Raggedy Cat

Kitty Costumes!
I need some of these I think :)

Pumpkin Burger

 

Pumpkin Gallery

Check out some really Cool Carvings Here :)

I wanted to post a photo with this but Blogger won't let me. Grrr.

Twelve degrees this Halloween morning. The deer didn't dress up.. horses either. They're no fun :(

Happy Halloween :)

Mosaic

Before












After











*Click it to Big it--it's cool*

*You can do this -->here.

Thanks, Sugarfused:)

The Culprit

It seems that these little things were my downfall in the cookie contest. So.. congrats to Marianna for winning :). And no, I don't need a tissue :P









But..then I started thinking. What's wrong with "Mini"?? What happened to "Special things come in smaller packages?" I was always told that growing up. Is there discrimination now towards the small and petite??

What about Mini-Me? Wasn't he cute??

















How about Tinkerbell? She was "mini"..everyone loves Tinkerbell!


















How about the Mini-Cooper? Pretty cool car, no??












How about the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz? Not cute? Not special?? Didn't they love and help save Dorothy from that evil wicked witch??













And last, but not least, Hershey's Miniatures. You can't go wrong with Hershey's Miniatures. Small bites of pleasure..not too little, not too much. Such variety, something to make everyone happy.

All the above are special in their own way no matter thier size.










In conclusion, even though I agree that Marianna had some good cookies, I think there has been some discrimination against the "mini" size of my chips.

I guess "size doesn't matter" was not a basis in this contest :P.

I crack myself up :)

Tired

Not much exciting to talk about today.
I slept odd and am kind of blah. It snowed a couple of inches last night, I'll get some photos. Nineteen degrees this morning...gotta love it :)
Hunting season has started and I think the bucks have decided this is a safe haven. I usually have at least 6 hanging out around the house.
Stacie asked when Carmel is due. We're guessing around February. That should be interesting :)

I will have Medicine Monday soon :) 

Oh..and something interesting I found this morning. Blogger wouldn't let me post this photo. So.. I was playing with it in Picasa and saw the "Blog This" button. I was able to post the photo and write my post all in Picasa.
So take that blogger :P

PAWS

Sunday Mutter

I say.... and you think??

1. Costume :: Party


2. Beg :: Plead


3. Hottie :: Attractive


4. Celebrity :: Famous


5. Saturday :: Night Live


6. Buckle :: Belt


7. Doorbell :: Chime


8. Rude :: Snide


9. Absence :: Missing


10. Hyper :: Active

Keep Them In

I had forgotten about this ban until reading about it tonight.
Working in an animal ER you see a lot of sad things. Especially during 4th of July and Halloween. I would personally recommend you keep any pet in. Whether they are black or not, dog or cat.
Another thing to keep an eye on, which most pet owners already know, is the candy. Watch the dogs and the bags of candy or the trick-or-treat bowl. A bite size candy bar mostly likely isn't going to hurt anything, considering the amount of actual chocolate and the size of the dog. But, a bag of candy bars can be bad. We once saw a boston terrier one Halloween that had eaten a 3-pound bag of M&M's.
Those were not good results. Some candies too can be choking hazards.

So.. just keep them in, and keep them safe :)

Well That's No Fun :(

You Are Not Scary

Everyone loves you. Isn't that sweet?

How Scary Are You?

Seven

Yes, I've done this before. But I saw it on another blog today and decided to try again. Very fitting.

Your Life Path Number is 7

Your purpose in life is to find truth and meaning You are very spiritual, and you are interested in the mysteries of life. You are quite analytical and a great thinker. You have many theories and insights. A life of solitude is perfect for you. You need time to think and do things your way. In love, you are quite charming. You attract many with your confidence and wit. While you enjoy being alone, sometimes you take it to an extreme. You can become too isolated, shutting out loved ones and friends. Express yourself a little bit more, and you'll be surprised where it takes you!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Scavenger Hunt : Safe

This was an interesting one. I had to think on the word "safe"..which can have so many meanings. But I decided to go with Home. Not just our home, but our town also. I feel very safe here. Considering I'm home alone often, that's a good thing.
I've been here 4 years next month and the worst I've seen happen is mailbox baseball. Not bad :)

I used a snowy pic because to me that is one of the best feelings, to sit at home in a house heated by a wood stove and a fireplace and be surrounded by snow.

