Wednesday Hodgepodge & Happy Halloween

Joining Joyce at From this side of the Pond

Happy Halloween

1. What creeps you out?
Spiders, walking through a cobweb

2. What's your least favorite candy?
anything with coconut

3. Are you a fan of scary movies?  What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
no I'm not a fan of scary movies....I try to avoid them maybe Blair Witch Project

4. What part of life confuses you the most?
when people choose not to use common sense....ignorance

5. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy...what's your favorite seed?
pumpkin.....but I like them all too! 

6. Imagine your life ten years from today...what's changed?
lots I hope...where we are living hopefully we've downsized and maybe back on west coast or somewhere Internationally

7.  What do you a) love the most and b) like the least about the Hodgepodge? 
I love the variety of questions like least the random part.....sometimes I have nothing random to share or if I have no pictures to present on a HP I feel like every post needs at lease one picture! 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I wanted to make a halloween collage of Katelyn since she was little...most the pictures are pre digital era and are all in scrapbooks. I really hate to tear them out to scan them. Anyway here are a couple of my favorite outfits.

 I think this was fifth grade, love this outfit...my mom helped me make the skirt or maybe I helped her...needless to say it was super cute. 

I think this was forth grade and by far the easiest and smartest. Most halloween nights in Utah are pretty cold and often snowing. So this outfit fit over a down coat and still could get the idea. Love the red lip stick! 

Happy Halloween 

Today

Today is my Birthday

I would usually be all

woot woot about it 

but really my thoughts 

are with everyone touched by Sandy's destruction

I've been glued to CNN and twitter

Hoping and praying everyone is safe!

How is your TODAY?

Friday Fragments

Joining Mrs. 4444's today 

@Half past kissin time

Happy Friday! 

I have to say I love chocolate, chocolate loves me! I also have to say I will be re buying halloween candy this weekend. Why I do this every year is a mystery....oh yeah because I love Chocolate! I hope our trick or treaters love mounds bars....I'm eating the good stuff! 

The weatherman are talking cold and possible snowy weather next week....that means this weekend all my neighbors will be putting up there snow stakes along their driveways. Before moving here I'd never witness such an event....for some reason it stresses me out, like they know something and aren't telling us...like the big one is coming! Our drive way is tree lined so no need for stakes. 

With Christmas decor up in the stores and Target already having Christmas commercials.  I'm so excited to start decorating and shopping! I know we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to go but....I'm still excited. We always put tree up weekend of Thanksgiving. It's a artificial tree.....or a mess free non fire hazard tree. Katelyn is our pro tree decorator so happy she will be home to handle that task.

Did you read the book Life of Pi? I love the book and the movie is coming out on Thanksgiving....I can't wait to see it. We are not really movie theater goers usually wait for on demand but this one warrants the big screen.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and do something fun. We are conquering some honey do's this weekend. Looking forward to checking a few things off the long list.

How I spent my rainy day....

Sophie is spoiled, she is special. All pets are, Sophie is no exception. Well except she is my second baby and I love her. I started making her dog food about a year ago...maybe longer. She has skin allergies and for years has been eating prescription dog food. It never really made a difference and was really expensive. After finding another blogger with the same breed of dogs, she told me what they feed their pups. So that is when I started making her food.....it's a lot of work, but worth it. Her trips to the vet are rare and time on steroid far less than ever before. It's pretty bland...but she loves it! I feed her 1 cup serving 3 times a day. It's a mixture of chicken, brown rice and carrots and peas. She has maintained a healthy weight and appetite.

 12 chicken breast

 8 bags of instant brown rice

 8 bags of veggies finely blended

 chicken shredded

 my assembly line

 weigh each bag for a consistency and freeze them 

after 2-3 hours of cooking,bagging and clean up

I made enough for 19 days! 

Patiently waiting to lick every bowl clean and eat any scraps that come her way! 

Spoiled yup!

Loved yup! 

Not itchy....heck ya! 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce @

From this side of the Pond

1.  So, do you like beer? 

Yes....I'm a Stella Artois girl 

and a

Canadian Molson girl

2.  What's your least favorite repetitive task? 


Dusting...seems like every time you turn around it's dusty again. Blah! 

