Happy Halloween!

B-O-O!

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!

Now click on this link for some Halloween bowling...cuz I just know you have nothing better to do! :O)

http://www.itsga.com/fun/cat_new.swf

Stay Safe

and

Happy Haunting!!!

*****And please sign my guest book, if you have the time!*****

Tuesday...and not in the Tablescape Way

Ok, so I voted 2 days ago, and I was in & out in 45 minutes...the worst part was it appeared they were short staffed, so I can only imagine what Tuesday will be like. I would suggest you vote early, if you can because I can see a big issue coming about everyone not getting in to vote "in time" on Tuesday night. As I've stated before, neither guy is really "MY" candidate; however, this year, I based my decision on my religious beliefs...not that I'm trying to be preachy.

OR.....


That being said...there is still time to vote. I would encourage everyone to do so, whether we agree on the "team" or not.

I received this over e-mail yesterday.

Please consider this regarding REDISTRIBUTION.....

Yesterday on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a
sign that read 'Vote Obama, I need the money.' I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on an 'Obama 08' button, again
I laughed as he had given away his political preference-- just
imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to
him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept.
He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to
redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need - the
homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the
server inside, as I've decided he could use the money more. The
homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I
realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not
earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he
did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.

I don't know about you....but my family has always had to work for EVERYTHING we have. I'll help almost anyone, but I'm not really interested in giving FREE RIDES! (not financially, anyway)

Enough said...And as always, may God bless America and her allies!

Help, I'm Being Brainwashed!

MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA. Have ya'll been hearing that lately or is it just me?

First, my daughter...also known in my posts as Sweet Baby, Terrific Kid, Kiddo, Nicka (as in nick of time), Flossie, Flash or Hurry UP and Get Down Here!) had a birthday recently, and I swear she has been doing her best to brainwash me. Every other word out of her mouth is
MIA...MIA this, MIA that....MIA on the brain disease.

You see, MIA is the American Girl Doll of the year for 2008.

I know that because I've heard it at least a thousand times in the last month. And while I admit that she is PRETTY, $90 worth of pretty?
(Can I get a ka-ching, ka-ching, please???) And you know I'm cheap....I mean thrifty! And that doesn't include the outfits!

I've been through the whole Build-a-Bear....where friends are made phase....

And more friends....So, I'm not real anxious to invest a small fortune in a "phase".

TK was never one to play with baby dolls very much, but I suppose it's a right of passage (?) for moms of girls her age?! I just wish she would have picked something less expensive!

So...

guess what???

I'm a grandma! (bet you never saw that one coming!) At least not yet in the "real grandma way"! (Hal-le-lu-jah!!!)

(I'm not allowed to reveal what my husband does for a living, but if you knew you'd understand when I say that he's concerned about protecting our identity, so my child appears faceless, but rest assured, she does have a face!)

I'm just now starting to get my sanity back!

I must admit that my wallet is lighter, but my "granddaughter" is a pretty girl! And the smile on T.K.'s face when she saw "her baby" for the 1st time was like any new mom's.....

...PRICELESS!!!

A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award

Sweet Bo over at Blinks 'N Winks from Brown Eyes has presented me with "A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award". If you haven't been by Bo's place, you don't know what you're missing! Now on to the questions...(I'm trying to blah, blah, blah less!)

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?
The majority of my best friends I've known since elementary, middle, high school or college, but have been lucky enough to add a few more friends along the way. I was fortunate to grow up in the same area for all the years I attended school, including college.

2. What do you value most about your friends?
I value loyalty, friends that keep their word and are a lot of fun to be with.

3. Are your friends sounding boards?

Of course, because if we can't share the good and the bad, then we're probably not really friends.

4. What is your favorite activity to share with friends?

That's a no brainer....MARATHON SHOPPING, followed by lunch and catching up!

The 4-1-1...I'm to pass this wonderful award on to 4 of my treasured Blogland buds:

I'm spreading the love, but in no particular order, to:

Laurie @ http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

Penny @ http://lavenderhillstudio.blogspot.com/

Lynette @ http://lynetteslam.blogspot.com/

Chris @ http://chrisscorner-chris.blogspot.com/
(If any of you have already received this honor, then please let me know & I'll give it to someone who hasn't yet received it!)