Puzzle Time

Remember the puzzles that drive you crazy?? Laura??, Anne??.
The ones that had you cursing me?
I found another one :)

Tomb of the Mummy

Have fun! Let me know how you do!
I quit very very early :P

Hat-tip to Samantha :)

The Pond

Playing in Picasa. What do you think?

Knock Knock

Want to be able to say one more thing to your friends/family once you're gone?
Make apologies?
Tell someone how you really feel?

Post Expression gives you that option. Check it out.

Hat-tip to Leesa ;)

Falling for Fall

Today was one of the most colorful days I've seen. The sun was scarce, so I couldn't catch a shot with it hitting the trees, but it was lovely :)
Snow isn't too far away, which you know I love. The freezing temps are already here at night. Yes.. my favorite time of the year is here. Cold...Halloween...Snow...Fall colors...Fall smells...sigh.

If you read Marianna than you know the BIG secret. You guys are too funny on your guesses too. NO, I'm not pregnant, and NO, neither is Marianna. NO.. I'm not starting a watermelon farm, Shephard :P
My sis Amy is in Texas and she has moved in with Marianna for awhile. They have become good friends in the last few months and Marianna is helping her out. Almost like a guardian angel :) Hopefully Amy will be able to move up here within a few months which will be a big change for both of us. We weren't so close growing up, and when we just started to get a chance, her life changed. Something I'll post about another time.
Her moving up here will be a good thing. I will have some help, I will have family around, and I think it will be good for her too.
I will also have some freedom to get out some and travel, and you know what a goal that is for me.

I had a whole other post in my head for today, but I'm just not up to writing it tonight. So I guess it will be a Friday post :)
Oh and the cookies are out there.....we'll see what happens!

**UPDATE: I'm stealing this from Marianna's blog. She wrote it perfectly, so why should I write it again?

Well, I think it's time I give some background info on Amy. She is not embarassed by this at all so I am letting y'all know a little bit about her. Amy was in a prison til yesterday. She got parolled early because she's been an exemplary inmate. She's worked her ass off in such a positive way that the guards & wardens, along with her employer, have pushed to get her to be parolled early.

I think there are two types of people in the world. Bad people and good people that make a mistake in life. I think GOOD people need to be given a second chance because they just need a way to thrive & be able to overcome their faults. There's nothing tragic about what she did in life ~ she made a mistake. It wasn't something that was hurting anyone except her own emotional state. She has a son who is nearly 7 years old & she misses him immensly. He misses her too. I have seen her get teary-eyed many times when she talks about Cody. He lives in Fort Worth & he is the love of her life. So, a couple of years ago, she made a mistake. And she has paid her time.

She needed a second chance in life. I'm not judging her past or who she was back then. I didn't know her back then. I know the Amy I've come to know in this past year. I've been corresponding with Amy for a while now, and, about a year ago, I went to visit her for the first time in prison. She was in a place about an hour away. The prison has been an eye-opening experience for me. I have come to appreciate my life, as meager as it is. You don't appreciate the value of life until all your freedoms have been stripped away from you. I have grown so much in the past year with our visits. I went to see her for the most part ~ once a month, on a Saturday. We would visit for 2 hours. We would laugh, cry, talk... it was just an experience I needed to live out. These past few months, whenever I went to see her, the guards all would brag to me about Amy ~ how much of a great job she's doing & how much they can see changes in her.

