Happy Halloween & Skull Votive Candle

My Crayons inspired a last minute craft project.



They were so freaked (in a good way) out by the MRI images I shared with them. Previously, I had looked at those films with both relief (I didn't have anything wrong!) and curiosity. The Crayons saw skulls! Scary, spooky skulls!

Ahh ha! I had been looking for an opportunity to use this tutorial for months! I had the votive holder, the clear contact paper and a photo copy of the MRI. It was an easy peasy ten minutes! Next year I plan to make a dozen to stand guard on my table.

I hope you had some spooky fun today too!

Who Says "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?"

Actually, I do. Quite often in fact. And, sometimes I am proven wrong!



Last week we had fully planned to help our dear friends pack their moving van. Then Cliff broke his toe and we ended up more or less watching them pack their moving van.

To make up for our lack of help, I volunteered Cliff's services to go trade their CD's in at Ameoba records. Wouldn't you know he got over $100 for them! That is much more than any garage sale would have netted.

Today I went to "work" their garage sale. I do love me a garage sale! I was thrilled to help, hang out and people watch all day. I also went to shop. I had set aside a few things to buy, when our sweet friends gifted me with the one thing I really wanted most- Nipper!



I have always wanted my very own RCA dog! It's been on my "Someday I will find one at a price I can afford" list for ages. What a perfect companion for the allergic-to- dogs-dog lover and her husband the music enthusiast!

What is on your "Someday I Will Find It" list?

Thoughtful Or Cheap?

This is my colleague's daughter. Today she saw our class portraits and asked me to make one of her daughter. The child's school is having some sort of contest and she plans to use this as the cover page for her project. Anyway, I whipped it up after dinner tonight. I think it turned out pretty nice and it was quite easy to do. (It was after all a fourth grade project!) If I could show you the original photo you would see that it's not perfect, but clearly her daughter.

So here is my question, would this make a nice holiday gift for a mama friend? If it was your own child could you overlook the cheap and easy quality?

I would mat and frame the picture for gift giving. Check out the tutorial and see what you think.

Hot Dog! It's Almost Time for A Hallo-wiener!

My favorite Halloween story to read to the kids is Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey. I love that little haunted hound! I have been reading this story (after weeks of build up) each Halloween for about 13 years now. I just love it so!

Imagine my delight when I learned that the good folks from Long Beach, California have brought this story to life for me! The Haute Dog organization holds an annual Howl'ween Dog Parade!

Hallo-wieners by the dozen!

Tonight at dinner (after another amazing Cliff Salad- he's becoming a salad artist I tell you!) we had an engaging discussion of whose costume was cuter. Cliff votes for this darling little lobster.
I loved this little guy! His grandma said to me, "My grand-dog is going to be a dragon!" I thought "Oh sweetie, your grand-dog is getting eaten by a dragon!" It was too funny!

My favorite big dog costume was Wonder Woman. It's amazing to see hundreds of dogs so quiet. There was hardly any barking. I guess the costumes make them shy. We both agreed that the bulldogs wear costumes the best. They seem to actually like it! I could go on and on!

Cliff says the dog parade brings people together. It's true. If you live in So. Cal and you are looking to forget about the stock market or the election, (and aren't we all at this point?) head over to the Haute Dog Parade Sunday October 26, at 2:30. I swear it's a little slice of world peace. If you can't make it treat yourself to some wonderful chuckles and check out my whole flicker set of last year's parade dogs!

Two Things

Freaking me out: The powerful Santa Ana winds of Monday.














This is the fence around our rooftop balcony. It's probably 4' high.



This is the table that went flying up over the fence and straight down to the balcony below our apartment. I happened to be home. It happened to be first thing in the morning when I was watching the morning news. I heard the huge "whooosh!" Saw the table fly past my window. I heard it crash down four stories on the second floor balcony. And, then heard the weatherman announce 80mph winds. Pretty unbelievable. This table is very heavy. The top is some sort of thick resin. It didn't even break. Thankfully it was the crack of dawn and nobody was outside.

Making me smile:

Look at this salad Cliff put together. Red raspberries, crasins, sliced almonds, sliced apple! He's speaking my "love language!"


I have a craft list a mile long and I am itching to get at it. However, I have a lot of obligations at school and church right now and have resigned myself to waiting until I go off track in November. You see when I really get creative, my apartment and specifically our bedroom looks like gale force winds have blown through. When I am not working it is easier to keep it somewhat under control. And, my sweet salad making man deserves a break.

15 days until my vacation!

Varmint or Financial Boon? You Be the Judge

More than a few years ago a passel of evil squirrels infested the home where Kate, Piper and I lived. The scritch scratchy of those fifthly paws and claws across our ceiling and up and down in the walls tormented us. It was a dark time. It took a village, but in the end we won the battle royal. I believe the house is rodent free to this day.

Or did we win?

This weekend at the Round Top sale I saw this display. It's a lovely urn with an autumnal selection of gourds. And...some stuffed squirrels!

They add a lovely fall touch don't they?




Can you read the prices in this somewhat blurry photo? No? It's $130 for a stuffed squirrel! The lady told me that she started with a dozen and was down to only these three left.

At $130 a pop, we could have financed several spa days. It sure would have helped with the stress we endured living with those evil creatures.

I also think it would have been a rare kind of justice. If you have faced off with these beasts in your home, you might agree.

I am sure that my landlord at the time would have jumped at this financial opportunity.

To bad I wasn't more creative. I wasn't thinking outside the "Have a Heart" box...err trap.

The Famed Round Top, Texas Sale

For years and years my mother has gone to Texas in early October or in early spring to visit family and to shop at the big Round Top Antique Sale. My mother and my aunt make this pilgrimage together and come home with goodies and stories of deals gone by.















This year I had the opportunity to get in on the action. Miles upon miles of roadside vendors and then acres upon acres of special tented venues.


Fortunately for my wallet, my small suitcase, and ultimately our small apartment, the heat got to me and I lost most of my shopping appetite. I did pick up a few gift items, but I passed up dozens of cute things. Instead I took pictures.

This year the show wasn't crowded at all. Maybe it was the heat? Maybe the economy? My aunt had gone on opening day and told us (later) that they were taking almost all offers. Rats! If I had known that I might have been more willing to haul stuff home!

Do you think the airlines would let me carry on this bike?

Tomorrow, the real fish that got away story.