Cheers to old friends & new...LOL to you all!

No-Brainer Recipe Swap

Rose over at Santamaker's challenged us to share 3 No-Brainer Dinner Ideas, so here's mine: Cheesy Garlic Chicken

(you can find the recipe on the back of Lipton's Savory Herb with Garlic box of dried soup mixes)

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs)
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (I like to use 1-2 Romas)
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Dry Recipe Soup & Dip Mix
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz)
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9x13 in. baking dish, arrange chicken & top with tomatoes. Mix water, oil, and soup mix and pour over chicken and tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with cheeses and bake another 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and the cheese is melted. Yields: 4 Servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes

Chicken Potato Bake
(this was taken from an issue of Quick Cooking magazine, and was the recipe of Debbi Mullins of Canoga Park, CA)

Ingredients

1 broiler/fryer chicken (about 3 lbs), cut up (I just use 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks (but any kind will work)
1/2 to 3/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing (your favorite brand, but you can also use other brands such as Raspberry Vinegarette for a change)
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Place chicken in a greased 9x13x2 in. baking dish. Arrange potatoes around chicken. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and chicken juices run clear. Yields: 4 servings Cook Time: 40-50 minutes

Note: To avoid indigestion, do not use too much Italian dressing! :O)

Penne from Heaven (my most favorite out of the 3!)
(taken from the May/June 2002 Quick Cooking magazine by Dorothy Roche of Menomeonee Falls, Wisconsin with my twist :O)

Ingredients

6 ozs uncooked penne or other small pasta
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 can (14-1/2 ozs) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt (this is where I would substitute garlic salt or powder & Lawry's seasoning salt)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

* I also add shrimp (either fresh or frozen), garlic powder/salt, and red pepper and/or Lawry's seasoning salt, to taste.

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms (and shrimp) in oil for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt (and other spices, to taste); cook and stir for 5 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Stir in cheese; heat through. Yields: 5 servings

Halloween Candy Recall

Received this over e-mail. For those of you who haven't gotten the e-mail, I'm posting it. It's sad to think of how much more candy may contain melamine. Who ever thinks to look at WHERE it was made?

For those of you with little ghosts and goblins in your lives. Don't eat the chocolate coin candies! The little chocolate coins are not safe for kids to eat this Halloween.They are made in China and contain the Melamine that childrens deaths were related to recently! With Halloween coming soon, please let your family and friends know.

Sherwood's Milk Chocolate Pirate's Gold Coins from China contain melamine.
It is true, Read the full story at the following link from Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

Ho's

Ok ya'll...get your mind out of the gutter! That's Ho's as in Santa Claus is coming to town in 62 more days...if I've counted correctly! Another CONFESSION is that I have a "Christmas problem". So, remember I asked ya'll to help me start STIM-A-LA-TIN the economy? Well, this is part of my contribution.

A little spoon rest. Looks like he's been enjoying those cupcakes a little too much!

Found these mugs at a thrift store over the weekend. Had to have them for Santa & me.I do a Santa tree decorated with mostly Santa ornaments....so the golfer ornament is for hubby. He's on the Halloween tree at the moment (sorry).
Don't ask me what my fascination with Santa heads is this year. Why just the head? I don't know....haven't figured that one out yet!But get a load of this decapitated Santa (it is Halloween, you know...) that I picked up at Dollar Tree. He tickled the poo out of me (not really) because it looks like Santa now has white dreadlocks! Who knew? I guess you get what you pay for..... Every year, I have to buy a Santa....If I'm lucky, I stop at one! This one's for my bonus room, which I have never decorated in years past, but will this year...if I ever stop blogging and get it clean. or two...or three...thought this would be cute at my little beach house. Doesn't he look like the Gorton's fisherman? Fish sticks, anyone? The moral of the story....you can never have too many "Ho's!"

So, that's some of Tar's Stim-a-la-tin! I've showed you mine, let's see some of yours. I hope this starts to get you in the Christmas spirit!!! Ho! Ho! Ho! Time's a wastin'!

Please note: These things are not currently on display in my home, but are merely up to show you what I've been up to and to get you ready for the season!

Lord, hear my prayer....please!

