Jessica over at This, That and My Blog is hosting some great giveaways! I'm shooting for the 100 free brochures from UPrinting.com. We really need some new brochures for Skyline that show updated pics of the Party Bus, so if I don't win, I'll probably still order from them anyway! I'm also crossing my fingers for the 100 free postcards. Don't you think they'd make great handouts to advertise our limo Christmas Light Tours? I get extra entries for each giveaway for posting this, so wish me luck!

Post-It Note Tuesday

Time for Post-It Note Tuesday brought to you by SupahMommy!

Trick-or-Treat, smell my ... annoyance ...

So, it's almost Halloween. I usually stay home and pass out candy, because I like to see all of the cute kids in costume. OK, honestly I usually stay home, because we don't get invited to any parties. There, happy? And since I am stuck at home, I make the best of it and go all out with the front porch decorations, spooky music blaring, GOOD candy, etc. So after all of my efforts, is it too much to ask for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T from the trick-or-treaters? Instead of voicing my complaints to my poor husband this year like I do every year, I thought I would vent to you poor, unsuspecting, blogging souls.

Complaint #1:
Really kiddos, MUST you cut through my flower beds? I know my sidewalk takes a hard right angle, but did trampling over my vincas really save you that much time? And parents, don't just watch ... this would be a great time to teach "respect for other people's property!"

Complaint #2:
OK, listen up, here's how the scene should go down:

You: (ring doorbell. Once will do just fine, three is the max if you are super excited.)

Me: (open door)

You: Trick-or-Treat!!!! (enthusiastically)

Me: Wow, what great costumes! You're such a pretty ballerina, and you're such a funny clown and oooo, scary pirate! (hand out candy) Here ya go, have fun!

You: Thank you!! (enthusiastically)

Not so hard, right? So you'll understand that when I answer the door and you just stare at me and hold your bag out, I'll just stare back at you until you respond appropriately. If I must prompt you, it will be, "Yes, can I help you?" Then if you respond with "Umm, Trick-or-Treat??," I'll say, "Oh, I didn't know why you were here!" And if you fail to thank me after receiving your delicious candy, prepare to hear, "What do you say ... ?" I know, I know, Halloween is supposed to be fun, but they're obviously not learning manners at home, so I feel that it is my civic duty to help these poor kids.

Complaint #3:

If you have facial hair of any kind that is not a part of your costume ... no candy for you.

If you drove yourself to my house to trick-or-treat ... no candy for you.

If you have hickeys ... no candy for you.

If you are trick-or-treating with a 3-month-old ... it's pretty obvious who is going to be eating that candy later, so no candy for you.

So there you have it. The rules are very simple if you would like to trick-or-treat at my house. Call me The Candy Nazi if you must, but I think my complaints are justified. What do you think? Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky this year and actually go to a party and avoid these annoyances all together!

Wordless Wednesday

Post-It Note Tuesday

Wow, Tuesday again already? You know what that means ... time for post-its! Go to SupahMommy to make your own! C'mon, u know u want 2!

A Weekend of Birthdays

Kent's 35th birthday was on Friday, which was perfect, because he now has Friday's off from work (he now works Monday-Thursday, usually 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. w/ a 30-min. lunch). We had planned on a sushi dinner with friends, so we headed over to their house around 7 p.m. Little did Kent know that I had arranged for one of our limos to pick us all up! I couldn't think of one single time in the last 18 months since we started our business that Kent actually got to sit IN THE BACK of a limo and just enjoy himself. We've taken limos out a few times for family surprises and get-togethers, but Kent was always the one doing the driving! He was super surprised, and we all enjoyed a bottle of champagne on the way to A-Tan Sushi Bar in N.B.

After dinner it was off to Liberty Bistro for dessert and drinks, where Kent had his all-time favorite dessert, Pot de Crème.

Saturday night was my mom's birthday. The whole fam headed over to McAdoo's in N.B. for some delicious seafood.

The birthday girl!

Yes, there is a story behind this strangely cropped photo. Some members of our party were feeling a bit self-conscious after their large meal, and I was told that I must crop the photo in the appropriate place before posting. :)


It was a great weekend!

Post-It Note Tuesday

Here's my first edition of Post-It Note Tuesday. I got this fun idea from Jessica over at This, That and My Blog, and she got the idea from a friend who originally got if from SupahMommy! It's a great way to vent passive agressively or just remind yourself to do something. It's kinda hard to stop once you get started though!

Kent and I have been slaving over our Party Bus for the last two weeks. This past week was torture. Late, LATE nights of laying tile and adding extras to the bus. We were sore and sleep deprived, but we are very pleased with the final product! And the reservations are coming in, so that makes it that much more satisfying. This past weekend I was finally able to play catch-up with laundry, cleaning and cooking. Everything house related had taken a far backseat. Poor Kent told me yesterday that he had to use a hand towel to dry off after his shower the other day, because we were out of clean bath towels! (we have separate bathrooms, so I didn't realize!) Yeah, that's pretty bad! But things are getting back to normal now, and I've finally had the chance to do some fall/Halloween decorating. I LOVE this time of year. Crisp autumn air puts me in such a good mood. Another thing that makes this time of year my favorite is that it's Wurstfest season! I'm so looking forward to the delicious German food, fun and music that is Wurstfest ... just a couple more weeks!

Whitney's Baby Shower

I co-hosted a baby shower on Saturday with five other lovely ladies. The mom-to-be is my dear friend Whitney. We have known each other since we were babies ourselves, and she was one of my bridesmaids. She is due in about a month. She does not know what she's having (exciting!), so we kept the color scheme neutral.

I could not find a pre-made invitation that suited Whitney's style, so decided to handmake them. She is a fabulous seamstress, baker, artist, etc., and loves antiques, so I thought this fit her well. The assembly process ended up being a much bigger job than I anticipated, so I called in reinforcements, and we knocked out the 35 invites ... thanks Mom and Gail!

My mom made this CUTE diaper cake. What a practical centerpiece!

I made these baby rattle cupcakes. The dots are dark chocolate M&M's with the logo facing down, and the handles are lollipop sticks with a gumdrop stuck on the end.

Playing "Guess How Big Around the Belly Is" with yarn. Whitney's grandmother guessed exactly right!

Whitney and the hostesses.