Halloween Re-Cap

(Yes, I know I'm almost a month late with this. :)  I was trying to add the pics with my dial up computer and it was fighting me.  Then life stepped in and it got pushed back.)

Halloween turned out to be an amazing day, just as I had hoped.  About a month ago I checked the holiday to see which day of the week it landed on, so I could start figuring out how I could use some vacation time to enjoy it!  I was certainly not going to work from 8-6 if I could help it!  As I said to a co-worker in the midst of some full moon madness on Halloween morning, "I am SO glad I took this afternoon off.  First of all, I have had it up to here with "crazy". ( Or so I thought, then the real nonsense began......)  Secondly, I am not going to remember sitting at this desk when I'm eighty.  I will remember spending time at the daycare, handing out candy, and seeing my nieces/nephew all dressed up, THAT is what is important."

I know that I have mentioned before that I am not a money driven person.  It only motivates me if it's necessity, which is why I finally had to give up last winter and switch careers.  That has gone really well though, and I fit into this life quite nicely too.  My time and my family are SO much more important to me than work, and I've always felt that way.  As long as I have a roof over my head, and my sister to feed me, it's all good. :)

So I left work at 2:00 and headed over to UCC to read "Franklin's Halloween", sing, and have snack with 4K and Miss Jen.  I brought along some sticky stretchy bugs (the kids get SO much candy) for the kids and that was a hit.  Then I moved over to my old classroom, passed out some sticky bugs, read a few stories and sang "Spooky Spider" with them.  Thanks for having me, Mr. Tom and Miss April!  I have spent just about every Halloween with preschoolers since becoming an adult.  It just wouldn't have been the same without it!

I arrived home a little before four and finished up some preparations for the evening.  Put out pumpkins in the front garden, lit the inside pumpkin and some other candles, got the candy all set.  Then the call came that Paul wasn't coming, so I set aside his bag.  Then I found out Ash wasn't with her sisters, and I set aside her bag.  This was heading south fast, or so I thought.

CeButt...erfly

Cierra arrived at four thirty, and did take her candy from me and put it in her pumpkin.  She was more interested in Milkie, and trying to bum a snack out of me.  Ashlyn arrived on her own as CeCe and Kate were on their way out.  She had her "man friend" in the car, but wasn't brave enough to bring him up to meet two Aunt's.  So she got her bag of candy, and a hug, and away she went........ sigh.....  then it was quiet.  The neighborhood didn't start hopping til a little before six.  I kept looking out the window, and no kids.  When it did start it was a steady stream of trick or treaters, and I do enjoy handing out candy.  You never know which kids who know me are going to pop up at the door!

Tango Tater

Hannah the Good Witch

Dave, Elise, and the little goovers arrived at about six fifteen.  Elise said, "Do you want to come with us?"  "Well, sure, but someone has to hand out candy....." I replied.  David immediately jumped on that, and Elise added, "I'll stay too, because he wont really do it." So in the time it takes to cough they had ditched their children on me for tricks or treats.  Off we went into the dark night,  and it was amazing!

I can only liken it to what you see on television in the sitcom Halloween episodes.  Tons of families walking door to door, kids laughing, neighbors with decorated houses who were happily and eagerly passing out candy.  I have never seen the like.  I know this is an awesome trick-or-treat neighborhood, but I'm usually one of the eager candy passers.  We were out for more than an hour, and I honestly had the best time ever!

So happy I had a chance to share that moment with Nana and Tater!  I know I took Ash once when she was little, but it was my Mom's neighborhood, and it certainly wasn't like that.  Also glad that my brother didn't find my secret "good" candy stash while I was gone.  He ate some of what I told him to stay out of, but I'm smarter than that!

Repeat

I was "Happy Holiday'ed" yesterday, and because I really can't express it any better than I did last year, here it is again!

http://www.queenie930.blogspot.com/2011/11/merry-christmas.html


What ever you celebrate, may you have the holiday of your choosing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

Turkey Butts

It's the goofy things that make holiday memories, the "norm" just kind of blends together.  I'm writing this the day before the holiday because I'm afraid that I will be just to darn busy tomorrow!  For 43 years I have somehow avoided cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner, but this year I did not escape.  I've watched enough turkey roasting to know what's what, and it isn't like I haven't cooked all of the other things at some point, so I imagine I'll do fine. (I almost burned the sausage for the stuffing already........)  Plus Kate is around if I have questions.

