Trick or Treat!

Wow, I'm exhausted! I certainly don't remember being this tired after an evening of trick or treating. Perhaps it has something to do with the thirty-some-odd years that have passed.

Roy's got the girls in the tub, but I can hear that they are still so completely wired. We only visited two houses - Dave & Kate's (my brother and his wife) and Denise & Roddey's (my mother's best friend). After that, we went to the church to the Autumn Festival. It was so packed when we first got there we could barely walk. It did thin out, but I bet they had over a thousand people there tonight. The girls got way too much candy. I bet they had seven or eight pounds together. (I know some students who'll be happy on Monday!) When we got home, they poured the candy out onto a chair in the living room and started digging. I tried to put the candy back into the buckets (so I could relocate the buckets to a much higher location) when Eva Grace threw her body on top of the cand and yelled, "That's my candy!" Had it not been so dishearting, it would have been funny.

Eliza was Wonder Woman this year. She told me for weeks that was what she wanted to be. I didn't know where I'd get that costume. I happened to be walking along in Wal-Mart and saw ONE costume left. It was a size too large, but after spending 30 minutes digging through every costume there, I discovered that it was the last WW costume in the store. Eva Grace didn't get much choice in her costume. She was a ballerina. She had little Isotoner slippers that she wore briefly, but she ripped the tiny bows off and refused to keep them on. Of course, they are/were the cutest ever.

Happy Fall!

Fall is in full force, October is almost gone, and the year will soon be a memory. My mother always says (around New Year's), "Before you know it, it will be Christmas again!" She's usually right. The days are getting shorter. The wind is brisk and the days cool. Fall is my favorite time of the year. Well, a close tie because I do love summer also! I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving has a special place in my heart. The colors and decorations are beautiful. The memories of family are sweet. Happy fall!

Great stamping week so far! I took Monday off work to work on cards and deal with the insurance company about my car. I wasn't terribly creative, but I made six very pretty cards for my October Stamp a Stack. Several of them were cased from some very talented stampers on Splitcoast. This first one is a direct case from luv my dolly. I love the stark beauty of the dove and the beautiful colors. I think I may use this for my Christmas cards. Someone mentioned last night, though, that you could use this as a sympathy card or - by changing the word to "Love" - a wedding card. More cards on the way! I'll post again tomorrow.

What a Day!

Wow. I had a non-stop bell-to-bell day.

It was tiring and my voice is still not 100%. I didn't have orchestra tonight. We were going to eat at the church anyway, but the weather was so nasty we didn't want my grandfather to fall trying to get up the stairs. So I ordered dinner from The Diner (http://www.thedinertyler.com/), picked up Eliza from school and headed home. I was sitting at a red light and all of a sudden we felt a terrible jar. We were rear ended. I pulled over at the gas station on the corner, called the police, and started getting the information we needed.

We were all ok. Eliza was shocked, Momma got a bad headache, and her back hurt a little. I was fine. The guy that hit us was young and just not paying attention. That tank I drive was barely dented, though I think there is some more significant damage than can't be seen - the computer parking sensors were missing off the bumper and the control panel is dinging with errors. As much as I hate that thing, I bought it for the safety features and it sure has held up. They guy's truck - an Explorer SportTrack - was pretty crumpled. It looked worse than mine.

I keep checking on Eliza, but she seems to be fine. We had a serious discussion about safety, seatbelts, and car wrecks. So often, I see dangers coming my way. I didn't have an inkling that a truck was hurtling toward us. It is a humbling thought that our existence is so fragile.

Check this out! Two posts in the same day. And I actually followed through with one promise I made! There are some pictures of the new puppy, Chloe.

She's cute and fuzzy. Her hair sticks straight out. She really is a ball of fur!

Next is a picture of Roy with Chloe. Roy calls her "his dog", "pup", and "darling". He really loves this puppy.

Back Again ... With Better Intentions

Well, here I am again. I am back again after an extended period of time MIA. Life has gotten so much better, you can't even begin to understand the difference. I feel alive again - I can breathe and have time to stop and notice life around me. I'm actually seeing my children and husband again.

I've done a lot of scrapbooking lately (well, in the past month or so). I would love to get some quality time in again soon! Unfortunately, I have class the next two weekends (I hate these double weeks). The good part is that I am half way done with this doctorate! Woo-hoo!!!

I plan to post some pictures tonight of recent (dubious definition) creations. Perhaps I can even spend a little time in my room tonight.

In other news, I had a terrible headache on Saturday and Sunday - no doubt my blood pressure was high (I had, um, forgotten, to take my medicine for a, um, while). On Sunday I was sitting on the couch playing SCS. Roy and Eliza went to Lowe's to get something for the yard. I leaned back and fell asleep. I woke up to them coming home. With a gift. A new puppy. She is very cute but COMPLETELY unexpected. I didn't realize that we were in the market for a dog. She is a golden shepherd, a mixed breed I had never heard of. Her father was a golden shepherd, but almost completely white and her mother was a golden retriever (I think I have that right). The girls were both really excited. Eliza had already named her Chloe before they got home. I'll definitely post some pictures tonight. Actually, I haven't even taken pictures of her yet. I'll do that this afternoon.