Happy Halloween Fun

Living in the Phoenix area means that we don't usually have a cool, crisp Halloween. If we're lucky, the temperatures dip into the lower 90s/upper 80s. That doesn't stop me from pretending that I'm in the Midwest with a slight nip in the air. With that in mind, I thought I'd share some Halloween poems, tips, and recipes. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

On Halloween the thing you must do

Is pretend that nothing can frighten you.

And if something scares you

and you want to run,

Just let on like it's Halloween fun!

19th-century postcard verse

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Make some Halloween memories... invite friends to visit,

dress up in thrift-store costumes and take pictures,

make popcorn balls together and watch all the old,

classic monster movies

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Polka-dot pumpkins!

Hollow out pumpkins of two or three different colors like

orange, white and green. Punch out round plugs from each

pumpkin with an apple corer and just swap the plugs between pumpkins.

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Start your own Halloween dinner tradition.

In the morning, put on a soup pot or slow cooker of

chili, beef stew or vegetable soup to simmer. It will

be easy for everyone to grab a bowlful while putting

on costumes or in between handing out treats.

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A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. 

~Erma Bombeck

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Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.  ~Judith Olney

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Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen

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You wouldn't believe
On All Hallow Eve
What lots of fun we can make,
With apples to bob,
And nuts on the hob,
And a ring-and-thimble cake.
~Carolyn Wells

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When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween.
~Author Unknown
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It’s Friday…

I have had a fun-filled week while on vacation from Grammy Daycare. I accomplished lots of items that weren't on my list, but hardly any items that are on my list. However, contrary to my normal behavior, I'm not worried about it!

I spent Monday and Tuesday doing things around my house. I took down my Halloween decs and re-set for Thanksgiving. I finished one of the four stockings I need to make. I wrote cards to friends. I took out all of our winter clothes and got them ready to hand in our closet. Monday night we had dinner with some dear friends that we see way too infrequently. Tuesday afternoon we drove to Wickenburg for an appraisal. I haven't been up there since JD was in 8th grade. It was interesting to drive around and see some of the neighborhoods. Very different from Phoenix! Afterward we came back to town and had dinner at Outback.

On Wednesday I took Dan to work and kept the car. I hit the bank for a deposit and then the fun began. At Border's I bought some Christmas gifts. At Toys R Us I bought a Little Tikes picnic table for my house so Sunny can start doing "art". Off to Hobby Lobby for a frame and ornaments. Then to Hallmark for three recordable "The Night Before Christmas" books. I got a coupon for $10 off each book, plus I had a rewards coupon for $8. Woohoo! I love it when I save. Next I hit Home Goods for more gift buying. After all that I met a friend for a 2 1/2 hour lunch at Corner Bakery. It was wonderful!

I came home, checked the mail, let the dogs out, ate my snack and then I was off again... this time to Kohl's. While I did buy three gifts for Dan there, I mainly spent money on myself and enjoyed every moment. I picked Dan up at work and we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Wednesday was the best day of my vacation!

On Thursday I had Sunny unexpectedly while Gabe was working on getting their backyard ready for planting. We enjoyed a fun morning together. After she left, I baked a Halloween cake, made lasagna, and then Katie, Gabe, and Sunny came over for dinner.

Today I plan to work on stockings, finish washing the winter clothes, and try to start shoveling out my craft/guest room (actually it looks like a huge closet right now, it's terrible).

I am ready to focus on Thanksgiving, with Christmas creeping up behind it!

The Christmas Countdown Marches On

This morning when I opened my blog and saw that there are only 59 days ‘til Christmas, I shivered. I felt a moment of panic. I think this is because last year I set an all-time record by having all of my shopping done and gifts wrapped by Halloween. This year I will definitely meet my goal of being ready by Thanksgiving, but I can feel the pressure of last year’s record!

I’m keeping the car today so I can run errands. One of those errands will enable me to finish another person on my list. I actually feel pretty good about my shopping/wrapping. What’s weighing on my mind is decorating. I have the desire to start in on my extra Christmas trees, but I hold off wondering if it’s too early. I want to start early enough that I’m not overwhelmed by trying to do five trees in a week, but not so early that I’m sick of looking at them by December 5th!

I’ve noticed on several blogs that other people have already started on their extra trees. Curiously, this gave me some comfort. Knowing that I’m not the only person that obsesses focuses on this holiday.

Yesterday I put away my Halloween and my decor is set for Thanksgiving. I have purchased my ingredients for all of the side dishes and am just waiting for the turkey sales. All of my paper goods are stacked in the pantry. I’ve looked for Thanksgiving invites in three stores, but haven’t found any this year. If I don’t find some today I’ll design my own.

Only 59 days ‘til Christmas… yippee!

I'm Getting Fired Up

I don't know how many times I have read the book of Acts in the Bible. It has to be in the dozens. I'm reading it again, and for some reason it has me fired up. Fired up for sharing Jesus with others.

You know how it is. You have your daily quiet time. Sometimes it seems like you're reading the same old verses, for the umpteenth time, nothing new. Then one day you read a verse and it's like "wow! this verse is really radical!" Or cool. Or convicting. Or truthful. That's the Holy Spirit getting our attention when God has a lesson for us.

