As Promised.....

The house looks scar-eeeeeeeeee! I love Halloween. Have I said that yet? If not, let me say it again. I love Halloween!!!!!

This is the hutch in our dining room.

The skeleton man in our foyer.

a far away shot of the skeleton man in our foyer

Our great room

Notice the spider webs climbing up the fireplace. Gotta love it!!!!

This is one of my favorite fall pieces. He holds candy and goodies. Since he is my favorite, he graces the center of my dining room table.

Our buffet is set up with bones and body parts. Yum!!!

I am off today to take Gracie to the dentist. She has to get two teeth extracted :( I'm concerned about her pain. These are upper front teeth. Poor baby. I'm sure that I will bring a camera along to take pictures of her being a big girl. I think that her Grandma and Grandpa are coming along for moral support.

It won't be long before her birthday. I just don't know how eight years have passed. Jee whiz!!!

Well that is probably going to be enough of the Halloween decor postings. If you want to see the rest, you're going to have to come to my house!!!!!!

Talk to you tomorrow.

I fibbed.......

I forgot yesterday when I promised to post lots of Halloween pictures of my house, that I would be cooking all day in the church kitchen. OOOPPSSS!!

This is a teaser for you. My house looks much spookier than two days ago. I still have more to do. I am scaling back some, however. I'm not going to decorate the basement. I just have so much on my plate right now. That is something easy that I can eliminate. I'm chomping at the bit to buy mums. I love their colors. Fall is official when they are on my front porch.

This is again, one of the skulls I glittered. He sits in the kitchen. I plan on draping a fake snake around the top. Maybe a few cobwebs, we'll see.

These cuties hang out at the top of my range hood. You will have to click on them to see their cute expressions. I put a mouse at their feet to set the scene.

This is a favorite decoration of mine. He is so stinkin' cute. When you take his mask off, he's bald as a cue ball. I might take a snapshot of him like that, just to show you. Note the eyeballs and severed fingers in the stand behind him. EEEEEWWW!

Awww. Nothing scary about this fella. He's just lovable and hugable.

OK guys, tomorrow, I promise, more pics.

Off to cook.

BAM, BAMMM (as Emeril would say)

Halloween decorating

Today I will embark on turning my home into a haunted house. I promise to post pictures of ever nook and cranny when I'm done. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be chuck full of spooks and ghouls.

I mentioned a few posts ago that Pam and I did some glittering. Here are the results. We took ordinary (inexpensive) skulls from a hobby store. Sprayed them with glue adhesive. Then sprinkled away.

An easy homemade gift

Last week a friend and fellow "Church Kitchen Gal", had a birthday. We celebrated at the Boji Stone with the rest of our friends. The dessert she is holding was created in the mind of Alicia Early. It's a scoop of every homemade ice cream that the Boji Stone offers. Crushed waffle cone on the bottom. Whipped cream on the top. Sprinkled with crushed Heath bars. Does it get any better than that? Really!!!! No. We ate every last scoop of it. Every last stinking bite!!! I didn't regret a single spoonful. So for Terri's birthday, I made her gift. I thought I might show you how I did it. I won't tell if you craft-lift it. Promise!!!

You will need an ordinary Post-It note pad. I got this one at Dollar General. Most stores carry them. I'm not going to fiddle with dimensions because every pad is going to be different. You need to measure your pad and cut the chip board and paper accordingly.

This is chipboard. You can purchase it in most craft stores. If you ask nicely and smile really big, they may GIVE it to you. I have been known to walk out of Archivers with a stack of it. Just because I asked for it.

Measure your Post-It pad. Mine was 4 x 6". So I needed to cut my chipboard slightly bigger than 6" tall and 8" wide. Get it? I scored twice in the center. I believe that they were 1/4" apart. That will be my binding.

I adhered two pieces of ribbon on both sides. When the project is complete, I will be able to tie it shut with a pretty bow. You don't need to worry about neatness with this. The inside covers will be covered.

Once side covered.......

Now the other.

