Happy Halloween!

Dress warm.  

Be safe.  

Have fun.  

And go Royals!

Break a Leg

Ha!  I don't think I've ever drank that much wine (other alcoholic options - yes)!

My parents 50th Anniversary cruise was one we won't talk about! 

One Word Please

If you only had one word, which word would it be to describe this picture?

My word:  Bliss

NOPE!

The older I get, the more of these days I have!

You just have to fight through and keep on swinging.

Juice Cures

I'm going to have to hang this list on my refrigerator.

Here's to good health.  Now, down the hatch!

Life

On the path of life, hang on to those who are dear to you.  When downs dip low, they are their to hold you tight even if you can't hold them back..  When ups lift you high, they are there to celebrate with you.  Life is a journey of expectations and surprises.  Never go it alone.

My Face

After the very late night ballgame last night in which the Royals won the pennant for the American League Division (WOO HOO - World Series, here we come!!), this picture made me laugh out loud.  And then I wondered if I have ever made this face when I 'm trying to be healthy and some random person temps me with some delightfully naughty distraction.  I am quite positive that on more than one occasion, this was my exact expression! 

Go Royals!

Let's go Royals!  The World Series in one game away.

Win BIG tonight at home!  

Let's Go!!!

When I'm Old

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
I'll write on the walls with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry I'll run if I'm able!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
I'll sit close to the TV, through channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!

When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.
And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"

-by Joanne Bailey Baxter

I love this!  Bring it on, Mom!

We Are

When we can accept it, we can begin to heal, conquer, and move on.

In Two Places at Once

Beam me up Scotty!  

Calgon, take me away!

Okay, okay.  Enough of that...

Go read a book!

You Put the Lime in the Coconut...

Just a little Monday humor!  

Have a awesome day.

Life Alert Warning!

I can see this happening.  It looks as though, when the time comes, I will need to find an alternative solution.  I don't need the folks at Life Alert banning me and my family from the program!

Regal and Majestic

The Eagle is such a regal and majestic creature.  If you really study this picture it nearly takes your breath away.  It makes a powerful statement and I would love to frame it and hang it one my living room wall.  

17 Fun Ways to Say Good-Bye

I love these!  

Now, let's see if I can remember them so that I can use them!

Bye, Bye Butterfly!

Dog House Rules

This is how it works at my house!  

(My father-in-law wants to be reincarnated as one of my dogs.)

Foiled by Autumn

Don't you hate when that happens?  One day you have a tree full of beautiful fall colored leaves and the next, they are all on the ground waiting to be raked up.  It's so unattractive having a yard full of brown trunks with naked spindly branches. 

This reminds me of the time my youngest son lost his brown hamster in a huge pile of leaves in the front yard.  My first question was "Why would you bring it out here?"  Which was met with huge teary eyes and an "I don't know."  With that, we began digging through the pile.  Eventually we did find the little guy...alive.  I believe that not only was that his little furry friend's last great outdoor adventure but was the last furry little caged pet he had.  Dogs are much easier to find when hiding in a pile of leaves!

Happiness

And just plain relaxing after enjoying the weekend of visiting family!  We had a great time with my aunt and cousins but wow, was I wiped out after three days of running around, eating and drinking!  Hope you all had a safe flight back last night.  I crashed and burned!

Road Rage

Do you ever feel like this?!  I certainly do.  I used to joke that folks just didn't get the blinker option of their car.  However, it happens so frequently now that I the above picture expresses my feelings exactly!  Ha I probably look that way when I'm yelling too! 

Tutu's Rule

Tutu's can be worn at any age and they come with attitude!

You can accomplish anything you want so dance away.

Growing By Leaps and Bounds

Our family is growing by leaps and bounds this year.  I am delighted to introduce Adeline Mae, the newest addition to our family.  She made her debut at 6:38 on Wednesday and weighs 8 pounds 8 ounces.  My granddaughters were born one week apart.  This proud grandma's heart has tripled in size!

Jon Stewart: Why Books Are Awesome

I love this!  I still prefer a book with pages over the digital variety. There is something soothing about holding the weight of it in my hands.  The feel of a smooth cover and the smell of the print on the pages are a pleasure to the senses.  I don't have to worry about keeping it charged or finding other distractions loaded on the device that could/would distract me.  They fit nicely on my shelves and I can take them anywhere.  It's the only iPad I need!  

How Does Your Family Handle Crazy?

Yes indeed, we do!

Come on over and join us!

Left Over Garage Sale Humor

My parents have moved into their new home so it became the perfect opportunity for a garage/moving sale.  Four of us participated, joining forces on the endeavor over the past weekend.  We started the sale at 8:00 am Saturday.  By 9:30 am, more than half of our inventory was gone...to one person.  Yes, you read that correctly.  One woman bought half of the items we had for sale.  She had two huge piles going, one in the garage, the other in the driveway that we had to keep running people away from!  It was the craziest thing I have ever seen happen at a garage sale.  (I learned later that morning that the next door neighbor kept sticking items in her pile that he just wanted to get rid of and didn't charge her a penny for hauling them off!)

Speed forward an hour when a customer that had bought some items earlier and was given change back returned to our humble little sale reporting that we had given her a counterfeit $10 bill.  As we had started the sale with only $5's and $1's in stock, we knew that someone had given us the $10 bill for their purchase.  The newspaper has been reporting on a counterfeit ring in town and urged everyone to call the police if they encountered fake $10 bills.  So yes, we called the Sheriff's office to report the crime.  We did remember the person(s) we believed to have been responsible.  The scariest part to that scenario was that one of the two women asked to use the restroom and was granted access to the house.  Luckily, the house was empty so their was nothing to steal inside.  I can't begin to imagine what might have gone missing otherwise. 

Warning Warning Will Robinson!  The moral to this little story is not to let anyone you don't know use your bathroom.  You just can't trust people to do the right thing. 

On another note, do you know how to slow down/shut off customer sales at a garage sale?  Yup - you have a Sheriff's car parked right in front of your house!  It pretty much closed down any further sales for the day.  We ended up closing early only to open again Sunday morning.  After three hours of sitting around a square card table sharing stories and having only one customer, we closed up shop for good.  We had a good time, laughed a lot, made some new memories and opened up room in our homes for more junk collection!  It will probably be another decade before we assemble another sale which will probably be too soon for me!

Happiness Is...

The thing I like most about series books is that you get to know the characters intimately.  With one book a character can be deeply developed but with a series, you get to hang out with them like they're an old and comfortable friend.  You can't go wrong with that formula. 

The Power of a Hug

The average length of a hug between two people is 3 seconds. But researchers have discovered something fantastic. When a hug lasts 20 seconds, there is a therapeutic effect on the body and mind. The reason is that a sincere hug produces a hormone called "oxytocin", also known as the love hormone. This substance has many benefits in our physical and mental health, helps us, among other things, to relax, to feel safe and calm our fears and anxiety. This wonderful calming is offered free of charge every time we have a person in our arms, who cradled a child, we cherish a dog or cat, we're dancing with our partner, the closer we get to someone or just hold the shoulders of a friend.

-By Eryka Stantion, Empowered Living

Oh Happy Day!

Meet my new granddaughter Eliza Charlie.  She was born just after noon yesterday and was a whopping 9.8 pounds.  Poor momma!  She is such a sweet little miracle and will be out of all her newborn apparel next week!  Congratulations to my son and daughter-in-law!  She is a beautiful addition to our growing family.