Meanies.....

Today was the 2nd annual Book Character Parade at Black Elementary. Basically, it is
a chance for the kids and staff to dress up, but instead of "Halloween costumes"....they must choose a character from a book. So, my kindergarten partner, Debbie, and I dressed as the "Meanies." Meanies are troll like animals that sleep in garbage cans, wash in mud puddles, drink their bath water and eat old bubblegum off the bottom of chairs. And they are very mean to others. The book ends with "Who wants to be a meanie?" "NOT ME!" Debbie wore the trash filled garbage can and I carried a chair with old bubblegum under the seat. We were a hit with the kids....and that's all that matters.

There were lots of Harry Potters, Cinderellas and Juney B. Jones in the halls today. Today, kids got to be kids.

If.....

Here's a list of questions that Jordan answered on her blog. So I thought I would do the same. However, I am so non-techno, I tried to copy and paste and then thought I could import the file over here. Well, it succeeded somewhat. But the print is so tiny that you must click on the image to enlarge it. If you are still reading this....click on it now and read on.

The Side of Him That His Friends See

New Valances.....

I am on a Mackenzie-Childs kick lately....so when I found this cute black & white houndstooth chenille fabric online, I ordered a couple of yards knowing I could come up with something to do with it. While in McKinney, I found the perfect fabric and trim to go with it to make new valances for my dining room curtains. Now they have alot more personality. Well, assuming curtains have personality.

The first picture is what my dining room curtains looked like.....before. I sewed them myself about a year ago. The fabric came from Hancock Fabric and although it wasn't my dream fabric, the price per yard was very low. Very low....and I needed several yards. Very low x several yards = affordable. Although I liked the way they turned out, they are very dark and didn't have alot of pizazz.

Click on the picture to enlarge and see the detail. So how do you like them now?

Old Town McKinney

These are pictures of Old Town McKinney and some of the fall decorations. If you are looking for a great weekend trip.....this is it. Antiques, boutiques and restaurants....and bed & breakfasts, too. Cuter than the pictures can capture.

The first weekend in October I went on a girl's trip with my great friend Karen. She and I had been talking about getting together and going somewhere for the last 8 years. After much emailing back and forth with dates that worked for her and dates that worked for me, we finally found a weekend and marked it in ink on the calendar. I picked Old Town McKinney for our location for 2 reasons. The first reason is that I got a quick peek at it this summer and just knew I had to go back and spend time there. The second reason is that my cousin Barbara lives in McKinney and we would have a cozy place to stay.

We had the best time........eating, talking, shopping and shopping. Barbara and her husband, Jim, are the best hosts. Jim was the minister of the Methodist church in McKinney for several years so they know everywhere to go and everything to do around the square. Barbara took Karen and I to some shops off the main square that Karen and I would probably have never seen. We ate at an Italian restaurant on Saturday evening......along with about 75 highschool homecoming dates....and only got seated right away because the owner knew Barbara and Jim. It really is about WHO you know.

My favorite place was a furniture store that also carried lots of decorative fabrics and trims. I could have spent hours in there. Not only did it have the greatest selection but everything was 40% off. I was in fabric shopping heaven. I couldn't think clear enough to really stock up on fabric for future projects. I guess I will have to go back. I did find some fabric to redo my dining room valances and will show those off in my next post.

We had breakfast on Sunday morning then left to head back to Houston. Two exits down the road is The Allen Premium Outlet Mall.........and 5 hours later we left to really head back to Houston. Whew! I think we ran out of steam about the same time we ran out of money.

Karen......thanks for your valuable time, your wonderful friendship, your generosity (all my little happies that you showered me with!) and the nonstop conversation that made the drive up there and back seem so quick.