dictionary. I am not losing my mind. Preppy is and will always be the Preppy I grew to know and love. Here is an excerpt:

"Someone who is preppy appreciates classic, conservative clothing. Contrary to popular teenage misconceptions, preppy people do not wear Abercrombie and Fitch, GAP, American Eagle; these clothes are trendy and entirely too flashy/showy for a true prep. Rather, traditionally preppy people wear Polo, Lilly, Brooks Brothers, Lacoste, LL Bean (ie duck boots), ribbon belts, prints, sweaters tied around the neck, collar always popped, looks neat and put together. Hair ribbons or ribbon headbands, pearls, and other classic jewelry pull the look together. Preppies are partial to monogrammed and engraved items..."

I rest my case.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

He heard the music, he knew what he had to have...
one last taste of summer. How could I refuse?

Apple Picking with Alex

Alex and I went Apple Picking at Abbott Farms. We arrived around 11:30 in the morning. It was a beautiful, warm fall day. Abbott Farms was close-by, and had many activities in addition to the traditional apple picking. There was a petting zoo, a super slide, an apple cannon, a corn maze, hay rides, a pumpkin patch, etc.

Having never been apple picking, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, other than the obvious picking of the apples. Upon arriving, we paid our "admission fees", parked the car and headed to the information booth. We discovered that our admission fee covered pretty much everything but picking apples. Hmm. So we paid another $10 for an empty bag. (Can we just bring our own bag next time??) Anyway, we were excited for our adventure, so we headed off to the orchard. We were given a map of the farm and a guide as to which rows of apple trees contained which apples. I was on a quest for the best MacIntosh apples ever. I was quite impressed to find about 6 or 7 long rows of just MacIntosh apples. It didn't take long to just about fill the bag. (It was a "peck", whatever that means.) Alex insisted on expanding our apple horizons, so we also grabbed a few Empire apples, some Gingergolds, and a Gala or two.

After our bag was full, we found the corn maze. It was quite hot, but we were determined. We decided that eating apples would give us some energy... so we ate and walked. And tried to find our way out.

After we successfully departing the maze, we took a hay ride back to the farm. We got some drinks, fed some goats and bought some very yummy Apple Jelly at the farm store. Alex also took part in the Super Slide. All in all, it was a fantastic adventure and some great fall fun!

Alex on the Super Slide!

Fabulous Fall

I woke up very early this morning, not on purpose, I just happen to get up early these days. I was showered and ready to go by 8am. I sat at the computer, drank my coffee, surfed for a bit and plotted my activities for the day. I was in the mood to go to the Christmas Tree Shop. So I looked on their website and discovered they opened at 9 am. Perfect! A quick trip through the drive-through of Dunkin Donuts on my way there and I was standing tall as they opened the doors. I've never been there so early! It was strange. The cashiers were having a "daily meeting". There were a few people that were waiting there with me, we grabbed our carts and headed off to shopping bliss... I was looking for some Fall decorations. I've been inspired to decorate. My next door neighbor is big into decorating, so she's been inspiring me. I have to keep up with the Jones'! I didn't actually get all that much, a few items that I couldn't live without of course. A basket, some fall leaves, a few plastic pumpkins. That was about it. I headed for the registers and was out of there by 9:30. (On a side note, there were shelves already full of Christmas decorations... Huh??)

On my way home, I stopped at Hafner's Nursery. Which is a wonderful gardening center. I picked up several beautiful Mums, a couple of nice carving pumpkins and some other items. I also stopped at JoAnn's and picked up a few more things. They were having a nice 40% off sale. I headed home after JoAnn's with my car full of Fall...

Upon returning home, I cleaned out the garage, emptied the car and mowed the lawn. I was then ready to decorate the outside of my home. It took several hours, but I am pleased with the results. The flower boxes are over-flowing with fall colors, the scarecrow is standing proud, the mums are looking fabulous inter-mixed with the pumpkins...

After decorating, I made a giant batch of apple crisp. I'm officially ready for fall.