I’m Ready

Got the pumpkins

Got the candy

Got the candles

Got the mums

Got the Jack-O-Lanterns

Got the batteries

Got the gourds

Got the wreath

Got the bales of straw

Got the cool weather

I’m ready…bring it on you little ghosts and goblins, witches and weirdoes, pumpkins and princesses. I’ve got lots of good treats for you all.

Is your sweet tooth yearning for some sweet chocolate?

"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much

sweetness as one can possibly want and hold." 

  ~Judith Olney

Halloween is such a fun time for dressing up and going out and about to collect all those sweet treats!  Sometimes you might even get a little tricked! I remember getting home from my night out and pouring all my sweets and treats onto the bed and sorting them...and trading them...and hiding them...and saving the best, trying to make them last. Here's some good advice from Linus "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker." Picture that!! Did you watch “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” last night?  I did...So cute!
And some more advice from Shaggy in Scooby-Doo: "Don't go near any place with spooky, haunted, forbidden, or creepy in the name."  Bahahahhahaaaaaaaa.......

Yesterday it rained. Thank you Lord. And I had a nice lunch with my parents and niece.
Oh and I got homemade chili in the crock pot for tonight, double, double, toil and trouble …yummy~ yummy could be tummy trouble! hahaha

Be safe my friends and have a little fun this weekend!

Fall Fashion Week...

The start of this brand new week, after a very busy weekend, has been rather gloomy. It is very overcast with a good promise of some much needed rain. The leaves are doing their change for the season…beautiful golden and red outfits they adorn as they make their descent down the fashion runway to the ground to join the acorns and hickory nuts.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree”  Emily Bronte

Our weekend was filled with family and friends…from a huge family reunion with lots of great home cooked food, and later with a birthday celebration for my MIL who turns 87 today.

Happy Birthday Nannie!!

Our motley looking bunch....and this is not all of us either!
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  Another birthday was celebrated with friends as their grandson turned the BIG ONE! Such fun to see a little one tear into the cake with their little hands and wrinkle up their nose until that sweet taste passes over their tongue. They grin from ear to ear and then clap for themselves because they are so proud of what they have done! So funny!

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I think this will be the first time we have ever had treat-or-treaters at our house since we built it years ago. I am so excited. Our young neighbors at the end of our cul-de-sac will be celebrating their daughter’s 2nd Birthday this weekend with a Halloween themed party. They have let us know that they will be having a hay ride with all the kids on board and will be stopping at each house for tricks and treats. It is going to be fun! Lots of kids, lots of candy, lots of fun. I finished getting all the decorations in place and everything looks festive and fun, can’t wait!

I love this time of year when things are changing. The colors of autumn are beautiful and the decorations are fantastic with all their quirky, kooky~spooky, and whimsical humor and brilliant golden colors. Most of what I have up will last on into the Thanksgiving season, a few will be replaced with turkeys and pilgrims!

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Side note~Holly and her MIL made it through their drive to Vegas safe and sound and she will be returning home this evening. 30 hours of driving in two days! They prevailed through heavy fog, bumper to bumper horrible traffic, high winds, and crossing the new Hoover Dam Bridge 900+ feet in the air in the dark Saturday night!

I’m sure they looked like the very modern day Thelma and Louise with a dog in the back seat as they cruised along jamming to the tunes and taking in the western scenery. Thanks to those of you who said a prayer for their safety. The sky will be full of angels this evening when Holly’s flight leaves Las Vegas headed for New Orleans where her hubby will be waiting.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor,

summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

Stanley Horowitz

Hoover Bridge photo from Google

This Time of Year

Sweet and pleasant October...where are you going in such a hurry?
You just arrived on my doorsteps and greeted me with a cool umber feeling of gracefulness.
I have set about putting on a festive face with pumpkins, pinecones, candles of cinnamon and spice, and the colors of autumn. And now the season of gratitude is soon upon us…A time to reflect and be ever so thankful for our many blessings. Although I am truly thankful 24/7…November is our gentle reminder that we should stop and consider where we would be without our Heavenly Father and all that He has given us… It’s a time to gather with our precious families and friends and share our bounty.

Time seems to be fleeting from…day to day…month to month. I look back with wonder and question where August and September have gone. I look back and reflect on what I did, what I accomplished, what I learned.

All is good...
All is well.

And before I know it, that Thanksgiving turkey will be slapping me up side the head with his big drumstick and it will be Christmas. A holiday that I love and it will be special this year because my little family will be here at home…so up with the tree and the many decorations! The meal has to be planned out, lists made, notes posted, hints made, prayers said and a birthday celebration for Him. I even did a little on-line shopping today for some gifts. Shhhhh…secrets are to be kept!

Now I’m looking forward…not back. Each day holds precious time that should be well spent.

So what have I been up to? Well I

...Baked a homemade carrot cake, my Mama’s recipe…YuMmY!

...Helped Jackie put up a white cottage style fence near our turn-around

...Picked the garden, it’s the time of year for greens

...Shopped on-line for Christmas gifts

...Have been working in the yard and flower beds…never ending

...Am trying to read “Where the Heart is” when I find time

...Cleaned the ceiling fans….Ugggggh! Now that they have stopped, I see the dust!



