Day Three Hundred Sixty One 2013

It’s easy when your cup is full of boiled custard and whipped cream.

Grandkids Shelby, Elijah and Knox hanging out at my house today ~ finally went outside this afternoon ~ I told Shelby to jump into the picture, so she did

Beautiful day for a stroll in the neighborhood ~ Knox is loving his new car that his Aunt Holly and Uncle Jerry and cousins Shelby and Elijah gave him for Christmas ~ it’s fun to ride when somebody is willing to push.  Happy TGIF, everyone!

Day Three Hundred Twenty Seven 2013

Chilly night! Chili night! Happy Saturday!

Day Three Hundred Twenty Four 2013

WEDNESDAY this and that

Neil and I went for a walk around the block after our Slim Fast lunch today ~ this hill gets your heart pumpin’

Grandson Elijah after school telling me about his day

Ray of light kind of day ~ sky was so blue

Also a doughnut kind of day ~ Ralph’s rules!

Also a pizza kind of day ~ supper with peeps at Mamma Rosa’s ~ Granddaughter Shelby ready for a bite of pepperoni

My ooey gooey cheesy mushroom pizza dripping off the plate ~ yummalicious. Wednesday was pretty tasty. Was yours?

Day Three Hundred Twelve 2013

Random Pics Of Autumn Beauty And Blessings From The Week That Was ~ HAPPY TGIF!













Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love — that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.    
~George Eliot, letter to Miss Lewis, 1st October 1841

Day Three Hundred Five 2013

Hello, November!  TGIF Randomness

Grandson Knox browsing in the clothing store after lunch today ~ needed some new stylin duds to wear for his upcoming 2 year photo shoot.

Put a hat on his head and his first reaction is to take it off even though he looks great in a hat

Running off some energy on the trampoline this afternoon, baseball in hand. His newest word is “Mine!”

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Grandson Elijah’s second grade class had their ‘Harvest’ party today [whatever that is ~ they don’t have Halloween parties anymore in school and heaven forbid you should wear your costume ~ so the day after Halloween they had a ‘Harvest’ party ~ which sounds more pagan-like to me than Halloween] They got to dress up these little gourds. Elijah dressed his like a character in the movie ‘Avatar’. I said maybe he should have painted his gourd blue. Cute.

Elijah got this award today at school for displaying the 3 R’s ~ Ready, Responsible, Respectful which makes him a Super Student and an Awesome Kid! Way to go, Elijah!

“Come, little leaves” said the wind one day,
“Come over the meadows with me, and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold;
Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
~Come Little Leaves  by George Cooper

Daughter Kelly and her hubs Kerry and son Knox moved here this past week, although they’re not quite ready to inhabit their new/old house yet. Lots of boxes to unpack and organizing/cleaning to do. Their house, on the left in this picture, was built in 1913 which makes it 100 years old this year. They’re staying with Neil and me for a while. Their house is just around the corner from us. We walked down there late this afternoon to feed the kitties [and locate the coffee maker ~ Kelly has to be there early tomorrow morning to wait for the Direct TV guy to come hook up their TV ~ and coffee is a must].

November sunset

“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.”
― Clyde Watson
Happy TGIF!  Happy November!

Day Three Hundred Four 2013

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

No guts, no glory.


Grandson Knox was Thomas the Train, his most favorite thing in the world right now.

Because our Middle Tennessee town is in the path of some potential stormy weather tonight [rain, high winds, tornadoes], door-to-door trick or treating is postponed until this Saturday. Our church moved its annual trunk or treat into the church building tonight so kids in the community could have a safe and dry place to trick or treat in spite of the wet windy weather. There was a huge turnout, and although we didn’t stay for the meal, I heard over 50 pizzas were served.

This is Knox’s first year to trick or treat. He was a little intimidated by the large crowd and all the costumes, although he did get excited when he saw Batman.  He hasn’t learned the joy of collecting and eating all that candy yet. Maybe next year.



Grandson Elijah and granddaughter Shelby came to collect some treats. Elijah was Robin Hood. Shelby was the Queen of Hearts.






I’m so glad my niece Sarah still loves getting into the spirit of Halloween. This year she was Frida Kahlo, who was a Mexican self-portrait artist and is still admired as a feminist icon. [I didn’t know this until I Googled her, just so you know.]

My niece Julia also enjoys getting into the Halloween spirit. She made a lovely witch.

Daughter Holly got in the Halloween groove with this great orange jacket, black top with silver skulls, and a silver skull necklace she made.

I’ve been making chili for supper on Halloween night every year since my kids were little, so it’s become one of my fave traditions. This time I added white chicken chili to my menu.



Brother in law Don was feeling a little witchy tonight. He usually hands out my candy to the spooks who come by my house on Halloween while we take the kiddos trick or treating around the neighborhood [which I appreciate] but the spooks got rained out.


My sister Jane made these awesome treats ~ Nutter Butters dipped in white chocolate with chocolate chip faces.

They were totally deliciously decadent! And cute, too. Thanks for sharing, Jane!

Halloween was a little weird this year with no trick or treaters begging for candy at my front door. But that didn’t matter. We had a blast anyway. This is the most wonderful time of the year for me. Halloween, in my book, trumps Turkey Day and even Christmas with the fun factor every time. I hope the spooks come by this Saturday, or I’m stuck with two huge bags of candy. Happy Halloween, America! And sad farewell to October, my favorite month of the year.