Then you need to put adhesive on the back of the Post-It notepad and place it on the back cover.

Flip the book over and make a coordinating binding, then adhere it.

Now the fun starts. Glue the paper to the back side of the project. I stamped a "made just for you" on it. Just for a little homemade touch.

I made chipboard butterflies with my big shot and a butterfly die. It is sold exclusively through Stampin' Up.

This is the cover of my finished project.

You could make these for teachers, favors at parties, or friends.

An extra tip is that you don't always have to use plain chip board. Since you are covering this up completely with paper, you could recycle cereal boxes. You may find that it is easier to work with as it isn't quite so thick. Just a FYI!!

Caitlin's Pictures (take 1)

Yesterday I took Senior pictures of Caitlin. She is the daughter to our dear friends David and Nancy. These are the first of at least two more settings. She is wanting some contemporary black and whites and some colorful fall pictures.

You have no idea how much fun this is for me.

The Road Less Traveled

I took off walking the other day......I walked and I walked and I walked. I walked gravel roads, dirt roads and roads that weren't much more than worn paths. I brought my cell phone (in case I got lost.....it has happened before), my car keys (I had to drive myself to where I was going to begin walking), and my ipod. I probably walked a mile with the buds in my ears listening to Shawn McDonald (one of my fav. contemporary Christian artist). But I decided that I was missing much by paying attention to music instead of what was around me. The chirping birds, mooing cows, wind, and the quiet.

After that, I had a wonderful time.

Here are some of the things I saw.

I thought that the road sign was interesting. I was in the middle of no where. No houses, no barns, nothing but birds and a mouse scurrying across the road, yet it was marked.

Vultures were circling me overhead.

Usually in this blog I recall the funny things in my life. This morning, however, was incredibly spiritual. I had a nice visit with the LORD. I lifted everything that has been on my mind lately up to Him. I praised Him for all the blessings that He has given me. I told Him my fears.....

This walk also reminded me of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost

The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood,

and I—I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

In my opinion, this poem is about someone who approaches a fork in the road. He has to make a choice of which way to go. Then he choses the one less traveled. Apply this to your life and consider all the times that you had to make a choice. Did you choose the path that most would or did you march to your own?
I'm always afraid to be different. Afraid that I will be judged or make a mistake. Maybe I need to take more walks like this one?

These pictures are to lighten the mood that I have put you in.

My barefoot lil' country girl

My lazy dog who spends 90% of his time doing....nothing.

Turtle crazy

I have a strange fascination with turtles. I believe that it began in childhood. Since I was raised on a farm. (not a pretend farm like I live on now. A REAL farm..... with chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs (and a pet coon, squirrel, rabbit, skunk, ect. . My dad reads this blog and I know that he is laughing right now. Because I'm NOT lying people!!!!!!

We had a pond next to the house that we would fish in during the summer. We used bamboo poles and hot dogs for bait. Sometimes we wouldn't put any bait on the hook and they still bit. One day, we caught a snapping turtle. We named him, as any country girl would, Big Bad John. He was GIGANTIC! I'm positive that he weighed 60 pounds. He was slimy with spikes on his back and the biggest bug eyes you have ever seen. Dad shot him (this is a good thing). It was a good thing because those beasts would hide in the water, grab our baby ducks feet and yank them underwater. Vile creatures!

Once I found one while walking home from the bus stop. I was feeling brave and I stuck a piece of paper from my backpack near his mouth. He nearly chomped my arm off. It startled me the first time, but I did it again, and again and again. I was a weird child.

Anywhoo, that started my attraction to turtles. As an adult, I prefer the friendlier type. Box turtles, water turtles, and sea turtles. My family has caught on to this and have now started a mini collection for me..........The above picture was my first fake turtle. It is a rock with a turtle sticker on the top. My Aunt Pam made it for me along with a little box house for it to stay in. He stays on my bookshelves and I think happy thoughts when I see him.

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Charlotte have also caught on and bought a turtle for me to enjoy outside.

