HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

It's finally here! R has been anxious for this day for the longest time - well since last Halloween. She has been working on her costume for a few days now. Although R and L don't trick or treat anymore, they can dress up if they want to. L doesn't always want to, but R always does and probably always will. One year she was the Bride of Frankenstein and the people at the haunted house told her how great she looked as she walked by! Now that's a compliment! This year she has been working on The Phantom of the Grand Ol' Opry. I left her at Mom and Daddy's a few hours ago to finish the sewing. Her sewing abilities have far surpassed mine, so when she gets in a fix we have to pack it up and go over there for guidance. She got in a fix and off I packed her to their house. It's not dark yet, so there's still hope that she'll get this costume finished in time. We have one friend we only visit on Halloween. She gets into it almost as much as R does. She gets special treats for the kids and we catch up on the past year. So, if R gets finished in time to go there, it will be fine.

I leave you with a picture of Ginger, aka Miss Priss, in a warm spot. Lucky cat!

Be safe and have a Happy Halloween!

Hallowig!

Blogger decided to cooperate - so I present to you The Hallowig from knitty.com. Cindy Styrofoamhead willingly posed. Everybody has tried it on and this sucker is warm! Well, not everybody has tried it on - L thinks it's creepy, so he won't touch it. If it wasn't for the beard, RL would look even more stunning in it than he already does. Maybe one day I'll get him to pose for the blog. It's definitely something you won't, or is that can't, forget!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today is our 23rd anniversary. Congratulations to us! Last year about this time, I started having some problems due a new prescription I was trying - sometimes the problems were big, sometimes small - but problems just the same. RL has been a real trooper and cared for me when I thought I was losing my mind. Took me to the doctor and sat in on all those boring appointments. He even took time off work on those days I didn't know if I could manage on my own. So, I guess the congratulations is really owed to him. Thank you for sticking in there with me!

We didn't manage a trip to SAFF this year, much to R's dismay. However, a trip to Asheville at this time of year might be a little costly. I imagine the cooler temperatures and the sudden change of leaves would make it a little difficult to find a reasonably priced hotel room for the night. I don't think L was too disappointed. His idea of a fun weekend does not involve looking at sheep, fleeces, spinning wheels or wool in any size or shape. I would much rather spend the money on Christmas for R than taking her over there and not being able to get anything because she has to wait for Christmas or getting it now and not getting anything for her for Christmas. Maybe next year.

Last night we finally took the time to watch 'Transformers' - you know, 'Robutts in disguise'. I wasn't sure if I would like it. I do like Shia LaBeouf, so I knew I could probably manage to sit through the movie. L was half way interested and playing on his DS. RL was sitting next to me on the love seat and R was knitting. Every once in a while L would look up from the old Nintendo and watch. I noticed the clicking of the knitting needles during the quiet parts, and there aren't too many quiet parts either! RL was doing fine. All of the sudden I noticed RLs heart was beating a little faster, the Nintendo was on the couch not being touched and the clicking of needles had stopped all together! Everybody was into the movie - big time. It was pretty good. I was surprised since all I remember of Transformers is my nephews thinking they were the greatest thing. One of their friends even has them tattooed on his legs! And that was waaayyy before this movie was coming out. That's a dedicated Transformer fan!

I was going to leave you with a picture of the Hallowig that R knitted from a Knitty.com pattern, but Blogger isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll just have to show you next time I post. It's a real winner!

Whew! October is one busy month!

Around here, October is quite a busy month. I debated about blogging about each special event we have, but that would just be one blog after another and I don't have that in me! For starters, October is heavy with birthdays in this family. If we start with cousins we have Candi, Terry, Heather, Chanin. If we mention friends and neighbors we have Jessica, Justin and Jordan. If we mention birthdays of loved ones who have passed away, we have Debbie and Aunt Lula. If we mention anniversaries we have Randy's brother and his wife as well as our anniversary. We have two extra special birthdays this month too - my sister and my Mom. Let's add Halloween into the mix and we have one busy month! I debated about doing individual blogs for each of these people, but gee whiz! It would turn into a birthday, anniversary, tribute, holiday blog and I just don't have the time for that!

