Ghouls Just Want To Have Fun!

What did the male ghost say to the lady ghost?

You look boooootiful!

Hee, hee, hee. You like that? I made it up myself this morning in the shower. I told ya I do most of my thinking in there.

I hope everyone had a safe and spooktacular Halloween. We didn't hand out candy because we don't need it...and we would surely eat it. Why bring the temptation in. I'm sure there will be plenty of temptation when everyone at work brings in their leftovers. Although it was such a beautiful night that there were a ton of trick-or-treaters out on the prowl, so maybe there won't be very many leftovers. We were going to hide out in our kitchen eating pizza and keeping Abby away from the door, but Jerry and Krista called and wanted to know if we wanted to go out for dinner, so we put the gate up so Abby only had access to the upstairs and couldn't see out the window, and we headed out. We got back just as time was up. Boy was Abby happy to see us. I'm sure she was able to hear all the little voices walking by outside.

While I like Halloween and everything leading up to it, I don't like the actual night after it gets dark. It's spooky. I can still hear voices outside, and it's after 10. Friday night is the worst night for it to fall on.

Maybe I've been watching too many ghost stories. There was one documentary on the other night that I refused to watch. It's funny because that very day my boss and I were out walking around the block at lunch and we were talking about all the construction that's going on at work (they're adding an addition plus digging in the basement to create more storage space). We were talking about how years ago the building used to be a TB sanitarium. We joked about what they would find when they started digging up the basement and how ghosts don't like it when you start doing renovations. That night I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up Paul had just started watching a show called Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hill, which was about, of all things, a haunted TB sanitarium. What the heck!! I thought there is no way I'm watching that or I would never want to work alone again. It's bad enough that when anyone is alone in there we have all heard sounds like someone else is typing in another cubical when no one is there. CREEPY!

So, What's New With You?

There is absolutely nothing going on here. We had a four-day weekend, taking Thursday and Friday off work so we could spend some time with Deb before she headed back to Vegas on Friday. Went to the apple orchard. Took absolutely no pictures 'cause I'm an idiot. We had fun, though. It was our first time back at he orchard since the tornado last January. I really like the new look.

Deb stayed with us Thursday night, so I could take her directly to the airport on Friday without having to drive all the way over to mom's to pick her up. We went to Granite City for dinner and then came home and watched a movie...The Happening. Very strange...disturbing. Not really that good. I slept most of the weekend away otherwise...taking extended naps Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Went to Red Lobster for dinner tonight, as we're starting the Weight Watchers plan again Monday. Here we go again. We have to do something, as we're both feeling very toxic.

Between all my naps I did manage to stamp one little thing. My password book is getting a little ragged, so I made a new one.


That's about all I could motivate myself to do. I'm in the middle of a pretty good book (Twilight by Stephanie Meyer), and I want to get it done before the movie comes out next month.

I'm having cell phone issues and am still without a phone...which I hate. I get paranoid driving without a phone anymore. Hopefully I'll get a call from them tomorrow and they will have it figured out.

I let Abby out earlier and noticed it was snowing...lightly. I'm not ready for that.

My nose is cold.

That's about it.

Food For Thought Friday

BREAKFAST
What is your favorite place in the house and why? Describe it or add a photo.

Probably the kitchen. Because of the window and the sliding glass doors, it's the brightest most open room in the house.

LUNCH
If your spouse or significant other were a light bulb, what wattage would they be? 25-60-75-100 or a dim black light?

Strange question. I guess 60.
I wouldn't really describe a black light as dim...I would say it's more "funky."

DINNER
Name something that would disqualify you if you were a contestant on Fear Factor.

I'm sure I would be disqualified immediately for my refusal to eat anything that was either alive, was some sort of bug, or was anything like cow uterus, pig rectum, or sheep eyeball. I don't think that part of the show had anything to do with "fear"...it's a gross-out thing. It's what they can find for people to eat that would gross them out the most and make them sick just thinking about it.

