I took my doll to "Guys and Dolls"

Emma and I went to see an afternoon showing of "Guys and Dolls" at the Wichita Theater. It was great. Wichita Theater offered complimentary tickets to teachers for this weekend shows. I jumped at the chance. Emma and I went to "Beauty and the Beast" last year. She watched the show intently and with excitement. I enjoyed watching her as much if not more than I enjoyed the show. She loves music and dancing so this show was right up her alley. She did not get much of the plot line, but it did not matter to her. Thank you to Wichita Theater for thinking of WFISD teachers! We enjoyed the afternoon.

A New Coat and a New Hole

Well, Emma lost her fifth tooth. She was so excited to catch up her buddy, Brady Cotton. He had lost five teeth first. She could not wait to call Brady and tell him about it. She looks so funny with three big holes in her mouth. Such a big grin on such a little girl! She also got to wear her new coat today. It was finally cold enough. She looked adorable in it. She was so proud.

Christmas Shopping almost finished!

Yes, my Christmas shopping is almost completed except for Cleveland. He is the hardest person on my list. He buys the stuff he wants and there is really nothing that he needs, so I am always at a loss when it comes to shopping for him. So this is my list of suggestions for Christmas for kids, especially if you have a little cute six year old named Emma.

Christmas Presents and Stores for Shopping online

1. A pillow from Southern Sassy Pants. I found this woman on the net. I loved her personalized pillows. Someone in my family is getting one this Christmas, but don't tell her. Look at these adorable pillows at http://southernsassypants.ecrater.com/.
2. A lamp from Discovery Store. This is a cute design your own lamp. It is a cylinder which allows you to slide in pictures or artwork. Look at this lamp at http://shopping.discovery.com/product-65876.html?endecaSID=11D7F78EF502.
3. Anything from Hearthsong. I love this company. They have unique and cute stuff, not the cookie cutter stuff from Wally World which everyone in town has three of toys. They have fun stuff. I really like their creative games, dress up stuff and old timey toys. Toys are made of wood not plastic. They also have great sales. Check out the Connectagons. Look at this company online http://www.hearthsong.com/.
4. Anything from Mindware. I love this company for it's games and creative play things. They are good games for all ages and creative art kinds of things, too. Look at the game Quirkle for a fun domino type game. This site is great for parents and teachers. Look at their stuff at http://www.mindwareonline.com/.
5. Siggs Water Bottles. Emma and I both have a water bottle from Siggs. They are made of a single sheet of aluminum. They come in great fun designs. They don't leak. Every other bottle I sent to school with Em would leak and ruin everything is her backpack. They come in several sizes, too. Check out their latest designs at http://www.mysigg.com/.
6. Anything from Magic Cabin. This is a sister company to Hearthsong. They came some of the same stuff, but not all. This company carries lots of fairy dolls and toys and creative toys. They also have unique things like balancing butterflies and stone blocks. Check them out at http://www.magiccabin.com/.
7. All kinds of things from Kids Surplus. This company carries close out items and overstocks from children's stores. I have bought top line coats, Haba jewelry and other toys. They even carry clothes and shoes. Check out this company at http://www.kidsurplus.com/.
8. Photo gifts from Exposures. I love this company, too. I have purchased custom photo coasters with old rodeo photos of my Granddad and my Daddy on horseback, and custom photo makeup bags for the women in my family. Great stuff at this website: http://www.exposuresonline.com.

Biggest tip of all: Before you purchase from any store online, search for coupons for that store. Just goggle coupons and the store name. Occasionally, you will have find coupons.
Posted by The UnShopper

Treat or Endoplasmic Reticulum . . .

Emma and I went to Petrolia tonight to Trick or Treat. Yes, it is November the 2nd. But family will treat you even if you're late. We went to see Nanny first. She gave Emma the usual, candy with some muffins and clementine oranges. Emma loved it all. We then went to Grandma Mayo's house with Nanny in tow. Grandma doesn't eat much anymore, but she always has candy. Grandma knew who we were and today was a good day. She misses Granddad so much now that she often goes back in time to the thirties, forties, and fifties. Today she was with us. I seem to catch her on her good days. I dread the day that I don't. I don't look forward to her not knowing me or Emma. Emma is starting to be afraid of her. I think it is due to her slurred speech or even garbled words. I miss our conversations. The last time we really spoke she told me about her first date with Granddad. They went to the Lake Wichita Resort. They danced and rode the paddle boats. She seemed so happy to remember those days.
Back to tonight. After Grandma's house, we went to Aunt Jill's. Aunt Jill also had treats for the latecomers, but the girls were working on homework. Alaina was creating an animal cell for science class. The whole family became interested. It was fun to spend time with Alaina, Abby, Jill, Emma and Mom. We had a good time. Check out the slide show below! You might learn a thing or two.

Halloween Fun

The Cottons and the Fowlers hosted their Halloween party last night. A good time was had by all. I was not sure the Wallerichs were going to make it. Emma has not felt well for days. She has a sore throat and just drainage. Yuck! She made it to school on Friday and even made a 100 on her spelling test. Her first one!!! She even not so good that day, she received a magical gem at PE. A magical gem for those of you out of the loop is a glass bead, fish or trinket. The kids love them, especially Emma. Back to the party, Emma was crying, laying on the couch and generally not in a good mood. Cleveland was at work! No surprise there. Well, we finally got dressed after the hair curling and the drying of tears. We went to the party without Daddy. He arrived later. We ate hot dogs, chips, brownies, cookies. There was even a dish of brains, but we refrained. After eating, the whole troop set out to Trick or Treat in the Tanglewood neighborhood. We walked and walked until Darrell took pity on us. Darrell, Doug and Cleveland went back to the house and got the truck complete with a trailer loaded with hay for a hay ride. We finished Trick or Treating on the hayride. Back at the house, we toasted marshmallows and smashed a pinata.
Daddy gave out first and headed home about 9:00. He had been up since 4:30. Emma and I gave out about 9:30. A Happy Halloween was had by all. Thanks to the Cottons and the Fowlers.