Yesterday was one of those days when I could just feel the pull of my credit card magnet trying to attract me to all kinds of stuff! I had a little over an hour to spend on another shopportunity, so I ran into Target to pick up a gift card for my nephew. I hadn't been in there in a while (2-3 weeks), and had seen a blog with some nice autumn orange pillows from there, so I thought I'd take a look to see if they had some in silk. Well, wouldn't you know....I HAD TO WALK down by the dish aisle....Now, I haven't picked out blue dishes since the 1980s...you see my china (both formal & everyday) was blue & pink floral....Please ladies, if you have daughters or family members, tell them to pick a neutral pattern when they register...not a floral!!! Nobody told that to my friends or I at the time...and now, I've got myself a problem!

Sorry for the tangent....

So, I'm a confessed dish junkie!!! Lord, please help me to resist!!! Target had the most lovely blue & white dishes with these blue mother-of-pearl & silvery chargers....though pricey, they are killer!!! See....

The chargers......BEAUTIFUL!!!

They also had a cool red & white pattern for the holidays. Dee-lish!!!

And they could even be mixed for July 4th!!!

And for my beachy side, they had these awesome aqua plates for not much dinero...a good thing. These are called Pistachio, but if I've picked the right ones, they looked sea glass aqua in the store.
And I'm likin' these too....

Help! Can you hear a sista crying for an intervention???

Now mind you, I have already been eyeing these over at Pottery Barn, but I do hate to pay full price, so I'm trying to be patient....which I'm sooooo not!!! But, they're so cool for Halloween!

So Lord, please help me fight the pull cuz I have to stop STIMALATIN!!! And it's OH SO HARD for Tardevil to be good!!! :O( And I'm running out of storage room....Maybe if I cook more, and eat out less, it will justify some of them??? Hmmmmm.........Now, don't get me started on what was at Pier 1!!!

Values/Not So Much

Bo over at http://blinksnwinksfrombrown-eyes.blogspot.com/ gave me this pretty little award, by way of Lisa at http://frenchkilt.blogspot.com/, and has asked me to post the 6 Things I Value & the 6 Things I Don't Value.

Then, I'm going to ask a few bloggers to do the same. Here's the rules: Mention the blog that gave you the reward and comment on their blog to let them know that you have posted their award. You also have to list 6 things you VALUE and 6 things you Don't VALUE. Lastly, you have to pass the award onto 6 other friends! So here it goes...

The 6 Things I Value Most are:

1) My faith in God

I think that without this, we don't have much of a moral compass; therefore, fewer values. Several years ago today, I was lying in the hospital in my 40+ hour of labor. Because I sat up to put my contacts in (vanity issues....I wanted to look good in those after-birth photos with the new baby), my baby's blood pressure dropped. I was rushed into the OR for an emergency c-section....terrified, because I just knew I wouldn't be in the 20% of the population that had one of those, so I never read-up on it. I had had an epidural because she was facing the wrong way, and I had back labor. The doctor highlighted where she was going to cut, and I could feel it, so they gave me a spinal block too. I began to feel like my lungs were 100 pound boulders. I couldn't speak because I was dehydrated from not having liquids for 2 days. I thought I was going to die and never be able to raise my child. Apparently, my blood pressure shot up, and the last thing I remember was them saying it was a girl. They "knocked me out", and I woke up in about 3 hours. While I was pregnant, I prayed for three things....1) a healthy child 2) for her to have blonde hair & 3) long eyelashes like her daddy. Guess what, I got all three of my prayers answered....so I know prayer works. So, if you're down, have faith and say a little prayer.

2) Family

I am blessed with a child that loves me to death...even when I don't deserve it. The top 3 songs on my playlist today are in honor of her. The 1st song makes me kind of sad because I am painfully aware that I only have her for a little while. The 2nd song is my wish for her. The 3rd is a song she loves to dance with her daddy to as it plays.

I am blessed with a loving husband. He has been my best friend for almost half my life. He puts up with my moods, which at times can widely vary. But most of all, he loves me and is very good to me, and is faithful to me...I can't say enough about that these days!

My parents. As I age and watch them age, I am painfully aware that I don't have a lot longer with them. Over the last 5 years, we have lost my husband's grandmother, father, and my great aunt. The holidays change with each death, so while they're my favorite time of year....it's always bittersweet. You realize even more how precious life is, and we're not guaranteed another day.