Amy has improved 100% since I first met her. I have seen her when she was down & seen her when she was UP. VERY UP. Since last week, we came to find out that she was going to be parolled early. It has been an intense week for me, and then combine the issue with Scott ~ yeah, you can imagine I've been going ninety to nothing! So, with many phone calls placed & a few miles on Inga, I went to pick her up from another unit that released her this morning around 11:45. I don't think I've seen more gratitude on a human being.

She got to talk to Leesa on the phone ~ for HOURS! LOL ~ and also to her son. They really needed this conversation. He hasn't known where his Mama has been & he won't know til he's older but it was good for them to be back in each other's lives. We will arrange to go up to Fort Worth to see him.

Do you see what I mean about helping someone that needs it? I feel that I know Amy & I know in my heart of hearts that she isn't going to risk anything to violate her parole. She'll be with me until July 07 & then she'll be released for good from Texas. She'll be able to move to Montana & start a new slate ~ a new chapter in life. Amy will never go back to that hell hole. For any of you that think that prison is easy ~ 3 squares a day & a roof to live over your head ~ lemme tell you. It's far from the glamorized life we see on the TV. It's a cell the length of your car & about as wide. Except, in that cell, you have a bunk bed & 2 girls in there. And a toilet near your head with a sink. And a small table. Plus a couple of very small footlockers for personal stuff. Can you imagine having to shower in a small stall & having to use the smallest bars of soap in the world? Can you imagine having to eat breakfast at 3:30am? Can you imagine having a light shined in your face several times a nite & sleeping on the coldest slabs of a mattress?

Granted, Amy did things in her past to get her put in there, but she, of all people, need a 2nd chance in life. She needs to have her son back & she needs to be back in society. Prison was not her place. It was a mistake and now she's back in the real world. I'm grateful to give her the opportunity to start new in life. I think she needs it. I have told her she can start a blog here if she wants. I think it would be good for her to be able to talk about things. If she does, and if she wants to share the address, I may let y'all look at it. If not, then so be it. She may need her own place for a while, ya know?

My DNA

Reserved Inventor

Ok, I know I've done this before. But as I was cleaning up some bookmarks, I pulled this back up and re-read the results. It's scary how accurate some of these are. Especially the "Reserved" section. If you haven't played with this before..go ahead... have fun :)

**You are RESERVED – you aren't someone who always needs to have others around, and you find you can handle most situations on your own.

You can be very happy spending time alone, and enjoy your own thoughts and ideas.

You find it difficult to understand why some people get so emotional and tell everyone else their problems.

You believe that if you want to get something done, it is best to do it yourself.

In your experience, other people are not always completely dependable, so you generally rely on yourself and only a few close others.

Despite your independence, you are not a closed-minded person who makes hasty judgments about others. You know that it isn't always easy to walk in other people's shoes.

At times other people's feelings are puzzling to you, and you wish that people were more rational.

Your vision of the world is complex – your values are not set in stone. Instead, you are able to change your beliefs as you learn new information.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.

You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

Dreaming

 

Wordless Wednesday

I'm Special :)

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 13 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

**
And..if I change it to Lisa...just for the hell of it...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2,946 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Give It To Me

Ok, so I want to enter this contest. What kind of photo do I pick? Sometimes I feel like my flowers or butterflies might be better, but is that National Geographic style?
Should I enter a bear? Deer? Scenery? What do you think? I'm asking your opinion.

So give it to me ;)

Art of Carving

Ok.. this is just cool.

Check This out.
Should we try it?

Hat-tip to Samantha :)

One Batch Down

Boo

Wow..Halloween is almost here.
This used to be just about my favorite time of the year. I love the creativity of Halloween. Love the movies and Peanuts specials, and pumpkin carving.
I used to go out every Halloween. For a few years we went to 6th street in Austin. Halloween costume parties or even just the local bar to hang out with friends. I used to love coming up with different costumes and seeing what everyone else came up with.
Oh and the candy was fun too :)

Not much happens around here on Halloween. Actually, nothing at all. The houses are way to far apart for Trick-or-Treaters. Plus with the bear and no-trespassing signs, not so much fun. It's possible they do something in town for the kids, but who knows. Kind of a bummer.
It's not even fun to decorate your house because who's going to see it? The UPS guy?