Pam and Mike bought this one for me in Florida. It is made of shells. He makes me laugh and I wuv him:)

A family of three turtles bought by ma and pa.

When the kids were little, I would watch Franklin with them. I can still hear him saying, "Franklin could count by twos and tie his shoes." Google Franklin the turtle. He is a cute turtle with good manners and lovely parents.

I couldn't write a post about turtles and not mention Crush. The surfer turtle from "Finding Nemo". He say's stuff like this.....

Crush: Now give me some fin (slap) nogin! (bonk) duuuude ohh intro! Jellyman, offspring, offspring, Jellyman.

Squirt: JELLY!!!! Sweet

Crush: Totally!!

Now you all know the truth, I'm a freak. Freak-o, Freak-a-zoid!!!! And I {heart} turtles.

September Mornings

We dance until the night became a brand new day.

Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play

September mornings still can make me feel this way.

Just a little goofiness to start your day.

I had a FAB day. Except that my Aunt P. had to go home :(. She and Nater Tater came up yesterday and we had fun beyond words.

1. We did a little 4 wheeler riding through Rocky Ridge Farm. (we call it Rocky Ridge Farm because all this land will grow is ROCKS!!!!) Rocks and weeds, I tell ya!!! Why didn't anyone tell us this before we bought 40+ acres of it!!

2. We glued and glittered!

3. We had a wonderful dinner with Ma and Pa. (grilled hamburgers and the works)

4. Then finished the night off with a bon-fire and smores.

Doesn't get much better than that!

Nate (who is five years old and cuter than a button) shouted at Gus to "quit licking his balls". That was a shocker!!! Grandpa thought that he misheard him, so he asked Nate to repeat it. Yup, that's what he said! We all had a big belly laugh over it! Then laughed again when we re-told it later.

We also got a laugh out of Gracie who pushed her bike up and down the driveway because she was grounded for two days from riding it. Clever, sis, very clever!!!

Today was exciting because Rick and I got our new mattress. It was delivered this afternoon and I am looking forward to a pleasant trip to dream-land tonight. Ahhhh...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (those are the sounds I will make when I crawl in it tonight) Oh, I forgot.... smooch, smooch!!! Can't forget to kiss the hubby!!

We bought new bedding but haven't found a "just right" duvet cover. Let me rephrase this. We aren't agreeing on a "just right" duvet cover. Wanna see what I want? Click here. I think it would look spectacular with the green walls and the green pillow in the center. If you agree with me, and I know you do, call this number and leave a comment. 660-646-3224. I will pass the message along to the hubby. By the way, if you call and say you don't like it, I will delete the message. hehe

These are the books sitting on my bedside table. I am reading "The Sea of Monsters" next. Rick and I do the "Devotions for Couples" occasionally. Usually they are great conversation starters. "Coraline", hummm, not sure. I thought that the movie looked like it would be WONDERFUL. I rented it and.......not so much. Actually, it was a bit creepy. So, I may be trading that book out for another soon.

Congo is already enjoying the new squishiness of the new bed. Purrrrr-purrrrr.

Ian also got his mattress today. Thank goodness! The boy was driving me crazzzzzy asking every day, "Did they call about my mattress.", "Do you know when it will be here?", " I can't wait till I get my new mattress." You get the idea. The boy is relentless. (he gets that from his father)

I thought I would close with my top 5 reasons I love Fall:

1. I don't have to shave my legs as often. (that isn't sarcasm either)
2. Big sweatshirts cover up excess pounds
3. Halloween!!!! My 2nd favorite day of the year!
4. No more bugs on the windshield
5. Pumpkin pie (the reason I need the sweatshirts)

Once was lost

Have you ever dug your hand in a spring jacket after it had hung in the closet all winter, only to find a $20.00 bill? Or searched and searched for your car keys, then found them? Isn't that a wonderful feeling? I almost want to let out a big sigh just thinking about it. I tend to lose things often, so I am VERY familiar with the feeling.

