Have a Boo-tiful day

I think Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, it's just 'FUN' You get to be a kid and play dress up again and for one day of the year you can walk around as a pirate, a kitty, a ghoul, whatever your little heart desires and nobody thinks you're whacko and need to be carted off in a straight jacket. You get to make fun treats, hand out fun treats and just have a darn good time.
Growing up in a country where Halloween wasn't celebrated I think that maybe I'm making up for lost time.

Have a spooktacular day and be safe.

All about pretty

When I was pregnant with Victoria and found out the baby was going to be a girl I was a little concerned, I always imagined having a boy and never thought I'd know what to do with a girl, well then she was born and I dressed her up a little but she soon grew to be a tomboy and that was ok though I wished she were a little more girly at times. Then Ben came along, nothing girly in that area. Finally I was blessed with the girly girl and oh boy, can they get more prissy ? Tonight she told me "Mom, I've decided not to go to the Fall dance" Yes she is only 6 and yes her school is having a Fall dance, providing they earn enough tickets, well she's been saving tickets specifically for this dance, even forgo ed an ice cream social yesterday, so to hear her say she no longer wants to go was a little puzzling, when I asked her why she'd changed her mind she told me "We have to wear the silliest socks we have and I don't have silly socks." So I told her, no problem we'd go buy a pair. She shrugged her shoulders and said "Nope, I don't want to wear silly socks, I want to dress pretty, it's a dance." and that was that, if she can't dress up she doesn't want to go and somehow that doesn't surprise me. About 1hr after that conversation we had this conversation.

REAGAN: I can spell pretty

ME: You can ? How ?

REAGAN: P.R.E.T.T.Y

ME: Good job

REAGAN : Or R.E.A.G.A.N

OMG, humble is obviously not her middle name

Make Some Art Monday

Chrissie Grace was having a 'Make Some Art Monday' blog party and I decided to join in and have some fun. I do so much 'business' sewing that it was fun to sit back and do something fun that was both a little different than what I would normally do and it MIGHT just stay in my home, though it may also become a Christmas gift, haven't decided yet.
Anyway this week the challenge was to makes something using your favorite quote, well what I made didn't so much have a quote on it, but just a word, but a powerful word "Believe" and it must really mean something to me because as I look around my home I find little things from small plaques to glittery hangings all stating the same thing, so it only seemed appropriate that my piece state that one worded phrase.
I've been wanting to do some RedWork for a long time but just never got around to it, then last week while out at the fabric store I found a MCCalls Pattern for 3 pieces of Redwork,I was a Happy Camper.
Now my piece is far from finished, I still have the French Knots to do, (Bean I'm almost tempted to fly you out here to do them for me), and then I have to add a red border and quilt it, the finished piece will be a small quilted wall hanging, I'll post when it's finished, but for now, here's what I have. And now I've got to wrack my brain for the next challenge, I've a feeling I might have Reagan help me with this one, at only 6 y/o she has a wicked eye for mixed media and makes collages all the time.
Chrissie, thanks for hosting these "Parties" They're a lot of fun and the last one gave me something to do while sitting in the car line at school.

And then he turned 12

Seems like just yesterday that I was in the Dr's office and had found out that the baby I was pregnant with was a boy, now 12 years later that little blob on the screen is one of the nicest boys I've ever had the privilege to meet and I'm not just saying that because he's my son.
Ben is one of those kids that everyone describes as "A good kid" When people ask me how Ben is doing I respond with "Great, Ben is Ben." There's really nothing more to be said and for those who know him they know exactly what I mean.
He's not a mommas boy by any stretch of the imagination but I love that when we go somewhere if he is the first to the door he holds it open for me, if he walks to my side of the car before me he opens the car door for me, for him it's just instinctual and it makes me happy and proud.
I love how he loves his sisters and looks out for them, even Victoria who is 6 years older than him. A couple of months ago Ben got into his first real fight, it wasn't because he and a kid his age were in disagreement about something it was because a guy cussed out Victoria, not once but twice, the first time Ben said"Come on man, that's not cool." to which in true Victoria fashion she retorted something else to the guy who once again cussed at her, this time Ben didn't hold back but clocked the guy square in the mouth, I really wish I had seen it. I don't condone fighting but when it's done to someone older and bigger than him and because he was standing up for his sister I have a hard time punishing him, in fact I high fived him when I found out :-)
I love the relationship he and Reagan have, sure they have their moments but for the most part they are best buds, she looks up to him and he watches out for her, often letting her tag along on play dates if he knows there might be someone there her age or just because.

Right now he's having a few health issues, nothing serious I hope, but he's been getting shots more often than normal, like his father he has a fear of needles, he grabs my hand every time, it's always cold and clammy *ICK*, then he'll get stuck and he gets mad at himself, today he was heard muttering under his breath "Man, I'm such a wimp, why do I let myself get so worked up ?" Hopefully he'll remember what it was like today, tomorrow when he goes for blood work, it might be interesting.

For his Birthday party this year he had his first boy/girl party since he was about 5
The kids had the best time, to sit in the kitchen and listen to all the crazy giggling going on outside you couldn't help but smile. At one point someone ran in and asked for a bottle, they wanted to play "Spin The Bottle" I asked how that was going to work seeings as there were only 2 girls, to which I was told, "We just hug" Phew, sounds good to me.