3.  When was the last time you rode a bus?  Where was it headed? 


Does shuttle buses from airport parking count? Probably not since being in Germany....our min mode of transportation.

4.  What song from your childhood or from your own children's childhood could make a parent's nerves stand on end? 

Any Barney song!

5.  The US Presidential election cycle is drawing to a close (can I get an AMEN??), and the third and final debate was held last night...what was the last thing you 'debated about'?

Going on vacation

6.  Can a person make too much money?  How much is too much?


Yes...how much is too much? When others are able to steal from them for years and they are clueless. 

7.  Pop-soda-coke-something else...what's it called where you live?


I say Soda no matter where I live. I think here it's Pop!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Every where I go it's full swing Christmas....I'm really excited for the holidays! I always am....I already bought a few stocking stuffers! 

Happy Wednesday! 

How old am I???

I've lied about my age over the years....

Did I really fool anyone? Maybe a couple fifth graders but that's about it! Seriously how many times can you be 40 before you really forget your age! Several times in fact!! In my defense I learned this lie from my Mom.

So why the confession of age? Well in 10 days I will be 40 again...or 47! It's hard to pull off 40 especially since 40 is the new 30! I should actually say 50 and people would be like no way!!  In my family of five girls, three of us have October birthdays! I was wishing one a week or so ago a happy birthday and giving her a hard time about actually being 51 and wondering how our  other sister feels about being 49! She said to me she is not 49 she just turned 48 and I was like no I'm going to be 48! She just laughed and called me an idiot! Like sisters do!

You see this whole year I've been 47, even wrote about it, talk about it and truly believed it! Apparently math is not my strong suit...I was born in 1965! I am 46 for another 10 days! I was shocked in a good way....my sister thought she gave me the best gift of all another year! We laughed and laugh.

This is not the first time I've been confused about my age....when I was 38 I really thought I was 37 and told people all year I'm 37! I worked for my BIL doing insurance. I was figuring out a man's age to run a quote and our birthdays were days apart....the quote ran him as a 38 year old. I was like something is wrong with this program. It says he is 38 but our birthday days are so close and I'm 37! It hit me like a ton of bricks! I was actually kind of dizzy!

Some might say I'm an idiot or not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to age!! Can I still blame my Mom at my age!! Is all I know I better call my hair salon and book my appointment no 46 year old should be this gray!

Friday Fragments

Joining Mrs. 4444's @

Half Past Kissin Time

It's Friday!! 

Even though I'm currently a stay at home empty nester I'm always excited to see Friday come. Mostly to spend more time with Craig. Also it's our pizza night, which means he cooks..yay! 

I saw this posted on Face Book yesterday and love it...deserves a repost on Blogland! 

Kohl's already has their Christmas trees and decorations up....no Christmas music yet! But on that note only 9 more Fridays until Christmas!

What she learn so far in college and passed on to us is worth every penny of her tuition! What is that you ask? A never fail way to cure hiccups! It works every time....

So you have hiccups....either you ask your self aloud this question or have someone else ask you....

Do fish swim?

Answer  YES

And they are gone.....it's amazing! Thanks Katelyn and who ever told you that amazing trick! 

Yesterday our power went out for two hours...I thought I was going to die! It's sad and a bit pathetic I know! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Sunday in my City

Joining Unknown Mami today for a Sunday drive!

We finally made it over to the corner farmer selling the best selection of pumpkins, gourds etc..
Every corner in my tiny town has a farmer selling anything and everything but he is my favorite!

Not for sale but always has something interesting made with a pumpkin!

We bought this Apple and Pear gourd....

I'm hoping they dry out nicely and can paint them for next year.

Love the colors of them...$3.50 each! That is a steal!

My little dining room display! 

Happy Sunday! 

Friday Fragments

Joining Mrs. 4444's @ Half past Kissin time

Happy Friday!!!

