So we had a little excitement on Halloween that I failed to mention yesterday. And by failed to mention, I mean that I was coming down from my massive forty-eight hour sugar high and way too tired to find all the words. If you visit here on a regular basis then you know that finding the words isn’t usually much of an issue.
Whether or not they are words worthy of five minutes of your life is debatable.
Saturday morning started with yet another mighty Rainbows soccer game. As we near the end of the season we are so proud that our team has really come together and embraced all that is good and true about playing soccer, as evidenced by the fact that they are all highly concerned about whose mom is bringing snacks to the game and what the aforementioned snacks will be and when, OH WHEN, can they eat the snacks? How long, O Lord, until snack time? HOW LONG?
We came home after the game with big plans to spend the day doing absolutely nothing but resting up for a big night of trick-or-treating. It was a gorgeous fall day so I spread out a blanket in the backyard and prepared to spend a leisurely afternoon perusing the vast quantity of Christmas catalogs that arrived in the mail that day because heaven forbid we get even one day of rest between holidays before we are bombarded with reminders that time is running out to get ready for the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER.
While I looked at the catalogs, Caroline was busy serving fake tea to Scout and Bruiser and P was attempting to make a homemade windshield for his Polaris out of plexiglass.
On a side note, I do not have a good feeling about the stability of this homemade windshield and if I could ask Santa for just one thing this year it would be to witness the moment that the plexiglass windshield falls apart and the ensuing non-Sunday school words that will come out of P’s mouth as it shatters on a ranch road somewhere in South Texas. That may seem like a twisted wish, but even P knows that there is nothing that brings me more delight than seeing him on a tirade about any sort of mechanical failure. It’s a sickness.
I’d just stumbled upon a page in the Garnet Hill catalog that featured this darling Buckets of Joy Advent Calendar and decided that I would recreate that crafty idea all by myself. I was ready to declare it Christmas Project ’09. However, when I showed it to P so he could admire all its cuteness and my thriftiness in declaring it Christmas Project ’09 instead of just buying it from the catalog, he totally killed my Martha buzz by asking, “Where on earth do you think we have room to hang 25 buckets in our house?”
“They’re not buckets. They’re tiny pails.”
“Ok. Where do we have room to hang 25 tiny pails in our house?”
Christmas Project ’09 was dead on arrival. Probably much like a homemade plexiglass windshield.
Anyway, I’d just found the tiny pails of Christmas joy when the phone rang. It was my sister and I could tell when I heard her voice that something was wrong. She said, “I don’t want you to freak out, but Mimi and Bops were just in a wreck on the way to our house.” My heart stopped for about three minutes until I was able to get Bops on the phone and hear that everything seemed to be okay even though they were taking Mimi to the hospital just to be on the safe side.
Apparently, they were heading down the street and a car didn’t feel the need to yield to oncoming traffic so it swerved around the car in front of it that was yielding and hit the passenger side of my dad’s car. And then, AND THEN, tried to speed away from the scene of the accident.
But what Mr. Hit and Run didn’t realize was that he’d just rammed into the Texas roadway equivalent of Batman. My dad had the presence of mind to block the driver’s getaway attempt and force him to turn into the closest parking lot where he was trapped like a rat. A dirty rat.
Mimi and Bops actually made it to our house in time to do some trick-or-treating later that night and didn’t seem too much worse for the wear. Of course it probably helped that I poured them each a glass of wine in a plastic cup to drink as we walked door to door. It was purely for medicinal purposes.
Because nobody ever said it was easy to be Batman. Or his sidekick.
Even on Halloween.
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Wow, that’s a lot of excitement on Halloween. Glad everyone is ok!
Oh my goodness!!! I am so glad everyone is fine. (((hugs)))
Glad they are okay. Need pics of the “windshield” before it crashes to the ground of South Texas:)
Ohh I hope they continue to be okay. No lingering after effects.
So glad they are okay! That jerk tried to get away? Makes me so glad there are people like your dad who won’t let them. Now those are the kind of people who give me road rage when I come across them
I’m so glad that they are okay! I’m so impressed that he thought to trap them…very savvy!
And I’m also glad that someone else saw those “tiny pails” in the Garnet Hill catalogue…the minute I saw them I also had dreams of grandeur that involved making my own version. But then I realized that my sanity probably isn’t worth a cute and crafty advent calendar. Probably being the key word here…
I am so glad to hear that Mimi & Bops are okay! I think it’s so awesome that your dad wouldn’t let them get away!
Your dad is my hero!! Sounds like a maneuver from The Bourne Identity or something. Are you sure he’s not some kind of secret agent?
The more I read your blog, the more convinced I become that P and my husband are long-lost cousins…the similarities in fondness for weaponry, carrying said weaponry, killing stuff, and creating makeshift things that may or may not fall apart and cause “non-Sunday School words” to escape….