It will also be our anniversary, but hubs won't be in town.
So I think I'll buy some candy corn and watch a movie :)

I have cookie baking to do this afternoon. Seems Marianna enjoys being beaten :P

Judges ready?

In The Sunspot

All About Me

Just some fun. Go play if you want :)

You entered: Leesa
There are 5 letters in your name.
Those 5 letters total to 15
There are 3 vowels and 2 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 6

The characteristics of #6 are: Responsibility, protection, nurturing, community, balance, sympathy.

The expression or destiny for #6:
The number 6 Expression provides you a truly outstanding sense of responsibility, love, and balance. The 6 is helpful and ever conscientious, making you quite capable of rectifying and balancing any sort of inharmonious situation. You are a person very much inclined to give help and comfort to those in need. You have a natural penchant for working with the old, the young, the sick, or the underprivileged. Although you may have considerable creative and artistic talents, the chances are that you will devote yourself to an occupation that shows concern for the betterment of the community.

The positive side of the number 6 suggests that you are very loving, friendly, and appreciative of others. You have a depth of understanding that produces much sympathetic, kindness, and generosity. The qualities of the 6 make the finest and most concerned parent and one often deeply involved in domestic activities. Openness and honesty is apparent in your approach to all relationships.

If there is an excess of the number 6 in your makeup, you may exhibit some of the negative traits associated with this number. There may be a tendency for you to be too exacting and demanding of yourself. In this regard, you may at times sacrifice yourself (or your loved ones) for the welfare of others. In some cases, the over zealous 6 has difficulty distinguishing helping from interfering. You may have difficulty expressing your own individuality, because of involvement with responsibilities and causes. Like all with the Expression of the number 6, it's quite likely that you worry much too much.

Your Soul Urge number is: 11

A Soul Urge number of 11 means:
With the 11 Soul Urge, much of your thinking and interests relate to the abstract, the spiritual, and utopian dreams. You are motivated toward idealistic concepts, and the sharing of your ideas and concepts with humanity. This number is not one that is giving in a material or a practical sense, but rather one who desires to help mankind with a more abstract commodity such as religion, spiritualism, occult studies, or even psychic abilities.

If you possess the positive 11 Soul Urge traits, you have a dream of the perfect world; you are highly idealistic and inspirational. Your inner strength and devotion to your beliefs are extremely strong. You have a very good mind that is especially well equipped to handle the higher, more abstract forms of thought.

If there is an excess of 11 energy in your makeup, you may possess some the negative 11 traits. There is a tendency for the 11 to produce considerable amounts of nervous tension which is bought on by a very high level of awareness. You may be too sensitive and overly emotional. In some cases, these sensitivities and emotions are quite repressed, and this tends to add even more to the sense of nervousness in the makeup.

The strong 11 is not a very practical person because of the extreme idealism; often, there is a degree of self-deception present. There is usually a rather fixed idea of right and wrong held by those showing strong 11 traits, and with this very often is a resulting attitude of inflexibility.

Your Inner Dream number is: 4

An Inner Dream number of 4 means:
You dream of being a very solid citizen that people can depend upon. You strive for organization and predictable order. You want to be recognized as a person with a plan and the discipline to make that plan work like clockwork.

Wow

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Sunday Mutter

I say... and you think???

1. Stuff :: Property


2. Block :: Halt


3. Ingredient :: Content


4. Flagrant :: Bold


5. Dandruff :: Flakes


6. Betty :: Veronica


7. Tide :: Wave


8. Judges :: Critiques


9. Take it easy :: Chill


10. Chef :: Iron

Today

Scavenger Hunt : Dreamin'....

about supper :)

Travel Bug

Just about daily I watch Rachel Ray on the Food Network. My fave show of hers is $40 A Day.
She travels around finding great food bargains only spending $40 for the day. Her last two stops were Tuscany and Amsterdam. The food is always awesome and the scenery even more so.