I also thought about giving my sister and Mom their own blog entries for their big days, but decided against it. Since my sister has her birthday on the 23rd and Mom has hers on the 24th, it just seemed a bit much. So, today is the birthday blog for both of them.

Let's see, what can I say about my sister? Well, right now she is officially three years older than me...but that will only last until June. Got to make the most of it while you can! Of course we had to call and wish her a happy birthday. Since she started singing Happy Birthday in 'Marilyn Monroe to JFK' fashion a few years ago it's become a tradition. I HAD to sing to her like that! It's just one of those things you do that you hope nobody else hears! She mentioned that one of her customers called her on her big day to wish her a happy birthday and sing to her. This customer must really like her because she made a repairman who was working at her house sing too! Now that's one dedicated customer! Since she lives in Florida phone calls and cards had to do, but I hope she had a great day. I think she might be making regular treks to the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine because she hasn't changed one bit since she was 19. It's just not fair.

Mom's birthday was yesterday. You don't have to know how many years she is officially older than me - you're welcome, Mom. We had Mom and Daddy over for some North Carolina BBQ, which is a big deal to NC natives, but is BBQ to me. (They won't throw me out of the state for saying that, will they?) We watched 'Meet the Robinsons', which was a very cute movie. She opened gifts and ate the cake that R and I made - chocolate with rocky road icing. I'm glad her birthday comes only once a year because that cake could be a real problem on a regular basis! The weather was perfect for her big day too. It rained most of the day and was overcast. Mom gets into days like that, so it was a perfect present. It was actually a present for all of us since we have been under some serious drought conditions.

Saturday RL and I will celebrate our 23rd anniversary. That is so hard to believe! Seems like we only met yesterday, but at the same time it seems like we've been in each others lives for, well, a lifetime! Since we got married when I was 20, I've known him more than half my lifetime, so close enough.

Since Halloween is almost here, Herman wanted his picture taken. He's kind of shy, but he knows it's his time of year. I made him a couple of years ago. You can't really tell in this picture, but he has stitches on the top of his head and on his chin. I had painted him and decided he needed something more. So, I took him out back and used the drill to make the holes for his stitches. Let me tell you - when something with eyes like that is looking at you while you drill into his plywood skull - it's almost heartbreaking! However, I think the stitches really added to his character.

Here in my messy kitchen are the tissue paper bats that R made. I think she got the idea from a Martha Stewart magazine. Of course there's all the other Halloween junk as well as my day to day junk!

Now it's time to say good-bye and to enjoy the rain and the temperatures in the 50's. BRRRRRRRR!

Those Darn Socks and a Cat

Here are the socks. What more can I say about them. They look better here than I thought they would when they were finished. I was beginning to think they were never going to be finished. This is the yarn that got thinner and thinner until it would finally just break. The first skein broke right under the area where the ball of the foot falls - not a comfortable place. So, with great hopes that skein #2 would be in much better shape, I knit on. Nope - this time it broke in the second most painful spot - the heel. Then it broke again about an inch or two from the heel. That's when I put them down and strongly reconsidered just how important finishing these socks were in my life at the moment. They sat there, in time out, for about thirty minutes. What would I do with them if I didn't finish them? One was completely finished. After fussing, quite loudly to anyone who would listen, I decided to finish them. My family let me fuss and had no input in my decision. I guess they are learning. Anyway, I finished them and I will keep them to wear with clogs until they just fall apart. This is definitely one pair of hand knit socks Mom will not want. Sorry Mom.

When RL and I went to the grocery store yesterday, R and Ginger had a photo shoot. Ginger found some sun and when she finds sun - you can get away with almost anything.

Here's another picture R took while we were out. The sky was truly Carolina blue.

Rain and Fall

This morning we awoke to the glorious sound of RAIN! I think it was the first time we have actually had rain this month. It's a gloomy, misty day and it is wonderful. Now, when I've dealt with days like this for weeks on end, I'll be singing a different song. However, since it's such a rarity, we are enjoying it thoroughly. This would be a terrific day to read, knit, sew, watch old movies.....the possibilities are endless!