"Kate, how much celery goes in the stuffing?"

"Five stalks."

Seriously?  I expected the answer to be half a stalk or the whole thing.  She counts them??  Another huge difference between us.  We are both good cooks, but she measures everything and I just toss.  Don't tell her, but I used seven.

Anyway, back to the point.  The point is turkey butts, or the fact that odd things happening at holiday time are what the best memories are made of.  I have sat at dozens of Thanksgiving dinners, and they all blend together for the most part.  Last year I blogged about the wine glasses   http://queenie930.blogspot.com/2011/11/goblet-incident-of-76.html because that definitely stood out in my memory, and this year it's the turkey butts, or the one other year I made dinner.

A few years ago, when The Brown Eyed Man and I shared our first Thanksgiving together it went something like this......

The Man was going to go and spend the holiday with family and I was going to keep Sam, the dog, with me and just have a relaxing, quiet day, with salmon for dinner.  In my book that's a pretty perfect day.  Then Wednesday evening, oh, around four o'clock he calls.  "I don't want to go out of town, I want to have dinner with you."  Now that's all sweet and everything, but it's four o'clock on Thanksgiving Eve!  My reply?  " Oh my Gosh, we can't have a turkey dinner!  You are never going to find one now that's not frozen!"  Heck, he couldn't even find a frozen one.

I don't really remember much about the day except for the late dinner.  You know when you buy a processed ham and it has the ends with the little metal tabs on them?  That's what we had, except it was turkey.  Just the end pieces, or turkey butts as I prefer to call them.  We had turkey butts, stove top stuffing (gag), mashed potatoes that didn't come out right, and gravy.  Definitely not my favorite thanksgiving fare, but at least I spent it with my favorite guy and favorite dog. :) 

Here's hoping I can do better this year!  Regardless, I am truly blessed, and for that I am thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Potato of Milk

Once upon a time, somewhere in the 1970's we watched the show "Sesame Street."  Who didn't back then?  There weren't many other options.  They did a little cartoon on there where a young African American boy is going to run an errand for his mother.  He needs to remember three things.  A load of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.  He says these things over and over on his way and does remember to get all of them.

Fast forward to somewhere in the 1990's.  My sister and I are at Mom's working on something and I am trying to remember a list of things. I repeat it over and over and Kate says, "Hey, that's just like Sesame Street!  You know, a potato of milk?"

Now I had no idea what she was talking about, and that happens a lot.  My sister is..... how to put this nicely..... kinda nerdy, and also because of the brain surgeries she sometimes uses words incorrectly.  Which usually results in hilarity at her expense.  Luckily she's a good sport, or is just to kind to kill me.  The following, however, happened before most of said surgeries.

Me: What are you talking about?  (Even Mom stopped to listen.)

Kate: You know!  A loaf of bread, a potato of milk, and a stick of butter.  The little boy going to the store on Sesame Street?

Me:  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kate: What??

Me:  Try CONTAINER of milk.....

Kate: Huh?

Me: It's CONTAINER of milk!   HAHAHAHAHAHAHA  (Even Mom was laughing)

Kate: Nice Joanie, make fun of the little girl who can't hear out of one ear.

Me:  Ok, I'm not going to buy that one.  What exactly did you think a potato of milk was???

Kate: I don't know.  I thought it was an African American thing.

Me:  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kate:  Oh shut up.

Me:  Stop blaming your hearing disability....... it's the other one...... (her not so bright disability)

Kate: *chuckling  SHUT UP.

Of course I couldn't.  I have retold that story many times, and I laugh my head off when I do.  I am laughing now as I write it, thinking about how she's just going to love that I blogged it.  :) *waving*  Hi Kate!

Just wait until I blog about her texting abilities!  You never know what you're going to get because she doesn't check the auto correct. :)  Great fodder for an older sister to use as torment! 

So today I am thankful for my sister.  We are almost polar opposites, but have a great amount of love and respect for each other.  Happy Thanksgiving Kate...............did you make potato of milk after you took the pirate?  I don't want a phone, I want the gold that's in the oven.  ♥

The Feed Bag

It's a strange thing to add to my thankful list.......... but here you go.

Once upon a time......... oh, a little more than two years ago, I got this purse from Avon.  I fell instantly in love. 

