Festival Friday

Amelia dressed a a cowgirl for school today. She participated in the costume contest, which I, of course, thought she would win by a landslide; but unfortunately, she lost to a kid dressed like a s'more. Oh well, there's always next year.

The kids spent all day celebrating Halloween. They took in the costume contest as well as a talent contest, heard a folk singer/storyteller and got to spend most of the day outside at the annual Fall Festival.

Amelia came home with loads of goodies as well as purple hair and a black cat tattoo. She was so tired that she went to sleep within minutes of getting in the car. After bringing her inside from the car, I removed her costume and dressed her in a nightgown without her making so much as a peep. That's a pooped little girl for sure.

Jeff, Lola and Grandmaw also came to the festival. They had a big time as well, but left early because Lola had experienced enough festivities and was heading into full meltdown mode.

I got to spend the last part of the festival with Amelia. The first half I spent in a very small Pepsi trailer with another room mother doling out hot dogs, pickles, drinks, cotton candy and chips. We were so busy! Both of us practically ran out of the trailer after the parents assigned to work the next shift showed up.

We're readying for a jam-packed day tomorrow. Amelia has decided to eschew her cowgirl costume in favor of her Sleeping Beauty outfit. Her daddy seemed disappointed she wouldn't be donning her western wear again, but I just took it in stride. After all, she's a lady, and like most other females, myself included, she always reserves the right to change her mind.

Three-photo Thursday: Kewpie cuties

In my family Kewpie curls are a popular hairstyle for baby girls. As evidence I am providing the following photos that show three generations of Kewpie curls.

My momma, Carolyn Janice Bonds (Yates), in 1943.

Me, Brandy Yates (Poole), in 1974.

My daughter, Lola Celeste Poole, in 2009.

Inside-out Day

Amelia's school, in recognition of Red Ribbon Week, invited all students to wear their clothes inside-out today to show they support the fight against illicit drugs. I don't know that Amelia grasped the whole concept of fighting the good fight against drugs, but she sure was excited to get to go to school looking silly with her clothes on the wrong way.

She did express some concern, though, when she asked, "But momma, what if I get embarrassed?" I assured her that she had no reason to be embarrassed because a lot of other kids would be dressed just like her.

She accepted my answer, but still seemed unsure about the whole situation. However, all her fears were washed away when we got to school and she saw that I was in fact correct.

As I dropped her off at the back door, she excitedly exclaimed, "Look momma, they look silly too!" I knew then she would be fine with the way she was dressed.

Now, if she can just manage to zip her pants while wearing them inside-out, then this silly day will have been a huge success.

Getting ready for Halloween

Amelia was all fired up to help her daddy put out the Halloween yard decorations last weekend. However, the chilly weather was too much for her so she retreated to the warmth of the house where she pilfered through our assortment of Halloween stuff.

Her hunt through the boxes resulted in her discovering these masks. Her find inspired her to request I take photos of her wearing the masks so she could "see me looking scary."

I obliged her request and put on a little show for her while snapping the photos. She thought it hilarious that I pretended to be frightened by her werewolf mask and cracked up when I acted as though I did not to know who she was while she was wearing her blue harlequin mask.

Amelia is really looking forward to Halloween this year because for her it's going to be a two-day affair. Her school will be having a Fall Festival on Oct. 30 complete with a talent show, costume contest and games in every classroom.

Our local fire department always sponsors a community festival on Halloween so we'll be there again this year after which I plan on taking the girls to an event at a friend's church. Amelia and Lola will likely get enough candy this year to last them until summer.

Lola will be dressing as a cow for Halloween not because she has a great affection for the bovine species but because she'll be wearing the costume Amelia wore for her first trick-or-treat. I spent a wad of cash for that costume so I plan to get as much use as possible out of it.

I suggested to Amelia that since Lola was going to be a cow that she dress as a cowgirl. I was tremendously surprised when she agreed. I snagged a precious cowgirl dress off of eBay as well as a pair of pink boots and a pink bolo tie. I made a new hat band for my childhood cowboy hat using strips of leather and pink beads, an update Amelia loves. I plan to make her a lariat and attach it to her belt.

She's going to look just precious, and I love the fact that the dress and boots can be worn over and over again because they're not costumes but real, well-sewn clothes.