MIDNIGHT SNACK
What is something you do that helps you to escape for a while?

Play a computer game. Right now I'm hooked on Cubis. I like the "crunch" noise the cubes make when they break.

RECIPE FOR THIS WEEK (Instead of your recipe for life, what is it for just this week?)

Makes the most of life, as you only get one.

Boss's Day

Last Thursday was boss's day. I was asked if I would make the card this year. What pressure! All of us feel incredibly lucky to have such a great boss, so I wanted the card to be extra special. The picture doesn't do it justice, as I took it quickly before I left for work in the morning. Ugh! That's the last time I just lay the card on the table to take a picture! That's horrible!

Thru A Dog's Eyes

Today Paul and I spent 90 minutes listening to the ultimate "pack leader" share his advice and common sense method of training dogs. We had tickets to see the Dog Whisperer himself, Cesar Millan.


I was so excited when I heard months ago that he was coming to town to do a benefit for the Discovery Center, and I ordered the tickets as soon as they went on sale. We had pretty good seats--on the floor, center, 12 rows back. Of course we paid quite a bit for them too...$75 a ticket! I assumed he was going to give a lecture of some sort, but it was actually a 90 Q&A session with the audience. I wrote down a question (before I knew that they wanted you to stand up when your question was read), but it wasn't one selected. I enjoyed it a lot...he's a riot! Paul even enjoyed it more than he thought he would. It was neat being in the same room with his "calm, submissive energy!" From the reaction of the audience when he first walked out on stage, you would think he was a rock star. The theater was packed. I don't know if it was sold out because I couldn't see up into the balcony, but there were sure a lot of people there. It was emceed by my favorite local weatherman who is a dog lover (and golden retriever owner) himself.

I snapped a couple of pictures but figured we were too far away for them to be really good. I took two with the flash off and and one with it on.




I have a lot of respect for this man and what he has done for all breeds of dogs. I'm really glad we went!

Food For Thought Friday

BREAKFAST
If you could jump into any book, what would it be and why?

The Shack...so I could spend a weekend with God, Jesus, and the holy spirit face-to-face. I could eat wonderful meals prepared by God, go fishing with Jesus, and work in the beautiful garden with the holy spirit.

LUNCH
Tell how you are feeling today in the form of a weather report. (For example, partly cloudy, sunny with a chance of showers).

Partly sunny with dropping barometric pressure and slight chance of showers.

DINNER
What activity makes you lose track of time.
Surfing the internet.

MIDNIGHT SNACK
What were you doing an hour ago?

I was online ordering an upgrade to our cell phones while simultaneously texting both Adrianna and Paul. Now that takes talent!

RECIPE FOR THIS WEEK (instead of your recipe for life, what is it for just this week).

Never take your loved ones for granted.

Get Down, Poppin' Fresh!

Click on him to see him dance!

Fifty Random Questions

1. Do you like blue cheese? Ick! Moldy cheese. No way, Jose!
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Another no way, Jose!
3. Do you own a gun? I have dad’s BB gun. I don’t like guns.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? We don’t have a Sonic. If we did, maybe blue coconut.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes. My BP is always high at the doc’s…otherwise known as white-coat hypertension.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? They’re okay, but not all the time. I don’t mind them once in a while, preferably all beef and cooked on the grill.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? It's between A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol…but only the 1938 version with Reginal Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Crachet. I love that one.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I’m never really thirsty in the morning, but occasionally I’ll drink OJ (Minute Maid) or sometimes a pop.
9. Can you do push-ups? Probably not.
10. Age? 39…for the first time.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.
12. Favorite hobby? Paper crafts.
13. Favorite Actor. I don’t really have one. I’ll say someone like Jimmy Stewart or Johnny Depp.
14. Do you have A.D.D.? I think everybody has a little.
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Shyness
16. Middle name? Lynn
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?