That's how I am this time around with the book of Acts. The stories of the early church are fascinating to me. The boldness of the believers is inspiring. The grasping of the gift of Salvation by the Gentiles brings tears to my eyes. I want to be on fire like they were. I'm supposed to be on fire the way they were.

Acts 1:8 says: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." In other words, I am His witness in the Phoenix area, in Arizona, and in the United States of America. How convicting that is for me. To be a witness for Him is really an easy proposition according to Acts. All I have to do is tell others that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21). Seriously, I can do that!

Another passage that really spoke to me this time around is the description of the fellowship of the believers. In Acts 2:42-47:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Wow... all the believers were together and had everything in common... sounds awesome!

This is going to sound odd, but I just love it when God decides to knock me upside of my head. Thank goodness I've felt His "knock" enough times in my life now that I know to sit up and pay attention!

Monday Miscellany

Two months from today is Christmas Day! Dan is a huge Johnny Cash fan (me, not so much) and he had a song on his Christmas album with the lyrics of “Christmastime is coming. Christmastime is coming. Christmastime is coming, and I know I’m going home.” That song has been running through my head all morning!

Time of a change of decor at my house. I’ve had my fall decor set since Labor Day and I usually take down the Halloween potion on November 1st. This year since we’re trick-or-treating with Sunny, I think I’m going to take it down and get my Thanksgiving decor set. I bought a huge, beautiful pumpkin at Sprouts yesterday, along with two little pumpkins and some mixed nuts in the shell. I’m ready to say good-bye to October and hello to November. I’ll change out the Halloween pieces in the photo below, rearrange with my huge pumpkin, and voila, it will be Harvest time.

I went to a baby shower yesterday and saw so many friends and former co-workers that I haven’t seen in years. It was such fun to catch up with everyone! We played a cute nursery rhyme game and I won! Now I have a beautifully scented candle to enjoy this week.

No Sunny this week, I’m on Grammy Daycare vacation. I have a list a mile long of things I need to accomplish. I think I’m over-reaching just a tad. I need to cross-stitch diligently to have a hope of finishing the four stockings that are expected this year.

Praise God, Dan’s appraisal business is through the roof this month. He has received 25 orders so far. He used to receive 30+ orders regularly before the real estate market crash. I told him how much he has generated in fees so far this month and we figured out that the last time he made that amount in a month was in 2006. Just more confirmation that the last three years have really been awful. God is faithful!

Happy Birthday, Melanie!

Today is my friend Melanie’s birthday. Melanie and I met over ten years ago when she came to work at CCV. After we moved to the “new building” her cubicle was next to mine. That’s when we started to get better acquainted. She quit work after having her second daughter. We talked occasionally, and walked the mall together some. We were just getting to know each other pretty well when she moved to Nebraska.

Our friendship flourished through phone calls, cards, and emails. Melanie is one of my wisest friends. She is also funny, practical, generous, extremely creative, talented, and gives great advice. We can talk about literally any subject… and we do! We discuss our faith, politics, our families, church, gardening, blogging, home appliances, scrapbooking, card making, the economy, our mothers, and more. She has been an encouragement to me during the darkest days of my life. I always feel optimistic after a phone conversation with her. And I feel assured knowing that she’s praying for me.

I’ve only seen her face-to-face twice since she moved to Nebraska, but it doesn’t matter. I always feel like she’s just down the street when we talk. She’s grown very special to me and even though we’re miles apart, I am celebrating her today.

Belated Blog Birthday

It occurred to me that my blog might be approaching the one year mark, so I checked and found out that I actually missed it. The one year date was October 14th.

When I started blogging a year ago I was so nervous.

I was afraid that it was above my tech skills. I was right and wrong about that. I've learned so much more than I thought I would. There is so much more that I want to learn. Maybe I'll learn more next year.

I was nervous that I wouldn't have anything to write about. Some of you probably think that was a fear realized and that I really don't have anything to write about. You'll notice, however, that it hasn't kept me from writing anyway.

I was afraid that the blog would not be a secure and safe place for me to write about my family. Fortunately, that has not been the case so far. I did choose to not use my granddaughter's real name, opting to call her by a weather term that matches her personality. I plan to keep that up as more grandchildren come along. I'm looking forward to Tornado. Windy. Rain. Stormy. Cloud. Thunder. Mist...

I doubted that I would keep up with it. That has not been a problem. I generally have something to say every few days or so (at least I think I have something worth saying).

I had no idea how much I would enjoy this. I love to write. I am opinionated. I can (and will) talk to anyone about anything at anytime and the blog has fulfilled those needs. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed this personal blog so much that I started a political blog and a recipe blog as well. I don't keep up with them as often, but I hope to improve in those areas in the new year.

I think my blog will continue to evolve as I learn more about blogging and as my life, and what I have to say about it continues to change.

The best thing, hands down, about the blog is the people that I've come to know through it. Some are former co-workers. Some are strangers. Some are friends I've known for years. All are "blog friends". Thanks for reading. I enjoy your comments. And I'm now obsessed with reading all of your blogs...