The good news is Mimi is doing fine and we had a good samaritan witness who saw the whole thing and confirmed my account of what happened to the police. The bad news is the police said “we don’t give tickets unless we actually witness the accident”. Huh, what are the odds of that happening? Now we’re left to battle his insurance company. At least everyone’s ok.
Oh how I just love vigilante justice! Wish you had that on film.
Is that sick?
$68??? Seriously??
Glad they are okay.. Bops is quite a man to trap him!! P.S. that clip of Kramer is hilarious!! And.. the pails are adorable. You should make a place to put them.
Good for Bops. That’s quite scary. I was hit in a hit and run in college and the guy got away but he left his bumper, license plate and all in the street. So the police could track him down with it and he got arrested! Hope Mimi and Bops are doing okay.
So glad everyone is okay.
Those buckets are cute, but I am just imagining all of the flying objects that would be thrown at it in my house to get the treats to “accidentally” fall out.
Oh, Bops! Wish I could’ve seen that! Soooo glad he’s okay!
Way to go Bops! Shoot, Melanie, I hope those cups were the grand size and not the tiny bathroom ones for kids!
I’m glad to hear everyone is doing okay!
I would love to know P – he sounds like a cross between my Dad and my husband.
A favorite “memory” from childhood is when from always patient, thrifty Dad experienced a “mechanical” fail with a used dresser and proceeded to kick it across the barn and use LOTS of non-Sunday school words.
The expression on his face was priceless when he realized that I was standing there watching…I still get tickled thinking about it!
Wow! Go Bops! Glad Mimi’s o.k.
And how ’bout that Garnet Hill catalogue? It’s kind of one of those “look but don’t touch” catalogues for me. But I love getting it!
What a Halloween story! One for the good guys huh!
Glad all is OK!
And for the record I was looking at Advent calendars yesterday and never thought of doing something like this! My good friends are adopting a baby and rather than the tradtional blankets and onesies, I wanted to do an Advent calendar (there are many more reasons behind it, too). I love this idea!!
Fortunately for you there are at least 732 more catalogs coming your way between now and THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER so I’m sure you’ll find something. I got a Pottery Barn catalog on Friday. I got a Pottery Barn catalog today. Different catalogs. Does the inventory change every 3 days?
So glad everyone is okay after all the excitement.
So glad Mimi and Bops are safe!
And I say go for the buckets…what says Christmas like 25 tiny pails of holiday cheer?
Awesome that Bops tried to trap the no good varmint! Oh! I am so glad they are OK. That is so scary! Yes, vino for medicinal purposes is a good thing. I wish I could use some now to fix my medical woes but I don’t think it would help a bad, bad cold all while dealing with two kids who also have bad colds & fevers. Maybe ordering advent buckets might soften this stink.
Glad to hear everyone is alright!! It’s one of my pet peeves that people are not educated in the “Yield vs. Merge” road rules.
Drives me crazy!! Yield = sit still until there’s room for you! Merge = make room for me here I come!!
Little road reminders should be part of the nightly news I say!!
Oh goodness! I’m glad they’re okay!
Wow! So glad they are OK! I’m very impressed that Bops had the presence of mind to block the escape! I was rear ended at Sonic once and all I could think was “what just happened??”
So glad that Mimi and Bops are OK! What a jerk for trying to leave! To bad Bops, AKA Batman of TX roadways couldn’t just swoop in and haul him off to some place that would hold him in exile for ever! OK I know just a little over zealous there. But I hate it when people try to get out of stuff like that. And I love the buckets! I say totally over ride P and go for it!
re pails…last week the dollar section @ target had pails, for, yes, $1. neon ones with cartoonish reindeer, etc, and the ones i bought, whitewashed with an embossed snowflake. these are bigger, solo cup size, and i scooped up all they had (39) envisioning filling them for party favors, extra last minute gifts, teacher thank you’s.
didn’t think of advent, since we have a calendar great-grandmother made, and these are bigger than in your catalog. but what a great thing to stretch across a mantel or decorate a sideboard. for that matter, empties could be hung on the tree outside, as a visual countdown. thanks, big mama!
My husband conquered the homemade windshield for his Polaris too. First we started off with tempered glass. During an excursion in the Rocky Mountains we found that tempered glass was not the best choice unless you wanted to be rained upon by shattered glass.
Now we have had several years worth of wear with our new, improved windshield. It wasn’t plexiglass….but similiar. I believe my husband said, “one step up”.
We are nothing if not fancy.
Don’t cross Batman! Or try to outrun him in a “hit-n-run”!
Glad they are safe!
Crazies!
So glad that Mimi and Bops are okay! They are the grandparents I wish my kids had…
Way to go, Bops! Sounds like something my grandfather would have done. Glad they are okay.
Oh my gosh, I am so glad they are okay. Good for Bops! That is awesome. Also, next time I see those tiny pails in the dollar aisle I will have a reason to load up!