By the way, the purple shirt and orange skirt she's wearing in these photos are two of the best purchases I've ever made. Amelia fell madly and deeply in love with them when I brought them home last year. Not only did she wear them to the Halloween party at her preschool, but she also wore them many times afterward including to the school Valentine party.

She was beyond excited when she put the outfit on Saturday morning and discovered both pieces still fit. The skirt is a little shorter on her than it was last year so she won't be able to wear it much longer. I told Jeff I'll have to pack it and the shirt up to save for Lola or otherwise risk Amelia trying to convince us in a couple of years it still fits even though her hind end is hanging out of it.

Wordless Wednesday: What's the problem here?

Get your purse, Polly

Lola wearing Back Pack, a featured character on "Dora the Explorer."

Lola has developed a serious affection for purses, tote bags, back packs and other items like buckets and baskets that she can use to haul her treasures.

She comes by this love for accessories honestly because I've never met a purse or bag that I didn't love. I think my love for these items is also made stronger by the fact that, as a big girl, I never have to worry about size when it comes to bags because they always fit.

The gene that causes me to experience rapture when I encounter a new bag that I know I cannot live without runs strong on both sides of my family. In fact, the legacy of Polly Canada, my great-great-aunt on my daddy's side, is that she was never far from her purse, or her hat, as the story goes.

When I was little I tended to carry a purse most places I went. Oftentimes I often donned a hat as well. Daddy always got a kick out of the fact I did this and took to saying, "Get your purse, Polly," whenever we were getting ready to go somewhere.

I would always protest and tell daddy, "My name's not Polly!" He would just chuckle at my indignation and remind me that I was so much like the real Polly that he just couldn't help but call me by her name.

I thought of daddy, who's been gone from this life for almost 23 years, the other day when Lola, after filling one of her many bags with a hodgepodge of goods including wooden clothes pins, a Hot Wheels car, blocks, a measuring cup and a couple of Happy Meal toys (you know, all the things a woman needs in her bag), toddled over to me to show me what she'd done and I remarked, "Did you get your bag all filled up, Polly?"

Daddy will never know either of his granddaughters, but I know he'd really get a kick out of knowing that Polly has had an impact on another generation.

Correction

It's important to share that in my last post I incorrectly stated Amelia had drawn our cat Mojo in her portrait of our family. Jeff let me know he'd spoken to Amelia about her artwork and she told him that is Daisy the dog pictured. I regret the error and am proud to set the record straight.

Family drawn by Amelia

Amelia has been bringing home from school some of the most precious work. I, being the mom who wants to save every little thing she draws, colors or writes, have been hanging her art on the wall in my office and then saving it in an accordion file after I take it down.

However, it occurred to me that while I can't bear the idea of throwing even one piece of her work away, all my saving might be for naught since paper, after all, isn't known for holding up too well. In an effort to try to maintain a record of some of my favorite pieces, I've begun scanning them and saving a digital copy to my computer's hard drive.

As I was scanning some pages this morning I ran across what is possibly, up to this point, my most favorite piece. Check it out to see if you agree.

In case you can't read it because the pencil doesn't show up too well, my sweet little girl wrote "my family" at the bottom of the page. She captured her daddy and herself in green crayon while Lola and I are imagined in purple. Our cat, Mojo, is at the far right of the page. Daisy, our dog, and Janie Betta Fish are not represented, but will likely show up in another drawing.

I just love this drawing. It makes me smile every time I look at it. This one just might make it into a frame so it can be assured a permanent place in our home.

All snuggly and warm

Amelia is a happy camper now that she is the proud owner of a Snuggie. She has coveted these "blankets with sleeves" since she first saw a commercial for them last year, which you can read all about here.

I broke down and bought her one because: (a) she has not lost one bit of interest in having a Snuggie, which is always a good gauge for me as to how much she desires something and (b) I found it cheap, and by cheap I mean $8, which is less than half the price I would have paid had I ordered it off the the TV.

I don't always give into my kid's hankerings for the things she sees on television that she's sure her life wouldn't be complete without because if I did I'd have a child with one heck of a sense of entitlement plus my house would be even more overrun with junk than it already is. However, I made an exception today because I truly believe she will use it plus her daddy and I can wrap up in it when she's not all snuggled up under it.

Although based upon the level of excitement she exuded when I gave her the Snuggie, I don't know that Jeff and I will get too many chances to try it out.