Me: LOOK AT MY NEW PURSE!! ISN'T  IT FABULOUS?!!

Brown Eyed Man :  Huh, looks like a feedbag.

Me:  Dumb ass.... What do you know?

So the purse got a name, and it stuck, and I stuck with it, for over two years.  I have tried a couple of different purses, but they were all returned the minute I got them home and tried to unload the feedbag.  Just couldn't do it.  I have a couple other purses in the closet for different occasions, but they aren't what I want for every day.

So I finally bit the bullet and got another new purse.  The feedbag is old and the outside "leather" is starting to peel off.  *one single tear rolls down my face*  It's a cute little purse, but it isn't the feedbag.  Necessities only.  I hate it.  O.k. I don't hate it, I actually like it, but it is change, and I sure hate that.

So today I am thankful for the Feedbag.  It was a good purse and served me well for more than two years on a daily basis.  It's going in the closet, in case I need it to haul some feed, or maybe Avon books..... or maybe just so I know it's there.

Eizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton ~ Nov 12, 1815 - October 26 1902

Do you recognize this name?  If you are a woman reading this, you should.

We all recognize the name Susan B. Anthony, who played a huge part in the effort to gain the right to vote for women, but most of us don't recognize Elizabeth, or Lucrecia Mott, who really started the movement.  I encourage you to google them both, and educate yourself!  I honestly don't know much about Lucrecia Mott, but I intend to rectify that shortly!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stanton

I also didn't realize that Elizabeth wrote a memoir  "Eighty Years and More", but you can bet it will be in my hot little hands before the week is out, and yes, I am more excited about reading that than the Fifty Shades books.

Otherwise there is this little gem.  "When Clowns Make Laws for Queens.  Selected Papers by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony"  Written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Ann D. Gordon   Oh, that is precious, I love it.  I must have it. 

I hope that whoever you are you took/take the time today to exercise your right to vote.  Especially if you are a woman.  My thirty days of thankful day 5 will be tagged to this blog, because I am SO THANKFUL for the women who came before me, who fought so hard, never giving up, to give me this right as a woman! 

It's now up to us as women to continue where they left off, keeping the rights we have gained, and God willing there will be a woman to vote for in the next election!   O.k.  let me amend that one.  A smart, competent woman, who can run this country, to vote for in the next election.  There must be a binder of them out there somewhere........   (ha, sorry, coudn't resist)



Thirty Days of Thankful

Doing this little exercise last year helped me so much.  This year there are so many things that I am thankful for, I just feel like it's to simple, so I'm looking harder, and not going for the easy answer this time.  Like this morning, I had to be at work at 6:45, which I absolutely loathe.  I could have been thankful for my coffee, watching the sunrise, or the fact that I just plain got up this morning, and while I am thankful for all of the above, they're to easy. 

The day continued, and it's going to be a BUSY one.  I am thankful for my job that keeps a roof over my head, and shoes on my feet, but that's to easy.

I'm trying to find something/someone out of the norm to be thankful for.  A lesson learned, or something that makes my heart smile.  I need to stretch my thinking a little farther out there this year. 

Day One I found a note that my baby brother (in his early thirties) stuck on the wall by my computer for a joke.  He always has the power to make me laugh, and for that I was thankful.

For today, day two, it's this:  Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past few weeks I have had a little intern with me at the front desk.  She's six months old, and we work together for a good half hour. (Good thing I have had some serious training, I can, and do my job right with her dangling on my knee.)  This morning when I took her from her Mom she spit up right down the front of my sweater.  (NOT my thankful.)  So I cleaned myself up and we continued on.  A ways into our time together we were chatting about heaven knows what and she looked at my with those big blue eyes, and I thought. "I am truly thankful for you baby."  Which doesn't quite cover it.

What I am thankful for today is that I have had the unique opportunity over the past *ahem*, thirty if you count babysitting, years to have helped raise hundreds of children.  Had I chosen the path of motherhood I would have definitely found another career.  Living my life this way gave me, and still gives me, the opportunity to do more.

I am so glad to see so many of my Facebook friends participating, and I would encourage anyone who reads this to do it too!  We take so many things for granted, and it isn't to "Pollyanna", you can find something to be grateful for every day, even if it's the fact that you just woke up that morning.  It really has the power to change your perspective!