I’m so glad Mimi & Bops are ok. Most important thing.
but…
second most important thing… why, in my 5 months of religiously reading your blog, have you never mentioned garnet hill before? I have only made it to the front page of their site and I’m already plotting against you for holding out for so long. I think your punishment shall be to create a list for us of all of the other fabulous catalogs and websites that you’ve been holding back. Yes. That seems proper.
Alfred, get the car.
Seriously, glad they are ok.
Can you please have your dad ask that officer to call the officer that gave me a ticket in 1997 for following too closely and causing an accident? He did not witness me following too closely.
So glad they are ok and that the hit and runner didn’t get away!
Yay, for the good guys!! Glad they are ok.
What is it with wrecks this week? I was in one, a friend of mine was in one where the other driver (at fault, but who cares) died, and now this? Too many, I say… too many. Pass the wine, and please serve it in a small bucket.
I like the buckets!!
So glad everyone is OK. What excitement! And of course, wine is always for medicinal purposes! Hahaha
Yikes but KAPOWIE for Mimi and Pops!
Oh, (sorry if this is shameless sharing of what we did last year for Christmas) I bet you would have fun with Caroline and P. You might know about it already, it’s called The Jesse Tree. It’s a nightly devotional where you read passages of the Old Testament and make little ornaments to go along with each night. I made a separate blog that I plan on re-running this year if you want to check it out.
Isaiah 11:1-2~ Our Jesse Tree
One of your best posts ever…..though I am sorry for Mimi and Bops car wreck. I am glad they are ok.
The plexiglass windshield…..love your perspective. I can’t quit chuckling for how much it reminds me of my own husband.
Saw the buckets, love the idea, but as I do not have a fireplace mantle for lack of a fireplace in this house – which is another story for another day – I would have to hang it in a doorway somewhere… and that has disaster written all over it.
Have a great week!
Go Texas Batman! Glad they are OK and the bad guy got caught.
I’m so glad they were ok! I don’t understand how people will run after hitting someone!! That’s just crazy. I’m glad Bopps got him! (of course it was a him because a her wouldn’t drive away right?)
I think that advent calendar is cute too! When I was looking at it I did wonder where I would have room for it and then what I would be crafty enough to come up with to put in each bucket. So my dream ended there:)
Scary! I am so glad they are okay. God is good!
That bucket thing is cute! We do have space for it in our house and I’m sure my husband woul dbe on board with it if all of the goodies inside were for him.
Glad they are okay! My husband got in an accident on Sunday. (An ATV, not a car.) Smashed is face something awful. Photos on my blog if you can handle the blood.
Batman and Robin are alive and well in Texas!!! Yee Haw!
I’m glad Mimi and Bops are okay.
And could you hang the buckets in a wide doorway?
Holy Hanna, Melanie. (I just couldn’t resist)
So glad they are okay!
Nothing better than wine for medicinal purposes in a plastic cup. Always calms my nerves… (biting fingernails)
I am so glad that they are OK. And that they were able to stop Mr. Hit and Run from getting away!
I clicked on the link for the buckets of joy and cracked up when I read “not intended for food” or something like that. Do they have a lot of people who want to eat little metal buckets?
Those buckets are really cute but they would take lots of room…but if you are hunting those lil pails cheap oriental trading co has 12 of them for like 4.95.
Heres another cute advent calendar you can make
http://www.bhg.com/holidays/?sssdmh=dm17.405665&day=41&esrc=nw100dN1_10_41&email=2262751787
steff
Fantastic story!! Love it-”the Texas roadway equivalent of Batman.” You are the master of words, for sure. I’m so glad that everything turned out fine as far as their safety is concerned.
I too was quite certain I needed that little advent calendar, but I too realized I had nowhere to put it… Thanks to my fiance.
I totally fell in love with the bucket advent idea…so I went on a hunt yesterday and found some in the dollar spot at Target (but I’m not about to spend $25 on buckets PLUS all the lil’ goodies to fill it up, oh and I’m sure some ribbon and paint would want to get involved so I nixed that idea). However I happened upon Target again today (like how I used “happened” as if I didn’t go there with intention…like going to target is finding a money along the side of the road – anyway) I wondered back to the Halloween mess of clearance and found some tiny pails (and I do say tiny as they won’t fit a lot…but that’ll cut back on what I’ll need to fill them with) I was able to find 15 of them and at 25 cents a piece I didn’t think that was so bad (however I will have to paint them…seeing as orange, black, and purple don’t scream “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!”). I may succumb to the big $1 pails for the rest but I haven’t looked everywhere yet (I’m hoping some crafty stores or the dollar store may have something cheaper).
I just wanted to let you know so that a) you knew that smaller pails were an option and b) they could be super cheap! Oh and I’ve seen your craft’n abilities (with your float and boat making) and I think you can TOTALLY handle this
lol – at the plastic cups for Halloween. I should’ve maybe joined y’all. Grin.
I’m glad to know they are okay though.
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