...Am getting ready for a family reunion and 2 Birthday parties this weekend.

...Am praying for Holly and her MIL as they travel from New Orleans to Las Vegas by car. Holly is going to help drive and keep her MIL company before flying back to NOLA…all in 4 days!

...Am doing all that everyday stuff too that has to be done everyday! haha

I hope you are getting into the holiday spirit!



BAM!

I wanted to share this recipe I found from Emeril. A very good way to serve acorn squash that is easy and delicious. Tried and true from me to you!

SUGAR AND SPICE ACORN SQUASH

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

• 2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

On a cutting board, cut the squash in half lengthwise. An adult may have to do this, since the squash is both very hard and round. Be very careful! Scrape the seeds and fibers from the squash with a spoon. **Kick it up a notch! (see note below) Cut each squash half in 2 and place the quarters in a baking dish so that they fit in 1 layer, skin side down. Poke a few holes in the squash with a fork so that the butter seeps down into the squash.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth with a rubber spatula. Divide the butter mixture among the squash quarters, about 1 tablespoon each. Season the squash evenly with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper. Butter mixture will melt inside the scooped-out squash wells. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Watch out for steam! With a pastry brush, brush the melted butter from the squash wells evenly over the inside of each squash. With oven mitts or pot holders, return the baking dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is golden brown around the edges.
Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the dish from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the squash to serving plates and serve immediately.

  "BAM!"

**Kick it up a notch!=Save those seeds!! This specialty is not from Emeril, this is straight from me! You will love these.

Toasted Acorn Squash Seeds

Throw them into a colander and rinse well with water until all the fibers and slimy stuff are removed. Spread them on a kitchen towel and blot excess water. Then spread them onto a piece of parchment paper and continue to dry at room temperature. Once they are dry put them in a small bowl and sprinkle with a little EVOO and give them a good stir. Return to the parchment paper placed on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Toast them at 250*-275* for approximately 1 hour. Watch carefully for over-browning.

Trust me~these are way better than toasted pumpkin seeds! You do not get many out of one little acorn squash so that makes it more of a delicacy!

Enjoy your weekend!

photo of cooked Acorn Squash  from foodnetwork.com

Confessions of a Somewhat-Normal Person

Notice I said somewhat-normal.  I am not perfect. No body knows me better than me…well except the One that counts. But admitting to some of my aspects, you know those that we find hard to come clean about, is a touchy subject. If we choose to divulge them out in the open, we run the risk of people judging us…and no one likes to be judged? I do not want to portray any false ideas or lead you to believe I am someone I am not. I hope you read my blog because you enjoy it here. My fellow blogger Char, shared in all honesty about herself.  I admire her for opening up and doing this. I love it that I can draw inspiration from other bloggers and friends. No hidden secrets, no surprises….This is me…take me or leave me; love me or hate me. My skeletons are coming out of the closet so beware…Bahahaha... There is the good and there is the bad…you know one has to come with the other. Just being honest. Why am I doing this….I don’t have a clue. Is it because they say "confessions are good for the soul"?  Maybe.  Maybe it is just something to blog about. Be wary and cautious as you proceed.

The not so pretty me…

• I hate to dust, and I hate dust. Yes there is dust in my house…somewhere. It makes me sneeze so that’s my excuse for not dusting very often.

• I love to eat. Food is good. I eat stuff that is not good for me, and believe me I am paying for it too…dearly.

• I complain about the heat in the summer and I will complain about the cold in winter. I am only satisfied in the fall and springtime of the year. Alabama has awful weather in the other two seasons. When I want it to snow, it rains. When I want it to rain, it’s dry as a bone and everything dies. Ok I’ll stop complaining now.

• I need to be a better Christian. Lord knows this is true, for He alone knows my heart and where it is. I try, yes I do. But sometimes it’s like trusting a blind person to pilot a plane. Or like jumping off a high cliff and thinking I will land on my feet and walk away. It is one giant leap of faith. Please forgive me Lord for I am not worthy of your blessings and forgiveness.

• I will talk about you behind the wheel of my car. But only if you are the one who cuts me off, takes up two lanes, or will not get into the turn lane until you are ready to turn. The talk is not nice sometimes. And don’t even think about slamming on the breaks in front of me.

• If I get your mail in my mail box I will look at the magazine before returning it. Junk mail will get thrown away and you should thank me.

• I dislike shallow-minded people who think only of themselves. It is not all about you, the clothes you wear, or how much money you have or pretend to have.

• I am not a real blond…not now anyway. I used to be and I liked it that way!

• I’m a cheap tipper. However if you really impress me, and this is not very often, I will be very generous. You have to earn your tip from me and I pay accordingly; no percentage involved.

• I do not like politicians and solicitors! Do NOT use my side door through our garage. I HAVE A FRONT DOOR! And DO NOT CALL my phone. I appreciate that you have a job, but I will not buy meat or seafood from the back of your truck; I appreciate that you believe in your religion, but I have my own beliefs and do not wish to start a debate; and I appreciate your desire to enter an elected office, but I do not wish to speak to you at or in my home.