1. Why does my head hurt? Oh, because I'm clenching my teeth again.
   
2. I’m tired.
   
3. My ear itches.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today?

1. Pizza.
2. Salad.
3. Pop. (We didn’t go anywhere to buy anything yesterday or today except to eat.)
   

19. 3 drinks you regularly drink?

1. Diet pop.
   
2. Water
   
3. OJ

20. 3 Current worries?

1. Economy.
2. Our health.
3. Crime
   

21. Current hate right now? Driving
22. Favorite place to be. Home.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? We usually spend it at Paul’s aunt and uncle’s playing cards.
24. Where would you like to go? Hawaii
25. Name three people who will complete this.

1. Sheila.
   
2. Deb (in her head).
   
3. Lisa.

26. Do you own slippers? Yes. Black Isotoners that mom just bought for me during my hospital stay.
27. What shirt are you wearing? Purple North Carolina T-shirt.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Sure, but we don’t have any.
29. Can you whistle? No.
30. Favorite color? Blue or pink.
31. Would you be a pirate? No. Maybe in a movie.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Christmas songs.
33. Favorite girl's name? Kate
34. Favorite boy's name? Matthew
35. What is in your pocket. Nothing.
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Paul being his silly self.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I don’t remember. I do remember having a Holly Hobby quilt.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken kneecap.
39. Do you love where you live? No.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two
41. Who is your loudest friend? Cindy.
42. How many dogs do you have? One.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? Not that I know of.
44. What is your favorite book(s)? Don’t have a favorite.
45. Where were you born? In the same town I live in now.
46. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate with nuts.
47. Favorite sports team? Don’t have one.
48. What songs do you want played at your funeral? That's a morbid question. One would probably be Angel by Sarah McLachlin.
49. What are you doing at 12 A.M.? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Ugh, do I have to go to work?

I Hope I Never Use These

Here's the 10 sympathy cards I made last weekend just to have on hand. They're all made with the Stampin' Up! set As Close As A Memory.

Just What We Needed

They're creepy and they're kooky...

Mysterious and spooky...
They're altogether ookey...
They're Cookies By Design.

Look what Paul won in the United Way raffle at work. Of course, the diabetic man wins the cookies. I knew he would win it as soon as he told me it was one of the prizes. He sent me a picture message at work showing me his prize. I answered it and told him not to open it because I wanted to take a picture to post. I never heard back from him about it. I figured that's because it was too late. As it turns out, he opened it to share with some of the guys at work, so that's fine. He brought home what was left so I could get a picture. Cute, huh? They do a really nice job.

Abby's very interested in the art of cookie photography.


As a matter of fact, it's her dream job.


If you have any cookies you want photographed, she'll gladly send you back the pictures. There's no guarantee on the cookies. Send at your own risk.

A Day Late and...

BREAKFAST
Would you rater be really hot or really cold?

Cold. I hate being hot...it's miserable.

LUNCH
Name three things (modern conveniences) you could not live without.

1. Computer/Internet
2. Debit cards
3. Hot water (see Breakfast above)
   

DINNER
If you were the eighth drawf, what would your name be?

Lazy.
Paul's would be Squirmy.

MIDNIGHT SNACK
Would you rather live to be 100 and sick or live to be 50 (dying from a freak accident) and healthy?

How sick is sick? Fifty is just too young.

RECIPE FOR THE WEEK
Instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?

Every artist was first an amateur. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Get Well

Paul's uncle is recovering from surgery, and this is the card I made for him. They found a tumor on one of his kidneys, so they removed the whole kidney. He has been having a problem with kidney stones for quite a while. Thank God for that because that's how they found the tumor. Funny how God works. Who knows how large the tumor would have gotten before he started having symptoms otherwise.

I found this paper in an old stash and thought it went perfectly with this stamp by TAC. I decided to keep it simple. I stamped the lighthouse in navy and only put a little bit of color where the light would shine.