Tuscany











I've decided I need to go to these two places. If not for food, for photography. I'm already seriously planning a trip to Greece, hopefully in a year or so.
So Marianna, can we go to Tuscany too?

Amsterdam














And I'm pretty sure once I see John's pics of Ireland and London, I'll want to go there too.

She's in Memphis tonight, and next is Nashville. Two other places I'd like to see one day. You can see some great Nashville photography at CLICK! and Pitcherlady. Oh and more great Tennessee photography at Sugarsnaps.

I need to become a professional.

Photographer, that is ;)

Tired??

Tiger

Misty

No No No No

No no no no no. You guys are way.too.funny. I am NOT pregnant.

I didn't realize that #5 from my Thursday Thirteen would cause such a stir!
I'm just not quite sure how to blog about it. I'm working on it.
But, I will say this...

It's good news, not bad.
It's something I've been dealing with for almost 3 years now.
It's nothing life shattering.

Oh..
And Marianna's involved :P

There... go figure that one out!!

Even MORE Hella-Fun :)

Hella-Fun :)

I had to steal this from Terry :)

Fifty Dark Movies in A Painting.

Can you find them all?

*13 18 so far

13

Thirteen Thoughts that were On My Mind at 1am.

1. I'm too tired to type out this thirteen list tonight.
2. Southpark was too funny tonight. Cartman was Dog The Bounty Hunter.
3. I need to paint my toenails.
4. Mmm..remember the scene from Bull Durham?? Sigh...
5. I received some news today that will change my life quite a bit soon.
6. I have this fear that this cold is going to move from cat to cat. Critter is sneezing now.
7. Why do I feel I need help with things sometimes when I really don't?
8. Why is it so hard to ask when I do?
9. I love this time of night. Peaceful, dark, and a few candles lit. Perfect.
10. Why do bear have to disturb my lovely peace?? :)
11. I have two days of mail waiting for me in the mailbox.
12. I'm ready for snow.
13. This is what my brain does at night. It doesn't shut off. And ya'll wonder why I'm always up so late :P

Thursday Theme : Dark

Cold dark day, Clark Fork River

Call Me Joe

Joe Normal
26 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 34% Dork ( so what is the other 14%?)

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal.

This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast.

I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal.

Congratulations!

Nerd, Geek, or Dork Test.

Wordless Wednesday

Smell Something Burning?

Ok, so ya got me thinkin'.
I think that's twice in a week.

I wrote the post today assuming I was boring you with my daily happenings. What seems like routine daily happenings to me, are certainly opposite from most of your days.
After living here almost 4 years (November), a bear in your front yard is normal. Bear walking on your porch and looking in your window? Normal. Five or six raccoons running by the sliding glass door, even stopping to look inside... Normal.

Tonight I had the momma and baby bear on the porch. They walked around a little and then just sat there. I watched them through the front door as they just sat on the steps. They were just hanging out. That's when it hit me that what I was telling you wasn't boring at all.
And believe me when I say it's NOT boring. I guess I just feel like I talk about it ALOT.
I had several deer just lying out in the yard this evening. Just hangin' out.. comfortable, safe.

Yes... they get into trouble sometimes. But, it's not life shattering.
I do have sick pets, but I'm lucky enough to be able to care for them.
I do get scared sometimes.. but I also feel safer here than anywhere else I've ever lived.

I started thinking that maybe I sounded like I take this for granted... which I certainly don't. Every morning I stare out at the scenery and I'm still in awe.
I'm still fascinated that I have bear and deer in my front yard. I'm humbled when I sit on my porch and can only hear birds, wind and the creek below. I'm blessed. I know this.

And If I can share this with you by stories and photos.... even better :)

Okay.. Hallmark moment over.
I just heard something break on the front porch :)