Look who made her grand appearance....the Halloween Spider! She showed up a few days ago. She brought her little glow in the dark babies with her.
This is only one of the trees in our yard brave enough to change into beautiful fall colors. It's right outside our window by the computer and also R's window. She has a beautiful view of it from the second floor! It makes her room look brighter. That metal monstrosity behind it is our neighbors 70 foot, maybe 90 - can't remember, HAM radio tower. Just try not to see it and enjoy the tree!

RL and I discovered this huge yellow leaf while we were walking out to the mailbox. It doesn't really look big until you compare it to the leaves around it.

This is our view up the drive. See how the trees just drape over the driveway? I love that! When we looked at the house for the first time, it was November and the leaves were gorgeous. I knew then that I wanted this house. After living in it a while - well, we'll just say it's a money pit, but what house isn't?

As for knitting news....I just don't want to talk about it. It's just too painful to share. Oh, what the heck, here goes.... a couple of years ago I bought a bag of sock yarn from a mail order company. I love the company, so I won't say who it is. I decided I needed to start knitting from the old stash and save some money. The yarn wasn't knitting itself and I needed some Christmas gifts out of the way. So, I dug up this yarn that I had gotten at a terrific price - and now I'm figuring out why! I've made a pair out of another color from the bag with no problem. However, this color combo - argh! It has thin places that just rip apart with a little tug. It's not showing signs of a bug picnic - I've seen that, so I know what to look for. Some areas of the yarn are much thicker. It just must have been a batch of seconds. I have had to piece the yarn together on one sock right under the ball of the foot. NOT a good place for that! I started knitting the second sock with great hopes that this skein would be in better shape. No such luck. I've had to fix it in two or three places and I've just past the ball of the foot. Nobody will be receiving these socks as a gift. I'll just suck it up and wear them myself. Oh well, I could use a new pair of warm socks to go with my clogs.

Geography Can Wait

I was sitting here looking at L's geography book, trying to get motivated to get a lesson together, when it hit me that I could blog instead! Longitude and Latitude can wait a few more minutes while I 'talk' to you.

Last night was L's weekly session of Dungeons and Dragons, so I decided to bake some peanut butter cookies for him to take along. Yes, I tested one, okay, some of them, and they were edible. I don't know what I did wrong, but it only made about two dozen and they were very crumbly. Maybe I shouldn't talk so much while I'm trying to read a recipe! Anyway, I didn't get any complaints as I watched others choke them down! Can't you smell them? I don't even care for peanut butter cookies, but these were pretty good. They needed something like a big fat chocolate kiss in the middle or maybe some chocolate chips or maybe some chocolate drizzled on top of them. However, nobody else around here is the fan of chocolate chip cookies that I am (just who are these people??????), so I just make what is requested and dream of how they could have been better. (Mom always does the little criss-cross design with the fork on top of hers, so when I asked the kids if that's the way they wanted them, they just looked at me like I was stupid - I get that alot, they are teenagers - and said, "Duh!")

Since the colorful display outside my window is getting more and more colorful, I decided it was time to put out Halloween decorations. It also helps that it's in the 60's for a high! Finally! After having 90 degree days though, we are freezing our butts off. What will we do when it really gets cold? I guess we'll just wear every single knitted item we worked on all summer long - at the same time.

Can you make out that little cat underneath the candy corn flag? It's made out of metal and has marble eyes. I don't know if it's supposed to help keep cats out of your yard or if it's a Halloween decoration, but I like it and keep it under my little flag pole all year long. Has it deterred any cats from coming into our yard? No. Does it even catch their attention? No. Has it ever caught anybody's attention? Yes, the kid next door decided to beat it one day. It was all I could do not to beat him! Anyway, when we first bought it, we brought it into the house. We just put it out with our other goodies we had gotten that day. In walks Miss Ginger - scaredy cat #1! She sees that thing and up goes the bushiest tail you've ever seen. Her back arched up and she was spitting like crazy. After we were able to get past her to retrieve the flat, lifeless, metal cat with marble eyes (you stupid cat!) we never brought it in the house again! Ever! We didn't pick her out because we thought she was a genius - well, that goes without saying now, doesn't it?

The spider web is officially out and waiting for the big spider we put on it for Halloween. We have some little glow in the dark spiders on it now, but wait until the big spider comes out for some trick-or-treaters on Halloween! I mean, treats. Yeah, that's what I meant...