3) Friends

I'm currently assisting with the planning of my 25th class reunion. Looking back, I've had some of my friends since 1st grade. Others I picked up in high school, and along the way, but there will hopefully always be those faithful few true friends.

4) Health

As I get older, I see that things on my body aren't quite like they use to be (an understatement!). I've got a dear friend with a brain tumor. Another who lost his battle with lung cancer in his early 40s a few years back....and he didn't smoke. The Tim McGraw song is my tribute to him....So, I value my health.

5) Freedom

I value the right to pretty much do what I want. I'm thankful for the material things we are able to have because of our freedom...such as a house, car, food. I'm thankful for running water and an inside toilet. I'm thankful that I can buy my clothes and not have to sew them. I am thankful that I can stay in a hotel, and no longer have to camp. :O)

6) A Good Education

My husband and I grew up poor. We both started working before we were 15 years old to save money for college, and helped pay our way through college. We have worked for what we have gotten. I can see how difficult life is without an education, so I realize it's value. However, I also appreciate the value of perseverance!


Things I Don't Value:


1) Laziness I don't believe in a "free ride". I remember our family living on $5 a week. We didn't have a lot of money, but we had love....it doesn't matter how much money you have if you don't have that. I will always try to help someone that needs help, but believe you should always try to earn your keep.

2) Lying I don't care for dishonesty, disception, cheating or broken promises. If you can't tell the truth...then stay silent...and just don't bother.


3) Abuse...whether it be verbal (including bullying), physical or sexual.

I believe abuse of all types damages our soul....our core.

4) Ungratefulness We have so many blessings....just how can we not be thankful?!

5) Envy Because my husband and I DID grow up poor, I have felt that along the way, some of our "friends" have not been truly happy for us as we achieved a better life, whether it be career-wise or financially. So, then I wonder if they're truly my friends. But, then I understand because it's like when you have a friend that loses 10 pounds, and you wish you had done so also. It's not that you're not happy for your friend, you just want what they have too...

6) Conflict I like "happy place". I just wish we could all get along and play nice.

I'm sorry, I have edited this to add #7 (kind of sorry for not following the rules):

7) Slow Drivers!!! At least just go the speed limit - PLEASE...FOR ME!!!

So, I'm tagging the following blogs with the Kreativ Blogger Award so you can tell us what you value & value not so much.

The following bloggers are tagged:

http://santamakersjourney.blogspot.com/

http://angelicaccents.blogspot.com/

http://backyardneighbor.typepad.com/

http://gracioussouthernliving.blogspot.com/

http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

http://steintranquility.blogspot.com/

As Paula says...."have fun, ya'll!"

Halloween Decor

Kimba over at a Soft Place to Land is sponsoring a Halloween Party, so I thought I'd share a few of my Halloween decorations. Please keep in mind that I'm not a fan of white walls (in fact, they're pretty much making me cRaZy)...I know this paint color had to be picked out by a straight man (no offense, guys!) because there is not a dab of estrogen in it! We've only been in this house a year, so I'm still selecting paint colors.

Foyer

The wreath is too high, but I need to find some more matching ribbon before I can change it.

I change this out seasonally...I DO silk plants because my thumb is very brown! One of the few "cats" allowed in my house due to GG's allergies. Family Room I love their goofy little faces. These came from JoAnne's several years ago.

These fireplace vases still need some branchy stuff.

My little Big Lots ghost (he was a bird feeder)... love that smile....who can resist a happy ghost?

I came upon this little trick-or-treater at the annual Charles Dickens Christmas show one year in Myrtle Beach, SC. This lady that lived there was dying of cancer, and had donated her entire collection of Anna Lees to be sold to raise money for local area churches, so I couldn't resist.

Sorry about the flash... Keeping Room Kitchen

Found this cutie at my 2nd home....HOME GOODS, last week....couldn't resist....

Bought this wine bottle for the painting on it. :O) .....I know, I'm half cRaZy!

Dining Room (my other wall sconce was in the shop for some minor adjustments)A little of this and that...Little witch for holding Halloween cards for Sweet Baby...

And I seem to have a thing for collecting pillows too....

Thanks for visiting my Halloween/fallish tour! Have a nice week!