One of Many

I've had so many of these types of cards to make lately. I really like this color combo. The patterned paper is called "Madness." It's from the Euphoria line of Basic Grey. The stamp is "Sassy Stems" by Stampin' Up. It's one of my favorite sets to work with for quick and easy cards. I just picked it up this summer at a garage sale. Sorry for the blurry picture. That's what I get for being in a hurry.

I have quite a few cards to post. I spent a lot of time stamping during my last week of recovery before being released to go back to work this past Monday. Actually, this past Saturday I made 10 sympathy cards just to have on hand. I had one of mom's sympathy stamp sets and she needed it back. I didn't use it for the few months that I had it, but as soon as she said she needed it back I felt compelled to use it. That always happens. Anyway, these are cards that I pray I'll never have to send out, but I really like how they turned out. I'll post some of them later. I figure it's always good to have some on hand because when you need one you don't feel like making it. Actually, my goal in the next couple of months is to build my supply of cards to have on hand for different occasions. We'll see how that goes.

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Abby had another visitor on Friday evening. Sheila and Dave came for dinner and brought Molly with to play with Abby. She's really grown the last time I saw her! She and Abby had fun chasing each other around the yard. Abby just loves to run and play with puppies or little dogs. Miss Molly sure has a lot of energy...completely wore Abby out. She had to keep stopping and lying down to catch her breath. She just loves to run around and play with little dogs.

Food For Thought

The chef of "Friday's Feast" has been MIA for quite a while...weeks...so I had to move on.

Breakfast
What actor/actress would be most believeable to play you in a movie?

Debra Messing maybe.

Lunch
If you were stranded alone on a beach, what are the five things that you would want to survive?

1. TV with cable.
2. Laptop with internet.
3. A completely furnished house.
4. Food
5. A cell phone that gets a signal.
   

Yeah...I wouldn't do very good on Survivor. Let's hope I never get stranded.

Dinner
What terms of endearment does your significant other call you? What do you call them?

I call Paul honey or honey bunny. He calls me honey or babe.

Midnight Snack
If you could be a fly on the wall, where would you go and why?

Inside the White House to hear what's really going on. Not that I would understand any of it.

Recipe for this Week
(instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

I don't fully understand this "question." I think I'm supposed to put some sort of quote or piece of advice, so for this week I say this... Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. I've been trying really hard lately not to procrastinate.

Don't Blink or You'll Miss Him

At mom's the other night I managed to tape a few video snippets of Sheldon running in the backyard.







Here's are a couple of snapshots.


I know this look. It's the "I wish this crazy lady would get that thing out of my face" look.

Randomness

Let's Talk Books

1. Name a few of your favorite books.

I don't really have any favorite books, per se. There are no books that I read over and over again. I just have favorite authors, which I know I've listed in the past, so I won't get into that again.

2. Is there an author that you don't like, yet so many people seem to love?

Jonathan Kellerman. He writes the kind of books that I would normally like. The main character in most of his books is a child psychologist named Alex Delaware who solves crimes. However, his books are written from a very male point of view, and I just can't relate. I've never read any of his other books, but I have a feeling his writing style is consistent.

3. Name a book to film adaptation that you really like. Name one you think was done poorly.

The best one I have ever seen is Intensity, one of Dean Koontz's books. It's the only book-to-film adaption that I have ever seen where the film was exactly like the book. I loved that. Usually there is extra stuff in the book that you don't seen in the movie or the movie just doesn't reflect the same feeling as the book.

As far as ones that were done poorly, I guess I would have to say some of the Stephen King books, although I'm not a big fan of Stephen King, so I'm not one to judge.

4. Where do you buy your books?

Usually Sam's Club.

5. What genre do you read the most?

Medical thrillers and books about dogs.

6. What genre do you dislike?

Romance novels.

7. Is there a book that has changed your life?

Right now I'm reading The Shack by William Paul Young, and I can see it as being a book that really makes you think. I'm only half way through it now, but according the the reviews, it has changed a lot of people.

8. Have you ever met an author? What author would you like to meet?

Nope. I would like to meet Dean Koontz...because of his love for goldens that I so admire.

till next time...