• My feelings get easily hurt and I lack confidence in some areas. I cry when I get mad. I try to be a bad-ass but it just doesn’t work for me.

• I’m sure I could go on and on…….but I’m through downing myself and boring you. Please do not judge me too harshly.

My up side~

• If I see you drop money…I will run after you so I can give it back!

• I love good clean TV programs like Little House on the Prairie. I could have it on my TV all day. I believe I have seen very episode. Although I do not always sit and watch it…I like hearing it. The characters are like welcome guests in my home. It makes me feel good.

• I love to smile at people, especially old people. I will let them go ahead of me, offer them a hand, and just try to make them feel good. Some times I think it shocks them, especially if we are not of the same color. It’s nice to be nice.

• I’m honest. Years ago I somehow got out of the store without paying for a pair of shoes. Yes I put them on the counter, but or some odd reason the cashier did not ring them up with my other items. I did not notice until I got home. On my next trip to the store I went to the service desk with the shoes and told the girl I needed to pay for these. The look on her face was priceless and I don’t mean in a good way. She made me feel stupid for being honest…Oh and she never said thank-you!

• I will root for the under-dog.

• Your secret is safe with me. Tell me something in confidence and it will not be repeated. Mums the word.

• I am not materialistic.

• I have a soft spot in my heart for little children, the elderly, and animals. They do not deserve to be mistreated or harmed. You hurt them, you hurt my heart. They cry, I cry. I’m a sap.

• I can forgive. Although often hard to do, I know in my heart that it is the righteous thing to do. I let it go; knowing that one day you will have to answer for your misdeed. The bad part of this is that I will still have to deal with the memory and will never understand your reason for it but in my heart I have made peace with it. It doesn’t matter anymore and I do not have to understand it.

• I exercise my privileged right to vote. God help me to make the right choice.

• I’m a fairly neat person…I like things in their place. (Please put them back and if you don’t, oh well, I will)

• I love to give. The joy I receive from giving is the simple look of happiness on the recipients’ face. If it is a case of giving through a program…the joy I get is in knowing that someone is better off because of the small effort I made. One such giving is OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD . What a joy it is to fill a box, ship it across the oceans, and sense in your heart the happiness, joy, and excitement as a child opens it and feels your love.

• If you ask me to pray for you …I will.

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Wow…this was harder than I thought….As I pondered over my good and bad traits, the bad seemed to come to me easier and quicker than the good. That does not look good through my eyes. What does this really say about me? Hummmm…. Oh well, keep me or leave me. It’s just me being honest. I have also learned a few things about myself through all this deep thinking, and that my friend is good. It tells me that I have some things to work on, that I am only human, and God still loves me. Thank you Char for making me open my own eyes and talk about a few of my imperfections, because God only knows this cannot be all of them.

PS. Check out Samaritans Purse and fill a shoe box with love this year.

My Blank Slate

I have nothing…a big blank slate.
My mind is tripping over invisible thoughts.
It has been a week.
Kenny G is whispering out some beautiful calming tunes as I sit here and reflect. Gratitude comes to mind.
The cooler weather is a welcomed change and with it has come the ease of a new season; one of a more relaxed and gentle nature. It is cool and quiet. The mighty One is so good. He has showered many blessings all around.

A bounty of food was spread at church yesterday, everyone enjoying each other’s company at a crowded table full of love. Awesome food, good camaraderie, and desserts to die for…no hurries, no worries...slow and easy.
It was a homecoming…
122 years of praising God. The message was brought from a former member who had grown up in the church. A mere child of God now called to preach His words. Through him we were able to listen and learn how to become mighty men and women for Christ. Through our strength, risk taking, accomplishments, love and passion; we can become that warrior; even though we are sinners.
Strength- I am weak
A risk taker- I am not
Accomplishments- a few, not many, nothing to brag about
Love- some people are just plain hard to love
Passion- some, but not enough.
I admit my faults, I question my heart, I have a lot of work to do...
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But for today I am thankful. Thankful for the small unnoticed things that we often take for granted...like milk in the frig, a slice of bread, electricity, and a warm bed. Soap…yes I am thankful for that good ole stuff that keeps me clean! And…

finger licking goodness
:
the dapple playing across written words
:
laughter of playing children
:
lunch with a precious niece
:
curtains flowing ever so gently
:
afternoon slumbers
:
listening to Holly talk and talk and talk and talk and talk
:
snuggles under old worn quilts
:
a slamming screen door
:
that phone call that delivers an answered prayer of good news
:
when I smile and you smile back
:
hand written recipes of Grannie’s
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oven roasted corn in the shuck
:
sitting on my porch

Well now, how did I do for filling my blank slate? My invisible thoughts turned to real meaningful things around me...simple things really.  ~The ever present beauty of the day. ~Sunshine giving gentle warmth. ~A jovial soul. ~That welcomed phone call from way over that way…all of this and more, brings happy gratitude.

~Thank you dear Lord…

What would you write upon your blank slate?

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

Got to go buy some milk now…I’m out!