Just as I thought things were winding down they got a mad hair to go swim, the water was freezing, 62 degrees to be precise.. crazy kids. They didn't stay in long, maybe 5 mins, but the hard core ones stayed in long enough to get their picture taken.


Many times since his party he has come up to me and stated, "That was the best party ever." And in my book that spells success.

Happy Birthday Ben, I'm one lucky mom to have you as her son. Love ya much !!!

From Ben

It seems that quite a few of our friends have been diagnosed with Swine Flu, Ben thinks they all need a little comic relief, so here's his joke for the week.

What's the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu ?

Bird Flu needs a tweetment, Swine Flu needs an oinkment.

Ha De Ha Ha.

Have a good weekend folks, I'm off to show at my first craft show, wish me luck !!

Stay warm and dry.

Today I choose...

To no longer let ignorant people annoy me, to just brush them off and continue on with my day.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am in a parking lot or in a car line and I'll stop to let someone cross in front of me or I'll let another car out in front of me and the person I've just yielded to walks off without so much as a smile let alone a thank you, or the person in the car pulls off in front of me like they own the road, common courtesy is really not that hard people.
I have been heard to say "That's the last time I'll do that." but of course it's not.
Today I was driving past the local hypermarket when an elderly man who was looking pissed off at the world came out of the store with a loaded shopping cart, he stood waiting for all the cars to pass him by, I stopped and waved him on, he looked, he stared, he grimaced BUT then the smallest of a grin spread across his face and he crossed in front of my car, smiling all the way to his car.
He made me smile, he made me feel light in my heart, I drove a little further and another elderly man was waiting to cross, I slowed down, he walked in front of me, not even acknowledging me, at the last entrance to the store a woman walked out strode in front of my car, again no acknowledgement just "Grumble, grumble, grumble"
So 2 out of 3 people ignored me and that's ok, the twinkle I swear I saw in that first elderly mans eyes made it all worth while. I think about him and he makes me smile.
Today I could have chosen to have driven on making those people wait for me and my day would have been no different, but I chose to stop and for one old man, I don't know what thought process it sparked off, but it was something and you know what ? That makes me happy, I could have missed out on that and on a day like today where I have felt like nothing has gotten accomplished and it has been one frustration after another I think back to him and for a minute those frustrations go away.

A minute of kindness really takes nothing out of your day, but it sure can add a lot.

Cupcake Heaven

Ben requested cupcakes for his Birthday today instead of a traditional birthday cake. He was wanting Oreo cupcakes with a filling, well the only ones I could find had a cream cheese filling, that didn't appeal to the Birthday boy at all. So we compromised on an Oreo type cupcake, he couldn't decide whether he wanted chocolate or vanilla cake so I made both.
The vanilla cake I made w/ chocolate filling, the chocolate cake I made with vanilla filling.
These were the easiest cupcakes EVER, just make a batch of your favorite batter and bake it as you normally would. Once the cakes are cooled completely, fill up a piping bag with your favorite frosting, again I cheated and used canned frosting. Using a thin icing nozzle poke a hole in the top of the cake and squeeze your frosting in.
Once you've done this comes the best part, the glaze. This totally makes the cakes.
No cheating here though, sorry.

Chocolate Glaze.
-----------------

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1C semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat the cream and syrup on medium, bring to a boil, take off heat and stir in chocolate chips. Stir until melted, set aside for 5 mins, once it has cooled down a little whisk until smooth, set aside for 10 mins to thicken.

Dip cupcakes into the glaze, set aside for 10 mins to set and then frost the tops if you desire.


I'm warning you now the glaze is decadent, I made a double batch and have some sat in the refrigerator to heat up and pour over ice cream... YUM

Fabulous Fall

I'll be honest with you, Fall is not my favorite season, in my little mind it means earlier dark nights, cooler temps, leaves falling off the trees making everything bare and that Winter is just around the corner. I am so not a Winter person, how I lived through 4 winters in MN still amazes me, I'm more of a S.CA gal, Summer and blue skies all year round w/ the option of snow if I choose to go to it.
But then we have days like today, when the sun shines gloriously, there is no humidity in the air, the sun casts longer shadows and everything seems to sparkle, it's days like today when you say to heck with what has to be done, we're going to do what we want to do, and that meant Reagan and I packing up the van with a picnic blanket, picnic and board games and off we went.
Our original plan was to go to a State Park a ways from here, have our picnic, play a game or 2 and then walk the trails, but 10 minutes into our adventure and Reagan asked if we could just go to City Park instead and so that's what we did.
We got lucky and met friends there, Mr Kevin took the kids out on the paddle boat

30 mins on the river will make a gal hungry, so we sat beneath the trees

and enjoyed a picnic... Pudding in the park, does it get any better ?

Even the squirrels were thinking it was time for a picnic

With full bellies it was time to skip some trails and visit with the ducks


Before we took a detour back to the van and headed home, we walked along the river


Fall may not be my favorite time of year, but it certainly leads to lazy Sunday afternoons, where we can leave the drudgery behind and enjoy all that Mother Nature lends us.