Happy Halloween...

Halloween is upon us, and October is nearing it's close. It's been a busy month for me, working on little projects, catching up on some reading, putting away summer clothing and pulling out warmer things for autumn.

We've had such a beautiful week. Cold nights and cool days. My perfect choice for weather! The fall colors have been amazing this year! Varied and bright!

On Facebook I participated in a 7 day photo challenge. You post the following challenge, adding the day as you go.

     Day ___ of 7 days,

     Seven black and white photos of your life.

     No photos of people. No explanations.
     Challenge someone different each day.
     I challenge: ____________________

I don't often participate in FB games and challenges, but this seemed like a fun one! I tried to choose pictures representing different moments, memories, or other aspects of my life. Here are the seven photos I chose.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

This challenge made me think a little bit about who I am and how people may see me or not see me. If you've read my blog, you already know I love books, writing, movies, music, art, and family, as well as being a spiritual person. I hope this gives you an interesting look at some other aspects of who I am, even without the descriptions of each photo.

Well, it's time to get on with my day. Though I'm not a fan of all the scary Halloween stuff, I do love costumes, candy, little children knocking at my door, and Charlie Brown! Look for the fun, and have a Happy Halloween!

Countdown to Thanksgiving...

So much to do in the next couple of days, and my husband and I have been down with horrid colds!  He rarely gets sick, and now both of us are battling the coughing/runny nose/achy/tiredness, which is not a good thing.  We're subsisting on chicken soup, crackers, tea and juice, along with Alka-Seltzer Plus and cough drops.

He's been confining himself to the bedroom, and watching a lot of the history channel, when he's awake.  I've got the family room sofa, and have been watching a lot of old TV shows, movies, HGTV, etc.  I've missed the middle section of most of them.  I wake up in time to see the credits rolling by.  Haha!

I have been doing a lot of mental planning for the holidays.  What to bake, gifts to buy, cards to send.  I'm thinking of buying a new artificial tree this year. Last year we got a real one because our old artificial tree is so huge.  I want a tall, thin tree that doesn't take quite so much space.  I was going to buy one right after the holidays last year and take advantage of the sales, but the ones I liked had all sold out.  I may just have to buck up and pay the full price.

I know this is kind of a rambling post, but I'm blaming it on my cold meds!  I'll try to write something truly fascinating next time!  Wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?  I can hear you laughing...  :)

Until next time, God bless you all!

A Bright New Year Has Begun...

Anybody still out there?  I've been absent for quite a while.  Life has been so busy, plus I forgot my blog password and didn't want to bother with whatever steps you take to restore it.  I finally found my little cheat-sheet this evening, so I'm back!

The holidays were wonderful.  My boys were both on break from school, so they were here much of the time.  We had some of our favorite holiday foods, watched movies, they played video games, relaxed and just enjoyed our time together!  

My sweet husband, who rarely gets sick, has been home with the flu for 5 days now, and is still not well though he is improving.  Nasty stuff!  He never gets the flu shot.  Has had no need to til now.  I'm really glad I got mine.  Even being around him 24/7, I only got very mild symptoms!  

I started on a Biggest Loser type challenge with a group of friends.  We weighed in last Saturday and photos were taken.  I had no idea how fat I was.  Lol!  Yes, I have a mirror, but I've been avoiding mirrors and cameras like they were life threatening.  The photos and the scale do not lie.  I'm fat!  I don't know why I'm laughing about it, but I refuse to cry.  I've revamped my diet, adding a lot more fruit and veg. and fewer carbs.  I've started an exercise plan that works for me, and I'm actually not hurting as much as before.  I am feeling some long-lost muscles though, and they're telling me a tale of severe neglect!  Short term goal is to lose 30 lbs by March 30th, our final weigh-in.  That's a nice, respectable amount which should be easy to accomplish.

As I'm typing, I'm listening to my new Bonnie Raitt CD, Slipstream!  Love it!  I am filled with excitement about the coming year and all it holds in store!  It's going to be amazing!

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope each one of you is having a Happy Valentine's Day with someone you love, whether it's a sweetheart, a family member, or a dear friend.  And, if you find yourself alone today, do something that makes your heart happy.  

This image made me laugh when I saw it.  Take it if you like... it's a free image.  I don't have many, but if you click on the link it will take you to the other free images I've shared.

This has been a good day for me.  My writing muse kicked in again for the Sunday Scribblings prompt.  I must warn you that it's a sad story, so if you don't like sad you may want to skip reading this one.

My husband is baking sugar cookies for us to decorate, and eat, later this evening while we watch the Olympics.  There's a roast in the oven that will be ready in about two hours.  It smells so good already.  All we have to do is whip up some potatoes, make a vegetable dish or salad and we're set!  

The sun was shining most of the afternoon.  It was gorgeous.  People were out walking with their dogs, their families, or both!  There is now a grey cloud cover, but my happy sunshine feeling remains.

Booo!

"There are three things I have learned
never to discuss with people:
religion, politics, and
the Great Pumpkin."

~ Linus VanPelt in
"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday. It was a long weekend for PJ and Lucky 13. My family is going to barbecue steaks later. I have to come up with a couple of sides to go along with. Probably make it something simple... baked beans, salad, some sauteed onions. Yum!

I've watched a lot of DVD's the past couple of weeks. They finally got the first season of Thirty Something at Netflix. It's very nostalgic for me. It came out when I was in my thirties, and that was when my boys were little. I love looking back at the hairstyles and clothes.

I've also been watching The French Chef with Julia Child, informative and very funny! I haven't been to Julie and Julia yet, but I'm planning to see it. Other DVD's I've seen recently are a Watercolor Painting Series (yes, I'm going to try my hand at watercolor painting... haven't done that since I was in High School!), How to Marry a Millionaire (Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable - love that movie), Grey Gardens (the movie and the documentary... that's where my blog name comes from), The Jane Austen Book Club, French Kiss, The Reading Room, Daddy Long Legs, and the Midsomer Murders series. There were more... too many to list. When I can't read, I watch... makes the bad days go by easier.

Today is a great day for me. Feeling better, getting some "online" stuff done, some "at home" projects and cleaning done, and spending time with my husband and boys later. *Sigh*... these are the good things in life. Hope all of you are having a blessed, peaceful day.

Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you."

~ Annie Dillard