Katelyn was home last weekend until Tuesday. It was great having her home, cooking for her, hanging out and just having her home. She saw her friends, went to all her favorite places and most importantly drove her car that she misses terribly! I drove her back on Tuesday...4 hours down stopped for lunch and 4 hours back....that was Tuesday and my eyes still hurt from the strain of driving....I think it is time to make an eye appointment!

Today is my sister Karen's Birthday! 

Happy Birthday...love you and miss you! 

I'm disappointed to say I didn't get the job I interviewed for the last several weeks....I'm really bummed! 

But it is what it is and starting Monday I will start my search again! :(

My hubby was gone this week and now he is home...staying in this house alone for the first time was really scary! I know I'm... cough cough 47 46 cough cough but the boogyman exist right? I always check the usual boogyman hiding spots before going to bed....behind the shower curtain, closets and behind curtains....and of coarse sleep with one eye open and as little as possible! 

We were going to carve pumpkins while Katelyn was home but never did....seems pointless now! Any other empty nesters that over time decorate less and less? 

Have a wonderful weekend!

last years pumpkins

Pumpkin ideas for your front porch feature

This is my Fall front porch from last year.....

My pumpkin topiary was featured in a Better Homes and Garden.com

how to make Halloween decorating with pumpkins easy.

I'm number 13 of the 18 ideas shown

So excited to be a part of this bhg.com holiday feature

There are so many great ideas out there

blogs

pinterest

magazine websites

You really don't have to be a professional decorator 

You just have to be willing to try something different

I've slacked on this years decorations for front porch...better get busy!

Happy Thursday! 

I'm in ❤

After living in WNY for over two years I'm still discovering new places and things.

This week I finally stopped here

 Mayer Brothers Cider Mill

They have been around since 1852...

Making fresh cider and fine beverages

They also make donuts...

apple cider donuts...

I don't have a picture because it didn't stay around long enough!

My most favorite part of this little gem (besides the donuts) 

apple cider slushy....

AMAZING!

My new vice.....

Bummer part is they are only open August until Thanksgiving! 

Happy Thursday! 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce @

From this side of the Pond

1. It's a brand new month...share one thing you're looking forward to in October.

Katelyn coming home this weekend....I can't wait to cook for her, have her home in her own room etc....

2.  Is chivalry dead?  Explain. 

I don't think so....it's temporarily lost on this generation...like texting that they are here to pick up for date instead of coming to the door. 

3.  On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip made its debut.  Which character is your favorite?  Which character is most like you?  (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Shroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, or Pig Pen)  If you need a description click here .

I loved Peppermint Patty....not sure who I'm most alike!

4.  What's something you're competitive about? 

Getting my Christmas decorations up first in the neighborhood! 

5. October is National Popcorn Popping Month...are you a fan?  How do you like your popcorn? 

Yes I love popcorn, Kettle corn is my favorite! I mostly have microwave healthy pop! 

6.  When did you first realize the world is small? 

When I lived in Utah and ran into someone I knew while I visited NYC... the world is small.

7.  In terms of architecture, what's the most beautiful building you've seen up close and in person?

Rathaus in Bremen, Germany the town hall

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I had my second interview for the jobs I interviewed for last week. I've never been on a second interview before and had no idea they are more intense than the first. It was tough an hour and a half with two different interviewers. I won't know anything for a week or more! Keeping my fingers crossed and my toes too! 

Happy Wednesday! 

Hello Monday! Hello October and Happy Birthday Beth

Hello Monday! 

We had a great time seeing our girl this weekend! She looks good, seems really happy. Loved meeting her friends, such a nice group of girls. This picture is from the football game, her friend Kayleigh is a cheer leader. We only went until half time because according to Katelyn they suck plus it was cold. We did some shopping but mostly feed her...Her goal to not eat on campus while we were there! We found some great places in her tiny college town. I got my fill of my baby...now I will see her this Friday for October break! Yay! 

Today is my sister Beth's birthday...

♫♩♪Happy Birthday♫♪

Love you and Miss you! 

It's also my Birthday month....

Not until the 30th...

But we should probably start the count down  

40 again!! 

Happy Monday!!