MB's Rules for Trick-or-Treating

I always look forward to having trick-or-treaters. I love to see the costumes of the little kids and it makes me happy that we live in a neighborhood where it's easy to walk from house to house. That being said, however, each Halloween I wind up getting frustrated by the trick-or-treaters who do not meet my standards for a handful of candy. I mean, I give it to them anyway, but then I close the door and rant to Matthew about how I just can't believe folks these days. I'm psyching myself up to be a little stricter this year, and in preparation here are my rules for trick-or-treating.

1. You must be wearing a costume.

2. Wearing regular clothes and then telling me that you're dressed as a "student" doesn't cut it. (This happened in Florida when a van pulled up and unloaded a dozen or so "students" at around 9 p.m. at night.)

3. You must be too young to legally drink alcohol. You'd be surprised at the number of adults we had ring our doorbell last year. Yes, parents should obviously be out supervising their little ones, but once I've put candy in the kids' bags, the parent doesn't need to say, "Hey, what about me?" and stick their bag under my nose. And this year, I'm really (gonna try) not giving in on this one!!

4. Trick-or-treating should end by 9 p.m. Yes, I stay up later than that, but I've decided that's the time when the kids should be back home and getting ready for bed, and therefore, that's when I'm turning off my porch light (or earlier, if the candy runs out).

5. If my porch light is off, don't ring my bell, don't knock, and DO NOT lift up the mail slot to look inside my living room! I cannot be held responsible for what Matthew will do to you if this happens. (exception: if you are a close friend and we've told you we want to see your kids dressed up, then ringing the bell is okay once the light is off, but you may want to let us know it's you before Matthew gets all grumpy!)

6. Good manners might just earn you an extra piece of candy.

I think we had about 60 or so trick-or-treaters last year before the candy ran out. I've stocked up with more sweets this year. Hopefully, I'm well prepared! Happy Halloween!

Oh, and GOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS! I've already got my Redcoat Band CD playing and I'm ready for the game. Hoping today's the day the dawgs' fortunes change in Jacksonville!

Spooky Soup Supper 2010

Last night we hosted our second annual Spooky Soup Supper in conjunction with the Pumpkin Shine held at the neighborhood park. We invited all the ortho gang again. Here's a look at the invites:

No handmade invitations this year. Tinyprints had some affordable options.

We had our usual assortment of pumpkins and mums on the front steps, plus our Bulldog Jack-O-Lantern. I forgot to take a picture, but here's what it looks like (thanks, Mom!)

Inside the house, I decided to decorate the white plates in the dining room with a few black spiders.

For party favors, I decorated orange and green paper bags with different faces and spooky shapes. Then I filled them with candy.

We had a few appetizers, including a spider cheese ball, which actually tasted pretty good. It was super simple to make and our guests seemed to like its spidey shape.

Matthew made a creepy carrot hand for the veggie dip.

For dessert, we made witches' hats and brooms.

We made bloodshot eyeball cupcakes too.

We had a decent turnout. Twenty-one counting Matthew and me and the kiddos that came.

I didn't do a good job of documenting the Pumpkin Shine, but here are two shots I did get.

I love the slinky dog down front on the Toy Story theme below. I didn't see him until after I took the photo. I should have taken another one. Oops. 

So our Spooky Soup Supper 2010 is officially in the books. 

At the Fair

This past weekend, Matthew and I took a road trip to Dallas for the Texas State Fair. Rides, fried foods, trick dogs, 1,200-pound pigs—what more could a girl ask for?

We met the fair's biggest fan, Big Tex. He's 52 feet tall and wears a 75-gallon cowboy hat.

I was excited to check out some of the livestock. No, really I was. We watched a little bit of the  Hereford cattle show.

On my must-see list was Boris III, the fair's largest boar, weighing in at a little over 1,200 pounds. 

Here's Matthew atop some kind of tractor thing. Maybe a combine? 

I think the children's petting zoo area was one of our favorite parts. So what if we don't have children? 

We go to pet a baby zebra...

...and a baby kangaroo!

We also rode the Texas Star, the tallest Ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere.

The fairgrounds surround the Cotton Bowl Stadium. Luckily, we went on Sunday when there wasn't a game. 

I'm challenging Matthew to up his pumpkin-carving skills for this year. Farmer Mike here sets the bar really high.

We stopped by the auto show to pick out a new ride. Here's just one of Matthew's choices.

For lunch, Matthew had a boring old hamburger, while I tried the Texas Fried Fritos Pie, winner of the Big Tex Choice Award for best taste. And they were quite tasty!

"Jump! The Ultimate Stunt Dog Show" was pretty entertaining. "The Amazing Dobermans," however, were only slightly amusing. 

Dublin Dr Peppers hit the spot!

We only rode four rides because, well, we couldn't afford to ride more than that. How does a family of four afford the fair?!? It's quite spendy. But we did make sure to ride the Texas Skyway.

Our final treat for the day was an order of fried Oreos. I didn't really expect them to taste good; I just thought it'd be a fun thing to try. Surprisingly, they were delicious!

So that's our day at the Texas State Fair. It was really a lot of fun. The only thing missing? Monkeys ridin' dogs!!

Perspective

Old Georgia barn on Hwy. 15 (from here.)

In conversations with the locals over the past week, I've come to realize that LSU fans think they've got a lot in common with those of us who bleed red and black.

Bad team, bad coach. Our programs are going in the wrong direction. We need the season to mercifully end and, in the off season, we need to make some major changes. 

It's like they want to commiserate with me. 

But here's the thing: LSU is undefeated, with a 5-0 record on the season. UGA is still searching for a win in the SEC and stands at 1-4. 

Tigers, you'll have to pardon me if I don't feel your pain. 

Things are gloomy in dear old Athens town. And some 700 miles away, things aren't any brighter for anyone with a Georgia flag flying out front. I'm disappointed. I'm frustrated. I'm downright baffled by too many red zone visits that end with three points on the board, not seven. I can't explain a 3-4 defense, but I know what tackles look like and I'd sure like to see more of 'em.

But I'm not embarrassed to be a Bulldog. My loyalty doesn't deepen during winning seasons, and it doesn't fade when the getting is not so good. I'm no bandwagon fan; my Georgia roots run deep. I have an old Georgia yearbook with photos of my great-uncles as students. I have my grandmother's freshman beanie. My parents officially met at Georgia. They're alumns, like me, my brother, my husband, my aunts and uncles and cousins. Matthew proposed on campus at Herty Field.

Heck, I actually know the words to the University's alma mater!

For me, being a Bulldog isn't just about tailgating and touchdowns. It's rich tradition and family history and fond memories. It's respecting the Arch by not walking through as a freshman. It's North Campus in the spring. It's "Battle Hymn" and "Glory, Glory." I could go on.

Don't get me wrong, I want to win football games. And I want the right people in the right positions to make that happen—frequently and in a dominating fashion. Is that Richt? I don't know, and I'm glad I'm not the one who makes those decisions.

As for the Tigers, when you can't enjoy a 5-0 start, well, I think you need a little perspective. Things could definitely be worse. Yes, the most difficult stretch of their schedule is still to come, with Florida, Auburn and Alabama coming up in the next four weeks. But after seeing last week's game, I've got this theory that involves Les Miles and a deal with a New Orleans voodoo queen, and I'm betting the coach will find a way to pull a few more mind-boggling wins out of his ubiquitous white hat.

As for me, I'll still be rooting for my Dawgs each and every Saturday because, as the Redcoats say at the end of every game: Once a Dawg, always a Dawg. How sweet it is!