Happy Halloween

Having decided years ago that she would never dress up as a princess, Daughter #3 broke her promise to herself this year and wore a Princess Leia costume to school on Friday. Okay, so not exactly your typical princess, but still a princess.

Later that night for the dance:

She apparently enjoyed dressing as a princess so much, that on the next night she dressed as Gwynnvere from Camelot. (Sorry, no picture.)

I, myself, have decided to opt out of Halloween this year. So, as a repellant to trick-or-treaters, I will be practicing my "Tap Dance Class" choreography in front of the open window.

Dixie

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Last week for my birthday, Daughter #3 presented me with a very unusual gift:

The 1974 Eaton's Fall and Winter catalog.

Wow -- did that ever bring back a lot of memories! I've had such fun perusing its pages this past week.

In the fall of 1974 I turned 13 years old. (Okay, I'll make it easy for you. I just turned 49.) I must have still been wearing children's sizes, because all the girls' outfits looked familiar to me, unlike the women's outfits. Even the young girl models seemed like old friends. My favorite girl was this one in the yellow shirt:

Doesn't she look like a fun girl? I use to imagine that she loved having fun in a natural and wholesome way, and that she and I would have been good friends if we knew each other. I always thought that the clothes she wore were the cutest, probably just because I liked her the most.

I never really cared for the girl with the blonde hair. She always seemed a little too "Cindy Brady"ish to me. I imagined she was terribly spoiled.

I don't remember ordering any of those particular outfits, but I do remember owning these exact same shoes. I have to admit, I still think they're kind of cute.

In the fall of 1974 I definitely remember thinking: "How cool are these guys?"

I may have still been wearing children's size clothing, but my tastes in mature men were clearly a little more developed!

Dixie

Really?

Yesterday while browsing the Halloween aisle at Walmart, I had only one thought: "What is this world coming to?"

Every costume for adult women was.....how do I say politely.....naughty. There was a naughty nurse, a naughty policewoman, a naughty Victorian woman, a naughty pirate, a naughty prisoner, several naughty fairy tale characters.... And the list goes on. Every single costume included fishnet stockings, stilettos, and a whole lot of cleavage. Really?

I wondered how the fishnet stockings would help a nurse perform her duties more effectively. Or how the high heels would help a policewoman to pursue a criminal more easily. And have they forgotten that a witch is supposed to have green skin, scraggly hair, and a wart on the end of her crooked nose?

And don't even get me started about Little Red Riding Hood. Something tells me her grandmother would roll over in her grave if she knew how Little Red was dressing these days.

Dixie

Tons O' Fun

So yesterday was Tuesday, and as I've said before, I love Tuesdays! That's the day I run my children's musical theatre class. I have another fun bunch of kids again this year:

• There's the girl who sings every song with so much facial expression I think she's going to burst.

• There's the girl who arrives early each week and follows me around giggling at everything I say.

• There's the boy who asks every week if I have a treat for the class, not really expecting it, but he knows that everyone expects him to ask, so he does.

• There's the girl who uses the bathroom twice each class... just to make sure she's getting her money's worth, I suppose.

• There's the other girl who once spent a total of 30 minutes in the bathroom, all the while assuring us she was fine. (I discovered later that she was just decorating her disposable drinking cup so it wouldn't get mixed up with the others.)

How could you not love these kids? Or this job?

Dixie

Spicing Things Up

I've decided my life is too boring. Too predictable.

Recently I've been talking to four different women who have told me the most fascinating details of their very recent lives. In some cases these stories have left me giggling uncontrollably, in others with my jaw hanging open in disbelief. I found myself almost resenting their riveting lives, wishing I had one of my own to tell about. I'll have to see what I can do to spice up my life.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running late for my Nude Tap Dance class.

Dixie

The (Almost) Finished Product

So for those who care (mostly Daughters #1 and #2), here are a couple of pictures of our new backyard. Take particular note of the beautiful fence. The beautiful fence that The Mr. and I have slaved away on. For the past. three. months.

Okay, to be fair, we also recruited our kids to help out now and then. And, to be even more fair, the biggest change to our back yard is probably the work done by the landscaping crew. But that doesn't mean that I'm any less proud of the work I did on the fence.

It seems like it took FOREVER. With all the rain and the newly-acquired church responsibilities for The Mr., it's been a long, drawn-out process. But we are SO close to being finished that I can almost taste it!

I think the thing I'm looking forward to the most, is the opportunity to spend a date night with The Mr. that doesn't involve power tools.

Dixie