On with the story. Rick sets out cameras early every fall at our farm. When something passes in front of the lasers, it snaps a picture. He does this so he can scout the potential "big bucks" for deer season. So, he brought home the card that was in his trail camera (that is what it's called), and loaded the pictures onto the computer. He was disappointed (there wasn't a big buck) but I was thrilled!!! Thrilled because, I found lots of lost pictures. Good pictures!!!! If you know me at all, you know that pictures are my joy. To me, found pictures are better than a $20.00 bill in the pocket. The kids all look so young and I looked so much thinner :(

I thought that I would share a few with you. Just for ole' time sakes.

My sweet Macy Boo-boo. Isn't she precious?

Dana, Grandma and Aunt P. I'm sure that they wouldn't like this picture. I love it though.

A couple winters ago, our pond froze up. We had a gazillion and three geese standing on the top of it. They stayed there for two days. I was soooo sad when they left. Aren't they beautiful people?

Well, I'm going to have company today so I need to get busy.

I hope that you enjoy your Monday and it's a new start for a new week. I call new starts, DO OVERS.

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,”- Psalm 95:6-7

Isn't this refreshing?

I found it on biblegateway.com Click on the link if you want to read the rest of the chapter.

Burnt toast

This picture sums up the day.

I made a wonderful dinner the other day. Salmon, whole wheat pasta, corn, and burnt toast.

You see, burnt toast happens sometimes. You get busy and forget. Then you notice a putrid smell coming from the oven. (you suddenly panic) Oh, crap, the bread!!! You frantically grab the pot holder and open the door. (with a scowl on your face) you cough, because of the smoke, and pull out the charred toast. No matter what level of culinary expertise you have, we've all burnt toast!!!

So, I ran the pan out to the deck. It was still smoking and I didn't want it to trip the alarms. Well, guess what. The pan was forgotten. I woke up the next morning and noticed it. Sitting in the same spot I left it the night before. I went out to get it and upon further inspection noticed we were missing five pieces of bread. Hummm....interesting? I guarantee that the kids didn't eat it. My imagination is going wild. I don't do varmits people!!!!!

I have another "burnt" story to tell before it gets locked in the lost memories vault.

It was our first Christmas Eve in this house after we built. Rick's parents came over for dinner and to attend church service with us. It was a nasty day. I can't remember the weather exactly but I believe it was raining. Rick was making his famous steaks on the grill. I'm not a beef lover, but my-oh-my, these are delish! Our basement was unfinished at that time. To avoid the weather, Rick pulled the gas grill INTO THE BASEMENT!!! I was busy putting the finishing touches on the side dishes when our smoke alarms all go off. Our house has an "echo problem" (because of hard wood floors and high ceilings). The alarms were piercing our ears!!!! We didn't know how to fix it and we didn't want to miss church. So we ate our dinner while the alarms went off. We couldn't hear each other. That didn't matter though because you couldn't even hear yourself think. It's probably a good thing that we didn't talk because I wasn't a happy camper. Rick's parents got a chuckle out of it.

Memories are special aren't they. I'm so glad that we have them, because that is a good belly laugh now. Why is it that I can remember stuff like that, but I can't remember something from yesterday? My brain is fried I tell ya.

Flowers to cheer you up

In June Rick signed 20+ acres into C.R.P. (conservation reserve program). Most country folks will know what this means. But the city slickers will be scratching their heads. If you are curious, click here.

This particular program is for quail. We planted two large patches of blackberry bushes (so they have something to munch on). Then planted two very long strips of sunflowers (so they would have something pretty to look at? I'm not sure what the purpose of the sunflowers were. You will have to ask Rick.)

I was doing a little mowing the other day and noticed, from a distance, they were blooming. Upon further inspection, discovered that they were GORGEOUS!!!!!!! My-oh-my!! Be still my heart!

Have you ever seen thousands and thousands of sunflowers in one patch? If you have, then you understand. If not, I'm so sorry. Sunflowers aren't even my favorite flower and it was still breathtaking to me.

I'm planning on rounding up the monkeys and taking their pictures in them. The boys will LOVE this idea, not!!!!